Tag Archives: Need

What Is a Blog and Do I Need One?

February 13, 2011

What is a Blog and Do I Need One?

You’ve heard about them, you’ve read them, but are blogs really worth your time? Maybe you think that a blog is just another way for you to get online with your opinion and it really won’t matter in the seas of others that have been online before you.

However, a blog is not only a way to communicate with others, it’s one of the simplest ways to stay in contact with family members, share new business information with customers, and get noticed. Do you need a blog? Absolutely.

‘Blog’ is short for web log, but it’s become more than a definition – it’s become a phenomenon. And with dozens of free blogging websites, you can get up and running in minutes with a free blogging format.

Places like LiveJournal and Blogger.com are good for most people to start. You can also check with your home ISP provider to see if they offer blog services as well – chances are good that you can blog for a nominal fee, if any.

But what can you do with a blog? Let’s start by saying that there is little that you can’t do. A blog is a great place for you to keep a record of your daily life events. Sharing the everyday thoughts that you have in an electronic format will allow you to have a diary of your life so that your friends and family can always be in the loop.

You can even post pictures and important announcements so that everyone can be a part of your life, and not just a part of your telephone calls that you’ll make someday.

You can also use a blog as an effective business tool. While you might already know that having a website is essential in today’s business world, there’s nothing that says ‘personal’ like a blog that you’ve written about your business or about the market that you’re in.

Even if you don’t write it yourself, having a more casual space for your business can make a customer feel more comfortable about what you have to offer them.

Blogging is becoming a way to talk with your customers in a non-sales manner and with the use of a ghostwriter, it can be something that you barely have to think about – until the profits start to rise from its success.

And while it’s the dream of every blogger, a blog can indeed get you and whatever you have to say noticed. When you include links to things that you’re talking about or just have a nice writing style, chances are good that someone will take note of what you might have to offer the world.

People are always combing the internet for the newest and trendiest blogs – are you the next star? Is your business the next to breakthrough the roof and offer this amazing service to your customers? Blogging is here to stay and your business must learn to incorporate it in its marketing platform.

About the Author
Lynn VanDyke is an Internet business consultant that offers flexible plans for your web business. You can use her services and write your own content, or you can hire her team of professional writers to create your content.

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What You Need to Know About Automatic Submission Software

February 7, 2011

What You Need to Know About Automatic Submission Software

SE Optimization Articles | December 15, 2010


It is advertised all over the World Wide Web, claiming that it can guarantee to boost a websites ranking  and showing amazing results in a short period of time. What exactly is this so called article submission software? Does it actually deliver?

In order to figure out if this is a tool that should be considered in a company websites search engine optimization game plan it is first good to know how it works. What does it actually do for a company that is not being practiced already? This software enables companies to submit articles, blogs and website to thousands of directories for the purpose of increasing a websites rating and boosting its rank in search lists. The logic behind this is that the higher up the list a website is at the more hits it gets and the greater the chances of making a buck. It sounds like a very reasonable and feasible equation to website success but in this day and age companies have to be cautious in what it invests in.

Considering that a websites back links play a major factor in search list ranking there are also other components to consider. Search engines are not blind to fact that this type of software exists and is being used. Whether society admits it or not search engines exist for the same reason company websites are created, to make a profit. It is just as much a business as everyone else. A Search engine’s bankability to provide legitimate results is what keeps them in business. If a website is ranked on the top of the list solely for the number of back links without having any relevance the search engine will not be giving the proper result information which will force it customers to use another provider.

It all boils down to relevance, an automated directory submitter can only do so much, content is solely in the hands of a company or individual. This is the safest way to ensure a boost in ranking; submitter software just makes it faster. This can also be a negative. Search engines may penalize or remove sites from a search list if it notices a spike in traffic that is unnatural to the websites history of hits if the back links are determined to be irrelevant. Quicker is not always better. Take things in moderation and always ensure quality with article submission. A quality website will always win out in the end.

Article Tags:
Back Links, Search Engines



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Keyword Research: The Best Keyword Research Tool You Need to Know

January 29, 2011

Keyword Research: The Best Keyword Research Tool You Need to Know

SE Optimization Articles | December 24, 2010

After knowing how important that is to have a keyword in
your domain, you need to do the keyword research about which keyword you want
to rank well in the Google. 

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After knowing how important that is to have a keyword in
your domain, you need to do the keyword research about which keyword you want
to rank well in the Google. 

What tool you use to do keyword research?

There are many free tools and paid tools available for you
to use.  However, I am going to talk
about Google Adwords Keyword tool.  It is
very simple and easy to use. 

Other paid keyword research tools you need to know:
Microniche finder, Market samurai.  These
are just a few of them.

The purpose is the find out the particular keyword that
there are a lot of searches locally if you are doing business mainly in the
US.  However, if you are dong business
outside of the US,
you have to look at the searches under the Global column. 

Here is the instruction on how to set it up

1.     Go to Google and type “Google adwords
keyword tool” in the Google search box.  

2.     Click the one
that is on the first of list.

3.     Type in the keyword you think you are going
to use in your domain.  For instance,
“SEO Tips” is your keyword. 

4.     Enter the captcha
in the box

5.     Click the
“Search” button

6.     Click the
“Column” button on your right-hand

7.     Deselect the “Global monthly search” if you
are doing business in    the US.

8.     Select the
“exact match” on your left-hand side.

What is the purpose of doing a keyword research?

It is about the keyword that visitors are searching locally
every month.  This is a way to find out
the keyword demand before you provide the supply to them.  This is very crucial for online
business.  If you do not, you will have a
hard time getting target traffic unless you have money to spend on paid traffic.

Checking the competition

Then you need to look at the backlinks and you are
interested in the quantity as well as the quality of the backlinks.  So, we go to Yahoo Site Explorer at

http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/

After you click it, you’ll come to a results page.  From there you need to click the “Inlinks”
button which is in the “Results” box.

When you go to Yahoo Site Explorer and enter a URL to check
for backlinks you have the option   of
saving the top 1000 results as a TSV, or text, file.  If you open Excel and import this file as tab
delimited it will sort all of the URL’s into one column for you.  Then all you have to do is copy and past your
list of URL’s into the Bulk Page Rank Checker. This is a LOT easier than
copying and pasting all of those URL’s.

As a rule of thumb, if you find half of your results with
Page Ranks of 3 or moreComputer Technology Articles, then it’s going to be very tough to beat.  So you would look at the next 20 along with
these 10 results and then determine if the backlinks are still predominantly
low PageRank.

Article Tags:
Keyword Research

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Why Do You Need to Know Article Marketing?

January 9, 2011

Why Do You Need to Know Article Marketing?

SE Optimization Articles | January 5, 2011

You probably have seen some blogs that have articles (posts) related to the internet marketing. They usually arrange in the chronological order. The recent one is on the top of the rest of the posts.

They may contain the link to other sites, pictures related to the content of the article, and Youtube video.

Article marketing or bum marketing is simply the article that is about a particular topic in a niche you want to do marketing.

It can be 300 to 500 words mostly. It has the head, body, and summary as a regular letter, but there is a resource box where you can include your biography linked to your site or affiliate landing page.

Writing web content is different from what you learned from English class. They do it through writing style—Flesch-Kincaid rule.

They are short and concise sentences.  Four sentences per paragraph is a good practice because most people just scan through the content, not reading the whole passage.  Here is a good article about writing a great content 8 Incredibly Simple Ways to Get More People to Read Your Content.

Usually, you want to have keyword rich content. It means there are keywords that you want to rank in Google.

Speaking of great content, you have to stay away from plagiarism. I meant do not copy and paste other people ideas. You do not want to go through litigation which costs you a lot of money and time down the road. Original great content is the fair game you want to play in the internet business.

After you write one article in Notepad or Microsoft words, you need to submit it to the article directories. It is a good idea to submit it to the sites which are ranking 5 or above. That is because having one way backlink (outbound link) from the higher page ranking is worth more than a link from a lower page ranking.

Make sure you do not have a duplicate content. That is because some article directories do not want to have it unless the original one is on your site. For example, the Ezinearticles is one of them.

As you have a new website, and you want to index in the Google, you have to do this tedious task. However, you have an option to hire somebody to write you a bunch of articles with the keywords that you want to rank in Google.

If you do not like writing and you have a big budget to play around. You can go to e lance or Rent acoder. The purpose here is not only to get backlinks, but also the traffic from that directory.
How often do you post your articles?

It depends on how eager you want Google to see your site with fresh content every time. So two to three times a week would be a good idea. But you have to take your audience into consideration.

If you post articles so often, they may not catch up with your valuable content. They may think that is too much to consume the content. You test it out to see if your audience is comfortable with this routine and you are not in the trouble finding the topic to write about.

The point is you have to find the balance so that you do not get burned out and you also satisfy your readers at the same time.

Article marketing is the way to build in bound links (backlinks) to your site. The more inbound links you have, the more the Google thinks that your site have positive votes from the other sites. Then your site would get page ranking faster.

The higher the page ranking, the more traffic to your site you are going to get. And the more traffic you have is the more sales you are going to make.

Go out and write articles related to your niche and make sure they are keyword rich content, not keyword stuffed content. Great valuable content is the goal.

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ITIL v3 – What You Need to Know about the New Version of ITIL Methodology

November 29, 2010

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) v3 was released in June 2007, seven years after the last critical ITIL methodology update. With this new update has come a renewed interest in the ITIL framework in general for businesses in the IT field, as well as concerns about what this means for those who were using v2. Before a discussion of the revised ITIL methodology can begin, however, it is important to understand some basic concepts of ITIL, including its benefits.

What is ITIL?

The ITIL methodology was conceived in the 1980s by the United Kingdom’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), when the organization realized that a more systematic approach to managing the IT infrastructure on which it had become dependent was required. The CCTA has since changed its name to the OGC (Office of Government Commerce), and in addition to creating the ITIL framework, has continued to champion additional products and services that have become standard in both the private and public sectors.

According to the official website, “ITIL is best practice in IT Service Management, developed by OGC and supported by publications, qualifications and an international user group.”1 The library “consists of a series of books giving guidance on the provision of quality IT services, and on the accommodation and environmental facilities needed to support IT.”2

How Does Use of the ITIL Framework Benefit Businesses Overall?

Over the past 20 years in which the average person has been using computers in the workplace, the nature of end-user complaints has not changed much. To this day, many users feel that technology is confusing, systems are sluggish and inefficient, and response time from support personnel is inconsistent and slow. Typically, IT managers solve these problems by purchasing more tools and hiring more support people, which doesn’t always address the root cause.

The ITIL methodology is different. Instead of a solution that involves further financial investments in tools and personnel, which ultimately will give the IT department more issues to manage and juggle, ITIL divides the work into repeatable processes and activities. With this approach, results are measured and then improvement targets are set for efficiency and effectiveness for those activities. Essentially, the ITIL framework provides the structure to work smarter, not harder.

The ITIL framework also represents a solid investment for businesses because it is completely scaleable and entirely platform independent. Therefore, the ITIL methodology can be applicable to both global businesses running the latest and greatest technology as well as to smaller institutions that may be running older systems on a smaller scale.

How Does ITIL v3 Differ from the Previous Version of the ITIL Methodology?

The previous version of the ITIL methodology (v2) was released in 2000, but the sweeping and fast-paced changes to the way businesses leverage technology (Internet applications, e-business, distributed systems, etc.) since that time meant that it was in critical need of an update. In June 2007, the newest version of the ITIL framework was released; v3 takes advantage of the dynamic nature of the web and, in addition to its five core print books, it also provides web-only components and tools. The hope is that the new ITIL framework will make future revisions less cumbersome, as the material on the web can grow more organically than it would be able to if it were only in print form.

At its core, version 3 of the ITIL methodology covers a much broader angle than v2, and it adds service strategy and service lifecycles into the mix to better fit more mature IT organizations. Where the previous ITIL framework focused primarily on processes, v3 now revolves around services and has more emphasis placed on strategy and operations management. As a result, support and delivery processes are now divided over the lifecycles of service design, transition, and operations.

What Does the ITIL Methodology Used in Version 3 Bring to the Table?

Essentially, v3 is much more strategic and aims to reach a new, different audience than earlier releases of the ITIL framework. In v2, the ten processes of the Service Support and Service Delivery books had more of a “bottom up” focus; organizations implemented the modules which offered the most immediate relief, typically starting with support processes and gradually adding delivery processes. But the new ITIL methodology focuses much more heavily on the alignment between IT and business, with a “top down” perspective. A, B, and C level executives will find great value in this new version of the ITIL framework.

In addition, previous versions of the ITIL framework did not have as broad a focus as v3 does. V2 covered processes and the supporting activities for those processes, but it did not offer quite the extended view of how IT fits in with the business, and more specifically, why it needed to. The release of the latest ITIL methodology acknowledges that for businesses to get to the next level, they need to partner with IT to design services.

Version 2 of the ITIL methodology is still viable and will continue to provide usefulness; and some organizations will choose to “not fix it if it ain’t broken.” However, v3 adds a new, emphatic layer of strategic insight, which mature organizations will find exceedingly valuable.

Are There Any Inherent Challenges with Version 3 of the ITIL Framework?

It is important to note that there is some consensus among industry leaders that the newest ITIL methodology has been found to be more challenging to implement in smaller environments. For this reason, retaining knowledgeable consultants with experience in implementation of the ITIL framework is always a good idea for any organization seeking to improve its IT Service Management capabilities. While ITIL v2 certifications will continue to be considered valid, it is highly recommended that v2-certified individuals enroll in update or bridge courses offered by qualified providers in order to ensure that their knowledge remains up to date.

Conclusion

The release of v3 of the ITIL methodology opens up a great time for executives and IT professionals to begin to explore ITIL in general or to update their certification. Because ITIL v3 focuses on different areas than v2, the new information can be of great benefit to businesses. In addition, ensuring that those in the IT industry have a solid understanding of the latest ITIL framework will lay the groundwork for a speedy adoption of future releases.

1http://www.itil.co.uk/faqs.htm#11, accessed June 11, 2007.
2http://www.itil.co.uk/about.htm, accessed June 11, 2007.

About the Author

Jill Knapp is a senior consultant and trainer for Quint Wellington Redwood, a trusted training partner for WestLake Training and Development. Her IT career spans the Big 5 Consulting, Medical, Legal, Financial, Pharmaceutical, dot.com, Fortune 500, Entertainment, Publishing and Retail industries, with consulting expertise in Service Desk implementations, process redesign, outsourcing and technical writing. When she’s not traveling for work, Knapp is traveling with her big band, The Industrial Jazz Group. For more information about ITIL training courses offered by WestLake, please visit www.westlaketraining.com.

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SEO Agency Sydney – What you need to know before selecting an SEO Agency in Sydney part 1

October 2, 2010

SEO Agency Sydney – What you need to know before selecting an SEO Agency in Sydney part 1

SE Optimization Articles | August 16, 2010

This a rticle is about what you need to know before selecting an SEO Agency in Sydney part 1

Sydney’s main locations are Western Sydney, Sydney CBD,
South Sydney, North Sydney and the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Now finding the
right SEO agency is very complex and may not know where to begin. Sydney is a huge
metropolitan and situated in the state of NSW in Australia. Sydney is also the
home of 4,3 million residents. To find a good SEO agency you need to consider
the following factors:

Long Practicing Period:

Many SEO companies will claim to be the oldest SEO Company
in Sydney and the practicing SEO for a very long period in Sydney but can they convey
a search engine placement? Well I imagine there are so many young SEO firms in
Sydney who have produced a better SEO outcome than older SEO firms. Practicing
for a very long period is imperativeFind Article, but is experience the security to a
higher search engine placement? No if you ask me. The motivation is long term
practicing is fine yes but may be outdated by new SEO techniques. Older SEO
companies may still using old practices which once was first-class but now is
useless. The search engine always changes tactics and new SEO techniques are revealed
on a daily basis. Younger companies can be more down to business and ambitious.
So how do you know which company to select long term practicing company or a
young company? A good research is to check company profile and see if their present
customers search engine placement higher than their competitors. Company SEO profile
is a confirmation of company capability and performance. You may also require
comparing cost of each case study to determine the return on investment and the
higher number of visitors is better than higher search engine placement.

Position

Position is vital and finding an SEO firm close to you is
excellent and can save you time and cash. Nevertheless is it not every thing
yet. Now Sydney CBD in the central business district and so numerous SEO
agencies are located in the CBD. Southern suburbs such as Mascot where the airport
is situated offer improved rates and it is about 10 minute from the CBD.
Western Sydney offer the lowest rates which what I usually go for if I was
looking for a cheaper rates. CBD rates are costly due to sky-scraping rent and
overhead rate. North Sydney is expensive too and so do eastern suburbs. The
majorities of the companies in Sydney CBD are large and look proficient but can
they really offer you with professional work. Well not necessarily I discover
big organization very unprofessional from time to time will deceive you
roughly.  If you can find a business that
operating from residential area it is fine because they will usually offer you
a better rate due to low rent and lower overhead.

SEO Firm Size:

Company size offer reward and disadvantages. The
disadvantage: large companies will need to charge you higher rates and may not
convey the promised outcome. Smaller SEO business might charge you lower rates
and convey better outcome. The reward of large SEO Company is to offer you
trustworthiness and protection however not always true as many large
organizations have gone out of business.

 

In conclusion I advice you to find a company that guarantees
you lower rates who can maximise the number of visitors for minimum fess and
disregard the firm size and practicing period.

Article Tags:
Search Engine

Sargon Odisho

Principal of Search Engine Pro

The leading firm for SEO
Agency, SEO
Services, & Online
Marketing Agency,

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Discovering The Need- A Big Thing In Internet Entrepreneurism

September 8, 2010

In my previous post, I told about discovering your passion. I hope you have already used the strategies that I told you to find your passion. Today I am going to tell you about discovering the need.

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Discovering the need is another important thing in internet entrepreneurism that shouldn’t be overlooked. However, as an internet entrepreneur, you have got to figure out people’s problem, want, need and desire. Once you figure out the problem, you will need to do something to help people solve their problems. On the other hand, there should be equality between what you offer and what people want. If you do anything that people don’t actually need, then you will never get your desired success in internet marketing. You would be delighted to know that, in this article, I am going to tell you how to discover the need.

If you just think of some of the successful internet entrepreneurs, you will obviously see that, they did something that had actually a need. For instance, Matt Mullenweg is the guy behind WordPress. Never before the release of wordpress could people enjoy blogging greatly. What we see now is that wordpress is the most popular blogging platform on the internet. And it comes with millions of flexible plug ins. So, why WordPress became popular? Because there was a need of that blogging platform and Matt Mullenweg is the guy who discovered the need and hence came up with this great blogging platform.

So how to find what people are looking or searching on the internet? What they actually need?

Online Forums:

Online forums is a great way to know what people really want to know, what they look for, what news they want to know etc. However, if you want to discover people’s need, online forums wound be a great place to discover that easily. Join some forums related to your niche and interact with forum members, give posts and build a good relationship with forum members.

Yahoo Answers:

Yahoo answers is a great tool to discover what people are looking for. You can find your niche topic here. Just search and see what actually people want to know.

Google Keyword Tool:

Google keyword tool is another great option to know what people are searching on the internet. Just have a look on the searches and find out what you can do for them.

Action Plan:

• Find and Join at least 3 high PR forums on your niche. (If you have an internet marketing site, search writing- Internet Marketing Forums)
• Post at least one Thread before you go to sleep and comments on other threads (make sure you put your site URL in your signature field).
• Find questions on yahoo answers.
• Research on Google keywords.

Therefore, I think the aforementioned strategies will greatly help you understand the need. Find out the need, set your target, work smartly and get your desired success.

By: Foqrul Islam

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

There are many strategies to making money online, but nothing else makes sense unless you know the hidden secrets that most of the successful internet marketers follow. Internet marketing is the most profitable way to make money online. Discover, how to use the internet &turn your computer into a cash gushing machine atwww.funinblog.com!

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Social Media Optimization Services – Need Of The Hour

September 5, 2010

All promotion activities done using various Social Media applications in order to generate website traffic are called Social Media Optimization services.

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Examples of popular Social Media applications include:

Social Networking Websites: Facebook, Orkut, Bebo, MySpace, etc.
Micro-Blogging Services: Twitter, Plurk, Tumblr, etc.
Blogs: LiveJournal, Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, etc.
Social Bookmarking Websites: Delicious, StumbleUpon, Google Reader, etc.
Multimedia: YouTube, Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket, etc.
Q&A Forums: Yahoo Answers, Google Answers, Wiki Answers

These were just some of the examples. Unbelievable isn’t it?

• “What a wicked world it has become where next door neighbors do not interact and people are ‘socializing over the internet’?”

• “Social Media websites have resulted in a revolution in networking where the world is becoming a smaller place as more and more people connect to each other thanks to the internet.”

Well, whichever side of the fence you are sitting on the fact remains the growing popularity of Social Media websites is unquestionable and organizations are now looking forward to tapping the vast reach that these websites have to offer. Today, a social networking website like Facebook has more than 11.5 million users and is counting onwards. Therefore, it becomes a sensible investment of time to optimize a Social Media website like Facebook to generate the much needed website traffic. The purpose of a website would get defeated if we fail to attract visitors to it. Organizations all over the globe now see an opportunity to interact with existing and prospective customers using the various social media platforms available today.

Sensing a great business opportunity and quite rightly so, many web development companies have started adding social media optimization services on to their fold. It seems a great arena to unleash your expertise and offer out-of-the-box strategies to organizations struggling to attract visitors to its website. And that is exactly what is happening. The benefits are also easily visible and measurable for organizations who have engaged the Social Media Optimization services.

Engage an organization offering Social Media Optimization services and see the difference yourself.

By: gauravkumarII

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

About the Author – Gaurav Kumar is a SMO professional, Presently working with Ebizon NetInfo, one of the leading web development company offering expert social media optimization services, SEO Services, drupal development services and e commerce solutions over the globe.

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7 Reasons You Need To Blog For Your Business

July 29, 2010
7 Reasons You Need To Blog For Your Business
Enlarge Image

If you are not blogging for your business then you should be. While many people simply dismiss blogging because of its description as a web diary they are missing a lot of traffic and revenue generating opportunities every day. Are you one of those missing out?

In truth blogs are much more than a simple web diary. They are actually a content management system and/or an easy web site template. Blogging software allows you to begin posting your content to the internet in minutes and when you harness that ability with an RSS feed you have a powerful traffic magnet.

I have come up with 7 reasons why every business should have a blog and RSS feed.

1. Publishing a regularly updated blog helps you keep in touch with your existing audience and/or customer base. You can publish updates, news, or thoughts in your blog as well as answer questions.

2. A blog can help you attract new customers. Your blog entries (posts or articles) will become fodder for the search engines and will attract new visitors. If your blog answers the visitors question or attracts their interest you have just found another qualified lead.

3. Blogs and RSS feeds often rank higher in search engines than traditional web sites. Search engines love blogs and RSS feeds. If you design your blog properly then every time you update it the search engines are notified. Even if you don’t regularly ping most search engines will revisit blogs more frequently. Plus the very organization of a blog lends itself to spidering and good search engine ranking.

4. Blogs can help you establish or build your reputation in a particular field. As your blog grows you will demonstrate your knowledge in your chosen niche.

5. Blogs and RSS feeds are good revenue streams. You can add pay-per-click ads, affiliate ads, or sell ad space on your blogs. In fact, many PPC companies also provide the ability to add PPC to your RSS feeds.

6. Blogs are great ways to generate leads. Even if you don’t want to put any advertising on your blog you can use it to promote or capture leads for your own programs. These are great leads as the fact that they came from your blog means they are already interested in your topic and predisposed to your individual message.

7. Creating your own blog is the easiest way to establish a presence on the internet and creating an RSS feed is even easier. In fact, it is also the cheapest way to get started on the internet as there are a number of free blogging sites out there. I started out with blogger.com and usually recommend them but have heard others point to several other top blogging sites as well. The blogging software that I now use is WordPress and also happens to be free. In fact, most web hosts now offer WordPress (or other free blogging software) as a free site add-on through Fantastico. Installing WordPress from scratch is quick and easy but Fantastico makes it even easier. Blogs created at Blogger have an RSS feed created for them and WordPress also creates feeds in several variations automatically.

As you can see there are several benefits to starting your own blog and RSS feed. If you can count that many benefits from an internet marketing technique that is also free and easy then you are foolish not to begin using it for yourself.

Deanna Mascle publishes the Establish Your Epresence newsletter which offers helpful tips and advice about internet marketing. Learn more at Epresence at http://Epresence.biz

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ITIL v3 – What You Need to Know about the New Version of ITIL Methodology

July 21, 2010

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) v3 was released in June 2007, seven years after the last critical ITIL methodology update. With this new update has come a renewed interest in the ITIL framework in general for businesses in the IT field, as well as concerns about what this means for those who were using v2. Before a discussion of the revised ITIL methodology can begin, however, it is important to understand some basic concepts of ITIL, including its benefits.

What is ITIL?

The ITIL methodology was conceived in the 1980s by the United Kingdom’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), when the organization realized that a more systematic approach to managing the IT infrastructure on which it had become dependent was required. The CCTA has since changed its name to the OGC (Office of Government Commerce), and in addition to creating the ITIL framework, has continued to champion additional products and services that have become standard in both the private and public sectors.

According to the official website, “ITIL is best practice in IT Service Management, developed by OGC and supported by publications, qualifications and an international user group.”1 The library “consists of a series of books giving guidance on the provision of quality IT services, and on the accommodation and environmental facilities needed to support IT.”2

How Does Use of the ITIL Framework Benefit Businesses Overall?

Over the past 20 years in which the average person has been using computers in the workplace, the nature of end-user complaints has not changed much. To this day, many users feel that technology is confusing, systems are sluggish and inefficient, and response time from support personnel is inconsistent and slow. Typically, IT managers solve these problems by purchasing more tools and hiring more support people, which doesn’t always address the root cause.

The ITIL methodology is different. Instead of a solution that involves further financial investments in tools and personnel, which ultimately will give the IT department more issues to manage and juggle, ITIL divides the work into repeatable processes and activities. With this approach, results are measured and then improvement targets are set for efficiency and effectiveness for those activities. Essentially, the ITIL framework provides the structure to work smarter, not harder.

The ITIL framework also represents a solid investment for businesses because it is completely scaleable and entirely platform independent. Therefore, the ITIL methodology can be applicable to both global businesses running the latest and greatest technology as well as to smaller institutions that may be running older systems on a smaller scale.

How Does ITIL v3 Differ from the Previous Version of the ITIL Methodology?

The previous version of the ITIL methodology (v2) was released in 2000, but the sweeping and fast-paced changes to the way businesses leverage technology (Internet applications, e-business, distributed systems, etc.) since that time meant that it was in critical need of an update. In June 2007, the newest version of the ITIL framework was released; v3 takes advantage of the dynamic nature of the web and, in addition to its five core print books, it also provides web-only components and tools. The hope is that the new ITIL framework will make future revisions less cumbersome, as the material on the web can grow more organically than it would be able to if it were only in print form.

At its core, version 3 of the ITIL methodology covers a much broader angle than v2, and it adds service strategy and service lifecycles into the mix to better fit more mature IT organizations. Where the previous ITIL framework focused primarily on processes, v3 now revolves around services and has more emphasis placed on strategy and operations management. As a result, support and delivery processes are now divided over the lifecycles of service design, transition, and operations.

What Does the ITIL Methodology Used in Version 3 Bring to the Table?

Essentially, v3 is much more strategic and aims to reach a new, different audience than earlier releases of the ITIL framework. In v2, the ten processes of the Service Support and Service Delivery books had more of a “bottom up” focus; organizations implemented the modules which offered the most immediate relief, typically starting with support processes and gradually adding delivery processes. But the new ITIL methodology focuses much more heavily on the alignment between IT and business, with a “top down” perspective. A, B, and C level executives will find great value in this new version of the ITIL framework.

In addition, previous versions of the ITIL framework did not have as broad a focus as v3 does. V2 covered processes and the supporting activities for those processes, but it did not offer quite the extended view of how IT fits in with the business, and more specifically, why it needed to. The release of the latest ITIL methodology acknowledges that for businesses to get to the next level, they need to partner with IT to design services.

Version 2 of the ITIL methodology is still viable and will continue to provide usefulness; and some organizations will choose to “not fix it if it ain’t broken.” However, v3 adds a new, emphatic layer of strategic insight, which mature organizations will find exceedingly valuable.

Are There Any Inherent Challenges with Version 3 of the ITIL Framework?

It is important to note that there is some consensus among industry leaders that the newest ITIL methodology has been found to be more challenging to implement in smaller environments. For this reason, retaining knowledgeable consultants with experience in implementation of the ITIL framework is always a good idea for any organization seeking to improve its IT Service Management capabilities. While ITIL v2 certifications will continue to be considered valid, it is highly recommended that v2-certified individuals enroll in update or bridge courses offered by qualified providers in order to ensure that their knowledge remains up to date.

Conclusion

The release of v3 of the ITIL methodology opens up a great time for executives and IT professionals to begin to explore ITIL in general or to update their certification. Because ITIL v3 focuses on different areas than v2, the new information can be of great benefit to businesses. In addition, ensuring that those in the IT industry have a solid understanding of the latest ITIL framework will lay the groundwork for a speedy adoption of future releases.

1http://www.itil.co.uk/faqs.htm#11, accessed June 11, 2007.
2http://www.itil.co.uk/about.htm, accessed June 11, 2007.

About the Author

Jill Knapp is a senior consultant and trainer for Quint Wellington Redwood, a trusted training partner for WestLake Training and Development. Her IT career spans the Big 5 Consulting, Medical, Legal, Financial, Pharmaceutical, dot.com, Fortune 500, Entertainment, Publishing and Retail industries, with consulting expertise in Service Desk implementations, process redesign, outsourcing and technical writing. When she’s not traveling for work, Knapp is traveling with her big band, The Industrial Jazz Group. For more information about ITIL training courses offered by WestLake, please visit www.westlaketraining.com.

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