Archive | Top 10

Ten Reasons Why I Use Veretekk’s Internet Marketing Suite of Tools

By Jacob S Paulsen on October 10, 2011 in Marketing, Online, Top 10

Veretekk is at its most basic form a suite of powerful tools available at a monthly subscription. Veretekk has been around for longer than any other company in the internet marketing field and the completeness of their system is un-matched.

In addition Veretekk offers a two tier affiliate program to help compensate users who refer others to the system. Yes I am an affiliate and clicking on any of the links in this post will take you to my affiliate pages.

Top Ten Reasons I Use Veretekk

Free Webcast Room. I originally found Veretekk because I was looking for the most stable and economic web conferencing technology online and I stumbled into Vereconference. With your monthly subscription comes a free 5 person webcast room and if you have need of additional or larger rooms you can just sign up for them in your own affiliate portal which makes you money.
Affiliate Portals. As part of your subscription Veretekk gives you dozens of replicated websites with your own subdomain. These traffic portals have various uses which we will discuss in detail but my favorite among them is the cash. Several of those portals offer paid products/services (Vereconference among them) and when others visit these sites and buy the products/services you earn a commission.
Lead Generation. Each of these traffic portal sites described above offer some type of free service. When users sign up for the free service or product, that generates a lead of someone who most likely has an interest in internet marketing (based on the nature of the services they are asking for) and thus you have a never ending supply of free leads which always include a double opt-in email address and generally also include a name, address, and phone number.
Backlinks for SEO. This traffic portal websites also form your very own SEO network. Most companies pay big money to have links to their websites placed on other relevant websites in the world. Just by signing up you can put up to 5 custom links with custom anchor text on all of the dozens of traffic portal websites in your system.
Veremail Email Marketing System. Within your Veretekk system you have Veremail. Veremail is your very own email marketing system. It allows you to build series of autoresponders to send to your leads or to just manage new leads that you buy or import into the system. The system goes the extra mile to ensure compliance with anti-spam laws.
Free Hosting. Included in your monthly Veretekk subscription is free professional hosting with cPanel. cPanel is the same hosting software/dashboard that is used by major hosting providers such as BlueHost, Hostmonster, and Hostgator. This makes it easy to install your own WordPress site or custom landing pages for additional lead generation or web presence. Hosting is a cost of doing business online but if you can lump it into your Veretekk subscription why wouldn’t you?
Google Adsense Integration. Many of your traffic portals have in page advertising opportunities. All you have to do is input your Google Adsense publisher ID into your Veretekk configuration settings and your ads will automatically be served on those traffic portals where they are appropriate.
Training & Support. Veretraining is available to walk you through every step of configuration and using the system. You can watch a set of pre-recorded videos, participate in live training sessions, or contact the live support team. Lets face it, technology can be complicated and doing anything right requires some work, so its important to have the right people behind you.
Free Trials for Everything. Every service or product including the full Veretekk system itself has a free trial. This makes it easy for anyone to give it a test run to really discover how it works.
Social Media Integration and Innovation. The team at Veretekk is always trying to stay one step ahead of the curve. This means that integrating social media is top of mind. I’m always checking the announcements board to see what they are working on next.

Top Ten Legal Tips to Safeguard Your Website’s Liability

By Jacob S Paulsen on September 6, 2011 in Marketing, Online, Top 10, Tutorials

We have become a digital society but we have also become a heavily regulated, law-suit happy society. It doesn’t take too much effort to safeguard yourself against legal liability by following some simple steps when working with your online marketing strategies and presence.

Here are my Top 10 Legal Tips to Protect You and Your Website:

Create a Privacy Policy Page in your website. It doesn’t have to be found in the main navigation but I would suggest putting a link in the footer and including it in your sitemap. If you are unsure what to include in your privacy page just copy the text from mine.
Create a Terms of Use Page in your website. In the same way make sure it can be found in the footer and you may also consider putting it at the bottom of any web forms where you ask for user information. Again, you can use my text as a guide.
Email Marketing Rules. The CAN SPAM act of 2003 does not ban unsolicited emails but it does outline some legal guidelines. You must identify yourself or your organization as the sender, the subject cannot be misleading, your mailing address must be disclosed, and an unsubscribe link or method/tool must be included. Most Email Marketing Software Solutions require and assist you in these requirements.
Mobile Marketing Rules. The same basis premise and legal requirements discussed above in regards to email marketing, also apply to mobile marketing. Be sure to check out the provider who is helping you execute your mobile campaign and confirm that they are 100% in compliance.
Deliver on what you promise. If you offered to send a free report, monthly newsletters, coupons, etc be sure that is all you send without asking for further permission or telling the consumer in advance what your intentions are. No less, no more.
If your website includes member registration or eCommerce solutions, take security of the data VERY seriously. You cannot afford to have a leak or be the means by which an attacker obtains your customer’s data. Hire a professional web service provider to limit your own legal liability and ensure compliance and top security standards.
When it comes to collecting user data, less is more. Don’t gather information unless you really will have a use for it. Street addresses for example are completely unnecessary unless you are going to send direct mail. Generally asking for a city OR state OR zip really gives you all the geographic information you will ever need.
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires strict guidelines to companies who are marketing to children under 13 years old. If you have any information on your site that could even be interpreted as being designed for youth; you must comply with COPPA in collecting information and that can generally require parent’s consent. If you ask for birth dates, be sure not to save any user data with an age under 13.
Be consistent and complete with coupons or printed offers. Be sure that all your printed coupons have an expiration date and all other terms that you intend to enforce on customers. If it isn’t in print, it isn’t valid. Be consistent across the board to reduce your headache.
Prevent Complaints by being Accessible. Consumer will almost always try to resolve an issue with the merchant before filing any formal complaint. Be available and quick to respond to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Remember the customer may not always be right but you better keep them happy!

If you have any additional legal tips to share with our readers please leave a comment below!

10 More Useful WordPress Plugins

By Jacob S Paulsen on August 2, 2010 in Marketing, Top 10

In the past I have done a variety of tutorials about great WordPress Plugins. It started with my youtube video about how to post correctly on WordPress back in April 2009. Since I have also done a tutorial video about All In One SEO, cForms, Google Analytics, and Google XML Sitemap plugins. In January I also did a very popular article about WordPress Blog security which gave an overview of plugins that can be used to protect your site from hackers.

Today I want to talk about 10 other plugins that I use on almost all of my WordPress sites!

Digg Digg. This plugin tends to be the cleanest and most effective way to insert “Share Via” buttons such as Digg, Twitter, Facebook, etc. You can see how it is executed here at the top of this page.
Exclude Pages From Navigation. In building a wordpress site you often have pages that you do not want visible in the main site’s navigation. This plugin inserts a checkbox that allows you to designate which pages will and will not appear.
Hana FLV Player. If you have been looking for an effective way to insert native videos on your site this is it. I have been impressed with this plugin (which utilizes FlowPlayer) to embed native video files into a video player on your posts and pages.
Social Media Widget. The cleanest way I’ve see so far to insert “Follow Me” buttons for the most popular Social Media sites.
Tweet Old Post. This plugin will regularly tweet your older posts for you at designated intervals. If you have a strong twitter following this can be an effective way to bring additional traffic and keep your Twitter feed active.
WordPress Mobile Pack. This is my favorite plugin for mobilizing your blog into a friendly format for Smartphone browsers.
WP Polls. This is an effective and clean polling service plugin.
What Would Seth Godin Do. This plugin inserts a message into pages and posts that will only be visible by first time visitors to your site. An effective way to ask first time visitors to take an action.
WP e-Commerce Plugin. The most effective way to set up a shopping cart on your site. Its free and offers a wide range of strong options.
Datafeedr Random Ads V2. This plugin allows you to rotate amongst several ads in one position. You can setup ad groups and it will generate a php code for you to enter into the most appropriate places in your template.

Jacob S Paulsen

Top 10 Alaskaisms I Learned this Trip

By Jacob S Paulsen on March 6, 2010 in Personal, Top 10

I had the chance to spend 5 days in Alaska this past week. This was my first time in the 49th state of the US and I learned a lot about the differences that exist in that state. Mostly these cultural differences come from the climate and the general lack of people (also due to the climate). Here is my short list.

Every single car I saw had an engine block heater. The idea is to plug the car in during the night and coldest days to prevent it from freezing so much that it won’t start. Since I grew up in Wyoming I wasn’t foreign to the idea but I was impressed to find that all the parking stalls at the hotel and the businesses I visited had outlets available for the purpose. The rental car came with an extension cord but I was warned that if i lost it there was a $35 fee.
While I was there a young boy fell through the ice in the river in front of my hotel. The news story talked about the ice rescue and dive team being on the scene to recover the body. It got me thinking about the search and rescue teams in Alaska vs in my local area. Doubt that we have an ice rescue team here. Two days later when a man called into 911 complaining of extreme chest pain the easiest and quickest way to get aid to his remote cabin was to Parachute in the rescuers. Another great example of how things change when its that cold.
I worked with a local business in Fairbanks who has been delivering water since 1929. Because many of the homes outside of town cannot get water piped in they are left with very few good options. Some try digging wells but the chances of finding water are low and if you do the quality of the water will not be very good. So…. this business (and he has plenty of competitors) installs water tanks on people’s homes and regularly stops by to top them off with water.
In the hotel there was an Alaskan TV channel called “The Alaska Channel.” I was there 5 nights and they played the exact same video tape all 5 nights at the exact same time. I guess the producers are struggling to find new material?
When I walked out of the airport I also slipped and fell right on the sidewalk because of the ice. I’m no stranger to snow but in Wyoming and Utah most of us shovel the snow and even if we don’t the sun will usually melt the more frequented streets and sidewalks after a few days at most. They shovel and plow in Alaska but its just too cold. All the streets and sidewalks were snow packed. This also accounts for why I thought Alaska drivers were generally so kind. Turns out they just drive slow and defensively because they don’t want to wreck and I can’t blame them.
Shortly after I got there Fairbanks had a bit of a heat wave. At some times during the day it got as high as 22-25 degrees (yes this counts as a heat wave). I was warned at this point that I should be extra cautious on the roads because as it gets warmer some of the snow loosens up and begins to melt. This makes the roads slippery. In the below zero temperatures the road isn’t really as slick because the ice hardens so much.
Most of the people I was working with during my time there had remote start on their vehicle. This took a little of the sting out of getting into the car to warm it up. Along those same lines I of course noted very few 2 wheel drive cars and in fact the Hertz rental car company at the airport told me they don’t have an 2 wheel drive cars in their fleet.
The food in Alaska was quite pricey. I asked around about what restaurants I should eat at and on my first day I was recommended a BBQ place that had been featured on the diners and dives show on Food Network. I inquired to the price and I was told it was “quite reasonable.” The cheapest dinner item on the menu was $13.95 I spent the rest of the week trying to downgrade to lower end restaurants only to be consistently thwarted by the prices. The Chinese restaurant in town had a lunch special for $11.95 and the dumpiest (Betos equivalent) fast food Mexican place I could find still ran me over $10 without a drink. The food might have been expensive but it was all very delicious!
Only about 15 minutes out of Fairbanks is the town of North Pole Alaska. They really play off of the whole Santa thing and many of the street light poles in town are in the shape and colors of candy canes. Santa does have a house there although I didn’t get a chance to check it out.
I was there the week of the Ice Alaska festival. There is an ice park where hundreds of ice sculptures are featured for viewing. AMAZING I have to admit. When I first got into town I noticed right away that a lot of businesses had ice sculptures in front of their buildings and parking lots. I assumed that this had everything to do with the festival but I left with the impression that this is an all winter type of decoration. Why not… its not going to melt until May.

While I was there I was working with the Daily NewsMiner Newspaper. On their building they have a live webcam that can be viewed on their website at: http://newsminer.com/pages/arcticcam Before I left a few guys at work made an arrangement with X96 fm out of Salt Lake City to give us some of their famous Boner t-shirts in exchange for me wearing the shirt in front of the Artic Cam in Alaska. Their is a section of the X96 site (Click Here and select the “Boners Around the World Album) where pictures of people wearing this shirt around the world are displayed. Watch that album for the picture. Meanwhile here is a different picture of me on that cam that Ami took off of her computer:

All in all I had a great time and I hope to go back again in the summer to see the gorgeous country side and spend a little more leisure time with my family and the friends I made there. Alaska, what a wonderful place to visit!

10 Personal Development Books to Read This Year

By Jacob S Paulsen on January 21, 2010 in NORT, Top 10

Andrew James of AndrewJamesinc.com interviewed me today about 10 books that I would recommend that people read in 2010. I selected a top 10 list of personal development books (below). To listen to the audio interview visit Andrew’s blog here.

With the new year come the resolutions. How about deciding to read some good books? I am listing my favorite 10 personal development books. Not listed in any specific order these books will help you grow in various aspects of your life.

7 Ways to Protect Yourself Using Only Your Cell Phone

By Jacob S Paulsen on January 19, 2010 in Featured, Top 10

cell phone keypad Among my greatest passions in life are smartphones and personal security. I know right; I’m geeky and paranoid. I spent my spare time in the past two weeks considering ways that a person’s cell phone can be utilized in personal security. I’m not referring to the stun gun cell phones or other fake phone weapons on the market. I’m talking about the thousands of Americans walking around with Blackberrys, iPhones, Google Phones, etc who need to eliminate risk of becoming a victim of a crime or scam. Here are my 7 most applicable (not including hand to hand cell phone combat) tips:

If you are lost or kidnapped: Modern smart phones come GPS enabled. For little to no cost you can download and install software onto your phone that will allow authorities or loved ones to log in to a 3^rd party website to track your phone. Most of these services also include options for backing up data from the phone, remote wiping the memory and locking the device to prevent calls. In addition to helping you track down your lost or stolen phone it could potentially help authorities track you down if you become lost or stolen and your phone is on you or your attacker. Even if your phone is not GPS enabled authorities are able to triangulate your position based on the GPRS signal from the cell phone towers. This can often pinpoint your location within a 50 ft radius. If you are in a boat that is capsizing, put your phone in a plastic bag to keep it dry, and blow air into the bag before sealing it to be sure it floats. This will help rescuers find your location in an emergency. Mobile Security Software Suggestions: (iPhone) (Android) (BlackBerry) (WindowsMobile) (Nokia Symbian)
In a world of viruses and hackers you may wonder where you should be keeping your most private and sensitive data. Online servers or other “password vault” services are vulnerable and your computer is just as weak to crashes as viruses and hacks. The answer is on your smart phone’s SD memory card. Cell phones are virtually impossible to hack from a remote internet connection. As long as you keep your Bluetooth turned off, or at least make your phone “Not Discoverable” you remain safe from any local hackers too. Even if you break or damage your phone, the memory card will not be damaged easily and even dropping your phone in water will not cause you to lose any data. Are you afraid you will lose your phone? No problem if you are employing one of the programs mentioned above. Just remotely backup your data and then wipe the memory device.
ICE: EMTs and hospital staff across the nation are being trained to look in the address book of a victim’s cell phone for an emergency contact. You are advised to create a new contact in your address book under the name of ICE which is an acronym for In Case of Emergency. This empowers emergency medical technicians to contact a loved one to ask about allergies to medicines or to simply inform them of your injury or accident.
Cell Phone users are less likely to be victims of random attack. Next time you find yourself in a quiet parking lot or in a dark alley just pull out your cell phone and call someone. If they don’t answer, pretend that they did and begin a fake conversation with their voice-mail. Potential attackers are likely to avoid people who are on the phone since the potential victim could easily describe the assailant or at least alert the 3^rd party to the action. What should you talk about? Your location and your surroundings. Also indicate that you are on your way to meet with someone else. Example: “Yeah I just came out of the building on the south side. Where are you meeting me? I don’t see you yet, how far away are you?
Ever had a phone conversation that you wish you had recorded? Use your phone. Most phones have the option to record voice notes and many smart phones have 3^rd party software that will even allow you to record phone calls. Next time you are in a debate with your boss or an argument with your ex spouse… record it. Without drawing any attention turn on the recording feature on your phone and set your phone down on a surface where the microphone will be between you and the other person. Be aware that each state has different laws that govern your right to record conversations with or without the consent of all parties.
Having a cell phone means having constant access to a digital camera. Use it. Next time you are involved in or witness to a traffic accident use your phone to take pictures of all the damage and the license plates of the cars involved. Other good times to take pictures include when you meet someone for the first time, when driving somewhere for the first time (landmarks), or when you rent a car or check into a hotel room (existing damages).
Of course a cell phone can be used to call 911 from anywhere. Any cell phone can dial 911 even without having been active on a current plan. The international universal mobile emergency number is 112. Keep your old cell phone in the trunk of your car along with a charger to use in case of an emergency when your own phone is dead or unavailable. Purchase a “crank” cell phone charger that will power your emergency phone with a little muscle work. This would be especially useful if someone threw you in your own truck and left you there. Especially seek out an emergency phone with CDMA service. CDMA technology has much wider coverage in remote areas outside of the city. The biggest CDMA wireless carriers in the US are Verizon and Sprint.

Top Ten Reasons Why I Boycot the iPhone

By Jacob S Paulsen on December 28, 2009 in NORT, Top 10

Ok, so people often act shocked when they find out that I had a macbook and sold it to switch back to a PC, or that I had an ipod but dumped it when I got my android phone. While most people still use PCs in general, the public is under the impression that when anyone switches to Mac there is no going back. Furthermore it is accepted as conventional wisdom that the iPod and the iPhone are the very best of MP3 players and Smartphones. I DON’T THINK SO, and therfore I am going to give it to you in a top 10 list of why I boycot the iPhone (and all the apple products really).

Carrier Exclusivity. I can’t think of a single reason why Apple would only market their iPhone on AT&T’s wireless network, expect that AT&T must be paying them A LOT of money. Recent surveys confirm that AT&T has the lowest satisfaction among consumers in 17 of the 24 cities surveyed so Apple should be smart enough to realize that they stand to make a lot more money by opening up their product to as many different carriers as possible but no…. they are still stuck on the network with the least 3G coverage in the nation and while the phone can be unlocked, it remains a GSM device that could only be used on T-Mobile.
Manufacturer Exclusivity. Apple is the only company making iPhones. Your initial reaction… DUH, but stop and think about it. How many different manufactures make Windows Mobile devices or Android Devices? THEY ALL DO! HTC, Samsung, Motorola, etc. Microsoft & Google (the makers of Windows Mobile and Android) are smart enough to know that the more manufactures making devices that utilize their software platform the better. It means for higher competition which will improve the quality of the hardware and lower the end cost to the consumer.
Closed Source. Apple may open their developer’s API up to the public so that anyone can design iPhone apps but there is still no way to modify the actual platform. This is the same difference between Mozilla’s Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer that makes Firefox such a winner in the browser competition. Open Source platforms allow for billions of geeks around the globe to improve upon the basic ideas. This not only makes for a better end product for all consumers but it also means less time and expense on the end of the original designer in improving their product. So why doesn’t Apple open their iPhone platform? Control… fear of not having control which leads me to my next point.
Upgrade Driven. The most recent iPhone release here in the USA now allows for video recording. So, might I ask what additional hardware they had to include to make this possible? NONE! It would be as easy as releasing a software update to allow all the previous iPhones to also record video. If you can take still pictures than you already have all the hardware necessary. They don’t release the update because it would mean less sales of the newest iPhone. This strategy is at place in everything that they do with all Apple products. They are more concerned with milking you for every conceivable dime than they are with delivering the highest quality product they can and supporting it as technology changes. Don’t believe me yet… just take a look at all the versions of iPods and put them on a timeline with when they were released.
No Keyboard. Ok, so you are all saying that the virtual (on screen) keyboard is great and it just takes a little getting used to. I believe you but why not give users the choice? Both Android and Windows Mobile have devices available with both virtual and physical slide out keyboards. I’ve been in enough texting competitions to promise you that the physical keyboard will always be faster and more accurate. I do like having a virtual keyboard but please Apple… just give people the choice.
No Widgets. What are widgets? Widgets are on screen changing applications that you can “stick” to your home screen on other smartphone platforms. For example a widget may display the current weather info for your current location, a news feed, analytics data, sports scores, music playlists, task lists, and schedules. The iPhone will display the number of unread emails or sms messages but that is about as far as widget options go.
No Multi-Tasking. The iPhone is not capable of running several applications at once or running a program “in the background” with the exception of receiving emails, sms messages, and phone calls. Other smartphone platforms would allow you to be logged in to your favorite instant messaging program while at the same time browse a site online while checking your sports scores and weather data automatically every 30 minutes. With the iPhone when you exit an application it closes it. I admit that this keeps the iPhone running quickly without fear of freezing up but I just assume have the option to do many things at once.
Mobile Me. Most iPhone users think I’m crazy when I mention this as a huge drawback for me. Yes, Mobile Me is great. It always syncs/backs up all your contacts, calendar, documents, etc but here is the main problem… it costs money. Android phones do all of that for free with Google’s already proven and free services: Google Calendar, Google Contacts, Gmail, and Google Documents. Why pay for a service that should be included with an already over priced phone?
No Expandable Memory. Depending on the iPhone you purchase you may have a variety of different memory capacities and I admit that for normal users the included memory should be plenty enough however… you don’t have a choice. Any other smartphone platform that I am aware of would allow you to input expandable memory in the form of mini or micro SD cards but with the iPhone what you get is what you have.
No Spare or Replacement Battery. There is no way to open the iPhone and replace or swap out the battery. Because modern cell phones are capable of so much with the thousands of third party apps and fast internet browsing speeds the battery life tends to be low. This is no fault of the iPhone or any other smartphone platform. Rechargable battery technology simply hasn’t caught up with smartphone technology and that means phones don’t last all day anymore. That isn’t a problem if you have any phone in the world other than the iPhone. The iPhone will not allow you to swap out a spare battery or even replace your battery if it gets old and stops holding a full charge. Of course that probably won’t be a concern since you won’t have the phone for more than a year before Apple releases a new version that has features that you will want thus forcing you to buy the new model anyway.

Top Ten Personal Safety Tips That Will Save Your Life

By Jacob S Paulsen on December 19, 2009 in Featured, Top 10

We live in an unsafe world. While many of my friends and family may think I’m paranoid, I prefer to think that I’m just more aware. I have prepared 10 basic safety tips worthy of both Tim Ferris and Jason Bourne. The first five are among the very best of the traditional safety tips you have heard in the past. The last five are equally important but perhaps a little more extreme for those of us who like being really prepared.

The number one greatest thing you can do to ensure your family’s security is to choose a home in a safe neighborhood in a safe community. Research indicates that there is no single greater factor to ensure your family’s protection from crime and attack. Local law enforcement agencies are a good resource along with your state government website where crime statistics are usually published for the public every quarter. Put your family’s safety ahead of your own career when finding a good home.
In a recent survey among USA law enforcement officials when asked “What is the single greatest thing we can do to our home to prevent home invasion and burglary” the number one answer was, “Get a dog.” The second most popular answer was to get a “Home Security Alarm” sign and install it in a prominent place. Naturally big loud dogs are best and dog barking alarms can be purchased for little to nothing. Diversion signs can also be found for sale.
When you go on vacation go the extra mile to get a house sitter to live in your home while you are away. If this becomes impossible put timers on your lights and TV, put a temporary hold on your mail, and ask a neighbor to park in your driveway. Keep a small collection of high quality hidden safes to use within your home an in your luggage when you travel. Disguising your valuable is the best way to keep them safe.
Three more solid safety tips for the exterior of your home. Get motion activated flood lights in your yard. This will not only illuminate potential predators but will also light up the yard for late night family football games. Trim bushes and hedges to be too small for someone to hide in or behind. Install dead bolts on all exterior doors and change the locks after first moving into your home.
In regards to your vehicle safety: Purchase an emergency glass hammer and keep it in your vehicle as an emergency exit tool. Keep your car remote in your pocket at all times and on your night stand at night. The panic button makes for an easy and loud personal alarm when needed. Keep an emergency road kit and first aid kit in the trunk of your car at all times along with basic tools.
Take a firearm safety tips or state certified concealed weapon class in your local area. The education is priceless and after the class you can decide if it would be wise for your family to purchase a handgun to keep in the home. Continue to train on the range and seek out as much ongoing education as possible in the way of books and other local firearm courses.
Seek out security software for your cell phone. Smart-phones have software available that makes tracking them down easy via GPS and built in GPRS frequencies. This will come in handy not only if you lose your phone but also if you are kidnapped or lost. Make sure that family members are familiar with how to use the software to locate your device. (iPhone) (Android) (BlackBerry) (WindowsMobile) (Nokia Symbian)
Purchase and memorize “The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook.” Yes, I’m serious. This book will cover all the extra important things like hot wiring a car, performing 180 degree turns in your car, taking a punch correctly, escaping wild animals, and performing emergency tracheotomies. If that weren’t enough you will also learn how to land a plane, treat a bullet wound, and survive lost in the wilderness or adrift at sea. If you want to go the extra mile buy it’s sequel, “The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel.”
Establish emergency procedures with your loved ones. In addition to standard fire escape routes and safe rooms for your home also consider the following. Decide on key rendezvous locations and assign each one a code name. Potential locations could include: relative/friend’s home, zoo, shopping mall, etc. Also establish a code name for each family member and an emergency phrase that family members can use to signal that they are under duress.
Keep emergency stashes of the most important essentials in key locations. Essentials may include: cash, firearm plus ammunition, photocopies of passports birth certificates and insurance policies, a prepaid cell phone w/ charger, etc. Storage locations may include: safe deposit box, buried lock box in one of your key rendezvous locations, rented storage space, etc.

Did I forget any safety tips?

10 Ways to Guarantee I Stop Following You On Twitter

By Jacob S Paulsen on September 24, 2009 in Marketing, Top 10

If I am currently following you on Twitter and you are looking for a way to get me to stop here are some suggestions:

1. Send me a DM (Direct Message) inviting me to join your ninja dojo or mafia family. This is so annoying and unprofessional that it will always cause me to unfollow you and then delete the dm.

2. Have a Twitter profile picture of a man or women with little to no clothing on. I assume people who feel the need to have mostly naked women on their profile are either promoting a business or product that is pornographic in nature or they think that dumb males will be more likely to follow them or click their links because of the image. Either way it makes me angry and guarantees an unfollow. Super unprofessional.

3. Send me a DM with a superficial and virtual gift, such as “I just sent you peace and happiness. You Should send me a gift back.” I hate these pointless and insincere games and I the only way I participate is by hitting the unfollow link on your profile.

4. Tweet 3-15 times within a 2 minute span. I follow more than 4000 people currently and so if I see more than one of your tweets on a single page of my timeline that means you have a serious problem. Either addiction to Twitter or you have a program tweeting constantly for you during the high traffic times of the day. Either way it just somehow bugs me. Perhaps because people like this very rarely have anything good to share.

5. Tweet the same link with a variation of text every 30 minutes. Some twitter profiles seem to have only one thing on their mind and that is to get you to visit their site. They change up the sales pitch to make it look different but the link is the same. They expect you to not notice because you don’t spend a lot of time in front of Twitter or because you follow enough people to make their redundant tweets not-noticable. Either way I think they are spammers and have nothing of value to offer me.

6. Use foul language. I don’t tolerate anyone who feels the need to use profane or foul language. The use of any generally accepted cuss words is a quick way to lose me as your followe. Its just not professional and while you may speak that way to your friends you shouldn’t do it with strangers. Either way you want to think of it we will both be happier when I stop following you.

7. Twitter snobs don’t get my follow. Some people feel so important about themselves that they expect people to follow them by the thousands when they are not willing to follow anyone back. Either they truly don’t think that anyone else has something of value to offer or they are simple hypocrites. Either way I won’t be one more follower that strokes their ego. There are of course some celebrity exceptions. People who have already been so successful that I don’t expect them to follow one million people just because that many people are interested in what they are doing.

8. Send me a DM with a link that is going to help me get more followers or learn how to make money on Twitter. I will first check your profile to see if you have more followers than I do. If you don’t (95% of the time) I will have to assume that your amazing program isn’t working for you and I don’t want to associate with spammers at all. If you have tons more followers than me I might even check out your link but I’ll still probably unfollow you simply because of the marketing methods.

9. Tweet in a foreign language that I can’t read. Its nothing personal but I just can’t justify following someone I can’t understand.

10. Setup multiple twitter accounts that all tweet the same thing. I don’t know for sure why people do this but if I figure it out I am sure to unfollow all of your profiles.

Do I sound like an angry person?