Seven To Ten

I do not usually pay attention to domain names. I know it is a lucrative business given that some names attract substantial amount of traffic which can be monetized. But I never believed that I have the knack or resources to engage in the domain name business.

For my own blogs, I choose any name which sounds good and from traffic indications (meaning zero hits), it seems to be special to me alone. There are of course certain techniques involved in choosing a proper domain name, whether you want to park it and milk the residual advertisement income or start a personal/business blog.

The question on how to choose a domain name for your blog is best answered by Problogger. In that very detailed post, he mentioned about the goals, target audience, keywords, branding, future trends, name length, memorability, legal issues, similar domains, hypens, dot coms, etc.

If you master what all the pointers, you are now ready to hunt for diamonds in the rough. I know that the prices some domain marketers or owners are willing to pay is incredibly high, once you have been to domain name auctions.

So if you secure a domain name which can generate traffic on its own, you are on to something good. Like real estate, it is a prime asset for you.

I mentioned before that I am no stranger to online gambling. It is a nice recreation, I mean, what can be better than getting all the thrills, fun and money in the comfort of your home? All of us love to win in gambling but choosing the right casinos is important, especially in the ultra-competitive market where many casino sites come into existence every month.

Lately, I checked out another cool site, Rushmore Casino and I am pretty impressed. The site takes pride in having honest, professional staff and operating a fair, transparent system for gamers. Your past financial history which includes wagers, results, withdrawals and deposits can be checked on the site. Download their Real Time Gaming Software which is known for its speed, security and user-friendly interface and you are set.

One of the important criteria of an Online Casino is the amount of bonuses. They have a $888 First Deposit Bonus for new members. Every bet you placed here will accumulate points which can then be exchanged for bonus chips or special gifts. The site operates on a 24×7 basis and there are toll free numbers for USA and UK callers.

If you have the money, join the VIP club; else just play for fun and you can always form strong bonds with the registered members on the site.

Most successful blogs had been active for quite a long time. Of course, the definition of success varies according to individuals. But taking the technorati top 100 or the very best blogs in your niche areas, you will notice that there is a minimum of 2 years before they experience an exponential spike in readers.

Of course, some blogs, through luck, excellent content and shrewd marketing, rise through the ranks faster. If you have neither of the three qualities in abundance, take a long term approach and stick to it. You can’t go wrong with patience. Traffic will come, and with it, lots of money.

Stock trading is a popular method of making big money, some claim it is even safer than putting it in the bank. The merit of this argument will be for another post.

Basically, you can classify your stock portfolio into two categories: growth or cash flow. I dabble a bit in the stock market but I have no qualifications so don’t think of me as a financial expert, There are simply too many factors for my mind to absorb, like past earnings, net assets, economy, currency, demand, supply, chairman’s outlook, management, etc.

With the internet, stock trading is more convenient and once you get the hang of it, you will be addicted. Among the online stock trading programs, One Financial is worth a look as they promise a great user experience and friendly 24-hour customer support via chat, phone or email.

They specialize in Contract for Difference (CFD) and let you trade on an extensive list of energy commodities. Registration is easy and when you log-in to their platform, you can access all the major forex crosses, international indices, ETFs and soft commodities with the lowest margins and tightest spreads.

One Financial boasts of the fastest execution and most user-friendly platform in the market. Get free charting, news, analytics, and stock quotes. There is an analyzer who evaluates the status of the future share price and if the results are favorable, customers are tipped on the particular share to invest.

The site is not for sophisticated users only, cfd for beginners is encouraged. You can open your demo CFD account that will be valid for 14 days to start dealing and getting an intimate understanding the market. After that, you can open a live CFD account if you are confident.

People are now investing in CFD and huge returns can be expected. But do not disregard the pitfalls. Correct and timely information from cfd providers determine your profit margin. You must be really disciplined in your investment strategy - placing strategic limit calls is also important to prevent excessive losses. Being greedy will lead you to financial ruin in a blink of an eye.

There are niche businesses you can get into like candy machines which can earn you a passive income. It may seem like a lowly job, acting like a delivery and service man. But if you do it right, considering the right locations, you should have no problem producing a regular income from the machines.

The work involved are basically to tend to the machines a few times a month, stock them, repair them when necessary and purchase supplies. Patience and perseverance are needed to succeed. I have conducted some research and will talk more about this money-making business later.

I think of all the things which you can add value to your home, like retrofitting with new fixtures, furniture, lightings, tilings, painting, cabinets, wardrobes, etc, Decorative Planters are the best option. It is a long term investment, $1 spend on plants can add much more (at least $10) to your property, once they are grown out.

Having a garden in your house can add charisma and a pleasant vibe to an otherwise dull and gloomy house. By using planters, your family members benefit from the extra oxygen and lesser carbon dioxide around the house. There are many online sites where you can shop for planters - PlanterIxchange.com is one of them and it is worth checking out because of their extensive products and affordable prices.

If you think your house is not as attractive as your neighbor’s, and hence command a lower selling price, I believe the problem is caused to a large extent by the quality of landscaping. Outdoor Planters which can be used in houses of any design and are also flexible in size are the key to transforming your ordinary house into an elegant setting.

If you want natural air filters in your home, there is nothing better than putting a few Indoor Planters like spider plants, peace lilies, chrysanthemums, aloes, and pothos at strategic locations. They are extremely effective at removing impurities from the air.

Planterixchange realize that every homeowner’s needs is unique and they desire their own special little corners. That’s why there are so many mind-boggling choices on the site. All the accessories offered are creatively designed and are high quality.

Now you know, decorating your home to increase value can be so easy, just visit the site today and get in a few planters.

With banks imploding and consumers spending dwindling, one safe haven for the market could be in the stodgy industrials sector. Companies that make things such as bolts and studs and hydraulic equipment may sound depressingly unsexy.

Industrial companies are actually reporting healthy sales and profits. And there’s nothing sexier than better-than-expected earnings in this ugly market. Investors believe industrials are a safe haven for those tired of seeing more big bank losses, tech companies floundering, and concerns about weak retail spending.

Fundamentally, they are well-positioned to take advantage of the weak dollar and the amount of infrastructure that will be built out in lesser developed countries.

When it comes to poker, I have a friend who is an expert. He devotes almost all his time online to master poker. I do not know what level he is at currently but I believe he has made online poker lucrative enough to sustain him as a full-time job.

Due to my curiosity on how he or what he is doing, I asked him for some insight into poker and he shared this site, Poker Strategy, with me. I didn’t believe that such a school for poker fanatics exists but it is true.

They claim to be the world’s biggest poker school and they offer everybody a FREE poker education. Not only that, you also receive $50 plus $100 bonus as starting capital to put your skills into practice. I like the fact that we do not need to deposit our own money to test the waters. There is no legal obligation involved, and they do not require a bank account or credit card.

Picking up some extra strategies and techniques is handy. Poker Strategy’s techniques rest on statistical and psychological principles which make poker gambling profitable in the long-run. Get rich quick or “for fun” gamblers should not expect miracles here.

There are many strategy articles, spreadsheets and charts available for your learning. You can also watch professional poker players playing in live-coachings. Learn their tricks, moves and reactions when they are dealt with different cards. Add them to your list of skills and very soon, you can act like a pro too.

Discussion amongst other poker enthusiasts is also encouraged. It is a friendly community where players can interact freely about local games, major poker tournaments or miscellaneous events.

I guess that is why my friend loves Poker Strategy so much - he has more than an even chance of winning. Every match won, regardless of the amount, can make a person really happy and when you know it is because of the skills you have mastered, it makes the feeling even better. In fact, my friend has now influenced me to the extent that I am checking out Poker School every night.

Bank investors are hoping that Washington Mutual, Wamu, has come up with an ingenious method to escape the mortgage meltdown.

Wamu received a $7 billion capital infusion from private equity shop TPG. The thrift had profited mightily in the first half of this decade due to the housing boom but shares have been in free fall since the mortgage market collapsed last summer.

With TPG’s entry, a highly dilutive deal looms but a bruising selloff was avoided and it illustrates the faith investors have in TPG founder David Bonderman. His experience in the industry dates back to the savings-and-loan crisis of the late 1980s.

Along with partner Jim Coulter, Bonderman was behind Texas billionaire Robert Bass’ 1988 rescue of failed American Savings Bank. Bonderman and Coulter made $750 million in selling the thrift to Washington Mutual in a 1996 deal that put Bonderman on WaMu’s board. He resigned in 2002.

Investors are hopeful that after Wamu, smart money is at last ready to brave the financial sector. There are plenty of financial firms with hefty mortgage exposure, especially in speculator states like California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada, which need help. These hard-hit firms are waiting to be rescued by buyout shops, which have raised billions of dollars but had little opportunity in recent months to deploy the money.

If Washington Mutual proves to be a model for future dealmaking, investors are likely to pay a steep price. New stocks will be issued at $8.75 a share - a price well below recent trading levels. Still, WaMu investors welcomed the deal as they believe the strong new ownership will undoubtedly find a way to make the most of Wamu’s huge retail deposit base and nationwide branch network.

I think we should not be too optimistic yet as Wamu’s actual losses for two consecutive quarters were well above projections (suspected cover-ups) and further deterioration in housing industry fundamentals could leave TPG’s investment under water.

I do not like clutter and the first impression I get from a site must be its cleanliness and user-friendliness. Loud, colorful banners and oft-centered pages really get on my nerves.

My sidebar is still pretty empty and it will be staying like that for a while. It may make the blog look empty and uninteresting but I always believe less is more. Unless your blog is really popular, you can get away with a lot of things, like John Chow.

The advertisements there have taken up all his available prime space but I doubt he is maxxed out yet. He will certainly be coming up with ever more creative ways to increase advertising revenue from his blog. Take a leaf from him if you want to know how to monetize your site. Earning over $30,000 per month is simply amazing.

Yes, the ads make for slow loading but his content is fresh and useful, so I don’t mind visiting his blog every few days. For smaller blogs, the amount of ads