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5 Ways To Make Money Online Today
If you are not sure exactly what you should be doing online, don't worry! In this article I'm going to show you some of the best ways to make money online in the year 2003.
Become an affiliate:
This is probably the easiest and the hardest...
Data Recovery Software Comparison
Software programmers recognize the importance of data files, and thankfully, they have been able to create products that demonstrate their understanding of how often people accidentally delete or lose important data. Thanks to software programmers...
Free Ecards Guide
NATURE OF ECARDS ON THE WEB... Ecards bring beauty and smiles to thousands of people worldwide but what folks need to be aware of is that some of these cute ecards carry malware with them ranging from simple spam, while some will install nasty...
Open Source Content Management Software Solutions
There are many open source content management software solutions
available on the internet. Just a quick perusal of the search
results for "CMS" and "Content management system" on Sourceforge
or any of the other popular open source software...
Spyware Programs Are Out To Get You
The average computer is packed with hidden software that can secretly spy on online habits.
The US net provider EarthLink said it uncovered an average of 28 spyware programs on each PC scanned during the first three months of the year.
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"WARNING: Do not buy a computer until you read this
On a perfect summer day in 1997, life as I knew it was
changed forever. I lost all trust in the human race, and
felt my life was over -- but I vowed to seek vendetta in
the most violent way. Yes, the taste of blood was in my
mouth…
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t quite as melodramatic as all that
- but I sure was seething mad.
I had been ripped off to the tune of $2800 by a scam artist
who "sold" me a Gateway laptop over the Internet.
I’d tell you the details, but they’re just too painful to
relive. And frankly, I feel more than a little embarrassed
for being conned.
After that distasteful experience, I embarked on a personal
crusade not only to expose the deceptive sales practices in
the computer industry, but also to scour the globe for the
best computer deals in the world.
I voraciously read computer manuals, specs, ads -- and
scrutinized anything that even remotely resembled a PC. My
brain became the Geiger counter for computer-buying
information.
As a result, I’ve become the Head Purchasing Manager for a
worldwide non-profit organization consisting of 7000+
members – in charge of purchasing computer equipment for
overseas branches in South Korea, Russia, the Philippines,
China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Europe.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Flashback to 1997.
Back then, I learned quite a few things about
computer-buying that very few people on this planet know
about. I’m going to reveal some sneaky -- and in some
instances, illegal -- things that computer vendors do to
bilk you out of your hard earned cash.
1) Bait and Switch - Computer vendors generally resort to
any means to get you to their website or store first. The
most common way is to lure you there with the promise of
the lowest prices. When you fall for the bait, and visit
their website or store, you’ll find that their prices are
higher than they advertised. They feed you the story that
the advertised price was last week’s price, or that price
doesn’t include this component or that peripheral. Vendors
do this because, in the highly competitive business of
computer sales, this is sometimes the only way they get a
shot at showing you their wares. Then, they do the usual
song-and-dance routine: “But while you’re here, have I got
a deal for you…” hoping you won’t go looking elsewhere.
2) Bankruptcy Routine - This trick consists of opening a
‘new’ computer outlet, selling product for a few months,
shipping only a portion of the orders, and then declaring
bankruptcy and taking most of the customer’s money. The
people who do this are real crooks, and typically engage in
this practice many times.
3) Opportunistic Pricing - This is something very few
people know about. Mail order companies change their prices
and specifications regularly. They have a complex pricing
policy where they employ experts whose only job is to
determine exactly how much the market will be willing to
pay for a specific model.
4) Delayed Shipments - Some firms charge your credit card,
and ship your order within a week -- but since it is a
legal requirement that the goods are shipped to you within
30 days, it could take all of 30 days
before your goods
leave their warehouse. And you may not be able to cancel
your order. They are, of course, earning interest on your
money.
5) Shared Memory - As a cost cutting measure, some systems
are designed for the video card to share memory with the
system itself and not to have its own dedicated memory.
Therefore a system with 64 MB RAM advertised with a 4 MB
card has only 60 MB of free RAM after the video card’s
requirements. On budget systems, this is common but you
should be told about it. You could end up buying a computer
that has 64 MB of RAM and then find that you only really
have 58 MB -- and you can't run a program that needs 64MB.
6) What You See Isn’t What You Get - As the components that
go into a machine are numerous and constantly changing, you
may find that the machine you receive is rarely the exact
machine you ordered. These differences are caused by the
frequent non-availability of various components.
Additionally, some big name mail order firms’ sales reps
get into the habit of "forgetting" what price they gave you
for the equipment you asked for – and, as a result, you get
sent a system that’s missing parts that you wanted.
Now, before you go running to the first “reputable”
computer store thinking it’s your safest bet, you have to
know that those big players also have a slew of deceptive
practices up their sleeves. Furthermore, they go to great
lengths to hire professional salespeople. Quite frankly,
unless you’re one of the small percentage of people who
possess computer-buying savvy, you are putty in the hands
of trained computer salespeople. They know exactly how to
manipulate you, entice you, allay your fears and, most
importantly, close the deal. How about you – are you a
trained computer buyer?
Do you know for instance….
…what day of the week it’s best to buy a computer to get
the best prices?
…the closely-guarded tactic to saving at least $500 on your
next computer purchase?
…what advertised feature you should never pay a single dime
for when buying a computer?
…when it’s OK to buy "clones" or generic brands?
…why you should beware of advertisements that scream “Free
Printer”, “Free Scanner” and “Free Software”?
My friend, Mark Joyner, and I reveal those secrets for free
in another article located here:
http://www.roibot.com k_cbsr.cgi?cbsrfreecontent
I don’t want you thinking there are no happy endings in the
world of computer buying. It's absolutely mind-blowing what
astronomical margins some firms make on PCs, and how
incredibly simple it is for buyers to get huge discounts on
those prices - if they know how.
Epilogue: I have a recent success story of my own to tell.
I just bought myself a new laptop -- a beautiful IBM
Thinkpad T20 with all the bells and whistles at about $1400
below listed price!
All I can say is, beating the computer bullies at their own
game is the best revenge.
About the Author
Helen Cho is the author of “Computer Buying Secrets
Revealed!”, the only book of its kind that shows how anyone
can save at least $500 on their next computer purchase:
http://www.roibot.com/tk_cbsr.cgi?cbsrfreecontent
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| Tucows Downloads - Download Freeware and Shareware Software |
| Download freeware, shareware, and demos. Maintains over 45000 software titles that are tested, rated, reviewed and ready to download. |
| www.tucows.com |
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| Free Software Downloads and Software Reviews - Download.com |
| Download shareware, freeware and Demo software for PC, Mac, Linux, and Handhelds categorized into categories, plus software reviews. |
| www.download.com |
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| Computer software - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| This includes application software such as a word processor, which enables a ... Application software is often purchased separately from computer hardware. ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Shareware.com - Search for shareware programs and free software ... |
| Search for shareware programs from more than a dozen downloadable software directories. |
| www.shareware.com |
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| Jumbo: Free & Shareware MP3 files, Games, Screen Savers & Computer ... |
| Source of free and shareware computer programs and utilities for PC and Mac. Evaluate software and read product reviews. Download games and screen savers. |
| www.jumbo.com |
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| Computer Software in the Yahoo! Directory |
| Browse categories featuring sites devoted to computer software, including shareware and freeware download sites, operating systems, desktop customization, ... |
| dir.yahoo.com |
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| IEEE Software |
| IEEE Computer Society's magazine covering all aspects of software, including software engineering. |
| www.computer.org |
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| Free Downloads on ZDNet | Shareware, Trialware, Evaluation Software |
| ZDNet's Software Directory is the Web's largest library of software downloads. Covering software for Windows, Mac, and Mobile systems, ZDNet's Software ... |
| downloads.zdnet.com |
|
| FSF - The Free Software Foundation |
| Free software is a matter of liberty not price. Think of "free" as in "free speech". |
| www.fsf.org |
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| Apple - Software |
| Software products for your digital life. ... The perfect addition for professional review. QuickTime Broadcaster. Encoding software for live events. ... |
| www.apple.com |
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| Open Directory - Computers: Software |
| In Partnership with AOL Search. about dmoz | report abuse/spam | help. the entire directory, only in Computers/Software. Top: Computers: Software (38471) ... |
| dmoz.org |
|
| freshmeat.net: Welcome to freshmeat.net |
| About: The Web browser is probably the most frequently used software today, ... Web professionals can use the software for functional testing and regression ... |
| freshmeat.net |
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| Software - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF) |
| Listing of the GNU software packages. |
| www.gnu.org |
|
| Sun Software |
| Get enterprise-class software--Solaris 10 OS, the Java Enterprise System, ... Sun Java StorageTek Software reduces cost and complexity with a single, ... |
| www.sun.com |
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| Internet Real Estate.com -- owns and operates a portfolio of the ... |
| SOFTWARE.COM · SWEEPSTAKES.COM · PHONE.COM PODCAST.COM ... Software.com | Sweepstakes.com | Phone.com | Podcast.com | Shop.com | Safety.com ... |
| www.internetrealestate.com |
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| Joel on Software |
| A weblog by Joel Spolsky, a programmer working in New York City, about software and software companies. |
| www.joelonsoftware.com |
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| Amazon.com Software: Computer & video games, business, accounting ... |
| Online shopping for computer & video games, business & office productivity software, software from Microsoft, Apple, Adobe & more; accounting, antivirus, ... |
| www.amazon.com |
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| IBM Software - Home Page |
| IBM home page for all of its software products, including Lotus and Tivoli, with keyword search, category browse and AZ product names. |
| www.ibm.com |
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| Opera web browser: Homepage |
| Copyright © 2006 Opera Software ASA. All rights reserved. Skip navigation. Opera Software ... Copyright Opera Software ASA . All rights reserved. ... |
| www.opera.com |
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| Google Directory - Computers > Software |
| Search only in Software Search the Web ... Software Categorized by Letter: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ... |
| www.google.com |
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