ProfitBrite

The Pampered Chef Opportunity Review

Initially, when starting up as an independent consultant, you are asked to pay $85-155 for the start-up kit which includes the cooking tools and paperwork needed to begin. Then you are told to begin calling friends and family and asking them to host cooking shows for you and in return, they receive free product based on the sales of the show.

They do offer some incentives with different specials each month for the host, guests, and consultants. The also offer all expense paid trips for those consultants who sell enough product and recruit enough people throughout the year.

Each consultant makes 20-25% commission of all the products sold and is paid twice a month. During the first 90 days as a consultant, you are able to earn free products, but after that you are required to buy your own materials.

In order to continue to make money, a consultant is required to do cooking shows, following leads to get bookings and attempting to recruit people. You are required to do one show a month to stay active and receive 20% off of the products. If you go longer than 6 months without doing a show, you are considered inactive and in order to become a consultant again, you are required to buy another start-up kit.

Overall, it seems to be a good opportunity with a lot of potential, and can become a great source of income if you do enough parties and sell enough product.

However, for a legitimate work from home business worth the investment, without having to beg family and friends to host parties and buy your products check out my [http://www.legitincomefromhome.com]income from home.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Pampered-Chef-Opportunity-Review&id=5936516] The Pampered Chef Opportunity Review

Common Tech Related Problems for Windows Batch Files

Your password is the gateway to what you need. There are times when a service provider may ask you to create a really complicated password that no one can access. However, at times you may create a Windows Batch File that is also too complicated to remember. The best way to remember your password is to keep it as something that you refer to on a daily basis. Keep it as something you take reference from. In the event that you seriously cannot retrieve a lost password, you should ensure that can carry out a lost password email which the service provider will provide to you as and when you have completed the steps they ask you to verify your identification with. Many a times, we experience problems when the PC will just not turn on. At such times, it is best recommended that you start cutting off the odds as soon as possible.

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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Common-Tech-Related-Problems-for-Windows-Batch-File...] Common Tech Related Problems for Windows Batch Files

How to Sell Hand-Crafted Jewelry Online

If you haven't a lot to sell, just a few pages online is all you need.

The simpler the better - just two pages can work well. One page with your name, contact details, prices and pictures of your work: the other being the checkout with a link to PayPal. It's even possible to put all this on a single page! Less is more. The easier it is to buy, the more likely you'll make a sale.

Make the Site Personal

This is important, as buyers are more likely to trust someone they can relate to. They want to know there's a real person selling. A thumbnail of yourself smiling with a name goes a long way. So do testimonials - ask customers for comments on your jewelry.

Make it easy for potential buyers to contact you. An e-mail address on your front page will bring mountains of spam if you have a busy site - so create a form for enquiries, or add an extra link to go to your e-mail address.

How to Build a Website with an Online Store to Sell Jewelry

If you really want to make money, what you need is an e-store with a nice front page, a Paypal checkout, and marketing to bring traffic.

This is much easier than you think, especially the first part.

How a site works

When you view a website, you're accessing the hard drive of another computer, sometimes in a different country. This host machine stores the website for the creator. The site itself has hidden code called HTML (for short). When your browser views this code it translates it into the image you see on the screen.

HTML editor

Rather than spending ages writing this code yourself, all you need is a program to generate it for you. Some word processing programs can do this, or better still you could invest in Front Page or Expressions. However, it's a lot easier and cheaper to use website building software with an HTML editor built-in, these also make it simple to publish to your host.

One such program I use is from Ewisoft, but there are many others like MrShop. I joined their 30-day free trial and then signed-up for a hosting contract with Go Daddy. These companies make things easy and inexpensive.

Custom store software

For high-volume sellers, Miva offers great online store software. Get the shop for free by signing a contract with certain hosts, or buy the software outright and upload it to your own host. Google for the best deals. If you have US$500 to $1,000 to splash on, then it's much cheaper in the long run to buy the Miva store software. However, if your cash doesn't flow that well or you doubt if your store will be a long-term success, then it'll be cheaper to pay per month and rent the store from a host.

Register a Domain with a Host

Before you begin working on a new website, you must register a domain. This needs to be as simple, as short, as memorable as possible, and available. Start by writing a list of names that are related to you or your business.

For example, if you live along Bure Lane and sell designer jewellery, write Bure Jewelry (at the time of writing burejewelry.com was actually available). Or you could use your own name or the type of pieces you design.

Suffix

Go for a dot com if possible, especially if you're in the US, as it's easier for potential customers to remember. However, a.co.uk for Britain, or.eu for Europe may be more available and appear "local".

Lately, new suffixes have become available, like.co. Although this stands for Colombia, the suffix is intended for general use and "co" is associated globally to the word "company". These new suffixes give you the opportunity to own a domain with your chosen name.

Availability

When you've scribbled all possibilities, go to a popular web host like GoDaddy to see whether it's taken. If someone else has your preferred domain, consider a different suffix, or change some of the wording. It's better to string words together, than use hyphens or dots, as it's easier to remember.

Example: If annspearls.com is taken, then annspearlnecklaces.com is better than anns.pearls.com. This can then be expressed as AnnsPearlNecklaces.com

Web storage

At the same time choose a contract for storage space under the name from a web host, like GoDaddy -the minimum priced will be sufficient. I think I paid (in December 2009) about US$75 for the registration of two domains and one year hosting. Or you can pay monthly, which works out a little more.

Be sure to print out and keep all letters and settings mailed from your host, you will need these later. Likewise, make a note of all the passwords - you may create more than you can remember! After you've done all that, you're almost on the road!

Your Front Page

The next thing to do is design your front page. This is important as it's the first thing a potential customer sees, and you only have a few seconds to convince them to stay before they click away to the next site. With your front page:

The user must be able to understand what the site is about in less than two seconds.
Design everything so it can be scanned by the eye quickly.
Keep it very simple -no fancy or small type, music or flash. It must load fast.
Make it easy for the visitor to e-mail or contact you.
Use a simple navigation structure with limited choice -less is more.
Avoid long sentences, paragraphs or pages.
No spelling or grammatical mistakes and only good quality pictures.
Include a call for action. Like "To Buy Click Here" or "E-mail Now!"
Use similar colours and type styles for harmony.
Design a nice logo -this can be an image.

How to physically construct your front page will depend on your web building confidence. If you have no idea, then you can either pay someone to design and make for you, or you can start with a pre-built template supplied by most web hosts.

Template

A template for your whole site will ensure each page is linked professionally, and that every page keeps the same design, logo, and other sections. It saves you a lot of time. Free templates are also available within the program Front Page.

Keep in simple

Less is more, but it's hard to design clear and simple.

Structure links

Rather than clutter your front page, build links leading to other pages to expand a choice. For instance on the front page above, I placed a picture and link for Stand Beads - click this and it goes to another page with a list of all the different types of strands. To include all on the front page would be obstructive.

Logo

Design your own logo - it looks professional and gives trust. There are various programs that make logos; some are free, Google search. Or experiment with different fonts and colours with your word processing program.

My favourite is WebStyle from Xara. However, if you choose to use a non-image logo, bear in mind that it may look different to viewers depending on their browser and settings.

Sell words

For headings, item descriptions, or copy, use words that sell. These are positive, exciting and inspirings words - like Irresistible, Splendid, Magnificent, Dazzling, Wonderful, Dreamlike, Sexy, Passionate etc.

Accurate

Make descriptions and photographs as detailed, accurate, and interesting as possible. Photographs should all be sharp, cropped and contrast boosted. Edit everything you write, and use the spell check and thesaurus on your word processing program.

How to Structure Content within the Site

Uniformity

Be sure to add a clear link to "Add to Basket", "Basket Content", AND "Buy Now", on all sales pages. Missing these will lead to lost sales.

Ensure type face, colour, and font sizes are consistent throughout your site, especially if you don't use a template. Apply the same font, writing style and spelling everywhere, except for headings. Only use two or three different colours.

Typeface

The best font for web-reading is Arial (as this book), although headings also look good in Tahoma. Times New Roman looks dated. Don't use fancy styles as they may look different to the viewer on another web browser. This book is in 12 point, but 14 point is also common. Don't go smaller, and never under 10 point.

Checkout

Use a PayPal checkout if you don't have a merchant account to accept credit cards. These checkouts are simple to set up, free, and can be used by anyone with a credit card. If you haven't already join PayPal immediately.

Going live

When you've finished designing the site with your HTML editor, it's time to upload to your host, just click Publish on the program.

For the first time, you'll have to enter the ftp address (this will beftp.yourdomain. Plus user name & password you choose for ftp to your host, and maybe your website URL (address). If you can't find any of this information, just ask your host.

Your site should now be up and running, but don't expect any sales without promotion and marketing.

Check & double check

After you've finished your site, go through every single page to check links go to the right places, it's very easy to get these wrong. Check spelling with your spell checker and use English for the country you are marketing too (British English for the UK, or US spelling in the US).

Clear and simple

Edit copy and shorten paragraphs for easy online reading. Leave lots of space on the page. This looks refreshing and pleasant to the eye. Black type on a white background works the best.

Try yourself

Buy something from your own website to see everything is working correctly and also to get the feel a customer experiences. There's nothing like testing the system yourself all the way through.

Problems a visitor will suffer, like where to click next, will show right away. You can then make adjustments. Such as adding automatically-generated emails, or change other aspects of the process that might not be working as intended.

It's very worthwhile to do these tests often, even after your site is up and running. Things can strangely change on their own, either from bugs in the software or adjustments from your host, so never become complacent. Test, test, test.

It's very worthwhile to do these tests often, even after your site is up and running. Things can strangely change on their own, either from bugs in the software or adjustments from your host, so never become complacent. Test, test, test.

Marketing

Many think they can build a website and customers will come crawling to buy. Reality is far from that. There are millions of new websites every week, and as with any business, you have to do the hard work to bring in sales.

Fortunately you're in a niche market promoting hand-crafted jewelry, so it's not as difficult as say, selling clothes - but it will be pretty tough! This part is very important and I will soon be publishing an article to help. You may even consider buying a whole book on the subject.

From the new book How to Make a Killing Selling Bead Jewelry at http://www.easytofollowbooks.com/book100salespage.htm

By Nigel Hay Mckay

Bead & Pearl Supplies: http://www.MrBead.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Sell-Hand-Crafted-Jewelry-Online&id=5646423] How to Sell Hand-Crafted Jewelry Online

Ideas for Setting Up Your Own Business

Distributing catalogues
Is this one of the oldest home working schemes? From Avon to Kleeneze to Betterware and many others. Make sure that you stick to the names that are known and can be trusted and do not invest cash you are not happy to lose, if it all fails. Sometimes you have to pay for the catalogues so that can be a risk.

Then arrange a round with your supplier (so that you are not on an existing agent's patch) and drop the catalogues through doors. Start going back a while later, collecting the catalogues and hopefully some orders. Post the collected catalogues through more doors and so on. Eventually you will get to know which houses return the catalogues and which order and those that do neither to steer clear of in the future!

Become a party host
It may have started many years ago with Tupperware, but there are still plenty of parties out there that you can host. Anne Summers for those wanting more fun to cosmetics and cook ware for the more mainstream markets. Sign up and hold a party for your friends. Encourage them to hold a party for their friends and let you do your stuff. They get a great night in and you can both earn commissions and hopefully one or two of the guests will let you host parties at their houses.

Sell some photos
You don't need to be able to take perfect pictures for this, just very good pictures on a good quality camera. If you have some well shot photos you can then sign up to a variety of stock photo directories and upload the pictures to there. As each one is sold you should earn a commission. Each directory usually has instructions directing you on how to produce photographs of the quality that they demand. Once you have an account and can produce suitable photographs your job is to just keep taking pictures!

Sell some artwork on items
Whether it is fine art, cartoons or even photos, you can quite often sell them on a variety of items from clothing to key rings to mugs. Whether you are good at cartoons or can write slogans that appeal to teenagers, there are sites about that you can then upload the finished artwork to that will then take care of the sales, printing and distribution of the goods. It just helps if you can push your own products a little bit to increase sales!

If you want to know more about home working, call over to our website - [http://www.myhomeworking.com]http://www.myhomeworking.com. There you will find loads more [http://www.myhomeworking.com/?p=877]home working ideas.

Written by Keith Lunt

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Ideas-for-Setting-Up-Your-Own-Business&id=5630415] Ideas for Setting Up Your Own Business

5 Keys to Recruiting Your Host During Host Coaching

1. Whenever possible (and I realize it's not always possible), meet with your host in person. This will increase your connection and build your relationship faster. Get creative - if your host lives more than 25 miles away, are you going to or through her town on your way to a party soon? Could you leave early and meet with her on the way?

2. Make sure you're creating a connection with your host in the beginning of the appointment. Get curious about her life, and listen to what she shares. There are often recruiting gems to be learned (i.e., she hates her job, she's struggling with her day care provider, etc.)

3. Never pre-judge a host or assume that she isn't interested in hearing about your opportunity. Consider that, even if she may not want to join, chances are great that she knows someone who could really use your business. So just share that with her up front ("This may not be for you but you may know someone for whom this opportunity cold truly be an answered prayer").

4. Make sure your host leaves the appointment thinking about the possibility of starting her business. I'd say, "I don't want you to tell me now. I just want you to think about it, and if you decide between now and your party that you would like to give this a try, we'll turn your party into your kick-off, I'll give you all the bookings, and you'll be on your way."

5. Finally, if you're feeling uncomfortable about sharing or worried about coming across as "pushy," I want to encourage you to simply share from your heart about why you love your job and why you're passionate about sharing it. The best way to do that is simply to share your story and the stories of the women on your team who's lives have changed because of your business. If you're honest and sharing from your heart, it's impossible for you to come across as "pushy."

I've got an awesome program called "Coaching Your Host for Maximum Success" that outlines a systematic host coaching approach from the moment the host says "yes" until you show up at their party. Visit us online to check it out.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?

You may, as long as you do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate): Julie Anne Jones is direct sales corporate consultant, keynote speaker, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read more blog posts, visit her at [http://www.julieannejones.com]http://www.julieannejones.com.

Julie Anne Jones

Direct Sales Corporate Consultant, Keynote Speaker, and Trainer

CEO, Julie Anne Jones, Inc.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Keys-to-Recruiting-Your-Host-During-Host-Coaching...] 5 Keys to Recruiting Your Host During Host Coaching

How Do I Make My First Website? A Beginner's Guide to Starting a Career Making Money Online

The first thing you need to do is to choose a domain name for your site. The domain is the web address of your website but it's also generally the title of your site. So to pick your domain, you'll need to decide on a topic to create your site around. Stick to those topics that are guaranteed to be profitable like health and fitness, money, and relationships. There are many other areas besides these few, but just be sure you choose a topic that will attract not just readers but buyers to your site.

After choosing a domain name, you will want to set your site up with a hosting company. Your web host is what is going to "host" your site, which means they'll provide all the storage space for the data required to keep every element of your site accessible to your visitors. A good host is essential because the strength and speed of your site is dependent on it.

Finally, you're ready to actually get your site created and ready for traffic! If this is your first time creating a site, I would recommend starting with a WordPress blog. Blogs are a brilliant new way to make a fully-functional and highly professional website without having to learn any code or higher a web designer.

Setting up a money-making blog should be simple but many people find the process difficult and confusing. If you want to learn how to set up your very own blog for free, sign up for my [http://makemoneybloggingchallenge.com/]Make Money Blogging Challenge today!

The Challenge provides step-by-step instructions and ongoing personal support and assistance and is 100% free for a limited time. Sign up and rise to the challenge today!

Click here: http://makemoneybloggingchallenge.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Do-I-Make-My-First-Website?-A-Beginners-Guide-to-Starting-a-Career-Making-Money-Online&id=5011906] How Do I Make My First Website? A Beginner's Guide to Starting a Career Making Money Online

Better Booking Results Checklist - For Direct Sales Home Parties

Because my success was not without struggle, my experience helped me relate to the discomfort involved with asking for parties and ultimately made it possible for me to help others overcome it. I will never forget how uncomfortable I felt when I first started. Learning can be painful but building skill is priceless.

I perfected my strategy when I fused the mindset of booking parties with my method of securing new commitments on the calendar. I broke down the mechanics into the following formula:

- Guests are more likely to book when they anticipate you to invite them. Set the stage for bookings.

- Guests are more likely to book parties when they know you, like you and trust you. Read on to see how many of the booking steps you practice from my 'Barb's Better Booking' Checklist'. As you can tell, it is not one single action that yields more bookings, but many small intentional actions that will improve results. See if you can incorporate a few new steps into your booking protocol, steps designed to enhance the know, like, and trust factors for you.

Better Booking Results Checklist For Direct Selling Home Parties

___1. Build Party Attendance - It is hard to book a party or earn money with a chair, sofa or lamp so remember, the more people at the party, the more potential for prosperity (for you and your Host). Make sure your Host is talking up the benefits of attending the party. Emphasize the education, as well as the fun factor, as the combination draws a bigger crowd.

___2. Challenge Your Host To Help - Ask your Host to have a booking waiting for you before you arrive. Enlist the Host to help you and make it worth your Host's worthwhile.

___3. Offer To Call Each Guest Before The Party - As a service to your Host, offer to call each guest to confirm their attendance, and in doing so encourage them to bring a friend. Making a personal connection with potential guests prior to the party helps you build the "know, like and trust" factor and establishes your standard of customer service. Even leaving a voice mail can highlight your professionalism and show how you support each Host. Most direct sellers overlook this step, so making pre-party calls will set yourself apart.

___4. Arrive Early To Be Booking Ready - Arriving before guests allows you to not only to set up early and chat with your Host but also frees you to greet guests when they do arrive. Take advantage of the opportunity to build rapport. Ask your Host to share a little about each guest with you. Who likes to have parties? Who is involved in organizations? Who might appreciate free products or want to earn some money? Make notes on your guest list.

___5. Greet Guests With Interest - Learn something special about each guest in your pre-party chat. What do they do? Where do they live? How do they know the Host? How familiar are they with your product line?

___6. Remember Guest Names - When you sincerely address guests by name, you communicate that they are important to you. If you cannot remember everyone's name, consider using name tags.

___7. Decide To Deliver Booking Bids - Determine before you start when you will deliver 3 booking bids to the group. This means deciding when you will invite others to consider booking and what you will say in each invitation. Be prepared, not scripted or robotic. Be direct or you might drive home and realize you forgot to ask.

___8. Promote Your Host Benefits - Promote the benefits of being a Host through both your verbal and non-verbal communication. Pass around Host specials. Refer to the Host program. Inform others what Hosts can earn when they open up their homes for a party.

___9. Highlight Your Host - Make each Host feel genuinely appreciated and special. Without their hospitality you would not have a vehicle to build your party plan business. Publicly acknowledge your Host today and others will be more inclined to Host in the future.

___10. Party With Play - Always remember, it is a party you are promoting. Infuse fun and laughter into your party process and bookings will follow. The more your guests enjoy the time together, the more they will want to repeat the experience and get their own friends together. It is up to you to create the party atmosphere.

___11. Give Personal Invitations - Ask each guest individually to be one of your special Hosts. "Would you be willing to invite me into your home to host your own party [or get together]?" Do not pre-determine who will and who won't say yes. Ask everyone. This single practice boosted my booking results tremendously.

With practice, you will increase your bookings and build a business with solid confidence. Develop your style so that you are using the most effective word choices that work for you. Challenge yourself to get to a point where if your calendar ever looks slim, you have the power to rebuild it. With this knowledge you will attract others intentionally to schedule with YOU!

� 2010 All Rights Reserved. Barb Girson Original Work [http://www.mysalestactics.com/about]Barb Girson, International Direct Selling Industry expert, trainer and coach, is a highly interactive, creative speaker and author offering professional skill development programs for workshops, leader retreats, annual conventions and teleclass sales training programs. To contact Barb, sign up for her FREE sales training teleclass and get her Sales Strategies Ezine go to [http://www.mysalestactics.com]MySalesTactics.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Better-Booking-Results-Checklist---For-Direct-Sales...] Better Booking Results Checklist - For Direct Sales Home Parties

CPAlead Review - How to Get Started on CPAlead

I didn't reach the minimal pay out yet, due to the fact I just haven't had much time to try and do this. As proof, it is easy to invariably Google for affiliate revenue and you will find a lot of evidence. When you've been recognized by an affiliate program, there is really a shoutbox on the house tab(right after you logged in).There you'll see a lot of consumers referring to how a great deal they've earned. So, that is like unlimited proof I believe?

Note: if you get applied to an affiliate network you are going to get a personal Affiliate manager. (support tab once you logged in). You could also ask him for assist if you cannot get it to function!

1) Producing a blog/website (People with a blog/website can skip this step!)

Before we can apply for an application for an affiliate network we will require a blog/website. Now let's start out with going to and signing up for the free hosting program This really is just a unchosen host I chose to host my blog, you might obviously at all times choose the host u prefer!

When you finished your registration & proved your email you will come to a screen with plenty of details with regards to your Cpanel log in, ftpserver address etc... It will ask you in the event you want to print that page, but in case you look within the inbox of you email you will see they also delivered you all the particulars!

Marketing your web page is what it's all about so Think outside the box & you possibly can earn very much money with this!

Joanna Miller is an experienced internet marketer who makes a full living online. To learn more and sign up for CPAlead, visit: [http://cpaleadmakemoney.theproductjudge.com]CPAlead Review. Making money online doesn't have to be difficult!

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?CPAlead-Review---How-to-Get-Started-on-CPAlead&id=4...] CPAlead Review - How to Get Started on CPAlead

Issues With Your Web Host Provider?

One thing that you will want to make sure of is the level of customer service that the web host has that you are going to choose for your website hosting. If the company does not have good customer service then you are going to have a hard time getting your questions answered or problems worked out when you have them.

Also, the web hosting provider that you decide on should make it easy for you to be able to get around the control panel that they have. This is especially true if the company does not offer cPanel web hosting. Some companies automatically assume that everyone who wants to own their own website knows everything about website hosting and all of the technical aspects that go along with it, but as you probably have experienced it is hard to get around sometimes. A good company will be able to provide you with video tutorials that will show you step by step what to do in each area of the control panel that you have for your hosting.

One other thing that you want to make sure of is the uptime that your hosting provider offers. There are a lot of companies that do not have a good uptime which means that you could potentially lose money by using them. If the servers that your website is located on are down then you will not be able to benefit from the hosting that you have and your site will not be viewable if someone is trying to visit it. You want to make sure that the web host that you decide to use has an uptime guarantee so that you know your site is always viewable.

There are a lot of different things that make up a good web host provider that you will want to be sure of. If you are currently having issues with the hosting company that you are with then make sure that you look for one that has all of the characteristics listed here and you will not have to worry about having those same types of issues any longer.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Issues-With-Your-Web-Host-Provider?&id=4528790] Issues With Your Web Host Provider?

Web Hosting Frauds Be Gone - The Technical Questions You Will Regret Not Asking

It happens all the time. You get offered a free domain, only to discover that if you want to leave, your web host will tell you "oh, by the way, your domain is registered under our name, so if you want it, it'll cost you. Big time." And, yes, this is an actual, perpetrated scam - with multiple complaints.

Or a web host will offer an unbeatable price, with a 30 day money back guarantee - now what could be better than that? Only on day 31, [or 2 or 3...] you run into a problem - and guess what? Customer service? Oh, yeah, they don't, like, answer. But the web host will helpfully offer you "premium" service, for a premium price, of course. Again, this is a real scam, with real complaints - not hypothetical.

Luckily for you, you've got me on your side. And I'm packing - granted, they're double D's, but packing's packing. I've got the key questions that you will need to ask your web host about - those simple details that will make all the difference and help you avoid getting scammed.

And to make it even easier, I'm not only including the proper answers AND an explanation, I'm even throwing in "catch all" questions - those simple queries that indicate so much more about a web host. So you don't have to get lost in a sea of technical jargon.

Talk about getting a cheat sheet.

Oh, yeah, and do me a favor: check out my recommended host - hey, a girl's gotta live. Somehow.

One more note: ask all the questions, verbatim if necessary, even if you have zero idea what's being said - even if the words are effectively gibberish to you. These are semi-technical questions that you will regret not asking later on.

Got it? Good. Now lets jump in.

The Questions:

How many gigabytes in uploads and downloads do you offer per month?

If you're running a blog: 100gb upload/download per month is fine. If you're running any other kind of site: I recommend unlimited downloads/uploads. This is necessary because while your site's text may not amount to much, if you have graphics, photos, or ads, you may run out your bandwidth much sooner than you think - and end up paying the price.

How much disk space comes with an account?

Its best go for unlimited disk space; photos and videos can eat up an unexpected amount of space - even on a blog. You don't need surprises.

How many domains can I host on one account?

If you're starting out, you probably think: wait a minute; I'm only doing one site, so why would I need more domains? With some sites, you won't. But wait. Once you have some success, you may want to buy up domains that are similar to yours; buy up domains that have particular keywords, so you'll rank higher in searches; perhaps start similar sites, etc.

Basically, 20 domains is usually sufficient for a small business or hobby site; if you are running anything larger, go for unlimited.

How many emails am I allowed with each domain?

How many employees/email accounts do you expect to have? If you find a host that offers, say, 25 emails, and you only have 2 full time employees, you may think to yourself "25! That's waay plenty!" Only it's much closer to full than you realize.

How? If you're running a business and want to seem professional, you'll want separate email addresses for things like hiring, sales, customer service, management, etc; then everyone will want an email with their own name @ yourdomain.com. And what happens when an employee leaves? You have to keep their email working because old contacts will still send to him/her. Add to this temporary employees, special emails, project accounts, emails for newsletters, no response addresses, filters, etc., and you'll discover that 25 names can be used up pretty quickly.

So, generally, for small companies - 25-50 could be adequate, depending on number of employees. Anything bigger, cut it short and go for unlimited email accounts.

Is an ftp account included?

This is critical to upload your website. Don't accept a host that doesn't have a free ftp account included with their service.

Is webmail included?

Webmail is where you can access your account from the web. Although some people like to have their mail in their company server, I find it necessary to have webmail access. Bottom line: if you're already set up and use outlook/similar exclusively, then lack of webmail is ok; otherwise, it's a must - don't leave this feature out.

Do you have any spam protection/filters?

Without spam protection, you'll be wading in a morass of Viagra ads, and the like.

Do you have any malware protection (for the site)?

Not only should they have malware protection, but also they should have a frequent scan for malware (usually daily).

Is a shopping suite included - including ssl and a shopping cart?

If you think you'll ever want to do something like this, even down the line - sell t-shirts associated with your site, for example - then get the proper tech specs now. You'll save yourself so much trouble later.

What tech support is included?

Standard tech support should include a 24/7 toll free number [NOT a sales line - ask specifically, and check out, to ensure that the phone number is for TECH SUPPORT - so many people see an 800 number and think "alright!", when in fact it's closer to "all wrong;"]. Other points to watch out for are excessive "premium" support [more than just bumping you up in line] and average wait time. Trust me, when your site is finally starting to take off - after so much work, and then the whole thing comes crashing down, and your host won't answer your emails for days on end, you'll wish for a working number - if only to curse someone on.

What's your money back guarantee?

I tell everyone who will listen - go for a guarantee that allows you to cancel anytime, and get the remainder of your money back. This one point by itself will almost ensure a smooth hosting experience - more than anything else. Why? Because a host that can lose a customer at anytime is a host that's working hard not to all the time.

Words of wisdom to live by.

OK, so there you have it. Now you know the technical details and questions that you need to ask your host. And with this knowledge, you also now know how to avoid getting scammed by a web host. So enjoy your life. Make money. Go home happy.

Oh, yeah, and don't forget about me, thank you very much.

After being scammed myself, I decided to fight back, becoming educated on the ins and outs of web hosting and related scams. Yes, I am Super Mom [and teacher] by day, Scam Fighter by night! Please read my recommendations in [http://scamferret.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-experience-distilled-bullet-point.html]Web Hosting Bullet Points. For more info, read about the [http://scamferret.blogspot.com/2010/06/beware-top-5-web-hosting-scams-exposed...]Top 5 Hosting Scams Thank You!

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Web-Hosting-Frauds-Be-Gone---The-Technical-Question...] Web Hosting Frauds Be Gone - The Technical Questions You Will Regret Not Asking