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Question:

What is that bunch of links on the right hand side of the channel (not the categories...below that with links to your websites) and how do I get mine?

Answer:

That's called a sidebar. Find out more about this feature in Chapter 7. There's more info and a template in the Appendix.

This FREE eBook is Brought to you by:


To contact me, please CLICK HERE.

Join Quikonnex Now !
CLICK HERE. and follow the simple QuikSteps to get started!

Cartoon graphics herein are produced by Cartoonist Ron Leishman at:
ToonADay.com

This FREE eBook is Brought to you by:


To contact me, please CLICK HERE.

Cartoon graphics herein are produced by Cartoonist Ron Leishman at:
ToonADay.com

This FREE eBook is Brought to you by:


To contact me, please CLICK HERE.

Cartoon graphics herein are produced by Cartoonist Ron Leishman at:
ToonADay.com

Most people think that "publishing" is a big secret. They keep hearing that publishing an ezine is "the way" to promote their business, but they have no clue what is involved or where to start. I just want to start by saying that this is NOT rocket science and it doesn't have to be time consuming! Don't let the concept of publishing scare you!

So, what is publishing?

Simply stated, publishing is the act of distributing information. The traditional sense of publishing involved a printed format, such as a newspaper, a magazine, a newsletter, ad sheets and books. The modern definition expands to include websites, email newsletters, online newsletters and other forms of electronic information delivery, including websites.



Why publish on the internet?

The answer to that question can range from simple sharing of craft or club information to serious pursuit of customers or prospects. Most of you are reading this ebook in search of a way to promote an online business, so I'll continue with that thought in mind, but these concepts and solutions can apply to anyone who wants to share any type of (legal, family-friendly) information.

Many online businesses fail because they have no idea that you need to advertise and promote your online business even more agressively than a brick and mortar (traditional) business. The "build it and they will come" theory simply does not apply to websites. You MUST PROMOTE your site, service, product or organization in order to grow your business. Search engines and other forms of online and print advertising are fine, but the most widely recognized way to promote online businesses and is "building a list".

"Building a List", simply means getting the email addresses of people who are, in theory, interested in the type of product or service being offered by the business owner.



The most well known and widely used method of list-building is through ezine publication. A ezine is typically a compilation of articles, advice, and other relevant information delivered via email.

Through the use of autoresponders, website-based subscription links and list server utilities, from the technical side and use of advertising in other ezines, on ad boards, FFA posts, search engines and listing their publication in free and paid ezine directories (a compilation of ezine information).

Another popular means of amassing subscribers was through advertising cooperatives,in which publishers agreed to run advertisements at a reduced rate, or even for free, in exchange for a subscriber sign-up. This reduced the cost and effort required to build the list quickly. Co-ops, especially the free advertising co-ops, are most effective for FAST list building, but the subscribers tended not to stay around after their ad ran and many would never read even one issue of the ezine, so they offered no value to the list.



Enter the SPAM wars era of the internet. I'm sure you've seen the smut mail and other unsolicited email offers in your inbox. I receive literally hundreds of these emails per day! These messages, coupled with the malicious, virus-laden messages, have spurred ISP's to employ spam filters in an effort to reduce delivery of these messages. Unfortunately, most of the filters are ineffective, filtering out even messages to legitimate subscriber lists.

Many publishers, myself included, attempted to overcome the hurdle of ISP filters by using creative wording and spam buster utilities to get publications throught to as many subscribers as possible. I personally moved to a format of creating my newsletter as webpages and just sending an announcement email when each issue was ready. Even these announcement emails would often be filtered.



So why bother publishing at all?

Because the theory of list building is still valid, but with the degradation of email delivery and the threat of shutdown or prosecution due to spam complaints, we need to find smarter ways to distribute and promote our publications. The key to successful online promotion is to build a relationship and build trust with readers who are interested in topics related to your product or service. These are the people who, once that trusting relationship is established, will be your best customers. Make no mistake, it takes time and effort to publish successfully. It's easy to build a huge email list, but what good is a list if nobody is reading what you send to that list?





One problem with publishing the traditional way is that advertising got out of control. Subscribers would run screaming from their PC never to return again!

I have to admit that I was guilty too. My initial intention was just to cover expenses. Then the ad requests were rolling in so fast and everyone wanted them out NOW! I acquiesced to the requests, always eager to please, and that's where the trouble began. Honestly, my net earnings were way below sub-minimum if I factored in the many hours I spent plugging away formatting my ezine, my website, etc.

Hindsight being 20/20, I way undersold my ad services and bombarded my subscribers with "canned solos" from clients pushing every program imaginable. All were family-friendly, of course, but every single solo ad was virtually the same as the last. I finally learned that content is key. Instead of canned solos, I now encourage the use of articles for business promotion. Writing articles and publishing them yourself is good. It's even better if you can get someone else to publish them for you too. But how do you do this without a list? How do you do this without using email?



Well, there is a way to publish articles and get those articles noticed without relying on traditional email. I'll discuss one of the easiest and fastest ways to do this, in a manner that is publisher friendly, subscriber friendly and extends beyond the bounds of your known subscriber base. It's a mindset change for those of you who are reading this after researching ezine publication or already publishing an ezine.

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Everyone is familiar with the concept of email. As discussed in the prior chapter, email is still the most prevalent mode of ezine publication. I promised to tell you another way to accomplish this without email and without subscriber based boundaries. I'll stay as non-technical as possible, because you really don't have to know the nuts and bolts of the technology to benefit from it any more than you have to know how to build a car in order to drive one.

Many of you internet saavy readers are already familiar with RSS feeds. For those who are not familiar with it, here's a straight-forward definition as posted on Webopedia.com:

"Short for RDF Site Summary or Rich Site Summary, an XML format for syndicating Web content. A Web site that wants to allow other sites to publish some of its content creates an RSS document and registers the document with an RSS publisher. A user that can read RSS-distributed content can use the content on a different site. Syndicated content includes such data as news feeds, events listings, news stories, headlines, project updates, excerpts from discussion forums or even corporate information. RSS was originally developed by Netscape."

I'll also defer to Webopedia.com for the following, simple definition of the term 'syndication':

"The sharing of content among different Web sites. The term is normally associated with licensed content such as television programs and newspaper columns."

Those are two concepts that make this new form of publication exciting. First, the implication of the term "rich site" is the fact that you can use media-rich content, such as graphics, audio, video and animations. You're not limited to text. Second, the implication of the term syndication is the ease with which the information you publish can be shared with others. In fact, by providing simple snippet of code to other publishers and webmasters, they can post your content to their ezine or website and get automatic updates without any additional effort. Period. That is the powerful part of publishing using RSS feeds.

The only down side to RSS is that the intent is really for posting information, not for two-way communication. There are plenty of channel viewers, which allow the "layperson" to view and read RSS posts. (I highly recommend QuikView by Quikonnex because it is accessible from any internet session using the major browsers (Internet Explorer, NetScape, Mozilla, etc) and you can bookmark any RSS feed or channel using QuikView.) From a publishing perspective, RSS is still in the tech-ese phase, so you have to be fairly technical to exploit the publishing or info sharing benefits of RSS.



That's where Quikonnex comes in. Quikonnex provides a user-friendly publisher interface for formatting individual publisher's space, which is referred to as a channel, for automatically updating common links/information with by changing a single "mini webpage" and for posting new articles or information with a past, present or future timestamp. Quikonnex also provides a couple different modes of two-way communication. First, the comment post capability allows interactivity between the reader community at large and the publisher.

Second, Quik Message to Publisher (QMTP) allows two-way private messaging. The message sender need not be a Quikonnex member, but the recipient, of course, must be a Quikonnex member. Another feature available for now is free one-on-one web conferencing. You will also find in the forum some simple instructions and download files to help you establish the syndication scripts and links for you channel. This allows your channel content to be posted on other websites and channels, where the links are updated every time you submit a new item to your channel.

In addition to these features, Quikonnex provides an extensive community forum, which includes informational and instructional topics as well as instructional videos for key Quikonnex features. During most weekday business hours, live support is provided by the founders and some founding publishers of Quikonnex. You won't get some clueless outsourced support staff member or autoresponder canned answers to your questions.



Finally, twice-weekly publisher forums and regular weekly open training forums provide even more opportunity to learn and to meet with other Quikonnex members through Yahoo! voice chat and COITalk web conferencing.

So, you have email delivery, the Corvair of the publishing world....good but beyond its time, RSS feeds...the DIY kit car version of syndication publishing, or the new Lamborghini with all the benefits of RSS feeds and all the bells and whistles needed to get you up to speed fast and cruising down the internet autobahn in no time!

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I told you I wouldn't waste a lot of time. If you're still interested, I'm ready to get you started. Below are the basic steps for a Quikonnex non-member to sign up, upgrade, and start publishing.

1. Visit the QuikSteps signup page and follow the instructions there. The main thing you must watch for is to signup for QuikView with the appropriate internet browser package - Internet Explorer, Mozilla, etc. The rest is simple stuff. I recommend using QuikView as your viewer because it is accessible anywhere on the internet.
   
   
2. Once you have completed the steps in the QuikStep document, you will need to go to QuikView. You should have a bookmark or an entry in your browser Links area by now. If not, try performing the QuikView signup again or you can go directly to the QuikView page by typing your personal QuikView address into your browser address field: http://www.quikonnex.com/quikview/qname/quikview.php, (replacing qname with the id you used to sign up for Quikonnex) On the QuikView panel, choose Q Members/Publishers Area from the dropdown list and logon using your qname and password. Once logged in, you will see a link titled "Upgrade to Publisher"(top left below big QMembersArea graphic). Click that link and follow the instructions to start your Quikonnex publisher subscription using the term that is best for you.
   
   
3. Once you receive confirmation back from QSupport that your publisher account has been established, you can immediately begin publishing.
   
   
4. Logon to the QMember/Publisher area again from the QuikView panel. The first thing you will need to do is setup your channel, click the link titled Channel Manager and then select Your Channels. This will oen the channel manager page. Unless you have other channels already, only one line should appear under Your Channels. Click the Settings link and complete the fields listed below. Note that the definition or intent of each field can be viewed by hovering your cursor over the question mark icon:
   
   • Channel Name
     
   • Channel Description
     
   • Your Home Site URL
     
   • Link to Logo to Use on Publisher Page
     
   • Link to Icon to use in Channel Viewers
     
   • Choose Your Skin (use View Skins & Info link to choose color scheme for your channel)
     
   • Convert line breaks? (if you'll be using html, set this to No)
     
   • Allow posting to the past? Yes
     
   • Enable comments? (recommend yes to allow interactivity with readers...no if you don't want that)
     
   • Allow Comments by Non-Members? (up to you again, whether you want to interact or not)
     
   • Channel Vieweremail address (recommend including one so non-Q members will not hesitate to contact you for Q information)
     
   • Ping Weblogs on Update? (Yes if this is a public channel and you WANT traffic)
     
   • Default category?
     
   • Time offset?
   • For now, you should skip URL for Sidebar and Frame Height for Sidebar. We'll get to that in the advanced topics. This is nice to have, but not required to start publising.
   
   
   Once you have completed the form, click the CHANGE SETTINGS button to save your choices. Your channel will now be setup to the color and link specifications you just provided. You can check this by clicking the channel name link under the Your Channels column of the Channel Manager page you were referred back to after updating your channel settings.
   
   
5. Now you're ready to post your first item to your channel. You can do this in one of two ways - using the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) Editor or by copy/pasting or typing HTML code into the Create New Item Panel. First, from the Channel Manager page, click the Add Item link for your channel. This will bring you to the Create New Item panel. Type in the Title for your article or message, perhaps a "Welcome to my channel" message. Then create the content for the page:
   
   WYSIWYG: To create a page using the WYSIWYG Editor, click on the WYSIWYG HTML Builder link. From that point, you enter and format the text and background much the same as you would use MSWord, WordPro or most other common word processors. Type in the text. I recommend typing in
   for line breaks instead of hitting return unless you set the "Convert Line Breaks" option to yes in the channel setup step. You will most likely want to start publishing with html as you grow and learn. It will give you more control over your page format, so this small incovenience up front will pay out in the long run. In the mean time, inserting that one html tag will ensure that line breaks go where you want them. Here's a quick explanation of the icons on the two rows of the WYSIWYG toolbar:
   
   Row 1:
   
   Text Size and Font:
   Use the three dropdown fields to choose your text size and font face.
   Icons for Text Emphasis:
   B = Bold, I = Italics, U = Underline and S = Strikethrough, X2 will subscript the text and the second X2 will superscript or footnote your text.
   Row 2:
   
   Text Positioning:
   The first four icons are used to left-justify, center, right justify, or justify (spread evenly across lines), respectively (or in that order).
   Bullets:
   Bullets are commonly used to make a list of items, points or steps easy to read. In the WYSIWYG editor, use a return key return to insert a bullet. The 123 button will number each line and the one with a bullet (or dot) at the front of each line will insert simple bullets.
   Indentation:
   The left arrow outdents and right arrow indents the text. Just remember the text moves in the direction of the arrow.
   Color Selections:
   The T with the color blocks is what you click to choose text color for the block of text you highlight.
   The paintcan with the color blocks lets you choose the background color.
   Page format/separation:
   The icon with the horizontal line inserts a horizontal line where you indicated.
   The chain allows you to enter a link (another website oremail).
   The picture frame button allows you to insert images.
   The grid allows you to define a table to visually organize text in columns and rows.
   WYSIWYG window size:
   The diagonal arrow maximizes and minimizes the WYSIWYG editor panel.
   
   HTML vs Text:
   The View Source button lets you see what the HTML code for the features and text you just entered will look like. When you're happy with the way the page looks in the WYSIWYG editor, select then copy/paste the entire contents of the editor window, switch over to the Create New Item panel and paste the code into the third entry field (first large box).
   
   HTML:
   Type or copy/paste your HTML code into the third entry field (first big text box) in the Create New Item panel. A couple words of caution. First, the main area you will be populating with the Create New Item panel has a max width of 450 pixels. That's because the skin and sidebar (area to the right of the page you post) takes 200 pixels. When entering your HTML, DO NOT use the html, body, title or head tags or any associated tags typically used in those areas. (Note: META tags can be used in the sidebar, so hold that thought!) When using html tags that require end-tags, please, please, please check your work and ensure that the end tags are in place and are correct. Otherwise, you blow the formatting of the entire channel and any future posts. Tables incorrectly closed can really make your channel ugly! If you need help verifying your work, check the Quikonnex Recommended Software in the forum.
   
   Once you're done entering the results of your WYSIWYG entry or your own HTML code into the Create New Item panel, it's time to save your work. In that same (Create New Item) panel, scroll down beyond the last large text entry field and choose the desired post options. Accept the General category for now. We'll discuss other category options later. Choose the Add Now option, then click the ADD ITEM button to make your first post.
   
   Drum Roll Please......

This FREE eBook is Brought to you by:


To contact me, please CLICK HERE.

Join Quikonnex Now !
CLICK HERE. and follow the simple QuikSteps to get started!

Cartoon graphics herein are produced by Cartoonist Ron Leishman at:
ToonADay.com

This FREE eBook is Brought to you by:


To contact me, please CLICK HERE.

Join Quikonnex Now !
CLICK HERE. and follow the simple QuikSteps to get started!

Cartoon graphics herein are produced by Cartoonist Ron Leishman at:
ToonADay.com

Quikonnex lets publishers work easier AND smarter by providing a few organizational tools and the flexibility of posting items for immediate viewing, with either the current date and time stamp or a past date and time stamp, or for delayed viewing. Not ready to post an item yet because you have work to finish on it? No problem! Save it as a draft and move on.

If you plan to be away from your PC for a while, such as while you go on vacation, you can set-up articles and other times so they are visible during the time you will be away. This makes it appear as though you're busily posting, but you'll be out having fun miles away!


You can also organize the items you post by taking advantage of the Categories feature. This makes it easier for your readers to find what they want on your channel.

Quikonnex even provides an easy way for you to post to your channel using QuikPost while you're surfing the net.

Learn about all of these advanced Quikonnex features below.



EXTENDED BODY:
If you only post a couple of articles a month can afford to have the entire article visible on initial view of your channel. For those of you who publish on a daily, or even weekly, basis, and whose articles or items tend to be a page or longer, here's a tip. People are basically lazy. They won't scroll more than about 3 pages down on a website to read through your posts. Another issue you may run into is slow load time on your channel, especially if you use a lot of graphics or objects in your posts.

Quikonnex has provided an easy way to help you overcome this problem, by providing an Extended Body option. You can place your logo, title and a few lines of your post in the ITEM BODY. Choose a strategic break point and post the remainder of your item in the EXTENDED COPY text entry area.

Using the Extended Body option keeps your channel cleaner, lets your visitors quickly view your recent posts and improves your channel load time. If you plan the break points right, you may even get more people to read the entire article by piqueing their curiosity about your lead-in paragraph(s).





DATE/TIMESTAMP OPTIONS:

In most cases, you will want to post your items and make them immediately available to your Quikonnex channel visitors. However, there may be times when you want to add something and have it visible at some future date, for example, to make channel updates automatically while you're on vacation...or to pre-schedule special event or holiday related items. The options are just slightly different when Adding an item vs when Editing an item.

When Adding New Items:

• AVAILABLE NOW:
  If you want to make the item immediately, make sure ADD NOW is selected by clicking on the words ADD NOW or in the radio button beside it.
• AVAILABLE AT SOME FUTURE DATE/TIME:
  If you want the item to be visible only at a future date, enter the desired date in the Set Timestamp field and make sure the Set Timestamp option is selected. (Note: The date format is Day then Month then Year. Time is in military time, hour then minute of desired post. Add 12 to any time past noon to come up with the hour.) The item will be added and it will be visible in your Master Item Manager list, but it will not be visible until the time designated.

When Updating Items:

• EDIT WITHOUT TIMESTAMP CHANGE: This is useful if you just want to update but show the post date/timestamp as it was at the time the item was originally posted.
• UPDATE TIMESTAMP: As with the initial post, you can reflect a future date in the date/timestamp field when updating an item. (Note: The date format is Day then Month then Year. Time is in military time, hour then minute of desired post. Add 12 to any time past noon to come up with the hour.) The item will be added and it will be visible in your Master Item Manager list, but it will not be visible until the time designated.

ADD TO DRAFTS:

If you're familiar with creating a draft copy of an email and sending it later, this is very mucht the same. You create your item as just as if you would for an immediate post, but when you save the item, select the "Add to Drafts" option in the Post Options section of the Add Item panel or QuikPost panel. This will allow you to save your work without worrying about it being posted "live" to your channel. To edit your draft documents, simply go to your Channel Manager page and scroll down to the Your Drafts section for a list of all of your draft posts. The save options are slightly different, with the default being to save the item back as a draft. If you want to change that, use the radio buttons and timestamp fields to post immediately or post for a future date as discussed earlier.





CATEGORIES:

Categories are powerful for targeting your posts to a particular audience and it is oh so easy to set them up either before you post to them or on the fly as you post an individual item. Subscribers using Awasu can choose to receive updates based on a category of interest to them. It also allows you to keep your posts more organized, making it easier for you and your channel visitors to find items on your channel.

Advance Set-up of Category:
Logon to the QMember/Publisher Area.
Click on Your Channels, then click the SETTINGS link for the channel or to which you wish to add a category.
On the SETTINGS panel, scroll down toward the bottom of the page and look for the CATEGORIES heading. First you will see a list of your current categories, the default GENERAL category should already exist.
Below that box, you will see the CREATE NEW CATEGORY subheading.
Fill in the Category Name and Category Description fields and click on Create New Category.
Your list of categories should be updated.

On-the-Fly Set-Up of Category:
When you are performing an inital post, the Submit Options include selection of the Category, as does the Channel/Category field in the edit box when updating a post. If you want to save the post to a category that does not yet exist, simply choose NEW CATEGORY from the Category dropdown list. When you submit, the Create New Category box will appear. Just fill in the Category Name and Category Description fields and click on Create New Category.

For examples of how to use CATEGORIES, visit: http://www.quikonnex.com/channel/page/carltonscorner/851
http://www.quikonnex.com/channel/page/kicktheemailhabit/851





QUIKPOST:

QuikPost is a version of the Add Item panel that can be added to your browser toolbar for easy access. QuikPost exactly like the Add Item panel, so I won't go into the posting details. You can grab your QuikPost link from the Channel Manager page. Scroll down to the Your Settings section and click the link titled Add QuikPost to Browser Toolbar. Find the link that corresponds to your browser. Drag that link to your toolbar (LINKS). When you're surfing the net and find an article or something else you want to share with your channel audience, you can click the QuikPost link on your toolbar, then copy/paste the desired text into the QuikPost Body and Extended Body Fields. Add your title, select the desired Post Options and voila'.

This FREE eBook is Brought to you by:


To contact me, please CLICK HERE.

Join Quikonnex Now !
CLICK HERE. and follow the simple QuikSteps to get started!

Cartoon graphics herein are produced by Cartoonist Ron Leishman at:
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Quikonnex provides traffic statistics at the item level for each month your channel is active. You can tell how many "hits" or "pings" each item received and how many UNIQUE visits each item received. If you're interested in finding out where the visits are coming from, you can view the details of each visit by clicking on the number for which you want to see details.

You can access your channel statistics using the Master Statistics Manager link at the top (or bottom) of the Channel Manager page or from the QuikView menu items in the Q Members/Publishers area menu. The initial panel will provide a summary by item (url) of the number of hits and unique visits in the current month. IF YOUR CHANNEL LIFE spans more than one month, you will see a dropdown box at the top of the page. Using this dropdown box, you can select earlier months for which to view channel statistics. (Sorry...Quikonnex is good, but it can't see the future yet!)

You can view distinct details by item (url) by date and even by individual hit or view. Very powerful stuff! Play around with the links - select different dates, click on different links, numbers, etc. Don't let the term "statistics" scare you. What you're really looking at is just a report. It's information. Nothing more. Take it a step at a time. First, click the link for your main main channel page (page/qname....example: page/kicktheemailhabit). You will see a calendar with X number of hits, which reflects the number of hits or pings that main page received from search engines, blogs, and actual visitors. Next you will see X number of visitors, which is the number of UNIQUE visitors based on the host or ip address captured from that visit. If you click on the DETAILS link at the bottom of that date, you will see the details of the UNIQUE VISITORS, including the DATE, TIME, HOST (or IP), and REFERER. So you now know what date and time the visit occurred, the source of the visit and the webpage from which the visitor came.





Putting it all together...

So what does the HOST info mean??...
If you see an IP address (numbers like 123.45.897.0 ), that is typically an individual visiting you from their home IP address. The same is true when you see the word USER, IP, CABLE or HOST in that field. Common internet service providers (ISP's) include att.net, aol.com, mindspring.com, comcast.net, verizon.net, sbcglobal.net, netzero, etc. If the HOST address includes the words SPIDER, SEARCH or CRAWLER, that's usually a search engine crawling your channel and gathering information to add to their database. I'm sure there are other manual and automated sources for visits, but these are the more common ones.

And what about REFERER??...
Simply put, this is the url that referred the visitor to your site. That means the visitor clicked a link on that REFERER site, which brought them to the channel item the statistics represent. You can also get a feel for whether the sites referring visits are US or international by looking for the country specific extentions, like .uk (united kingdom) or .au (australia).





Okay, so you know WHO was there and you know WHERE they came from and you know WHAT they read while they were there, but what do you do with that information?

One thing you can do is see how much interest is being generated by specific topics. Those receiving the least traffic you can probably drop from your future efforts. Those receiving the most interest are probably worthy of a little more attention and effort. Just be careful not to judge too quickly. Give your channel statistics at least 6 months before making any serious changes. Sometimes it just takes time for people to find you. Also, trends change quickly on the internet and some trends are cyclical. Don't delete anything unless you think it's just horrible stuff. Let it ride and watch the statistics.





Another thing you can do is look at the visit patterns for trends in the dates or times people are visiting. Then plan you posts accordingly using the future timestamp feature discussed in the previous chapter. You might even finds time trends that are different based on topics. It could be that the office crowd is out there early in the morning before going to work while the work at home crowd takes care of early morning errands, running through email and getting other business and family priorities handled before settling in for the day on their internet business related tasks. Naturally, those tasks include checking out YOUR recent posts!

By having that REFERER information, you can tell who is sending people to your site and you can tell which of your own webpages or items are bringing that item (hence that subject, topic, service, product, etc) the most traffic. So you can further target your own efforts by focusing your website updates/leads to the top REFERING pages. You can also consider further cross-promotion with your top REFERERS to further exploit the traffic flow.

By having the HOST information, you can often tell the geographical source, by looking for country specific extensions in the HOST address. If all of your traffic is from the US, you might choose to drop some international content and 1focus on US customers. Then again, maybe you WANT to draw more international traffic. In that case, you can look for ways to pull in viewers from those other countries by seeking directories and blogs in which you can list your channel to draw that international traffic.

You can plan your article writing topics proportional to the traffic patterns on the items already posted. You might choose to add new topics. You might try to categorize your posts. You might even decide that you want to really concentrate on syndicating specific categories of topics, so you might create a subchannel, which will allow you to syndicate JUST those specific items. (Subchannels are discussed in chapter 9, so keep reading!)





Information is power. Channel statistics are the information you need to power up your channel. Take full advantage of them. Think outside the box and be creative with the possibilities.

By the way, try getting the level of statistical details provided by Quikonnex was not even possible with my email list host provider, for which I paid a minimum of two times, and occasionally even five times, as much as Quikonnex charges for the Business/Publisher package. This is just another way that the founders of Quikonnex cater to their business/publisher clients to provide value-added features to help you grow your business and target your audience.

This FREE eBook is Brought to you by:


To contact me, please CLICK HERE.

Join Quikonnex Now !
CLICK HERE. and follow the simple QuikSteps to get started!

Cartoon graphics herein are produced by Cartoonist Ron Leishman at:
ToonADay.com

Name recognition, also known as branding, is a vital part of business growth. The more people see and hear a name, the more likely they are to remember it when they need the product, service, or information you provide. Quikonnex provides many ways for you to brand your channel, such as by providing the ability to include your logo and channel description on your channel pages. A couple of the more advanced branding mechanisms are the SIDEBAR and CUSTOM QUIKVIEW.

SIDEBAR:

First, the sidebar, which you can think of as a "mini-website". Just so you can see an active example, visit an active publisher channel, such as:

• Kick The Email Habit
  
• Carltons Corner
  
• Aspenbloom Well Pet
  
  

On the far right-hand side of these channels, you will see a narrow menu area. This is the sidebar and the width of this area is 200 pixels. You can create a "mini-website", complete with META tags for search engine and blog searchers, where you can display important information, website links, email or contact information and graphics. You can coordinate the sidebar with your articles and the skin you chose. You can even coordinate it with your own website (please be careful of copyright rules if using graphics/text for affiliate or MLM programs).

One VERY IMPORTANT feature of the sidebar is that it is displayed in its current form regardless of the original post date of the item being viewed. That means there is no need to go to dozens of pages to update links if you quit a program, change or add websites or change email addresses....or if you choose to replace your email address with QMTP!

Now, you need just a bit of HTML expertise or a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) HTML editor to create the sidebar. Since the sidebar is subject to Quikonnex updates, you would be well served to check the community forum for updates by searching the forum for the term "sidebar". You will find sample HTML code to get you started. If you need an HTML editor, HTML Toolkit is very easy to use and it is one of the recommended utilities for Quikonnex users. You can even use the Quikonnex "Add Item" feature and use the WYSIWYG tool to create the HTML for the content you want to display, then plug it into the sample sidebar code. You must have some form of hosting account in order to upload your sidebar. Many ISP's provide personal webpage space, which you can use to upload your sidebar document.

NOTE:
If you want a sidebar, but you don't have the time, skills or desire to create it yourself, visit the Channel Management page of KickTheEmailHabit.com to get a quote. Publishers who sign up for Quikonnex under KickTheEmailHabit will receive a 10% discount on sidebar creation and hosting services.




CUSTOM QUIKVIEW:

Custom QuikView allows you to customize the new member signup page to include your own logo or graphic and link. On my own channel, I include a logo and a link to my Carlton's Corner ezine channel. Here are my sign-up pages:
http://www.quikonnex.com/quikview/carltonscorner
http://www.quikonnex.com/quikview/kicktheemailhabit

In addition, you can customize a bit of internet "real estate" on the QuikView panel viewed by everyone who signs up for QuikView through your link. There is an area 170 pixel by 130 pixel area near the top of the QuikView panel where you can include a logo, banner, text links, or other items to help brand your QuikView and get exposure for your own sites. You could even sell ad space in this area to help cover your expenses. For an example of how this space can be used, visit:
http://www.quikonnex.com/quikview/carltonscorner/quikview.php
http://www.quikonnex.com/quikview/kicktheemailhabit/quikview.php

You can find additional information and pricing here:
http://quikonnex.com/customquikview/about_custom.php

Again, both the SideBar and Custom QuikView provide additional opportunities for publishers to brand their Quikonnex visitor pages for better association and recognition. The space on both pages can be used for paid advertising space too if desired. Use the logo space to display a 125x125 banner or even several text links instead. It's up to you.

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CLICK HERE. and follow the simple QuikSteps to get started!

Cartoon graphics herein are produced by Cartoonist Ron Leishman at:
ToonADay.com