Wildblue - the WORST ISP Ever

When we moved in December to a slightly rural area, we were unable to get either DSL or cable Internet. Working online, I knew I needed something faster than dial-up, so I signed up with Wildblue. BIG Mistake! This is the worst ISP I have ever used in my life - and I've been online since 1994!

AOL is slow because of all the add-ons. Other dial-ups are slow because of the fact that they are, well, dial-up. (Although Earthlink isn't too bad.) And while I didn't expect DSL or even cable speed, I did expect faster than dial-up. After all, that's what they promise. Wrong.

A couple nights ago I was trying to download a 3MB file. This, after I had upgraded to their mid-level service at a cost of $79 a month. (I know, I'm not too swift at times.)

According to Tech Support at Wildblue - who swear my connection is functioning above normal - it should have taken approximately 3 minutes (about 1MB per minute). It took 45 minutes! 45 minutes to download a 3MB file. Can you believe that?

So what does Wildblue do? They tell me they can send someone out to physically check my connection at a charge to me of $95. Or, if I insist on canceling, they can charge me $15 a month on my remaining 21 month contract. Ain't gonna happen.

If I could sing and play guitar, I'd follow the lead of Dave Carroll who's guitar was destroyed by United Airlines and produce a YouTube video about the ordeal. Alas, you wouldn't want me to do that. Trust me.

What I can do is write. And I'll be posting this information anywhere and everywhere that I can. Do NOT sign up with Wildblue Internet. They are NOT highspeed Internet. And their customer satisfaction is non-existent.

Places to Find Free Content Online

Sometimes writing content is the easy part. Sometimes we suffer from writer's block or just can't seem to find that perfect photo to go with the content we've just written. Today’s Free Resource Friday post is going to offer a look at a few of the places you can find quality content online... free!

MorgueFile
While it may not sound like the most pleasant name, the site name is based on what newspapers call "the Morgue" - the place for archives and stored information. This site is a collection of photos uploaded by users for royalty free use. You can search for an image by keyword, or just browse. Clicking the photo you like will bring up a larger version which you can download, or it will give you a link if you want to use as is. All they ask is that you credit the site with link when you use something.

Photo Rouge
This site puts a new twist on the royalty free photo option. can't find what you're looking for? Stop by the Rouge and place your request. They also offer a gallery for you to browse in case they already have what you want. Volunteers fill the request, and it's all free of charge.

Gizmo’s Freeware
Searching for some ebooks? There are plenty of free ones on the 'Net, however going from site to site can be time consuming. Gizmo's offers a list of 100 plus places to find free ebooks, all legal for download. It’s your one-stop shop, and sure to have something you'll like.

Article Base
Article base is a directory that offers free articles and content for use on Websites, in ezines or on blogs. The site offers over 1.5 million articles, and it also offers writers the chance to submit their work for recognition and syndication. Sign up and use of the site is free. Article categories include: Advertising, Business, Careers, Computers, Finance, Law, Marketing, and just about anything Health, Home and Hobby related.

Article City
Another website devoted to free content. Even the best writers and bloggers can get a case of writer's block. With free article directories like this one, your website doesn't have to stay empty on a blocked day. Article City offers a plethora of articles for reprint. The site is simple to use and not full of fancy fluff so you have an easy time moving around. The only obstacle you might face are the advertisements, but for free content, we can't complain about a few ads, they're what pay for the website, after all.

There are many more places to find free content online. Search Bing or Google for "free content" or "free reprint rights" and you'll come up with more than you could ever use in this lifetime.

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Chrystal Mahan is a BSG Team Member who has been writing since the age of nine, professionally since 2005. Her writing appears on various Websites, blogs, and she writes for private clients as well.

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3 Simple Strategies for Promoting Your Blog

Promoting your blog is easy when you use these simple strategies.

Take advantage of the friends and family route and ask them their opinion on your blog. Ask for their input and ask them if they have any suggestions or ideas on how you can improve your blog.

Sure, they may have a few negative things to say, but use them as an opportunity to improve your blog and tell them how much you appreciate their input. By the time you're done, they'll know what you publish and be more likely to pass the information along to their friends and family members. You now have free advertising through word of mouth. Cool, huh?

Add your blog information to your email signature. If you use Yahoo mail, for example, go into options in the upper right corner of your email window and choose “mail options,” then “signatures.” From there you will be taken to a page where you can add in your blog url in your signature file. After you add the url, click save on the bottom left, then double check how it looks by sending yourself an email.

If you don't see the url, or if it's not clickable, repeat the process and be extra sure to save it. Then, from here on out, every email you send will be a free advertisement for your blog.

Make use of social marketing. If you're like most of us today, you're on a social network of some sort. Whether it be myspace (preferred by teens and younger adults), Facebook, Twitter, or another social network, be sure to add your blog or website url to your profile. Now, everyone who is on your friends list will be able to see it from your profile or home page and you'll again have free advertising.

These are three very simple ways to promote your blog. Set them up today and see if they don't increase your traffic almost immediately!

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Linda Kinyon is a Business Support Group Team Member and a freelance writer who specializes in rare medical conditions, parenting and gardening.

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Are You LinkedIn?

LinkedIn was founded in December of 2002 and was officially launched in May 2003. LinkedIn is a professional networking service that currently boasts over 50 million registered users all over the world.

LinkedIn is basically an immense database of professional people. It is a huge business social network dedicated simply to helping professionals make further business connections.

So how does LinkedIn work?

Users are able to sign up and create a profile to include pertinent information such as a profile headline, summary, education and company. You are then able to use your current email list and find connections that may already use the site. From there you can use very specific search criteria to find new connections.

So now that you are LinkedIn, what's it good for?

LinkedIn has over 300,000 different LinkedIn Groups for you to join. You can join as many groups as you like, but for most of them, membership must be approved. Once approved, you can take part in the discussion boards, news boards, and jobs postings.

LinkedIn is an excellent site to make those much needed contacts, whether you're employed, looking for employment, or self-employed. There are question and answer boards that can be an asset to any professional.

If you're in search of a new job, or a career change, LinkedIn is the place to be. If you're a professional and just need some input from other professionals who are educated in your area of expertise, what are you waiting for? Get LinkedIn!

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Theresa Smith is a BSG Team Member and freelance writer.

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Free Voicemail and Fax Services

Home businesses often need the basic essentials that a regular brick and mortar office needs. The good news is... it doesn't have to cost a fortune to have the things you need to help run your home office!

Fax Service

Need to receive a fax? eFax.com offers a free fax service for incoming faxes. There is no cost to you, however, the free fax numbers generally are not local numbers and might cost your client. Generally, if you have clients out of state, this wouldn't pose a problem anyway, since most likely they will have a long distance package. The service will send faxes to your email and you open them with the eFax software, which is free to download. Other packages are available at cost, including local fax numbers.

If you need to send a fax, FaxZero.com offers its users a free alternative. You can send a fax to anyone, anywhere. On a free fax, the cover page includes an advertisement, and you are only able to fax one file which cannot be any longer then three pages. You are allowed to send two faxes per day.

To send a fax without an ad on the cover page, or if you need to send more than three pages, you can send up to fifteen pages, ad free, for $1.99. Sure, that isn't free, but $1.99 makes it well worth the price, especially if you don't send a lot of faxes, or can't justify purchasing expensive equipment.

Another option is Got Free Fax which is similar to Fax Zero, however, it offers users the option to have a 10 page fax sent for 98¢, 20 pages for $1.98, or 30 pages for $2.98. Their free service is ad free, three pages, limited to two a day.

Voicemail

Some cellular services charge extra for voicemail, online companies can be pricey, as can local telephone companies, and answering machines are an inconvenience. With Google Voice, you can use your existing cell phone number and get a quality voicemail service free.

Google Voice gives you voicemail like email, voicemail transcription to read what your voicemail says, a custom greeting, low cost international calling, call routing, notifications, and the ability to share voicemail. Did we mention it was FREE? If you decide to get a Google number, many more options are available.

Laser Voice Mail offers users free sign up for free anonymous voicemail. Sign up is a simple three step process. The company will give you a free number for you to give to your callers. From there you can listen, keep, delete, and replay messages just as you would with any voicemail service.

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Chrystal Mahan is a BSG Team Member who has been writing since the age of nine, professionally since 2005. Her writing appears on various Websites, blogs, and she writes for private clients as well.

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4 Tips for Organizing your Desk

When you decide you're going to work from home, you must set up your home office. It doesn't matter if you're starting a home business or if you're going to work your job from home, your office is important.

When your office is clean and organized you'll be able to work more efficiently and you won't be so stressed when you sit down to work. Some people don't think an organized desk makes a difference when it comes to business.

If you have to search for papers that you need for a meeting or you have to move things around so that you can work on your computer, you're wasting valuable time that could be spent on tasks.

There are a number of things you can do to your desk to make it more organized and work for you.

1. Desk Caddy

A desk caddy will hold your pens, pencils, paper clips, etc. These are usually two or three inches in size so they don't take up too much room. Some of them can be a little bigger and will hold a staple remover, a stapler, and a notepad as well.

2. Drawers

Organize your drawers so they work for your needs. If you have a drawer in the middle, use a caddy that will hold your pens and pencils. If you have a large drawer use the hanging file folders to your advantage.

3. File cabinet

File cabinets can be your best friend. They can hold your files and they can store bigger items like reams of paper, toner cartridges, and other office supplies. When they are organized in a drawer they will be out of site, but you'll know right where they are.

4. Wire rack

A wire rack will help you organize your files that you need immediate access to on a regular basis. They take up very little space, but will keep your papers off the desk, but within arms reach.

When your desk is organized you'll work more efficiently and you'll save time over and over again. It doesn't cost a lot of money to set up your desk in a way that will work for you, but it will be well worth it in the long run. You should consider these suggestions right away.

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Corrie Petersen is a member of Business Support Group and runs a successful Virtual Assistant business. She enjoys helping others reach their goals and dreams. Check out her website at http://www.virtualfreedom4you.com

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Neaten Up Your Navigation

One of the biggest things that will drive customers and visitors away from your website is if they cannot move through your site quickly and easily. You need to be able to give visitors the information they are looking for, and do so in a manner that is efficient and effective for them. Overloading your website with links, graphics, and content is a surefire way to overwhelm the traffic that comes through, and leave them to find another site that’s easier to read and look through. Here are a few ways you can neaten up your navigation, and keep visitors at your site.

Before you even choose a template for your site, decide on how the navigation will work by drafting an outline of your site. This will allow you to place all the links where you want them from the very beginning. All too often people include a few of the most important links, only to remember many other links later and clutter up the website by adding them in here and there. Include them all once, and you're well on your way to a neat and tidy site.

Even with the best-laid plan, you're going to occasionally have links that you want to add, whether you've forgotten them in the first phase of web design planning, or they're simply new links that you want to add. For this, you should have a separate page where these links can be added. These might be pages called things such as “Additional Information.” Also, never fill up a page with links so there’s absolutely no room to add more. Whether they're product pages or affiliate pages, you will probably always have at least one or two links that you want to add. Leave enough room that you can still add the links without cluttering up the page.

If you can't help but have a lot of links on your website, provide them in a drop-down box. This makes it easy for your visitors to get to the information, but doesn't clog up the site with every single link listed separately. Creating drop-down boxes on your site is easy. There are many free codes available online that you can copy and paste right into the HTML code on your website.

For an in-depth website that has a lot of information to cover, section pages are a must. These can also be provided through a drop-down menu or they can be an entirely different page on the website. This will give your visitors a lot of information at a glance, without making them feel overwhelmed by it.

If you want to incorporate a lot of graphics, as well as a lot of links and a lot of content on your website, have your website open with a separate home page, also sometimes called a splash page. Make this page graphic-heavy, with all the flash and images that you want included on your website. Make sure it’s still tastefully done and will still attract visitors.

On this page, include a link or a button that visitors can click on to enter the site. Once inside, keep the graphics to a minimum but include here all your links and content that you want the visitors to have. Splash pages will only be helpful if you have a lot of graphics, links, and content. If you don't have a lot of all of these, visitors will only be irritated that they were forced to constantly click just to get into your site.

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Kate Beswick is a BSG Team Member and mom of two who truly loves her kids, writing, cooking, and hockey! She has several blogs where she unleashes those passions and that allow her to tinker around with web design, another passion. She hopes to share what she has learned about web design through the BSG blog and pass it on to you.