4 Wordpress Plugins to Make Your Blog a Fast Mean Machine

Blogging Tips For the Fastest Blog on the Racecourse

Wordpress Plugins and FireFox Add-Ons

This blog is always a work-in-progress.  Since I switched to Wordpress, I’ve become plug-in happy – there are so many Wordpress plugins that can enhance a site’s performance.

If you’re thinking of starting a blog (or perhaps are already an established blogger) and may be wondering whether you should be using Blogger or Wordpress – Trisha and Kim from Top Mom Blogger offer a great explanation of the differences.

Should you make the decision to switch to Wordpress – be sure to sign up for the Wordpress Orientation Classes offered by Kelly McCausey.

I’d like to share a few plug-ins that I’ve recently added, that make my blog a smooth-running machine (usually.)

1) WordPress Gzip – This is a plugin that essentially compresses and zips the text on your pages.  If you’re familiar with Microsoft Word, I make use of the “shrink to fit” button quite often when I’m preparing documents.  It allows me to fit that last sentence or two onto one page.

Find at: GZIP

From the site:

I’ve found that letting WordPress gzip pages significantly improves performance, typically slashing the size of the text to a fourth. For my home page, that’s a 30% reduction of total page size—including images, ads, etc. A 30% reduction in bandwidth is nothing to sniff at.

2)  WP Super Cache saves your recently viewed pages, allowing them to be accessed more quickly by readers.  There’s also the ability for you to manually clear the cache, or to set functions as to when it should be cleared.

WP Super Cache is a static caching plugin for WordPress. It generates html files that are served directly by Apache without processing comparatively heavy PHP scripts. By using this plugin you will speed up your WordPress blog significantly.

Find at: WP Super Cache

3)  Link Cloaker – If you monetize your blog and have affiliate links of any type that aren’t cloaked, you may be losing out on affiliate commissions.  It’s happened to me in the past.   If you don’t cloak your links, they’ll show up in the URL whenever someone clicks over to your hop page.

This Wordpress plugin is an excellent add-on that not only cloaks your links, but tracks the click-throughs to see how each affiliate link is performing.

Find at: Link Cloaker

4) TTFTitles WordPress plugin enables me to have my own font listed on my post titles.  Right now, I’m using the Miama font, which matches the font on the header of Moomette’s Magnificents.

This plugin lets you use images to replace the titles of your posts, thus circumventing the problem of guessing what fonts your end-users might have installed.

Eve, from Designing With Eve clued me into this wp plug-in.  Eve, a fellow WAHM, has been designing websites since 1998 and has a degree in computer programming and design.   She recently opened up her new design services company and will be redesigning my recipe blog for me – Moomettesgram’s Favorite Recipes – so watch for my announcement when it’s up and running!  Be sure to check out Eve’s design porfolio!

Find at: TTFTitles

5)  WiseStamp – Lastly, this isn’t a Wordpress plugin tip – but be sure to check out the new Fire Fox browser addon that enables you to customize your email signature by adding your social networking buttons, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN and Friendfeed to it!

Hat Tip to: Blogging Basics 101

If you found these tips helpful, please let me know!  Happy Blogging!

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Thanks for visiting! Comments are always appreciated! This blog is Do-Follow Links!

Win a Conference Pass to BlogHer10 in NYC: Giveaway

2-Day Conference in New York City

Win A Ticket

If you’re a veteran blogger, you’re probably familiar with all the conferences that take place throughout the year in various parts of the country.

If you’re new to blogging, Blog Conferences are a great opportunity to meet fellow mom bloggers, affiliate marketing bloggers and bloggers from all walks of life.  Together they share information and bounce ideas off of each other.

BlogHer is open to anyone and everyone who considers themselves part of the blogosphere; BlogHer is particularly focused on highlighting the skills and talents of women who blog. All genders, ages, ethnicities, and levels of blogging experience are encouraged to attend! We promise there’s something for everyone.  (And in case you’re curious, about 10-15% of attendees are men.)

Many of my readers know I was all excited about attending BlogHer10 in New York City this summer however I’m now unable to attend.

WIN my ticket! I’m hosting a Giveaway for a 2-Day Conference Pass to BlogHer ‘10 in NYC!!!!  (a $298 value for the 2-day pass) open only to my readers who are email subscribers!

Mandatory Entry Requirements.

Main Rule:   (remember if all of these rules are not followed and completed then no others will count)
1. Sign up for my free Newsletter Updates to my blog through my e-mail Feedblitz link (on the top of my right column or let me know if you already are, in a separate comment)

2.  Enter by writing  a blog post of approximately 200 – 300 words about why you would like to attend a blogging conference.  Let me whether you’ve ever attended BlogHer or similar conferences in the past, and how you benefited from them.

Choose one of the keyword phrases below and corresponding links to place within your post.

If you have more than one blog, you may write one post per blog url that you own.  Each post will count as an entry.  You will need to post your link here in a separate comment for each entry.

Your blog must have its own domain and have a Google rank of 2 or better.  Blogs not meeting these requirements will not count as an entry.

3.  Please use one of these keyword phrases within the context of your post, and make sure that the link is live, and works before submitting :

Link #1: “WAHM tips” and link to http://moomettesmagnificents.com/blog/backlinks-how-to-build-solid-traffic/

Link #2: “blogging resource tips” and link to http://moomettesmagnificents.com/blog/alexa-toolbar-benefits/

Link #3: “product reviews and giveaways” and link to http://moomettesmagnificents.com/blog/review-info/

Rules #1, #2 and #3 must be completed to be considered entered into the contest.

Submit a comment for each blog post, along with the live URL link to your post. If the post is done in accordance with the above rules, it will be counted as an entry in the contest to win a 2-Day Conference pass to BlogHer ‘10 in New York City.  Please ascertain that all links work before submitting your post.  Posts that are incomplete will be voided.

This contest will run until April 15, 2010 at 11:00 pm. EST

*No purchase necessary
*Open to USA and Canada Only 18 years and older
*Rules for each entry must be followed to be valid.
*Winner will be contacted by me to transfer ticket. May not be re-sold or transferred to another person. Not exchangeable for cash.

For Additional Entries, check out my Contest Entry Rules.  Grab this banner to place on your sidebar, linking to this post, and it will also count as an extra entry.  Please leave your blog’s URL:

SUBMIT ENTRIES HERE FOR MY SPREADSHEET:

For a second chance to win, Visit Digital Mommy, who’s also hosting a BlogHer10 Conference Pass Giveaway!

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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How You Can Choose a Good PLR Service

FAQ’s on Private Label Rights Articles

I’ve written about using PLR articles versus free reprint articles recently. If you still have some questions on Private Label Rights articles, hopefully this information will help you decide how to choose a good service targeted to your particular blogging niche, and help you get over writer’s block.

Benefits of PLR Articles

By Nicole Dean

Private Label Rights (PLR) articles are hot right now. The only problem is that many people have tried them and been very disappointed. I can’t say I blame them. I’ve been disappointed, too.

Oftentimes, the PLR services you may have tried are lacking in several areas. So, what makes a good PLR service and how can you make sure that you don’t waste you money on a bad one?

Here are some questions to ask yourself before investing any money into a PLR package or membership.

1. What topics are you getting?
I mean, seriously, if you are promised 100 articles each month, but you end up receiving a selection on Laser Hair Removal and Divorce, when all your websites are about cooking… You just wasted money.

2. What quality are you getting?
Say you’re lucky enough to get a series of articles on your topic. Take a minute to look at them. Are they pure fluff? I’ve paid for articles that had no original ideas, or worse, were written so poorly that there’s no possible way I’d put them on my website. Make sure your PLR package contains quality articles. Otherwise, you just wasted money.

3. How many other people are getting the exact same articles?
If 1000 other people signed up to get the same articles, are you really receiving any value? Perhaps, if you don’t mind reworking the articles. However, if you’d like more unique articles, then you may consider a more limited PLR service.

4. Does the PLR service give you any extras?
Are they offering training on ways to use their PLR articles? Do they provide you with ways to monetize the articles you’ve purchased? Some PLR sites will include recommended affiliate programs and training on how to use their articles to get the most benefits from their service.

Really assess the value you’re receiving when investing in any PLR package or service so that you don’t end up wasting your money. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.

Article written by:

Nicole Dean is the owner of  www.EasyPLR.com – where you’ll find high-quality PLR articles sold in very limited quantities.  The PLR articles at EasyPLR are professionally written and professionally edited — top quality at an affordable price.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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@Moomettes

BlogHer10 Conference Pass Giveaway Coming Up!

2-Day Conference in New York City

Win A Ticket

Many of my readers know I was all excited about attending BlogHer10 in New York City this summer.

If you’re a current email subscriber to Moomette’s Magnificents – thank you; but if you aren’t yet – you must might want to subscribe NOW because I’ll be running an exciting contest in March!

But first things first.

If you’re a veteran blogger, you’re probably familiar with all the conferences that take place throughout the year in various parts of the country.

If you’re new to blogging, Blog Conferences are a great opportunity to meet fellow mom bloggers, affiliate marketing bloggers and bloggers from all walks of life.  Together they share information and bounce ideas off of each other.

BlogHer is open to anyone and everyone who considers themselves part of the blogosphere; BlogHer is particularly focused on highlighting the skills and talents of women who blog. All genders, ages, ethnicities, and levels of blogging experience are encouraged to attend! We promise there’s something for everyone.  (And in case you’re curious, about 10-15% of attendees are men.)

My friends Connie, from Brain Foggles; Heather from Beautiful British Columbia; Murray from Murray Newlands Marketing Blog; and Trisha from MomDot all are veteran conference attendees.  It’s thanks to friends like these who help me to improve on my blogging skills and techniques and enable me to meet new friends through social networking.

Do you think you’d like to attend some conferences, but need to get sponsored to attend? Read up on some of the following tips to help get sponsored.

Now that you’ve made it this far, I’ve saved the best for last.

Certain plans don’t always pan out, and this year’s BlogHer10 conference falls on my grandson Slugger’s birthday weekend this August.  I already bought my conference pass to BlogHer10, and will be hosting a Giveaway (a $298 value for the 2-day pass) to my readers who are email subscribers!

So watch for my upcoming Giveaway post Enter the contest HERE which will tell you the rules and sign up for my Newsletter!

For More Information Visit:  BlogHer10

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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@Moomettes

Information For Bloggers: PLR vs. Free Reprint Articles: Which is Best?

Blogging Tips

One of the ways for moms, virtual assistants or retirees to earn money working at home or blogging is by becoming a ghostwriter.  Ghostwriters often write PLR articles that can be purchased or turned into eBooks.

Here’s some information that can get you started working from home as a ghostwriter, or familiarize you with PLR and reprint articles for your blog.

PLR vs. Free Reprint Articles: Which is Best?

By Nicole Dean

Content is always in high demand. Right now the focus seems to be on Private Label Rights (or PLR) articles. PLR articles are pre-written and sold in packages to online businesses looking for content. The big selling points of PLR articles are that you may edit the articles and that there is no author bio required (so they don’t have any outbound links).

Compare PLR articles to free reprint articles. Free reprint articles from places like ezinearticles.com or freeaffiliatearticles.com are written by people who have something they’d like to share. (Or, they are sometimes written by people just publishing junk, in the hopes that they’ll get some incoming links. But, good article directories will delete those, so we’ll focus on the good ones here.)

So, which is better? Honestly, each has its place. Sometimes you’ll find an excellent free reprint article that you’ll want to share with your readers and you won’t mind a bit having an outbound link, especially if there is an affiliate program associated with it. The free reprint article added value to your readers, and you didn’t have to write the article. That’s what free reprint articles are all about.

Other times you’ll already have an idea in mind for a topic and you’ll just want a boost getting that section of your website done. If you run across a high quality PLR package on that niche, you’re set to go.

So, how do you know which PLR service or membership to choose? Here are some guidelines to follow:

1. Some PLR sites offer a monthly membership where you receive a grab-bag of articles – on any topic. If you already know what you need, this may be a waste of money. Other PLR sites will list topics and you can buy the articles in a shopping cart. That ensures you receive the articles you need when you need them.

2. Are the articles written by professional writers with experience? Or are they outsourced to the cheapest overseas help they can find – no matter the quality? If the articles are going to be a reflection of your business, you’ll want to ensure that the articles are well-written.

3. Who’s running this thing? Is the PLR site run by someone who knows about content or someone who thinks they can ride the content wave and make a quick buck? Make sure you’re hitching your wagon to someone who knows what they’re doing.

Those are just a few tips to keep you from wasting money on a PLR site that you can’t use. Continue to use free reprint articles, but look into PLR articles as well. They can both benefit your website and your business.

Article written by:

Nicole Dean is the owner of  www.EasyPLR.com – where you’ll find high-quality PLR articles sold in very limited quantities.  The PLR articles at EasyPLR are professionally written and professionally edited — top quality at an affordable price.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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@Moomettes

Connie Roberts of Brain Foggles: Guest Post

Meet My Friend

I’d like to introduce my readers to Meet My Friend, Connie Roberts, whom I’ve invited to Guest Post on Moomette’s Magnificents.  Connie is also known around the blogosphere as “Connie Foggles.”

Connie and I met, if I recall correctly, through Twitter.  We shared some common interests – we were both eBay sellers; moms; were somewhat the same age; and were both bloggers.  As time went on we found ourselves connecting through social media forums, and eventually began a friendship emailing each other sharing blogging tips and talking about being mother-of-the bride at our daughters’ weddings. Recently I learned Connie’s a native New Yorker, even though she now lives in Florida!

Connie Foggles

I’m not sure why I’ve put off writing a guest post for Cindi. It may be because I have to write about myself, which I find a bit difficult.

Now if someone asks me questions, I have something to focus on and don’t feel like I’m tooting my own horn, but just writing without a “script” isn’t easy. Now that I ask bloggers who write product reviews to answer interview questions for my new writing gig with MurrayNewlands.com, I know how frustrating it can be to seek out people that you are actually willing to promote and have them turn you down. So I’m biting the bullet and giving this a go.

I’ve been a WAHM for a long time. I began working from home 11 years ago when my youngest was a few months old. Since I didn’t want to leave her in daycare, I answered an ad that I really thought was a scam. It turned out to be one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. I was a customer service representative for Huffy Bicycles. My hours were flexible and I was even able to work part time as a home health Social Worker once in a while.

But, my life came to a hault suddenly almost 7 years ago, when I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, a rare neuro-muscular disease.

Soon after that, I was diagnosed with other chronic illnesses and was pretty much bed-bound and unable to work. I went into a deep depression but stuck with my doctor’s treatments. When I was told that I needed to seek help for depression, I did fight a bit, but finally gave in and am so happy that I did.

A few months after I began treatment I recognized that I was able to try to do get back into doing some kind of work, but it had to be at home with a very flexible schedule since I still am sick and have frequent flare ups. I became a member of DOUA – Disabled Online Users Association which helped me learn how to sell on eBay. My husband helped me a great deal with this as packing and shipping was too hard for me to do. The main thing though, was I was doing something! I felt more confident and happier.

After a few years of eBay, I learned about blogging. I began to write to cope with all I was going through. It was like therapy for me.

Then I learned that I could earn money by blogging and my journey began. I monetized Brain Foggles first through paid posts and then through affiliate marketing. When I learned about product reviews I was so excited! I enjoyed sharing my views on products, running giveways and connecting with advertisers. I even was paid for some of my product reviews.

I enjoy paying it forward by helping out other bloggers, volunteering online and in real life and sharing about ways to help non-profits on my blogs. I am an avid reader, am a DisneyFanatic and love spending time with my family. My daughters are 12 years apart so I have the best of both worlds! I recently became a mother of the bride and had a blast planning and attending the wedding. So far I’ve been to Affiliate Summit East 2009 in New York City and IzeaFest 2009 in Orlando. More blogging events are definitely in my future.

I currently publish and author 3 blogs -Brain Foggles, my mom blog where I share about my family and write product reviews, as well as provide information about blogging.

Connie’s View, my parenting blog where I also write some product reviews I have a page devoted to sharing giveaway links.

My Chronic Life – my health blog, where I write about coping with living with chronic illness, disability and provide information on all typed of health issues.

I’m known as @ConnieFoggles on Twitter almost everywhere on the internet. I’m addicted to the internet and have been known to lose sleep staying up too late visiting blogs and hanging out on Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks Cindi for the opportunity to share some information about myself. You have been an inspiration to me with the knowledge you have and continue to learn.

If you have a topic of interest that you’d like to share and be a Guest Blogger on Moomette’s Magnificents, please contact me (see Contact tab above).

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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@Moomettes

Let Alice Help Your Family Save – Shop Online

Frugal Savings

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alice.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

When my family was young we belonged to a big-box warehouse store which we visited monthly and purchased or staples in bulk.  Each month we paid a membership fee.  Now that my family is grown and on their own, we really don’t need to keep such a large supply of items at home.

At Alice.com, you can sign up for a free membership and be able to get all the savings benefits of a big box store and check out all they offer.

Our monthly grocery and household essential expenses are approximately $500.00, depending on whether I’m entertaining or not.

With two grandkids and two cats, I’m always cleaning up some type of mess in this house.  Winter is coming here in New England, and that means our usual weather pattern of snow and ice.  At Alice, I’d be able to purchase paper towels in bulk, and never have to worry about running out when driving conditions aren’t optimal!

Plus, I’ll be able to save with their low prices and free shipping!

Another feature that Alice offers are the Automatic Coupons. Alice automatically applies coupons for you on thousands of products. Typical users find $100’s of dollars in annual coupon savings without any extra work or having to pay for newspaper subscriptions!
Alice.com is a cost effective way to manage your budget and all of your household essentials, such as diapers, household cleaners and personal products online.

Check out Alice.com yourself for free!

At Alice.com you can sign up for the “Refer a Friend program” that is located under the “My Account” section on Alice.com. This is an affiliate program where users can give their your friends $10 off once $50 is spent on the site, you’ll get 3% back of the purchases for a year!

We New Englanders are pretty thrifty and frugal!  Sign up here using my referral code and experience the savings yourself!

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Tips To Keep Your Craft Blog Up-To-Date: Craft Content Mini – PLR Membership Review

Have a Craft Blog?

Here’s a great WAHM tip if you have a craft blog and enjoy doing any type of arts and crafts, sewing, kniting, crocheting, and more!

All Craft Content Mini Membership is a monthly subscription, which provides a steady supply of craft-related articles and product profiles or reviews. That’s enough PLR content for any blog/site on arts and crafts or family life.

Product Details:

Monthly membership to All Craft Content Mini Membership provides:

• 10 articles

• 5 product profiles/reviews

• List of affiliate programs

The membership also includes these bonuses:

APLC Publisher WordPress Plugin. An easy-to-use plugin for WordPress sites, which allows the user to automatically mass upload and schedule articles in .txt format. The plugin is free for All Craft Content members, and the license remains active for as long as the user remains a member.

Access to the members discussion area. Where members can get support and learn strategies for making the most of PLR content.

Search Engine Optimization Guide and Video. A guide and step-by-step instructions for optimizing PLR articles to get more traffic to your site.

Outsourcing Guide. A 21-page guide to saving time and making more profits by outsourcing product creation – the right way.

Format:

The articles and product profiles/reviews are in .txt format, which can be edited with any text editor. This format also work with the APLC Speedy Publisher and similar WordPress plugins.

The search engine and outsourcing guides are in PDF, while the search engine optimization instructions are in video.

The discussion area can be accessed online.

Thoughts on the Product:

If you have a blog/site related to arts and crafts, All Craft Content Mini Membership will make it much easier for you to publish new content consistently. The All Craft Mini Membership provides a total of 15 pieces of new content every month. This means you can easily publish a new article three times a week and still have some content leftover for your newsletter or Ezine.

Some of the articles have a common theme. Therefore, you can use them to run a series of related blog posts. Or, since you have permission to edit the materials, you can combine related articles into a special report.

The articles also tie into holidays and special occasions, so your content will always be relevant – as long as you use it right away.

The product profiles/reviews give a good opportunity to make affiliate commissions, since the featured products almost always have an affiliate program.

At $10 a month, each content costs a mere 67 cents. This PLR mini-membership is a no-brainer for the owner of a crafting site.

Where to Learn More:

All Craft Content Mini Membership

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Foiled by the Cruella de Vil of WAHM Hosting Services!

“Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil.

If she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will…“

Well, well, well. As a follow-up to my post forewarning my young, nubile readers who are eager to enter the cut-throat world of work-at-home mom online ecommerce entrepreneurship, I am again chronicling my experiences.  As a Baby Boomer, I’m a little thicker-skinned than some of you younger moms.  But listen-up to Gram here ~keep up your guard and keep your ears & eyes wide open.

I’ll cut to the chase early.  One of my businesses got skinned alive by Cruella Hosting Services.

Read between the lines here.

For those who want to continue reading, this may get lengthy. But it’s interesting, so take a chance.

Continuing my experiences in the Hell Hall world of a WAHM, I posted here about all the e-mails I got to sign up for early renewals of this, that and every other thing. I canceled my annual subscription to Cruella’s hosting and design service that my business was on since it was scheduled for  ‘auto renewal’ through Paypal. I wanted to make sure this site didn’t charge me again because I was going to use the affiliate links provided through the respective companies, rather than having them all on a mini web site that I had created.

Coincidentally, at the same time, I contacted Cruella Hosting Service to ask for a URL redirect for one of my banners. Days went by, and I heard nothing. Surprise Surprise.

I fired off emails to every address I had from Cruella Hosting Service. This WAHM Dame Houdini has more email aliases than a Moose has Ticks at any given time (per recent news articles, that is about 35K).

I finally got one response today, and I am providing a synopsis of the flimsy excuses here:

…you have a yahoo email and some reason on Julie’s server I am not able to write to people with yahoo. I am not sure why. You need not be immature and treat people with respect if you want to get anywhere in business. I don’t take demands. I must of not got your email request. I removed you from my server you need to find another host. I hold the right to refuse service to anyone who acts in a bad or disruptive matter.

…I am sorry I don’t take demands. Your site is being removed. No one demands me to do something.

Just for your information I didn’t ask for money I offered early renewal for discount rate. You no longer need that…

I told you you were removed from our services. You don’t demand your host and designer to do something immediately. I never got your update email. I have a form everyone fills out for updates. I have a forum for people to get the updated info. You don’t go tell your host to do the work immediately specially when I do free updates. You never paid me to work immediately. Updates are sometimes on tuesdays but mainly 1st and 15th. The form makes sure i get the updates. You will need to find you a new host. You can’t go back to Julie because you left her services. You probably owe her money. (proviso, NOT.) I am not sure. We are on the same server so you left Julie to stay on the same server. Respect is demanded with my services.

sorry for the small amount I charge I offer no refunds.

Judy

Keep in mind that Cruella has the audacity to blame me for being impatient because she didn’t respond to my numerous requests for the redirect. I filed off a grievance to Paypal for services not received, although I don’t believe I’ll see any relief.

Here’s my response:

Your excuse is ridiculous about my using a Yahoo email address.

You have more than 3 email addresses I have been writing to.

There’s this one, there’s xxx
There’s the one that payment was sent to on Paypal, there’s the one that’s listed on Paypal
There’s also xxx
I had written to them all, and never heard back from you. I requested the URL redirect quite some time ago, which more than covered your day of the week that you work to make the requested changes. It’s easy for you to use the excuse that you never got an email. I don’t buy that.

And you have the audacity to blame me because you’re not performing up to snuff, and I am the paying customer. And what does bringing up that other person you referred to have to do with our business transaction? Squat.

Not to worry. I have a WAHM tips blog.

No loss on my part.

Some people are just so shady and slick, and operate their market place mama businesses like flea or tick central dot info hell halls.

If you want the down and dirty of it all, just let me know.

Update: And then for some strange reason, after this post went to press, with no warning, I got kicked out of The Mom Pack tonight. No emails, no nothing, just no access.  Coincidence? Technical hiccup?   Gossip Wag?  Wicked Stepsisters from Mom Pack?

What do you think?

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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The Goodbye Girl of Affiliate Marketing

Well, the saga of my experiences as an Affiliate Marketer continues. My faithful WAHM readers may be familiar with my promise to keep you informed on how things are going with being an Affiliate Marketing Independent Consultant.

It’s not going. In fact, it’s going bye-bye.

My list of banners and buttons is getting smaller. Tonight I resigned from 4 more companies. Another one bites the dust. Why you may ask?

Well, I’m sick and tired of having to meet “Quota” each month or quarterly. Many of these Affiliate sales companies require you to make a quarterly purchase of at least…$25.00, which, I don’t feel like spending on something I may or may not need if I haven’t had any sales. There’s only so much I can put aside for Christmas, or give to my DDs.

I’ve decided to take the advice of a member of a WAHM forum who had commented on the same issue. Instead of spending money on Quota items, I’d rather spend the money and invest it into inventory for my own stores, either my eBay store or my Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes. Actually, the way the economy is going right now, my gas tank might even be a good place to spend this “new-found” money.

The competition on the forums is fierce, with too many moms hawking the same affiliate products. They’re hawking the products through Yahoo Groups (don’t get me started again on those); through traffic exchanges; through forums. Not only that, turf wars exist. For example, before tonight’s drop and run, I had posted on a forum and apparently had stepped on someone’s toes ~ and heard about it. Give me a break. Thinking there were too many cooks in the kitchen, I resigned.

Here’s another example of why I dropped out. I invested in a domain name for one of the companies, and had it redirected to my affiliate URL. Each time I thought I had made a sale, I got an email from the company owner saying “we’re having a problem with the server ~ sorry, it came through the main site, not your affiliate URL ~ commission denied.” This happened one too many times. I wasn’t born yesterday, lady.

To add to this headache, I know I have “downlines” who signed up under me. One company refused to give me the name of my downline, except under pressure when I asked. Think I’ve seen any money in my Paypal account from any of her sales? Not.

I’m still giving the companies a shot that don’t require a sign-up fee, nor require that you meet a monthly quota.

So tonight ladies, I’m just here to suggest that ~ perhaps your hard earned money can be better spent someplace else, rather than trying to meet a company owner’s mandated quota each month and fattening their pockets.

It’s brutal out there, and besides, it’ll cut down significantly on the junior high chit-chat e-mails when I unsubscribe from those Yahoo Groups.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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