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This is a question that gets asked a lot, and with good reason. With so many hosting services to choose from, it is hard to know who to go with. Each one promises the moon and one is cheaper than the other. This is where you have to be very careful. Hopefully, this article will give you some basic things to look for and be careful of. The wrong choice can cost you more than just money.

The first thing you want to look for in a web hosting service is reputation. That's not to say that a new company can't give you a great service, but there is always a risk in going with a company that is brand new. So do a little research into the company you're thinking of going with and see if there have been many complaints logged against them. See what other people have to say on blogs and websites. Naturally you have to take what people say with a grain of salt, but if almost everybody speaks highly of a web hosting company, then there is a very good chance that the company is reputable and will provide a good service.

The next thing you want to do is look for certain features. Most web hosting companies will provide you with many options so you can always upgrade at a later date if you find you need more than your current package gives you. Some of the features you want to look for are decent monthly bandwidth, disk storage, script and database support, such as PHP and MySQL, and uptime guarantees.

The thing you want to be careful about are hosting companies that make promises that are unreasonable. Many companies promise unlimited monthly bandwidth and unlimited disk storage. Think about this logically. How can you have unlimited disk storage? Hard disk drives do have a finite storage capacity. So any company that makes claims like these is probably one that is just after your money. It is not unusual however to get disk storage of 10 gig or more. Just look for a finite size. Same thing with bandwidth. No company will give you unlimited bandwidth for a set price. If you exceed a certain limit, they WILL charge you.

Finally, there is price. In this case you do get what you pay for, though basic hosting packages with decent bandwidth and storage can be as low as $5 a month. However, if you want a really top notch package with all the bells and whistles and enough disk space to choke the state of Alaska, then you will have to pay significantly more. Just sit down, think about what your budget is, and then take it from there.

Choosing a web host is very important. The decision that you make can affect you for the rest of your life on the Internet, especially if you lock yourself into something that is going to be very hard to get out of.

Steven Wagenheim has been an Internet marketer for 4 years and now earns a monthly income that exceeds 5 figures. If you want to learn how he did it and what you need to do in order to earn a living on the Internet, you can get a free report at http://www.mysecretarticles.com/report.html

The ECDL Foundation is the global governing body of the world's leading end-user computer skills certification programme, the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), which is known as the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) outside Europe. The ICDL syllabus is designed to cover the key concept of computing, its practical applications and their use in the workplace and society in general. For those new to computers, ICDL will provide you with a solid foundation of computer skills helping you to competently and confidently use computers.

The ICDL is the internationally accepted benchmark. The International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) concept is a global computer literacy initiative developed to raise the level of knowledge about Information Technology (IT) and increase the level of competence in using personal computers and common computer applications for all the citizens of the world. International Computer Driving License (ICDL) is a certification, which certifies that the holder has knowledge of the essential concepts of Information Technology (IT) and is able to use a personal computer and common computer applications at a recognized level of competence. The syllabus is designed by a panel of experts which is managed and co-ordinated in conjunction with the ECDL Foundation. It is broken down into seven modules, a test for each must be passed before the ICDL certificate is awarded. It provides everything a student needs to gain full understanding and practical knowledge of the subjects covered by the syllabus, and then to pass the ICDL test.

The organisations supporting ICDL represent a broad cross section of industry and academia. In addition many ICDL courses are specifically approved for local use in your country and have been localised to make them even more relevant to your students. Many colleges, schools, and training companies offer courses designed to prepare an individual for the ICDL tests. Please contact your local Accredited Test Centre for more information on ICDL courses in your area.

Peter Whelan is a freelance writer and an ICT consultant. Visit his site at http://www.icdl-direct.com

Affiliate Marketing - it sounded like the answer to my problems! By definition, as quoted from Wikipedia - "Affiliate Marketing is a web-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts."

My problem was no money and no product of my own that I could sell. When I came across the term "Affiliate Marketing" it sounded too good to be true! Basically, I would advertise a merchant's goods and, if a sale occurred, they would pay me a percentage of the sale.

As a beginner, I thought I could do this. My strategy was to set up a Web page, write a really terrific page to advertise the product and provide a link to the merchant's page. The theory was that people would read my page, be enthused, and then would happily "click" on the link to the merchant's page and purchase the product. Once that occurred, I would have an income and Eureka - Marketing on the Internet as an Affiliate would solve my financial problems!

The theory was correct. The problem was that people did not visit my Web page. No visitors equals no clicks on the merchant's link, equals no sales equals no money for me. Needless to say, it was disheartening. Lots of time and effort invested with no results and the proverbial wolf at the door creeping ever closer.

So the big question became - how do I attract people to my Web site, get them to "click" on the link to the merchant's page and have them actually purchase the advertised product?

Obviously, I was lacking information. Other people were becoming wealthy as Affiliate Marketers while I was still a pauper. My conclusion - I had fumbled around enough on my own; I needed to "Take a Course"!

I scoured the Internet, looking for a course that was within my measly budget and had concrete, factual, informative guidelines on how to actually market as an Affiliate.

I eventually did find a course. It was an eye-opener.

The most important lesson I learned was that knowledge about Keywords is imperative. Keywords are the "key" (no pun intended) to having your Web page included when a "search" for a topic is done. Knowing what people are searching for on the Internet and how they are entering their search criteria gives you the clues as to the vocabulary that must be present on your Web page, in your anchor text, in your titles, and the list goes on. With the right vocabulary, the search engines will find your page and "serve it up" to the seeker.

To answer the question, "Can a beginner Make Money with Affiliate Marketing" - the answer is YES provided that you have taken the time to learn how to get visitors to your Web page and to get them to "click" on the merchant's link. There is a learning curve but it can be profitable.

For further information on a great course that not only covers Affiliate Marketing but also provides great information on the actual, nitty-gritty of Internet Marketing visit http://internet-marketing-for-beginners.info. At this site, you'll also learn about some deadly scam products to stay away from.

Karla Rabien is a self-employed business owner and a fledgling Internet Marketer.