Embarrassing Niches could be a great way to make money by starting a blog or creating informational products based on things people are too embarrassed to talk about openly to others.
Author: Wild About Internet
Free e-Learning Applications
eLearning offers courses that are specifically delivered via the internet to somewhere other than the classroom where the professor is teaching also referred to as distance learning. eLearning utilizes electronic technologies to access educational curriculum outside of a traditional classroom. In most cases, it refers to a course, program, or degree delivered completely online. Set up your own online school with free e-learning software:
Moodle
Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites. Moodle is used for blended learning, distance education, flipped classrooms, and other e-learning projects in schools, universities, workplaces, and other sectors. Moodle is used by a variety of institutions and individuals, including Universities. High schools. Primary schools. Government departments. Healthcare organizations. Military organizations. Airlines.
Set up own online courses, Provide documents, Graded assignments, Quizzes, Discussion forums, Live Chat, Accept Payments quickly and easily, Add Google Adsense for extra revenue and so much more
Chamilo
Chamilo is an open-source course management application. Chamilo is currently used by more than 3.5 million students and teachers
Chamilo aims at bringing you the best e-learning and collaboration platform in the open source world. Chamilo is also a brand owned by the Chamilo Association, which makes it possible for many companies to build on the name of the product with very low risk. The trademark is not and will never be owned by a single trademark holder.
Features:
- Easy creation of educational content
- Tracking of users results, allowing for methodology improvements
- Clean interface, letting user focus on learning
- Synchronous and asynchronous communication channels
- Many tools allowing for all learning types (visual, auditive, practical, serious games, staff selection)
- Extensive documents management capabilities
Free Social Network Application Facebook Like
Social networking sites are online communities where people can interact with friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances, and others with similar interests. Most social networking sites are Web-based and provide many ways for their users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file-sharing, blogging, and discussion groups. Social networking sites provide an immediate and personal way to deliver programs, products, and information to individuals or friends within your personal network. Examples of social networks are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram. Build your own social network with free social networking software.
Elgg
Elgg Social Networking Software is an award-winning open-source social networking engine that provides a robust framework on which to build all kinds of social environments, from a campus-wide social network for your university, school, or college or an internal collaborative platform for your organization through to a brand-building communications tool for your company and its clients. Elgg was voted the best open source social networking platform in 2008.
It has been used to build all kinds of social apps:
- open networks (similar to Facebook)
- topical (like the Elgg Community)
- private/corporate intranets
- dating
- educational
- company blog
- Well-documented core API that allows developers to kick start their new project with a simple learning curve
- Groups – out of the box support for user groups
- File storage powered by flexible API that allows plugins to store user-generated files and serve/stream them without booting the engine
- Notifications service that allows applications to subscribe users to on-site and email notifications and implement integrations with other their-party services
- RPC web services that can be used for complex integrations with external applications and mobile clients
- Elgg community that can help with any arising issues and hosts a repository of 1000+ open-source plugins
Free Open-source Forum Software
Online forums are very popular! An Internet or online forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporarily archived. An online community forum can be set up by an organization or a brand, where members, customers, and fans alike can congregate, ask questions, receive peer-to-peer support, discuss interests surrounding the brand and make social connections. …
Free Forum Software
phpBB
PhpBB forum has been around for many years. PhpBB is an open-source forum application. Initially released in 2000. phpBB is a free high powered, fully scalable, and highly customizable open-source bulletin board package. Whether you want to stay in touch with a small group of friends or are looking to set up a large multi-category board for a corporate website, phpBB has the features you need built-in. Check out Who Uses the PHPBB Software.
MyBB
MyBB is an open-source forum application. MyBB forked from XMB Forum in 2002. From the administration to post a reply, MyBB is a forum package full of useful and to-the-point features for both you and your visitors, helping you to make running your bulletin board as easy as possible.
Features:
- Extendable: Hundreds of plugins and themes make adding new features or a new look easy.
- Simple to Use: MyBB offers an extensive range of features in an intuitive interface.
- Multilingual: Community-maintained translations are available for more than 30 languages.
Vanilla Forums
Vanilla Forums offers a free and open-source forum application and discussion framework. There is also a paid version. Vanilla Forums was initially released in 2006 and today powers discussion on over 500,000 sites. Vanilla Forums is an open-source, pluggable, multi-lingual community-building solution. It is specially made to help small communities grow larger through SEO mojo, totally customizable social tools, and great user experience. Vanilla is also built with integration at the forefront, so it can seamlessly integrate with your existing website, blog, or custom-built application.
Simple Machines Forum
Simple Machines is a free software package that allows you to make easy, elegant, customizable, and high-quality discussion forums. It is a PHP based forum which uses MySQL as backend. It has tons of plugins, extensions, and add-ons. Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is a next-generation community software package that is jam-packed with features, while at the same time having a minimal impact on resources.
Features:
- Advanced permission and user management.
- Tracking of new and old unread topics, not just from your last visit.
- A package manager that automatically installs or uninstalls mods (also known as hacks.)
- Ability to choose Sendmail or SMTP (with or without authentication.)
- Assign several member groups to a single member, with one member group as the primary group.
- Support of wildcards for an email address, IP address, and hostname.
- Export forum data using XML/RSS.
- Options to hide other members’ avatars and signatures.
- Advanced user resources, including the ability to show new replies to your posts and so much more.
FluxBB
FluxBB is designed as a lighter, faster alternative to some of the traditional feature heavy forum applications. It is easy to use and has a proven track record of stability and security making it an ideal choice of forum for your website.
Features:
- Easy to use: Simplicity is the key. Featuring a beautiful, clean interface, FluxBB is focused completely on ease-of-use and usability.
- Flexible permission system: FluxBB comes with a flexible permission system designed to give you full control over your user groups. Allow them to view different sections of your forum, give privileged users moderator status (multiple moderator groups are supported).
- Powerful moderator tools: Administer your board with ease using powerful moderator tools to manage users, banning, censoring, reported posts, forums, and topics. Do it yourself or delegate these tasks to moderators as you see fit.
Dropship Sell Online Without Purchasing Any Products
How would you like to start a business selling online where you don’t have to buy or stock any merchandise? If this sounds like you then the drop-ship business maybe for you. This type of business can be run will little to no upfront money. Starting a drop shipping business is very easy, and you can run it from anywhere in the world, especially out of your own home.
Overview:
The great thing about setting up a drop shipping business is you don’t need any special skills to start this type of business. All you really need is a person who is willing to dedicate their time to ensure that the business succeeds. It will also help to have a computer with Internet access.
A Drop Shipping Business brings together people who want to buy a particular product and companies that are selling it. YOU – As THE SELLER – sell the merchants products through your own online store, or. online marketplace or your social media channel. If you plan to sell in an online marketplace, make sure you are aware of their rules on drop shippers, many online marketplaces may not approve of the drop shipping method of selling products you don’t physically have.
How it Works:
Once someone purchases a drop-ship product from you, your job is to submit the order to the drop shipper.
The DROP SHIPPER ships the product white-labeled as if the products(s) came from your business. Be sure that white labeling of products is in your contract agreement to retain your customers.
Your Profit is the difference between the price you pay for the vendors’ product, which should be the wholesale price and the retail price you sold it to your customer for.
The first step is to find a dropshipping company you are satisfied with and create an account with them. Make it your business to form a good relationship with a prospective drop-shipper! It is important that you treat your business just like any other business.
Selling your drop ship products online follows the same methods you would use if you physically had the products. The only difference is you only need to sell the product and accept online payments.
Avoid A Scam
The first thing in starting a drop-ship business is to find reputable drop shippers and avoid a scam. Due to its increased popularity, it is important that you find a reputable drop-shipper for your business. Unfortunately, there have been many scams that have come to light in this particular industry.
This form of online business has become so easy to do, and because of its increased popularity, many prospective drop shipping businesses have become targets for the less reputable people online, such as scammers. Unfortunately, many people do not really understand what drop-shipping is about and only see it as a way of getting rich quickly. Because of this, there are plenty of people out there who are ready to exploit them. Thankfully Drop Ship Scammers are in the minority and not the majority, but none the less, you have to be careful, there are things you need to beware of to minimize the risk of scam.
Also, you should avoid the “turnkey” internet businesses which are willing to sell you a package of products,
e-commerce site, and marketing for an exorbitant membership fee or charge you a monthly fee. These types of businesses, you will soon find, do not actually help, but rather hinder, and you will soon find that you are not making any profit whatsoever, while they are.
Starting a Dropship Business
The minimum requirement for starting any drop shipping business online is that you have a business license. Avoid any company that doesn’t have these requirements at all costs. Unfortunately, most of the companies which are willing to do business with an illegal business will usually be middlemen, who then send your order through to the wholesale company, and will end up taking a cut of the profits that you are trying to make.
You will also need to get a valid re-sellers certificate. What the exact requirements are to obtain the certificate will vary from state to state.
How To Find Reputable Drop Shippers
Do Not Purchase Drop Ship Directories. Do not be fooled by those sites offering you a drop-ship directory for a fee. Unfortunately, these are normally copies of the more legitimate lists provided by reputable directories, and will often be out of date.
You need to do plenty of research with regard to drop ship sources It is best if you avoid using search engines when doing this, as they will also offer up a list of the less reputable companies, as well as providing you with page upon page of links which are completely useless. If you do a Google Search on dropshipping you’ll find a ton of information but much of it is erroneous and even downright illegal scams. It can be hard to tell what’s real and what’s not out there.
The best way to find a legitimate drop-shipping company is to do your due diligence and research. If you see a product you are interested in selling, contact the company producing it directly. Inquire if they have a dropshipping program/dept.
Ensure the drop shippers you find require a valid wholesale or resale certificate from you.
Important Steps to Running a Drop Ship Business
If you want to ensure that your drop-shipping business is profitable, there are a number of things you need to remember.
1. You need to find a product which will sell in sufficient quantities, as well as one which will provide you with a good mark up, in order for it to be truly profitable. Therefore, it is important that you try to determine what the demand for the product is, and also what competition, if any, there is for that particular product.
2. You need to take a look at what your competition is charging for the product you choose. You may find that some businesses will have much lower profit margins than others, including you.
3. It is best when first starting out selling products using drop-shipping, that you only sell a select few. And a good rule of thumb is to make sure that those products that you do select are related, or can be targeted and sold to the same market set.
It is important that you do not try to sell every drop-shipping product that you find, as this will help you concentrate more on marketing your goods, as well as keeping your own costs to a minimum. Plus, you are more likely to make an impact in the market place as well.
4. Avoid those people who are offering to sell you lists of drop-shippers for 100’s of dollars, unfortunately sometimes these are middlemen who are posing as drop-shippers themselves, and will then charge much more than you actually should be paying. Remember, the whole idea of using drop-shipping is to keep your costs down rather than raising them but also still be able to make a profit at the end of the day.
5. You will still need to deal with the problems associated with backorders and returns. Unfortunately, not all the hassles associated with running a normal retail business can be eliminated from a business that is run online.
Product Images
It is a known fact that product images equal higher conversion rates. For photos of your dropship products do not hesitate to ask the vendor for a copy of the product images to display in your ads. You can also ask for permission to make a copy of the ones on the vendor’s site.
There will be times when you find that a product your customer has ordered is not in stock, and so will not be available for dispatch immediately. Therefore, you will need to work out these matters with your drop-shipper ahead of any of these problems occurring. This will then provide you with answers that you can provide to your customer should such an event occur.
Final Tips:
1. Before you start selling any products through a drop shipping business, you should do as much research as you can.
2. Always select products that there are not thousands of them already selling on the internet, or that has very few people competing for the customers.
3. Ensure that the products you are supplying are of the best quality possible, and also provide the best customer service that you can.
4. If at all possible purchase test products you plan to sell to your customers. If you can not afford to purchase the product, search the Internet for a product review on the products you want to sell.
5. If any of your customers have a question, then make sure that you respond as quickly as possible and follow up afterward to ensure that they are satisfied with the information you provided to them.
Answer:
Some of the qualities Fin the Pin has which would lead you to believe he would be ideal for the business he is starting:
- Passion – He is passionate about the business he plans to start, he loves making things out of wood!
- Educational Background – He took up carpentry in high school.
- Experience- He worked with his uncles in the construction business doing carpentry work.
- Ambition – He taught himself what he needed to perfect his skill.
You should have some if not all of these basic qualities going into your new business venture. All these qualities will help you to stay committed and focused in the long run as you pursue your business endeavors.
Some other Entrepreneurial Skills you will need :
• Problem-solving
• Goal-oriented
• Self-confidence
• Risk-taker
• Good Decision-making skills
• Organized
• Persistent
• Communication skills
• Leadership ability
Any skills you don’t have now you can work on as you go along.
Social Media Marketing
Harness the power of social media to increase traffic and exposure for your business. Making social media a priority for your business will allow your business to: establish a stronger brand and boost sales!
You could be missing out on huge growth opportunities for your business if you are not using Social Media. Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service.
Although the terms e-marketing and digital marketing are still dominant in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular for both practitioners and researchers.
Popular Social Media Marketing Sites
You’ll want to include at least one or two of the most popular social media channels in your Social Media Marketing strategy such as:
Facebook.com
Facebook has more than 2 billion monthly active users, making it by far the most popular social media channel. Facebook is a social networking website where users can post comments, share photographs, and post links to news or other interesting content on the web, chat live, and watch short-form videos. You can even order food on Facebook if that’s what you want to do. Create pages and post regularly on Facebook to gain exposure for your business and brand.
LinkedIn.com
LinkedIn is a social network that’s made specifically for businesses and professionals. It is an efficient tool for locating those who may contribute to the success of your business. LinkedIn allows you to: Have an online resume and business card where potential clients, customers, and joint venture partners can learn about you and your business and connect with you You can set up a personal profile and/or a company page. And you can also share content and publish articles directly on the platform, allowing it to serve as a sort of blog for your brand.
YouTube.com
YouTube is the largest video platform with more than 1.8 billion active monthly users. You can create videos to promote your business. How to” videos are very popular on youtube. You can also embed videos on your website or other forms of content. YouTube also so offers the opportunity to make money with your videos if they become very popular.
Twitter.com
.Twitter, one of the most popular social networking services in the world. Twitter is good for networking with customers, suppliers, and partners, it is a microblogging platform, which allows registered users to post, and send to short messages other registered users, These short messages are limited to 140 characters, which are called Tweets.
Relevant tweets may also appear at the top of search results, increasing your potential for organic reach.
Pinterest.com
Pinterest is a social media platform that lets users bookmark (pin) image-based content. It’s especially relevant for brands with strong visuals, including designers, bloggers, photographers, and eCommerce businesses.
Instagram.com
Instagram is a free, online photo-sharing application and social network platform that was acquired by Facebook in 2012. Instagram allows users to edit and upload photos and short videos through a mobile app. It’s an option for consumer-facing businesses that create striking images, like fashion designers, interior decorators, and crafters. It’s also popular with teens and young adults.
Snapchat.com
Snapchat is a messaging app that lets users exchange pictures and videos (called snaps) that are meant to disappear after they’re viewed. It’s advertised as a “new type of camera” because the essential function is to take a picture or video, add filters, lenses or other effects and share them with friends or to broadcast it to their network.
Slideshare.com
SlideShare allows you to share slideshow presentations, infographics, and other documents to a large audience online. It’s owned by LinkedIn, so it’s easy to connect your LinkedIn account or share presentations with your audience on LinkedIn.
Legal Business Structures
- Sole Proprietorship – A sole proprietor is not only one of the common forms of business but it is also one of the easiest type of businesses to form. You are not required to do any kind of special incorporation filing. A sole proprietor is someone who owns an unincorporated business by himself or herself. A business, owned by one owner, that makes no legal distinction between the individual owner and the business itself for tax purposes. The owner is fully liable for any legal actions brought against the company.
- General Partnership – A business, owned by multiple owners, that makes no legal distinction between the individual owners and the business itself for tax purposes. Owners are fully liable for any legal actions brought against the company.
- Limited Liability Partnership – A business, owned by general partners and limited partners, that makes no legal distinction between the General Partners and the business itself for tax purposes. General Partners are also fully liable for any legal actions brought against the company while Limited Partners have limited liability. A limited liability company (LLC) or corporation helps protect your personal assets in case a law suit is brought against your business for products sold or services rendered. But may require the help of a professional to start.
- C-Corporation – A business, owned by owners and an unlimited number of shareholders, that is a separate legal entity from its owners and shareholders for tax purposes. Owners of a C-Corporation are taxed twice: once as owners and once as shareholders. Owners and shareholders are not legally liable for any legal actions brought against the company.
- S-Corporation – A business, owned one owner and a limited number of shareholders, that is a separate legal entity from the owner and the shareholders. The owner of a S-Corporation only gets taxed once, must be a U.S. citizen, and is not liable for any legal actions brought against the company. Shareholders are not liable for any legal actions brought against the company.
- Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) – A business, owned by one owner and an unlimited number of shareholders, that is a separate legal entity from the owner and the shareholders. LLCs need at least two people to be created. The owner of a LLC only gets taxed once and is not legally liable for any legal actions brought against the company. Shareholders are not liable for any legal actions brought against the company.
Qualified Entrepreneur
What is a Domain Name ?
A Domain is a user-friendly string of characters that can be used to access a site on the internet. The domain name is the web address of your online business, for example, http://yourbusinessname.com, it is the way visitors enter your website, http://Google.com is a domain name. A domain name is a requirement of every website owner.
Choosing A Domain:
Normally your domain name is the name of your business or an associated name. Choose your domain name carefully because it is not that easy to change. An easily remembered or associated name can attract visitors to your web site. Most common names are already taken. If you are not using a business name select a catchy domain name.
-Domain names should be short and easy-to-remember so they can be typed without errors.
-Longer names increase the chance that a user may not have it written down and find it difficult to recall into memory.
-Domain names made from initials are usually not a good idea unless the brand is familiar to everyone and is very common (e.g. IBM).
-A domain name should be associated with a product, service, or company image making it easy to recall.
-Companies should register alternate names for and re-direct information to one web site so the user has a feel for a ubiquitous web site, which can lead to brand identity.
The Domain Suffix.
After your domain name, you have the domain suffix example: .com, which depends on what global top-level domain you purchased and the purpose of your domain. The most common global top-level domains are:
.COM – used for commercial and personal sites
.ORG – recommended for not-for-profit organizations
.NET – recommended for companies involved in Internet infrastructure
.EDU – recommended for educational institutions
.MIL – used by military agencies
.GOV – used by government organizations
Once you decide on a domain name it is time to register your domain name.
Domain Name Registration:
You are required to register your domain name annually, for a small fee. ICANN: is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. A Registrar: is a company recognized by ICANN that can register a domain on behalf of a customer. Most hosting companies offer you the ability to register your domain name on your behalf annually. Besides hosting companies there are independent domain registrars.