Disappointed with Match.com

After a week with Match.com, I'm disappointed. The site seems to be covered with scammers. Some are clearly from overseas running the classic Nigerian scams. Others are right here in New Jersey.

Such a disappointment.

Match.com scammer update

The scammers that I was chatting with this morning have all been booted off Match.com. I was surprised at the quick action, though now I understand why the scammers try to move me into Yahoo chat as quickly as possible: They will lose their accounts as soon as someone reports them, or as quickly as Match.com can find out that they've used a fraudulent credit card to sign up for the service.

Ah, well. I did get one of the scammers onto Google chat. I'll post some of the better bits of that conversation later. For now, gird your loins; it's back into the devil's den for me. I'll keep you updated.

Currently playing with Match.com scammers

I was surprised at how quickly the scammers jumped on my new account at Match.com. They are relentless. Right now, I'm just playing with them. I'll block them later. But first, I want to know more about how they run their scams - how long it takes for the money requests to come in. Below are the three that I'm chatting with this morning:

righteouslove300 says:
I am single never married i have no kids.. i am originated from Ohio but now base in Ghana due to my parents divorce am willing to relocate as soon as i meet the man of my dream .. well if you are interested we can know more about each other and see what the future might hold for as .. there is no harm in trying what do u think .. we can talk on yahoo and share pictures as well...

Honestytracy001 says:
I am Tracy by name and i am single live in San Francisco,i am new on here and i am into buying and selling of Antiques,due to my job i travel alot to many countries and right now i am in Nigeria to get my Antiques from Ebay Company and i will be back to state in 2weeks time....

findlovetessy05 says:
if you can look through my profile ,you wcan see there that i am fromNJ,NW but presently in west africa country collecting some antiques but i will be back to states very soon

Match.com Experience

Within minutes of joining the site, I was IMed by three scammers. I really didn't mind. I've been divorced for more than two years, and I've led a solitary life since then. So even hearing from the scammers was not out of line. I recognized them for what they were, and I spent some time chatting with them.

There seems to be a lot of single women my age in my area. In the couple of hours that I've spent looking through the site, I've found 14 women that I have something in common with. All live near me.

I don't know yet whether I'll contact any of them. I don't know that I'm ready for a relationship. But I am ready for female companionship. I miss that.

ADDENDUM

It's getting harder to tell the scammers from the real folks. At first it was easy. Scammers tend to post pictures of cute 30-somethings to try to lure older folks. I'm sure that scheme works for some. Me? Hell, I've been using the Internet since 1991 - all the way back to the old DARPA days. I've seen it all. But now, some of the folks are getting closer to my age. That makes it harder to spot them out right away. I have to engage them in conversation.

Luckily, I've got a disposable email address.

A Short Review of how Spotify didn't Work for Me

A friend of mine gave me an invitation to try out Spotify yesterday, and I've to say that I'm not impressed. The download of the software was perhaps the best part of the experience.

From then on, it was a nightmare. Spotify was slow to install, and on the inital boot - slow to load. Once I got it up and running, I found that the controls were not at all intuitive. It took me a while to figure out how to load the songs and then get them to play.

Once loaded, all was find for a while. But believe me, Spotify is a memory hog. My Windows XP computer was slowed to a crawl. I finally had to quit the program, then restart the computer.

Sure, it's an older Acer, but it's running (as I said ) Windows XP. I've got a gig of RAM. The computer should not have dragged with only Outlook and Spotify open. But it did. Hell, it nearly ground to a halt.

After I got the computer restarted, I gave Spotify another shot. This time, it outright refused to load. About halfway through the launch, the computer froze. I couldn't even get the three-fingered salute to work. I had to cold boot the machine.

I tried once more yesterday, and once more this morning. Each time, Spotify froze my computer on launch. Again, I had to cold boot the machine to get it running.

So, after less than 24 hours, I uninstalled Spotify. I won't recommend it to others.

Polish Your Book Pitch

by Laura Cross


So you’ve developed your nonfiction book idea into a winning proposal and now you’re ready to send off your pitch to a literary agent and land a book deal! Before you press ‘send’ or drop your query letter in the mailbox, here are a few tips to ensure your initial sales pitch will grab the agent’s attention and motivate him or her to ask for the complete book proposal. 


1. Have you established a connection with the agent? 


The first sentence of the query letter should explain why you are contacting the particular agent. Possible connections might be: 


* You read a book the agent wrote or an interview in a magazine 


* You met the agent at a conference or literary event 


* The agent represents a similar author and genre 


* You discovered the agent’s listing in a directory 


* An associate, friend, or client referred you to the agent by 


2. Have you clearly established the project in the first paragraph? 


In one sentence, briefly introduce the topic or genre, the title, and the length of the book, so the agent understands what the project is. 


“HOW TO STAGE YOUR HOME TO SELL is a how-to book.” 


3. Have you presented a tightly focused proposal? 


The tighter the focus of the book idea, the wider the potential audience. Agents do not want authors who try to be all things to everyone. 


4. Have you included a “call to action” in your final wrap-up? 


The final sentence or two are used to thank the agent for reading your query and request permission to submit additional material. 


“Thank you for considering my book idea. May I send you my completed book proposal and two sample chapters?” 


STRATEGY-IN-ACTION ASSIGNMENT 


1. Review your query letter using the four strategies above 


2. Polish your pitch until it shines


About The Author


Laura Cross is a business strategist, author, and professional ghostwriter. She provides business, publishing, and platform strategies to help entrepreneurs get known as the go-to experts in their field, become published authors, attract high-paying clients, garner major media, and earn more money with less effort by packaging their expertise. Grab a copy of the Free Audio CD “How to Establish Your Expertise, Become a Published Author, and Leverage Your Knowledge for More Profits, More Prospects, and Major Media” at www.RockYourExpertise.com.

Submit An Article Search Engines Love

by TJ Philpott

When you submit an article online in hopes of driving traffic to your website and/or blog you want to make it as seo friendly as possible! The reason for this is simple, although people will likely view what you wrote at the article directories you also want to position yourself to attract search engine traffic as well. Simply stated if you do not optimize the content of your articles they will remain 'invisible' to search engines and you will not show up in any search results.

Here are 3 quick down and dirty tips you can use to make anything you compose for online distribution more seo friendly!

Keyword Research

It all starts with selecting those keywords that have a very 'connectable' relevance to your content, this is where it all begins. By finding the right words that best describe what can be found in your content you are completing the first step in making your article seo friendly! These words will be what people will use when searching online to find information like what your article will contain.

Keyword Placement

After accumulating a list of words applicable to the subject you are writing about you then designate the one word or phrase that best describes your article subject. This will be your primary keyword which you will place in both the title and first and last paragraphs of your article. Secondary keywords can then be sprinkled about your content placing them where they fit the most naturally within your content. Now these words will help people locate your articles sending you targeted search engine traffic which is the best you can get!

Keyword Density

The 'density' of the keywords you use should not be less then 1 percent nor exceed 5 percent as a rule of thumb. Using too few keywords will not give much relevancy to your article while using too many will get you penalized for keyword stuffing. Search engines view this as an attempt to deliberately draw more attention to what you wrote in an attempt to increase the search engine traffic you receive. Above all else when using keywords always be sure to use them in the most natural way since to do otherwise will make your article read strangely.

When you submit an article you of course want it to get noticed and read since this is the only way it will succeed in driving traffic to your site. Of equal and probably greater importance however is you also want to make what you wrote seo friendly to attract as much free search engine traffic as you can!Plainly stated if your composition is not properly optimized with keywords as discussed above the search engines will not be able to find you. This will result in your articles NOT showing up in any search results whatsoever. Ouch! As you can see from the discussion above the steps needed to be taken to better position your articles for attracting search engine traffic are relatively simple. When you consider the volume and quality of the traffic you will attract, to not take these simple steps would be an act of lunacy, or something close to it!

About The Author

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina. For more tips about how to submit an article that attracts tons of search engine traffic and to also receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques for your online marketing needs simply visit:http://affiliatequickstart.com

Creating A Blog That Has Personality

by TJ Philpott

When creating a blog you generally want to give it some personality. Most popular blogs display a certain style or attitude in the way they deliver their updates which makes them more distinctive within their own niche. Another advantage is that in most cases the personality any blogging platform assumes is generally that of the blog writer! This makes the writing process much more natural and therefore easier for the person updating the site.

Here are three simple ways you can add 'personality' to any blogging platform to make it more distinctive enabling it and you to stand out more within your niche.

Share Opinions

When appropriate do not be afraid to share your opinion on a subject or particular issue if you have one. Although not everyone may feel the same way as you most people are usually interested in what others may think. In fact most popular blogs will offer opinions simply for the sake of provoking a response from their readers in order to initiate some type of discussion. Interactivity like this helps encourage visitor involvement and create a stronger sense of community!

Be Passionate

As a blog writer allow your 'feelings' to show in your writing if you are passionate about a subject or issue. This tends to draw people further into the content you have posted and makes for much more interesting reading! This passion also helps you be more persuasive or influential in terms of swaying the opinions or perspective of others pertaining to the subject you are blogging about. Once again by getting people more involved in what is being posted on your blogging platform you are increasing their interest along with your own 'uniqueness' as well! Remember others do not have to agree with what you are saying for them to find your perspective interesting or thought provoking!

Maintain Your Convictions

Do not 'cave' in to the opinions or feelings of others if you do not share them. Maintain your own convictions since if they are strong enough there must be a reason why! Explaining your reasons, if they are compelling enough, will make for interesting reading and likely will also provoke more thought and stimulate further interaction.

Creating a blog that 'displays' a certain personality helps to make it more distinctive allowing for it to better stand out from the crowd. In most cases the blogging platform normally 'mimics' the personality of the blog writer which helps make composing new updates more natural and thereby easier for them. The 3 simple suggestions above serve to help you introduce personality to your own platform. As you can see it is not a complicated formula to follow and done correctly will succeed in helping to make your blogging platform more noticeable. In this way it is likely you will attract more visitors and hopefully evolve into one of the most popular blogs in your niche!

About The Author
TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina. To learn more about creating a blog with personality and to also receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques for your online marketing needs simply visit:http://blogbrawn.com

Rejection from Publishers: What to Do Now

by Keith Henry
So you’ve written a book and now, you want to share this work of art with the world; publishers are the only people standing in your way. It doesn’t really matter what genre you specialize in, the fact of the matter is, when you send your work to editors or publishing houses, you can get rejected.

Nothing can be more frustrating than getting rejected by publishers and here’s how you can deal with the rejection. Instead of sulking at home, refusing to write another word, you can try sending your manuscript to another editor. When that’s done, you can sit back, relax and spend your time doing other things besides thinking about your book. More often than not, publishing houses and editors work under strict guidelines with manuscript submission and you’ll be putting yourself in danger by sending your manuscript to other editors at the same time.

Meanwhile, you can keep a close eye on your email for a letter from the publishers. When you receive a letter, expect a no. Expecting the worst will be easier for you when you do get the worst. For this particular circumstance, you can scream and shout, rant and rave for a few minutes about how these people just let a good thing pass them by. You then get back to reading the rest of the rejection letter. Here, you’ll be given a number of tips how you make your work better. When all these tips have sunk in, you can start submitting your manuscript to another editor.

Simply repeat the process of sitting and waiting, keeping an eye out for a letter from the publisher, etc. For the first rejection slip you’ve received, you can file this letter away or you can simply throw it out. Remember that that was just one publisher’s opinion. You have a long list of publishers to go through. In the meantime, you can continue revising and editing your manuscript. When you think you’ve made it even more perfect, you can send this out to another editor. Rejection from publishers is just a part of the process for becoming a successful writer.


About The Author
For more information about publishers, visit the Bookpal website. The author invites you to visit: http://dlaryj.blogspot.com/

The FBI's Most Wanted Fugitive's List Turns 60

by Dane Batty

Just a few days after Leslie Rogge spent his 70th birthday in prison, the FBI was having its own birthday party of sorts. They were celebrating the 60th anniversary of the birth of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Created in 1950, the list has led to the capture of over 460 people. Rogge is one of over 491 people who have made the list.

In his new book Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber, author Dane Batty goes inside the FBI's extensive chase of Rogge, who robbed nearly 30 banks and got away with over $2 million dollars, throughout the United States and across several different countries. In a unique behind the scenes look, he uncovers Rogge's evasion tactics and the FBI's tactics in bringing him into custody.

As could be expected, Rogge's reflections on his capture and making the Top Ten list are not cause for celebration. "It may sound like I’m bitter, but really, I knew what would happen if they caught up with me. It still baffles me why they got so upset. No one was ever hurt or harmed, and I landed on the Top Ten—the first time they put someone on it with no violence."

The FBI credits the list for aiding in their search efforts through heightened media attention and public awareness. The FBI's own podcast radio show Inside the FBI cites Rogge's case as an example of the list's success. "Leslie Rogge is an interesting one. Leslie Rogge was the first person to be apprehended as the result of the Internet, and he was captured down in Guatemala.”

When the FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives List turns 70 in 2020, Rogge will be 80 and have 27 years left in prison. He is due to be released on February 10th, 2047.

To learn more about Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber, to receive a review copy or to book the author for an interview or speaking engagement, visit lesrogge dot com Books are also available through Amazon or your favorite online bookstore.

About The Author
Dane Batty reveals the secrets behind one of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, Leslie Ibsen Rogge, in his new book Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber. To find out more about the book or schedule a speaking engagement visit lesrogge dot com. The author invites you to visit:

http://www.lesrogge.com/

Hello World

The first post to a new blog is always fun, and over the years I've had numerous blogs.

The first post can often be simple: "Hello World." That's a common post. It comes from the early programming days, when folks learning a new language would often program the computer to say, "hello world." Rather sweet, until one considers the Terminator-like qualities of that simple statement. That is, the computer is speaking and looking out on a new world.

That's enough for now. Enough type to justify a post. Enough thought in print. I have other things to do, and I'm a bit cranky.