Have You Got Something to Sell?

I've been doing some research on online shopping carts and putting together or maintaining an online store.  Even though I've done some websites in the past, that is one thing that I've never had occasion to learn about or do anything with.

From the research I've done, it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out.  There are quite a few services out there, so the hard part is choosing between them.  Thankfully most of them offer a free trial, so it would be easy to try them out before making any kind of commitment or paying any fees.

It looks like, besides offering the shopping cart software, they provide a complete online store builder with everything from professional templates to make your store look great to customer registration and login.  And if you don't know anything about technology, they have experts to help you get everything set up and ready to go - so you can start selling whatever it is you're selling in no time.  What that means to me is that I wouldn't have to figure it all out for myself.  I could do what I know how to do and leave the details about how an online store works to the experts.

If you've got something to sell, what that means for you is that you can concentrate on your products and services while your online store brings in the customers and sales. There are different packages to choose from, so you can choose the right one for your products and needs, and upgrading is simple if or when your needs change.  And somebody is always there to answer your questions or help you out with the details.

Counting Words

Sometimes I need to know how many words I've typed into one of my posts.  There's a site that I usually use - Word Count Tool - but occasionally it won't load, like tonight.  So this is a list of alternatives.

• Words Counter
• Javascript Kit Cut & Paste Word Count
  This one even gives you the code to embed your own word count box on your website:
  
  
  

  This free script provided by JavaScript Kit

• Word Counter
• WordCounterTool - this one can also be used to test your typing speed

They all work in the same way - simply type into the box or copy and paste your post, or whatever else you need to count, and it counts your words for you.  All of them are free to use.

And, of course, you're free to use the word count box I've put into this post.  I just tested it, and it works perfectly!

Best Music of 2012

Amazon has compiled the Best Music of 2012.  I've really enjoyed looking through it.  Some of my favorite music made the list (Some Nights by fun.).   The list also reminded me that I should be listening to some of the MP3 CDs that I bought because they were such a good deal I couldn't resist (My Head Is an Animal), and it's also a good way to discover new music and see what I missed.

The list is divided into Best Albums, Best Songs - both Amazon picked and Customer picked, and Outstanding Albums You Might Have Missed.  Browse the best music of the year by genre, or just browse the lists.

How many of the songs that made the lists are in your collection?  While there are obviously a lot that I don't have, I was surprised by how many of the albums on the list I do have.

What was your favorite song of 2012?  For my answer, see previous post.  (I love that whole album, which did make the list of Best Albums)

Just Give Me a Reason

I listen to this song over and over.  Love this!  OK, this whole VH1 Storytellers episode is great.  But this.

This!

Get More: P!nk, Storytellers, P!nk, P!nk News , P!nk Music Videos, P!nk Storytellers Tune-in November 13th at 11pm

You're welcome.

Check the Facts Before You Forward Those Photos

Back in March I wrote a post about a picture supposedly taken of a tornado in Georgia.  The photo was being passed around Facebook, and it was an awesome photo.  However, it was not of a tornado in Georgia the previous evening.  It was a very cool phenomenon caused by an erupting volcano.

Today I saw this photo on Facebook:

This is supposedly Hurricane Sandy bearing down on New York City and Liberty Island.

Well, guess what?  Yep, you guessed it - it's NOT Hurricane Sandy.  It's not even a 'real' picture - it's a Photoshop image combining a photo of  the Statue of Liberty and another photo of a  supercell thunderstorm from 2004.  It looks really cool, but it's not the real thing.

I haven't seen all the others floating around, but here's a list of 11 Viral Photos That AREN'T Hurricane Sandy.  What can we learn from this?  What should we have already learned regarding practically everything that we find on the internet, and that definitely includes Facebook?  Check the facts before you forward or share those photos.  Or emails.  Or anything else.

Maybe you think it doesn't really matter, but it's so easy for something to take on a life of its own.  If you don't believe me, be sure to check out this explanation of How a Fake Photo Goes Viral.

Undecided?

Vote Oregon! (Photo credit: jugbo)

The election is coming up.  Soon.  By now most people have a pretty clear idea of who they will be voting for.  Some have already voted.  However, according to the media, there are quite a few people out there who are still undecided.

If you're one of those undecided voters - and even if you already think you know who you're voting for - be sure to take the Presidential Election Quiz at ISidewith.com.  The quiz will ask you questions about the issues to determine where you stand.  Be sure to click on the 'Choose another stance' option for more options, because most of these issues are not simply black and white or Yes or No questions.  You might end up choosing Yes or No, but it's good to at least read all the options.

There's at least one question where I forgot to do that, and at least one of those other options would have been more in line with my beliefs.

Anyway, once you answer all the questions, ISidewith.com will analyze your responses, compare them to the candidates' stands on each of the issues, and let you know which candidates you most agree with on those issues.  It might just help voters make up their minds or at least help to educate them on where the candidates stand on the issues.

Save Money with DealDash

I've been seeing posts about DealDash on Facebook recently. People are getting some really good deals on things like cameras, computers, and sewing machines - just to name a few of the deals I've seen. 

The way it works is you sign up for a free account and purchase what they call Bid Packs.  These are sold in packs of 60, 100, or more and usually cost 60¢ per bid, but there are often Bid Sales where you can get them for as little as 15¢ per bid.  Currently they're going for 17¢.

Once you have your free DealDash account and have purchased some bids, you can start looking for deals and start bidding.  All auctions start at $0, and each bid raises the price by one penny.  Highest bidder wins the auction, and that is the price they pay.  I've been watching the front page, and there are lots of items available.  The final prices are pretty good.  Of course, I can't really tell how many times people are bidding on these items, and the cost of the bids would have to be factored into the cost.  Even with that, I think people are getting items for significantly less than they could buy them elsewhere. 

It's risk free to try Deal Dash.  Here's why:

• If you’re a first time bidder on DealDash and use all your bids without winning a single auction, DealDash will return all the bids from your first bid pack purchase, for free, to give you a second chance!
• Bidding on DealDash is also risk free thanks to the Buy it Now option. If you don’t win the auction, you can buy the item you were bidding on for its regular price and get back all the bids you used in that auction for free. This way you not only get the desired item, you don't lose the bids and can use them again to try and win another auction.
• DealDash offers a no questions asked 100% money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied for any reason, DealDash will refund your entire first purchase – no questions asked!

If you're looking for some good deals, be sure to check out DealDash.  If you've already tried it, let me know what you think.