PW: You run a unique site called the World Wide Information Outlet. Can you tell our readers what this site is all about?
AS: I sure can Joshua. World Wide Information Outlet, WWIO for short, provides free content for web site owners, newsletter editors and just about anyone else who want's to use it. We have topics like business, the net, travel, pets, health and technology. We have a series of "Feature Columns" that cover topics like weekly business tips from a well known Internet marketer, romance from a syndicated columist and writing tips from a published author.
PW: This sounds like a "too good to be true" type of deal. What does the Information Outlet get out of it?
AS: I promise you Joshua, this is NOT too good to be true. The ONLY thing that we ask of anyone who uses our material is that they register with us and leave the article intact. By this I mean leaving the authors bio and a very small link back to WWIO in the article.
You see we have hundreds of authors from all over the world who write for WWIO for FREE. That's right, for FREE! These wonderful writers provide our quality content in a gesture of "giving something back to the Internet". Asking our visitors to follow these two small requiremnet is really not too much to ask. After all, it's just giving credit where it's due.
And giving WWIO a two line link just helps promote all of our writers a little. We try to do that whenever we can.
PW: There seems to be a lot of hesitancey on the Internet to give things away for free, because it costs too much money. However, you sure have been giving things away at your site. Has it been worth it for your company?
AS: Joshua, I can honestly say it sure has been worth it. Our company, NET Designs, is a web hosting & services company. We maintain WWIO as our way of giving something back to the Internet. It makes me feel really good when I get comments from visitors like, "You have provided an outstanding service to the Internet. Many people have Web Sites, but few with the writing quality and content your site delivers." or "Content is king (or queen), and this site gives everyone access to the royal family. Long live the king!"
Financially WWIO makes enough money to keep the site going but I've gotten several good contracts for hosting and design work from visitors and probably will continue to do so. Frankly, if WWIO never made a dime, I'd still provide the service. Giving free information away has gotten into my blood. I just have to do it now. I highly recommend it (giving away free information) to everyone online.
PW: I understand that your site has received a large amount of media coverage. I'm sure those reading this interview would love to know how you managed to get it!
AS: I think the key to the media coverage is a good press release with an attention grabbing headline and a good story to tell. That's basically the way I've gotten PC Today, Yahoo! Internet Life, Home Office Computing and most recently Income Opportunities to feature or recommend WWIO to their readers. We've been in newspapers, magazines and on radio around the world.
We also promote the site though major and minor search engines. I highly recommend SelfPromotion.com for all those do-it-yourself web promoters out there.
We use e-newsletters and e-zines extensively too. We not only advertise in them but we use them to keep our visitors updated.
Autoresponders are one of the best marketing tools online today. We use them now and have huge plans for them in the future.
PW: In closing, do you have any ideas as to what it takes to build a popular website?
AS: I know for a fact that bringing traffic to any site is what can really make or break it. With that in mind I'll let you and your readers in on a little secret. (You're the first folks to hear about this, so don't tell anyone, ok?) Within 60 days WWIO will be taking on a new look and will add several traffic generating tools to our site. Among them will be a WWW Board, a FREE Classified Ad Site (where visitors can add their free ad), a Referrer Form so visitors can recommend WWIO to their friends right from the site before they forget us, a FREE For All Links Site and a lot more. I think it's going to be fantastic and I invite everyone to take a look when we go live. We will post updates in "FREE Content" our free e-newsletter.
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