New Pet House Loved by Dogs

Pet love their beds and this new pet house comes with a cover to keep them warm in the winter. However, it easily converts to an open bed as well. Here's some of the benefits of this awesome new bed:

• Easily zips apart for travel or storage
• provides a safe and familiar place for your pet at home, office or when traveling
• Machine washable with strong material
• plush cushion in matching colors
• this size is best for pets under 10 pounds (larger size will be for sale later)
• padded sides and cute design
• a way to have a home away from home and make your pet feel at ease

Let Sammie the dog tell you all about it now.

New Pet House Loved by Dogs (and Cats Too).

Want to know more? Here's that website again: http://amzn.to/1OOOMal

Website Resources for Seniors

With an increasing number of senior citizens online the resources catering to them are appearing as well. Here is a number of useful websites to explore for yourself or one of your relatives or friends. Keep in mind that websites do change, so check back for any updates.

The first, Plinylives.com has this unique name (rhymes with skinny) for a Roman figure by the same name known as Pliny the Elder - a wise man in his day. Here you can find information, services, products, a question and answer section and even ads for senior citizens. It's a membership site, so feel free to sign up and receive more benefits. Many of the ads placed in the margins give you access to other resources.

Live in Canada? Check out the CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons) website: CARP.com with the tagline: "A New Vision of Aging". Here you can keep up with the CARP political advocacy campaigns to improve the situation for senior citizens. There is a news section and CARP is a national periodical, so this section is quite extensive. There is also a community news section, divided up into local regional news. The benefits section is amazingly extensive - all kinds of insurance under one company - life, travel, health, even pet insurance. Other benefits include phone service, travel packages and the "Zoomer Magazine" subscription. All of these are at discount prices.

For those who need more care due to aging or some other disability please check out Elderly Living or Disabled Living. This good website gives some helpful tips for people living in the US. This is a resource referral service.

PURPOSE:  As a nonprofit 501c3 charity, EDL’s mission is to reduce costs associated with housing. We specifically provide help to lower income elderly or disabled individuals. EDL is not a home care facility though. Our nonprofit has many cost reducing techniques available to us. EDL’s service includes but isn’t limited to monetary assistance (e.g. the following is not a exclusive list): Dr. bills, cable, internet, health insurance, car payment, electric, rent, and mortgage. Email us today to see how we can help you. To read the original click here.

For those living in the Greater Vancouver, British Columbia area of Canada, I recommend Angels There For You atfy.ca. Here is an agency designed to not only provide in-home care but assessment to other care facilities and referrals. They even have helpers for yard work or home repair services. At present they are located only in the suburbs of Langley and Richmond but have plans for expansion. Some of their services include 24-hour care, palliative care, home cleaning, respite care, nursing care and personal care including a mobile salon.

The last resource is Aging Parents and Elder Care. Here is a website for seniors and their children. It's not always the case that children know what to do when the care of aging relatives is passed onto them. Here's a resource that is kept up to date and you can speak to a live person by calling their number. Many of the resources are for US citizens, including the section on Medicare. However, the amount of tips and other helpful information is worth checking out no matter where you live.

Have some online resources you like? Please pass them on so other readers can benefit. contact@vickistarfire.com

Spectacular Seniors: Andrew Mackey

Andrew Mackey has had several business careers and comes to his present job with tons of experience helping other entrepreneurs with startup businesses. He is truly an elder mentor and business coach working more than part time. He lives in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Although he is an elder himself, he lives with his father who is now in his 90's.

Do you like this podcast? Please download other episodes of Spectacular Seniors and subscribe so that you can know when new episodes are available. Do you know other elders who are doing inspirational things in their later years? Please contact us so that we can interview them as well. 

Check out this episode!

Spectacular Seniors: Episode 1

These days seniors are not just sitting around in rocking chairs. In fact, some elders are so active it seems they are at least 20 years younger. There are some amazing stories to be told of what they are up to. Tune in and find out for yourself what inspirational accomplishments these senior citizens have done and are still doing.

Like these podcasts about seniors? Please download other episodes and subscribe to Spectacular Seniors.

Check out this episode!

Apple’s Billion Dollar Secret REVEALED for Your Financial Future

Want to discover what GoPro, Fitbit, and Apple all have in common and why it matters to YOU (and your financial future)?

Here’s your chance.

Matt Clark & Jason Katzenback, the founders of Amazing.com, just released the FIRST of four powerful videos showing you how YOU can build a REAL, long-term business selling physical products.

This new video is like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

They’ve broken down the ENTIRE business model step by step.

You watch this one video and you could literally build a multimillion-dollar business from SCRATCH. Starting TODAY.

Click here to go watch it right now (while it’s still available)

Want to Share the Wealth?

Amazon has recently announced a $50 tablet, is now offering same-day shipping in 14 cities with Prime Now, and is giving more benefits than ever to Amazon Prime members (including six months of free access to The Washington Post).
Why does all this matter to you?

Well, if you want to build a business, you better look at Amazon.

This year, Amazon is well on pace to do over $100 billion in revenue. If it does, it will be the only ecommerce company to hit this milestone.
In the first half of this year, Amazon produced $34.2 billion in sales, a 10.4% growth over the first half of last year, 2014.
To estimate the full-year revenue for 2015, let’s assume that Amazon grows in the second half of the year at the same rate it grew from 2013 to 2014 (the last two full years). Comparing the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014, Amazon grew a whopping 36%.

If Amazon’s growth for the second half of this year is the same (and it could be more), Amazon’s total revenue for 2015 will come in around $113 billion.

That will represent growth of more than 20% from 2014 to 2015. This pace is HUGE for a company the size of Amazon and highlights the undeniable trend that’s driving Amazon’s incredible growth — people want to buy everything from one place.
I know I don’t want to hunt around on 15 different online stores to buy what I need. I want everything readily accessible, all in one place online that I can easily buy from and move on with my life. And I know a lot of people feel the same way I do. This is why Amazon is on such a relentless growth path, and has been for the past decade.
The most exciting aspect of this growth is what’s happening outside the USA.
Here’s a snapshot of some of Amazon’s international ecommerce platforms and the estimated revenue they’ll produce assuming Amazon hits the calculated $113 billion in 2015:

• Germany = 14% ($15.8B)
• UK = 10% ($11.3B)
• Japan = 9% ($10.2B)

I remember living in France and how horrible shopping online was (including on Amazon.fr). However, that was three and a half years ago and now it’s much better, largely thanks to Amazon’s investment in its international platforms.

There is a gold rush happening internationally.

For the first time ever, shopping online is becoming extremely easy for many countries. Amazon is investing billions of dollars to make sure it’s the leading ecommerce platform in as many countries as possible.
As an entrepreneur, this is incredibly exciting! To encourage people who sell on Amazon to expand their product base to other countries, Amazon has started unifying (combining) multiple seller platforms.
For example, you can now sell on Amazon.com (USA) and Amazon.ca (Canada) all from one Amazon Seller Central account.
You can also sell on all of the European platforms — Amazon.co.uk (UK), Amazon.de (Germany), Amazon.it (Italy), Amazon.es (Spain), and Amazon.fr (France) — from one Amazon Seller Central account.
Pretty soon, you’ll likely be able to sell products all over the world through one single, seamlessly operated account.

How’d you like to create a product and see it sold in 10 countries all over the world tomorrow?

That’s what Amazon is doing for ecommerce.
It’s an exciting time to be in this business. This is why on September 29th, we’re releasing a full-blown, hour-long in-depth training video showing you how to build a physical-products business with Amazon.
It’s the most detailed single video we’ve ever released for this business model. It’s going live at 8AM Central on 9/29, so stay tuned. You don’t want to miss it. There’s $100 billion in sales ready for you to grab your piece. 
Want to know more? Click here.

About Matt Clark

---

Matt Clark is the CEO and co-founder of Amazing.com

 

You Won't Believe What's Coming

Financial freedom for everyone!

Ahh… it’s really tough to hold back what I want to share with you!

But I have to.

You won’t believe what’s coming next week starting on Monday…

These guys have broken down an entire business model into a single, step-by-step video and they’re giving it to you for FREE on Monday.

This business model has created so many success stories for people just like you.

I know you want financial freedom. I know you want to be your own boss. I know you want to be able to do whatever you want, when you want.

Here’s your chance.

I’ve never seen anything like it.

Watch your inbox early Monday morning for a special email I’m sending you with a link to this first of four videos they’re releasing.

See you on Monday.

Working with Elders

Here's the second episode, this one with Becky Herrmann and her busy life helping others.When a professional fund raiser retires to Canada, what does she do? Keep working, of course. Becky Herrmann describes two agencies for seniors located in Vancouver, Canada. The services are quite comprehensive and unique. Do you know other Spectacular Seniors? I'm always looking for inspirational, well-spoken people to interview that are making a difference to themselves and their communities. Let me know if you know of any special elders.  

Great Seniors Online Resource: "Senior Living" Magazine

Cover of "Senior Living" magazine, September 2015 issue

Usually I'm writing articles about static, already-finished events or places that people have been. Sometimes I write about resources for seniors as I am this time - one that changes every month. The magazine, "Senior Living", has been published in hard copy since 2004, first on Vancouver Island and then several expansions have allowed it to be published province-wide. It's certainly a good resource for seniors and is available by subscription or at certain retail stores.

What I'm going to describe today, however, is the online version. It's a treat to see this bright, busy website home page with tabs for resources, housing directory, events and also TV/video and radio. The weekly TV program, "Senior Living on Location" uses interviews with outstanding and inspirational seniors.

Senior Living On Location focuses on the inspiring, informative and entertaining adventure filled stories of seniors from Vancouver Island, Vancouver and the Lower Mainland communities. 

Senior Living On Location is dedicated to changing the definition and stereotypes around aging, retirement and what it means to become a senior. The program is narrated by well known voice-over artist and radio broadcaster Barry Bowman, who brings a warm, familiar sound and creative perspective to each story segment. To read the original click here.

This online is a resource well worth exploring. Of course the magazine is also available online. The only disappointing section was the radio. I couldn't get a selection of music to play, and the limit of country western or 50's, 60's and 70's didn't fit my taste anyway. With the great podcasts these days it seems they could "remodel" (I hesitate to say "update") this section. However, this website is worth bookmarking for future days. Great to have an online resource about seniors that is kept very current and fresh.

Spectacular Seniors

Like Podcasts? Here is one about inspiring seniors who are not just sitting around but making a difference in their own lives and helping others as well. Here's the first episode of Spectacular Seniors:  

New StarShine Products - Pet Products

Something new has been added to this website - products for your pets, especially dogs and cats. Most of the products will be sold on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca (Canadian version).

Here's the first product - a nifty indoor pet house to give your pet a safe, cozy place anywhere you go. It unzips and folds up for easy transport. The padded material is very durable and also washable. It comes complete with a matching soft plush pillow. This is the medium size, good for pets under 10 lbs (22 kg) but there is a larger size that will be imported later. Why not give your pet a present? I promise it will be popular. Return to this website to find more pet products when they become available.

	medium and large sizes
Use as a pet bed	Folds up easily for transport

How to Market with Pinterest

Pinterest is a collection of photos, recipes, videos and small posts (called "pins") that are arranged on boards, something like bulletin boards. It's a way to connect with people of similar interests and also to showcase your products or services. The marketing is mostly free on Pinterest and it has a traffic reach that is greater than Twitter, Google+, Bing or Yahoo. The video describes how to set up a Pinterest page and then how to market with Pinterest. The platform is fairly easy compared to the other social media methods. Links can be embedded into the pins so that they are clickable and take you to a website or sales page.

How to Market with Pinterest

I have found Pinterest to be a complimentary benefit to Facebook business pages. What is your opinion of Pinterest? Please leave a comment below.

How to Use Twitter Chats for Marketing

This video will show you how to use something called Twitter Chats or Tweet Chats for your business. When they are in real-time, they are sometimes fast-moving and difficult to follow. It's a lot of information that scrolls by as you will see towards the end of the video. However, you can pause it and engage with individual people. Twitter Chats allow you to showcase your expertise and can give you a huge exposure. They are a way to instantly engage with potential customers by sharing resources, answering questions and building that "know, like and trust" relationship.

How to use Twitter Chats for Marketing

There are also Twitter parties and Twitter ads, but they will have to be covered in another video.

How Best to Use Linkedin for Business

You've certainly heard about Linkedin and you know it might be helpful for your business. This video shows you how to set up a great Linkedin profile so that people can find you but more importantly so that you can find prospective customers. Next you will see how to use Linkedin for marketing with some easy methods so that you can know how best to use Linkedin for business.  This is #20 of the Where is Vicki Starfire? series. Each episode is shot in a different location. Please send you guesses as to the location of each one to: contact@vickistarfire.com. If you are the first to guess the correct location, Vicki will send you $10.

How to Use Twitter for Business

Twitter is one of the social media platforms that fewer people really understand. It seems a bit mysterious - sort of like writing a poem that goes viral. It is actually easy to set up and with just 140 characters (140 for the Tweet and 20 for the address), it doesn't take long to write it. The 140 characters are the same as a SMS text message. What are the advantages or the differences between Twitter and other social platforms? Twitter is much more instant. While this video does not cover them, there are Twitter parties that are typed out in realtime. Getting an answer to a tweet a few seconds later is also common. Everything happens faster and messages can go viral very quickly too, meaning there is an explosion of shares and retweets. I guess you might know that the younger media users rarely use e-mail these days. It's all text messages, instagram posts and Tweets. Twitter has been used by astronauts on the International Space Station because the message could more easily be transmitted such long distances. However, I haven't found it useful with my Chinese business partners. It doesn't seem to be set up in some places.

How to use Twitter for business

This video is designed to help you set up a Twitter account and then start using some very simple techniques to use Twitter for business. You will find these techniques very easy but also effective to find targeted customers who are ready to purchase your products or services.  Please leave any comments and subscribe to my channel to find the rest of the Where is Vicki Starfire? series helping you set up your internet marketing business.

Setting Up Facebook for Business Ads

I understand you are interested in setting up Facebook for business ads. It's actually easy, and this video takes you through setting one up and how to start simple ads.  Facebook has a Ad Manager so that you can post ads on other people's websites. This video will show you how to set up your business page and then how to use Facebook for simple advertisements. If you would like to see how to advertise using page boosts, post boosts or website boosts, please view this video.

Setting up a Facebook page for business ads

You will see that setting up a Facebook page for business ads is quite simple. Vicki will show you how to set up a simple ad using page likes. People easily click on "like" and then are taken to your Facebook page. Vicki also shows you how to manage the ad manager. While you can closely target your ads, it may take you some time to discover how to convert the viewers into buyers. Remember to keep up with the Facebook changes. Thanks for watching.

Residual Income with Business Labs Pro

Here's a short video in which I am being interviewed by Mark Wright, one of the co-founders of Rapid Time Networks, a meetup network located mostly in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I relate how to set up and benefit from the Business Labs Pro system that will produce a residual or passive income for the owner. There are a lot of residual income business ideas these days, but as I point out in this video, the staff of Business Labs Pro have been testing and improving this system for two years now to find a system that will work for everyone - one that produces results in the form of people who bring in sales or a good ROI (return of investment).

Residual income with Business Labs Pro

It works by setting up back links with social media and then by adding content from time to time. All you have to do is follow the video tutorials that are provided in the training. This will work for brick and mortar businesses as well as online ones. There are many residual income benefits. Most people trade time for money. Even if they like their jobs, they are still set on a schedule. Wouldn't you rather be making money while you are sleeping or better yet, while you are in Hawaii on a beach? Having a source of residual income is also a good addition to a regular job and it's not hard to learn this system. Why not try it out?

If you want to know more, just click here and you can start a new chapter in your life.

How to Use Google+ for Business

Here's a type of social media that is not as well known as Facebook or Twitter. As it is a part of the Google empire, using Google+ for your business can greatly increase your ranking and give you free exposure to potential buyers. This short video shows you how to set up a Google+ account and then how to use it for your business. Remember that Google Hangouts and YouTube are also closely connected to Google+.

How to use Google+ for business

  Google+ is a powerful program and has multiple uses. This post will help those beginner to intermediate internet marketers. For more advanced tutorials go to the URLs suggested in this video. The nice aspect with videos is that you can review and pause, allowing you to perform the actions at the same time. Hope this is helpful to you to find out how to use Google+ for business.

How to get Quality Traffic to your Website

Generating traffic is a huge topic and people pay thousands of dollars to companies who specialize in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Before you hire help, check out their work from examples of other jobs or ranking agencies such as Alexa.com. Better yet, learn as much as you can and do it yourself. There are lots of good plugins that will help you set it up and tell you what to do. You want to get quality traffic to your website, which means buyers, not just web surfers. Remember to keep up with the changes. SEO methods don't stay the same for long. Here then is a short video that will introduce you to simple and inexpensive ways to generate good traffic.Later you can focus on more complex ways to get quality traffic to your website.

How to Create a Business YouTube Account

There's multiple reasons to use video for your business. Since Google now owns YouTube, your ranking will improve with the use of videos. They keep people on your website or post site longer, especially those accessing with a mobile device. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Last but not least, it is now very simple to create your own videos and post them. Why not give it a try?

How to create a YouTube channel for business

Why do you need a business channel? It is more focused on what you want to promote. There are fewer distractions for viewers. Your conversions will probably be higher which means more buyers by keeping all your business-related videos in one place. This short video will show you how to create a gmail business account and then a YouTube channel for business.   Have any questions? Feel free to contact me at: contact@vickistarfire.com Music - "Can't Take Our Love Away" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/CantTakeOurLoveAway

Simple Advertising on Facebook to Promote Your Page

You may think that advertising on Facebook to promote your page might be difficult, but if you watch this short video, I will show you some simple and inexpensive ways to get traffic and buyers to your page. Later on we can look at more complex ways to advertise using the Power Editor, tracking and audience insights. Facebook is a powerful platform because of the millions of people who use it. There are definitely ways to use it with your business.

Simple advertising on Facebook to promote your page

Music - "Can't Take Our Love Away" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/CantTakeOurLoveAway

Ask the Internet Marketing Experts

When learning how to market online or for a brick and mortar business some people learn best by going to a large gathering, a convention or a large workshop. There are lots of gains to such gatherings - finding out what others are doing, discovering new approaches or online inventions and more importantly hearing what the experts have to say. Recently in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where I live part of the time there was a 3-day convention entitled, Business for Excellence. The mover and shaker and master extraordinaire of this event was Colin Sprake and here's some of what he had to say. I also asked various speakers and participants for their feedback on this convention and what advice they would give to people just starting out in internet marketing. Here are their replies.

Ask the Internet Marketing Experts: Local Experts

There are so many local experts here in Vancouver, but I couldn't write an article about them without including two more, Dan Lok and Isabelle Mercier. Both are very successful millionaires thanks to the internet. Isabelle can be found at http://leaptv.com and http://leapzonestrategies.com. Recently she spoke at a meeting of Dan Lok's Vancouver Entrepreneurs Group with the title, "Transform Your Business into a Well-Oiled Machine to Double Your Revenue". I asked he the same question: her advice for those just beginning in internet marketing. Here is her reply. Last but not least is Dan Lok (http://danlok.com) another self-made man, one of the new breeds of young recent millionaires. He host a meetup group, Vancouver Entrepreneurs Group and also sells his books, videos and courses. Here is a video especially for starting entrepreneurs. It's a lot of information but the great advantage to the internet is that unlike TV, you can come back and replay most any time. It's there when YOU are ready too. Have any comments? Would love to hear from you.

How to Claim Cash Back on Dubli.com and Bring In VIP Customers

How to claim cash back from Dubli.com

Let's say you have joined this shopping network and have ordered a few items. Now you want to know how to claim your cash back. It'a easy if you just watch this video. Once you have $25+ in your account you can start taking money out in any of the three ways possible.

How to bring in VIP customers

Bringing in VIP customers if you are also a VIP member is also easy. Just have them sign a form. Again just follow the directions set out here.  

How to Upload a Video to YouTube From Your Phone

Most smartphones today are able to take short video clips. How then do you get these clips onto YouTube so that others can easily access them? It's not easy to send your video clips by e-mail or even instant message as the files are too big. Much easier to send a link to a YouTube video. What you need is the mobile code for the phone to YouTube upload. Please watch and you will find out where it is and what to do with it.

How to upload a video to YouTube from your phone

Now that you know how to make quick videos and upload them to YouTube, you too can upload a video to YouTube from your phone.

How to Upload a Video to YouTube Faster

Now it's easy to make and upload a video to YouTube. The problem is that even a very short video of just a few minutes will take an hour to upload. I don't know about you, but I don't have an hour to wait around. Here's the answer - a program called Handbrake. This video shows you how to set Handbrake so that you will not lose any of the sound or image quality of your video. In this way you can upload a video to YouTube faster. Handbrake is a free program and has a lot more uses than just acting like a zip file for videos. Let us know how you like this program and if this video was helpful.

How to Make a Video Online

Would you like to make a video and upload it to YouTube? It's easier than you may think. First, make a short video clip with a video camera or you smart phone. Upload it to your desktop. Then follow the instructions in this video to transfer it to YouTube. Thanks to the staff of YouTube, it's very simple. I won't bore you with how difficult and time-consuming it used to be even a year ago. Thanks, YouTube staff.

How to make a video online

Have any questions? Just write to me at: contact@vickistarfire.com. I look forward to talking to you about your videos. This video has music. Music - "Can't Take Our Love Away" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/CantTakeOurLoveAway

Digital Marketing Training: Workshops and Masterminds

We are so lucky these days as we have so much online training usually offered for very reasonable prices. Of course there are also "in person" or live training sessions too. With the amount of money some people are making online these days it's like a modern-day gold rush to get a piece of the action and learn digital marketing training. I will be interviewing other people later so stay tuned to this series. In this video we will hear the advice of Shawn Bearman and Andrew Mackey, two presenters from Vancouver. Their advice is stellar; my camera work is not so great! Just disregard it and listen to what these two have to say.

How to Find Profitable Keywords

Keywords are the words people type into a search box when they are looking for information or something to buy. You want to use these words in your posts and advertisements so that these people will find you. Profitable keywords are the ones buyers are using. Now, how can you find these words? This video suggests some very simple ways and also some more complex and expensive methods. So if you want a page one Google ranking and lots of buyers coming to your website use your targeted keywords a lot. Few people look beyond the first page of Google so you want to be there.

How to Use Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing has become the wave of the future. With the decline of newspapers and magazines in favor of digital print, social media marketing has become a lot more than entertainment and posting of cute cat pictures. In addition, the rules from Google and Facebook in particular and changing technology has meant the learning curve continues for everyone. I'm sure there will soon be social media "experts" to teach us all.

how to use social media marketing

Today, however, we are at the beginning, so let's just start with Facebook. I will show you a few simple, inexpensive ways to improve you Google rank so that you too can be on the first page of a good search. In future episodes I will be covering the other social media venues - Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn in particular. How to use social media marketing involves getting buyers to your site.

How to Setup an Autoresponder

Here is #7 in the series, all about autoresponders. This series is called Where is Vicki Starfire? because I shoot each one in a different location. The first person who guesses the correct location of each one will receive $10. That means you will have 25 to guess, and you can submit more than one guess for each. Give it a try.

how to setup an autoresponder

This video will show you a very useful program, an autoresponder. "Auto" means automatic and "responder" helps you respond to your new website members who sign into your list. It's difficult to respond to each person, so the autoresponder will help you out and at the same time keep your e-mail messages personal. Very quickly and inexpensively you will know how to setup an autoresponder.

How to Shop Online Without Using Your Credit Card

Do you like the idea of shopping online in the convenience of your own home but you hesitate to use your credit card? While there are safe ways to use your card, you CAN shop online without using your credit card.

How to shop online without using your credit card.

In this episode (#6) of Where is Vicki Starfire? you will see a harried shopper glad to escape a crowded shopping mall and return home to online shopping. I will then show you how to avoid using your credit card in a network of stores with more variety than any shopping mall. I will also show you haw to find discount prices and cash back too.  

Low Stress Job Opportunities for Seniors

With the number of people entering the senior citizen category these day it stand to reason that not all of them can afford to retire and many of them don't want to. With people living longer who wants to be retired for at least 25 years?  While some people make that transition easily, others like the mental stimulation of a workplace. Here's some suggestions then for jobs that can be done part time with less stress  - in other words, shorter hours and less pressure.

Low Stress Job Opportunities for Seniors

Pet Care - For people who love pets but can't keep pets of their own this is an ideal job. Some jobs require the sitter to stay in the house or apartment where they are caring for pets and perhaps plants as well. However, other jobs allow the sitter to come and go from the residence or just to walk the dog for a short time. Most of these jobs are publicized by word of mouth or through pet grooming centers as there has to be a good amount of trust to leave not only your pets but your house in the care of an outside person. However, putting up notices will get you some business.

Online Selling - There are numerous online companies today looking for people to sell products, conduct surveys and create traffic sources using social media, for example. One must be careful of scam schemes that promise online payment and then disappear. It's important to not only go to the prospective website but to check out what's being reported on sites such as scamadvisor.com or scamwarners.com. Also, don't pay large sums of money for supposed future training. The scammers will take your money and run.

Property Management - This is often for an apartment complex or condo unit and often provide lodging as well. However it is important to work out who will be in charge of any repairs that need doing. If you like working with your neighbors, this is a good job for you. It does require some training  and a list of what is permitted. It also involves light housekeeping such as any public toilets, kitchen areas and cleaning any common areas such as a lounge or community room, hallways. There will be calls in the middle of the night, and soon you will find that this is more than a part time job.

Pharmacy Clerk - The widespread presence of pharmacies make working as a pharmacy clerk a great option for seniors who don't want to commute. Tasks associated with this job include answering phone calls, stocking shelves, taking care of customers and ringing up purchases. Becoming a pharmacy clerk requires relatively little training, and hours are normally flexible. Seniors only need a high school degree and some on-the-job training to get started.

To read the original click here.

Consultant - This is a job for someone retiring from a professional field who can stay on as a mentor/teacher/coach. This job usually pays quite well, especially with shared offices as it is rarely full time.

What are your experiences with seeing seniors in jobs? Can you let us know other jobs seniors will take? I know a great online job available to seniors with little or no stress. Click on the link below in order to see what you might fit into. It's a good idea to decide what you want to do before you retire. Working online before you retire has the advantage that you can work from anywhere including the hospital, not the place for low stress jobs for seniors!

Career Areas that are Expanding as Baby Boomers Age

In this article I will cover career opportunities for people who are younger than the group retiring, known as the Baby Boomers. The topic of Baby Boomers who continue to work past retirement age (usually 65) or who change jobs at that age is another topic. Please read an article already published on WebBasedOpportunities.com for that topic.

Most of the expansion of jobs are of course related to medicine although there are jobs for counselors and administrators in retirement facilities primarily. Baby Boomers now make up 75 million in the US alone, and are now reaching old age. Thus they are in need of medical care more than younger generations.

Career Areas that are Expanding as Baby Boomers Age

Let's look at some of the medical jobs that are now and are projected to become available. Here are some ideas according to Emily Sanderson writing for "Top Ten Reviews" about health needs and corresponding careers.

About 60 percent of baby boomers have been diagnosed with at least one chronic medical condition. Some common chronic conditions are arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. These conditions require regular health care check-ups, taking prescription medications and making significant dietary changes. As a result, elderly patients will require more assistance from individuals in medical careers – those behind-the-scenes such as medical laboratory technicians and medical billing clerks, as well as professionals who patients work with directly such as physical therapists and dietitians. To read the original click here.

The jobs compared (not an exhaustive list by any means) are listed below. Sources for this article include reports by the Institute of Medicine, the U.S. Census, the Commonwealth Fund and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Click here to view more.

Overall Rating of Jobs

Salary Differences

Job Availability

Notice that registered nurses and lab techs are at the top of each chart. These seem the best jobs to seek as they will be needed in every community with good pay provided. Due to the huge demand and the present number available to work now, it stands to reason why these two professions in particular are so overworked. Are the training schools planning for this upcoming increase? Have they seen the statistics on careers that are expanding as Baby Boomers age?

Let's not forget about other jobs as well, such as the alternative medical fields of chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists who help patients deal with chronic pain or the naturopaths and other holistic practitioners who have a role to play in treatment as well as prevention. As viruses and other pathogens become more resistant to antibiotics, other remedies are being explored. Medical research is another field with job openings as we move towards improving treatment.

In summary, anyone who has an aptitude to learn physiology and science should seriously consider going into careers that provide care for the elderly. Jobs will be easy to obtain and the pay high. Let us not forget the doctors, but with the years of training they must complete and the growing demand, an increasing number of their duties will probably be handed over to the other medical personnel.

Baby Boomers Compared to Millennials

As the large generation born in the boom time after World War II age, there are numerous articles  about the problems this group will cause such as overloading the pension funds, maxing out the medical facilities, even causing problems driving. What isn't well known is that the another generation called the Millennials are rapidly catching up, and according to the US Census Bureau, the Millennials (between the ages of 18 and 34 as of 2015) will surpass the Baby Boomers in numbers by this year ( 75.3 million Millennials compared to 74.9 million Baby Boomers). As the Baby Boomers age even more and start to die off, Generation X (ages 35 - 50 in 2015) will pass up the Baby Boomer group by 2028.

Baby Boomers compared to Millennials

The reason for this change is that new immigrants who are coming to the US, and I suspect many other countries as well, are in the Millennial age bracket. The younger ones cannot afford to make that transition to a new country. Recently for example, a group of refugees from Syria were shipwrecked off the coast of Greece. Many of them had paid the equivalent of $10,000 to take that trip. Did they stay in Greece? While some of them will try to, others headed for the countries where they will be more welcome such as Norway or Sweden. Obviously they each had more than the $10,000 passage fee.

While new immigrants can be costly to resources at first, here is a good reason for countries to accept them. They have a work record and they will be able to then take jobs that will pay into the retirement funds of the Baby Boomers. It seems the only aspect needed is to assure that the immigrants accepted are indeed going to be contributing to their new places of residence. When comparing Baby Boomers to Millennials it seems they will be a benefit to each other as Baby Boomers are retiring and leaving job openings to the Millennials.

Here's what Richard Fry writing for "Think Tank" has to say about Generation X (ages 35 - 50).

• For a few more years, Gen Xers are projected to remain the “middle child” of generations – caught between two larger generations of the Millennials and the Boomers. They are smaller than Millennials because the generational span of Gen X (16 years) is shorter than the Millennials (17 years). Also, the Gen Xers were born during a period when Americans were having fewer children than later decades. When Gen Xers were born, births averaged around 3.4 million per year, compared with the 3.9 million annual rate during the 1980s and 1990s when Millennials were born.

It is curious how the increases of population are tied to wars. It would seem logical the a decrease would be linked to wars. Instead, the movement of populations and the increase of babies born after wars is the norm. Eventually we will have to get around to managing the population explosion in some other way besides killing each other.

from US Dept of Health & Human Services National Center for Health Statistics

How to Find Profitable Keywords

Want to have a better rating, a first page listing on Google and lots more traffic to your website? Keywords are important for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) but you want to find good keywords that will bring you in buyers, not just searchers (something like "lookie loos" in department stores).

How to find profitable keywords

Watch this short video about keywords - how to find profitable keywords and how to use them in all your posts to bring you in traffic and sales. You can see from this video that how to find profitable keywords is actually not that hard, and if you use them in all the places specified in the video you should quickly be on page one of Google where everyone can find you and your webpage.

How to Raise Funds For a Non Profit Company

Either you or someone you know is involved in helping a non-profit company. They all need funds and here is an easy way to obtain them. It's easy to set up with the help of a Dubli Incorporated affiliate member. It also means the funds will keep coming in (residual income) after the initial work is done. It's a lot easier than other fund raising methods.

How to raise funds for a non profit company

If you are a non profit organization, Dubli Inc. wants to help you out with free membership and no monthly fees. If you want to know more, click this link: http://vickistarfire.com/dubli-partner/ Here's a short video that will explain more about it. Isn't this a great way to raise funds for a non profit company? It couldn't be easier and certainly more profitable than car washes, cupcake sales, raffles or bottle drives! If you can say, "we are a non-profit organization" then you should look into this great opportunity.

How to Create Social Media Links

This video will introduce beginners on how to post articles to a website and how to connect them to various social media in order to increase the traffic flow to the website and thus provide free website advertising. Please check back later in this series for more advanced techniques on how to use social media marketing and the use of social media for marketing your business.

How to Create Social Media Links

If you need help setting up the social media sites you can find good tutorials in YouTube or you can contact me so you can use social media links to bring people back to your website.

How to Setup an Autoresponder

How to setup an autoresponder

If you watch this short video, you will see that an autoresponder is a program that sends out multiple messages at once. I show you how to set one up in two common companies, Host Gator and Go Daddy. As far as the best autoresponder service, it depends on how involved you want to get in the technical side of your business. Host Gator allows you most functions and control but Go Daddy is easier. If you need something changed, just e-mail or call their customer support. It's easy and very affordable to set one up. Saves a lot of time and you can more easily keep in touch with your subscribers to you website. Want to know how to setup an autoresponder? Just follow these instructions and you will have one in no time. This is #7 in the Where is Vicki Starfire? series. Send your location guesses to contact@vickistarfire to win $10.

Setting Up a Website Using WordPress

You may wonder if setting up a website using Word Press is difficult. It's actually quite automatic, and most people can easily do it. What is WordPress? It's a series of templates that allow you to add your own information quickly and easily which allows you to have an internet presence, a place for your customers and friends to see what you offer online and what you are doing.

How to set up a website using WordPress

I will also show you how to choose a good web name (domain) and how to choose a place to keep it (web hosting). It's not expensive, and within an hour you should be able to be up and running with your WordPress website.  

How to Set Up a Website Using WordPress

You may wonder if setting up a website using Word Press is difficult. It's actually quite automatic, and most people can easily do it. What is WordPress? It's a series of templates that allow you to add your own information quickly and easily which allows you to have an internet presence, a place for your customers and friends to see what you offer online and what you are doing.

How to set up a website using WordPress

I will also show you how to choose a good web name (domain) and how to choose a place to keep it (web hosting). It's not expensive, and within an hour you should be able to be up and running with your WordPress website.  

How to Write a Good Blog Article

You may wonder how to write good blog posts. It's actually not so difficult. In this video I will walk you through the process of finding some good ideas for articles or blogs and then writing a good article. Of course you want it to be entertaining and current with what is happening presently. Think you have a writer's block? I will show you how to research and curate good blog articles that will catch everyone's attention.

How to Make residual Income from Home

You may wonder, How does affiliate marketing work? Here is a video that explains how to have multiple streams of income and how to develop passive or residual income that keeps coming in once it is set up. Making money as an affiliate means you don't have to develop your own product or worry about customer service or even product returns. It's all taken done for you. It's a great way to start making money online or add to your already existing business. The best aspect is that once it is set up, residual income keeps coming in with little or no further work from you.

How to Skype on a Computer

This second in the series of how to do network marketing online covers the download and setup of Skype, a very inexpensive way to talk to anyone in the world using online technology. You may ask, "How do I setup Skype on my home computer?" It's easy, and you can use Skype on a tablet and cell phone too. You can call Skype to Skype for free or you can call any land or cell phone for a small fee, usually 2 cents per minute. There are more advanced Skype "how to" videos on the Skype website.

How to Make a Business Online

Want to know how to do an online business but don't know where to start? Then this series of videos is there for you in an entertaining and clear-cut way. This first video will introduce the series and let you know what you will need to get started with your home based business. This series is ideal for internet marketing for small businesses.  

Amazon Now Testing Delivery Drones for Online Shopping

Amazon is known for its rapid delivery. Amazon Prime (first month is free) means you will get your package in less than 3 days. Now they want to be able to deliver small packages to addresses within a radius of 10 miles from one of their numerous supply depots in a few hours from the time of the order placement. The service will be called Amazon Prime Air. While they have been testing drones (small mechanical flying machines) since 2013, according to Wikipedia, they are getting closer to using them now. It seems the US has not given Amazon permission to test them, so now Amazon has moved to British Columbia. The location is secret for several reasons. They don't want their competitors to see what they are doing, they don't want people "capturing" the drones, and they don't want any collisions with people, cars, animals. Have you ever seen a drone? Take a few minutes to watch this video. I wonder if this will ever be safe. However, Amazon points out that there is a segment of air space above buildings and below where commercial airliner traffic is. Seems to me these drones will have to be equipped with collision avoidance technology. What about those little boys that might want to take one home? Looks like a toy to me. Well, if any company can accomplish this it will be Amazon. Online shopping will never be the same again. I wonder how I will return packages that are the wrong color, size or are broken? Will we be calling the drones like we call a taxi now?

Zero to Millionaire With Online Business Ideas

Here is another success story from a MOBE (My Online Business Education) partner. Last year Darren Salkeld was living in a small Canadian town and working as a construction worker. Watch this story to see how his life changed dramatically once he started his online business.   Do you think this is just an isolated case? Not at all. You also can make this change by following the training in the MOBE program. It's chck full of online business ideas. But you have to take action. The money will not come to your home based business unless you work at it. Good luck and keep going!

Is Social Media a Waste of Time?

You may hear people say they don't "bother" with any of the social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin or Pinterest. They will tell you that these are just for people posting cute pictures of their kids or funny cats. Social media platforms are not serious places for advertising or even posting informational articles or blogs.

 Let's look at some recent statistics to see if this opinion is true. First, here are some figures on the number of users from year 2010 as projected into year 2018 in billions.  
 To read more, click here.

 OK. You can see that there are lots online users of social media, but are they buying? Can we find useful, informative, educational material using social media? Here is one of the online marketing gurus, Jay Baer, has to say about this.
 

As Jay says, "Content is fire. Social media is gasoline." It's a different approach to help customers, not just preach to them. Companies have to get faster, smarter and more social through their advertisements. The people are there on the home screens. It's now up to the companies to tap into that gold mine of ready customers.

 Let's now look at online sales to access whether these people are ready to buy. Here's the information from Metrics.com, a good website to view with lots of very pertinent articles about internet marketing. Online spending in Australia is projected to increase by about $10 billion in the next 5 years. Online shoppers in Africa are 30% of the population due to the spread of mobile phones and faster internet connections. South Africa now has a rate of 51% of internet users who shop online.

 In the US the total for 2014 was $248.7 billion for online sales with a 10% increase forecast for the next 5 years , according to Forrester Research. In Western Europe, 2014 saw online sales totaling 14 billion Euros ($155.7) with a growth projection of 11% annually. Asia with China becoming a world financial power spent $525.2 billion in 2014, more than the US (almost double), according to emarketer.com

Not too many years ago most people shopped in their local stores complete with parking and weather problems, long lines, and wobbly shopping carts. Even when online shopping was available, people felt uncomfortable using their credit cards and giving their personal information to cyber-shops. That has all changed.  Read more here.

One of the areas that has lagged behind is big ticket sales. Most of the online sales are smaller items that can easily and quickly be delivered. However, there is a great sales potential possible (and a very lucrative one) if companies can figure out the logistics of delivery and possible returns. Now that people are more comfortable with shopping online, here is another area to pursue. I personally go to a store, find out what I want (size and model number), then go home and shop online with my shopping network, Dubli.com that will give me cash back savings. I guess you would call me a hybrid online shopper.

The Advantages of Sharing Inspirational Stories from Videos and Articles

Welcome to MyInspiredMedia - Sharing Inspirational Articles and Videos

If you share other people's videos and articles, is that stealing? Certainly not if you are giving them credit. This type of sharing of inspirational stories has been going on since the printing press was invented (maybe even earlier), but we just called it quotations or references. Who can write a research paper without those?

When it comes to videos, the originator of the video actually receives a higher ranking every time someone shares his/her video. In this video, Randy from My Inspired Media and Home Business Labs describes all the advantages to sharing content.

Do you know of inspirational stories that you would like to share?

What video would you like me to share, especially from MyInspiredMedia? Let me know by commenting below. Stay tuned for the next in this series to help you find a profitable online business.

The Danger of Kids Shopping Online Using Credit Cards

It's enough to worry about hackers stealing credit card numbers, although most sites have strong protection in place to prevent that now. However, the thieves might be living in your own house. Games in particular encourage kids to play more and thus order more. Think your kids are too young to figure out how to purchase online? Think again.

According to Quentin Fottrell writing for MarketWatch.com, some companies are now setting up sales so that every credit card user must enter the password for the card before the purchase is final. Hopefully this will curtail the thousands of dollars of "youth-purchased" goods that the companies will not refund.

Similar cases and research into children’s online gaming habits indicate that minors are spending more time (and money) on mobile devices. Last year, Apple Inc. AAPL, -0.11%   agreed to refund customers a minimum of $32.5 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission complaint that the company billed for millions of dollars of charges incurred by kids’ mobile apps without parental consent.

To read more click here.

It is certainly true that the children don't have a clue how much they are spending. It seems to me that there should be a limit put on purchases made at one time, if not by the online company at least by the credit card company.

How do these children get access to the credit cards? While everyone is careful with ID and car keys when they are out of the house, leaving a purse or jacket around the house is a common phenomena. Mom and Dad are sleeping in - you get the idea. Kids have watched their parents shop with cards. It's tempting to try to shop online - like another game.

So now you have been warned. We like you to shop online, but just remember to keep close watch on those cards. Likewise, it's time to teach children what adult things they can and can't use. Why not make it onto a game, like Disney's "The Great Piggy Bank Adventure" which teaches children about finances? Here is an iTunes downloadable version.

Making Residual Income in Your Online Business

Recently in Vancouver where I live one of the organizers of a MeetUp group, Matt Astifan, advertised a guest speaker who would talk about creating residual income by producing your own digital product. The room was packed and half of the people present were new to this group. Over 100 people showed up on a week night. So what is residual income and why is it so popular these days?

Residual or passive income means income that you are not directly producing. However, it still comes to you - sort of like free money. You put in the work initially and then on automatic pilot it produces continual income. Now you see why everyone wants it. It might require some continual effort or none at all. Here are some examples:

1. The insurance agent who gets a commission every time a customer renews a policy.

2. The person who creates an e-book or series of videos and sells them online, especially for a course that has been set up and also sold. This is a popular type of online marketing today.

3. The photographer who sells through a stock company and gets paid a royalty whenever someone buys one.

4. A network marketer who receives a commission every time one of the customers re-orders products.

5. A business owner who hires a manager who then runs the business or a building owner whose tenants pay rent.

As Scott Allen describes in his article, "Passive Income: How to Earn More and Work Less", passive or residual income is different than recurring income.

Note that this is different from merely recurring income. Recurring income may still require your involvement to earn the income, e.g., a coach or consultant on a monthly retainer, or a caterer who delivers lunch every Monday to the local school board. While this "active recurring income" offers welcome stability, it also tends to tie you down, and you still have limits on your earning capacity based on your own personal production capacity.
To read more, click here.

It is often tied closely to leveraged income, such as the person who invents a product and then takes on affiliates to sell it for a commission or the franchised business like McDonald's or Starbucks (big profits here).

So back to you and I. Is it feasible to set up residual income for the common person online or off? Definitely it is, and many people are making a killing online doing just that. While the market is getting rather saturated with "how to" courses and e-books, there is still lots of room to make video series and also to hold seminars that are then recorded and sold as video courses or bonuses for other courses. It's predictable that soon other people will come along with yet more ways to make residual money.

Dubli Network has come up with a novel way to gain residual income. The business associate who brings in an entire new business company is paid commissions not only on the initial entrance fee but all the purchases of the customers signed up by that company. The business associate or BA can do this with very little investment of funds and an easy training. Want to know more? Send an e-mail message to me at: membership@webbasedopportunities.com or go to this page: http://webbasedopportunities.com/business-side-dubli-network/