I'll discuss more about how the rise in mp3 ownership concerns online business owners and affiliate marketers like yourself. For now, let me give you some proof and examples of the boom in online audio content.
Some of these figures might shock you.
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project,
- close to 30 million American adults have downloaded music files over the Internet; and
- more than 22 million American adults own mp3 players
Besides these statistical data, you might even have heard of the word "audio books",or "podcasts". Do a search on these two keywords on Google or Yahoo and you'll come up with at least a few million sites on them.
Another proof of the high demand for audio, otherwise, why would there be such a high supply of websites catering to these audio hungry folks?
What are some of the reasons for the boom in online audio content, you might ask?
a) Firstly, the experience of downloading the audio content quickly, hassle-free and in many cases at very low cost or even free makes it attractive for any online user. Besides using the Internet to do research, the average Internet user basically looks for entertainment in the form of audio and video online.
Nowadays, dial-ups are a thing of the past. With more households connected via broadband, downloading huge audio files become a fast and easy task that takes just few seconds.
This makes audio a viable medium that can be stored online for downloading by users and customers alike, making it an enjoyable experience to be repeated again and again.
b) Secondly, with the increase in the number of mp3 owners, naturally people are looking for audio content to download.
After all, what better place to search for audio content than the Internet? Besides, people who own mp3 players are most often than not, IT savvy individuals. The boom in online audio content does not seem to abate, on the other hand, it is increasing each day.
How can you take advantage of this growing trend and even cash-in on it? The answer: Audio Blogs
Audio blogs, an innovative and creative marketing concept combining the syndication power of blogs
with the demand for audio. The result? A sure knock-out winner.
But first...what exactly are Audio Blogs and secondly, how exactly can Audio Blogs help you make more money?
Audio blogs, or audio niche blogs are just like any regular blog. It contains material or content specific to that particular niche market; for example, you can have an audio blog on dieting, parenting, gardening and so on.
However, what differentiates audio blogs from your normal blog is that audio blogs, as the name suggests, contain audio or mp3 files that readers can download. These audio files are hosted by the audio blog owner and posted as links, which will point to a particular audio recording that can be downloaded by readers and visitors.
Now let's answer the second question. How exactly can you make use of Audio Blogs to help grow and expand your online business?
One of the crtical success factor of any online business is to ensure there is enough website traffic going to a particular site. Website traffic remains the lifeblood of any online business. Without visitors to your site, there will be no subscribers, no customers and naturally no profits.
This is where Audio Blogs can help.
Since most blogs have in-built syndication power through the use of rss feeds, what this means is that the audio content can be syndicated as podcasts. Put it very simply, the audio content on the blog can be broadcast to new and alternative target markets, consisting of people who subscribe to feeds or podcasts.
These same people are your potential subscribers and customers, and people whom you might not be able to reach using traditional methods of online traffic generation such as pay-per-click, article writing, search engine optimization and so on.
In short, audio blogs allow you to generate additional traffic to your site without additional expense.
Did you know that even search engines like audio? Top search engine like Yahoo has an audio search facility called Yahoo Audio Search. With Audio Blogs, you can submit your audio blog feed to Yahoo Audio Search and list in Yahoo for free. And it's entirely legal.
New Gold And Silver
"The new fundamentals" - global financial dynamics and new cost structures - are driving the momentum that pushed oil prices to record highs around $110 a barrel, well ahead of what had been the previous inflation-adjusted record high of $103.59 set in April 1980, according to Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), an IHS company.
"Oil has become the 'new gold' - a financial asset in which investors seek refuge as inflation rises and the dollar weakens," said Daniel Yergin, chairman of CERA and executive vice president of IHS. "The credit crisis has been fueling the flight to oil and other commodities, and that will last until the dollar strengthens or the recession becomes more pronounced."
"Shortages of equipment and personnel are dramatically raising the cost of developing an oil field," said James Burkhard, managing director, Global Oil Group at CERA, citing the latest IHS/CERA Capital Cost Index, which shows a doubling of oil field costs over the last three years.
"Adding to this pressure is increasingly heavy fiscal terms on oil investments in the form of higher taxes and greater state participation in oil projects. The net result is much higher oil prices are needed to support development of new oil supplies.
"These financial and cost structure dynamics are new in the sense that they were not strong forces in determining the oil price in the 1990s and even earlier this decade," he continued. "The 'old fundamentals' - the balance between demand and supply - still matter, but it is these new factors that are the driving force behind the record high."
"Today, the falling demand for dollars is just as important as the rising demand for oil in determining the oil price," said Yergin. "However, when looking back to 1980, today's high prices also have a 'back to the future' quality. Many similar elements that have contributed to the rise in price from $70 last summer to over $100 today were also in play in 1980: high inflation, a rush by financial markets to invest in commodities - gold's all-time high was in 1980 - and tension between the United States and Iran."
Following on the Iranian Revolution that toppled the ruling Shah of Iran, April 1980 saw: a failed U.S. attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran; threats by Iran to choke off supplies from the Persian Gulf and to set the Gulf's waters ablaze with oil and a suspension of Iranian oil exports to Japan. Just a few months later, war broke out between Iran and Iraq. In financial markets, April 1980 saw surging inflation and gold prices that were triple the level of just two years earlier.
"Today's dynamics in the marketplace reveal oil's increasingly cosmopolitan nature," said Burkhard. "The price of oil reflects not just levels of demand and supply, but broader macroeconomic and geopolitical changes such as the growing influence of Asia, the Middle East, Russia and the Caspian countries at a time of economic downturn in the United States.
"Further weakening of the dollar, compounded by higher industry costs, could push the price of oil to new records, similar to the $120-plus level we identified in CERA's Breakpoint Scenario in 2006," said Burkhard.
"But the biggest offset in the other direction would be the spreading of the economic downturn beyond the United States, which would both weaken demand and strengthen the dollar against other currencies, reversing the upward surge in oil prices.
"There are different indexes and methods that can be used to adjust prices to inflation," Burkhard explained. "These methods can result in prices that are lower or higher than our $103.59 per barrel calculation.
However, we believe that using an annual average inflation rate - with 2008 estimates based on recent trends in the U.S. Consumer Price Index - provides the best basis for comparison between 1980 and 2008."
CERA's calculation of $103.59 is based on the April 1980 nominal average posted price of $39.50 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate. This is a monthly average price since, at the time, there was no crude oil futures market to provide a daily price.
Crude oil futures trading did not begin until 1983. Last November, CERA had used $99.04 as the 1980 "highpoint," but the surge of inflation since means that the $99.04 needs to be inflation-adjusted up to $103.59.
Both Brandon Hong & Daniel Yergin are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Brandon Hong has sinced written about articles on various topics from How to Podcast, Marriage and Yeast Infection. Brandon Hong has helped thousands of business ownersto make more money, grow their subscribers, and expand their business through the use of blogs, rss and podcast. For more information, visit Audio Niche Blogs . Brandon Hong's top article generates over 22200 views. Bookmark Brandon Hong to your Favourites.
Daniel Yergin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Environment, Global Warming and Science. Daniel Yergin, chairman of CERA, received the Pulitzer Prize for "The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power" and the United States Energy Award for lifelong achievements in energy and the promotion of international understanding. Vist. Daniel Yergin's top article generates over 40500 views. Bookmark Daniel Yergin to your Favourites.
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