The Browser - September 2012 by Sola Akinfie

Casting the net

Beyonce`

ÂŁ10m

how much are you worth on ebay today

bartering online

random internet deals

anti-twitter

ÂŁ5.50

Russell Brand

Make some dotcom money

September Issue 2012

daily future

Editor’s Message Sola Akinfie

Putting the September issue together was fun. We looked further into best internet deals and all the goodies out there in cyberspace. There is a lot out there, so we’ve decided to make this a permanent feature. Again, if you - our valued readers - come across any good deal online, do pass it on to us so we can share it with others.

Managing Editor

We looked at what’s trending and what’s making a return - swapping and bartering are making a comeback. We got stuck in ourselves and boy, did we find an alternative economy! As always, enjoy this month’s issue.

Lou Akin

• Features Writer • • • • Tincuta Moscaliuc • Graphic Designer • • • Natalie Chandler • Staff Writer • • • Zachary • Saumanhalli Gaming Editor •

Nicola Johannson News Editor

Gary Hammond Art Director

Joanna Nicholson

Features Writer

DG Mouriato

Video Reviews

Dana Wades

Brandie Blackler

Contributor

Commercial Services Writers/Contributors Daniel Waite James Ellmann Thomas Hanson Helen Souza

august issue

Browser Business

Mediaworks Group www.thebrowsermagazine.com Contact us at:

info@thebrowsermagazine.com Reach Centrica Ltd London SE5 8QZ

The contents produced within this publication, and all others under the same trademark title are subject to copyright. Complete details are available from the publishers of Reach Centrica Ltd. All rights are reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or stored for retrieval without the prior consent of the publishers. The publishers do not accept responsibility for any views expressed in this publication.

Browser News eMagazine Shop eBookshop Viral Youtube Videos Daily Future Random Internet Deals Best 5 eBay Spoof Bartering Online Pinterest Anti-Twitter Fiverr.com Internet around the World Make Money with Tabsites Make Money with Hubpages

Browser News by Jo Nicholson

Gunman updates his Facebook status as he holds hostages in Denver Two crazed gunmen in Denver holed themselves up in a Radio Shack shop after a robbery went wrong. During a tense stand-off with police, the robbers allegedly held at least one person hostage inside the store, but rather than keeping their heads down and their identities unknown, one of the criminals had the bright idea of posting real-time status updates about their predicament for everyone to see on Facebook.... One of the robbers has been (rather too easily) identified as 19-year-old Taveuan Williams. Apparently, he posted regular status updates about their situation, and even shared a photo of the scene inside the store on the social networking site. Ain’t technology wonderful? The robbers ended up in the Radio Shack shop after trying to rob a Payday Loans store next door, but when police arrived on the scene they grabbed a hostage and ducked into the Radio Shack shop next door, firing a couple of wayward shops at the advancing police on their way in. Although slightly ridiculous, this story does have a bit of an emotional edge. The status updates he was posting went along the lines of “Swear to God, I’m gonna die”, and included requests for his friends to call him for last goodbyes. Aww....

Good value for money? With everyone feeling the pinch these days, it only makes sense to try and wheedle out those great deals and top buys to save the pennies here and there. Of course, we’ve all seen and heard of MoneySavingExpert and HotUKDeals, but is there room for another deal site in the great web of wonders? Of course! Meet two savvy UK mums, who have decided to set up a deal sharing site that is trying to be a bit more than just a, er, deal sharing site. It’s different, and actually a good idea. GoodValueForMoney.com brands itself a ‘social network for savvy savers sharing money saving tips, ideas, offers and deals’ (a catchy strapline if ever we heard one) and encourages visitors to share their tips and deals in a number of categories for all and sundry to see and share. Whilst the die-hard deal seekers will still flock to HUKD and the likes, this site offers something a little softer, a little more feminine, a little more fun. You might find some good deals and tips on here, such as info on how to become a mystery diner for top restaurants or which restaurant has the best deal on Pinot Grigio this weekend, but there are also some, err, interesting tips from the curators and visitors of the site.... We like the idea of using brown sugar and honey as a cheap (and sticky) body scrub (who would have thought?). Have a look at the site for yourself. Right now there aren’t too many posts on there so it’s easy to navigate. But with no search function and no real way to organise the posts, if it gets popular, it could get messy. www.goodvalueformoney.com

Spotify too goes social Popular music-streaming service Spotify is planning to launch a browser version of the service as part of their big revamp we’ve been waiting for this month. As well as allowing users to access their playlists and stream music directly from anywhere in the world, on pretty much any device, the move is hoped to allow people to find and follow others with similar tastes in music, and to help them discover new tunes and bands. It is rumoured that users will be able to tag friends or strangers as ‘influencers’ and get updates on what they are listening to so they can get into the grove with them. Hang on! This is starting to sound like a social network for music. Nooooooooo!

BitTorrent sharers – Big Brother is watching you Watch out, watch out, because there’s monitoring about – University of Birmingham researchers have discovered that people using BitTorrent file sharing sites are under pretty much constant supervision from monitoring services attempting to sort the legitimate users from the media pirates. The researchers found that within three hours of joining a ‘swarm’ to share a popular bit of content, users would be monitored by surveillance teams. Whilst this is nothing new (yes, pirate partners, you’ve been watched for over a decade now) this is the first time that copyright companies have been found to be using direct as well as indirect methods of monitoring, meaning people who are regularly infringing copyright laws will be quickly identified and prosecuted for their behaviour.

You have been warned!

Naughty Nokia and that photo If you haven’t seen this, you’ve obviously been far too busy trying to buy a knockoff iPhone 5 from China to have noticed the stir. It has caused something of an internet sensation this month – the Nokia ad that proved smartphone makers to be big fat liars spread like wildfire across the social networking neurons. To recap; the popular phone maker had launched a shiny new advertising campaign to accompany the launch of their shiny new handset, the Lumia 920. Having been squeezed out of the limelight by companies like Samsung, Apple and HTC over the past few years, Nokia had hoped that this phone might be the saviour that kept the company floating for a little while longer. However, when some eagle-eyed geek at The Verge tech site spotted a flaw in the plans of the Finnish phone maker, the world declared that this could be the finish of Nokia for good. What the viewer had spotted, in a bit of video footage claiming to have been taken on the new Lumia, was the distinct reflection of a cameraman holding a top-of-the-range digital SLR and actually shooting the footage with that. Naughty, naughty Nokia.

Facebook cracks down on fake ‘likes’ Have you ever pretended to like something when actually you didn’t? Well you shouldn’t; it’s insincere and rude. And to prove this point, Facebook is now spending some of its tens of dollars on weeding out the fake ‘likes’ on its pages. Their security guy – er, we mean ‘team’ – recently announced in a blog post that the company was investing at least 99 cents in improving their automated checking systems to make sure the ‘likes’ company pages got were actually from people who really do ‘like’ that company. We think we’ve found one they should check out as part of their early stages process; we seriously doubt that there are 935 people in the world who genuinely ‘like’ HMRC, so Facebook should find these fakers quick before they get upgraded to a fan page.

Botnet controller jailed A US hacker who thought he was Doctor Evil personified after taking control of over 72,000 PCs has at last been jailed for 30 months. Joshua Schichtel from Arizona had hijacked the computers using viruses and other nasty bits of software that automatically install themselves on the victim’s machine after they click a link or open an infected email. Infected computers can then be linked together in a virtual network to become a ‘botnet’. In most cases these powerful botnets are only used for sending out spam emails about penis enlargements or fake Rolexes, but in the worst case can be used by groups like our old friends Anonymous to perform DDOS attacks on websites, or other naughty shenanigans. Schichtel was the controller of thousands of infected PCs, but as he couldn’t really think of anything suitably evil to do with this control, he decided to sell the control to someone else, for the grand total of $1,500 (£939). A bit like some cold war spy exchange gone wrong, he was rumbled. Needless to say, Schichtel will look forward to having his access to PCs tightly guarded once he does finally emerge from prison.

Dutch teenager sentenced for murder following Facebook fight A 15 year old boy in the Netherlands, Jing Hua K, has received the maximum sentence a minor can get after stabbing a 16 year old girl and attempting to murder her father following an alleged fight on Facebook. Winsie and Polly had allegedly had a falling-out on Facebook, and some insulting comments had been made public between the two of them. Normal teenage behaviour, you would think, but that doesn’t take into account a rather over-protective boyfriend who happens to know a violent psychopath. During his trial it emerged that Hua had previously offered money to other teenagers to play with him, and that he suffered from a serious behavioural disorder. Polly’s boyfriend certainly recognised and took advantage of this, promising Hua the sum of €150 and to pop out for a ‘few drinks’ sometime as reward for this diabolical act. Hua will spend at least two years in a psychiatric facility for the murder, which is the maximum sentence allowed in the Netherlands.

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www.blinkbox.com Features

Youtube Favourites Nick Griffin dissected (From Cassette Boy)

A massive PR fiasco on question time. You almost feel sorry for the chap. Nick Griffin hasn’t done the BNP a favour by being available for interviews. This one was made for Youtube.

News taken out of context (From Cassette Boy)

News doesn’t have to be boring. Take at look at this clip as rioting fat cat bankers take to the streets. It gives new meaning to the words ‘bankers’ bonus’.

The Expendables

Law Abiding Citizen

Taken

Killers (2010)

Family favourites

Johnny English: Reborn The Smurfs Rent - ₤3.49

Buy - ₤10.99 ₤9.99

Kung Fu Panda 2

Labyrinth

Bond vs recession (From Cassette Boy)

This one is absolutely amazing. Imagine James Bond unable to buy top up credit. James bond seeking the Jobcentre on high tech gadgetry – pure class.

The one show finally speaks the truth (From Cassette Boy)

This one says it all – imagine if we all had the truth serum inflicted on us. A run through of real thoughts and opinion is priceless; this one gives you an idea.

Rent - ₤3.49

Rent - ₤2.49 ₤1.99

Free

The Commissioner

My Left Foot

Taxi to the Darkside

Twin Sisters

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iYoutube ral TV Special Offers

By Kofi Saunders Nick Griffin on Jeremy Kyle (By Navlight)

This just isn’t fair, the guy has been killed on YouTube twice over. This is one of the few times we can see Jeremy Kyle broadcasting an interesting view of a political cretin.

Dragons den gets naughty (From Cassette Boy) Rude

Some great script separation and timed edits on here. The videos are quite a funny mix and match. Debra Meaden is especially useful here.

Dragons Den - The looters pitch (From Jump off) Rude

Some great script separation and timed edits on here. The videos are quite a funny mix and match. Debra Meaden is especially useful here.

TV Collections Osama Bin Laden - You can’t touch this (from Daoudi)

His dearly departed would have to appreciate this one. The dancing and choreography is pretty close. We liked the supporting dancers strutting their stuff face scarves and turbans included.

Argos conundrum

Some customers you can’t please. Only God knows what planet they come from. The complaining chav is pure class. Watching this video really made us worry about the standard of education in the UK, my word!

Daily Future MICROSOFT’S BIOTECH September 20th, 2051

£500.00

Get bar-coded now

INFLICTS MAJOR CHANGES TO UK DISABILITY BENEFIT By Susan Modem

EASYROCKET FACES UNEASY

SECOND QUARTER LOSSES S

telios-backed space travel is possibly on the brink of closure as the galactic travel service is yet to show a profit in its third year of operation. Sources claim that the idea of no-frills space travel to Lunar4 and Butlins’ Martian colonies was facing Health & Safety issues, as well as anger at hidden charges in its booking system.

Spokesman David Thrifty dismissed claims that passengers’ complaints had reached an all-time high regarding the seating policies EasyRocket have adapted for their Mars travel routes. Their controversial introduction of compulsory hypersleep pods replaced the traditional recliner seating, allowing one rocket to carry up to 800 passengers – 500 more than before. Passengers have complained about being packed into spacesaving pods like chickens in a battery cage, the pods being stacked on three levels with no chance of window views during transit. EasyRocket also had a bad start with its retina booking system fiasco at designated spaceports; check-in staff have been branded as rude, ignorant and unhelpful when scans don’t book customers properly. David

here have been mixed reactions to Microsoft’s breakthrough technology to counter the growing number of questionable disability claims in the UK. Back in 2048, when the technology was used by the department of Work & Pensions, the new Secretary for Work & Pensions, Lord Alan Sugar, hailed the Biotech breakthrough a saviour of an ailing economy made up of far too many scroungers. Biotech MS is the new nano-chip technology that reads and monitors the all-round muscle activity of the user and can alert council officials to any irregularly demanding physical activity carried out by the wearer. This became a necessary process for the application for disability allowance in England and Wales. Whilst this seemed to have halved the number of processed applications, the announcement earlier this week that the process will now be extended to those receiving disability allowance since 2010 was met with serious outcry and resistance. Lord Sugar responded: ‘Those ******* can moan all they ******* want; we are determined to save £5 billion a year.’

Continued on page 9 O’Leary commented on being right to delay the introduction of Ryanairstyle no-frills space travel, suggesting that taking chavs on regular space trips was an unnecessary luxury. Said O’Leary: ‘Let’s not forget that they are more prone to flight rage.’ – imagine the danger.... EasyRocket has no immediate plans to return to the recliner seating plan, but reaffirmed their commitment to address its customer service issues.

GROOGLE DRIVERLESS BUSES I

BP mining fire

TO FACE COMPLETE SHUTDOWN By Daniel Lagg

he Google driverless bus seems to finally be on its way out, despite a further £300 million invested in modifications to the fleet. One incident too many has prompted a rethinking of future of mass transportation in the city of London. Since its introduction way back in 2035, it’s had teething problems that spelled future disaster. ‘It has been deemed a complete waste of taxpayers’ money.’, says shadow transport secretary Paula Torque, who went on to list a number of shortcomings with the driverless scheme; fare dodging, loutish damage to the buses – not to mention youths trying to grab control of the bus –, unexplained engine shutdowns, and the higher running costs per bus. The idea was borrowed from the DLR train system which seemed to have worked with relatively higher efficiency. Mayor Russell Brand admitted that the issue of fare-dodging defeated the revenue-generating purpose of the buses. People found it an easy process to use fake Oyster cards to activate doors, with some

simply following a card swiping passenger close behind to hop onto the buses without the prepaid fare. In the latest incident near Victoria station, 12 passengers – including a pregnant woman – got stuck for 2 hours when the bus they were on refused to stop at any of the designated stops, and circumnavigated its inner city routes before coming to a stop when its fuel was completely spent. Another incident occurred when Bus 27 from New Cross jumped a series of traffic lights in order to meet its pre-programmed estimated time of arrival. This resulted into a collision with a Tesco delivery van, leaving the driver paralysed from waist down. Former-mayor and now PM Boris Johnson got stuck between the doors of a driverless bus whilst presiding over the launch event of the buses themselves. The performance and reliability of the buses has worsened since then. It will cost a further £100 million to decommission the scheme and get more drivercontrolled buses back on the road.

threatens lunar village n the second week after the BP gas explosion and airlock rupture at Field L1, at BP’s Mineral & Oil Exploration Centre, there is a growing fear of fires spreading to the connected air pipelines for the Disney Space Hotels & Resort centre. The catastrophe was blamed on BP’s over-zealous quest for oil and gas exploration. Conclusive independent reports will reveal shocking details of the lapses in BP’s safety measures and drilling protocols. Energy minister William Pipes has promised huge financial penalties to come, insisting that the desperate need for new oil and gas sources is no excuse for cavalier exploration, especially taking into account the close proximity to Lunar leisure facilities. Disney Space Hotels have already begun legal proceedings against the energy giant, as mass evacuations of Lunar tourists are running at a cost of 50 million PayPal credits per day.

Childbearing licence

to be redrafted

e-appointed Home Office secretary Theresa May has voiced her agreement over government proposals to make changes to the current childbearing laws marshalled by the compulsory licence. Pressure groups such as Spring4th have made significant progress working with the inner-city communities of Southwark and Essex, who have voiced their outrage at the licence criteria. Said Mary Tit: ‘The draconian criteria to qualify for the de-sterilization process in view of child birth is an unfair means to completely wipe out the gene pool of the un-educated or work-shy.’ She argued that the written examinations were designed to alienate those who struggle to read and write in any language, and that leaving school at age 15 should never be reason enough to label individuals as unqualified parents. The government finally bowed to continuous cries for reform, and have offered to remove education as one of the conditions for obtaining the licence. They have, however, completely refused to entertain any suggestions of lowering the starting age below 22 years. Or to qualify anyone from Romford, Croydon, or the entire county of Essex.

O’ LEARY SAYS CHECK IN WITH RETINA SCANS, NO PRINTED TICKETS NEEDED

More politics Blair condemns

new biography film

Mugabe in the Big

Brother house

Boris Johnson won’t quit as PM

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Includes 18-55mm wide-angle Nikon lens.

Bike SpokeLit

www.next.co.uk

www.firebox.com Shock and weather resistant. 150 hours replaceable batteries (included).

£7.99

£60

www.woolworths.co.uk

£39.00

Green Nature Resort and Spa Hotel www.travelrepublic.co.uk

Green Nature Resort & Spa is located in Marmaris, close to Marmaris Castle and Marmaris Museum.

from £19

e d c b a f a e

Fujifilm Finepix S2980 14MP Digital Camera Lens Type: Fujinon Colour: Black Optical Zoom: 18X Screen Size: 3.0 inches Free delivery.

£119.99

ca meras

laptops

men’s shoes

jackets

www.comet.co.uk

Nikon Coolpix S4200 16MP Digital Camera

Lens Type: Nikkor Colour: Red Optical Zoom: 6X Screen Size: 3.0 inches Free delivery.

£189.99 £89.99

Nikon Coolpix S4200-B 16MP Digital Camera

Lens Type: Nikkor Colour: Black Optical Zoom: 6X Screen Size: 3.0 inches Free delivery.

£179.99 £89.99

Canon EOS 1100D Red Bundle Kit

Lens: Not included Colour: Red Optical Zoom: 3X Screen Size: 2.7 inches.

£509.99 £364.99

digital cameras

FASHION FOOTWEARCLUBWEARFOO

ebookers.com dress4less. com boohoo.com asos.com firebox.com amazon.com ebay.com Nikon L810 Blue 16MP Digital Camera

Lens Type: TBC Colour: Blue Optical Zoom: 6X Screen Size: 6.7 inches Free delivery.

£289.99 £189.99

jackets 5 best value for money

women’s jackets

w w w. z a l a n d o . c o . u k

Anna Field Blazer - Black

Vero Moda Kasabien Blazer - Blue

Vero Moda Blazer - Black

Morgan Blazer - Black

Le Temps Des Cerises Light Jacket - White

Fastening: Button fastening; Outer fabric material: 89% Viscose, 9% Polyacrylic, 2% Spandex.

Fastening: Button fastening; Outer fabric material: 98% Cotton, 2% Spandex.

Collar type: Lapel collar; Outer fabric material: 82% Polyester, 16% Wool, 1% Polyamide, 1% Polyacrylic.

Fastening: Zip fastening; Material filling: 100% Polyester; Outer fabric material: 100% Nylon.

Free delivery.

£50.00

£37.00

£89.00

£60.00

w w w. z a l a n d o . c o . u k

men’s jackets

Gaastra Vaugn Outdoor Jacket - Brown

Canterbury Winter Jacket - Blue

Jack & Jones Tim Winter Jacket - Grey

Selected Homme Light Jacket - Grey

Benetton Suit Jacket - Blue

Fastening: Zip fastening; Material filling: 100% Polyester; Outer fabric material: 100% Nylon.

Fastening: Button fastening; Lining: 100% Polyester; Outer fabric material: 100% Nylon;

Fastening: Zip fastening; Material filling: 100% Polyester; Outer fabric material: 100% Cotton.

Fastening: Button fastening; Lining: 100% Polyester; Outer fabric material: 50% Wool, 50% Polyester.

Fastening: Button fastening; Lining: 100% Cotton; Outer fabric material: 98% Cotton, 2% Spandex.

Free delivery.

£180.00

£95.00

£125.00

£120.00

£105.00

laptops & men’s footwear 5 best value for money

w w w. l a p t o p s d i r e c t . c o . u k

5 laptops

Acer Aspire 5349 Windows 7 Laptop Screen size: 15.6 in Processor: Intel Celeron 1.6 GHz RAM: 4 GB Hard Drive: 640 GB Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).

Packard Bell EasyNote TS45 Windows 7 Laptop

Samsung NP305E7A Windows 7 Laptop

Fujitsu Lifebook AH530 Windows 7 Laptop

Screen size: 15.6 in Processor: Intel Celeron 1.6 GHz RAM: 4 GB Hard Drive: 320 GB Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).

Screen size: 17.3 in Processor: AMD A Series 1.5 GHz RAM: 6 GB Hard Drive: 750 GB Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).

Screen size: 15.6 in Processor: Intel Pentium 2.13 GHz RAM: 2 GB Hard Drive: 320 GB Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).

£491.97 £259.97

£538.97 £399.97

£384.97 £269.98

£438.90 £289.97

Asus X53Z Windows 7 Laptop Screen size: 15.6 in Processor: AMD DC Accelerated 1.9 GHz RAM: 6 GB Hard Drive: 500 GB Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).

£408.00 £279.99

www.soletrader.co.uk

5 men’s shoes

Sole Ningbo Shoes

Sole Guan Shoes

Sole Nanjing Shoes

Kenzo Lucky Shoes

H by Hudson Massin Shoes

Upper material: Leather; Sole material: Rubber.

Upper material: Leather; Sole material: Leather.

Upper material: Leather; Sole material: Synthetic.

Free delivery.

£59.99

£64.99

£139.99 £99

£94.99 £49

Buy | My eBay | Sell | Customer Support |

Basket

Cheryl Cole Item condition:

Slightly worn, questionable singing voice but otherwise great at miming. Suitable for celebrity home.

Product description:

Great dimples, bit too skinny. Northern lass with shifty accent.

Starting bid:

£500

Current bid:

£100

£2000

Postage:

Chauffeur-driven Merc only.

Delivery:

Estimated between 1-2 working days.

Payments: Returns:

| See payment information May consider.

Kerry Katona Item condition:

Variable weight, alcohol-fuelled, 110% chav, works best in Columbian climates.

Product description:

Brink of insanity, very much worn at the edges, career on free fall.

Starting bid:

£1.50

Current bid:

£0.40

£20

Postage:

Free (Seller will happily deliver to your door.)

Delivery:

Estimated between 1-2 hours on the M25.

Payments: Returns:

Buy Kerry, get Colleen Nolan FREE.

| See payment information Definitely no returns accepted.

Jessica Ennis Item condition:

Pre-owned by Team GB. In great shape, as new; runs on national pride and self-belief.

Product description:

Absolutely gorgeous. Top draw stuff. Human equivalent of a Lamborghini Gallardo.

Starting bid:

£5m

Current bid:

£10m

Sorry, item is priceless

Postage:

Not applicable (She isn’t going anywhere.)

Delivery:

Not applicable

Payments:

Not applicable

Returns:

You can’t return what you don’t have.

Top-rated seller

The Browser Magazine 100% Positive Feedback

Consistently receives highest reader ratings Dispatches info quickly Has earned a track record of excellent service

Usain Bolt Item condition:

Self-owned. In near new condition; un-bruised ego.

Product description:

Lean, mean and downright cocky. Runs on Jamaican rum.

Starting bid:

£15m

Current bid:

£20m

£30m

Postage:

Will sprint to buyer.

Delivery:

19.2 seconds

Payments: Returns:

| See payment information Will incur a 30% selling price penalty.

Sarah Ferguson Item condition:

Pre-owned as Royal dish cloth. A bit frumpy and battered, devoid of packaging.

Product description:

Freckled ex-Royal with links to great air miles, works well with toe-sucking.

Starting bid:

£0.02

Current bid:

£0.01

£0.20

Postage:

Free. Seller will deliver personally.

Delivery:

Seller delivers immediately. (US buyers especially welcome.)

Payments:

Any way that’s quicker, we don’t care.

Returns:

Any return requests will incur a £1000 fine.

Includes £50 cashback.

M25 Item condition:

Slight state of confusion, tends to work slowly in peak hours (always). Creaking at the seams but getting there.

Product description:

Orbital traffic maze, complete with money-making speed cameras.

Starting bid:

£5m

Current bid:

£10

£7m

Postage:

Get there yourself, duh!

Delivery:

Undetermined

Payments: Returns:

Buy M25, get London bus lanes FREE.

| See payment information No returns

Gordon Brown Item condition:

Pre-owned by Labour. Tired and dishevelled. Media- battered but still croaking.

Product description:

Short-tempered and grey. Does not run on charisma. Tax-enabled.

Starting bid:

Fiver

Current bid:

£3.50

£8.50

Postage:

Will self-commute.

Delivery:

3-5 working days.

Payments: Returns:

200% cashback for all overseas buyers.

| See payment information Absolutely no returns. Not now, not never!

Olympic Stadium

Item condition:

Pre-owned by London tax-payers. Great show piece, almost new, located in dodgy area.

Product description:

Multi-acre world class sports facility, tax-payer-fuelled, short life span.

Starting bid:

£700m

Current bid:

£???

£800m

Postage:

Owner re-locates.

Delivery:

At owner’s discretion.

Payments:

None

Returns:

No returns.

THE ONLINE BARTER

RETURNS by Nicola Johanssen

Using your skills to get stuff, or the reverse.

Bartering online seems to have resurrected, due to the economic downturn or possibly the attitude to share, which has taken off thanks to social networks. Whatever the case, the early players have modified the way bartering – or item swapping – works, and we seem to be buying into it with renewed vigour.

rom the proliferation of sites trying to give things away, such as Freegle, to the population explosion of little cottage industries giving rise to sites like Folksy and Etsy, the sense of community is back on the streets, and we are loving it on this side of Europe! Aside from this, there is a new kid on the block in our social and community circles; rising in popularity faster than Jedward’s hair before an interview, online bartering is fast reinventing its way into our time online. Sites have sprung up all over the web where you can find people to help you get things done, from household chores to business functions, but unlike the freelance phenomenon these people don’t want paying. Instead they want a favour from you in return. It’s not a new trend online, in fact it’s been around for over ten years, but it never really took off beyond the potential around it. That was then, this is now. Various websites have repackaged how the service is delivered and have now fashioned the idea into a workable process that encourages greater usage. Bartering has its roots deep in British history. Back before money was widely used, the currencies our ancestors would trade in were skills, handicrafts and produce. Whilst the modern bartering marketplace seems a little less crude than “Wanted: one jug of milk; Offered: six eggs” the principle is the same.

Thanks to the internet, we are no longer limited by geographical location or social circle, and can instead offer our services to a wide array of people from every corner of the globe.

Bartering Bonkers

Bartering online can be fun and useful, and there are almost no barriers to what can be exchanged. There have been stories of strange and bizarre barter bids, especially in the good old US of A. Some result in serious misadventure.... Two married men from Arkansas USA took it to another level. Hell’s Angels recruit Joe Brimmer, and Ed Gaines – a neighbour – got talking through the forums of one of the popular barter websites. Discussing how far they could get this bartering gig to go, they discussed the state of their married life, and both agreed they needed some sort of release. Ed then proceeded to post a barter; “I need to refresh my boring sexual activity within my marriage, I will be happy to offer my wife for sexual activity in exchange for a mutual session with your wife”. He then sent an invite to his new buddy Joe. Within 2 hours of the posting, 28 other members had sent their bids with the same conditions. Ed decided to take the offer of someone else who was nice enough to add a picture of his buxom misses. Trouble was, Ed forgot to discuss this weird barter with his wife beforehand. An argument ensued and Ed was slung out of the trailer park home. In conclusion, Joe Brimmer ended up shaking up with Ed’s wife, the winning bidder ended up with Joe’s wife and angry Ed shot himself in the communal lavatory.

www.U-Exchange.com Certainly a popular bartering site across the pond, and fast becoming one of the biggest and best in the UK, U-Exchange (or U EX to its fans) offers a world of possibilities for trading. Wannabe barterers can advertise their swaps in great detail, including pictures and links, and can state what they are willing to take in return. One of the biggest plusses of this particular platform is the search and find functions; users can search for listings locally by selecting their county, which

is great if you are looking for large items that will require collection. It is also possible to search by keyword for either offers or wanted. This makes it really easy to find people offering the things you need, or indeed the people who want the stuff you have. The site even has dedicated sections for home swaps and forum-style discussion boards to help people flesh out their bartering offers. You do need to pay a registration fee of £9.99 to join the site, although you can browse the offers and asks for free. For the UK boards, there are a lot of home swaps in the offering, although some of the major cities have a greater variety of barters available. London in particular has a great variety of offers, and from this board we quite fancied a tan leather armchair in exchange for some carpentry work on a table, or 12 personal training sessions in exchange for redesigning a website.

www.BarterBuddies.co.uk

This is a UK-dedicated site that is still in its early days, but promises to be a fairly good bartering platform. Users sign up and search for companies or individuals offering what they need, and then get in touch with the member in question to offer something back. It makes it a little more hit-and-miss than other sites where people state exactly what they want, but if you have a good product or service on offer then you never know.... A number of ‘offers’ appear to be little more than gratuitous advertising of businesses, particularly in IT and printing-related services. However, many of the bartering businesses do state that they are willing to consider any exciting offer of a swap, so if you have a good skill or some unwanted gadget to trade you could end up with a pretty sweet deal. The membership costs £15 per year, but the first three months are free, so there is plenty of opportunity to try out the service and see if it works for you before you have to pay anything.

Share and share alike

Really, we should not be surprised that bartering is experiencing this great rise in popularity. After all, the internet has really led us to share and collaborate for over a decade now. We share status updates, photographs and news; we share files, music and information. Now we have the ability to

share our skills and knowledge so that others may share with us. Small businesses and start-up companies can really tap this market to great advantage. A content writer will find it far easier to supply 10 quality articles in return for a well-designed website than they would to raise the cash, and a graphic designer would find it much more appealing to put a brochure together for an accountancy firm in return for getting their books done, than they would forking out a substantial amount for the same service. As Aesop once said, “United we stand, divided we fall”, or was that the Brotherhood of Man? Anyway, the sentiment rings as true right now as it did back then, and online bartering offers everyone a chance to work together for the common good. Hey! Exchange is no robbery, right?

visual

sayings

Our favourite collection of pinned words on the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest cork board. Got a few words of wisdom or truth? Then pin your own or someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s you agree with...

Funny pictures

Some are real, some are works of digital talent, but they are all fun in pictures. Pin your own funny pictures and letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s see if they get the vote!

e h c a r e #twitt +

by sola akinfie

Diary of a

techophobe

Don Power @donpower

A tweet so nice, I’m postin’ it twice:

Al Yankovic @alyankovic

Didn’t see anybody famous sitting in First Class. If this plane crashes, I am TOTALLY getting the headline!

Doyin Adeyemo @DoyinakaLyricaL

#WhenIHaveKids..imma give them outrageous names as a humbling mechanism..my little princess will be StarScream.. and my son, Optimus Prime.

or the life of me, I just couldn’t understand the need for this Twitter craze. Why would I want to inform God-knows-who about what I am feeling, or what I shoved down my throat for lunch? Anyhow, let’s just say I cannot ignore the Twitter activity any longer - the nature of my work now demands its use.

Signing up to the fish bowl After completing the sign-up, I read a section that suggests finding interesting people to follow. I ask you; who could be remotely interesting that uses this Twitter thing? Find my friends? What is this? I know my friends’ phone numbers and where they live; they’re not lost. In any case, they’re all on that other one - Mybook or Facething, I think. I see another suggestion: invite friends to Twitter? I’m actually supposed to do this by email or phone... why? I’m confused even more, still struggling to understand the relevance of this Twitter thing when the Facebook thingee already has a posting area called “the wall” where you can post everything you’re up to, as many times as you want; so, equally jobless virtual friends can see it and make equally useless comments. Some folk are actually using their phones to post messages on Twitter whilst they’re on the bus on their way home.

Thou shalt not share

As I reluctantly delve further into this Twitter lark, I try to familiarize myself with the functions by clicking on “recommended tweeters”. Why would I want to connect with Josh - a biker vicar in Cardiff - or Joey Essex, some numpty off the telly? I read once that an auctioneer got robbed when he sent tweets with pictures of him enjoying his short break in Malta his home got robbed the next day. He was even so considerate as to mention his latest acquisition, an antique Chinese clock sitting in his kitchen pantry. Aww, bless....

Celebrities get out of here In my attempt to find something remotely interesting, I take a peek into a celebrity’s Twitter page. It says I can only see more details when I get personal permission. What’s the point in having to seek permission to follow an account, and what is following a tweet anyway? Is it going somewhere? How do I know I’ve caught up with it? Confused even more about the ”following” bit, I’ve clicked on the link of some blonde celebrity with unusual mammaries and car-crash make-up, I think she’s called Katherine or Katie Jordan or something. She doesn’t look like she can string two sentences together, not sure what she does for a living, but it says she has over 200,000 followers, but only 800 are following. What in Heaven’s name does this mean? Does it mean the account holder selects a certain amount of jobless followers to keep following her in the real world each day? I can imagine the daft lot traipsing behind her as she ambles along with some poor pooch stuck in that hideous handbag the size of a house. Who are these people? Where does she find the time to select the next 450 followers for the next day? - am I missing something here? One would have to be seriously famous to get that many followers. With my luck, the only followers I’m likely to get is myself, chasing my own tail. There’s another link - “Tell people what’s happening in the world”. Duh, watch BBC News. Do the Twitter people pay you for your contribution to world news? Is there some sort of benefit here? Celebrity tweets - don’t get me started with that lot - you get a sad bunch of people posting tweets on celebrities’ pages, begging for a response. I’m seeing thousands of followers begging to be part of her life, making suggestions as if they have been life-long friends. Newsflash, tweeters - the half-hearted responses are made by Jackie the PR intern on behalf of your dear celebrity, as services included from her management and PR reps. The darling hasn’t been on Twitter before or after her session at the rehab centre. It’s great for celebrity marketing, but for the love of God, drooling over the prospect of a personalised response is fandom gone daft. I moved on!

Relevant to whom? I’m seeing more Twitter characters as I delve into links. No one’s really interested in how good you thought your bacteria-infested kebab you had in Shoreditch last night was, or what Kerry Katona didn’t do next, Heaven help us. It’s a whole load of boring data, and we are made to feel ancient for not getting on board. I’ll stick to my Linkedin account, thank you very much. Another

bit that annoys and confuses me are these options to re-tweet: re-tweets by you, your tweets retweeted... That’s when I gave up. I’d have another shot at it in a year’s time. Even that’s in doubt, as I realised politicians are tweeting like mad. That’s all I needed - I can imagine David Cameron - Pimm’s in one hand and the other hand on his keyboard-tweeting for all he’s worth while the country is keeled over with cuts to everything in sight.

Kristen Schaal @kristenschaaled

Phylis from the Office and myself are at a strip club together. For real.

Akari Leigh @AkariLeigh

I’d let Chris Brown beat me up anytime ;) #womanbeater

Christina Applegate @1capplegate

preggo share..woke up from nap,said “I need pizza“ went back to nap, woke 30 min later, ate said pizza, went back to nap..

Bobak F.

@tweetsoutloud

NASA Insider Secret: We actually practice those really awkward high fives you see in the landing video.

Do anything for a By Andy Hargreaves The internet is awash with the weird and the wonderful. People can sell anything for any amount – it’s an open playing field for all. fiverr.com is a place where normal and weird folk alike ply their skills as a trade for, yes – a fiver. We had fun just trying out this website. A brilliant concept in the face of the current economic climate, it’s bizarre and very useful at the same time. Fiverr.com is a US website with UK slang for a

name. It’s been around since 2010; the creation of Micha Kaufman and co-founder Shai Wininger, who saw a gap in the freelance market taking advantage of the economic downturn. It started as a fun way to keep people busy, or a place where unusual tasks can be bought or sold for a small fee. As far as buyer/seller activity goes, it’s huge; a rapidly-growing base of more than 600,000 service gigs. Fiverr.com gets a generous amount of visiting traffic from the sheer awkward mix of gigs being sold. There are lots of YouTube intros that are simply mind-boggling. Need someone to do your homework for a fiver? You’ve got it. Need someone to make a video apology to someone? You’ve got it. Fiverr.com takes a $1 cut from a $5 gig so it’s, er, $4 actually.

How does it work? – Quick Job offers are referred to as gigs. This means that what is on offer fits into the $5 bracket. It’s seen as a good way to start a service – why not make it a fiver a time to get your feet wet? Some sellers move on to the other known freelancer websites to ply their trade in a more, should we say, professional presentation with a fee closer to the going rate, about ten times more. As a buyer you go through various categories and can even suggest a job to a seller that seems to be offering a related service. It works well because services offered can be fun or bizarre. Imagine a popular TV character narrating a humorous Happy Birthday message to your loved one, all done over a 60 second video, complete with animated background, for such a small fee. It beats a birthday card a hundred times over.

Recently Kaufman and his lot decided to make the fiver gig more feasible by allowing a mechanism where gigs can be sold in multiple slots. Simply named “Gig Extras”, these make more sense to the seller, as it can be a bit weird trying to sell a valuable service for a fiver within an hour, which is the typical wording that follows gigs. So now a job that could take up to 10 hours can be purchased in slots of 10 or more to get closer to a decent reward for a job done. It is populated by strange gig offers such as “I will listen to your boring life story for a fiver” or “I will advertise your website on my belly for a fiver”. Gigs Extra also has its downside for the uniqueness of the website - it’s looking a bit too realistic now, and has lost its wow factor as it’s clear that most buyers of gigs will not be getting all they want for a fiver. There is a danger that Fiverr. com may become like the rest of the freelancer websites, ‘though others are joining in the hourly gig idea with similar options on their own websites.

The weird & funny I will make a video rant telling your recipient I had their kid for $5 Now this lady has to be a professional actor. She has just the voice to deliver your prank. Even her gig instructions to the buyer have that bunny boiler voice for good measure. Wish there was a British version.

I will write you a zombie escape plan for $5 You may laugh at the absurdity of the idea, but seller Dianak has made quite a bit of money based on the sheer madness of the service.

I will promote your business yelling details whilst juggling a chainsaw for $5 Talk about risky business, the Health & Safety department would be furious with this one. We pray this provider doesn't get too many jobs for his own sake.

I will deliver your message as a Nun for $5 What will they think of next! This nun feels her gig has all the wit and charm to get your message through. The Pope would be proud.

The brilliant & useful I will create a Christopher Walken birthday message to your friend or family for $5 An uncanny resemblance in voice likeness with a little help from Snoop Dogg Lion. You pay a bit extra for the message delivered on the said day.

I will create a custom video animation for your business for $5 This seller delivers a great animation service in 2D or 3D. The sound added works quite well and there is an offer on different themes, complete with your logo looking like something out of a blockbuster intro clip.

I will deliver your birthday or business message in any of The Simpsons character voices for $5 We honestly don’t know what Chris Hardy is doing on Fiverr.com; this chap is a genius. He’s been on a few chat shows showcasing his talent, and this extends to other popular adult cartoons such as King Of The Hill and Family Guy.

I will remotely fix your computer, professionally remove viruses, and optimise your PC for $5 Sounds weird but it’s true. This seller from India is a level two seller, and has been used and tested with great results. Your computer can get a full servicing without leaving the home. The cheeky seller offers a queue jump for an extra $10.

Is it a scam? - It’s definitely not a scam, as absurd as the price for a gig may appear. Fiverr.com has received its own fair share of skepticism and negative reviews, but it soon becomes clear how it works. Most jobs don’t end with the seller offering a gig and earning just a fiver; your job is delivered in blocks of $5. It’s true that there is no skills test or real endorsement of the sellers except for seller ratings or levels, and those’re based on how many gigs you’ve sold without a buyer screaming for your blood. Some people have had their fingers bitten in the process, with shoddy work delivered. This is most common with writing gigs, or social network assistance; you simply don’t get quality material usually on a cumulative $10 spend. As the saying goes – ‘’if you pay peanuts you get monkey work’’. Buyers would happily forego $5 in a sort of trial to see what quality of work can be achieved by a particular seller. This would be the best way to test the waters in finding a great gig with good value for money. How to make money from fiverr.com - Offer extras by extending the gig offer or adding services related to additional skills you may have. It adds up and actually makes gigs for a fiver sound quite realistic in terms of earning potential.

If you become a top seller, don’t be shy to offer queue-jumper options. This way, it becomes a sale to the highest bidder, in a manner of speaking. Build your own team – there’s nothing wrong in outsourcing work to others who have the skills you don’t have. Set your price and split the proceeds, but make it an added gig to your portfolio only if you understand that particular service. Some sellers don’t mind this as long as they are making a decent amount of more work to fill the idle time. It’s all about how you sell a service. To get more hits in gig requests, consider having your service listed in multiple categories. With a bit of thought on how and under what uses a job can be useful for, you can rewrite the gig details to fit another category. Don’t forget, you can use social networks to advertise your gig pages. Should work well on Facebook and Twitter. Visit Fiverr.com and order a gig today, even if it’s just for laughs. Better yet, set yourself up as a seller, you never know....

w o

e t

t e

B y DG Mour iato

The world wide web has so much to offer, and we tend to regularly surf around regional websites for shopping, news and leisure. There is so much out there besides popular UK and US websites. take a peek at a few of good ones.

www.helterskelter.in

www.electrocity.co.nz

www.grapevine.is

India is more than just Bollywood and spiritual gurus, and Helter Skelter is an online Indian magazine which offers a different insight into Indian alternative culture and society. It takes its readers on a journey to discover a different, fresher and newer side of this beautiful country, rather than the typical Western media stereotypes we’re used to. Helter Skelter’s content ranges from books and film reviews, to music and food interviews, to photography and human interest pieces.

Electrocity is a website from New Zealand which allows its users to play a game in which they can build in New Zealand. A player names his own city and then starts building and prospecting, but growth must be balanced with the environment; if not things can grow grim. It is a kind of Sim City, but environmentally conscious. In fact, one of the main objectives of the game is to keep resources, energetic needs and the environment in equilibrium, and shows us that it is not as easy as it may seem.

The Reykjavik Grapevine is an Icelandic magazine and website that explores life, entertainment and travel in Iceland. The Reykjavik Grapevine is a freely distributed printed alternative magazine which is mirrored by the website. The website is great for all of those who would like to know more about Iceland or are planning to visit the country.

An example of one of these human interest pieces is an article called Days of Being Wild, beautifully written by Siddharta Lal. Days of Being Wild tells us of the profound effect of summer in India, which, according to the author, is the season of dreams. But more important than dreaming is the vivid account of life in Indian summer; how couples in love, shy away from public sights, or how boys play cricket on the roads until the Sun goes down. Helter Skelter is a great magazine for those who would like to (re)discover India, and to read more about what is happening in that great country.

So I start a new game and started building the city of Browserville, a small town in the beautiful New Zealand countryside, and at first things seem to go smoothly. Money increases, I create a farm, create a few power plants – including a wind farm. I also build a coal mine, and an airport and ski field so I can attract tourism. Well, my environment meter isn’t that bad but still, everyone seems to be unhappy in my little town. After 107 turns I hit bankruptcy. How was this possible? I just don’t know. But I shall try again – Browserville will become the nation’s capital.

The site has many types of articles, from politics to lighter subjects like art, music and travelling advice, like where to find a place to stay. It features several interviews with Icelandic artists and lists concerts and available expositions. Several articles are about curious things in Iceland, like the Ten Mundane Things You Can’t Really Do in Iceland. In this funny article we can learn that in Iceland it is illegal to wear boxers or panties with the Icelandic flag on them, that parents can’t give their kids embarrassing names and that food with more than 2% fat is banned from the country. If you’re looking to travel to Iceland or are just curious about the country of Björk and Sigur Rós, this is the website to go to.

www.satwcomic.com

www.godtower.com

www.pambazuka.org

Scandinavia and the World is an online comic that portrays the relationship of the three Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Denmark and Norway) with the rest of the world. In these comics, each character represents a country, and the relationship between them translates into how countries see each other and how they deal with their differences.

What is the God Tower? Above all, it is one of the greatest challenges available on the internet. It is a mystery game where every level is a riddle. The first two levels are quite simple and deliver a false hope that the challenges are simple to overcome. But don’t despair, at level three the God Tower starts to show its true colours, and every challenge is more complex than the previous one.

It isn’t always easy to navigate through the rough seas of African politics and society. For those who would like to understand them better, Pambazuka News is the place to go. Pambazuka News is a weekly newsletter published since 2000 which is mainly concerned with African politics and human rights. Its feature articles usually offer a different perspective on important issues like gay and women’s rights, democracy and dictatorial regimes, migration, and refugees.

The content is usually quite funny and light, and offers a deeper reflection on how countries and cultures are different from each other, and the problems that might arise from these differences. Sweden is portrayed by a blond intellectual with huge glasses while Denmark just thinks about beer and parties, with Norway trying to make the bridge between the two. England is aristocratic and the USA is a bully. Many other countries appear on occasion, from an Australian Assange to the pretty, power-hungry Italy.

How does it work? In every level there are one or two images in which reside clues to a password. Each password takes us to the next level where another coded password awaits. On the first level a world map is shown to us with an airplane on a specific point, and under the image there is a reference to a GMT time. The solution? If you insert the name of the place where the plane is, the doors will open to another level. The God Tower is an amazing game that can be played online, on a computer or on an iPhone. Just give it a try.

One example is the article An African Reflection on Tahrir Square, written by Mahmood Mamdani, which provides a different interpretation of the events of Tahrir Square in Egypt in February. It gives an account on how these events resonated in Africa and how they were influenced by previous African revolutions. Pambakuza News is available in English, French and Portuguese, and has received several awards since it was founded.

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MAKE SOME HUB MONEY AS A REGULAR WRITER by jane ryder Hubpages.com was launched out of a garage in California, USA, and has been around since 2006. It’s a portal where any writer, from a complete amateur to a professional, can post a story, review or article on any subject and get paid from ads placed around their written material. If you can put together really interesting material and dedicate some time to it, then you're on your way to a passive but humble income.

n HubPages.com there are over a million published hubs and 152,000 published users. It gets a ton of daily traffic with so much to read about, from politics to making money to the weather. A large percentage of writers post their material for the sheer sake of sharing their knowledge on any subject, but there are also the real serious Hubbers who do this to earn extra money, or those that use it to seriously supplement part-time wages. To be honest, it takes an average of 100 hubs per year to make about £600 in that time. Some Hubbers have been making around £600-£700 per month, but that’s due to a number of factors beyond even great pieces of writing. This is why those that continue with HubPages are people who enjoy writing, and the money made is just a good extra.

Show Me the Money You make money from the affiliate sources associated with HubPages, the affiliate partners being Amazon, eBay, and Google AdSense. To link to any or all of the affiliate partners you’ll first need to sign up with a HubPages Earning Account. Once this is done you can then set up with Amazon, eBay and Google AdSense. Adverts are served around your content, and you get a revenue share from the various advert links that are clicked by your readers. With Google AdSense each clickthrough earns you 100% of the 60% share of ad impressions that filter within the website. In other words - if someone clicks an ad during your 60% rotation, you keep all of the affiliate profits, if someone clicks an ad during HubPages’ 40%, they keep the lot. It would have been more favourable if they offered a lower percentage but allowed you to earn

that percentage from all of the clickthroughs, as users can get confused when comparing their revenue against page traffic. With the Amazon affiliate option you’ll need to sign up with them and open an Amazon Associate Account. You then use Amazon capsules inserted into your articles to serve a related advert which brings you a revenue share for items purchased from the link image. The Amazon capsule is simply an area of space that you place within your article which carries the related advert. The same goes for eBay; they are interconnected - as the good people of eBay are owned by Google - so you need a Google AdSense account to get the eBay Affiliate partnership. As suggested earlier, choose items from eBay that complement the nature of your article or particular section of your write-up. It’s also a good idea, on both eBay and Amazon product display choices, to watch for the right links. Experiment with search queries to fine-tune your choice of advertised product or service. Be careful not to place too many link capsules within your article as it could appear as an oversell, or even spam. You can also earn from the Friend Referral Programme. It gives you about 9-10% extra revenue from your page impressions. The good thing is that the 10% doesn’t come out of your friends’ earnings. If you want to boost earnings from here, it’s a good idea to have the HubPage affiliate banner on your Twitter or Facebook pages. Invite friends that have a talent for writing, or anyone you know who is an expert in a particular field to sign-up and submit something good.

Marshall Your Traffic Your written material still gets a lot of chance for revenue traffic, as new hubs are posted in the forum, so your hubs are guaranteed views. It’s up to you to make your hub maintain a loyal following, so choose your topics around something you know you can weave into an interesting read. In your dashboard there are tools to track traffic pattern and how much of a following your articles are getting. It’s a good way to adjust content type and style, in view of greater page views and a growing list of followers. It literally pays to be consistent with good reading matter - Google will send traffic to pages that it sees people staying at long enough to actually read. Do your homework in order to maximise revenue from your hubs. It’s best to know about the value behind certain keywords. Look to use high-paying keywords to make the most money. The page builder is easy to use and allows you to add images to compliment your text, just make sure they are not copyrighted - if they are, you’ll need to get permission before using them.

Spread the Word If you really want to achieve a sizable and regular income you need to get the word out. Don’t just rely on the fact that HubPages is visited by thousands of people everyday; be proactive and send links to your writing. Do things like posting regular links to your blog, and emailing links to people you know. use social networks to invite readers to your hub page. Interact with other members and find out more about seasoned Hubbers and the secrets to their large volumes of traffic. Choose topics that are trending in search engines and make them your own.

Extend Your Content With HubPages.com there is no shortcut to serious money; it really is a numbers game. You’d need to be publishing quite frequently to see a

good return. It’s even better to produce extended material around the same topic. Search engines like this too - a chain of posts with different angles on the same topic also ensures a greater amount of repeat visitors and gives your hub pages an identity. Amber Martins is a classical car enthusiast and knows a thing or two about a particular brand of Alfa Romeos of old. Her hubs cover everything to know about the history of this Italian great, from the glory racing days to modern innovation, making it a firm policy to write obscure things about the vehicle and avoiding the common knowledge of the brand. Her hub also advises proud classic car owners about the care and rejuvenation of old Alfas. The choice of ad links are not just eBay or Amazon links to appointed retailers, but also links to die-cast models and Alfa retro clothing. When the ad links are not pointing to the car maker’s parts for sale, she chooses other products that are favoured by her chosen demographic, making it a point to include other classic lovelies. Using a carefully chosen set of images, Amber Martins joined the club of top earners on HubPages, raking in about £1100 per month. She continues to post hubs on other classic car badges and Le Mans racing, centring her topics around classic cars only. It also helps that her hubs are indexed by all of the search engines. Writing niche topics can be great if you dislike joining the crowd or getting topic competitive. Understand what people want to read about and don’t just post material around a topic that’s been done to death, unless your angle is unique. Expect to wait 2-6 months for your list of hubs to snowball into a decent daily earning from AdSense. Don’t be discouraged if you are earning about 10p a day for around 20 hubs. When you get the hang of it and increase traffic by delivering better material or learning how to choose higher paying keywords, your earnings begin to climb. Just produce as much as possible while keeping the quality in check. Writing on HubPages is supposed to be a fun activity, so don’t forget to enjoy it while trying to make some money.

tips Don’t be a lone ranger; connect with other hubbers Don’t oversell with too many clickthrough ads It’s not smart to indirectly sell your own product within the lines of your writing Don’t partake in copyright infringement; it will catch up on you

Make Some Money as A FanPage Expert By Philip Hicks Facebook is not just a money-making machine for itself; it’s an ecosystem of open-field venture for developers and business-minded individuals to make money. You don’t have to be Zynga, the multi-million dollar creators of City and Farmville, to claim your share of Facebook cash.

here are apps that generate quite a tidy sum by integrating function and connectivity, and charging a fee for various applications. You can always latch-on to an app that is doing well on the social network and introduce the facility at your own price, repackaged as your own branded service.

The Fan Page app is a complete necessity for organizations with a Facebook presence, and that’s a very large amount globally. There is a direct commercial benefit to creating an area where customers can engage directly with businesses without coming off Facebook. A popular saying with internet marketing professionals is ‘plant your seed where the most people are found’. If people don’t want to come off Facebook, carry your business there.

Brand Gold Dust Consumers no longer wait to be fed whatever is offered; we live in an on-demand society where we, as consumers, interact directly with everyday popular brands and make our voices heard, and this happens mostly on Facebook, the platform being the premium Fan Page. It’s also a great way for companies to test a new product, gauge reaction, and act on feedback. Starbucks and Samsung are global companies that take their Fan Page campaign quite seriously. Starbucks has over 4 million subscribers and 31 million collective likes, a staggering amount of interaction worth more than a series of TV advertising.

Fanpage Demand So how do we get in on the Fan Page game and make a residual income? Well, there are over 3 million active Fan Pages designed, and that’s on the increase since the last quarter of 2011; it’s still an upward trend. Fan Pages have also changed in their setup. There is now a demand for iFrames, a system of design that caters for Facebook’s future page layouts. You can set yourself up as a Fan Page designer by using existing platforms. There are Fan Page builders like TabSite.com, which charges as little as £9 a month for its gold package. This is available as a template where you can build a premium Fan Page. The design and function of the finished product is amazing, and can be adapted for any business. It’s very easy to build from and update. No geeky knowledge or coding. The sky’s the limit with what you can do with them.

Drag & Drop Easy Builder TabSite.com has a Partner Scheme where you can earn 20% of the $150 (£95) per year charge. That’s great, but you would need to sign up 1000 users to make $30,000 (£18,800). You can do much better by setting up your business as the Fan Page designer for others, using your TabSite partner account. You maintain two income streams – your design charge and an affiliate commission on the monthly template licence. It’s easy enough to put together and does have great value for money. The design template is robust and functions quite well.

Fanpages for All The premium Fan Page is relatively cheap to set up. The software available to build the app works quite efficiently and is yours for an average charge of £10 per month. It’s great for any business type or size - especially smaller businesses that are looking to extend their e-commerce activity beyond their standalone website.

Fan page apps are designed to sell or introduce a product right on Facebook itself. In effect, Faceboook itself becomes a browser, the apps functioning as mini websites sitting within Facebook.

Business Catalyst UK is run by two brothers from London, David and Sam Teller – one concentrates on canvassing clients and the other builds the Fan Pages to the client’s brief. They charge £250 to design the Fan Page on the TabSite.com platform, and also earn a commission on the yearly subscription set by TabSite. Within the first 9 months starting early 2008 they had designed about 150 fan pages. They are currently on target with 320 new clients for the year. They now operate from a work studio with 8 new members of staff. In business they say it’s the simple ideas that work. www.tabsite.com