Xerox buys Affiliated Computer with eye on services market

New York: Xerox, the world's largest maker of high-speed colour printers, said it is buying Affiliated Computer Services for $6.4 billion (Dh23.5 billion), extending its reach in the services market.

Xerox is paying $63.11 in cash and stock for each Affiliated Computer share, 33.6 per cent more than the closing price on September 25 of $47.25, the Norwalk, Connecticut-based company said in a statement.

With the purchase, Xerox will have revenue of $22 billion, of which $17 billion is recurring, chief executive officer Ursula Burns said in the statement.

Burns, who took over as chief executive officer on July 1, had been trying to boost revenue as customers delay purchases during the recession. "By combining Xerox's strengths in document technology with ACS's expertise in managing and automating work processes, we're creating a new class of solution provider," she said in the statement.

Under the agreement, Xerox will pay Dallas-based Affiliated Computer $18.60 a share in cash and 4.935 shares. The deal will add to earning on an adjusted basis from the first year, Xerox said.

Xerox shares have risen 13 per cent in New York Stock Exchange composite trading this year.

Read more »

IMF raises growth forecast for 2010 to 3.1 per cent

Istanbul: The world economy is recovering from recession faster than expected thanks to government stimulus packages, new forecasts from the International Monetary Fund show.

In its latest estimates for the world economy, the fund says the global economy is poised to grow by 3.1 per cent in 2010, up on the 2.5 per cent predicted in July.

The United States, the world's biggest economy, is expected to grow by 1.5 percent. The international organisation says stimulus packages around the world have helped support demand and reduced risks in the financial markets. However, recovery is expected to be slow and risks to the outlook remain to the downside.

Read more »

The Internet Makes Freelancer Work Promising

The freelancer has been on the work scene for many years however the name takes on new meaning in today’s world of the internet. In the past, those doing freelancer work were usually independent reporters, artists, novelists, and translators. All of them had to use much slower methods for turning in work and finding work usually meant chasing leads through cold calls and other classic marketing techniques. But the internet has changed the world of freelancer work for those who can deliver it via the internet which includes a vast majority of people in this field. Let’s look at some of the ways the internet makes freelancer work more promising.

Today’s technology makes it possible for someone to submit freelancer work from anywhere. A freelancer does not need to be chained to the spare bedroom used as a home office. Notebook computers are more powerful and affordable than ever before and all the freelancer needs is one of these plus some way to access the internet for email or web research. There are global networks like GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) and 3G (Third Generation International Mobile Telecommunications) that allow you to connect to the internet through a cellular SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card with a USB adapter. To put it simply, anywhere your mobile phone can reach is also an internet access point for your notebook computer.

Payment services using the internet remove barriers like high wire-transfer fees. Paypal is one popular online payment service used by many freelancers worldwide. A freelancer can live in the United States and submit work to a client in the United Kingdom, receive payment for the work, and transfer the funds to his or her bank account for only a nominal fee. The foreign currency exchange rates are handled by the payment service. It also allows the traveling freelancer to be paid no matter what the location. Because banking networks are linked together, a freelancer’s ATM card works at almost any machine.

The location where a freelancer lives is almost irrelevant to the work. A freelancer can live in one of the most economically depressed parts of the world yet still have gainful employment because of the global nature of freelance work on the internet. In days prior, one would have to pull up stakes and move to a new geographical region if work could not be found. Now, the internet freelancer has many job websites available where freelance work can be located.

Work delivery for freelancers is much more efficient because of the internet. The nature of freelance work is usually driven by deadlines. Nowadays, work can be delivered in a matter of seconds plus there is a record of the delivery. A web designer can model work on a web host used for demonstrations and clients can look at it any time. There are desktop video capture tools that can make a quick video of work on a computer and then email it to a client for review. Applications such as Skype allow video and/or voice communications with clients for very low fees.

Read more »

Discover the Different Types of Affiliate Promotional Methods

The one secret to successful affiliate business is the right choice of the promotional media according to your needs and requirements. It depends on, if the affiliate wants the free methods of promotion or can spend some money on promoting affiliate programs. This article will introduce some main methods to use for promoting affiliate programs and making money online.

Promotional material by the merchant
The promotion material provided for the affiliates by a merchant is the start, especially for the beginners as it makes their work less, and they can focus more on promoting mediums. However, some of them need some changes. Using exactly the same material will not be effective as many others are also using them apart from the graphical material such as banner and ads. The content promotional material like articles, email promos, needs a little change.

Social networks
What is the better place to promote than social networks where million of people are present relating to any niche available? Social networks like facebook, myspace and twitter are goldmine to dig for more customers for your affiliate programs. At startup, it demands some effort and time in building network there with like minded people but if an affiliate marketer does it effectively it moves the other promotional methods to the dust.

Blogging
The Blogging and affiliate marketing is made for each other, and it is one of the most successful models on the internet today. The casual and friendly post of blogs keeps the interest of visitors, and they become related to the blogs. And suggesting some affiliate programs to blog visitors really convert well. Blogs are more communicating medium than usual websites by allowing comments to the visitors. That's why selling affiliate program on blogs related to its content is very profitable and easy to do.

Buying Ad space
Buying ad places on other websites is a proven method for affiliate marketing if done in the related niche. It needs some research regarding the website offering web space for ads. Two things are necessary, the quality of traffic and off course the banner quality itself. Don't stick with two or three website, rather looks for new website in your niche, which might give better results.

Email list.
Affiliate promotion with an email list is the ultimate tool for any marketer. But, before promoting with an email list, there is a need to create one, which is for most of the affiliates is not an easy task. Sure, you can buy some email list or ad space in other people email newsletter. Nevertheless, the best option is really having your own email or opts in list. The email marketing of affiliate products gives the best and fast money than any other promotional material.

These tips will definitely give you an idea of promotion for affiliate programs in your bag. Test and try is best in this case, which lead to the best promotional method for you depending on your experience. There are many other promotional methods, but it is essential to start with few as much as someone can mange and then later enhances the area of promotion by trying other methods if you find success.

Read more »

7 Ways To Increase Your Affiliate Marketing Programs Earning

You may know that affiliate marketing programs is one of the best ways to make money, but many people don't know how to promote or advertise their affiliate programs to increase the sales and commission. Growing your affiliate business can be really challenging, but if you could manage it wisely and use the right marketing techniques, you can make a lot of money.

1) Participate Conversation
Participate in chat rooms that related to the product you're reselling. You need to start conversation with people and build a healthy relationship with them without trying to sell to them. After few days, try to mention the product you're reselling in the conversation.

2) Create A Landing Page
Create a landing page that strictly talks about the product instead of sending your visitors directly to the affiliate website. Also, try to ask them to subscribe your newsletter as well. That way, you can make follow-up later on and perhaps you can offer them another great product.

3) Build An Affiliate Program Review Site Or Directory
Start your own affiliate program review site or directory. You can simply join all the affiliate programs on the internet, and also write a review about the program in your review site, this increases the chance people sign up under your affiliate link.

4) Design Your Own Affiliate Banner Ads
Design your own affiliate banner ads. It doesn't stand out or increase the click through rate of the banner if you use the same affiliate banner as what others use. Use a different ad to give yourself an advantage over all the other affiliates. Simply use the banner ad and insert your face and say you recommend this program or product.

5) Participate On Web Discussion Boards
Participate on web discussion boards such as Yahoo! Answers. You can answer other people's questions, ask your own questions, and post your comments. You can also include your affiliate link under each message you post.

6) Article Marketing
Register with EzineArticles and submit your article to advertise the affiliate programs you've joined. You're recommended to create another page or blog to just talk about the product, when your write article in EzineArticles, write something useful (Not promoting the product) and refer or recommend people to visit the page for reference.

7) Create A Free E-Book
You can also create a free e-book in your niche, and insert the advertisement and link of your affiliate site. The purpose of the free e-book is to draw your target audience to download it. Also, you can submit it to some e-book directories for more exposure. The more exposure your free e-book gets, the more chance your ad will be clicked, the more chance you will get a sale.

So now you know making money from affiliate marketing programs is not as simple as you think, you need to know how to promoting or marketing your product or program in order to get more sales. Also, you need to choose the right affiliate marketing online program to promote, otherwise you're just wasting your time and effort.

Author Bio:
Lee is the owner of MyBlog2Day which is a Top 10 Make Money Online blog. Feel free to visit his blog and learn how to make money online with your blog.

Read more »

Five Ways To Ensure Your Twitter Campaigns Fail Miserably

There is no doubt about it, the potential to make a lot of money on Twitter is great. However, the potential for a campaign to crash and burn also exists. If you play the game the right way, you win, if you don’t, you lose. It really is as simple as that. There are lots of articles and information on how to properly market on Twitter. In this article, we will take a different approach and discuss 5 surefire ways to fail.

1. Never Provide Updates: One of the quickest way to get a bunch of people to unfollow you is to never have anything to say. If you don’t take some time to write posts, people will get bored with you and will either not bother to check your updates or will stop becoming a follower all-together. The only people that may be able to get by with this behavior are major celebrities. Because this probably does not describe you, it is important to connect with your followers through consistent interactions.

2. Refuse to Answer Anyone’s Questions: If you ignore your followers, fail to answer any of their questions or speak with them, you will come off as either arrogant or clueless. Both which are very bad for business and will make it difficult for you to make sales or build a list. Furthermore, someone might call you out of it which can lead to a cyber fight (so unprofessional) or people will stop following you because they don’t see you positively interacting with others. No one likes a bully!

3. Constantly Send Out Advertisements: If your goal is to sabotage your business, constantly and incessantly send out advertisements. Never have anything of value to say and don’t contribute to the lives of your followers. This is self-sabotage to the fullest. Not only will people accuse you of spamming but you may have your account closed.

4. Be Rude and Aggressive When It Is Not Warranted: When people reach out to you say something rude and nasty in response just because. If they ask a question or challenge you in anyway, let them have it! This is the one of the easiest ways to guarantee Twitter failure.

5. Promote Products That Suck: Another great way to get people to despise you and to ensure that you have very little chance of making money from any of your followers is to promote products that suck and that do not back up their claims. Rest assured that your followers will Tweet about it and spread the word. Every time you try to sell something else, you can be sure they will mention the last shoddy product that you promoted. Therefore, either purchase the product you are going to promote prior to recommending it, or do a ton of research before you endorse it.

Read more »