About Edina Hodos Expertise Are you thinking about profiting from the vast space of the internet with a new website or blog? Did you know that Effective Writing for the Web is one of the most powerful marketing tools?
I am a professional research writer with several online publications. I can show you how to write effective content that is both reader friendly and ranks high with search robots. No matter what your product or service, good content is the key to making a profit with every website and blog. Topics I have specific Knowledge in, are:
>>Keyword maximization
>>Web Writing Techniques
>>Topic Selection
>>Building Article Series for specific products/services
>>Landing Pages
>>Online Promotions
My own work related research topic is any Online New Media. If your question relates to this and I do not know the answer, I will research it for you.
Kindly keep your questions public and to a maximum of 5 per post, to allow me room to effectively answer you. I do not promote any product or service through Allexperts. My aim is to build a further online portfolio for my research skills. Ratings are welcomed and appreciated.
Edina
Experience Research writer in the areas of small business and web marketing for over 3 years. Real life experience in grant writing for European Union Funding and Government policies.
Organizations LinkedIn- Online Marketing Professional Groups, Research writers groups
Education/Credentials International Business Management Degree-Toronto, Canada. Specializing in Logistics and Exports,Human Resources Certificate- Ministry of Education,Hungary.
Business Plan Writer Certificate - TDBS, Toronto
Past/Present Clients BILL AKLEH LL.B(Hon),LL.M
Specializing in Criminal Law & Major Traffic Offenses
Toronto, Canada
24hour Direct Mobile: 416-300-9885
Cornerstone Investments- Barrie, Canada (Real-Estate)
Lost-Trail Ranch - Nevada, USA (Resort and Horse Ranch),
7Hippos- Toronto, Canada (Online Auctions)
Question QUESTION: Edina,
This is a general question but of great importance to me.
I have a fantastic idea for an online business but don't know how to start or WHO TO CONTACT and safely approach them with the idea. Like when you invent something and want to develop it with the assurance that the idea will be protected. If you don't know or need me to be more specific I can but any real explanation will probably not be kept confidential. I would appreciate and suggestion
Thank you
ANSWER: Hi John
Thank you for keeping your question public. And NO, you should definitely not discuss your idea in a public forum of any kind. Since I am not sure if your fantastic idea for "online business" is a product or a service/system, lets look at how each is dealt with.
If your idea is pertaining to a new way of doing business online (ei: a service or a new system) you can trademark a specific term. Simply do a Local Google search for terms like: How to trademark a phrase in MY City, How to apply for trademarks in My city. That should lead you to the right brick and mortar office.
For me as a writer, I could trademark the term "Blogging Buddy", a service I offer. However it is costly and will not stop my competitor from using similar terms like "Blogger Buddy". The same is true for any online services. They are easily duplicated with minor adjustments to get around trademarks. It is also worth noting that Federal Express and Apple were not trademarked upon their launch, only later on. The reason? Branding a service and establishing yourself as an industry leader, gains you recognition that no competitor can copy.
For products it is a whole new ballgame. Here is a very precise summary by Alan Tratner, from Score.com
10 Steps to Protect Your Great Idea
Got a Great Idea? Follow these First Steps
By Alan Tratner, SCORE Counselor from Santa Barbara, CA
1. Put all your ideas, notes and drawings in an inventor’s journal, and have it signed, witnessed and dated. Be careful about disclosing your ideas to anyone—use a confidentiality or non-disclosure document when discussing your ideas.
2. Decide whether to file a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. For more information on the benefits and how to file, visit the USPTO Web site at http://www.uspto.gov.
3. Conduct a Preliminary Patentability. Search to discover what patents exist like your ideas—and get a patent attorney to render you a Patentabilty Opinion. There are many ways to conduct the search, including the Patent Depository Libraries on the uspto.gov Web site. File a PTO Provisional Patent Application for one year if all looks good.
4. Make a model, demo or illustration and conduct preliminary market research with end-users. Know the consumers of your product, and listen to feedback. Use feedback to fine tune your project.
5. Investigate intellectual property filings such as utility and design patents in the United Staes and overseas. Also investigate copyrights, trademarks, servicemarks and domain name registrations for Web sites. Explore U.S. and international protection options and limitations.
6. Think about the two main pathways to inventing success: entrepreneurship or licensing—how do you want to be rewarded for your great ideas? The pathway you choose will dictate a lot of your actions—and budget.
7. Do not fall prey to invention development/promotion scams, which are prevalent. Check with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for a list of these unscrupulous firms. If their promises sound too good to be true, they probably are. Get real professional help and seek the support of legitimate inventor organizations.
8. Investigate competitive products to make your product superior or better priced. Employ brainstorming techniques to evolve and accelerate the marketability of your ideas.
9. Find an inventor mentor—some one who's done this process before—to provide guidance.
10. Believe in your ideas and persevere—it takes some time and effort to do all this right. Be realistic about your goals and good luck.
I hope this was helpful. Honest reviews are welcomed and appreciated.
Edina
www.webcontent4u.wordpress.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: That was very informative, thank you. This business (of mine)is a "contest" and involves using a cell phone to enter.
With a very small one time charge. Do I need to contact the phone company? They, I'm sure will get a piece of each submission but how do I start? Is there someone or an organization that will do this for me or is it for me to figure out on my own. I don't know who to trust on the Internet and is why I'm asking as many questions as I can. I had help from someone who I thought was just as excited as I am but they didn't follow through and he was the expert that had the connections and website development knowledge I was counting on. A website which is where "contestants" would submit to from their phone. This is not a new idea but still fresh and mine is unique for it's attractive, one time charge. Many similar things that are going on are monthly fees and most people shy away from that concept for obvious reasons. (I started guessing answers over my cell phone and found out that I was being billed $19.99 a month and had to make a few calls and block those charges. Now that you know some specifics maybe you can refine your answers. I so appreciate this service you have no idea. Thank you and I may have to be even more specific and private in the future to protect this idea.
Answer Hi there
Sorry to get back to you so late. I had some sign-in problems.
I can not comment on your specific issues, because you are in the states. In Canada, the CRTC is the governmental regulatory body that controls broadcasting. I would suggest finding a simular federal agency and getting their guidelines first. In most countries contests such as your idea, fall under public broadcast laws.
When you are dealing with contests of any type, check with your local or state gamming offices...to make sure you follow the law.Uncle Sam likes to keep close taps on its citizens' pockets. Better safe than sorry.
Regarding the promotional aspects of your service, it is much too envolved to answer here, and requires a dialog. If you wish, send me a note to edinahodos@gmail.com, and we can discuss it further.
