Ever considered buying one of those money-making products that claim you can earn hundreds per day online, with only a few hours work? So did I, and after reading one long sales letter after another, I finally broke down and purchased a few. Here's what I learned about making money online and what it really costs to get those fantastic profits you hear so much about.

Getting Started... First, Choose Your Product

I bought a popular package and paid $49.95, which is about average. For my money, I got a lot of sound ideas for generating Internet cash; almost too many. Do yourself a favor and take notes as you wade through the detailed techniques in these products. It'll help you set priorities for the tasks you'll need to perform.

When in Doubt, Start at the Beginning

Like many others, this product author offers a free website to jump-start your business. As with any website, you also need a hosting plan. The author recommends a hosting company that charges $4.95 per month. This is actually a great price, since it includes lots of high-quality features and a free domain name (i.e. www.your-own-domain-name.com.)

Your costs so far:

-- Product: $49.95, including free website
-- Domain name of your choice: $0.00
-- Hosting cost: $4.95 / month for hosting, paid 1 year in advance. Cost: $59.40
-- Total expenditure: $109.35

Ok, But How Do You Earn Income?

Let's assume you now have the complimentary website from the author under your chosen domain name. So, how does that make you money?

What you've actually got is a website with reviews for various money-making products, including the author's. You earn commissions when your visitors buy those products after reading your reviews. You don't sell anything directly; instead, you are an affiliate of the authors whose product reviews appear on your web pages. What does being an affiliate cost? Nothing... it's free! And, you stand to make substantial income if you can entice your visitors to buy the products you review.

For example, some packages cost $100 and you could receive up to 75% commission for sending a buyer to an author's web page, as long as they complete a purchase. Product prices and commissions vary, but the average charge for an information product is about $50 and the average commission paid is around 50%, so being an affiliate can be very lucrative!

Getting Visitors Fast

At this point, you've got the potential to make good, maybe even great money. But there's just one catch... nobody on the Internet knows about your website! You have no visitors and no buyers.

What can you do to get eyes on your site in a hurry? What else, spend some money! How much depends upon what you can afford up front and how well you understand pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

What is pay-per-click advertising? Run a search on www.Google.com and take a look at the results page. On the right side of the screen you'll see a section called "Sponsored Links". These are the PPC ads, called Google Adwords, that people like yourself can purchase. Your ads appear when someone searches Google for the keywords you specified during ad setup.

Let The Bidding Begin

Here's how it works: You bid for position in the sponsored ads, but you pay nothing until someone clicks on your ad. For each click, you pay the amount you bid for your location in the ad results. Depending upon the keywords you pick, bids can range from $0.05 to many dollars.

But, it really doesn't matter how much you pay per click as long as you get a fair amount of sales from those clicks. Remember, you can earn an average of $25 and even $75 or more per sale if your customers buy through your affiliate program.

Pay-Per-Click Economics 101

Let's assume a cost of $0.25 per click and an average profit from each affiliate sale of $25. You must sell (or "convert") 10 products per 1000 clicks just to break-even. So, your "conversion rate" or the number of sales you make vs. the number of total clicks on your ad is 1%.

1% sounds like a low number, but it's actually considered a decent conversion rate on the Internet. But, you're just breaking-even. To start making money, you must lower your cost-per-click or raise your conversion rate. How? By selecting the right keywords for your ads and tweaking your website so it induces your visitors to buy, not just browse.

The Adwords Path to Profits

Ideally, you want your ad to appear in targeted search results, when the searcher is ready to buy. There's a whole science (and maybe some voodoo) behind picking the best keywords for your ads, writing a compelling ad and getting your prospective customers to make a purchase from your website. But, there are also lots of informative products out there to help you. Products which you can buy and then sell as an affiliate!

Ok, let's recap your business costs up to now... you've spent $109.35 on a money-making product plus web hosting. Add $250 per week for Google ad clicks (1000 clicks / week at $0.25 each = $250 / week.) So at the end of month one, you have a total outlay of $1109.35, with $1000 repeating each month for ad costs.

Now, let's look at your profit figures... at the original conversion rate of 1%, you break even each month after the first. Not so good, but... what if you enhanced your Google ad and picked some cheaper, targeted keywords for your ad raising your conversion rate to 1.5%?

Count Your Profits, But Keep Your Job

Good news! 1.5% of those 1000 clicks per week is 15 sales. At $25 commission per sale, you rake-in $375 per week. Subtracting $250 in Google ad costs, you just made $125 profit per week! Not enough to quit your job, but that's $500 a month you didn't have before. The best part is, this process repeats itself without any more effort on your part.

Make a Living from Your Website(s)

Now, let's improve your bottom-line. Imagine you have 20 affiliate websites selling various products that generate $125 profit per week through affiliate sales. That's an amazing $2500 per week or $130,000 per year! Makes you want to quit your job and devote even more time to creating websites, doesn't it?

Is this simple? Not when you first start out. In fact, if you aren't careful about your keyword choices and your ad and website content, you could be pouring that $250 in ad costs right down the Google drain!

Worth It or Worthless?

Yes, money-making products that promise Internet profits can actually work. Just be sure to follow instructions and take careful notes. It's also smart to learn as much as you can about keyword selection, ad writing and website design. Oh, and don't forget to take some time to enjoy your success!

Tom Thomas is an Internet marketer who reviews the best money-making products, domain name registrars, website hosting companies and online marketing tools. See his reviews at http://BestMoneyMakersGuide.com.

The Shih Tzus coat for the show rings requires extra care. Some show people actually keep their Shih Tzu confined and caged to preserve the coat, or they wrap the coat or oil it. Those who do keep their show Shih Tzu confined and caged pay a price in loss of muscle tone in their dogs. Not all show people practice these methods for preserving their Shih Tzus long show dog coats. It is also a myth that all show people do not allow their show Shih Tzu to go for long walks, to play and just in general to lead a normal life. For those who do allow their show Shih Tzu do lead a normal life keeping the coat glamorous requires a lot of extra effort, and much more grooming than for the pet Shih Tzu.

Coconut oil is considered helpful as a means of preserving the coat of a show dog Shih Tzu. If you do oil the show dog Shih Tzu coat you must remove the oil completely before each show. If you do not remove all the oil the coat appear limp and feel wrong. It can also be uncomfortable to be around a Shih Tzu that has been oiled. There are good oils on the market, however, that do not have this effect on the coat and it may be worth trying them if the Shih Tzus coat seems to need it. Wrapping the coat in tissue paper protects the Shih Tzus coat, but you lose some of the pleasure of seeing your dog in full coat with his hair flowing as he moves. I do think this is a beautiful, beautiful sight of the show dog Shih Tzu. The tissue wrapping sort of reminds me of the days when women ran around the house for house with their hair in curlers.

Probably the best thing to do if you are just starting out taking care of your Shih Tzu show dogs coat is to experiment with different methods of preserving the coat until you find what works best for your dog. Much the same type of procedures a pet owner must go through, although a lot more intense and time consuming as the Shih Tzu show do requires so much more in the way of grooming.

One thing is for certain if you start out with bad hair it is virtually impossible to make it good enough for the show ring. When purchasing your show potential Shih Tzu it is wise to study the lines to find out which have good hair in their genes. This way you can just continue to keep it looking good.

The topknot and whiskers also need very special attention on the show dog Shih Tzu. The white whiskers on a parti-coloured Shih Tzu must be really, really white to look good. It seems this is especially true for the black and white Shih Tzu.

Some older methods of keeping the whiskers white was to wash them at least once a day with a solution of boracic powder, a teaspoon to a pint of water. This mixture is wiped into the whiskers, being careful to get none in the eyes and then rinsed away. One of the keys to keeping whiskers white is above all to dry them immediately and keep them dry. An older method of drying them was to work in some fullers earth or talcum powder, brushing this out and repeating until the hair was absolutely dry. If you allow the Shih Tzu to dry his own whiskers he will rub and rub until dry doing nothing but harm to the length of the coat. Another problem you run into with all this washing is that the hair becomes dry and brittle. You will need to dress the whiskers with a little coat conditioner from time to time.

A method of preserving the hair of the topknot is to use several bands along the length of the hair to hold it to the back of the head. You can also plait the hair to achieve the same purpose. Use neither of these methods just before a show as both methods will cause kinks in the coat of which you do not want.

It is always wise to review the rules of the American Kennel Club about the use of oils and conditioners on the coat of a show dog. Any substance used to alter the natural color, texture or body of the coat is usually prohibited.

Connie Limon. I raise Shih Tzu Puppies for Sale. Visit us at http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com and sign up for our newsletters. We have the Shih Tzu in a variety of colors, the small AKC standards, imperials and teacups at reasonable prices.

Ever considered buying one of those money-making products that claim you can earn hundreds per day online, with only a few hours work? So did I, and after reading one long sales letter after another, I finally broke down and purchased a few. Here's what I learned about making money online and what it really costs to get those fantastic profits you hear so much about.

Getting Started... First, Choose Your Product

I bought a popular package and paid $49.95, which is about average. For my money, I got a lot of sound ideas for generating Internet cash; almost too many. Do yourself a favor and take notes as you wade through the detailed techniques in these products. It'll help you set priorities for the tasks you'll need to perform.

When in Doubt, Start at the Beginning

Like many others, this product author offers a free website to jump-start your business. As with any website, you also need a hosting plan. The author recommends a hosting company that charges $4.95 per month. This is actually a great price, since it includes lots of high-quality features and a free domain name (i.e. www.your-own-domain-name.com.)

Your costs so far:

-- Product: $49.95, including free website
-- Domain name of your choice: $0.00
-- Hosting cost: $4.95 / month for hosting, paid 1 year in advance. Cost: $59.40
-- Total expenditure: $109.35

Ok, But How Do You Earn Income?

Let's assume you now have the complimentary website from the author under your chosen domain name. So, how does that make you money?

What you've actually got is a website with reviews for various money-making products, including the author's. You earn commissions when your visitors buy those products after reading your reviews. You don't sell anything directly; instead, you are an affiliate of the authors whose product reviews appear on your web pages. What does being an affiliate cost? Nothing... it's free! And, you stand to make substantial income if you can entice your visitors to buy the products you review.

For example, some packages cost $100 and you could receive up to 75% commission for sending a buyer to an author's web page, as long as they complete a purchase. Product prices and commissions vary, but the average charge for an information product is about $50 and the average commission paid is around 50%, so being an affiliate can be very lucrative!

Getting Visitors Fast

At this point, you've got the potential to make good, maybe even great money. But there's just one catch... nobody on the Internet knows about your website! You have no visitors and no buyers.

What can you do to get eyes on your site in a hurry? What else, spend some money! How much depends upon what you can afford up front and how well you understand pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

What is pay-per-click advertising? Run a search on www.Google.com and take a look at the results page. On the right side of the screen you'll see a section called "Sponsored Links". These are the PPC ads, called Google Adwords, that people like yourself can purchase. Your ads appear when someone searches Google for the keywords you specified during ad setup.

Let The Bidding Begin

Here's how it works: You bid for position in the sponsored ads, but you pay nothing until someone clicks on your ad. For each click, you pay the amount you bid for your location in the ad results. Depending upon the keywords you pick, bids can range from $0.05 to many dollars.

But, it really doesn't matter how much you pay per click as long as you get a fair amount of sales from those clicks. Remember, you can earn an average of $25 and even $75 or more per sale if your customers buy through your affiliate program.

Pay-Per-Click Economics 101

Let's assume a cost of $0.25 per click and an average profit from each affiliate sale of $25. You must sell (or "convert") 10 products per 1000 clicks just to break-even. So, your "conversion rate" or the number of sales you make vs. the number of total clicks on your ad is 1%.

1% sounds like a low number, but it's actually considered a decent conversion rate on the Internet. But, you're just breaking-even. To start making money, you must lower your cost-per-click or raise your conversion rate. How? By selecting the right keywords for your ads and tweaking your website so it induces your visitors to buy, not just browse.

The Adwords Path to Profits

Ideally, you want your ad to appear in targeted search results, when the searcher is ready to buy. There's a whole science (and maybe some voodoo) behind picking the best keywords for your ads, writing a compelling ad and getting your prospective customers to make a purchase from your website. But, there are also lots of informative products out there to help you. Products which you can buy and then sell as an affiliate!

Ok, let's recap your business costs up to now... you've spent $109.35 on a money-making product plus web hosting. Add $250 per week for Google ad clicks (1000 clicks / week at $0.25 each = $250 / week.) So at the end of month one, you have a total outlay of $1109.35, with $1000 repeating each month for ad costs.

Now, let's look at your profit figures... at the original conversion rate of 1%, you break even each month after the first. Not so good, but... what if you enhanced your Google ad and picked some cheaper, targeted keywords for your ad raising your conversion rate to 1.5%?

Count Your Profits, But Keep Your Job

Good news! 1.5% of those 1000 clicks per week is 15 sales. At $25 commission per sale, you rake-in $375 per week. Subtracting $250 in Google ad costs, you just made $125 profit per week! Not enough to quit your job, but that's $500 a month you didn't have before. The best part is, this process repeats itself without any more effort on your part.

Make a Living from Your Website(s)

Now, let's improve your bottom-line. Imagine you have 20 affiliate websites selling various products that generate $125 profit per week through affiliate sales. That's an amazing $2500 per week or $130,000 per year! Makes you want to quit your job and devote even more time to creating websites, doesn't it?

Is this simple? Not when you first start out. In fact, if you aren't careful about your keyword choices and your ad and website content, you could be pouring that $250 in ad costs right down the Google drain!

Worth It or Worthless?

Yes, money-making products that promise Internet profits can actually work. Just be sure to follow instructions and take careful notes. It's also smart to learn as much as you can about keyword selection, ad writing and website design. Oh, and don't forget to take some time to enjoy your success!

Tom Thomas is an Internet marketer who reviews the best money-making products, domain name registrars, website hosting companies and online marketing tools. See his reviews at http://BestMoneyMakersGuide.com.

A healthy dog is easy to recognize - lively eyes, energetic, and with a shiny, bright coat. As a dog owner, you should understand the importance of how to get your dog healthy and how to keep him in that condition.

Let's begin with the most basic ingredient - food. All animals need water and food to exist. From a human perspective, we realize balanced food intake is the only way to get a quality diet and to stay on top of our game. Dogs too require the same consideration or they face malnutrition. To ensure our much-loved pooches get proper nutrition, they need a diet rich in minerals, vitamins and doggy nutrients. This is very simple for us to do since the majority of today's brand-name dog food is complete. A dog food's price does make a difference, as the cheaper brands tend to be less nutritious and contain too much cornmeal.

Just like us humans, dogs can overeat and become overweight. In the wild, this problem never happens since an out-of-shape animal can't fend for itself and doesn't stick around very long. The only time an obese animal is found is when it's domesticated. Although some kind-hearted pet owners think they're making their pet happy if little Tito is eating lots and lots, these owners are actually shortening their pet's lives and putting them at risk for respiratory problems, arthritic pain, diabetes and heart disease. These obese pets also are more likely to pass away if they need to be put under anesthesia for surgery. (Unfortunately, this is also true for obese people.) Thus, feeding your dog the correct food in the correct amount is ultimately the most important way to show how much you care for your pet.

The condition of a dog's fur, skin and stools need to be addressed. Dogs can get ill from tics and fleas. Flea collars aren't always good at keeping away these pests. Instead, use a good powder or spray. Make sure to use these correctly according to the instructions. If a flea problem does arise, it's vital that you attend to it right away. First, clean the spots that the dog regularly lies around. Every time that you vacuum these areas, immediately empty the vacuum bags. Also, wash the dog's bed every time he lies in it. These steps will prevent further outbreaks from the fleas and their eggs nested in your home's carpet and fabrics.

Ticks like to jump aboard your dog while you walk him in the country. After every walk in the woods, check your dog's coat. Also, inspect your dog's stool for visible signs of worms like roundworm, whipworm, tapeworm and hookworm that attack a dog's intestinal tract. It's still important to stick to a worming schedule since not all worms can be seen by the naked eye.

These practices are easy ways to make sure your dog is healthy. You can also do other measures to increase your pet's health such as regularly visiting your veterinarian and giving your pet vaccinations on schedule. In this caring manner, you're helping your dog live a long, healthy and comfortable life.

Copyright 2006 Sally Ricco. All rights reserved. Sally Ricco's site Pet Dog Health - an informative site about common and serious dog health problems. More details at http://www.petdoghealth.com/