Oakland County town is now preparing a life without Ford Motor Co. Wixom plant, the facility that gave the territory life half-century ago. Now, the town that seems to expire without Ford around has to try living on its own.

Built in 1957 when the Detroit automaker established Lincoln luxury cars in Wixom as a stand-alone division, this city in western Oakland County became home to Lincoln headquarters and a huge assembly plant. Over time, workers at Wixom Assembly built one classic American car after another, including the Ford Thunderbird and Lincolns that covered milestone vehicles like the Continental, the Mark III-V and the Town Car.

But the production was not enough. Lincolns experienced sales doldrums. And that forced the plant to cease production at the end of this month. This fact was intimated by Ford officials Wednesday, making Wixom one of nine plants that the automaker plans to close by 2008.

What will happen to the plant remains undecided, a Ford spokeswoman said. But the city’s Ford workers, politicians and businesses remain optimistic about the matter. “We knew this plant closing was coming and we’ve been preparing for quite some time,” Wixom Mayor Michael McDonald said. “A long time ago, we decided we need to diversify the economy.” McDonald said Ford taught the city to always be innovative, and never to depend on just Ford.

It’s a lesson the city has learned well. Fifteen years ago, the Ford plant made up half of Wixom’s tax revenue. Now, it’s only eleven percent, about $1 million, of the city’s revenue, said City Manager J. Michael Dornan. The situation accelerates like a bullet, the kind that EBC Redstuff could not contain.

End of half a decade life

From the beginning, the plant just off I-96 was routinely hailed for its cutting-edge technology, its quality and productivity. A decade ago, Wixom was expanded, becoming Ford’s largest car assembly plant in North America at 4.7 million square feet.

At its peak in 1988, the plant produced 280,659 vehicles a year. According to Autodata Corp., this year, it will make less than 40,000. Ford sold a meager 3,712 Lincoln Town cars in April, a slide of 1,115 from the same period in 2006.

“This plant will idle May 31, but its legacy will never die,” Mario DiLisio, chairman of the United Auto Workers Local 36, said during a tour of the plant Wednesday. Wixom hourly workers praised Ford’s generous buyout packages. “Yes, it’s kind of bittersweet moment, but the real good news is that everyone I know will land on their feet,” said Alonzo Smith, 41, who will transfer to a Dearborn Ford facility.

Working at Ford Wixom is a family affair for Smith, something that is not rare among Ford hourly workers. His father, James Smith, moved from Alabama to Michigan for a prized factory job and spent 34 years at Ford Wixom. Alonzo Smith started at Ford Wixom after he got out of the Marine Corps in 1988. He met his wife, Stefanie Harris, at the Wixom plant, and has a brother there, too.

Still, he wants more for others in the family. “We want our children to continue their education. It’s a great career, but to expect that to keep continuing for generation after generation is not something I want.”

Wixom without Ford

The city of Wixom is now concentrating on a future without Ford. For more than a decade, the city has worked to attract small industrial companies, including at least six that have set up headquarters here. They include National Liquid Blasting Corp., which employs about 300 workers. General Motors Corp. powertrain and design services units also are in Wixom, having 300 employees.

“We’ve been open to small entrepreneurs who need just about 2,000 square feet to small industrial companies that need 10,000 square feet,” McDonald said. “I can’t think of one, really, that relies solely or much on the Ford Wixom plant for its business. Yet, there will be some pain. “Of course, we are going to take a hit,” McDonald said. “I worry about a lot of the restaurants and the dry cleaners who relied on those Ford workers for their business.”

If things go as planned, Wixom city officials estimate the direct tax hit from the loss of Ford Wixom will be $500,000 to $600,000 in the next five years. Several developers said Wixom can adapt quickly. “I know a lot of communities in Michigan who wish they could perform as good as Wixom right now,” said Rob Hughes, a vice president at Colliers International, a real estate firm. “I worry about the Quizno’s, the Dunkin’ Donuts and the Wendy’s there,” Hughes said. “But they are in a great location, right there in the middle of western Oakland County growth and they continue to attract high-tech facilities.

He added, “I’ve seen a number of former auto plants in the region, in far less desirable locations, that have been redeveloped, so I think a lot of people believe that plant will not be empty forever.”

The New England Franchise Association releases the 2008 Top 35 Franchises Based in New England

New England Franchise Association (NEFA) announces its 2008 list of the Top 35 Franchises based in New England. The list contains some of the most prestigious brands in franchising and illustrates the vibrant franchise community that exists in New England.

NEFA only considers number of units as its criteria, and the franchise must be headquartered in any of the 6 New England states.

Ranking Company City, State Total # Units

1 Subway Milfrod, CT 27929

2 Dunkin Donuts Canton, MA 7376

3 Baskin Robbins Canton, MA 5835

4 Fantastic Sam’s Beverly, MA 1400

5 Coffee News Bangor, ME 989

6 Ben & Jerry’s South Burlington, VT 693

7 Friendly’s Wilbraham, MA 514

8 Edible Arrangements Hamden, CT 555

9 Rooteman North Billerica, MA 396

10 Entrepreneur’s Source Southbury, CT 292

11 Au Bon Pain* Boston, MA 263

12 Brueggers Bagels Burlington, VT 259

13 Wireless Zone Middletown, CT 249

14 Tedeschi Food Shops* Rockland, MA 216

15 Uno Chicago Grill* Boston, MA 208

16 D’Angelo’s Dedham, MA 187

17 Papa Gino’s Dedham, MA 176

18 Pressed 4 Time Maynard, MA 175

19 Honey Dew* Plainville, MA 148

20 Sandella’s* West Redding, CT 125

21 Learning Express Ayer, MA 115

22 MaidPro Boston, MA 90

23 Hannoush Jewelers* West Springfield, MA 72

24 Resort Maps Waitsfield, VT 70

25 The Right One/Together* Norwell, MA 60

26 Snip-its Natick, MA 57

27 Kabloom* Woburn, MA 54

28 White Hen Pantry* Norwood, MA 50

29 Elizabeth Grady* Medford, MA 39

30 Super Coups* East Taunton, MA 39

31 American Ramp Systems South Boston 37

32 Lapels Dry Cleaning Hanover, MA 34

33 Amato’s Portland, ME 26

34 tie Ronzio’s Lincoln, RI 22

34 tie Wings Over Agawam, MA 22

Notes:

Information on number of units are compiled by Entrepreneur Magazine, Franchise 500, January 2008 Issue.

* These companies’ unit numbers were not compiled by Entrepreneur Magazine, but were gleaned from information available on their websites.

NEFA is the trade organization for franchisors and franchisees in the region. NEFA has been around for over 18 years. NEFA is a very active association with over 125 members. The group offers training, networking and other support to the franchise community. For more information about NEFA please contact New England Franchise Association via the organization’s website www.nefranchise.org , info@nefranchise.org , or by calling NEFA Executive Director Jim Coen, jimcoen@nefranchise.org, (617) 469-3002.

When you are searching for a business to invest on, there are various opportunities waiting for you. One of these is a franchise business, which is currently among the most well known businesses that a lot of entrepreneurs get into. According to business surveys, there are already thousands of franchises up for sale in the market. If you want to open up your own franchise, you have to know which one fits your business requirements and your skills. Doing this may be difficult, what with the fact that there are several of selections to choose from. Determining where to start is sometimes the step wherein interested individuals get caught up. It is not easy to determine which franchise to invest on since each one has its own marketing benefits and characteristics. In order for you to know which one will be able to provide you with possible high returns, look up franchise reviews.

There are a lot of online sites that offer franchise ratings and reviews. One of these is Franchise Review, a website where you can read more than just ratings and reviews. When you check out this review site, you will be able to gain an idea on which franchising business is more beneficial when it comes to publicity and profit. Franchise Review lets you read the feedbacks or comments that other people have on specific franchises. On the other hand, you will also know the ratings that different individuals have given. Aside from reading franchise reviews, you will also get to write your own review. Whether your opinion benefits that certain franchise or not, Franchise Review lets you add it on the site. You can even take part of the site’s poll, and vote.

Franchise Review also lets you compare franchise ratings and reviews. This way, you will be able to know which franchising business is better than the other. Comparing franchises allows you to determine which franchise is suitable for your marketing capabilities or experience. If you have previous experience with food marketing, you might want to opt for franchise businesses that offer food services. Among these are McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, and Subway. Or else, you can go for franchise businesses that concentrate on providing different services. Through franchise ratings and franchise reviews, you will be able to decide what business to venture into.

Knowing the best franchise business to get into can be difficult at times. This goes especially if you are not aware of your selections. In order for you to determine your choices, check out Franchise Review. Read and compare franchise ratings, or read the latest news. However, these are not the only things that will help you start your own business. You also require the proper amount of money for the start-up expenses. If you are in need of financial assistance to help you set-up a franchising business, there are several agencies to go to. Among these are credit firms, (SBA) Small Business Administration, non-profitable organizations, and the federal government.

When you are thinking of setting up your own business, you have to be aware that you will be facing several problems first before you can actually achieve success. If you want to introduce new product ideas into the market, there is a possibility that risks will arise. It is not that easy when you start your business from the ground. There are a lot of things that you have to take care of. The biggest problem that you may have to face is the expenses for everything. These usually include the costs for the construction materials of your establishment, the things that you will need to run your business, and marketing strategies. If you do not have enough financial assistance, you may have to opt for smaller budget businesses. However, there is one way for you to lessen the expenses when setting up a business. This is possible through a franchise business, which is considered as a great investment tip for entrepreneurs. Other than being able to lessen start-up costs, there are target consumers already for franchises.

If you want to find the best franchise, you can look into franchise reviews and ratings to know which ones are frequented by consumers. There are several franchising businesses that you can get into. Among these are food businesses like Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds, or gas service stations, and tax service agencies. Franchise businesses are suitable for entrepreneurs who would like to earn huge returns, with lesser market risks. When you sell a service or product which is already popular and formulated, it will not cause you too much burden. All you have to do is keep some tips in mind, to gain success. The first tip would be to keep a good relationship with your franchiser. When your relationship with your franchiser is constructive, you will be able to gain his or her support. The best way for you to build a rapport would be to adhere to the norms of the business.

Finding the best franchise may mean that you have to look into business magazines or newspaper classifieds to know which franchises are up for sale. However, you will be able to get a comprehensive list of leading franchises when you check out online review sites. One such site is Franchise Review, where you can read or write your own franchise reviews. Other than getting the chance to look into reviews, you also have the opportunity to compare franchise ratings. When you contrast the ratings of different franchise businesses, you will be able to determine which one can provide you with the best benefits. Among the highly rated franchises of Franchise Review are Subway, a sandwich restaurant; and Sonic, a drive-in restaurant. Aside from reading, adding, and comparing reviews, you have the chance to receive news feeds from the site. This is possible when you subscribe to the feed.

When you compare franchise reviews and ratings at Franchise Review, you will be able to lessen the possibility of losing your business. This is something that is guaranteed from the site since the reviews that have been posted here are given by people who want to comment on the franchise businesses featured online. Find the best franchise business through the reviews of Franchise Review.

Looking seriously at running your own business? Got a passion for something that makes you want jump out of bed and race into work to do it? Got the dream but worried about starting a business from the ground up? It’s not for the faint-hearted. However there is another option – the franchise.

There are a number of valid reasons to buy a franchise. The first of which is that, you don’t have to build the name and reputation of your business. By having a franchise contract you buy into a company with an existing brand and name.

You then also benefit from advertising that the company already does which is great news if it is nationwide. You get advertising for a product that is already well-known. You don’t need to develop your own advertising campaign. Radio and commercial scripts are already written for you. Not only will you be able to benefit from the marketing that the company does, but you will also receive ongoing training. When you start your own business, it’s a hard slog learning everything on your own.

Franchises have already got a proven track record and are successful for franchisees essentially because they create partnerships. Buying a franchise allows you to own and manage your own business and have the guidance of a mentor, someone who has trodden the boards and knows how to make it work.

You essentially buy a business model that works with the product, structure and business know-how all ready for you to manage.

Franchises exist in all kinds of areas. There’s McDonald’s. There’s Burger King, Wendy’s, Dunkin Donuts, and many more. But maybe your passions are less high profile and not about food! Maybe your passions are of a health-conscious even spiritual nature. Do franchise opportunities exist here? Yes they do!

There is a growing trend towards exploring more relaxing and healthy ways to enjoy life and relieve the stresses of life. This is particularly occurring in Australia. Spas particularly offer a way to combine your passions for spa products and philosophy and make a significant contribution to promoting healthier ways of living and being. Got you thinking? Read on

10 great reasons to buy a Spa franchise in Australia

1. Australia – along with the rest of the world is on the crest of wave of a `wellness` boom. This ‘Wellness Revolution’ is a significant move towards good living, healthy eating, prevention-not-cure philosophy, which will be worth billions of dollars in Australia in the next 10 years.

2. Shoppers are becoming product conscious, reading labels, avoiding chemicals and being prepared to pay good money for products free of pesticides and preservatives. The serious slog in the gym is out and peace and relaxation at the spa is in.

3. Spas enjoy constant, positive, media coverage. Pick up a magazine anywhere, in the doctors` surgery, on the plane you will see spas featured. Today’s spas are more than bubble baths, they offer products and services for the soothing of body and mind delivered by professionals who are skilled and committed to customer service.

4. Visits to spas in Australia are said to be growing at a rapid rate. Figures for instance from Victoria’s Spa and Wellness Tourism Action plan 2005-10 showed an average growth rate of 13.8 per cent per annum over the period 2001-2004. It can only get better

5. The baby boomers are the wealthiest generation to ever hit retirement. They are not afraid to indulge their passion for the fountain of youth, including spas.

6. Workers with very little downtime want to milk every available minute of relaxation from it. Where else but in the spa.

7. A visit to a spa is no longer a treat reserved exclusively for holidays, business trips and the rich. Trends suggest a move towards local residents using spas on main streets and shopping malls.

8. On holiday they are no longer a luxury they are an expected part of the service.

9. Spas and health retreats are becoming popular places for companies to hold company meetings and discuss business plans.

10. Women do not have the monopoly on spa visitations. Many spas offer packages for males and have seen a trend towards increased male pampering.

It’s easy to see that people see a great need for spa products and services and that the trend is likely to continue. Do you want to be a part of this exciting development? Do you have a passion for bringing healthy and relaxing services to customers? Do you have the drive and creativity to make this a successful business? Have we got you interested? If so check out spa franchises in Australia. Live your passions and make a contribution!

I gave up on the idea of generating guaranteed sign-ups and concentrated on the companies again. So I thought I just got in at the wrong time for these companies so next I jumped in a couple pre-launches, hoping for a lot of spillover, one company I am not even sure if they launched yet, it’s been like a year.

I almost joined xango, with a great sponsor who was based near where I live and was making $50k a month. She was featured in home business magazine and was incredibly nice but I never followed thorugh. I still had the “Oh it’s too late mentality.”

I tried an hourly call center this time. I quickly got good enough at the job I didn’t have to go to the company site to answer questions, unfortunately my days of $9 an hour were quickly ending. They demanded full time but my parents demanded school, guess who won.

I just worked at Dunkin Donuts for a while at that point while attending college. I met some really nice customers, including a venture capitalist who was in his twenties, and an owner of an insurance companies who was also in his twenties. Success so young, why not me. I also met a few Monavie reps, some people who were so excited because of how much their friends made. Even a guy who was making $15k a month in the business, but my mind was just elsewhere.

At this point I thought, “let me go a safer route, what about stocks.” You know the saying “it takes money to make money,” it is truest when applied to the stock market. I thought I was learning quickly, unfortunately I was only learning the hard way. Penny stocks were volatile and sometimes dropped off the board. Yet I still thought “maybe if I buy when it goes back down, it will go back up.” I was wrong, ended up losing hundreds again. I even met a millionaire who began with stocks, its a lot easier during the dot com bubble though, especially when you have 50k to invest.

I found a great job at the end of last year moving office furniture with a guy whose wife goes to my church. I have known his family a few years and they were great people. I worked with him, his son who was my age, and one of my best friends. Best of all, I was making $14 an hour at age 19, I was loving it. I figured I could save more and try stocks again, then my awakening happened.

A day before New Year’s I sprained my ankle, so badly that it still hurts today. I was forced to leave my job, my income, and struggle to maintain my debt from my failed stocks with the money I had left. I know what you’re thinking, I made $14 an hour with no bills, I had plenty left. Remember this was right after Christmas, and I splurged because I “knew” I would make it back soon.

So I just kind of hung around my house thinking “what can I do, who knows when I can get back to work.” So I checked all my spam mail searching for something. Strangely enough I checked an e-mail address I don’t use anymore. I got this letter from someone I never heard about concerning this great company. I checked out the company, it was only $30 to join so I thought, “why not, I have wasted more before.” The same day I set up an adwords campaign and enrolled my first person. Pretty much my first real sponsored member ever. I thought this was pretty good, 1 person, 1 day, maybe this is a sign. My first good news ever, it was a sign, I sponsored another person my 4th day, then had 11 in my downline by the end of my first week. The week after I enrolled 3 in one day, I was ecstatic, I went from $50 my first week, to $200 the next month, and my check has been increasing every month since.

Then came the biggest turning point in my life, the introduction of Magnetic Recruiting techniques. As I learned, it contradicted every little thing I ever learned (literally little, I didn’t know much), and guess what, it worked. Ever since then I have began modeling my recruiting methods, traffic generation methods, and business relationship building techniques around the magnetic principles.

I knew there were people making it online, I just had to be one of them, that was my motivation. I didn’t want to be wrapped up in work and miss seeing my kids grow up. The last thing I want is to see my parents grow old by having stressful jobs whither away at their life. Everyone take up arms and conquer financial oppression. You have no excuse to keep living the way you are. Success can be made, the main factor is you. I don’t say this for sympathy but for hope, to show you that there is calm after the storm and that you can make it with perseverance.

For individuals who suffer from attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder, prescription medications such as Adderall, Concerta, and Ritalin enable them to effectively carry out their everyday tasks.  Without such medications, sufferers of ADD and ADHD may find it extremely difficult to focus, register information, and meet the daily demands of society.  However, as BBC news noted in a September 23rd article, doctors are quick to prescribe such drugs without full behavioral assessments and other psychological treatment plans.  It can be easy to prescribe a kid a pill for their lack of concentration, but doing so may be a band-aid treatment for issues that can be remedied by improved parenting skills.

The readiness of doctors to prescribe such medications to children, teenagers, and adults alike has perhaps contributed to a phenomenon seen on college campuses: many college students are taking Adderall as a study aid, even if they do not have any form of ADD or ADHD.  Our society encourages caffeinated remedies such as Red Bull, Starbucks cards, and “Running on Dunkin’ [Donuts coffee]” to increase work performance.  We are constantly bombarded with messages telling us that we need some form of stimulant to truly be productive. But for some stress-laden kids trying to make the grade, they may feel that even guzzling a latte is “not enough” of a remedy for lack of energy.

Adderall, whose effects resemble those of speed or crystal meth, forces users (and abusers) to stay awake and remain focused while studying.  However, it also leads to extreme jitteriness, a rapid increase in heart rate, restlessness, mood swings, and a loss of appetite.  Abusing Adderall can lead to rapid weight loss, a weakened immune system, and dependency.  But in environments where a lengthy To Do list or high GPA are badges of honor, taking Adderall without a prescription is alluring for some people.  According to IMS health, sales for Adderall XR have more than doubled from 4.2 million in 2002 to 9.5 million in 2007; many of these prescribed individuals are giving or selling pills to classmates and friends.  Such transactions are, in essence, no different than the dealing or purchasing of illegal drugs like marijuana and cocaine.

The pill-and-library college cultural trend is treated casually by some students, but is no trivial matter.  Adderall, according to WebMD, is an amphetamine class II controlled drug.  Side effects like cotton-mouth and irritability are not very appealing, nor are sleeplessness, an irregular heartbeat, addiction and potential withdrawal symptoms.  A high GPA is by no means a worthwhile tradeoff.

There are various ways to effectively manage time and study without putting any foreign substance into your body.  And while caffeine isn’t necessarily a stellar remedy for lack of focus, a single cup of coffee is said to increase alertness without harmful side effects.  If a good night’s sleep followed by a morning cup of java is not cutting it, seek professional advice.  Students must seek psychological counseling if they find they cannot meet the demands of their university environment, if they are having trouble in social or academic situations, or if they are relying on drugs to stay afloat in school.  College campuses have on-site staffers and focus groups to guide students through stressful situations.

We earthlings are coffee people. In our  appreciation of coffee, we rank with the world’s most serious drinkers: the Swedes, the Japanese, the Frisco kids. But for all our genuine love of coffee and cafes, we can’t match bona fide coffee towns in sheer variety of high-quality coffees on offer.  If you are like most people, you want the news, gadgets and information abt how other people drink coffee as well.  Do some web research, and fine a website that shares your values and tastes.  Learn something new, make a new friend, find out about the latest teeth whitening for coffee drinkers, or just find that perfect coffee accessory for Christmas.  Every year, millions of people have to go without coffee, or suffer through sub standard coffee.

The coffee comes from a coffee roaster out of Binghamton, NY. I had their Kenya AA (brewed on hot plate brewers…yucker), a mellow sweet blend that had potential but since it had been sitting, I couldn’t get at it. The espresso, though pulled a bit long (barista skills were half decent), had a nice acidity and smacked of cocoa, all with minimum char. The tea is free leaf.

While the coffee and espresso weren’t bad (could use a bit of improvement), I’m sure the convenience of the facility (and maybe the food too) probably really strengthen business. If you’re in the proximity, give Java’s a try.

One such well-placed coffeehouse is a rather large place called Java’s Cafe. The coffeehouse sits in what seems to be a rather nice part of the city adjacent to the Eastman Theatre. The outside of the cafe possesses a clean look with not much in outside seating at the time (since it was cold, they retracted it) and nice front windows. The interior gives the impression that the place once was a pub of sorts as it has a central counter, a large amount of dining space, and a downstairs complete with two billiards tables (mind you, beware of the steps needed to reach them; they’re a bit steep). And not only did the place prove full of character and local love, but they even have a lunch counter/deli and a whole wall dedicated to free leaf and coffee off to the right of the shop.

Someone asked on LinkedIn: “If I wanted to have a successful blog that potentially made money, what would I do?”

First thing’s first, after figuring out what it is you’re going to write about and designing the blog and hosting it somewhere (I would suggest purchasing a keyword-rich domain name rather than hosting it free on Blogger or some other blog site), the most valuable thing you can do is add buttons and links to your blog to allow users to subscribe to it in as many different ways as possible. Some people use services like Bloglines, some people use an RSS app, some people use Firefox live bookmarks, but not all of these people are savvy enough to know how to subscribe to a blog without a specific sub-to-this-blog link for their preferred RSS reader. A great resource to help you make these different links is Feedburner.com. Feedburner also allows you to design email signatures with animated headlines from your blog, and many other different ways to publicize and monetize your blog. Plus, it lets you watch the traffic and subscription trends for your blog’s feed.

Next, you want to research keywords to find a keyword that relates to your subject matter that people actually search for, so that if you find yourself in the top ten rankings on Google for said keyword, you will actually get traffic from it. An awesome tool to help you figure this out is Wordtracker GTrends which is here: http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/gtrends/

Once you find your keyword or key phrase, you want to make sure your blog’s code is search engine friendly. You want to make sure your meta tags are within search engine guidelines, that your keyword density is appropriate for your subject matter, and that all of your titles have your keyword or key phrase in it. A good way to get a head start on this is to have your blog’s backend hosted by Blogger, while the blog itself is published on your own domain. I say this because Google owns blogger and as such, the new version of blogger features extremely Google-friendly code.

After this, you need to get some links pointing to your site from good, Google recognized sites that relate to your subject matter. The best way to do this is to search on Google for your keywords or key phrase and ask the top ten ranking web sites to link to your blog. You may have to be creative about this, using what we like to call link bait. This can be anything that entices another web site owner to link to your site. Because your site will be new and most top ten ranking sites know a thing or two about search engine optimization, you probably won’t be able to just get a link exchange – no one wants to link to a brand new blog for two reasons, one is that new bloggers have a tendency to lose interest after a while and you find yourself linking to a blog that never gets updated, and two is because the site has no Google PageRank. If you offer your potential linkers something else, you may have more success. For example, I once ran a campaign for a client that swapped links for a discount on my client’s products. Whatever it is you swap for a link is up to you, be creative.

You want to add your web site to blog directories and blog resources such as Technorati. If you haven’t spent literally a week straight doing this, you haven’t found nearly all of them. There are so many! Your best bet is to search Google for a list of blog directories.

Ask your friends or colleagues to Digg each of your blog posts using digg.com

Add links to the bottom of every post that will allow readers to add to delicious, post to facebook, myspace, stumble upon, etc. Use as much 2.0 power as you possibly can. Get a Twitter account and tweet as much as you can, follow as many users as you can. Make sure every profile you’ve ever made for yourself or your business on any site, has a link to your blog. Make sure your blog address is everywhere, when you comment on others’ blogs, when you talk in forums, etc.

You want to make sure you have an advertising policy available on your web site for potential advertisers to read, and as many different ways for them to contact you.

When all of this is set up and ready, it’s time to send out a Press Release. Make sure it is enticing and boldly underlines how this blog is different and why people will want to read it. Submit your press release to as many press release distributors as possible. Again, just search on Google and you’ll find a ton. Some cost money, some are free.

Now it’s time to post. Make sure your posts have personality. No one wants to read a dry technical blog. You want to make sure your own personality comes out in each and every post. Also, the more controversy, the better. A controversial post will entice readers to send the link to their friends and family in either horror or pride – both are equally as good! It will also encourage comments and repeat visits when something heated has been posted to the comments and the poster wants to come back to check the responses. It will also encourage repeat commenters and some will be compelled to subscribe to your blog. Make it controversial enough and you may even hit the mainstream news, such as Michelle Malkin did recently when she objected to the scarf Rachael Ray was wearing in a Dunkin’ Donuts ad.

Submit all of your article length posts to article databases utilizing the author’s bio as a spot for a link back to your blog. Hopefully people will syndicate these on their own sites keeping the bio in tact and thus, creating more links to your blog.

Some people use traffic exchanges such as BlogExplosion or Blog Soldiers and while it does actually increase your traffic, most of that traffic is useless. The only one I have ever found that actually results in real readers, is BlogExplosion.com. These sites are not entirely useless, however, as they do have directories that your blog is submitted to when you join. And there are no obligations after joining, so I would suggest doing so just to get into the directories as they are even more links to your blog.

Make sure you blog regularly, but not too much. Many people subscribe to RSS feeds as a much faster way to get their daily reading in. Blogs with a lot of daily headlines, generally get skimmed and sometimes just deleted when there’s no time. But blogs that only have a post a week, can tend to be forgotten about. My suggestion is to keep it to once daily, and at the very least, 3 or 4 times per week. If you are going to be unable to post for a period of time, vacation or something, post and let your readers know so that they don’t think it’s just another blog gone stale.

In the meantime, add Google Adsense to your blog, perhaps Amazon a-store and any high-quality affiliate programs that can relate to your blog’s subject matter.

If you keep all of this up, you will have advertising revenue. The key though, is patience. Keep at it and don’t get discouraged. Publicizing any web site can take months upon months before you see results. But once you do, it’s highly worth it. You may even want to design and sell your own merchandise for further revenue.

Rising gas prices and credit debt are two of the most popular news stories in America.  Wouldn’t it be nice to save some money rather than constantly spend it?  Well you can, but there are things in your life that may need some changing and adjusting in order to do so.  The more money you save the more fun you can have right?

                                                                                                                       
1.)    Pay your credit card automatically on the due date.  Look into enrolling into an online bill pay system. You will never pay interest this way, and save more money.  If for some reason you are charged a fee, you must call the bank and have them remove it because some people will just pay the fee without asking questions – this is where they make a lot of their money.

2.)    Only use your credit card when you are prepared to pay cash for something, otherwise it will end in debt if not paid.  This costs you even more money because of the added damage that results from the lowered credit score.

3.)    If there is a surcharge on your credit card purchase, just pay cash.  The charges add up over time and can easily be avoided.

4.)    Cash in on frequent flyer miles you earn from your credit cards. You earned them, they are free, and they save you money!

5.)    If you can walk or bike somewhere, you should. Not only is it good for your health but gas is way too expensive.

6.)    Bring lunch to work and eat leftovers whenever possible.  Instead of buying a coffee from Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, buy a personalized mug and bring your own to work everyday.  Eating out is expensive and should be done sparingly to save money.

7.)    Use an online movie rental service (such as Blockbuster or Netflix) rather than going to the movies.  Not only does this save money on gas, ticket prices, and concession items, but you get more quality time with loved ones.  At the movie theater it is public, whereas at home you can socialize and actually spend time together.  It’s a win-win situation.

8.)    Pay more than the minimum on your credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, or any other bill.  This will avoid high interest rates that will devour your money and end up costing you up to twice as much as the original amount!

9.)    Always use coupons and memberships to grocery stores, they may seem not to help but they can end up saving you hundreds of dollars per grocery bill, do not overlook them.

10.)  Establish long-term and short term savings goals, and break them down into goals that can be achieved in order to stay motivated. Also, establish general long-term and short-term goals for your life, and always remember to follow them!