SXSW Interactive Community Blog

So you’ve heard of all the other sites out there for sharing pictures, etc. but I came across a new one that I hadn’t heard of yet. It’s a great file share site with a fantastic layout and easy-to-use interface. Of course, like most file and photo sharing sites, it’s completely free for the basic features (you have to see some ads that the paid members don’t, but that doesn’t really bug me personally).

What I really like about KeepandShare is that it really makes the whole file sharing process easy. Rather than having to try to figure out how to use a site to share photos, send picture collages, create a picture blog, etc. KeepandShare spells it out in the form of easy-to-follow wizards. The wizards help you do anything from create free birthday ecards to easily make a share page you can send to others. You don’t need any knowledge of web programming. You simply select the features you want and follow some clear, quick, step-by-step instructions to have your very own sharing site online.

The web isn’t limiting itself to people who know all about the web now. KeepandShare is one of the great Web 2.0 services that really shows how web sites are becoming more democratic. That is, they are becoming more and more about letting the “everyday” man (or woman!) take advantage of the giant network that connects a large majority of human beings often known as the Internet. Well, now you can cozy up in your very own little home online and decorate it as you please. Want to show off your creation? It’s easy with KeepandShare.

Music loops sound like the could be a delicious and artistic morning cereal. Well, they’re not. But they are crucial to building a high quality presentation in flash, PPT, or on the web. It is one of the most oft-overlooked elements in building a visual presentation. In short, melody loops are the background music loops that you hear repeatedly during a presentation, be it in Flash or otherwise.

Music loops are typically royalty free music that you can add to any video project. Radio music may be fun, but could also get you in serious trouble if you are not kicking back royalties to the artist or publisher of that song. Many a lawsuit has been filed against individuals or groups that have “borrowed” music from a popular artist to use in their audio/video presentation online or otherwise.

Another possible use of music loops is to set them as your company’s hold music. Since they’re royalty free, you can distribute them as widely as you want. Keep customers or clients happy (and patient!) while you’ve got them on hold with some classical music. Or, if you want to spread some holiday cheer, consider using Christmas music loops on a seasonal basis.

You can’t steal music to use for your personal projects. And, unless you’ve got the know-how and the setup to make your own, you’re also not likely to accidentally make music worth listening to with your home keyboard and a USB microphone. Look into professionally done music loops that are affordable, don’t cost you additional royalties, and will leave a positive lasting impression on those who hear it.

While looking back over my rants on various forms of insurance, I realized that it honestly wouldn’t be complete without at least a minor look at the value of car insurance. There’s nothing more difficult in day-to-day living then going without your car. Car insurance not only helps to guarantee you always have your ride, but is also a huge protection in case, by any chance, you happen to be the cause of an accident.

When shopping for auto insurance, make sure you do your homework. Choose a reputable provider, ideally with a local agent who will be there if and when you ever need them. Talk to friends and family and find out who they use. Many times, word of mouth can be your best source for a good provider. It may be safer to avoid dealing with relatively young or unheard of companies to go with a classic car insurance provider. You may pay a slightly higher premium, but it will be worth it in the end.

Now that the price of gas has cut in half since earlier this year, you’ll more likely be out on the roads more (I know I will!) so make sure you’re covered and covered well. If more people are out on the road, that’s just that much more of a chance of an accident. You can’t know for sure what another driver’s insurance will cover in case of an accident (even if you’re not at fault). So be sure to do your homework. If you already have car insurance, it may not be a bad idea to talk to a representative with your insurance or your personal agent to find out just what’s covered. Good luck out there and safe driving!

I’m going to say up front, because I recognize what it may look like, that I do not, repeat, not, sell insurance personally. I just know the value of insurance in various forms. I know the cost adds up, but it really is a long-term investment. And speaking of investments, one of the most powerful forms of insurance is a quality life insurance. The difference between life insurance and some other types of insurance is the capability of life insurance to build value over time. Car insurance is only valuable to you if and when you damage your car (or someone damages it for you!).

And for those of you who think that it’s too late to consider life insruance options due to age restrictions, you should know that there are plenty of life insurance options for seniors that are worth considering. In fact, it’s arguably the best time to really start thinking seriously about life insurance.

So do some hunting online. Go out and find term life quotes that fit your needs and budget. If you have any doubt in the value of a good life insurance plan, just consider the alternative. It can be a very sad experience to leave life knowing you will be a financial drain on those who are closest to you. Buy yourself some peace of mind and know you’re doing it to benefit those who are closest to you. And that doesn’t apply strictly to the elderly, but to anyone who is married and/or has dependents that will need taking care of when you’re gone. Worth considering…

Let’s face it - California has had its fair share of fires, landslides and other natural disasters. And, as if we haven’t all heard 1,000 times, California also sits on a giant relatively active fault, causing minor earthquakes and the potential for a major earthquake at any time. This is a big concern for property owners and particularly large property owners, but also for those hundreds of thousands of apartment dwellers who rent their space from month to month. Do you know if your landlord has apartment building insurance?When the next big disaster strikes, will you have a home to go back to?

It’s often easy to shrug off your responsibilities as a renter. I mean, you don’t own the place, so what do you care, right? What about if your owner can’t rebuild, though? Anywhere, but particularly in California, apartment building insurance gives you the peace of mind that when mother nature strikes, you’ll eventually be able to go home. It’s about protecting the residents as much as it is about protecting the investors/owners of the property.

So don’t wait for the next wave of bad news. Talk to your manager and communicate up the message that you want them to get an apartment insurance quote.  If your voice isn’t enough, get neighbors involved. Maybe they’ve never considered the potential for them to lose their home. Maybe they think that renters’ insurance is enough. Sure it will cover any personal items lost and, depending on the policy, help you find temporary residence, but what if you really like where you live? What if you’d like to know it will be around when the dust settles and the rebuilding begins? Insist on insurance.

What is an offshore company? This type of firm does not operate business in the country it was incorporated, also known as non-resident companies. Offshore corporations have two top requirements: it should be incorporated under the offshore company’s regulations of the relevant jurisdiction, and it shouldn’t perform any business within the offshore jurisdiction where it is registered. Seychelles is one of the most popular offshore jurisdictions in the world, as its easy and cheap to register there an offshore company. The main advantages of Seychelles offshore companies are the maximum privacy and the tax minimization it could provide legally.

So I just wrote about the process of site flipping and making money legitimately online. I mentioned that it really is impossible to try and explain every step in such a condensed amount of content. However, I did realize that I may have missed a key point in the whole process, which is site pricing evaluation.

When you’re looking to buy (or to sell) your site, how do you even know what to charge? Well, there are a few key factors.

Obviously, you need to know how much it’s bringing in per month in ad revenue. If you buy a site for $20 that’s bringing in $50/month in ad revenue, well, first off, the seller’s an idiot or a fraud, but, secondly, you’re getting a great deal.

What is the Google PageRank of the page? You can check it using the Google toolbar. This basically says how important Google thinks the page is and carries value in online marketing channels.

Domain quality: How long is the domain name itself? Is it easy to remember?  For example, ABC.com (this is in an alternate universe where the ABC network doesn’t own ABC.com) is worth much more than somerandomlongurlthatdoesnthaveanythingverymemorableaboutit.com . Obviously, this is hyperbole to make a point, but it is a valid one.

Traffic: How many eyeballs is the page attracting? In conjunction with ad revenue, this gives an indicator of revenue potential.

What is the site’s topic? Certain industries like, say, plastic surgery, will bring more revenue than a site with funny cat videos.

There really is a lot to consider when buying/selling a site. I’d recommend a service to value your website that should give you a better idea of what to look for and what you can really expect to pay or get paid for your domain.

This isn’t a scheme, scam, or any other ’sc’ type word that basically means someone’s looking to make a quick buck off of you. The internet plays to the gullible in that way quite often, unfortunately. People think they can make quick money with very little work. And, while that is possible, so is winning the lottery.

That said, there are lots of legitimate ways to earn money online. They take work, both in the form of site development as well as lots of time being put into research.

The key method I’m talking about right now is the purchasing, revamping, and reselling of web sites. It’s like flipping a home, but with a URL. You can buy a sub-par site with good traffic and redesign it or you can buy a really well-designed site that is just poorly marketed. Either way, if you can get more eyes on your site, you can generate a profit - just as long as you’re willing to put the time into it.

First, find a good site, like this one, where to buy sites and domains.

Second, get a feel for what the target audience is. Make sure you have an Analytics software running on the backend and try to figure out where your viewers are coming from and what they’re doing there.

Third, capitalize on those niches you already own. Make sure you’re getting on the right ad networks to maximize advertising revenue.

Finally, you can either keep and maintain the domain, generating revenue from ads, or you can resell it to someone who is looking for a well-put-together package.

There is, obviously, much more to each step listed above than can be covered in a single blog post, but that should serve as a push in the right direction.

It’s amazing that, even in small amounts, fame can be a misleading thing. It seems that the more famous you are, the more you should feel loved and accepted. It’s odd to note, then, that fame can actually have quite the detrimental effect on your self esteem and self image. When people are nice to you, is it just because they’ve heard of you or are people genuinely nice? People who think they know you may only know a very small portion of you, so who can you really trust? Questions like these make you wonder just how “real” anyone around you really is.
I’m not going to try to explain the psychology behind it all, but I will try to tell you one sure thing for me - my pets, particularly my dogs. You don’t have to worry about “man’s (hey! or woman’s!) best friend” only liking you because you’re famous. They’ll listen or not listen to you just the same. You try telling your dog that they need to stop peeing on the carpet strictly because people know who you are and, unless you’re the dog whisperer, they’ll care less. It’s kind of refreshing to have a companion who doesn’t judge, isn’t fake, and, above all, won’t leave you when your fame does (it always does).

There are plenty of puppies for sale (or even free puppies) online - so what’s your excuse? Besides, when you’re as famous as you are, you’re probably rich enough to have your butler do the potty training, right?

I know that Southern California is a sunny place. But let’s be honest - that’s not the only reason sunglasses are so popular down there. LA is the world’s star capital and, as such, everyone feels they have to look their best. That may be a daunting task, especially for those of us who want to look cool on a shoestring budget.

I’d personally recommend keeping my eyes open for a wholesale discount sunglasses distributor online. The advantage of working with one of these is that you can get the same (or at least very similar) styles that are completely “in” at much, much lower prices. Let’s face it - who really knows how much you paid for something? It’s all about how you wear it as long as it still looks good.

Want to downplay the size of your head (hey - it’s cool, we know you have kind of a big head)? Try the aviator sunglasses for a masculine look that highlights just the right features. Or, if you’re on the other end of the spectrum and can’t ever seem to find glasses small enough for your head, don’t laugh, but try looking into getting some kids sunglasses.

Regardless of what style you go with, remember that it really is possible to look great on a budget. You just have to have a general idea of what to look for and a great source for your goods. Sunglasses are an accessory you can get for little cash when trying to find just your look.