Norwex Websites

It's A "Pick Brandy's Brain" Session

2010-11-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

Hey Norwex Websites Clients!

Check your inbox for your personal invitation that went out today for a special direct sales training call!

I get requests all the time from many of you to help you with your direct sales businesses.

Now while this is technically the responsibility of your sponsors and upline supervisors, I do recognize that many of you are not getting the training and support you desperately need.

So, I have scheduled a call for this Saturday afternoon, anything and everything direct sales!

Bookings
Hostess Coaching
Parties
Exhibits
Recruiting
Organization

Come with your questions, enthusiasm and desire to learn and build your business!

See you there,

Brandy Burge
Sales Manager, Norwex Green Team

www.BrandysNorwexOnline.com
www.Norwex101.com
www.NorwexWebsites.com

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Back to School Sale on Norwex Websites - Limited Time Only

2010-08-20T10:36:00.001-07:00

Now On Sale!

Back to School for the kids
means Back to Work for us:

Norwex Websites Canada &
USA E-Commerce Packages

Regular $325.00 - Just $199.00
LIMITED TIME ONLY!

Use discount code "SCHOOL" to take advantage of this Back to School Special
Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Norwex Cleaning Supplies has changed names!

2010-07-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

www.NorwexCleaningSupplies.com has just changed names!

The NEW name is www.BrandysNorwexOnline.com.

Buy Norwex Online from anywhere in Canada or the United States using Visa, Mastercard or Paypal.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Here is another site, Ready To Go when you are!

2010-06-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Green Clean Perfection

Isn't it pretty?

Remember, our Ready To Go Sites are available
for a discounted rate of only $275.00!

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

NEWInstant - Ready to Go Sites

2010-06-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

Norwex Ready To Go Sites!

That's right, we have started creating ready to go websites to allow you to:

- Get online faster - with these sites, we can have you up and running within 1-2 business days
- See the website exactly how it will look when you purchase it (except your personal information of course!)
- Save the cost and hassle of finding, registering and paying for a domain name on your own
- Get a jump start on marketing because your site is already indexed by the search engines!

Want even more added value?

Even though you are getting all the added bonuses above, we are also offering these Ready To Go sites at a discounted rate of just $275.00!

Here is the first site available for purchase:

Quality Green Clean

See This Site Live!

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Dr. Laura's Organizational Call - Register Now!

2010-06-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

We are SO excited for our FREE call next Monday - June 28 - with Dr. Laura, organization and time management expert! If you have not already registered for the call just go to www.OrganizeNOW.info/norwexcall.html - and remember, you must CONFIRM your registration (you will receive a confirmation request via email)!

ALL Norwex Consultants from ALL teams are welcome to join in.

Mark your calendars for Monday, June 28th @ 8 pm CST. Be sure to register for the call even if you can't make it, because Laura will send out a recording!

In the meantime, Laura sent us a great article from her blog that we wanted to share with you today… it's about the 2 minute rule.

"Want one of the best kept secrets in the time management world? It’s called the 2 minute rule.

What we tend to do is pile things that we need to do “later”. So you might get a reminder postcard in the mail from your dentist telling you to make an appointment. So, we “pile” the paper to do later.

What starts as one paper quickly turns into a large pile of things to do either on your desk or in your inbox.

Instead start doing the 2 minute rule…."

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE: http://www.whoislaura.com/2009/06/30/the-2-minute-rule/

"See you" on the call next Monday! Register today! ALL Norwex Consultants from ALL teams are welcome to join in.

NEW! Canadian and USA Demo Sites

2010-06-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Brand new, hot off the press!

Canadian and USA Demo sites so you can see exactly what you get when you purchase a Norwex Website.

View Canadian Demo Site

View USA Demo Site

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Our Newest Client - Gerda Schryver!

2010-06-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

It is our pleasure to introduce Gerda Schryver of Embro, Ontario
who just joined the Norwex Websites family.

Gerda's new website is www.GerdasNorwex.com.

Welcome Gerda!

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Do You Have a “Mommy Business?”

2010-06-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Let’s face it.

Even today, little girls are growing up with the same fairytale ideas and stereotypes as our mothers and grandmothers did.

We grow up, we date, we strive to make ourselves attractive to men, we find love, we marry, we have children and our lives become about being a mommy and looking after our homes, husbands and children.

Today however, do we really live in the same world as they did? No, not even close. In the past, women naturally evolved into that role of wife and mommy, and nothing else. With husbands making enough money to support the family, women working while raising a family was rarely considered and typically thought of as highly unusual.

The women of today find themselves in new, and in many cases unfamiliar territory. No longer do they rely solely on their husbands to support the family, and in many cases, they simply can’t. Families today more than ever rely on a double income to make ends meet but can women successfully work and contribute while still keeping up with the demands of the home and children? Yes they can, they are tired, but they do it – because they are strong and they will do anything they have to for their children.

The barrier for women is the struggle to actually earn money after paying for child care expenses to work outside the home. Many moms who have returned to the workplace have found that at the end of the day, they were making so little money that it just didn’t justify working and being away from their children.

This scenario has brought about the massive work from home revolution. Women are looking for a better way of life, a balance between work and family and success in what they put their time and effort into. When women take time away from their children, they have a natural core need to make sure that whatever they are doing had better be worth that time.

I have worked with women in direct sales for 6 years now. I’ve met women from all walks of life, with varying levels of work experience and education, with a broad range of personalities and with an even broader range of goals and desires. But one thing holds true for all of them. The desire to make something of themselves, to be happy, and to be successful.

Several years back I heard a speaker at a conference whose words run through my head still today and I have quoted her on many occasions over the years in coaching and mentoring the women on my teams.

This woman spoke about sharing business opportunities with others and how it would be selfish of us not to share something that just might have a huge impact on someone else’s life. The thing is, too often, we prejudge. We place people in categories and label them based on little and often insignificant things that we see from the outside.

This speaker described a situation where a woman was at a home party and asked the consultant if she could post date her check for the end of the month for her $20 purchase.

Here are the words I heard from that speaker, that live with me still today and still bring tears to my eyes.

“You don’t know what problems a person has in their life. No matter how they present themselves, how they dress, where they work or what they tell you. You don’t know if that person in front of you is actually worried about how they are going to buy groceries or pay the light bill that month. You see a person who has to post date a $20 check until the end of the month and you immediately write her off as a possibility of someone who may be successful in your business because they would not even have the money to start up, however minimal the costs.”

“HOW DARE YOU? "

“How dare you deny this person the opportunity to go out and make $100 or more in one night doing what you do?”

“How dare you deny this person the opportunity to be able to look after their family?”

“How dare you deny this person the chance to be able to respect herself, improve her quality of life and live a happier, less stressful life?”

You see, this is what I really love about what I do. I am a giver. I nurture. I do what most would say is way too much for others. But I do it because I believe. I have a vision of a better world. A world that would have a better way for people and for women to treat each other.

Women CAN change the world. This is a movement we are seeing more and more. Women helping women. Look around. Look at how many organizations are focusing so much more on empowering women.

The success is obvious. Women, moms, taking ideas, vision and hard work and combining them to churn out Million Dollar businesses. It is happening all around us. How often do you see any group or organization focusing on Men Helping Men? No. It’s women who do this, we have something special and we pass it on to others and that is what makes us great.

I recently had someone very negatively comment on my work and my business. She felt the need to attempt to raise herself above me in an effort to bring me down. Her words were “You’re just a mommy running a little mommy business”.

If a “mommy running a little mommy business” means that I have passion, drive, vision and an earnest desire to help others be successful while I achieve my own success, then yes, I definitely have a Mommy Business!

One of my favorite quotes of all time is by Albert Einstein, it reads “Great spirits often encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds”.

Don’t ever let anyone dampen your spirit. Live your dreams, move toward your vision and make your life everything you ever dreamed it could be.

Brandy Burge

Proud mother of 2, Direct Sales Success Story and Web Designer

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Time to Get Organized!

2010-06-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

You are invited on June 28: Dr. Laura helps Norwex consultants get organized!

A Must Attend Teleseminar!

We cordially invite ALL Norwex consultants from ALL Norwex teams anywhere in the world.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Unorganized?
Do you want to have a successful Norwex business?
How about balance between work and family?

We've recently found some wonderful information on organization and time management from Dr. Laura Aridgides, who has a training company called OrganizeNOW. Dr. Laura has been in the direct sales business for 11+ years, and she is also a Norwex consultant!

We have a had a chance to preview a few of Dr. Laura's videos and we are so excited as this is EXACTLY what we have been looking for. Her step-by-step easy approach will help to balance your life and add productivity to your business! She also understands home party as she has been really successful in being a top manager in her company. We can't wait to learn more and to start a new journey of having more time in our days and more structure in our lives!

Dr. Laura has graciously offered to do a FREE teleseminar for ALL of our Norwex connections (leaders, please forward this invitation on!) on JUNE 28th @ 8 pm CST, where you will:

Learn 10 strategies for better organization in your business

Discover 7 things that you can do to get more done in less time

Increase productivity and profit in your business

Create balance and synergy between work, family, job or other obligations

Implement systems that will help you simplify and streamline your business

You can register for this free call at http://www.OrganizeNOW.info/norwexcall.html

Go there NOW to register even if you can't attend live - Dr. Laura will send us the recording! (But, we say make every effort to be there live, since you will have the ability to ask questions at the end of the call!)

We know this information will help you get better organized in your business, and thanks to Deja and Kerry for passing this information on to us to share with you!

Kim, Brandy & Cynthia

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Editing Your Home Page in Joomla

2010-06-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

How To Edit Your Home Page in Your Joomla Norwex Website

The Home Page of your website if one of, if not the most important page in your entire site.
Even though we have supplied you with some content to fill this page temporarily, it is absolutely vital that you write your own Home Page Content.

First of all, you want your site to be unique and send the exact message you wish to convey to your visitors.
Second, Search Engines DO NOT like duplicate content and therefore, if you leave this content on your Home Page, it is very likely that the search engines will not index you site at all or will give you a VERY low ranking.

So, your first order of business when you get your site is to write your very own Home Page Content.

To change this page, go to:

- Content
- Article Manager
- Home - this page is easily identified because the title is Home and it is also the only article listed with a green checkmark under the front page column.
- Click on the title - HOME

Now, you can edit the content as you like.

If you wish, you can select everything on the page and delete it and start from scratch.

***DO NOT copy and paste ANYTHING directly into your Joomla site from programs like Microsoft Word - EVER!

(If you have done a write up elsewhere, be sure to copy it, paste it into Notepad on your computer ( usually found from the start button or in accessories) and then cut it out of Notepad and paste it into your article)

Adding and editing content within articles is very simple, it functions much like Word and other such programs.

You have toolbars with many standard editing features like:

Font Size
Font Color
Bold
Italic
Underline
Left Align
Right Align
Center
Insert Table
Insert Picture
Bullets & Numbering
Hyperlinks

To Save your work as you go along and continue working,Click on the Apply button on the top right hand corner.

When you are finished, Click Save to Save and close your article.

Always check your work by pulling up your site from customer view using a second browser tab. Click on the top left, File, New Tab to get an additional tab.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Using Articles, Categories & Sections in Joomla

2010-06-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Using Sections and Categories gives you the ability to put things in Categories, or Sub-categories, with Sections functioning as the top level categories, and Categories in Joomla functioning like Sub-Categories.

So you'd set up something like this:

Section1

Category1

Article

Category2

Article

Section2

Category1

Article

You'll want to think about the structure before you start creating – Make sure each item at the END of the line is an Article – if it does not need to have anything put below it, but is, itself, the informational piece, then it should be at the end of the line, as an Article.

Sections should be fairly broad. When you have a group of items which do not NEED three levels, just set them up as a Category, under a Section that is not going to be linked into the front of the site, and link directly to the Category instead.

You DO have to USE both the Section and the Category level if you want it to be categorized, but you do NOT have to treat it like that on the front end of the site – you can link straight into categories instead, to effectively remove one level of structure. More on this later.

We'll walk through each one.

To set up a Section, go to the Content menu in the Admin area. Select the Section Manager.

Click on the New button.
Name the Section – this is the name that will show up at the top of the section page when you go to that section.
Give it an Alias – use one or two words, and put DASHES between them. This is what Joomla will use for the page name in the page link, if you have SEF URLs activated.
The Published setting just indicates whether it is ready to go live. Most of the time, it stays on Yes, but you can set it to No if you want to hide it temporarily while you work on it.
Set the access level – it can be Public, Registered, or Special. Remember, if you set it to Registered or Special, then this Section, and ALL categories and articles that are under it will not be visible to anyone who is not logged into the frontend of the site.
Give the Section a Description – this is what your readers will see at the top of the section, to tell them what kinds of info they might find in it.
Click Save to publish it.

In order to FIND the new Section on the front end of the site, you will need to create a menu item for the Section.

Go to the Menus menu, and select the menu that you want it to show up in.
Click NEW.
Click on Articles.
Select Section Layout if you want to display the list of categories in the section.
Name your link – this is the name that will show up in the front end of the site, in the menu.

For example You may have a menu with an Article Library link, and a Member Info link, which might contain:

Article Library (Section)

Marketing

Article

Web Design

Article
Business Instruction

Article

Member Info (Category, under an unlinked section)

Article – Join

Article – Member Benefits

Article – Terms of Use

Just because it is THERE, does not mean your visitors have to know about it or use it!

Next, we'll create a Category. Categories can be accessed through a link to a Section in a menu, or you can link directly to a category. They are very similar to Sections, with one primary difference:

You cannot put another Category under a Category – you can only put Articles under them (unless you use an add-on extension to give you multiple category levels). You set them up the same way you do a Section.

Go to the Content menu, and select the Category Manager.
Hit the New button.
Give it a name.
Give it an alias – the alias is the same thing that it is in the Section setup.
Select the Section that it belongs under. If you change your mind, you CAN change this later in Joomla 1.5 and later.
Give it a description – the description will show up on the category page, when they select that category, and it can provide a nice introduction to the items in the category if the articles happen to be private. When someone selects the category – from the section page, or from a direct menu link – they will see the description that you put in for the Category, followed by a list of the articles in the category, from newest, to oldest.
Set the access level – again, this can be Public, Registered, or Special, and just like Sections, if you set it to Registered or Special, it will be invisible, and all items under it will also be invisible unless logged in.

Click Save to publish it.

You can provide frontend site access to a Category one of two ways:

Put a menu link for the parent Section into the menu, and the Category will automatically show up in the Category list on the Section page.
Create a Menu Link directly to the Category – this is valuable for small Categories that need no sub-level (just link to the Category instead of to the section).

Articles can be Categorized, or Uncategorized. Uncategorized articles are not automatically linked in anywhere, you must create a menu link, or a link to them in your content in order for anyone to find them. Categorized articles show up automatically on the Category page that they are under – so you can just link to the Category and all articles under it are automatically linked into the Category page.

Uncategorized articles are perfect for items that do not need to go inside a category, or which always need to be accessible for your site visitors – About, Policies, or any pages that you want to have accessible ONLY from inside another page.

Articles can also have the following features:

Single page article. You don't have to do anything special for this. If you use this, then the ENTIRE article will show up on a Category page, so generally you'd only want to use this for an Uncategorized article, such as an About or Policies page.
Article with Teaser, and Read More segment. This is perfect for Categorized items which you want to access from the Category page, because it allows you to have a teaser, or summary, followed by the rest of the article when they click "read more".
A multi-page article, with or without the Read More feature. This works for articles that have multiple segments, or when you want to break it up.

Creating a single page article is simple:

Go to the Content menu, and select the Article Manager.
Click the New button.
Fill in the Name, and Alias – they mean the same thing they do for Categories and Sections.
Choose the Section that the article goes in, and the Category, if you want the article to be categorized. If you do not want them Categorized, then leave the Section and Category unselected.
Paste your article into the box – remember, if you wrote your article in Word, or another Word Processor, the formatting may go funky – if it does, just select all of the article, and use the Eraser Tool right above the description box, to erase the formatting – it is a white ovalish lumpish looking tool on the lower right. Then reformat your page for easy reading.
Set the access level. Same as Category and Section access levels – any article that is set to Registered or Special will not even be visible to anyone who is not logged in, but will appear in the list as soon as they do log in.
Save your Article.

Two important things about Saving Articles:

Joomla has a system timeout. This is a security feature, so it has an important purpose. It is set in the Site Configuration, under the Server tab. 120 minutes is a reasonable time to set this to – it is set to about 5 minutes in the default install, which is such a SHORT time that you may lose work if you are not careful! If you are working on an article, and the session times out, it will kick you back to the login, and you will LOSE your work.

We compensate using three strategies:

First: We make sure the config is set to at least 120 minutes.

Second: We usually work in another program, and paste the article in, then format it fairly quickly in Joomla.

Third: If we think we've been in there a bit too long, we copy the content that we were working on before we hit Save – then if it kicks us back to the login, we can go back, rename the article, and just paste in what we were working on.
Joomla has a Check-out, Check-in feature. When you start working on an article, Menu item, Category, Section, or other alterable item, Joomla checks it out under your account. Anyone else who tries to access it gets a “locked” item icon, and they can't open it or mess with it. It cannot be deleted, EVEN BY YOU when it is locked. It will STAY locked, until the changes are Saved, or Canceled.

If you accidentally hit your browser Back button (after looking at an article and choosing not to change it), or if you open one, then the session times out because the baby threw up and you had to go clean it up, or if you just close your browser window instead of Saving or Canceling, then the item will be locked. If that happens, just go back in, and hit Save.

Joomla is designed to allow many people to work on a site at the same time, and this feature prevents one person canceling out the changes of another person.

Now... On to the additional topics for Articles:

Articles with a Summary

This is VERY easy – simply place the cursor between the teaser text and the rest of the article, and hit the Read More button below the article box. It will put in a line, which can be deleted, or you can move items from one side of it to the other.

Do NOT repeat the summary text when you do this, because when you click the Read More link (or the article title) from the front of the site, the summary shows up above the rest of the article below.

Multi-Page Articles

Just as easy! Put the cursor where you want the pagebreak, and hit the PageBreak button below the article box.

This can be confusing at first, until you begin to think in terms of Sections, Categories, and Joomla structure. Once it clicks though, it will help you to organize and manage large amounts of information in a very flexible way.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Editing Your About Me Page in Joomla

2010-06-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

How To Edit Your About Me Page in Your Joomla Norwex Website

The About Me Page is the second page that needs to be done after you purchase your site.

The purpose of your about me page is just to give a little information on who you are, perhaps a bit about your work history or family, how you discovered Norwex and why you love it, how long you have been a consultant, etc.

This page allows your visitors / customers to get to know you a bit as marketing clearly shows that people connect much better to people than they do to websites!

Some pictures on your about me page are also a great idea!

To change this page, go to:

- Content
- Article Manager
- Home -
- Click on the title - HOME

Now, you can edit the content as you like.

If you wish, you can select everything on the page and delete it and start from scratch.

***DO NOT copy and paste ANYTHING directly into your Joomla site from programs like Microsoft Word - EVER!

(If you have done a write up elsewhere, be sure to copy it, paste it into Notepad on your computer ( usually found from the start button or in accessories) and then cut it out of Notepad and paste it into your article)

Adding and editing content within articles is very simple, it functions much like Word and other such programs.

You have toolbars with many standard editing features like:

Font Size
Font Color
Bold
Italic
Underline
Left Align
Right Align
Center
Insert Table
Insert Picture
Bullets & Numbering
Hyperlinks

Attaching PDF documents to pages in Joomla

2010-06-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

First, check to see if you have the Attachments extension.

Look in the Components menu for something named Attachments. If you have that, then you can easily attach PDF documents to your pages.

Attachments is an easy solution, but it isn't perfect. It has some limitations.

First, each item that you attach to a page will show up where the program tells it to show up - you cannot tell it where to show up. The program places the attachments for each page, at the BOTTOM of the page in the front of the site.

We install this as the first choice though, because it is SIMPLE to use.

Just open up your article in the back of the site, and scroll to the bottom, and look for the button that says Attach on it. Click that, and you can upload your attachment right there.

If you go into the component, in Components -> Attachments, you can set some settings - you can make it so attachments are ONLY for registered users, or you can set it so that anybody can see them. There are some other settings too.

If you need more robust PDF document handling than this, we do have another option, but it is slower and more complicated to set up and use, so we usually recommend this as the simplest way to get documents available on your website.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Creating an e-mail address for your Joomla website

2010-06-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

To set up an email account:

1. Login to Cpanel
2. Click Email Accounts
3. Put in the info for the new account - remember, your email Quota must fit within your hosting space. If you have a temp account, or a small hosting account, set the Quota for about 25 MB. If you have a larger one, set it for 50 or 100 MB.
4. Click Create.

Set up as many as you need.

To set it up in Outlook, use the following settings:

Incoming Mail POP Server: mail.domainname.com
Outgoing Mail SMTP Server: mail.domainname.com
Username: Use the ENTIRE email address, including the @ domainname.com part
PW: the password you set up

To check the email via Webmail, login to:

http://www.yourdomain.com/webmail
use the entire email address to login

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

How to Add Products in VirtueMart

2010-06-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

A separate user account should be set up for each person who needs to get into the back of the site. This helps to ensure that no one has access to more of the site than they need to get into – a security precaution – and it makes it possible to delete users who no longer have a need to get into your site, without having to change anyone else's passwords.

We recommend that you read over these instructions completely before you start. There are some helpful tips that will save you some grief if you go over it all first.

To add new products, login to the site backend, at http://www.sitename.com/administrator.

Under the Components Menu, select “VirtueMart”.

This will take you to the Cart Component of the site.

On the left, there are several tabs. Click on the Products Tab. It will expand to show you a series of options.

Click on the List Products link.

A new set of tools will appear along the top of the site.

Click the New button at the top of the page.

This takes you to a page where you can add a new product listing. The new product panel has several tabs across the top.

Start with the first tab.

Enter the Stock Number under SKU.

Put the Product Name in the Name field.

Ignore the URL field, it is not necessary for normal product setup.

Select the Category from the list.

On the right, put the price into the Product Price field.

Ignore the other fields in that part, and go down to the bottom to the Product Description field.

You can insert images into the Description field, along with a description. The format to enter your products in, and the image sizes that you should use, are in the Details page at the end of this document.

To insert an image, make sure it is scaled to the right size before you put it in. Place the cursor where you want the image to go, and use the Image link below the description box to insert it.

Ignore the PageBreak and ReadMore buttons, they do not apply to product listings.

We will not cover the Display Options tab at this time - instructions will follow on how to add a secondary product to a product page (to sell companion items).

Click the Product Status tab.

Put the number of items available in the In Stock field. If your items are one-of-a-kind, put 1 in the box.

Ignore the other fields in this tab.

Click the Product Dimensions and Weight tab.

The fields here are for the purpose of SHIPPING calculations ONLY. They do NOT show up on product pages. Enter them if you need the cart to calculate shipping for the item based on dimensions and weight.

Click the Product Images tab. This tab is useful to give a larger view of the product, and to offer a thumbnail that will be available to the visitor in Category view.

Ignore the Related Products tab unless you wish to cross link products.

Click the Save button at the top of the page.

TIPS:

When you are working, the system WILL time out if you are in there very long. So if you think you may have been in there working on a single listing longer than 2 hours or so, Save, and then open the page to edit it again and finish up. If you don't do that, you can lose your work.
If you open an item other than a product listing (such as a category or other item) make SURE you Save or Cancel to leave that page! Do NOT use your browser's Back button – this can cause a problem and lock the document. It is a safety feature to prevent two people from working in an item at the same time.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Using Links and Images in Articles

2010-06-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

Links are easy! Just put the words or picture into your article that you want the link put into. Select it, and hit the link tool in the toolbar right above the editing pane. The link tool looks like a chain.

Type or paste your link into the top box - remember, you MUST have the whole link, including http://. If you do not, it won't work.

Images are a little more complex, but not too hard. If you scroll down, you'll see an Image button at the bottom of the edit pane. Now, there is a standard Image button in the top toolbar (looks like a little tree), but DON'T use that unless you already know how to FTP and all that. Use the one at the bottom, and it will upload the image for you.

So, click on that Images button, and then on Browse. Locate the image on your computer, and then hit Upload. After it uploads it will appear in the image window in the middle. Select it, and then up at the top, click Insert, and your image will appear in your content. If you need to align it left or right, you can do that by clicking on the image, and clicking the little tree icon up above. You can set the alignment, and horizontal or vertical spacing.

Remember, you need to scale your images down BEFORE you upload them! Make sure they are not wider than 450 pixels or so, for most templates. Wider than that in some templates can make your template do weird things!

Just because an image LOOKS a certain size on your screen does not mean it IS that size. Unless you measure it in pixels, the measurements may be wrong. The height is not terribly important, but the width is - width of an image can break a layout (if that happens to your layout, you'll understand what it means to "break" a layout!).

To scale an image, open it in an image editor, like PhotoShop Elements, or The GIMP (free). Find a command for Resizing an image in one of the menus. That will usually get you a dialog box, where you can change the measurements to pixels.

Do NOT use inches or anything else, it won't work the same. Web dimensions must be done in pixels. Usually you can change just the width, and the height will automatically change also.

Save the image as a jpg if it is a photo, or as a gif if it is clipart or only has text in it. Then it will be ready to upload.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

How to Link an Article to A Menu

2010-06-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

There are two kinds of articles - Categorized, and Uncategorized.

Information pages and Service pages, and other things of that nature will need to be put into sections and categories. But some articles will not.

Menu items such as "About Us", "Contact", and other informational type articles can stand alone, and be left as "uncategorized".

For a stand alone article, go to the "Menus" tab in the main menu on the upper left hand corner. Click on "Main Menu". When the page downloads, you will have a page just like the ones for the "Article Manager". Click on the "New" icon - the green circle with the white plus sign.

You will now see a "tree" of options. The first option for articles is "Archive", which has the choice of "Archived Article List". This is for articles that you may want to have your visitors have access to, but you have removed from your site.

The next choice is "Article". The options here are "Article Layout" and "Article Submission Layout". "Article Layout" is what you would use to link an article to the Main Menu. Article Submission Layout leads the user to an article submission form.

The remaining choices are for linking categories and sections, and putting articles on the main/home page.
Choose "Article layout". On the right hand side, just under the icons at the top, there will be a gray box with "Parameters" written on it. If you click the "Browse" button, you will see another view of the "Articles" list. Click on the title of the article. Then type the name of the article in the "Title" box on the left side. In the "Alias" box, retype the title, but in small letters, with dashes in between the words, not spaces.

There is a drop down menu for "Display in". You want it to display in this menu, so leave this option alone.
The "Parent Item" box should be left with "Home" already high lighted, unless you want it to show up nested in the menu under another item (which will only show up after someone clicks the parent item).

"Published" should default to "Yes". If it is not click on "Yes".

There is a "note" here that says you can change the order of menu items after the changes have been saved. After you have clicked Save, you will go back to the list of the Menu Items. You can use the "up" and "down" arrows to change the order of your menu items.

There is a scroll menu for "Access Level". If you want everyone who sees your website to see that page, then choose "Public". If you want to only allow people with certain access levels to look at that article, then choose "Registered". Anyone who wants to look at that page will have to use a password. If you only want "Administrators", or those who you allow to make changes to your site, choose "Special".

Lastly, you have a scroll menu that says "On click open in". "Parent window with browser navigation" just means that it opens on the same page. In other words, the new page will open in place of the page where you clicked. You can also choose to have it open in a new window.

After you have made your choices, click the "Save" button at the top of the page.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

How to Create a New Article in Joomla

2010-06-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

To create a new article, go to the Content Menu, and the Article Manager. Look at the icons in the upper right hand corner, and find the "New" button that is a white plus sign in a green circle - click it.

In the "Title" box, type in your title, as you normally would. In the"Alias" box, put the same words, but in all small letters, and with dashes in between the words instead of spaces. Two or three words should be sufficient. If you need to condense the words from your title, choose the most powerful words.

In the "Section" and "Category" boxes, if you have already created the sections and categories then choose the appropriate ones from these drop down menus. If you haven't, just list the articles as "uncategorized" and you can change it later.

Now your ready to add your content. The editing tools at the top of the edit box are pretty much standard. You just need to find the location of the icon/job that you want. Layout will always be slightly different between any two operating systems, but using these tools is just about like using a word processor.

Remember! Do not cut/copy and paste from any document, especially Microsoft or WordPad documents. They have extra code that will do funny things to your web site, then you'll wonder why things don't look right. And you'll have to look at the html code to try and figure out what doesn't belong there, to remove it. ICKY!

If you want to cut/copy and paste from your original document, paste it into Notepad, or some similar program first. This will strip out any extra code that will do strange things to your site. It will also strip out the formatting, but that is actually the point, because that formatting is what is responsible for the messy code that warps your page. Copy/cut again from Notepad, and then paste it into the editing block of the page you are working on, and reformat it there.

After your content is in place, then you can tinker with the "header" style, fonts, bold, or anything else that suits your fancy. When you are finished creating/editing, click on the "Save" icon in the upper right hand corner of your page.

If you have not assigned the page to a category or section, that is fine. You can come back and make those assignments later. Just reopen your new article, make your changes, then click "Save".

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

How to Edit an Article in Joomla

2010-06-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

Log in to the back end of your site. Click on "Content" and select "Article Manager". You should see a list of articles that we have put in as samples for you to use. We will start with the "Policies" page. Click on the name of the page to open it.

The boxes named "Title" and "Alias" can stay the same, if you choose. If you have a more creative name for your policies page, go ahead and change it. But change the Alias so that it's the same thing, but the Alias should be in all small letters. The alias should also have dashes, and NO spaces, between the words.

The drop down menu that is titled "Section" allows you to make the article part of a group or collection of articles under one section, and several categories. For example:this page is put into a section called "Instructional", and a category called "How To`s". Under the section "Instructional" we could add more categories, like "videos", for example, or"tutorials". On one of our clients sites, a section is called "Articles". The categories are categories in which she wanted the articles to be divided. The individual articles were all put into the "Articles" section, but put into the category where they fit.

The icons and symbols at the top of the page are pretty much standards for editing your content. The white icon, second from the left on the bottom row, next to the "Insert Horizontal Ruler" is a tool that allows you to remove code. You can highlight a section of your manuscript and click on that icon, and all formatting will be removed. You can then start over using, bold, italic, different header fonts, or anything else you want.
All that's left is typing or pasting in your content.

Warning!

Do NOT cut/copy from any document, especially Microsoft documents, and paste them directly into your content area. There are codes, forms of codes, and code "bloat" that could make your web site look really strange, and you will regret it.

Instead, copy your content and put it into something like Notepad, that comes as a standard accessory on any Windows computer. Notepad strips all extra code from your content. Just remember to copy/cut again from your Notepad screen, then paste into your content area on your website.

Do not use WordPad. If you type your content directly onto your website page, then you don't have to worry about this problem.

The pages that we have put in titled "Policies", "My Great Business", "Product or Services", and "About Us" all have example content that will need to be customized to your business.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

How to Create a Section in Joomla

2010-06-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

Go to "Content" in the top menu, and select "Section Manager", then click on the "New" icon.

You cannot assign additional sections to another section. Several articles are assigned to a category, which is assigned to a section. There may be several categories in a section.

"Title" and "Alias" should be the same, except that "Alias" should be all small letters, with dashes instead of spaces. And no more than three words.

"Published" - click the "yes" radio button. Or, if you want to work on your page some more before you publish it, then you can click "no" and it won't show up in the front end of your site. When you finish your edits you can click the "yes" button, then your section page will be visible on the front end.

"Order" - allows you to change the order of your sections, if you have more than one section. You don't need to worry about this button for your menu items. You can change that order through the "Main Menu Manager".

"Access Level" - You are able to choose if you want everyone to see the section, registered visitors only to see the section, or special visitors.

"Image" - You can put in an image for your section if you wish.

"Image Position" - Adjusts the position of your image left, center, or right.

The icons and symbols at the top of the page are pretty much standards for editing your content. The white icon, second from the left on the bottom row, next to the "Insert Horizontal Ruler" is a tool that allows you to remove code. You can highlight a section of your manuscript and click on that icon, and all formatting will be removed. You can then start over using, bold, italic, different header fonts, or anything else you want.

"Description" - Where you enter any content that you may want in your section head. You can leave this blank, if you wish.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

How to Link a Category to A Menu in Joomla

2010-06-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

From the "Menus" menu, pick "Main Menu" or the one that is the same name as the name of your site.

You will see the "site tree" that gives you your choices. Click on "Articles".

Under "Category" you will see "Category Blog Layout" and "Category List Layout".

If you choose "Category Blog layout", in the front end of your site, you will see a description of your category, and the full articles that you have attached to that category. If your articles are short, this option will work well for you. If your articles have more substance, you may wish to choose the next option.

In the "Category List Layout" only a clickable list of the articles that you have attached to that category will show up in the front end of your site.

After you choose your option, click the "Save" icon in the upper right corner, and you're done.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

How To Create a Category in Joomla

2010-06-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Go to "Content" in the top menu, and select "Category Manager", then click on the "New" icon.

You cannot put additional categories under categories. Categories must be assigned to a section. Articles are added to categories, that are assigned to sections.
j
"Title" and "Alias" should be the same, except that "Alias" should be all small letters, with dashes instead of spaces. And no more than three words.

"Published" - click the "yes" radio button. Or, if you want to work on your page some more before you publish it, then you can click "no" and it won't show up in the front end of your site. When you finish your edits you can click the "yes" button, then your section page will be visible on the front end.

"Order" - allows you to change the order of your sections, if you have more than one section. You don't need to worry about this button for your menu items. You can change that order through the "Main Menu Manager".

"Access Level" - You are able to choose if you want everyone to see the section, registered visitors only to see the section, or special visitors.

"Image" - You can put in an image for your section if you wish.

"Image Position" - Adjusts the position of your image left, center, or right.

The icons and symbols at the top of the page are pretty much standards for editing your content. The white icon, second from the left on the bottom row, next to the "Insert Horizontal Ruler" is a tool that allows you to remove code. You can highlight a section of your manuscript and click on that icon, and all formatting will be removed. You can then start over using, bold, italic, different header fonts, or anything else you want.

"Description" - Where you enter any content that you may want in your section head. You can leave this blank, if you wish.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Managing Your Contact Page in Joomla

2010-06-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

Your contact page is not really a page. So don't create one in the Article Manager!

The Contact Manager will do some things for you much better than a mere page will do.

First, it will keep your email address off the page - so spambots cannot pick it up.

Second, it provides a contact form with Captcha (image verify code) which you can turn on or off, but which can protect you from site spam if you have it on.

Third, as your business grows, if you need to have someone else help answer emails or calls, it can provide more than one contact form to route emails and calls to other people.

To set this up, go to Components -> Contacts -> Contacts. Click on the name of the contact that is already in there. Put your details in instead of the ones that are there.

You can put in a message also. You can even put in a picture if you choose.
On the right, you can choose which elements you want to show.

Save the Contact. If you have a Contact Us link on the front of your site, this will already link directly to it.
If you do not have one, then go to Menus -> MainMenu (or the name of the menu you want to put it into).

Click New, and select Qcontacts. Then select Single Contact Layout. Name it, and select the contact you are linking to. Save it.

You can also link to a category of contacts. This is how you link to more than one contact. You just select Contact Category Layout instead of Single Contact Layout when you create the menu link.

The Contact Manager is a professional and effective solution for providing contact information and a contact form for your site visitors.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Thinking Like Joomla

2010-06-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

When someone first starts working with Joomla, there is usually a certain amount of frustration and confusion.

This is normal, because we tend to think a certain way about websites - as website USERS, we think differently than we do as website CREATORS. We think about what we SEE on the front of the site, not what has to happen in the back to create what we see.

In order to use the website software more effectively, it helps to learn to "Think Like Joomla". That means learning to think about what CREATES the pages, as well as just what the site visitor sees.

Joomla does not think in terms of "pages". It thinks in terms of "content". Content can be information, images, videos, audio or music, software, links, or anything else you want to present to the world.

Joomla is truly a "content management system". A system designed to help you manage content efficiently, no matter what kind of content it is.

So the first step in setting ANY new function up is to define what kind of content it is, and how it might best be handled. Chances are, whatever kind of content it is, Joomla has a way to manage it efficiently, that will be more efficient than trying to handle it in the way we think of as a "page".

Articles can be one of two kinds of content - categorized or uncategorized.

A Contact "page" in Joomla is a dynamically created form, handled by the Contact Manager (Qcontacts). It is a different kind of content than an article.

Forums, galleries, comparison charts, directories, forms, etc, are just other types of content, managed in the best way to handle them. If you handle them in an extension that is special for that kind of content, it will be easier long term than trying to fit them into an article layout.

The goal of setting up content is to set it up in a structure that is best suited to handling it - that way the system simplifies the work for you, and does part of it for you. It usually takes a few extra minutes to set it up initially, but then it saves you time each time you add anything to that area.

The classification of "content" rather than "pages" is also why some things in Joomla are handled through the Menus, NOT through the articles - because the Menus are actually what designate the final output of "pages", not the articles - an article is not a Page, until someone clicks on a menu link to ask for it as a page.

Articles can appear in many ways - as main content in a page, as supplementary content in a page (an article can show in a module - in a box in the sidebar), as a link in a page, with multiple articles on a page, etc. But menu links CREATE pages.

At first, this can be hard to get your head around. This is a concept that confuses EVERYBODY in the beginning. But it is also the lightbulb that goes on at some point that suddenly makes it all make sense.

So be patient with yourself and keep asking questions until the lightbulb goes on - It WILL go on! It just takes some time and repeated exposure to be able to fully grasp it.

Once you understand how Joomla thinks, it gets much easier. It will take some practice to completely learn this - you can ask all the questions you need to, we will answer them!

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Which Browser Should You Use?

2010-06-12T17:40:00.001-07:00

Internet Explorer has more errors on more websites than any other browser. It is also very slow.
Safari is the number two offender - it does not behave well with ANY of the shopping carts, content systems, or other website structures we work with - it just stops working, and won't let you make changes to a site.

We recommend Mozilla FireFox for working with a website that you update online. It has many nifty plugins that you can use to make life easier for you also.

FireFox is not only more stable, it is fast.

Our clients tell us all the time how much faster the internet is with FireFox.

FireFox is a FREE Download, go get it!

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Understanding Google Ranking

2010-06-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

A lot of people assume that Google positions are a marker of website success. They are not.
If you are watching Google rankings, they will go up and down. This is normal.

There are any number of reasons why it can happen.

1. Competition for the word.
2. Changes in how Google measures.

You really don't need to worry about it. This is why:

Position in Google for any given keyword phrase is ABSOLUTELY IRRELEVANT to making good sales.

I know, you're being told everywhere that if you aren't on page 1 in Google for your top keyword that you'll never make a sale. That is an absolute lie made by people who want you to pay to try to put you there, or a mis-statement made by people who don't understand how it works.

We don't even rank for Web Design terms, yet we get good traffic and get calls from our websites. We've proven this with client sites also, and statistical evidence bears out what I'll say here.

Think of it this way...

If two people have a cold, and one takes medication to suppress the symptoms, which one is contagious?

No one would ask such an absurd question because we know that both are still contagious.

Same thing here - if you judge success by something that doesn't really matter to sales, then you are making the same kind of mistake as you would if you thought that stopping the sniffles and cough meant you no longer had a cold.

There are many complex factors involved. But something you need to know is:

Most of your potential customers are NOT searching for Norwex.

They are searching for environmentally friendly cleaning products, dusting cloths, microfiber duster, chemical free cleaning, hypoallergenic cleaning or personal care, organic deodorant, family friendly business opportunity, etc.

And...

LESS THAN 10% of the people who find you will find you using ANY of those common terms!
The other 90% will find you through keyword phrases that you'd NEVER think of.

So what do you do?

1. Create information pages for your site that are original, and interesting. Choose topics related to your site focus. Make sure the pages are written BY YOU.

2. Get your site link out there into directories, onto forums, into blogs, etc. Be a nice person and just go be friendly online and leave your signature line.

3. Everywhere you go online and off, just politely leave your URL. Use it in email signature lines, and everywhere.

4. Measure traffic trends, and get clues about what to do from your TRAFFIC STATS, NOT from your Google Position. Google Positions mean NOTHING. Results mean something. Traffic stats are RESULTS. They can tell you a lot. Your site has comprehensive traffic stats, which you can access through your Cpanel. You can ask me if you don't know how to access that. I'll put a booklet about Stats and Tracking into norwexwebsites.com, so you can download it and know what the stats mean.

5. Measure success by sales. If you aren't getting any sales, then you need to look at trends, and see if you are close to getting them - stats can help you know what might work.

At first, the majority of sales a website makes, is made through personal contact. True of EVERY website. So don't wait for your website to do it all for you. Keep working at it, and it will slowly build momentum.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Helping You Get Found Online

2010-06-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

Marketing Services To Help Get YOUR Site Found!

Every client differs in the amount of time they wish to spend on their website. For those wanting to learn how to effectively market their sites, we provide the training for them on how to do this.

For anyone who wishes to pay for these services, we offer them at a highly discounted rate just for Norwex Websites clients.

Here are some of the services we offer:

Monthly Updating Service
Advertising Packages
Backlink Service
Personal Marketing Consultation
Custom Writing Service
Social Networking Packages
Custom Twitter Designs

Norwex Websites is a company that cares about its clients, and we would love to have you as one of them!
Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Custom Design from Norwex Websites

2010-06-12T00:21:00.001-07:00

Custom Header and Template Design

When you purchase a website from Norwex Websites, you get a completely personalized template and header design that is unique to you.

You have two choices, you can either select from one of our templates shown on the site, or, you can send us any picture of your choice and we will custom build your template and header. If you select a design from our site, we will then remove it so no one else has the same one, you site will be unique, and that's what you want!

If you would like to select your own picture, we recommend www.BigStockPhoto.com. You need only the smallest size when you purchase the picture.
Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Your Norwex Website Comes Pre-Loaded With Content

2010-06-12T00:19:00.001-07:00

Pre-Loaded Starter Content and Catalog Items

Building a website takes time, and lots of it! You will be able to edit any and all information on your website as well as add more. Your website has no limit, you may add as many pages as you like!

However, we want to make sure that you have a site that you can start using right away that has all the basic, and essential information your site should have in order to provide the information for your customers.

Because of this, we have loaded your site up with a TON of information already!

Here is what you get when you purchase your site:

NORWEX Information

o    History of Norwex
o    Norwex Antibac Microfiber
o    Norwex Organics Line
o    Norwex Care & Usage Guide
o    Norwex Product FAQ
o    Norwex Tech Talk Articles

NORWEX BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
o    The Norwex Opportunity
o    What is Direct Sales?

NORWEX HOME PARTY
o    Current Hostess Program

NORWEX PRODUCTS
o    Fully stocked shopping catalog with all Norwex Products, Prices and Pictures
o    Current customer specials
Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Green Hosting by Norwex Websites

2010-06-12T00:18:00.000-07:00

GREEN Web Hosting!

Norwex Consultants are in the business of being "green". Norwex Websites provides you the peace of mind in knowing that your hosting is eco-friendly!

Website hosting gives your website a rented space to "live" on the internet so that people can see it. Norwex Websites provides that for you for a competitive monthly fee.

Our Green Servers are 130% wind powered. Through the purchase of certified Renewable Energy Credits representing 130% of the electricity used to both power and cool our server, we're not just neutralizing our environmental impact: we're reversing it!

Learn it From Larry - This is Larry!

2010-06-12T00:10:00.000-07:00

Social Networking has quickly become a MUST in the world of online marketing, but its so hard to keep up with all the different networks, how they work and more important, how to make them work for YOU.

We would like to personally introduce you to the man we feel is the absolute GENIUS of social networking!

Meet Larry Brauner of www.online-social-networking.com.

Larry is a former Manhattanite now living with his family in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York.

He has a passion and a skill for developing creative and comprehensive solutions to complex business problems, and have applied this skill in many areas.

Presently, as a business consultant, Larry focuses on social media and search engine optimization in connection with web-based marketing, branding and public relations.

Larry specializes in social media, SEO and the web which all began with his experience in market research.

We, at Norwex Websites follow Larry`s work, he provides wonderful, and CONSTANT up to date information on the online world and networking in it.

Find and connect to Larry Brauner!

http://Online-Social-Networking.com

http://facebook.com/larrybrauner

http://twitter.com/larrybrauner
Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

How To Contact Norwex Websites

2010-06-12T00:08:00.001-07:00

The Norwex Websites Team is here for you!

We can be contacted through our main website contact form, click HERE to be re-directed.

You can also pick up the phone and give us a call any time you like to find out more about our websites, what is involved in getting online and for assistance in purchasing the appropriate website package and additional services.

We can be reached Toll FREE from anywhere within Canada and the United States:

Brandy Burge - Mountain Time - 1-866-980-3954

Cynthia Randall - Mountain Time - 1-877-525-2022

We look forward to hearing from you!

Brandy, Cynthia & Kim
The Norwex Websites TEAM

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Norwex Websites Client Training & Support

2010-06-12T00:06:00.000-07:00

Training & Support for Norwex Websites Clients is available in many ways:

Instructional Resources are available for registered users for using your website, for building your business, and for Norwex specific instructions. Our instructions are good, and helpful, and cover the most common issues. We have manuals, video, instructional articles, and FAQs.

Login using the Client Login to access these resources. You can use the links at the bottom of the login box to register for an account. Your account will be approved once we verify that you are a paid Norwex Websites site owner.
Online support forums. Questions from clients will be answered when posted in the forum. We prefer that you take questions here, simply because this way, our answer for you can help many people. Support forums are available after you login.
Client Training Conference Calls. Training will be available to ALL Norwex websites clients regularly using conference calls. Our staff will walk clients through all the essential elements of editing, maintaining and promoting their websites on these calls as well as answer client questions.
Email Support. When you have a question that involves private information, or circumstances particular to your situation, we welcome emails from you, and will answer them as quickly as possible. Just click the Contact Link above for an email form.
Phone Support. This is costly to provide, so we ask that you make sure that you need to talk to someone by phone before you call, but if you do, we'll gladly help you.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Features of Joomla

2010-06-12T00:01:00.001-07:00

Features Overview From Joomla.org

Joomla is so much more than just a powerful content management system. Here is a list of features "out of the box," but the true power of Joomla is in its extensibility.

User Management

Joomla has a registration system that allows users to configure personal options. There are nine user groups with various types of permissions on what users are allowed to access, edit, publish and administrate.

Authentication is an important part of user management and Joomla support multiple protocols, including LDAP, OpenID, and even Gmail. This allows users to use their existing account information to streamline the registration process.

Media Manager

The Media Manager is the tool for easily managing media files or folders and you can configure the MIME type settings to handle any type of file. The Media Manager is integrated into the Article Editor tool so you can grab images and other files at any time.

Language Manager

There is international support for many world languages and UTF-8 encoding. If you need your Web site in one language and the administrator panel in another, multiple languages are possible.

Banner Management

It's easy to set up banners on your Web site using the Banner Manager, starting with creating a client profile. Once you add campaigns and as many banners as you need, you can set impression numbers, special URLs, and more.

Contact Management

The Contact Manager helps your users to find the right person and their contact information. It also supports multiple contact forms going to specific individuals as well as groups.

Polls

If you want to find out more about your users, it's easy to create polls with multiple options.

Search

Help navigate users to most popular search items and provide the admin with search statistics.

Web Link Management

Providing link resources for site users is simple and you can sort them into categories, even count every click.

Content Management

Joomla's simplified three-tiered system of articles makes organizing your content a snap. You can organize your content any way you want and not necessarily how it will be on your Web site. Your users can rate articles, e-mail them to a friend, or automatically save a PDF (with UTF-8 support for all languages). Administrators can archive content for safekeeping, hiding it from site visitors.
On public Web sites, built-in e-mail cloaking protects email addresses from spambots.
Creating content is simple with the WYSIWYG editor, giving even novice users the ability to combine text, images in an attractive way. Once you've created your articles, there are a number of pre-installed modules to show the most popular articles, latest new items, newsflashes, related articles, and more.

Syndication and Newsfeed Management

With Joomla, it's easy to syndicate your site content, allowing your users to subscribe to new content in their favorite RSS reader. It's equally easy to integrate RSS feeds from other sources and aggregate them all on your site.

Menu Manager

The Menu Manager allows you to create as many menus and menu items as you need. You can structure your menu hierarchy (and nested menu items) completely independent of your content structure. Put one menu in multiple places and in any style you want; use rollovers, dropdown, flyouts and just about any other navigation system you can think of. Also automatic breadcrumbs are generated to help navigate your site users.

Template Management

Templates in Joomla are a powerful way to make your site look exactly the way you want and either use a single template for the entire site or a separate template for each site section. The level of visual control goes a step further with powerful template overrides, allowing you to customize each part of your pages.

Integrated Help System

Joomla has a built-in help section to assist users with finding what they need. A glossary explains the terms in plain English, a version checker makes sure you're using the latest version, a system information tool helps you troubleshoot, and, if all else fails, links to a wealth of online resources for additional help and support.

System Features

Speedy page loads are possible with page caching, granular-level module caching, and GZIP page compression.
If your system administrator needs to troubleshoot an issue, debugging mode and error reporting are invaluable.
The FTP Layer allows file operations (like installing Extensions) without having to make all the folders and files writable, making your site administrator's life easier and increasing the security of your site.
Administators quickly and efficiently communicate with users one-on-one through private messaging or all site users via the mass mailing system.

Web Services

With Web services, you can use Remote Procedure Calls (via HTTP and XML). You can also integrate XML-RPC services with the Blogger and Joomla APIs.

Powerful Extensibility

These are just some of the basic Joomla features and the real power is in the way you customize Joomla. Visit the Joomla Extensions Directory to see thousands of ways to enhance Joomla to suit your needs.
Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

VirtueMart Features

2010-06-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

VirtueMart Features - Courtesy of Virtuemart.net

VirtueMart offers a lot of Features, some of the standard Features are listed here. Please note that you can extend the Functionality of Joomla! and VirtueMart using Plugins, Components, Templates and Modules to make them do what you need!

Don't forget to visit extensions.virtuemart.net for more Features & Extensions.

General Features

capable of using Secure Sockets Layer (https) Encryption (128-bit)
flexible Tax Models
- Model 1: ShipTo Address-based Tax Calculation
- Model 2: Store Address-based Tax Calculation
- Model 3: EU Mode (Store Owner based Tax Calculation when Customer comes from an EU Country)
Shoppers can manage their User Accounts (registration required)
Shipping Address Management (Customers can enter their own Shipping Addresses)
Order History: Shopper can view all their previous Orders (and Order Details)
Order Confirmation Mail (customizable!) is sent to Shopper and Store Owner
Multiple Currencies (you can allow Customers to change the Currency and buy using an alternative Currency)
Multiple Languages (using the Joomla! Component Joom!Fish or Nooku).

Product Catalog Features

Powerful Web-Administration Interface (Javascript-powered)
Manages an unlimited Number of Products and Categories
Can be used as a Shop or just as an Online-Catalog (you can even turn off Price Display)
quick Search for Products, Categories and Manufacturers; filter by features or discounted Products
Product Ratings & Testimonials (moderated or auto-published)
feature specific Products by setting them "on special"
Product Availability: show how fast a Customer can expect delivery
Handles downloadable Products (virtual Goods)
"Product is back in Stock"-Notification for subscribed Customers

Administration Features

multiple Images and Files (like Spec Sheets and Flyers) per Product
Product Attributes (like Size or Color) can be added to Product
Product Types for Classification (like "Car", "Motorbike" or "Music Album")
Shopper Groups for Customers (allows different Price Levels and Payment Options),
multiple Prices per Product (Quantity-based and/or Shopper Group-based Prices)
flexible Price Display (number & currency formatting; including or excluding tax)
On-the-Fly Price Conversion between different Currencies using Live Rates from the ECB or other banks
Shop Statistics / Control Panel with a Summary of new Customers, new Orders....
Stock Level Control for Products and Item
Order Management with Order History, Customer Notification and Order Edit Functionality
basic Reporting Feature: sold Items, monthly/yearly Revenue
Order Status Management
manage different Currencies, Countries & States

Payment Modules

capable of live Credit Card Processing
pre-defined Payment Gateways like authorize.net®, PayPal, 2Checkout, eWay, Worldpay, PayMate and NoChex
extend your Shop with other Payment Modules using the Payment Module API!

Shipping Modules

flexible Shipping Carriers and Rates Configuration
Live-Shipping Rates using Shipping Modules (e.g. InterShipper, UPS, USPS, FedEx or Canada Post; Modules can use the Shipping Rate API).
extend your Shop with other Shipping Modules using the Shipping Module API!

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Tips, Secrets and Strategies for Using Facebook

2010-06-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Facebook is a rapidly growing and boasts 175 million users with about five million new users a week. This makes it a ripe opportunity to boost your business.

Step One: Build your Profile

Facebook now offers options for those who wish to use Facebook for both personal and professional uses. If you already have a personal profile, you can now also create a profile specifically for your business. If you wish to keep profiles unified, you can also set limitations so business associates do not see those posts to your sister, husband or best friend and vice versa – it’s fairly easy to privacy protect posts and we’ll show you how to do that in just a bit.

To sign up, simply click on the button on Facebook’s home page.
Decide how people are likely to search for you and create a username. For example, if you’re creating a business profile then your business name will likely be your username however if you’re a service provider, people may search for you by your given name, for example Jane Smith.
Once you’ve created a username and a password it’s time to start adding information. In the image below you’ll see there are a number of options and opportunities to build your credibility and share information about yourself and your business.

Step Two: Start Connecting
The next step, once you’ve created a profile, is to invite your friends, associates, and anyone you’re interested in connecting with.
It also suggests people you may know based on your interests and people who are already in your group. You can also search for specific people and import your IM list.

Step Three: Editing Your Settings
As mentioned earlier in step one, you can modify your settings so only specified people can see your posts. You can create groups so only your friends see personal posts and your business associates can see your business related posts.
To access your settings, click on the settings button in the top toolbar. From there you’ll be taken to a page with several options, as seen in the image below.

Make the necessary adjustments to your settings, networks, notifications and so on.
To set your privacy settings, visit http://www.facebook.com/privacy/
And make the necessary changes. For example, you may only want friends to view photos and videos tagged with you in them.

Step Four: Begin Posting, Updating And Interacting
You can post what you are doing right now. You can also post photos and links to video or audio.
Users can also send and receive messages to other Facebook friends. You can use this function to share a promotion, a special link, or an invitation reserved specifically for your Facebook friends.

Step Five: Adding Facebook Applications
Facebook offers a number of applications including creating and joining groups. Adding and joining groups is another way to connect with a very specific target audience. If, for example, you are a writer and your market is work from home moms, you could create a group for aspiring mompreneurs and teach them the ropes of writing good copy. The group function allows you to also see the groups your friends and associates are participating in so you can make the decision about whether or not it’s a group you too want to join.
There are a large number of applications and with Facebook continually growing new applications will be added every day. A few great applications to consider include:
Twitter – This is only relevant if you also have a Twitter profile and wish to integrate your Twitter and Facebook account. Doing so will publish all of your Twitter posts on your Facebook account and will be seen as posts by your network.
BlogNetwork – This application is a great way to publicize your blog and gain new followers.

Other applications include the ability to add videos, photos, and notable links. Each of these applications provides valuable ways to connect to your audience, provide value, and to boost website traffic and profits. To add any application, simply search for it in the Facebook search bar and follow the instructions to add the application and to modify your settings as they relate to each specific application.,
We mentioned Twitter earlier, it’s the other tremendously popular social networking site and it integrates quite nicely with Facebook.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

25 Common Social Media and Web Marketing Mistakes

2010-06-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

25 Common Social Media and Web Marketing Mistakes

Filed Under Best Practices, Blogging, Books, List Building, Networking and Marketing Strategy, Search Engines, Web Marketing

Who wouldn’t want the kind of web presence that drives hundreds or thousands of targeted visitors to his or her web site or blog and converts them into customers or followers?
I’ve created that type web presence for myself. However, most businesses that try to build such a web presence fall short of achieving that objective. How about yours?
This a long article that covers a lot of ground. My hope is that this article and those articles and resources it links to will enable you to take a fresh look at your social media and web marketing program.
Over the past few years I’ve identified dozens of factors that contribute to lack of web marketing success, and in this article I discuss 25 of the most important ones:

Failing to Plan - Strategy must precede tactics. Taking action is easy, but will that action help you achieve your objectives? Do you know precisely what those objectives are? It’s imperative that you define your objectives and devise marketing strategies to help you reach them effectively.

A Flawed Plan - Including thinking too big or too small, e.g., with your keywords, quantity of social networking sites you employ or frequency of your blog posting. Be ambitious but realistic. Your time is limited. Make a plan that’s simple but not simplistic. Shama Hyder Kabani’s The Zen of Social Media Marketing provides an excellent overview of the planning process.

Ignoring Your Competition - Developing your plan in a vacuum without any competitive intelligence prevents you from learning from your competitors and identifying optimal marketing strategies and tactics.

Having Unrealistic Expectations - View social media and web marketing as a marathon, not a sprint. It takes a substantial amount of time to build credibility with your potential customers and with search engines too.

Not Focusing on Your Niche - The more focused your message, the more it will influence your target audience. Trying to be everything to everybody will make your website look like a patch quilt. I’m sure you’ve been to websites that look like menus at diners or aerial views of battle zones. You hit the back arrow and breathe a sigh of relief. Successful offline marketers know that a highly targeted ad gets the best results, even with those people who aren’t targeted by the ad.

Following the Pack - Don’t do anything solely because it’s trendy. Check new options at your disposal for consistency with your plan and expected return on time invested. You’ll need to rely mostly on intuition, but the more extensive your knowledge, the more reliable your intuition will be.

Not Optimizing Your Web Site - What good is a website that looks great yet is dysfunctional? It doesn’t attract any traffic. Search engines are confused by it. Or it attracts traffic, but that traffic doesn’t convert. The lack of web site results is so wide spread that business owners tend to be very skeptical about the web’s marketing potential. See 10 Easy Way to Improve Your Blog or Website and 10 More Easy Ways to Improve Your Website.

Optimizing for Search Engines Only - Some marketers optimize their web sites for search engines but fail to optimize for humans. The result: traffic that doesn’t convert. Optimizing “user experience” is more important than search engine optimization. SEO is only one of numerous ways to attract visitors to your site. On the other hand, all methods drive traffic to your website, and if that site is weak, your work is in vain.

Your Logo or Flash Dominates Your Website - A constant battle! A client said he wants his website to have an upscale image similar to that of the fluffy Tiffany site. Will that work for him? He’s trying to build his brand online. The Tiffany brand was powerful before the web even existed. All they really need is a pretty site with product illustrations and a shopping card to help you spend your extra funds on beautiful high-end jewelry. However, let’s be real. If you’re not a Tiffany or an Apple, nobody cares as much about your logo or flash as you do. They want content to digest. They want to know what you can do for them and whether or not they can trust you.

Too Little or Lame Content - They say that content is king. I believe that is true. People are searching online for content. To succeed, feed people great content, such as text, video, pictures, podcasts, etc., and you’ll gain positive recognition for your brand.

Trying to Spam the Search Engines - Search engines are smarter than you might think. Game them, and you’ll come to regret it. But, feed them lots of solid content, and over time they’ll send your web site thousands and thousands of targeted visitors.

Leaving Everything to Your Web Developers - Web developers are neither experienced marketers nor skilled copywriters. Check out Web Developers Don’t Know Social Media.

Making Bad Money Decisions - How about the following example? You spent tens of thousands to engage top notch social media and web consultants, but you don’t want to spend a couple of thousand on the new website design they recommend. Why not? Because that would imply that the money you spent on the original design was wasted. Am I missing something here? Tell me.

Not Hosting Your Website or Blog Yourself - Your website or blog is the core of your web presence. Should Blogger or Wordpress.com determine its disposition? Invest in a web hosting account — it’s not pricey. Learn how to use the Wordpress.org content management system to create and maintain your website or blog.

Not Building Yourself an Online Community - If you have doubts about social media or the power of your own community, Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk will make you a believer. Gary has built a community of wine lovers around his Wine Library TV brand, and his social media efforts have greatly added to the bottom line of his business, the Wine Library.

Not Engaging Your Community - To cultivate and nurture your community of customers and fans is a golden opportunity to connect with the people who matter to your brand.

Not Being Authentic - We live in an age of trust and transparency. Being who you’re not will set you apart from your competitors in a counterproductive way.

Not Integrating Online Marketing with Offline - Relying only on Internet marketing when you can achieve results offline as well, including driving visitors from offline to your website. Marketing offline is not dead.

Never Meeting People Face-to-Face - Nothing builds trust like an in-person meeting. If you’re in the New York area, let’s have coffee or do lunch.

Not Diversifying - Don’t put All Your Social Media Eggs in One Basket — nor all your other eggs.

Not Using an Autoresponder to Build an Email List - Most potential customers need to get to know your brand better before they buy. Keep in touch with them by letting them add themselves to your autoresponder newsletter or blog subscription list — even if you use RSS.

Not Touching Base Frequently with Your Email List - If you don’t stay on people’s minds, they’ll forget you. Then when you do email them, they’ll flag your message as spam. That in turn will hurt your ability to get your email through the filters of the Internet service providers.

Relying on Trial and Error - Keep reading. Keep learning. Trial and error is a luxury you may not be able to afford.

Never Seeking Help - A little help can save you from much trial and error and many hours of spinning your wheels but remaining where you are.

Taking Your Web Marketing Too Seriously - Lighten up. Make friends. Have fun.

Here are social media and web marketing resources you might find useful:

Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk

Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel

The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Hyder Kabani

31 Days to Build a Better Blog by Darren Rouse

Building Social Equity free and premium social marketing videos

Who’s Blogging What free web marketing newsletter and digest

Web marketing articles from this blog and other archived posts

Wishing you success with your web marketing.
Please subscribe, leave a comment, click on some of my Facebook like buttons and share this article with your friends and colleagues.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

How to Register for Norwex CS

2010-06-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

ALL consultants MUST be registered on the Norwex Consultant Services Website - www.Norwexcs.com.

This is where the office posts all current information for consultants including the current Hostess Program, Customer Specials, Consultant Promotions, latest bulletins from the office and rules and regulations for consultants.

This is also where consultants obtain the most current Direct Sales Forms and Party Order Forms and where those orders will be uploaded into the Norwex system.

The Norwex Consultant Services site also allows us to see our submitted orders as well as our downline information and sales for the month.

To Register for the Norwex Consultant Services Website, follow these instructions:

Go to www.norwexcs.com
In the user box put in your consultant number
In the password box, enter your email address and submit
Go to your email and retrieve the password they sent you
Go back to the login screen
Enter your consultant number in the user box
Enter the password they sent you in the password box and you will get logged in
Then, go to profile at the top, second from the right and you can change your password to whatever you like.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Google Duplicate Content Policy

2010-06-11T17:35:00.001-07:00

The truth of the Google duplicate content penalty is quite simply that there is none! If that confuses you, then you have been reading too many misinformed forums or blogs where people get stuck on some popular term that they have no idea what it means, and then profess to be experts.

The only experts on the Google duplicate content penalty, and the only people who are qualified to define it, are Google, and in Google's own words "There is no such thing as a duplicate content penalty". This comes directly from Google's Webmaster Central Blog.

That should be the end of this article, at precisely 96 words excluding title as I define my word count. But it is not. Why? Because even though this blog is operated by Google, and even though much the same has been stated by Matt Cutts, Google's main software engineer, and other Google experts, people still argue and complain about the Google 'duplicate content penalty'.

So here is the truth: you might ask who am I to know the truth, but I read all the Google blogs and their official statements, and in applying what I learn, I achieve excellent results for my web pages on Google search engine listings: and those of Yahoo, MSN and Bing. So I am coming from a sound base that my results can prove.

As a professional article writer whose customers trust to get them the best results from the articles I write, I have to be very aware of the policies and the way the algorithms work of each of the major search engines, and so I am as qualified as anybody to comment on myths such as this.

The Truth of the Google Duplicate Content Penalty

There is no duplicate content penalty. Google's major search engine function is to provide a customer the best possible results for a search, based upon the search term (keywords) that the customer has used in the Google search box.

Google's customers are not:

You, who use it to get your web pages listed.
Adwords advertisers that use Adwords to advertise their products.
Corporations or individuals that use it to have their web pages listed.
Internet marketers who recommend others to use Google for advertising or searching.

Google's customers are those seeking information, whether that is to solve a problem, where to purchase a product at the cheapest price, find a sports result or to get directions to a specific location. Everybody that uses Google uses a search term to find some information that they need. That search term is what you and I refer to as a keyword.

If Google detects several web pages offering exactly the same content, its algorithms will select that which best offers the information required and list that. It might also list one or two other pages offering exactly the same content if there are good reasons for it doing so (e.g. more links to other relevant websites, more other relevant pages on the domain, and so on).

So, not all duplicate content pages will be refused a listing. If these duplicates are articles, then the algorithms that the spiders carry on their backs will take the links from these articles into consideration, the authority of the directory on which it is published, and other factors, before deciding which should be listed. It is wrong to believe that this decision has a chronological factor, but, if you include a link in your article Resource section to your web page that contains the same article, then your page is liable to be listed above the others, partially because of a greater number of links back to it from the other copies, and partially because your entire site is liable to be more relevant than these others to information being sought by Google's customer.

This is not because yours was created first, but because it better meets Google's criterion for authoritative back-links. However, if the rest of your website is not equally authoritative, your page might be listed behind another with the same content or even not listed at all.

All of this is designed by Google so that its customer is offered the most relevant range of results to the keywords they used. That is what Google is for, and is its ultimate objective. Google will not penalize any individual or any website for publishing what you refer to as 'duplicate content', and it will take your version into consideration for publication just as any other version.

What counts in the long run is which version Google's algorithms believe to be most likely to provide the best possible information to the person seeking it, and if that means not publishing a whole host of duplicate information, then that is only fair, isn't it? If you used Google to find some information, you wouldn't want to find page after page saying exactly the same thing, would you?

No, and neither does Google. A Google listing comes from its indexing of billions of web pages that contain the keywords used by the searcher: both in relation to the entire phrase and to the individual words used in the search term. If you want your copy to be different, make some minor changes and perhaps change the form of the keywords, but most importantly, change the title and the introductory paragraph to which the crawlers will take special notice.

You then have a better chance of your version being listed along with some of the others, but remember: the next time you use the term 'duplicate content' you are using a term that does not exist in Google's vocabulary for any reason than to deny its existence. The Google Duplicate Content Penalty does not exist: the truth!

About The Author
For more information on the mythical duplicate content penalty visit www.article-services.com where Pete Nisbet will also explain how to earn money using article marketing.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Connect With Brandy Burge Online!

2010-06-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

I am registered on all of these social networking sites, come and find me!

XeeSM
The Site That Lists All Of Your Social Networking Sites in One Place!
http://xeesm.com/BrandyBurge/

Visit twitter moms: the influential moms network

Visit Mom Bloggers Club

www.DirectMatchesForBusiness.com

www.Orkut.com
Google's Version of Facebook

www.Facebook.com
User Name:Norwex Green Team

www.Ning.com
User Name: Brandy Burge
www.Plaxo.com
User Name: Brandy Burge
www.MySpace.com
User Name: leverage247
www.Twitter.com

www.LinkedIn.com
www.PeopleString.com

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Social Networking Etiquette

2010-06-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

Like any social Endeavor there are rules of engagement, a protocol to follow to keep both the webmasters and your followers happy. Here are a few social networking etiquette guidelines.

Engage Your Followers

Social networking is about building a community, it’s not about venting or sharing personal information. (If you want to connect with folks that way, then create two profiles, one for personal connections and one for professional connections.) Engage your followers in conversation, provide valuable information and be an authentic, transparent, and credible source of information and inspiration. That’s the way to build a following and a business!

Commit To Growing Your Network

Link, find friends, and start building your following. It’s not enough to have a presence on a social networking site. You must connect and on most sites that means inviting friends to connect with you and following others. However connecting indiscriminately doesn’t build a business.
Experts also recommend finding influential members in your industry and connecting with them. For example, if you’re the owner of a crafting store then it pays to connect with Martha Stewart because she’ll have a large following of crafters which you can engage with and build your community.

Follow Those Who Follow You

Generally, it’s polite to follow people who follow you or to befriend people who invite you to be their friend or connection – the terminology varies depending on the social networking site. Now Facebook used to limit friends to 5000 which meant you had to be somewhat choosy about who you befriended however they’ve recently lifted that limitation so there’s no reason not to befriend someone.
There are and will be some exceptions and caveats to that rule in that some people are spammers and some are not appropriate people to associate with. Use your best judgment.

Update Frequently

Like any other marketing tool, in order for it to be effective, it’s important to update and participate regularly. Part of building a community is being involved in it. If you’re gone for any length of time, people easily forget about you – sad but true. A general rule of thumb is to post daily. That doesn’t mean you have to spend hours and hours of your valuable time however a daily contribution is a nice way to stay in touch.

Be Professional

Remember you’re speaking to potential customers, vendors, business partners and associates and speak to them appropriately. Be positive, avoid too much jargon and watch the profanity – that might be okay for personal communications but it can send the wrong message to professional networks.

Remember The 80/20 Rule

Marketing yourself 24/7 is tiresome and a turnoff. Social networking is about providing value, not a sales pitch. Keep the old 80/20 rule in mind when networking - 80% information and communication, 20% marketing.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Understanding The Basics of Social Networking

2010-06-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

Social networking began almost 15 years ago with Classmates.com and has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Today there are more than 200 mainstream social networking sites with millions of users.

Understanding the Popularity of Social Networking

In addition to the ability to connect with friends and family around the world, social networking sites enable people to make new friends and business associates. In fact, social networking has become a very important marketing component for many online businesses ranging in size from fortune 500 companies to small single proprietorships – everyone profits from building a community and connecting with people.

While usage is growing in all demographics, NetPop Research studies social networking users and found the most common participants are between the ages of 18-29 with the next most popular age group being folks between the ages of 30 and 39. They found on average, users spend between 4 and 6 hours online during the weekday and 4 and 5 hours a day on the weekend engaging in social networking sites. With so many users, Social Networking can be a tremendous business building opportunity.

Business Building Social Networking Benefits

On a very basic level, social networking enables you to broaden your scope of knowledge. With so many people online and sharing information you can gather information and learn about new business building concepts, tools and resources faster than ever before – there’s a very real educational benefit to business owners.

On top of that, social networking enables you to:

    *      Learn more about your target audience. Where else can you connect with your prospects on a very personal basis, ask them questions and essentially eavesdrop on their communications with others?
    *      In addition, social networking gives you a unique opportunity to express yourself as a brand. In addition to being able to learn more about your target audience, you can build a profile and communicate in a manner which builds your personal brand. Zappos, CNN, and even Martha Stewart have Twitter profiles and thousands of followers and The Humane Society and Coca Cola have Facebook pages.
    *      You can encourage participation. Web 2.0 was all about engaging prospects and encouraging interaction and it led to today’s most basic business building necessity which is to build a community around your brand. This means engaging your audience and letting them get involved – social networking enables you to ask questions and motivate involvement.

Of course nothing is perfect and there are some very real drawbacks to social networking. Fortunately, they can be managed.

The Downside to Social Networking

In order to make social networking effective, it’s important for you to spend time networking each and every day. So that’s one more demand on your time. Because social networking doesn’t often result in direct profits, it may be a task to consider outsourcing. At the very minimum your social networking efforts can be scheduled and limited to 30 minutes a day.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

How To Select A Domain Name

2010-05-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, selecting a domain name is relatively easy, however, there are a few basic guidelines you should follow.

First of all, Norwex head office recently revised their policy on Norwex Website names. Essentially, if you select a generic name - without the word "Norwex" in it, you do not need approval for it at all. If you wish to have the word "Norwex" in your domain name, it MUST be proceeded by either your first or first and last name.

An example of a generic name would be www.ClearlyCleans.com or www.ShopCleanGreen.com.

Acceptable names containing the word "Norwex" would look like this:

www.SarahsNorwex.com or www.LisasNorwex.com

Either style is fine and there are pros and cons to each.

Having your personal name in your domain name helps the customers to identify with you and makes it more personal, the thing is, there will be more than one Sarah, Lisa and every other name. The other downfall is that although we find it highly unusual, the vast majority of the world does not know what Norwex is yet and seeing the name www.LisasNorwex.com just might not entice them to click on the website.

Having a generic name just might be the best alternative to go with. Whether or not someone has heard of Norwex, seeing a name like www.ShopCleanGreen.com would make them click on the link if it is in fact green cleaning that they are interested in so it just might make your marketing more effective.

Now, regardless of which style you choose, try to keep your name short, 2-3 words if possible is best. If it is memorable,even catchy then that would be ideal.

We recommend using www.GoDaddy.com to purchase Domain Names. You should expect to pay $12-13 per year approximately. When you purchase your name, just get the name, they will offer you all kinds of add on's but you do not need them so just get your name and check out.

Norwex Websites does have a list of domain names available for anyone who purchases a site. If you are interested in getting a website, you can either go and select your own, or, pick one from our list - its included for free.

Happy Domain Name shopping!

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Norwex Website = Instant Cash Cow?

2010-05-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

So, you're a Norwex Consultant and you've heard talk about the BIG online sales other consultants are doing and you want a piece of that action right?

Well, part of that is completely true. I myself have members of my downline, and clients of Norwex Websites doing $5000 - over $7000 every single month.

Do they have our awesome web design services to thank? NO!

An online business is great. It allows customers to come and find YOU instead of you always having to go out and look for them. It opens up your market far beyond your block, community, town or general area. It makes all of North America your market - this is where you can sell and direct ship Norwex.

However, do you know of any business that will make you rich immediately with little or no work? Probably not, because the fact is, all businesses take both time and work.

There seems to be a bit of a misconception when it comes to websites. The general opinion of people who are new to the online world is that if they get a website, they will just somehow miraculously start getting tons of business - this is wrong!

Having a website takes work and it takes time, and it does take quite a bit of each. This is most true in the first 1-2 years a website is online.

Consistent, on-going marketing is essential to your online success. Start as soon as you get your website. As the months go buy, your site ranking will continue to climb and you will see the rewards for your hard work.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Would you like to have a Norwex Website?

2010-05-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

Norwex Websites.com is the Original provider of Norwex websites and we are still going strong.

What sets us apart completely from all other providers who have sprung up is our commitment and dedication to providing top notch service. Our client training programs are unlike any other you will find. We are extremely interactive with our clients and genuinely care about their success.

Just ask any of our clients and they will tell you!

View Our Client Sites

We would be delighted to have YOU join our Norwex Websites family.

Contact us any time for more information on how easy and FAST it is for you to get online!

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio http://www.NorwexWebsites.com http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

NEW Packages and Services

2010-05-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

Norwex Websites does more than build websites and provide hosting. We CARE about our clients and their online success.

For our valued clients, we offer the following services at reduced prices:

Advertising Packages
Backlinking Service
Social Networking Set Up Packages
Custom Twitter Backgrounds
Custom Writing Services
Marketing Consultations
Monthly Updating Service

Please visit our main site, www.NorwexWebsites.com for full details on all the packages and services we provide.

Norwex Websites A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio
http://www.NorwexWebsites.com
http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

We ARE Norwex Websites! The Original, and the BEST Norwex Websites Provider - Hands Down!

2010-04-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

The Original Flexible Norwex Website For ANY Consultant on ANY Team!

Norwex Consultant Websites
Now at a reduced regular
price of ONLY $249.00 !

NO Contract to sign on monthly hosting!

FREE Domain Name with every website purchase at Norwex Websites

Including our TEAM TRAINING WEBSITES
now starting at an unbeatable price of
ONLY $399.00

Work Smarter, Not Harder

With a Team Training Site from Norwex Websites!

Norwex Websites are THE ORIGINAL PROVIDERS of Norwex Consultant Websites & we remain superior to ALL those who have followed in our footsteps.

We care about the environment and the impact your website has on it at Norwex Websites, that is why we offer ONLY Green Hosting to our clients!

Our Green Servers are 130% wind powered.

Through the purchase of certified Renewable Energy Credits representing 130% of the electricity used to both power and cool our server,

we're not just neutralizing our environmental impact: We are actually reversing it!

We offer websites that are:

•    ACTUAL Websites, not just shopping cart sites

•    Backed Up DAILY !!! (compare to weekly and monthly providers!)

•    TURNKEY Norwex Consultant Websites - ready to go almost immediately!

•    Unique, beautiful and Personalized, including a Custom Header

•    Affordable for everyone

•    User-friendly for your customers

•    Easy for you to understand & work with - especially with all the FREE TRAINING we provide!

•    Editable & Expandable so you can change or add new content any time you like

•    Indexed by Search Engines - On your behalf, we provide Search Engine Submission of your domain name to the major search engines so that your website will be indexed and found!

Grow Your Norwex Business Online

A website package with everything you need to operate a successful online presence.

Purchase Canadian Site Purchase USA Website

PLUS!

The Norwex Websites builds the absolute BEST
Team Training Websites EVER!

If you are a Team Coordinator, Sales Manager, Executive Sales Manager, Senior Executive Sales Manager or a VP Sales Manager, you should SERIOUSLY consider getting yourself a Team Training Website.

There is absolutely no better way to keep in constant contact with your team and provide them with all the resources they need to operate a successful business.

Our websites are created by Dreamcatcher Web Studio, in partnership with Norwex Consultants and Managers, to offer the most flexible system ever that grows with your business.

Every Norwex Site we sell is Unique!

No cookie cutter websites!

All the Features You Need to Grow Your Business - Shopping Cart, Newsletter Manager (no per-email charges!), and Much More!

FREE Domain Name - When you purchase website from Norwex Websites you get to select from our list of Domain names - your name is included for FREE!

Help and Resources to Grow Your Norwex Business - The best online business resources for Norwex and your Website.

Email, Phone, and Forum Support - Provided by specialists who care about your business and know that you want MORE than emails and video tutorials, you want to speak to a real person!

Client Training Conference Calls - Regular client conference calls for any and all Norwex Websites clients who wish to participate to learn how to edit their site and how to achieve greater success with their site.

All Costs and Fees are Visible and Clearly Stated - No hidden fees, no increases in a year, nothing extra to buy.

Don't be fooled by copycat systems. No other Norwex Website System can give you the business building edge that this one does. Backed by Dreamcatcher Web Studio, small business website specialists, you get more than you pay for.

Norwex Websites
A Division of Dreamcatcher Web Studio

http://www.NorwexWebsites.com
http://www.DreamcatcherWebStudio.com

Norwex Websites

It's A "Pick Brandy's Brain" Session

Back to School Sale on Norwex Websites - Limited Time Only

Norwex Cleaning Supplies has changed names!

Here is another site, Ready To Go when you are!

***NEW***Instant - Ready to Go Sites

Norwex Ready To Go Sites!

Dr. Laura's Organizational Call - Register Now!

***NEW!*** Canadian and USA Demo Sites

Our Newest Client - Gerda Schryver!

Do You Have a “Mommy Business?”

Time to Get Organized!

You are invited on June 28: Dr. Laura helps Norwex consultants get organized!

Editing Your Home Page in Joomla

How To Edit Your Home Page in Your Joomla Norwex Website

Using Articles, Categories & Sections in Joomla

Editing Your About Me Page in Joomla

How To Edit Your About Me Page in Your Joomla Norwex Website

Attaching PDF documents to pages in Joomla

Creating an e-mail address for your Joomla website

How to Add Products in VirtueMart

Using Links and Images in Articles

How to Link an Article to A Menu

How to Create a New Article in Joomla

How to Edit an Article in Joomla

How to Create a Section in Joomla

How to Link a Category to A Menu in Joomla

How To Create a Category in Joomla

Managing Your Contact Page in Joomla

Thinking Like Joomla

Which Browser Should You Use?

Understanding Google Ranking

Helping You Get Found Online

Custom Design from Norwex Websites

Your Norwex Website Comes Pre-Loaded With Content

Green Hosting by Norwex Websites

Learn it From Larry - This is Larry!

How To Contact Norwex Websites

Norwex Websites Client Training & Support

Training & Support for Norwex Websites Clients is available in many ways:

Features of Joomla

User Management

Media Manager

Language Manager

Banner Management

Contact Management

Polls

Search

Web Link Management

Content Management

Syndication and Newsfeed Management

Menu Manager

Template Management

Integrated Help System

System Features

Web Services

Powerful Extensibility

VirtueMart Features

VirtueMart Features - Courtesy of Virtuemart.net

General Features

Product Catalog Features

Administration Features

Payment Modules

Shipping Modules

Tips, Secrets and Strategies for Using Facebook

25 Common Social Media and Web Marketing Mistakes

25 Common Social Media and Web Marketing Mistakes

How to Register for Norwex CS

To Register for the Norwex Consultant Services Website, follow these instructions:

Google Duplicate Content Policy

The Truth of the Google Duplicate Content Penalty

Connect With Brandy Burge Online!

I am registered on all of these social networking sites, come and find me!

Social Networking Etiquette

Understanding The Basics of Social Networking

How To Select A Domain Name

Norwex Website = Instant Cash Cow?

Would you like to have a Norwex Website?

***NEW*** Packages and Services

We ARE Norwex Websites! The Original, and the BEST Norwex Websites Provider - Hands Down!

NEWInstant - Ready to Go Sites

NEW! Canadian and USA Demo Sites

NEW Packages and Services

Every Norwex Site we sell is Unique!

No cookie cutter websites!