It is so easy to become overwhelmed with trying to drive traffic to your website, write copy that convinces your visitors to make a purchase, and figure out ways to add interested visitors to your list, that it is understandable that the idea of setting up your visitors as a community among themselves maybe isn’t tops on your “to do” list. But helping your visitors become a community, can help you market the items they need, and thereby benefit everybody.
Regular visitors to your site, or visitors who sign up to be on your list, by definition have something in common: whatever it is that your site is directed to. Whether it is sports, recipes, on-line marketing, or politics, the focus of your website has interested a broad and diverse range of visitors. That one common interest can become the basis of community building. As your visitors grow and become a community - or maybe several communities - you will learn their needs and desires, and be able to present them with solutions or assistance. Sometimes you can offer this for free, and sometimes you can charge for it. And sometimes your community can help you improve your website or your marketing.
Email forms can be an effective way of having your community tell you their problems and concerns, but do not allow for response or interaction. You might be able to tally several email messages from several people, and then address common or majority concerns in your newsletter or ezine.
Forums allow for interaction among all members of the community. You can decide if you will moderate the forum, and how much. Will you allow posts that are just ad spamming? Will you allow posts that might offend others? Will you allow cross-posting (posts obviously designed or placed in similar forums)? Will you allow a handful of members to dominate - and maybe intimidate others - or will you “lessen the volume” on the most active and encourage less active members to post.
Finally, chat rooms allow for the most immediate interactivity, but they have two severe drawbacks. First, they rarely archive, so that great answer to a question might be lost forever. Second, unless you limit the hours so that you can attend all the sessions, you lose a lot of the ability to direct the interaction between the members of your community. As the person who drew these people together - like hosting a party - you do have some responsibility to ensure that everyone has a pleasant experience.
Using the unbelievable tools available to the Internet can help you create a community out of your visitors, faster and more broadly than at any point in history. With some planning and responsible leadership on your part, you can create a thriving community of visitors. Once the community has gelled, it will tell you what it wants, and you can introduce much more appropriate products to solve the problems the community members tell you they have. And everybody wins!
ERIK CARTER maintains the FITNESS Portal (http://fitnessportal.bravehost.com), dedicated to making fitness seamless with your life, “Complete Sales Package For YOUR Success” (http://salespackage.bravehost.com), dedicated to improving your on-line business, and “4 Steps To Success” (http://4steps.bravehost.com), the 4 programs every on-line marketer needs. Erik practices community building with his “Mindness Fitness List,” which you can join off any of these sites.
Americans young and old are fat - epidemically so - and with their obesity comes a wealth of risky medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart attacks and strokes. Diets don’t work as evidenced by the demise of such popular diet regimens such as Atkins and the lo-carb craze. And with the proven risk that obesity poses for diabetes, it’s become increasingly important for the health of our country that positive and lasting steps are taken to curb this problem called obesity.
This holiday season is when most people start their weight gain. With 20 million Americans living with diabetes and another six million totally unaware they have the disease, as well as countless more suffering from heart disease and high blood pressure, it’s time for a modification change that works and lasts. Positive Changes, the only network of behavior modification centers in the U. S., with two convenient locations in Orange County - Fullerton and Fountain Valley - uses hypnosis for a variety of disorders, particularly obesity.
Hypnosis: Long Shrouded in Mystery
Largely misunderstood, hypnosis has recently made a strong entrance into mainstream therapy as a viable treatment for all manner of disorders. According to Fullerton, CA Positive Changes owner Jim Proser, “We use hypnotherapy to treat obesity and all of the other issues associated with weight gain. In fact, this is by far our most popular treatment.”
Dieting Doesn’t Work.
It’s been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again each time expecting a different result. Yet millions of perfectly sane people start diets each year, hoping that this time will be different and that they will finally, magically, lose their excess weight for good. The sad fact is that most dieters end up gaining up to five additional pounds each year. Diets just don’t work which is why there are no diets at Positive Changes!
Research Proves Hypnosis Works
More and more people seeking a positive approach to long-term weight loss have sought out hypnosis with amazing results. Long-term success is the reason doctors in hospitals and private practice refer their patients for hypnosis.
As evidenced by recent studies published in medical journals, hypnosis has been shown to be a successful tool for weight loss. For example, in a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, subjects who completed behavioral treatment programs for weight management that included hypnosis lost significantly more weight than subjects whose treatment plan did not include hypnosis. The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology reported on a study of 60 women who were at least 20% overweight. The women who participated in hypnosis lost an average of 17 pounds while the control group lost only a half pound on average.
Hypnosis is not only a lot less challenging and more successful than traditional dieting, but it also makes maintenance easier and automatic. True to its name, Positive Changes offers programs specifically designed to empower and to bring about lasting positive changes.
According to Conrad Capreze of Placentia, CA, “I’ve lost 20 pounds in 3 months! Hypnosis has also helped me through processes in business to focus on all the things that I do. It’s even helped lower my blood pressure. I’ve recommended Positive Changes to my doctor and he is now sending his patients.”
Adds Jackie Salem of La Habra, who dropped 82 lbs in five months, “I’ve been overweight my entire life. My self-esteem was so low that I just gave up trying to lose weight. Dating was out of the question. I thought I would be alone and overweight the rest of my life. Hypnosis is a miracle that gave me my life and my body back. Now I have the rest of my life to look forward to at my normal and natural weight. My eating habits have done a complete 180-degree change and my cravings for sweets are totally gone! I’ve forgotten about snacking, and since I’ve been coming to Positive Changes, I now have more energy, I sleep better and I’m stress-free! In addition to this, I now wake up every morning and go to the gym! The best part is that in two months I lost 40 lbs, in three months I lost 50 lbs (and two dress sizes) and by the fifth month, I lost an astounding 82 pounds! I feel like I can do anything!” Positive Changes absolutely does create just that…positive changes in your life!”
Other Services and Contact Information
In addition to weight loss, Positive Changes has designed customized programs for other areas such as smoking, stress relief, phobia release, accelerated learning, success motivation, freedom from pain, nail-biting cessation, sales mastery, sports performance and more.
For more information, call 714-965-6999 for the Positive Changes office located at 9555 Warner Avenue, Suite A in Fountain Valley, email at fountainvalley@positivechanges.com; or 714-525-1700 for the Fullerton location located at 2443 E. Chapman Avenue; email at fullerton@positivechanges.com. The toll free number for both locations is 1-877-POSITIVE. The web address is http://www.positivechanges.com/
John and Kelly live thousands of miles apart–he in Nebraska, she in Pennsylvania. However, despite the miles they have lots of things in common. Both work in retail, both love outdoor activities, both enjoy Chinese food—most importantly, both John and Kelly share a deep faith in God and attend the same type of church. They are a perfect match for each other.
Fifteen years ago, John and Kelly would probably have never met. However, this year they met on a Christian matchmaking site. How did they do it? First they set up a profile, then searched for personality traits and qualities they were looking for in a mate. John was able to contact Kelly via the website’s message service. Kelly looked at John’s profile, saw that he met her qualifications, then wrote him back. The rest, as they say, is history. . .John and Kelly were married last summer.
Online Christian dating can work for you too. Here are some of the main reasons online dating works:
1. Looks don’t matter as much. Some profiles have a few photos. Many profiles don’t even have pictures. Imagine a love based on mutual understanding and interest rather than first physical impressions!
2. Location isn’t a problem. If you live in a country village with a population of 50, of which all eligible singles are dating, don’t worry about it! Now it is possible to meet someone across the United States or even in another country who shares your commitment to Christ, and has qualities you are looking for!
3. You can limit your search to believers. As Scripture says “be not unequally yoked.” Utilizing good Christian dating services is a way to make sure you are only dating fellow Christians.
4. You can talk to people anytime! Even if you work and go to school, you can still go online late at night or in the wee hours of the morning to try to find that special someone.
5. There are a lot of options! Online Christian dating has become extremely popular. Many of the Christian dating websites offer trial subscriptions at no cost to you. Most have thousands of members to choose from.
Don’t wait! Now is the time to start the search for your life-long love. Pray for guidance, sign up on some Christian dating sites, then get dating!
Rebekah Spicer is a relationship expert and advisor. She helps manage the popular website http://www.Christian-online-dating-guide.com
