phxsoul.com

Is Your Website Making Money for You? Have You Heard About Affiliate Marketing?

How many of you out there own a Website or a blog?

If so, I'm going to clue into a strategy that can help you earn extra money with VERY little work!

All you need is some basic HTML skills, some Web-savvy and a few extra hours per week to implement this strategy from the comforts of your home or office!

I know this sounds like a cheesy infomercial but please trust Mr. PhxSoul.com - this works! I would never try to sell my PhxSoul.com family into a multilevel marketing scam or anything like that!

OK here we go ...

If you have a Website or blog, there's a way for you to make unlimited income through a strategy called Affiliate Marketing. Affiliate Marketing is a partnership between companies that sell products/merchandise online and Website publishers (like yourselves).

The companies that sell products on the Internet constantly want "customers" to visit their Websites so they will buy, buy, buy! If no one is visiting their Websites, then they are losing money!!

In order to drive more "customers" to their Websites, these companies have to come up with creative ways and inexpensive ways to advertise!

That's where YOU the Website Publisher comes in! There are millions of Website Publishers and bloggers in the universe like you! Each one of you has blank space on your Web pages that could be used to advertise for other companies!

If you have some HTML skills and Web-savvy, you can take that blank space and quickly transform it into an area that can earn you a few extra dollars per month!

How??

You place a banner ad, a text link, a video, etc. that links to other Websites that are trying to sell products.

If one of your Website visitors clicks on the banner ad, a text link, a video, etc, and buys a product from the next Website, then YOU can get a COMMISSION!!

So how do you find these e-commerce Websites that want to advertise on your Website?

Through Affiliate Marketing Websites that feature dozens, if not hundreds of companies that want to advertise on YOUR Website.

To get started, you have to sign up for a FREE membership with major Affiliate Marketing Websites like:

• CJ.com
• MaxBounty.com (Currently offering a conditional $1,000 sign-up bonus for new publishers!)
• LinkShare.com
• Silvertree Networks
• Google AdSense
• FriendFinder.com

There are SO many Affiliate Marketing programs on the Web - I can't list them all!! When you visit any e-commerce Website (where you buy products online), do a quick search for an "Affliliates" link. Click on that to find out how YOU can make money by promoting that company's products and services from YOUR Website! You should NEVER have to pay for a membership with an Affiliate Marketing Website!

These Affiliate Marketing Website programs will require that you have a respectable number of visitors to your Website each month. Be prepared to fill out a form with your personal and Website information.

If you get approved by an Affiliate Marketing Website, then you'll just need to copy the HTML code for the advertising campaigns that will interest your traffic and paste the HTML code on your Website! You'll want to place the ads in HIGHLY VISIBLE areas on your Website so your visitors can see them! You can't make money if your visitors never see the ads!! The Affiliate Marketing Website programs mentioned above will provide you with tutorials.

I encourage you to do more research about Affiliate Marketing before you try it because there are people who have much more expertise than Mr. PhxSoul.com! Again, you should have some basic HTML skills and Web-savvy. If you do your homework, you could make some serious scrilla!

Most importantly, you should have YOUR OWN Website - some programs may allow you to use social media sites like Facebook.com, Twitter.com, etc., but for the most part, you need to have your own Website.

If you need any more proof that Affiliate Marketing works, it's been the main reason that PhxSoul.com has stayed afloat for the last three years!! Millions of Websites do this!

Best of luck to all you online entrepreneurs!!

 

Hang 10 in Central Phoenix at Hula's Modern Tiki

My wife and I literally stumbled onto a great new restaurant along the light rail in central Phoenix late last night after watching Chris Rock's "Good Hair."

We were driving around trying to find a new place to eat when we saw a spot near Camelback Road on Central Avenue that looked like it was jumpin'! My wife said, "Hey Big Poppa, let's check it out!" I love it when she calls me Big Poppa!

The restaurant is Hula's Modern Tiki, 4700 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ. Hula's has been open for a month and it strives hard to give you a little piece of Hawaii in the Valley of the Sun. Tiki statues are all over the place, photos, paintings of the ocean and surfers adorn the walls and Hula's has a great outdoor patio where you can sit by the fire pit and take in the Valley's great autumn, winter and spring weather. I love the unique architecture of the building - this is definitely not another cookie-cutter establishment! 

One of the things I love about most restaurants in central and downtown Phoenix is the fact they want to provide you with a memorable experience. They don't treat you like a "unit" to be rushed in and out so they can make the next buck! The owners and managers at these restaurants in central and downtown Phoenix usually have conversations with you and treat you like a human being who deserves to enjoy dining out after hard week at work! Dana Mule, the owner of Hula's, chatted with us for a while and seemed to genuinely appreciate our patronage.

As for the food ... I ordered the Bali Hai BBQ Ribs (couldn't resist) which comes with sweet potato fries and cole slaw and wifey ordered the Abalone Style Calamari at first. Unfortunately she didn't like the taste and our server let her order the Crispy Coconut Shrimp Rolls - which my wife enjoyed. My ribs were good and tender - they can't compare to Memphis- or North Carolina-style BBQ ribs - but I was pleasantly surprised. The slaw was just OK, but I cleared all of the fries off my plate. All in all, we'd give the food 3.5 out of 5 stars, but our bill was less than $35 so we will be coming back! 

Ultimately, I'd recommend Hula's Modern Tiki because the atmosphere is off tha chain! If you are going out with a big group of friends, Hula's is an ideal spot! People of all ages, backgrounds and marital statuses were in tha house! Everyone there seemed like they already knew each other or they were planning to get to know each other by the night!

The atmosphere was so live because Hula's has a tight DJ on Friday and Saturday nights! I didn't catch his name but my man was playin' Al Green, the O'Jays and a few other old-school R&B joints! The crowd was lovin' it!

For more info about Hula's Modern Tiki, please visit www.hulasmoderntiki.com. Tell Dana that PhxSoul.com sent ya!

Phoenix Resident Channel “Ms. Aflac” Powe … Determined to Succeed!

Editor’s Note: PhxSoul.com rarely features personal profiles but I was drawn to Channel Powe’s story because she is a sure-fire model of perseverance. As the owner of the Website, I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of people in the Valley of the Sun. Many of them are entrepreneurs (or wanna-be entrepreneurs) and I hope that they all succeed. However, I am personally rooting for Channel to achieve her ultimate goals. She works hard - I see her at just about every networking event hosted in the Phoenix area! She has endured many obstacles but somehow she manages to have a pleasant and welcoming attitude toward people and life. I hope you enjoy her story and I hope Channel inspires you to keep on keepin’ on!!

Channel “Ms. Aflac” Powe In Her Own Words …

I’m originally from Detroit, Michigan. I love the “D”, but as we know, with a sinking economy, I was ready for change. I was familiar with Phoenix because I did live here shortly as an adolescent. I would come back frequently to visit, and began to appreciate it here, the older I got.

My Aflac career began in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I was so excited to be a part of a winning team. Everything about it was fresh. I met my recruiter at a health fair, she was fabulous and I knew I could learn a lot from her. The only problem was that I lived 2 hours away. The commute was too much pressure and couldn’t work, with a single mom. Eventually, I asked to be transferred to a near by office.

The office was easier for me to get to, and with it being bigger; I was exposed to more about Aflac, and customer service. I just knew that I was going to have another great mentor, unfortunate, that was not the case. Being that I am so hungry, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. From that moment I knew I was going to have to use my resources and train myself.

As I sharpened my skills with Aflac, I decided to reach out to a local office, here in Phoenix. I was looking for a winning team. While on vacation, I met with a regional, which had me so excited to come join his team. I was a little hesitant, yet excited. After my trip, I sold everything and moved here within three months. I moved with 10 boxes and a dream. I gave up a lot of material things, knowing that we would have better and live an enriched life.

I hit the ball rolling here and knew of the sacrifice that I would endure, with no family, and no real support system. It was the right thing to do, to expose my son to a better life and to grow my career with Aflac. Three months after moving here, my entire office moved to Texas, because of our regional’s new position. I was alone, with no help from our state office, after numerous attempts to be placed with a stable winning team.

Four months went by and I finally was transferred, to Mesa, when I purposely moved directly around the corner from the old office. I stayed steadfast, and didn’t expect anything. My attitude remained positive and I continued to be a team player.

Three months later, my regional, again, was promoted to another state. My old office re-opened and I now use it as a resource.

What I’ve learned from this is that, all I have is me. I’m a self-motivator and possess all of the drive to succeed at Aflac. Though it is not easy, to say the least. I just can’t give up!

Three weeks after my moving here, I went downtown to reach out to the Greater Phoenix Black Chamber. Networking was something I had a desire to learn. I’ve heard others mention negative things about it; I knew there was an art behind it. I met with Ron Busby and he gave me some valuable information. From there, the ball was in my hand. I had to prove myself and welcome challenges.

I’ve now been apart of the GPBCC for almost two years now. I recently took a part-time position as Membership Director. This is something I do anyway; promote the chamber to minority small businesses. I knew what the chamber could do for them, as long as they participated, the recipicol would come.

I was also able to meet up with some great individuals to do some volunteer work. I helped out with the Miss Black Arizona Pageant, which is a fabulous event. Also, I volunteer for ESP First Fridays. I like to support my colleagues at their various events, as they know they can count on me. When it’s a good cause and I can help someone else, I’m all for it!

My main focus is my 9-year-old son. I was pleased to find his charter school on the Internet, which was located in our neighborhood as well. I established a great relationship with the school, and am a part of the PTA. We like to stay active, so we enjoy mountain hiking, sports complexes, art, science center, and he plays sports. We just ended track season, which lead him from state to state, ending up at the Junior Olympics in North Carolina. Football is now in full swing and occupies a lot of our time. There I network with other parents for fundraiser ideas to support our organization.

I look back on where I came from, and the direction I’m heading. I look at my child, and that motivates me to keep on going. He’s being exposed to so much positivity and diversity. It’s so amazing to us. I’m all my son has to look up to and I must show him that life will throw adversities your way, so what are you going to do about it? We came here on faith and as long as I trust in the God, I can do anything. I have to prove to myself that I’ll never give up until victory is mine that is why I live my life with NO excuses.

Channel can be reached at channel_powe@us.aflac.com or 313-646-7712.

New America Media Taps PhxSoul.com to Serve as an Environmental News Platform for African Americans in Phoenix

Two resounding themes in Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign were "change" and the "environment."

Historically, we haven't invested much energy in improving the quality of our air, land and water resources on Earth. Yes, many of us recycle and some of us have gone "green" in our homes and offices. But for the most part, you don't see too many African Americans getting involved with environmental issues of today.

I have to admit that I am one of those people who hasn't paid much attention to environmental topics. But I do know that if I want our planet to be a safe place to live for centuries to come, I and ALL African Americans must heed President Obama's message and change ...

In October 2009, PhxSoul.com took its first step toward to helping Phoenix's African American community become more educated and involved. PhxSoul.com was invited by New America Media to participate in a Summit on the Environment which featured ethnic journalists from the Southwest. New America Media is the country's first and largest national collaboration, representing more than 2,000 ethnic and youth news organizations. The Summit on the Environment was held at the Walter Cronkite of the Journalism at ASU's Downtown Campus in Phoenix.

During the morning session, PhxSoul.com, the Arizona Informant, Southwest Green and the African American Voice (Colorado) represented the black point of view regarding the environment. We discussed subjects ranging from racism, the Fisher Sand and Gravel air pollution problem in south Phoenix, and the need for more financial resources so we can devote more time to covering the environment. 

However, my main reality check from the Summit is that people throughout the nation see PhxSoul.com as a major gateway to the black community in Phoenix. Since we live in the fifth-largest city in the United States, we are an important market! Ultimately, New America Media wants PhxSoul.com to become a vital voice in its efforts to share Arizona's African American environmental news with the rest of the country. Therefore, PhxSoul.com has to work harder to get up to speed on this important subject. I encourage any local experts to contact PhxSoul.com so we can work together to effectively educate our people here. In the coming months, PhxSoul.com aims to publish more information that could impact your way of life from an environmental, economic, medical and/or political standpoint!

I hope PhxSoul.com readers embrace the emerging partnership with New America Media because there is so much for us to share with and learn from other ethnicities!