Yummy Articles Blog

Stuck on Unusual Gift Ideas?  - By: Alan Todd, 2008-12-03

Being that is Christmas finding and shopping for the right gift is going to tough.What happens when you have to get a gift for someone that already has it all. Well I don’t know about you but the first thing that came to my mind is unusual gift ideas.

I do this most Christmas’s for those types of people that say they have it all. From beginning to end you will find 4 unusual gift ideas, this should get you going in the right direction to giving that great somebody a special gift this year.

Although these may be general in nature, but constantly think it is the consideration that matters!

1. Homemade gifts - these are some of the most bad guess you can come across. For one, you can instantly make them in your house, and at don’t have to spend a lot of money. With technology the way it is. You can easily create something and presented as a gift. You can drag a pitcher on your computer and use T-shirt printing paper to trade a T-shirt for that special someone.

2. Hobby classes - now this is something you may have never even thought of. Maybe the person you’re given a gift for wants to learn how to golf, or play a certain instrument such as the guitar. You can go out and find classes that are starting or books that teach them how to develop those hobbies. I think that is the best unusual gift idea I’ve came up with so far.

3. Car Wash Coupon - I know whole bunch of people better in love with the automobiles, it may seem like an impersonal gift but when they receive it either as a package or a coupon to go get the car wash it will bring joy to their face. Maybe in a car lover myself I must keep my car clean it all times because I love the way it looks and how I look in it. Give them that feeling of knowing that their car for a brand-new again.
4. Full Spice Rack - Everyone knows a cook they would love to have all their herbs and spices in one area stacked neatly and ready to use. This is something that is not even difficult to install and most of the time they are fairly cheap!

Well there you have it, four of my unusual gift ideas right off the top of my head, not to say that these are not quality gift ideas. Constantly think the more unusual the better the gift. Unusual gift ideas are the best in my belief keep your present receiver guessing.

Find even more Unusual Gift Ideas at the Christmas Store in Association with Amazon.com http://www.top-10-christmasgifts.com

Complete Guide On Selling Domains! - By: Cody James, 2008-12-02

Domain Flipping

What is it?

Domain Flippng is a very popular way to make money online, a domain is simply a web URL for example www.google.com. There are other extensions besides .com for example .net .org .info .tv .biz and many more. So by domain flipping I mean selling a Web URL, domains are unique there is only 1 of each. Domain Flipping is also known as Domaining, you might of heard about domains selling for millions but this is no always the case infact you will probably never sell a domain for that amount but what you don’t hear is domains selling for thousands or hundreds of dollars, there are people that make a living off selling domains. Say for example you have 50 domains that you bought for $6 each (which costs you $300) then you sell them for $100 each, that’s $49,700 Profit! That’s an average wage now image if you made that kinda money doing this part time , and still keep your main job you could have 2 wages! Domaing is not as easy as ive been letting on it can be pretty difficult but it can also be very rewarding. The more effort you put into it the more you get in return. There is a phrase always used in domaing and that is “Always do you research” Check what domains similar to yours are selling for and don’t just buy a domain cause it sounds like a good brandable name, 9 times out of 10 a domain like FreeGames.com will sell better then Cabreak.com for the simple reason FreeGames.com has 2 great keywords “Free” and “Games” where Cabreak.com has a made up name, just to make things clear a registrar is a website you can register domains at.

How to pick a good domain

Make sure if you register domains as apposed to pick up dropped domains (dropped domains are domains that are about to expire) to use a common registrar because when you register a domain most registrars (all that I know off) make you wait 60 days before you can transfer the domain to someone’s account on another registrar BUT if you choose a common registrar you can transfer the domain to an account on the SAME registrar as you. As I mentioned before FreeGames.com would sell better then Cabreak.com because Freegames.com has 2 keywords BUT you might say well Google.com is a brandable name and the domain is worth a lot yes it is because Google.com gets a lot of traffic the more traffic the more the domain is worth.

Here are a few things that influence the price of a domain:

*The extension, usually .com is worth more then .info. So for example House.com would be worth more then House.info.

*Traffic, The more traffic the domain gets the more its worth.

*Age, The older the domain is the more its worth.

*Revenue, How much revenue the domain makes (if parked or has ads) can influence the price of the domain.

*Development - You can buy packages for example a website and domain, these are worth more then just selling a domain. So you can develop the domain and get traffic and sell the website/blog/forum with it, and in theory make more money. There are free pre-made website scripts you can find using google.

To pick a good domain name you need to use tools! Its like trying to bust a coconut open with your bare hands when you could use a rock it’s the same with domaining, using tools can give you an advantage. Ill list tools later on in this ebook.

Another thing you must do is research! A domain maybe worth $xxxx then a few days later its only worth $xx. Domain Flipping is a gamble you can increase your odds by:

*Researching - Similar domains and how much they are worth. A good thing to do is searching all different types of domains and studying there prices so you know when there is a bargain.

*Tools - This also ties in with Researching because there are many tools that help you find prices of similar domains. But there are other tools you can use for example some domain searching websites when you search for a domain will tell you other options in extensions or some even tell you other domains that are similar that you can register.

*Advice - there are tons of domaing communities that you can get help from if you are unsure of something. Ill post a few later in the ebook.

*Popularity - Think about the domain you want to purchase or already own and think how many people does my domain apply to? For example getting a domain that only has an audience of 2 will not be as easy to sell as a domain that has an audience of 200,000.

There is a good tip before purchasing a domain and its thinking to your self “Who will use it” if you cant think of anything then the domain might not be worthy anything. But if you own a domain or can register a domain that has a wide audience then you might of picked a winner, here are a few things to remember when picking a domain:

*Words - Don’t use many words in a domain for example TheDoorKnobHandle.com use something smaller DoorHandle.com or DoorKnob.com.

* Popular keywords - Some keywords are more searched (popular) then others. There are tools for this ill tell you them later.

*Who’s going to use the domain? Try and pick a domain that has a broad audience which means more potential buyers.

There are many different areas of buying domains for example a lot of people buy domains that have something to do with a certain item (Could be a video game, anything that is sold) so for example if you picked a popular video game and you wanted to make a domain that had the video games name in it, I’ am going to use Game to represent the video games name. Here are some examples:

GameForum - Forum/blog about the game.

GameShop - Shop where you could buy the game.

BuyGame - A place to buy the game.

TryGame - Try a trial of the game.

There are a lot more I could think of but these are just to get you to think. BUT be careful that the game isnt trademarked and/or you wont get in trouble for using the games name in the domain. DO RESEARCH!

These domains can be pretty popular depending how big the audience is for the game. Instead of video games you could have celebrities names or even things that happen on the news can be pretty popular but be careful you don’t want a domain that is “Yesterdays” News, again be careful when buying these domains.

Another area of buying domains is Generic Domains, Generic domains are pretty much words like chair, bag, cup, computer, fishing these are every day words. You don’t just have to have 1 word in a Generic domain you can have as many as you want if you really wanted you could obtain BuyOrSellFish.com Just make sure that the domain makes sense you don’t want a domain that makes no sense like IWillMeHow.com

If you cant get a domain you want for example MyGroup.com you could search a thesaurus for the main keyword or keywords in this case “Group” and you could try the domains MyClan.com MyCult.com MyClub.com there are more. Ill tell you a good online thesaurus in the tools section.

Tools!

Yes I’ am finally going to tell you some good tools to use when domaining,

Tools are very important can help you decide if a domain is worth more then reg fee (reg fee means how much you paid to register the domain), but keep in mind even if you use these tools it dasnt give you 100% chance of making money it just increases it.

If you are not going to develop a domain then you should park the domain, what parking is well have you ever seen those website when you go there its just got links and related searches well parking can be a good way to make some extra cash while trying to sell your domain depending on the traffic your domain gets, if someone clicks a link on your parked domain then usually you should get money now its not much but it can add up, even if you just make as much as you paid for the domain then you don’t “loose” money. Some parking sites will say on your parked domain wether the domain is for sale. So just from parking you can earn money (depending on the traffic).

Here are a few good places to park your domains:

www.sedo.com

www.parked.com

www.google.com/domainpark/

Another good tool is keyword population, what this does is tells you the most popular searched keywords, this can be very useful for when trying to think of a generic domain.

Here are a couple:

http://sem.smallbusiness.yahoo.com/searchenginemarketing/

www.google.com just search a word, the more page results the more popular the word is.

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/

When you are talking to a potential customer / buyer be nice but firm, don’t just collapse when they offer play it professional. Sometimes its good to reply with a question like so, If they say “how much you want for the domain” you reply “how much you willing to pay”. if they give you an offer that is not worth it then just tell them how big the audience is that will buy the domain and tell them it’s a great domain and worth more. Another good trick is to say your running late or very busy and must go and you wont accept this offer this can sometimes make the buyer increase there offer by a lot. This is a great tool to use, if you are contacting them by email or phone its a lot easier to negotiate a price because if you talk to them in person it can be really hard to stay firm and it’s a lot easier to collapse.

You can backorder / collect dropped domains what this is paying a website to try and buy the domain quickly before it expires and before another person gets it, if there are 2 people trying to get the domain then it will go to auction. This can be really good if you find a domain worth a lot and backorder and get it!

Backordering usually costs around $60 BUT if the website dasnt get you the domain then you don’t pay.

www.snapnames.com is a really good website for backordering

There are many registrars you can use to register domains, but you want to get cheap domains and use the registrar everyone uses so that you can sell and transfer to someone that uses the same registrar as you.

Well a really popular registrar is www.GoDaddy.com you can also park your domains with GoDaddy.com and there are coupons you can use to get cheaper domains. Just search google.

Another good registrar is www.Name.com they have some pretty good deals and a lot of people use it.

There are also good tools that will show you what domains have been sold this can be really useful If you want to see what is selling at the moment and what is not.

As I mentioned up in the section called “How to pick a good domain” that if you cant get the domain you want then use a thesaurus for the main keywords. Here is a good online thesaurus:

http://thesaurus.reference.com/

There are many communities for domaining (domain flipping), I found one that has everything you could want for a domain flipping community, you can sell, buy your domains or even get them appraised (which is pretty much a quote on how much they are worth). The community even has a chatroom that has at minimum 15 people. The name of the community is NamePros.

Link:

www.NamePros.com

So check it out.
Written By Cody from MadHound.net

Christmas Debt Trap - By: Nicky Bullimore, 2008-12-01

Christmas is no longer just about the family gathering around the table to eat the turkey which everyone could smell cooking around the house all that morning. Nor is it anymore about listening to Nat King Cole sing Chestnuts roasting on an open fire or waiting for the Queen’s speech (Ok, it was never about that), but it is more about how much do I have to spend on presents to keep people happy this year.

The temptation to take on borrowing is at an all time high during December as people realise they simply do not have the money to spend to meet the expectations of the placing the gifts under the tree for family and friends.

The fact is, it is all an illusion because most people are in the same boat also trying to figure out how they are going to buy everything they need as well.

This is something I recognised myself a few years back, that I could be sat writing down the names of people who would I imagined I needed to buy presents for and wondering how I was going to achieve this. I then realised, my sister was thinking the same thing, so we came to an agreement that we would not bother buying each other presents, so at least that was one struck off the list.

With running a debt forum for many years, I would often read around this time about people wondering how they were going to meet the costs and admitting to themselves, they simply could not afford it, and the temptation to borrow money was all to easy without thinking of the cost it would bring throughout the year.

It was then that people would come along and share with how they dealt with this kind of dilemma. The fact is, we all know kids look forward to opening their presents on Christmas morning, and it is a pleasure for us to see their little faces light up when they get the gift they were hoping for, and none of us are going to deny our children this.

However, when it comes to other members of the family, you know you would be satisfied to enjoy the Christmas meal, the drinks, the company the music and the joy of spending this special occasion together more than opening up a gift of unwanted ‘smellies’.

So if you are wondering how you are going to foot the bill of buying all members of your family gifts, and you know other members of your family would be wondering the same, instead of being tempted to take out credit to save face, why not suggest that neither of you buy each other gifts and just enjoy the day.

That way, not only do you take the pressure of spending from yourself, but you also take the pressure of spending on you family too and neither you or members of your family will be paying the cost of Christmas for months to come, instead, you get to enjoy this festive time of year together without the financial stress.

We are intensely advertised to at this time of year by everything that is around us to spend, spend and spend again by adverts on the TV, posters in the shops. The decorations around the town are telling us yes, Christmas shopping time has commenced, yet don’t fall for the all the hype and the pressure it brings to spend above your means.

Christmas is not about buying the best gifts as we are sometimes led to believe, it is about the joys of coming together with family and friends who we care about and enjoying events of the day.

Nicky Bullimore has been writing articles on various topics for a number of years. For more information about Debt advice and debt help please visit http://www.goodbye2debt.co.uk

Stop Foreclosure - Save Your Home  - By: Brian Anthony, 2008-11-30

How to Stop Foreclosure and Save Your Home

With the current economic problems and the enormous consumer credit crunch, many homeowners are finding themselves struggling to save their home and stop the foreclosure process. You may find yourself in the midst of that struggle right now.

What most homeowners don’t know is that if your home is in foreclosure there are a vast number of ways for you to stop foreclosure and keep your home. These procedures are 100% legal. The key to saving your house is finding out as much as you can about your options and then using that knowledge to save your home.

As a real estate agent that specializes in foreclosed homes and HUD houses, I’ve written this article to help you with your struggle and keep you in your home.

Start By Talking with your Current Lender

You’d be surprised how many people are too embarrassed by their situation to just pick up the phone and talk to their current lender about their problems. Many times, simply calling your current mortgage holder about your current foreclosure or default can be the easiest and simplest way to stop foreclosure.
If you haven’t called your current lender yet, pick up the phone and use these tips:

• Don’t wait until the last minute: If possible, talk to your bank before you go into foreclosure. If you already are in foreclosure, don’t wait until the last month of the process – call them now
• Tell them the truth: If you lost a job, tell them. Medical bills? Tell them. Many times a hardship can help you renegotiate and help you stop foreclosure and start getting back on track with the lender.
• Don’t be afraid to negotiate: Banks hate having one of their properties go into foreclosure. It costs them large amounts of money both in lost income and expenses for attorneys and real estate agents. Use this to your advantage and don’t be afraid to ask for a rate reduction, payment deferments, etc

Get a Third Party Involved

If your bank is unwilling or unable to work with you to stop foreclosure, it may be necessary to get a third party involved. There are several different third party options to consider:

• Online Systems and Information: Most homeowners overlook the vast amounts of information available to help you stop foreclosure available online. For under $100 you can find systems and guides that can walk you through dozens of options to help you stop the foreclosure process and save your home. All of the good systems to help you stop foreclosure come with preprinted legal forms and expert advice. We’ve linked to a review site for these systems in the about me / resource box.
• Mortgage broker: Occasionally, a mortgage broker can help you refinance to avoid the final foreclosure proceedings. However, with the tightening of available credit for homeowners, most mortgage programs will rule you out if you have a late mortgage payment in your credit history.
• Attorney Assistance: While always an option, this choice can be the most expense choice when looking for the best way to stop foreclosure. If you’re facing foreclosure because you can’t make your payments, rarely will you have the available funds to pay for an attorney

You Can Help Yourself Stop Foreclosure!

Don’t underestimate the power you have to stop foreclosure yourself. By following a few simply steps, you can put off foreclosure or avoid it altogether. The key is gaining the knowledge and using it.

Please look at our review site to see the best systems we’ve found for helping you stop foreclosure and save your home. You can fight the bank! You can stop foreclosure! You can Save your home!

As a real estate agent specializing in foreclosures and HUD homes, I’ve seen to many people watch their homes fall into foreclosure. I’ve set up this site to help you compare the available systems to help you stop foreclosure.

Today we see Yummy Articles reach a huge milestone of 120,000 published articles. To tell the truth we actually have a backlog of over 700 articles still waiting to be published. Thanks for submitting articles to Yummy Articles.

In other news, we have semi-successfully been able to move all our members website accounts over onto our new forum which we will unveil shortly. When I say “semi-successfully” I mean that we were only able to move 2700 of the accounts. In the process we used a custom PHP script to copy all your data over and encrypt your passwords in the PHPBB3 forum format. Whilst doing so we noticed that a lot of you have multiple accounts of the same name on Yummy Articles and lots of you also used silly characters in your names such as ‘/\”><. If you are one of these people, chances are your account wasn’t moved so therefor if you want to use the Yummy Articles forum in the future you will have to re-register.

We know you like to be kept in the loop, don’t you? So right now we are working on custom skins for the forum and this new blog and perhaps a new logo for Yummy Articles too. Don’t worry though, I think we’re going to keep it pink. Oh yeah. I’ll try and post here often but I am busy so who knows. Today, being the 30th I believe… Is it? Who knows, it’s late and I should be in bed stop making me write awful blog posts! Anyway, as I was saying, today being the 30th we shall start the Article Of The Day later today where I will pick my favorite article from todays submissions and post it here. Good luck, get submitting.

Another fantastic blog post from,
The Yummy Articles Team

Thank You!

First of all, thank you for making Yummy Articles as successful as it has been so far. Since the 8th of November 2008 to the 29th (today) Yummy Articles has received a total of 400 Unique Visitors and a shocking total of 2,350 general visits. That means that on average you have come back to Yummy Articles nearly 5 times this month just to eat away at my bandwidth! We must be doing something right as each day the average number of visitors continues to rise.

History Lesson

Yummy Articles has been alive for 6 months now, has achieved page rank 1, nearly 1000 backlinks. Taken from the site today: We now have 119979 Excellent Articles from 12365 Authors. Wow, simply wow, thanks!

Updates

Over the past few weeks Yummy Articles has received a design overhaul including that vibrant pink color scheme we are currently supporting, oh c’mon you know you love it! It’s so friendly and welcoming! I have also added the two blue and green text boxes to the top of the main page to let you know what’s going on. Some of you may have also noticed the addition of adverts! Oh noes! Seriously though, our huge database is over a gigabyte in size and this month you have nearly already eaten a gigabyte of my bandwidth so this is revenge! Mewhaha! Anyway, I’m not supposed to tell you to click our adverts but if any of them interest you don’t not click them ;).

Another large update is this blog! What blog? Where? The one you’re reading now! Yes, basically I will use this to post site updates, news, milestones and perhaps article advice and some other random stuff I deem relevant. Oh yes, I nearly forgot! I will feature my favorite submitted article every day on the blog to give it more exposure so get submitting!

Future?

Yes, I can see into the future. Yummy Articles is planning a great deal for the future and I don’t want to give it all away but I might leek it out over time on the blog just to annoy you… So right now we are working on bringing you a forum, there you can chat to other Yummy Articles members, share your articles, get feedback and generally socialize because I know you don’t get out much, like me I suppose

Help Yummy Articles!

Our big goal for 2009 is to achieve Page Rank 3 (maybe 4 but I think thats probably just greedy). So, to do this we need lots and lots and lots and lots and beautiful backlinks! So, to help us with this simply put our link in your forum signature or on your website. It’s only fair isn’t it? Ah well, it’s up to you but remember, if you don’t link back I will come round to your house and steal your toilet! Seriously though, we give you this great service to massively benefit your website, return the favor please!

Disclaimer: If you decide not to link back and your toilet does get stolen it wasn’t me, I was joking.

So thanks, I guess… actually… you just eat my web space and my bandwidth and my time and you don’t link back! Shoo go away!

- Yummy Articles Team (We value your support really!)