Ask yourself this...

Is there any reason why YOU somehow haven't managed to access the Mind Map site, download Mind Manager and use this to summarise whichever Business or Economics topic you are revising?

Is there any reason why YOU are not working through the syllabus (which you have downloaded from the exam board website) and getting way ahead with the topics? As you know, doing this 'pre-revision' means classes merely reinforce what you already know rather than you just sitting like a lame duck waiting to be spoon-fed.

Is there any reason why YOU are not doing a D-A-I-L-Y B-L-O-G? (Not knowing what to blog about is no excuse)

Is there any reason why YOU are not regularly posting on other blogs, accessing the sites where ALL the notes exist (both AS and A2)?

Is there any reason why YOU are not making the most of your education and the motivation you receive?

Is there any reason why YOU have chosen not to follow up ideas that teach you something and give you the opportunity to make money?

Is there any reason why YOU are not regularly challenging yourself and trying to answer difficult questions?

Is there any reason why YOU are not taking advantage of small classes and by reading ahead, submitting work on a regular basis for marking, thus removing any weaknesses you may have owing to poor exam technique and/or poor English?

Is there any reason why YOU are not enrolling on free online thinking courses or (cheap) courses in Philosophy?

You may not know know the answer to the above but if you do then you also know why you're not going to this university or this one - ever.

Maybe you should just enrol on these and be done with it...(and if female, follow this plan)

The Pillar Article

Pillar articles on the surface appear to be standard blog articles, but for some special
reasons they become the main drivers of traffic to your blog.

They form the foundations - the pillars - of your blog.

SPECIAL OUTCOMES

There is no one particular reason that an article becomes a Pillar, rather it's the RESULTS you get from the article that qualify it as a Pillar.

A Pillar article will perform the following key functions for your blog -

1. Bring in a flood of traffic when first released.

This is often the result people linking to or trackbacking your article and generating a little bit of "buzz" around the blogosphere (other blogs).

2. Provide a definition of a key term, an answer to a commonly asked question, or a brief how-to tutorial.

The article's value is not time dependent, you can refer to it in future blog posts, other bloggers will link to it and refer people to it over and over again.

A Pillar provides timeless information, not news or personal blogging - it's relevant to a wide audience for a long period of time.

3. The traffic keeps coming long after the article is archived deep within your blog.

Often because of reason one above (lots of incoming links to the article) a Pillar article
will rank well in search engines and consequently show up on the first page of searches, directing brand new readers to your blog long after you first published the article.

4. Provides a reason to bookmark and/or subscribe to your blog (and RSS feed).

When a first time reader comes to your blog and they see all the fantastic content they are much more likely to bookmark your site for further reading later. They will start monitoring your blog regularly, transforming from casual random surfer into loyal reader because they can see the quality of your previous work.

SPIKE ARTICLES

Don't get confused between a Pillar and a "Spike".

A Spike article is all about a quick rush of traffic that often disappears within a day or two and has very little long lasting impact. Pillars are timeless, Spikes are temporary.

One of the tricks is knowing how to convert a Spike into a Pillar.

Without Pillar articles most other traffic building techniques fail. If you don't have
Pillars in place most traffic techniques you implement will be Spikes, maybe generating a rush of traffic for brief bursts but very quickly dropping back to where you were previously.

You won't convert first time visitors into regular readers, which is a critical outcome for the long term success of your blog.

FOLLOW A BLOG TRAFFIC METHODOLOGY

A well constructed blog, one that follows a traffic building methodology, will retain an
audience long after the blogger stops writing.

This has many positive outcomes, including -

A) You can stop blogging for a week or two without worrying about losing your audience. This means less stress and a more solid blog foundation.

B) The resale value of your blog will be higher because it's value and popularity are based on the EXISTING content, not the potential future content that evaporates when the blogger stops blogging after the sale. It's more about the blog and less about the personality behind the blog.

(Although personality is still very important - more on this in future email newsletters.)

If you liked this introduction to the concept of Pillar Articles and want to know exactly how you can create Pillars for your blog, continue now by reading this article -

How To Write Great Blog Content - The Pillar Article
http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/845/pillar-article/

Homwork for Pre-IB

By now you should have:

a. Read through the details sent to you before the Business course started. Also visited all the various websites listed.

2. Read through the 2 x 30 day businesses ideas, the Business Studies e-book, the ideas e-book and the Lifestyle book. (If anyomne hasn't got them then ask Stella)

3. Read through the notes given out especially the business plan.

4. Analysed the accounts

5. Written a daily - or twice daily - blog detailing your progress

6. Read at least one, maybe 3-4 of the books given out - and reviewed them in your blog

7. Listened to some of the audio CDs and learned how millionaires made their money

8. Read the posts on this site which detail how people younger than you are making millions....

9. Followed through the numerous ideas I have posted you

10. Developed the business plan for the Stationery Suppliers and also for the IB Resources

At the beginning I asked how many wanted to earn £000s a week. You all expressed surprise that this could be done. I replied that only rarely do people put in the initial effort...how many of you have done EVERYTHING as outlined above?

Ex-student

Nice to see an ex-pupil of mine making some money....

From Wikipedia...

Dallaglio was born in Shepherd's Bush, London. He was educated at King's House School in Richmond and at Ampleforth College, one of the leading Catholic boarding schools in England, where he was affectionately known as "Del Boy", (though he actually attained his A-levels at The Oxford School of Learning), and at Kingston University.

In 1985, as a 13-year-old chorister in the King's House School choir, Dallaglio and 20 other choristers sang backing vocals on the song "We Don't Need Another Hero" by Tina Turner. This only became known in 2005, when the Musicians' Union, having realised that the choristers had not been paid royalties on the record, attempted to track them down. As part of the same choir, Dallaglio sang at the wedding of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber ^[2].

Because Dallaglio's father, Vincenzo, is Italian, and his mother, Eileen, was half Irish, ^[3], he was eligible to play for both Italy and Ireland, as well as England, and in the early 1990s he turned down an invitation to play for Ireland. ^[4]

His sister Francesca, a 19-year-old student ballerina, died in the Marchioness disaster in 1989.