I miss my android.....i think

I recently purchased an iphone 5. Ok I admit it, I might have just purchased it because it was an apple, and because I am a bit of a tech geek. Paradoxically, the features offered were ones I have already enjoyed on my HTC One X which is an andriod phone. So it kind of feels like I have taken a step back technologically speaking. Which brings me to my obsession of having the latest and not so greatest, but just having it because its the latest. I can also admit that initial scarcity might also have something to do with it. Either way what I like about the iphone is the fact that I am able to screen capture again, and the color saturation. I cannot say i like thinner and bigger because I already had that with the htc. Perhaps I like the benefits of having more apps available. Or perhaps its the fact that the world caters to iphones that makes me want to keep mine. But at the end of the day I must ask myself is it really worth it? Is it worth the hype? I dont think it was worth getting up at 3 am to purchase. Most importantly, i learned to day that I cannot directly share from my photo gallery to instagram. For an avid instagramer like myself being able to load shots instantaneously is important. I think I hear the samsung galaxy 3 calling.

AT&T 1000 Free Rollover Minutes…..it’s not a hoax!

Ok so it seems like things are generally becoming more expensive, while our paychecks are stagnant…or sometimes declining. As depressing as many of our financial situations are once in a blue something extraordinary happens-A company offers an incentive just for being a customer. Too many times I hear complaints (with me being the leader of most of them lol) about companies disregarding current customers and only offering incentives to new customers. Well your luck changes today! If you are a current AT&T customer you might have noticed a text message sent this morning offering 1000 rollover minutes for free. This is a saving grace to those teetering on the brink of death (ok so maybe it’s not that serious) with overage minutes and rates.  What is great about the offer is it is for everyone-even Android. Gone are the days in which this company only cater to iphones.  

Weary of a scam where I get roped into 9.99 a month for some wacky service I gave AT&T a call just to make sure the text was valid. The pleasant customer service rep informed me that the text is indeed valid, and that AT&T is showing appreciation to its current customers-no catch. She also mentioned that the rollover minutes take effect immediately although you will not see them if you check your account balance online or on the phone for 72 hours after replying. To get your 1000 rollover minutes simply reply YES to the text and AT&T will do the rest. I have also heard that you can text 11113020 if you aren’t signed up with their mobile alerts service. Text Yes to this number. Happy Saving!

Honorable Mention:

I also received a coupon from AT&T for another promotion out of the blue a few days ago. I guess AT&T is really trying to satisfy and keep its current customers now that Verizon is offering the Iphone. It feels good to have options thus shifting power back to the consumer.  

How to add your Amazon aStore to your blogger account

Tip of the Day:

Ok so after struggling for 2 and ½ hours on learning how to add my Amazon AStore to my blogger account I figured I would write this how to for others who might need help.

 First let me say for those of you who own, or run a blog adding an Amazon store to your blog is great for helping generate some extra revenue for your blog. Amazon receives millions of views for those whom are just browsing but they also have huge daily sales. Amazon Associates lets you set up an astore and will pay you a certain percent for people you refer that end up buying. Be sure to check out https://affiliate-program.amazon.com  for more information on how advertising for Amazon can help you.

For those whom already have an Amazon associates account let’s get into how you can add your store widget to blogger. 

Step 1

Assuming that you have already set up an aStore log into your Amazon Associates account and select the widgets tab. 

 Step 2

Scroll down until you see the aStore Widget and click the "add to your web page button".

 Step 3

You will see a page pop up that gives you the opportunity to customize your widget. I found that for those using blogger, and wanted the ad to be long and not so wide that “120 x 600” worked best for me. It is important to note that when a user clicks the link it can open in their current browser or in a new window. For my personal blog I chose a new window so that my readers can remain on my page while they shop. Utilize the preview box so that you can see how your ad will look depending on the specifications that you picked.

When everything looks correct, or to your preference, you will notice this box at the bottom of the page. Be sure to save the html code because you will need it when you set up your store on blogger. 

Now for the blogger portion. Once logged into blogger, click on the Design tab. There will be many boxes that say “Add a gadget”. Decide where you would like your aStore to be placed and click Add a gadget.

My store is entitled A Little of This and That, and you can see above that I chose to place it on the left side of the screen.  If yours is blank you will click Add a Gadget. 

Step 5 (I lost count)

Blogger is user friendly in this regard. You will see a pop up box with the many different gadgets that you can add to your blog page. For this exercise you will click HTML/JavaScript.

Step 6

You will get another pop up box that looks like the one below. This is where you will paste the html code that you derived from Amazon earlier. Be sure to click the blue link that says rich text when this box pops up because you want it to display edit html.

Make sure you type in the title of your store, and paste in the HTML code from the Amazon Widget that you set up with Amazon. It is important that you use the Amazon widget html code as other methods of adding your store will give you sizing problems.  You can then click Save, and then preview your blog. Good Luck!

I wouldn't tell you to try something I haven't tried myself

Check out the article I wrote on Helium (see my review below). Read my article on getting the best value for your trade in.

http://www.helium.com/items/2220444-best-value-for-trade-trade-in-car-car-appraisal-car-appriasal-value-for-trade

Getting Paid to do what I already do....talk alot about things I already obsess over

 

Today's Tip:

For those of you who are like myself you often find yourself obsessing over things so much to the point where all you do is talk about such items. My current obsession is Chevrolet Camaro 2010-2012. (I'll take whatever you want to give me). I want this car badder than Apple Investors want Steve Jobs to remain CEO. Back to the point. If you do find yourself talking emphatically about one subject, or two, or three you might be able to get paid for your obsessions. Years back I signed up with a website www.helium.com. Helium is a portal for writers, journalist, wanna' be journalist, etc., to write about things they love and potentially get paid for it. When you enter the helium website they have a dash board set up for you. If you can read you can pretty much understand how to navigate around. I am going to skip to the part where you get paid. You will notice a link that says "Assignments". On the assignments drop down navigate to open assignments. Here you will see a plethora of topics to write about. The most important part is how much you will be paid per article. While they don't promise you large amounts of money for what you write, if you write enough the payments will add up. Most articles I noticed pay $1 buck to $3 bucks with topics ranging anywhere from reviewing Beethoven symphonies to creating bios for sports players.You have to at least earn $25 before you will receive any payouts however. If you want to increase your exposure you can become what Helium calls "credentialed". You must fill out a short application on your area of expertise, certificates and awards you hold, and what makes you a good candidate to be considered an expert. I'm sure credentialed writers yield higher payments than average writers. However, if you are not looking to be a writing pro but have some experience and a drive to help others with your articles then I suggest you give Helium a few minutes of your time.
You won't become a millionaire but the few extra minutes of time you have on your hands per day and a desire to earn money for writing about things you are interested in makes Helium a match for you. Really, how much easier can making money from the comfort of your living room get?

Excuse me, Can you spare a blog?

Tip for the day: Don't be so quick to ignore the begging blogger. What exactly is a begging blogger? Well, you might have been approached by someone asking to blog about your product or service in exchange for a small, or not so small fee. Some are quick to dismiss this social media avenue with a high potential for real revenue. Blogging is too often associated with senseless rambling, and many businesses feel no need to invest-often chopping it up to a waste of advertising budget. However, there is a very good reason why you (especially for small business owners, and start ups) should not ignore. I've read many articles and one in particular resonated with me. http://basicblogtips.com/guest-blogging-traffic-stats.html. You will notice the author mentions a 9% increase in the amount of traffic that hit her blog. Can you imagine what 21K plus visitors could do for your profit margins? (Check the link if you want to know where I got this number from). While blogging is not a definite promise of sales increases, you can at least get much needed exposure. This is important for start ups, or those who have seen slow business growth. As a business owner you want people 1) aware of your business, but 2) talking about your business. And you want the talking to be positive. We will get into that in a later post.

As a person addicted to shopping I can tell you that the first thing I do before making any purchase is to research it. Check out this article on social commerce: http://www.bazaarvoice.com/resources/stats. Apparently, I am not the only one that does such research. When I research a product I want to know first what others think about it, and what they are saying. If there is a product with 99% of the people saying the product is horrible-guess who wont be making a purchase? The same can be applied to services. If I see a negative review of a service there are high chances I will take my business elsewhere. Psychology calls me a fearful buyer. I tend to think of myself as an educated buyer. But hey with the current state of the economy, and my pockets, my hard earned money deserves a few reservations. Here is another link: http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=54067. It delves more into the psychology of shopping. Its important to note "the emotional portion of your brain sends more signals to the rational, than vice versa...meaning a lot of purchasing decisions are based on emotion". What does all this ying yang mean in laymens terms. When you see a product review a lot of it is based on emotion and personal opinion. You want your customers to be sharing positive emotions because these are the emotions that will grab newer, or potential customers. Especially if those customers are like me.

I've probably digressed a bit but the main point is utilize blogging. If you don't have time to blog yourself pay the extra money to have a team of dedicated bloggers to discuss your product. Collect their feedback, and make adjustments if  possible. You might feel you can do this on your own however, you might not have access to the large number of potential customers that a dedicated blogger would. Besides, you can use your time to focus on other aspects of your business. Remember there is no promise of sales, but at least there is attention. Good Luck.

Why you should listen to me....No Seriously

Let's Be Honest, Black people are picky. How do I know this? I am one of them. Perhaps that broad stereotype was extremely unfair. Touche! Lets start over. I am a picky person, and also OCD. For these two reasons I like (almost need) things to be perfect. Does this make me an expert? Of course not, but my years of knowledge combined with multiple degrees, and certificates might place me in the running. This blog is basically my space to review products and services commonly used so that I can assist you in your decision making process. You do not have to listen to me of course, but I highly suggest it because I would not steer you wrong (Do to others as you would have them do unto you). Plus, if there is a product or service not worthy of your time I have found there is strength in numbers so my complaint, might lead to your complaint, thus some sort of action. In reverse, good products deserve recognition as they can have positive impacts on our lives. (Are you thinking a product/service advocate?) The things I review were used by me and I am going to give you the good, the bad, the ugly Clint Eastwood Style. Hey when Your happy I am happy. Well actually when I am happy, chances are you will be happy. Thanks for stopping by.