Top 5 best exercises to lose belly fat

Who doesn't want flat abs? People desperate to lose weight will willingly starve themselves, take expensive supplements or do the latest fad diet that promises to give them that flawless figure in 30 days. Thankfully, belly fat is metabolically active and easier to lose. However, if proper nutrition is not observed and the resort is made to low calorie diets, weight loss may not happen within the desired time frame. Hunger and calorie deprivation will eventually kick in and dieters confronted with that favorite food they have been avoiding will have the tendency to binge at the first opportunity. The likelihood of gaining more weight than they originally lost is not far-fetched.

According to Christine Rosenbloom, a nutrition professor at Georgia State University, eating a calorie-controlled diet and 60 minutes of daily moderate exercise activity will result to weight loss and can even help with the desired weight maintenance. In fact, according to Professor Michael Jensen of the Mayo Clinic, intense aerobic exercise will result to being leaner around the abdomen.

It is important to remember that keeping the body's metabolism up and running so that the body continuously burns calories prevents it from going into the fat-storing mode that causes unnecessary weight gain.

Why exercise is necessary

Most people involved in weight loss believe that it's all about the calories. If you burn calories more than you take in, you lose weight. If you take in more calories than you can burn, the body gains fat. While this piece of logic may make sense, it is only partly true. What burns calories nonstop is actually the lean muscle mass underneath body fat that allows more intake of calories withoutweight gain.

The body actually adapts to the changes it undergoes. Losing weight without exercising increases the risk of losing lean body mass, slowing the metabolism and putting the body into fat-storing mode. People who have lost body fat and muscle mass may notice that they don't have the muscle mass they once had. Worse yet, once they overeat even a little bit, they start filling up on body fat once again.

Building up muscle mass

An important thing to remember when undergoing a weight loss program is to understand what needs to be done. Realistic and achievable goals can help in building the confidence needed to make the necessary leap for the achievement of a desired weight.

Researchers at the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University took a look at some popular abdominal exercises and ranked them. Results of the study revealed that exercises that require constant abdominal stabilization and body rotation resulted in the most muscle activity in the abdomen.

Below are the top five belly exercises as ranked by the study:

1. The Bicycle Exercise - best for targeting the six pack muscles and the obliques. To do this exercise, get into a supine position with hands at the back of your head. Bring knees to the chest while lifting shoulders off the floor. Slowly bring your right elbow towards your left knee as you straighten your right leg. Switch sides and continue in a pedaling motion. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

2. The Captain's Chair Leg Raise - This exercise requires a captain's chair, a rack with padded arms allowing for the legs to hang free that is commonly found in gyms or health clubs. To do this exercise, stand on the chair and grip hand holds. Press back against the pad then raise knees to the chest to contract the abs then lower them back down. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

3. Exercise Ball Crunch - For this exercise, an exercise ball is necessary. In this routine, the abdomen does more exerting but will still need the entire body to stabilize it throughout the routine. To do this exercise, lie on the ball with your lower back fully supported. Place hands behind the head. To lift the torso off the ball, contract the abs to pull the bottom of the rib cage towards the hips. Keep ball stable as you curl up, then lower back down to stretch the abs. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

4. Vertical Leg Crunch - Performing this exercise is similar to doing a leg crunch except that the legs are straight up, forcing the abs to work and adding intensity to the routine. To do this, lie on the floor with the legs straight up, knees crossed, and place the hands beneath the head for support. Contract abs lifting the shoulders off the floor and keep legs in a fixed position to crunch. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

5. Long Arm Crunch - This is a variant of the traditional floor crunch where the arms are held straight behind you, adding a lever to the move and making for a challenging exercise. To do this, lie on the floor or a mat then extend arms straight behind, keeping them clasped and next to the ears. Slowly contract abs and lift shoulders off the floor carefully to keep the arms straight. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

The best strategy to weight loss is to observe a healthy diet coupled with exercise of at least an hour a day. Although there is no sure fire way to deal with belly fat, there are a number of activities from which to choose and enjoy. As long as you're having fun, you can lose weight without realizing it. It is important to look for an exercise you enjoy. If the suggested exercises above do not suit your taste, taking a hike, swimming or biking are just as effective in burning fat and toning muscles.

What vitamins to buy; stop throwing your money away

Do you currently buy your vitamins at the local grocery store, bulk club store, pharmacy, etc? More than likely, you are not getting what you paid for and are doing more harm than good. Getting your daily dose of vitamins and minerals should come from food, and only then should you supplement with high quality products when necessary. Many store bought vitamins contain harmful ingredients and chemicals. Synthetic vitamins are cheaply made and are in non-absorbable forms so your body does not get any nutritional benefits. Stop wasting your money and harming your body.

What to avoid

Beware of the term "other ingredients," these can include: talc, dyes, sodium benzoate, methylcellulose, carnauba wax, silicon/titanium dioxide, animal parts, and artificial ingredients. Why does something that is supposed to benefit you contain such toxic chemicals while you, the consumer, think you are doing the right thing by supplementing.

Gummy or kids' fruit-flavored chewable vitamins, designed to be colorful and taste like candy, are loaded with possible carcinogenic, artificial ingredients and food dyes. The first ingredient in many of these children's vitamins is: glucose syrup. Other ingredients include: Blue #2, Red #40, Yellow #6 and aspartame, the known neurotoxin. Voluntarily feeding children these "vitamins" is doing more harm than good; stop poisoning your kids. Several published studies discuss the link between food additives/dyes and ADHD in children. In a double-blind study, children that were fed a diet that included food additives and dyes had worsening ADHD symptoms, while children that had additive-free diets had improved symptomology.

Centrum vitamins, owned by the drug company Pfizer, have a long list of toxic ingredients, including: Yellow #6, hydrogenated palm oil, pregelatinized corn starch, silicon dioxide, maltodextrin, modified food starch, and the list goes on. Please stop willingly ingesting these chemicals and causing damage to your body, instead of helping it. These vitamins do anything but promote health.

Remember, quality over quantity

Ask yourself, what are the ingredients? Where do the ingredients come from? Are the vitamins/minerals in absorbable forms? Is the product organic? How long has it been sitting on the shelf for? If you do not know what an ingredient is, research it. Companies such as, Standard Process, offer several whole food supplements. "Whole food supplements are made by concentrating foods for use in supplements" (Standard Process). Metagenics, Douglas Labs and several other supplements sold through healthcare practitioners are also of high quality, safe ingredients. Whole food supplements help to close the nutritional gap caused by over-processed, nutrient-deficient food in today's society. Eat more fruits and vegetables, organic whenever possible, and supplement with high quality products when necessary.

How many of these vaccine facts do you know?

In 1988, I was researching my first book, AIDS INC. Interested in the subject of vaccines, I delved into published accounts of vaccination gone wrong.

The following series of quotes from authors only begins to cover the territory of vaccine damage, deception, and failure. It is nevertheless the start of a history which has been hidden from the public by corporate media, whose ties to pharmaceutical interests are infamous.

In 1988, I knew nothing about mercury in vaccines, or about the numerous chemicals and contaminating germs in vaccines that cause human illness and damage. I was merely looking for evidence that past vaccination campaigns had backfired.

What I found was shocking.

Here are the statements I uncovered:

"The combined death rate from scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough and measles among children up to fifteen shows that nearly 90 percent of the total decline in mortality between 1860 and 1965 had occurred before the introduction of antibiotics and widespread immunization. In part, this recession may be attributed to improved housing and to a decrease in the virulence of micro-organisms, but by far the most important factor was a higher host-resistance due to better nutrition." (Ivan Illich, Medical Nemesis, Bantam Books, 1977)

"In a recent British outbreak of whooping cough, for example, even fully immunized children contracted the disease in fairly large numbers; and the rates of serious complications and death were reduced only slightly. In another recent outbreak of pertussis, 46 of the 85 fully immunized children studied eventually contracted the disease." (Richard Moskowitz, MD, The Case Against Immunizations, 1983, American Institute of Homeopathy)

"In 1977, 34 new cases of measles were reported on the campus of UCLA, in a population that was supposedly 91% immune, according to careful serological testing. Another 20 cases of measles were reported in the Pecos, New Mexico, area within a period of a few months in 1981, and 75% of them had been fully immunized, some of them quite recently. A survey of sixth-graders in a well-immunized urban community revealed that about 15% of this age group are still susceptible to rubella, a figure essentially identical with that of the pre-vaccine era. (Moskowitz, The Case Against Immunizations)

"Of all reported whooping cough cases between 1979 and 1984 in children over 7 months of age - that is, old enough to have received the primary course of the DPT shots (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) - 41% occurred in children who had received three or more shots and 22% in children who had one or two immunizations.

"Among children under 7 months of age who had whooping cough, 34% had been immunized between one and three times...

"... Based on the only U.S. findings on adverse DPT reactions, an FDA-financed study at the University of California, Los Angeles, one out of every 350 children will have a convulsion; one in 180 children will experience high-pitched screaming; and one in 66 will have a fever of 105 degrees or more." [Note: All these symptoms can indicate serious neurological damage.] (Jennifer Hyman, Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, New York, special supplement on DPT, dated April, 1987)

"A study undertaken in 1979 at the University of California, Los Angeles, under the sponsorship of the Food and Drug Administration, and which has been confirmed by other studies, indicates that in the U.S.A. approximately 1,000 infants die annually as a direct result of DPT vaccinations, and these are classified as SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) deaths. These represent about 10 to 15% of the total number of SIDS deaths occurring annually in the U.S.A. (between 8,000 and 10,000 depending on which statistics are used)." (Leon Chaitow, Vaccination and Immunization, CW Daniel Company Limited, Saffron Walden, Essex, England, 1987.)

"Assistant Secretary of Health Edward Brandt, Jr., MD, testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, rounded... figures off to 9,000 cases of convulsions, 9,000 cases of collapse, and 17,000 cases of high-pitched screaming for a total of 35,000 acute neurological reactions occurring within forty-eight hours of a DPT shot among America's children every year." (DPT: A Shot in the Dark, by Harris L. Coulter and Barbara Loe Fischer, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich)

"While 70-80% of British children were immunized against pertussis in 1970-71, the rate is now 39%. The committee predicts that the next pertussis epidemic will probably turn out to be more severe than the one in 1974/75. However, they do not explain why, in 1970/71, there were more than 33,000 cases of pertussis with 41 fatal cases among the very well immunized British childpopulation; whereas in 1974/75, with a declining rate of vaccination, a pertussis epidemic caused only 25,000 cases with 25 fatalities." (Wolfgang Ehrengut, Lancet, Feb. 18, 1978, p. 370)

"... Barker and Pichichero, in a prospective study of 1232 children in Denver, Colorado, found after DTP that only 7% of those vaccinated were free from untoward reactions, which included pyrexia (53%), acute behavioral changes (82%), prolonged screaming (13%), and listlessness, anorexia and vomiting. 71% of those receiving second injections of DTP experienced two or more of the reactions monitored." (Lancet, May 28, 1983, p. 1217)

"Publications by the World Health Organization show that diphtheria is steadily declining in most European countries, including those in which there has been no immunization. The decline began long before vaccination was developed. There is certainly no guarantee that vaccination will protect a child against the disease; in fact, over 30,000 cases of diphtheria have been recorded in the United Kingdom in fully immunized children." (Leon Chaitow, Vaccination and Immunization, p. 58)

"Pertussis (whooping cough) immunization is controversial, as the side effects have received a great deal of publicity. The counter claim is that the effectiveness and protection offered by the procedure far outweigh the possible ill effects... annual deaths, per million children, from this disease over the period from 1900 to the mid-nineteen seventies, shows that from a high point of just under 900 deaths per million children (under age 15) in 1905, the decline has been consistent and dramatic. There had been a lowering of mortality rates of approximately 80% by the time immunization was introduced on a mass scale, in the mid-nineteen fifties. The decline has continued, albeit at a slower rate, ever since. No credit can be given to vaccination for the major part of the decline since it was not in use." (Chaitow, Vaccination and Immunization, p. 63)

"... the swine-flu vaccination program was one of its (CDC's) greatest blunders. It all began in 1976 when CDC scientists saw that a virus involved in a flu attack outbreak at Fort Dix, N.J., was similar to the swine-flu virus that killed 500,000 Americans in 1918. Health officials immediately launched a 100-million dollar program to immunize every American. But the expected epidemic never materialized, and the vaccine led to partial paralysis in 532 people. There were 32 deaths." (U.S. News and World Report, Joseph Carey, October 14, 1985, p. 70, "How Medical Sleuths Track Killer Diseases")

"Despite (cases) in which (smallpox) vaccination plainly failed to protect the population, and despite the rampant side-effects of the methods, the proponents of vaccination continued their attempts to justify the methods by claims that the disease had declined in Europe as a whole during the period of its compulsory use. If the decline could be correlated with the use of the vaccination, then all else could be set aside, and the advantage between its current low incidence could be shown to outweigh the periodic failures of the method, and to favour the continued use of vaccination. However, the credit for the decline in the incidence of smallpox could not be given to vaccination. The fact is that its incidence declined in all parts of Europe, whether or not vaccination was employed." (Chaitow, Vaccination and Immunization, pp. 6-7)

"Smallpox, like typhus, has been dying out (in England) since 1780. Vaccination in this country has largely fallen into disuse since people began to realize how its value was discredited by the great smallpox epidemic of 1871-2 (which occurred after extensive vaccination)." (W. Scott Webb, A Century of Vaccination, Swan Sonnenschein, 1898)

"In this incident (Kyoto, Japan, 1948) - the most serious of its kind - a toxic (vaccine) batch of alum-precipitated toxoid (APT) was responsible for illness in over 600 infants and for no fewer than 68 deaths.

"On 20 and 22 October, 1948, a large number of babies and children in the city of Kyoto received their first injection of APT. On the 4th and 5th of November, 15,561 babies and children aged some months to 13 years received their second dose. One to two days later, 606 of those who had been injected fell ill. Of these, 9 died of acute diphtheritic paralysis in seven to fourteen days, and 59 of late paralysis mainly in four to seven weeks." (Sir Graham Wilson, Hazards of Immunization, Athone Press, University of London, 1967)

"Accidents may, however, follow the use of this so-called killed (rabies) vaccine owing to inadequate processing. A very serious occurrence of this sort occurred at Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil, in 1960. No fewer than 18 out of 66 persons vaccinated with Fermi's carbolized (rabies) vaccine suffered from encephalomyelitis and every one of the eighteen died." (Sir Graham Wilson, Hazards of Immunization)

"At a press conference in Washington on 24 July, 1942, the Secretary of War reported that 28,585 cases of jaundice had been observed in the (American) Army between 1 January and 4 July after yellow fever vaccination, and of these 62 proved fatal." (Wilson, Hazards of Immunization)

"The world's biggest trial (conducted in south India) to assess the value of BCG tuberculosis vaccine has made the startling revelation that the vaccine 'does not give any protection against bacillary forms of tuberculosis.' The study said to be 'most exhaustive and meticulous,' was launched in 1968 by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia.

"The incidence of new cases among the BCG vaccinated group was slightly (but statistically insignificantly) higher than in the control group, a finding that led to the conclusion that BCG's protective effect 'was zero.'" (New Scientist, November 15, 1979, as quoted by Hans Ruesch in Naked Empress, Civis Publishers, Switzerland, 1982)

"Between 10 December 1929 and 30 April 1930, 251 of 412 infants born in Lubeck received three doses of BCG vaccine by the mouth during the first ten days of life. Of these 251, 72 died of tuberculosis, most of them in two to five months and all but one before the end of the first year. In addition, 135 suffered from clinical tuberculosis but eventually recovered; and 44 became tuberculin-positive but remained well. None of the 161 unvaccinated infants born at the time was affected in this way and none of these died of tuberculosis within the following three years." (Hazards of Immunization, Wilson)

"We conducted a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial to test the efficacy of the 14-valent pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine in 2295 high-risk patients... Seventy-one episodes of proved or probable pneumococcal pneumonia or bronchitis occurred among 63 of the patients (27 placebo recipients and 36 vaccine recipients)... We were unable to demonstrate any efficacy of the pneumococcal vaccine in preventing pneumonia or bronchitis in this population." (New England Journal of Medicine, November 20, 1986, p. 1318, Michael Simberkoff et al)

"But already before Salk developed his vaccine, polio had been constantly regressing; the 39 cases out of every 100,000 inhabitants registered in 1942 had gradually diminished from year to year until they were reduced to only 15 cases in 1952... according to M. Beddow Baylay, the English surgeon and medical historian." (Slaughter of the Innocent, Hans Reusch, Civitas Publish ers, Switzerland, and Swain, New York, 1983)

"Many published stories and reports have stated, implied and otherwise led professional people and the public to believe that the sharp reduction of cases (and of deaths) from poliomyelitis in 1955 as compared to 1954 is attributable to the Salk vaccine... That it is a misconception follows from these considerations. The number of children inoculated has been too small to account for the decrease. The sharp decrease was apparent before the inoculations began or could take effect and was of the same order as the decrease following the immediate post-inoculation period." (Dr. Herbert Ratner, Child and Family, vol. 20, no. 1, 1987)

"So far it is hardly possible to gain insight into the extent of the immunization catastrophe of 1955 in the United States. It may be considered certain that the officially ascertained 200 cases (of polio) which were caused directly or indirectly by the (polio) vaccination constitute minimum figures... It can hardly be estimated how many of the 1359 (polio) cases among vaccinated persons must be regarded as failures of the vaccine and how many of them were infected by the vaccine. A careful study of the epidemiologic course of polio in the United States yields indications of grave significance. In numerous states of the U.S.A., typical early epidemics developed with the immunizations in the spring of 1955... The vaccination incidents of the year 1955 cannot be exclusively traced back to the failure of one manufacturing firm." (Dr. Herbert Ratner, Child and Family, 1980, vol. 19, no. 4, "Story of the Salk Vaccine," Part 2)

"Suffice it to say that most of the large (polio) epidemics that have occurred in this country since the introduction of the Salk vaccine have followed the wide-scale use of the vaccine and have been characterized by an uncommon early seasonal onset. To name a few, there is the Massachusetts epidemic of 1955; the Chicago epidemic of 1956; and the Des Moines epidemic of 1959." (Dr. Herbert Ratner, Child and Family, 1980 vol. 19, no. 4)

"The live (Sabin) poliovirus vaccine has been the predominant cause of domestically arising cases of paralytic poliomyelitis in the United States since 1972. To avoid the occurrence of such cases, it would be necessary to discontinue the routine use of live poliovirus vaccine." (Jonas Salk, Science, March 4, 1977, p. 845)

"By the (U.S.) government's own admission, there has been a 41% failure rate in persons who were previously vaccinated against the (measles) virus." [In other words, these persons were vaccinated and then contracted measles.] (Dr. Anthony Morris, John Chriss, BG Young, "Occurrence of Measles in Previously Vaccinated Individuals," 1979; presented at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology at Fort Detrick, Maryland, April 27, 1979)

"Prior to the time doctors began giving rubella (German Measles) vaccinations, an estimated 85% of adults were naturally immune to the disease (for life). Because of immunization, the vast majority of women never acquire natural immunity (or lifetime protection)." (Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, Let's Live, December 1983, as quoted by Carolyn Reuben in the LA WEEKLY, June 28, 1985)

"Administration of KMV (killed measles vaccine) apparently set in motion an aberrant immunologic response that not only failed to protect children against natural measles, but resulted in heightened susceptibility." (JAMA Aug. 22, 1980, vol. 244, p. 804, Vincent Fulginiti and Ray Helfer. The authors indicate that such falsely protected children can come down with "an often severe, atypical form of measles. Atypical measles is characterized by fever, headache... and a diverse rash (which)... may consist of a mixture of macules, papules, vesicles, and pustules... ")

The above quotes reflect only a mere fraction of an available literature which shows the public has been kept in the dark about vaccination. It is certain that undisclosed, unlooked for illness occurs as a result of vaccines, or as a result of infection after protective immunity should have been conferred but wasn't.

A certain amount of this sort of illness is immunosuppressive in the widest sense, and some in a narrower sense (depression of T-cell numbers, etc.). When looking for causes of unusual illness and immune suppression, vaccines are one of those areas which remain partially hidden from investigation. That is a mistake. It is not adequate to say, "Vaccines are simple; they stimulate the immune system and confer immunity against specific germ agents." That is the glossy presentation.

What vaccines often do is something else. They engage some aspect of the body's immune-response, but to what effect over the long term? Why, for example, do children who have measles vaccine develop a susceptibility to another more severe, atypical measles? Is that virulent form of the disease the result of reactivation of the virus in the vaccine?

Official reports on adverse vaccine reactions are often at odds with unofficial estimates because of the method of analysis used. If vaccine-reaction is defined as a small set of possible effects experienced within 72 hours of an inoculation, then figures will be smaller. But doctors like G.T. Stewart, of the University of Glasgow, have found through meticulous investigation, including visits to hospitals and interviews with parents of vaccinated children, that reactions as severe as brain-damage (e.g., from the DPT vaccine) can be overlooked, go unreported, and can be assumed mistakenly to have come from other causes.

Jon Rappoport
The author of an explosive collection, THE MATRIX REVEALED, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world.

AMA: Health insurance companies botch up to 20 percent of claims

(NaturalNews) Many NaturalNews readers have likely experienced, if even just once, the hassle of having their health insurance company improperly file a insurance claim, which can result in filing disputes, delayed payments, and other administrative problems. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), as many as 20 percent of health insurance claims are improperly filed, which reportedly adds an additional $17 billion a year to the overall healthcare burden.

The new AMA report explains that insurance company filing errors have increased two percent over last year's figures, now topping 19.3 percent. Among the top insurers, UnitedHealth had the lowest error rate of 9.77 percent. Regence Group Blue Cross Blue Shield was next at 11.59 percent, followed by Health Care Service Corp. at 12.96 percent. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield had the worst error rate at 38.95 percent.

"A 20 percent error rate among health insurers represents an intolerable level of inefficiency that wastes $17 billion annually," said Dr. Barbara McAneny, an AMA board member and medical oncologist from New Mexico, to the Chicago Tribune. "Health insurers must put more effort into paying claims correctly the first time to save precious health care dollars and reduce unnecessary administrative tasks that take time and resources away from patient care."

On the positive side, the report explains that insurance companies are doing a better job of reducing "denial rates" these days, and it also notes an improvement in insurance company response time to claims. But many doctors still do not submit claims electronically, which the AMA claims may be responsible for delaying some claims.

Meanwhile, the AMA's expressed support for the provisions in last year's health care overhaul is likely responsible for the group's loss of 12,000 members last year (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/feed/ct-biz-0620-ama-meeting-2...). Many former AMA members oppose the group's endorsement of the health care bill's individual mandate, which requires individuals to purchase health coverage.

Almost one in ten employers to drop health insurance coverage under Obamacare

NaturalNews) One of the elements of Obamacare critics have been most vocal about is the so-called government-sponsored "insurance pools" the law creates. Now that it's largely been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, these pools will soon become a reality.

So what? That's the basis of the law, to provide insurance for everyone, correct?

Yes, but not necessarily the type of insurance you want. Or that you have now, say, through your employer.

One of the law's selling points uttered by everyone in the administration paid to defend it, especially the president himself, promised Americans they could keep their current health insurance.

In his Weekly Address on August 15, 2009, Obama said of his health care proposal, "First, no matter what you've heard, if you like your doctor or healthcare plan, you can keep it."

That was then. By July 2012, the administration was singing a different tune, admitting that, "as a practical matter, a majority of group health plans will lose their grandfather status by 2013."

That includes, of course, that employer plan you love so much.

Wait - Weren't you supposed to be able to keep employer insurance?

The Federal Register, dated Thursday, June 17, 2010, notes that the "mid-range estimate is that 66 percent of small employer plans and 45 percent of large employer plans will relinquish their grandfather status by the end of 2013."

Essentially, the administration put employer health plans in a box. As the Heritage Foundation explains, if employers "make changes to their plans to control increasing costs, they will lose their grandfathered status. Alternatively, if they keep grandfathered status by not making changes, their plans will eventually become unaffordable, forcing them to give them up. Either way, their employees will eventually lose their current coverage."

That is, in fact, already happening.

According to consulting company Deloitte, one in ten employers have said they will drop health coverage when key elements of the high court-upheld law take effect in fewer than two years.

In a report by The Wall Street Journal, nine percent of companies expect to drop coverage within one to three years. 10 percent weren't sure. And while 81 percent said they would continue to offer health insurance benefits, remember that many companies a) may still be planning on a repeal of the law if enough Obamacare critics are elected to Congress; and b) have yet to see the exact costs of offering that coverage (remember Nancy Pelosi's now infamous line: "We have to pass the bill to see what's in it.").

According to Deloitte, one in three employers said they could stop offering coverage if the law requires them to provide more generous benefits than they already do, if taxes on high-cost plans kick in around 2018, as they are currently scheduled to do, or if they decide it would be cheaper for them to pay the penalty (or is it a tax?) for not providing health insurance.

Small businesses won't be fined, but those with 50 or more employees will have to pay $2,000 for each one if they don't provide them with coverage.

The bottom line is this: Obamacare, by its very design, aims to diminish private-sector health coverage so as to channel you into a government-run system.

Gaggle of 'penalties,' taxes

Overall, health care costs, even the most optimistic analysts note, are not likely to decrease much because of the so-called Affordable Care Act. Many, in fact, expect costs to continue to rise. And while the government's portion may fall, yours won't.

In fact, the Congressional Budget Office's calculations found:

-- The "penalty payments by uninsured individuals" (which Chief Justice John Roberts called a "tax") will cost citizens $55 billion a year

-- The "additional hospital insurance tax" is the largest increase - $318 billion annually

-- Another $216 billion from something called the "associated effects of coverage provisions on tax revenues"

-- A "reinsurance and risk adjustment collections" provision brings in another $184 billion

-- Fees on certain manufacturers and insurers generates another $165 billion

-- A tax on high-excise insurance plans reaps an additional $111 billion

All told, this one law confiscates a trillion dollars from the private sector, to feed the Leviathan and implement one more step in the "cradle-to-grave" approach of controlling your - and your kids' - lives.

Preapproved Auto Loan

Get on the road faster with a Preapproved Auto Loan. The most difficult part about purchasing a vehicle is the financing. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you have found the vehicle you want and negotiated the very best price. Now the time has come to talk about financing and you are caught in a confusing jumble of interest rates, loan terms and monthly payments. You are never quite sure if you are getting a good deal or not, and if you happen to have bad credit, you may not be able to get financing at all.

One way to avoid all of these problems is to secure aPreapproved Auto Loan. Having a Preapproved Auto Loanmeans that your auto financing is already taken care of before you even stop foot in a dealership. You already know how much you can spend on a vehicle, how much you can finance and even approximately what your monthly payment will be. There is no confusion and no surprises when you have aPreapproved Auto Loan. You also know you won’t be turned down for financing, because your loan has already been preapproved.

Having a Preapproved Auto Loan has several distinct advantages. You can go into a dealership with confidence knowing that you can’t be turned down for financing. You are free to negotiate the best price for your vehicle without having to worry about negotiating your monthly payment as well.

When you get your Preapproved Auto Loan, the lender will help you determine how much you can afford to spend on a vehicle. That should prevent you from purchasing a vehicle that is outside of your budget. You also have the advantage of being able to shop like a cash buyer. With your Preapproved Auto Loan, you are guaranteed a loan for a set amount. All you have to do is stay within your budget.

Often a Preapproved Auto Loan will have requirements as to the age and mileage of the vehicle you are purchasing. They will generally require that you purchase a late model used car with reasonable mileage for its age. Most also exclude commercial, conversion or custom vehicles. You may also find that to get a Preapproved Auto Loan you will need to purchase your vehicle from a lender approved dealer and not an individual. That is for the protection of you the buyer as well as the lender.

If you would like to find out more about how to get aPreapproved Auto Loan, visit RoadLoans.com today. At RoadLoans you can get a Preapproved Auto Loan for a new or used vehicle purchase as well as refinancing for of your current auto loan.

Car loan & auto refinance experts for people with bad credit. RoadLoans.com provides a car loan calculator and car financing to buy new & used autos. Save money and time and apply online today!

When to think about an Auto Loan

Most people don't even think about an auto loan until after they have gone to a dealership, taken a test drive and decided on a vehicle. Usually by that point, they are overcome by the excitement of finding a vehicle and anxious to just sign the papers and drive away. In many cases, these excited buyers have not even taken the time to really figure out if they can afford the car they are buying.

So when is the best time to think about an auto loan? Long before you decide whether you like the car better in red than in blue. Before you choose the sport model over the sedan. Even before you step foot in a dealership; you should know exactly how much you can afford to spend on your next vehicle and how you plan to pay for it.

Chances are you will need to secure an auto loan for your vehicle purchase. There are several advantages to having yourauto loan approved before you start shopping. Before purchasing a vehicle, you should look at your monthly budget and decide how much you can afford to spend. Keep in mind that the cost of owning a car involves more than making the monthly payment on your auto loan. Insurance, gasoline, maintenance, taxes and registration fees all need to become part of your budget.

The terms of your auto loan, including the interest rate and the duration of the loan, also directly impact your monthly payment. You can use a car loan calculator to see what changing these values will do to your payment. Just enter the interest rate, the length of the loan in months and the amount you are borrowing to see an estimate of the monthly payment. In general, a reduction in the interest rate or an increase in the duration of the auto loan will lower your monthly payment. Likewise, an increase in the interest rate or decrease in the length of the loan will give you a higher monthly payment. Once your budget is set and you know how much you can afford each month, you are ready to apply for anauto loan.

The auto loan process is easy at RoadLoans. You can apply online using our safe and easy, one page application. When your application is complete, you receive a loan decision – in many cases, instantly. Once approved, you can print your loan documents and take them to a RoadLoans Dealer. Our dealers can show you available vehicles, process your auto loanpaperwork and help you complete a sale. Before you know it you will be on your way in your new vehicle.

Buying Used Cars

More and more people are discovering the advantages ofBuying Used Cars. For one thing, Buying Used Cars saves money; sometimes a lot of money. A vehicle that is only one year old may be 20 to 30 percent cheaper than a brand new car. Make that a three or four year old vehicle and you could be talking less than half the original price.

The more options a car has, the greater the depreciation.Buying Used Cars is also a great way to afford all those options you were hoping for. Think of it this way, when Buying Used Cars, you may be able to afford a vehicle that is larger and fully loaded for the price of a smaller, stripped down new car. Not only will the vehicle be cheaper, so will the cost of your auto insurance when you are Buying Used Cars.

Another reason more people are Buying Used Cars is that cars today are more reliable than ever. You no longer have to purchase a brand new car to have the assurance that your vehicle will be dependable. In many cases, when Buying Used Cars, you will also be able to find vehicles that are still under factory warranty or are being sold as “certified pre-owned vehicle” which means they include a warranty.

The only real caveats when Buying Used Cars are that you really don’t know much about the previous owner, how they drove the car or how they maintained it. So, it is very important when Buying Used Cars to check the vehicle identification number, or VIN, to see if the vehicle has ever been reported in an accident or previously totaled by an insurance company. You should also, whenever possible, ask to see the service records of any vehicle you wish to purchase. At the very least, if you are not purchasing a “certified pre-owned” vehicle, have it thoroughly checked out by a mechanic. That way, they can alert you if there is anything structurally or mechanically wrong with the vehicle

Buying Used Cars isn’t difficult, but sometimes finding financing for them is. Since car loans are generally “secured loans,” lenders want to be sure that the value of the vehicle is still more than the amount of the loan. That is sometimes difficult to determine when you are Buying Used Cars, so some traditional lenders will compensate by charging significantly higher rates for used car loans.

The best way to avoid any financing headaches when Buying Used Cars is to shop around for your car loan before you start shopping for a vehicle. Look for a direct lender who specializes in used car loans. A direct lender issues loans directly to the customer without going through a middleman, such as a car dealership. If they specialize in used car loans, they are more likely to give you better interest rates than a traditional lender.

RoadLoans is an online direct lender who has helped tens of thousands of people purchase the vehicle they want. At RoadLoans.com you can apply online in minutes and get a decision quickly. There are many great deals out there for people Buying Used Cars, so don’t miss out. Visit RoadLoans.com today.

Car loan & auto refinance experts for people with bad credit. RoadLoans.com provides a car loan calculator and car financing to buy new & used autos. Save money and time and apply online today!"

Applying for Used Car Loans

If you have been shopping for good used cars, you may have discovered that the hardest part is finding Used Car Loans. More and more people are discovering the advantages of purchasing a used car over a new car. Buying a new car can be out of the means of many people. If your budget is tight, you will probably find that you can get the most “bang for your buck” if you buy a Used Car. Loans on used cars, however, can sometimes be problematic.

Why is it sometimes difficult to get Used Car Loans? Car loans are generally “secured loans,” which means that the value of the car is the collateral for the loan. If you don’t pay, the lender takes the car back. In the case of Used Car Loans, however, the true value of the car can sometimes be hard to determine because vehicles lose their value very quickly. The lender can’t be sure that the car will be worth more than the amount of the loan. To make up for the possible decline in value, many traditional lenders often charge significantly higher interest rates on their Used Car Loans.

So, if you are thinking about buying a used car, it is important that you shop around for Used Car Loans before you start shopping for your vehicle. Although sometimes difficult to find, Used Car Loans are available and they are available for people of all credit types.

Your best option is to look for a direct lender who specializes in Used Car Loans. A direct lender issues loans directly to the customer without going through a middleman, such as a dealership. Since they specialize in Used Car Loans, they are more likely to help you in choosing the right used car for you.

RoadLoans is an online direct lender that has helped tens of thousands of people purchase the vehicles they want. In business for over ten years, RoadLoans specializes in providing financing and servicing of new and Used Car Loans for people with less than perfect credit.

When you visit RoadLoans.com, applying for Used Car Loans is easy. The online application takes only minutes to complete, and in many cases you will receive a decision instantly. Loan approvals are valid for 2004 model year vehicles or newer with less than 90,000 miles. The vehicle you choose cannot be a commercial, conversion or customized vehicle.

RoadLoans approvals for Used Car Loans can be used at theRoadLoans Dealer listed in your loan package. All RoadLoans Dealers carry an inventory of high-quality, fully reconditioned vehicles. Once you have chosen your vehicle, the dealer takes care of the rest. They will review your loan package and paperwork with you and you will soon be on your way with your new car or truck.

Finding Used Car Loans doesn’t have to be difficult. Go toRoadLoans.com and experience Auto Finance Made Easy

8 Simple Ways To Increase Blog Traffic For Free

I like writing list posts – they’re great because I can provide a lot of value, and give you guys a lot of ideas that you can work with.BUT – they’re also very dangerous because all the tips, strategies and methods can be a bit  overwhelming, and the last thing I wanna do is make you feel like you have to do every single method at once.

One thing to keep in mind when reading list post on any blog (not just mine) is to take away 1 or 2 tips and put them to work immediately.

That’s what I do to increase blog traffic – and it works really well for me.

So, on with the list!

8 Simple Ways To Increase Blog Traffic For Free..

In this post I’m gonna be talking briefly about each of the 8 traffic methods – but if you want a more in depth look at 3 of my favorites, sign up for my email course here.

Method #1: Guest Blogging
Guest Blogging is a great way to reach an entire new audience that other bloggers have spend months and even years building up. I still get traffic from a post I did onLaura Roeder’s Blog.

Method #2: YouTube Marketing
Video Marketing is a very good method of generating traffic because your videos will stay up there forever. (or as long as the site is running)

Videos that get popular and get a lot of views, tend to stay popular – so they will generate a steady stream of visitors to your site without fail. I recommend sticking to YouTube and mastering it since it’s the most popular video sharing site on the web.

Method #3: Commenting on Blogs
Blog Commenting is one of my favorite because I get to learn, interact and drive traffic all at once. It’s a bit time consuming but the results are amazing.

Method #4: Facebook MarketingFacebook Pages & Groups. This is not about going to groups and posting your links all over the place (unless of course it’s a TRIBE that you’re involved in).

I recommend creating a Fan Page or a Group on Facebook that attracts your target market. That way you can add value to them by driving them back to your blog for content.

Method #5: Outbound Links 
Outbound Links are great to drive traffic because of Trackbacks. Whenever you link to another person’s blog who’s using wordpress, a trackback is automatically created which tells them exactly where that link is coming from.

Other people can click on that link and come back to your blog.

Method #6: Yahoo! Answers
Yahoo! Answers Traffic. You can go to Yahoo! Answers and search for unanswered questions related to your topic or niche. You can answer the question with a link to a post where you address the actual in much more detail.

Updated: Quora is the perfect social network to do this. You can find topics you know something about and answer people’s questions. Pretty cool.

Method #7: Give Away Free Reports
Give Away Free Reports. I just uploaded 3 reports to GetFreeEbooks.com. It’s a free service that allows you to upload your PDF’s and then it’s blasted out to 19,000+ readers. I’ll share the results once they post my reports (hopefully they’ll be good).

Updated: This was a complete waste of time. At least now I know. :/

Method #8: Forum Marketing
Forum Marketing is another one of my favorites because of the immediate traffic it can generate. You also get a feel as to what your market wants and needs as you interact with members of your community.

Starting a new thread will expose your signature file to anyone reading your post. This is very targeted traffic!

Bonus Method #9: Podcasting
This is by far the best move I’ve made for my blog and business. The exposure you get from podcasting is amazing, especially if you get your podcast in the iTunes store.

I created an entire video course around this one traffic method, to show you exactly how to do what I did. How to get thousands of podcast downloads per month, and drive large amounts of traffic back to your blog.

On To You…

What are you doing to increase blog traffic? I’ve visited a lot of your blogs lately and there’s a lot of growth happening really quickly, so please share your experience with this community so we can all learn from it.

If you enjoyed this post please ‘pass it on’. Retweet it, & Facebook share it with the buttons on top – and leave your thoughts below..

Don't overload your social network

Your heart races like a rebel in a 1950s flick. Your eyes widen, an unbidden smile stealing across your slack-jawed face. Your soul threatens to leap from your throat and go tearing about the room, pinwheeling its translucent arms, screaming, "Wheeee!"

No, you're not in love, you're just super amped about all those shiny new followers on Twitter or glowing red notifications on your Facebook.

Such digital messages can act as a salve to counteract the ills of modern life. However, in some cases, when applied too frequently, that salve can be more irritating than soothing.

There's been much discussion in the Internet-verse about whether social networking ruins or strengthens human relationships. A Pew survey reports that Facebook users have closer friends and feel more socially supported. But a study published in the journal "Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking" suggests the Book of Face is a haven for narcissists.

Then last year, research showed that Facebook and whatnot trigger the release of oxytocin (the love chemical) in our brains.

Truth is, we'll probably never get a clear-cut answer to the what-is-social-networking-doing-to-our-social-lives question.

But it's hard to deny that, when we pin our self-esteem to how many online interactions we rack up in a day, we're just using social media as a hastily swallowed pill to feel better about our IRL social ties.

So stop wanly pinging into the abyss, doing everything in your power to draw out the replies and likes and retweets from your equally sallow-eyed e-friends.

Here are three cases in which you should just shut up already:

With friends you haven't seen in a while

"Hey Jimmy! I haven't seen you in weeeeeeeeks! Therefore, in between promises of coffee and drinks and backpacking trips to Iceland sent via Facebook message and Twitter DM, I'm just going to go ahead and comment on everything on your Facebook Page, wantonly 'Liking' every new snapshot that you take with your webcam, alone in your room, trying out each hairstyle on Twin Shadow's 'Haircut Tour' poster.

And, as those aforementioned promises never come to fruition, I'll merely become an annoyance, a possible reclusive pathological liar who has ample time to hang on Facebook but can't manage to scrape together two hours to see "Friends With Benefits," even though we both posted the trailer on our walls and clearly would love to see such a wholly original film starring the extremely talented Mila Kunis. Peace out."

Facebook 'unnamed app' bug is fixed

Word of a Facebook bug spread on the social networking site Wednesday before the "unnamed app," which officials say wasn't harmful, was fixed.

Facebook members used their status updates to warn online friends about the glitch. The following was the language many users copied and passed on:

"ALERT >>>>> Has your facebook been running slow lately? Go to "Settings" and select "application settings", change the dropdown box to "added to profile". If you see one in there called "un named app" delete it... Its an internal spybot. Pass it on. about a minute ago....i checked and it was on mine."

Facebook said the weirdness was real, but never a real threat.

"Due to a small bug, an application listed as 'Unnamed App' appeared in some users' Applications Settings," spokeswoman Malorie Lucich said in an e-mail to CNN. "No user accounts or data were lost or damaged."

Lucich said the bug had been fixed by Wednesday afternoon.

Multiple Facebook users reported that while the application was in their settings they got fake messages telling them a friend had commented on one of their photos or other posts.

Others said that when they removed the application, their "boxes" tabs on their Facebook page disappeared.

By Wednesday afternoon, Facebook users were having fun with the bug. "Unnamed App" had its own fan page on the site -- albeit with a paltry 105 fans.

"Thanks for your personal data, people! Keep those passwords coming," read one note posted by the page's administrator.

It included a supposed inbox scanner beneath the words, "Molesting your inbox. Please wait."

Facebook pulls location-tracking feature

Following a period of freak-out on the Internet on Monday, Facebook appears to have pulled a controversial feature that let the social network's users get a digital list of other Facebookers nearby.

The "Find Friends Nearby" feature was not accessible in a CNN test on Tuesday morning, and other media outlets, including CNET, reported that Facebook had pulled the service.

In a statement e-mailed to CNN, a Facebook spokeswoman declined to elaborate.

"This wasn't a formal release -- this was something that a few engineers were testing," the spokeswoman wrote. "With all tests, some get released as full products, others don't. Nothing more to say on this for now -- we'll communicate to everyone when there is something to say."

When Facebook users logged on to the Find Friends Nearby site, they were supposed to be able to see friends and other Facebook users who were in close proximity.

Facebook users did not show up on those location-aware lists unless they intentionally logged into that site, which was accessible on Monday at http://fb.com/ffn.

The site came to the public's attention on Sunday after news of the feature was leaked to the tech press, according to news reports.

A Facebook engineer who claimed to have designed the feature said in a message to the blog TechCrunch that it could be used to quickly look up and "friend" someone who you'd met in person.

"For me, the ideal use case for this product is the one where when you're out with a group of people whom you've recently met and want to stay in contact with," that developer, Ryan Patterson, wrote. "Facebook search might be effective, or sharing your vanity addresses or business cards, but this tool provides a really easy way to exchange contact information with multiple people with minimal friction."

Patterson wrote that he developed the app as part of a coding competition, or hackathon.

"Social discovery" apps like Highlight and Glancee, which Facebook recently purchased, already perform similar functions and have not been hit with the same backlash Facebook received.

Facebook says it was "testing" the feature and that it had not become a formal part of the site, despite the fact that it was available online on Monday.

The company had not promoted the feature.

"We are constantly testing new features but have nothing more to share at this time," a company spokeswoman told CNN in an e-mail on Monday.

The blog ReadWriteWeb dubbed the feature a "stalking app," and news of Find Friends Nearby received a cold reception on the Internet, where Twitter users and bloggers panned the idea -- saying Twitter-y things like "Hell to the naw," "Oh lawd!" and "BAD FACEBOOK!!"

Furthermore, a company called Friendthem claimed Monday that Facebook had stolen its concept and was threatening the much-larger social network with a lawsuit.

"I was amazed on Sunday to read that Facebook is blatantly stealing our idea with what they are calling, 'Find Friends Nearby,'" Friendthem CEO Charles Sankowich said in a statement posted on VentureBeat and on other tech news sites.

What do you think of the idea of knowing which Facebook users are nearby? Could this be useful for finding new friends and looking up new contacts? Or does it cross a line in terms of privacy?

Could Facebook replace your e-mail inbox?

Facebook is inviting the press to a special event Monday, leading some to speculate that the company is set to overhaul its Messages product.

The basis for the speculation? The invite prominently displays Facebook's inbox logo. With some additional features, Facebook may even compete with your current e-mail provider, the theory goes.

Facebook hasn't confirmed the speculation, of course, and there are alternative explanations for what the social networking site may unveil. (One possibility: Facebook could bring its chat product to mobile devices.)

But let's imagine that Facebook's long-rumored overhaul of its Messages product does transpire, either at this event or in the future: Could it pose a threat to existing e-mail providers? Will Facebook users begin to use Facebook Messages more, and their existing e-mail accounts less?

While I'm usually bullish on Facebook's ability to make any new product stick -- with 500 million users, even a minuscule adoption rate means millions of users -- I'm not sure the company would be able to dominate e-mail completely.

In one context -- personal communications -- Facebook could certainly make inroads. The service is already the leading venue to connect with friends online, and providing standard e-mail features such as POP, IMAP, attachments, forwarding and an "@facebook.com" e-mail address would possibly lead some users to retire their accounts on Yahoo, Windows Live Hotmail, AOL or Gmail.

For Facebook, this would be a masterstroke: Virtually all of its major competitors have popular e-mail products. What's more, by combining social networking, chat and e-mail, Facebook would become the hub of online communication.

However, there's very little chance that Facebook Messages will ever be used for professional correspondence. Facebook is already banned in many corporate settings: It's considered a time-waster and a potential security threat to some companies.

Even for those unburdened by such restrictions, it's hard to imagine anyone conducting serious business through Facebook accounts. For instance: Would a job applicant appear more professional sending his or her resume via a Gmail address or a Facebook one?

It's clear that Facebook wants to become the ultimate contact list for everyone on the Web: Its social graph is an attempt to map all of the connections between its users.

And yet the name "Facebook" is still strongly associated with personal pursuits, from photo sharing to playing FarmVille. To shake off those associations would be an arduous task.

Facebook could, if it so desired, become a leader in personal e-mail between friends and family members -- but for more serious correspondence, it's unlikely to be the medium of choice.

Make Money Add Banners Ads to Blogger

One of the things that makes Blogger such a great blogging platform is the facility to add advertising to your Blogspot blog and make moneyfrom it. In this article I will be discussing how banner advertisements on your Blogger blog can make money for you. By banner advertising I mean advertising in addition to Google Adsense or Adbrite that you may have already added to your Blogger blog. For information on adding Google Adsense to your blog please read my articles on Google Adsense.

Banner advertising is FREE. And Banners Do Make Money.
It is no secret that banners make money provided you choose your merchant program carefully and have enough traffic accessing your site. In my experience once you reach around 100 visitors a day is a good time to add a few banners to your blog.

How Do I Make Money from Banners on My Blogger Blog?
Affiliate marketing banners make money for the publisher - that's you. When you place a banner on your blog the affiliate program gives you a snippet of code to add to your template which makes the banner display and identifies you as the publisher. When a visitor clicks on a banner on your website that click is recorded as originating from your site and you make money as a result of that click. Depending on the merchant program that you have signed up for you can earn a commission for providing a lead, or receive a percentage of the sale.

An Example of How Banners Work
After having placed your banner ad on your Blogger blog your site gets 100 visitors in a day. Out of that 100 people 5 people click on a banner which takes them through to the merchant's website. From those 5 people one person makes a purchase of around $100.00. Assuming your commission is 10% of the sale you have just made yourself $10.00. It's that easy.

Making the Most Out of Advertising Banners
To make money from banner ads you need volume as only a small percentage of your visitors will take any notice of the advertising on your blog and only a much smaller percentage of that pool will actually buy anything once they click. That's why it is really important that you focus your energies on building site traffic. If you need to grow your traffic read my articles on tips to increase traffic to your Blogger blog.

Of course you do need to choose your affiliate banners carefully as obviously some advertising will have more appeal than others. To some extent this is a matter of trial and error as you can never be completely sure how a banner will perform until you try it. You can increase the odds of success however, by choosing merchant programs that are related to your blog in some way. For instance if your blog is about cars then advertisers of car accessories like audio units would be a good place to start.

How Do I Add Affiliate Banners to My Blogger Blog?
Adding affiliate banners to your blog is pretty easy. Pretty much copy and paste stuff which anyone can do. Please read my article providing step by step instructions on how to Add Affiliate Banner Ads to the Blogger Sidebar of your Blogger blog if you are unsure. If you want to place a banner in the header of your blog please refer to Add an Affiliate Banner to Blogger Header

Disadvantages of Banner Ads
Too many banner ads can give your visitors the impression you are just in it for the money. So make sure you don't go overboard with too much advertising that will overshadow or detract from the content of your blog. Remember less is more so place your banners ads strategically on your blog. I like a small cluster of about 4 banner ads usually 125x125 somewhere fairly close to the top in the sidebar and a 468x60 banner in the header. The header is a prime position for an effective banner advertising campaign. Read more about how to place a banner ad in the header of your Blogger blog in my adding banners to Blogger series of tutorials.


The other main problem with banner ads is that they encourage visitors to leave your site and as we all know one of the hardest jobs is to attract the visitor in the first place. Do you really want them leaving your site before they have had a chance to look around? I don't think so. Only place banner ads on your blog that you are confident will reap you some rewards otherwise forget it. You might actually lose traffic if you provide too many inducements to leave your site.

Banner Ads Make Money

In this article I have discussed banner advertising as it relates to Blogger Blogspot blogs. You have learned a little about how affiliate programs work and how you might use banner ads on your own blog to make extra money. For tutorials on adding banner ads to your Blogger Blogspot blog please refer to Add Affiliate Banner Ads to a Blogger Sidebar and Add an Affiliate Banner to Blogger Header.