Today I would like to publish two articles. Before we get to How To Generate Traffic To Your Website On A Shoestring Budget I would like to share an Article I wrote for the Company newsletter where we are currently employed in Maine, USA. As I wrote a few days ago my wife and I work with Autistic adults in Maine although we are from St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada originally.
This is our second 18 month contract at the end of which we have to leave because of US immigration policy. We would love to stay because we love what we do and we love the guys we work with and live with on a daily basis.
Actually our job title is that of Therapeutic Foster Parents and of course we take it very seriously. One of the main reasons we take it so seriously is that we are advocates for these young men because at times they can’t speak for themselves.
The sad part about our job here in Maine, as I mentioned, is that we have to leave the country after 18 months. The reason for this being the company who hired us and sponsored us into the US could only get us into the country by way of a Training Visa with the main condition being we have to leave after 18 months. We were here under the same circumstances in 2007 and we had to leave the guys we were caring for at that time at the end of 2008.
This of course was very difficult for the three men we were working with and living with at the time and it was also very difficult for us because we became very attached and we became a family. One of the main benefits of coming back is that we get to see the guys we worked with on our first visit and we also get to do what we enjoy which is caring for and helping these young men.
While we were here in 2007 the company approached us and asked if we could write an Article for the company newsletter describing our experiences living with the guys up to that point. We were happy to oblige and I wrote the following Article. The names have been changed and the location as well for obvious reasons. I hope you enjoy:
A Life Changing Experience in 18 Months
When my wife Toni and I left St. John’s, Newfoundland, to set up house in Fredericton, New Brunswick, not in our wildest dreams did we think it would lead to Maine, USA and life with Peter, Chuck and Bill.
Our stay in Maine has been the experience of a lifetime and an adventure we wouldn’t have missed for the world. When we first started our training on June 1st. of last year at the house with the previous house parents there were times we asked what have we gotten ourselves into and times we wondered are we going to be able to give these three men what they want and need and are they going to accept us as the couple to provide that help. But it didn’t take long to get to know them and once we did the task became so much easier.
It was intimidating at first because we didn’t know what to expect from them and we wondered if and how they were going to test us just to see how we would react. But having had the benefit of being there with them for a month with the previous couple was a big advantage because we gradually got to know each of them on a personal basis as well as some of their idiosyncrasies.
Our biggest challenge was getting used to each of their individual routines which are so important to their everyday lives. Making sure things happen when they are supposed to happen every day for each of them became the focus of our life at the house early on and it wasn’t long before we settled into their routines which then became our routines as well.
These three men are such unique and very likable individuals that it didn’t take long for us to develop relationships with each of them. All three have very different personalities but this never seems to get in the way of their ability to get along with each other which is something that still amazes us because they spend so much time together both at home and at the day program..
Once we all got to know each other we started going to as many different community events and functions as we could find because the guys really seemed to enjoy getting out and we wanted them to socialize and be part of the community as much as possible.
We went to many of the fairs and festivals in different areas of Maine from, Fryeburg to Yarmouth and many areas in between. As we all know with most of these events there is food involved and all three of our guys love to eat. But one of them in particular really loves his food and is already looking forward to his fried dough which he normally only gets during the summer at one of these festivals.
We also take them out for supper on the weekend occasionally, as a treat, to one of the local restaurants. All three of them enjoy this as well and they talk about it every day for a few days before it happens. More as a reminder for us, I guess, so we won’t forget.
Life with Peter, Chuck and Bill has been a genuine learning experience. We have learned so much not only from the different training sessions and seminars we’ve attended but from the guys themselves. They have taught us what’s really important in life, which we believe, is getting enjoyment from and appreciating the simple things.
Getting enjoyment from something as simple as eating a good meal, listening to your favorite music, or a taking drive in the country. By living with Peter, Chuck and Bill for over a year we have seen every day how much they enjoy the simple things. Things we sometimes take for granted.
Having said all of this we have had our moments with all three and I’m sure we’ll have several more before we finish in November. But the way we to look at it is we all have our moments when we’re not at our best but they just have a different way of expressing it.
This has been an amazing experience and one we will never forget and it’s because of Peter, Chuck and Bill. I think we have developed special relationships with all three men and we are not, in any way, looking forward to November 29th, our last day, because we are going to miss them very much and life with all three gentlemen.
Bob Withers
If you would like to learn more about Autism please visit Autism Today which is a page I have set up on my site to help educate and inform anyone interested. If you would like to make a donation to aid in research of the cause and a possible cure please click here.
Thank you and now on to today’s other feature Article:
How To Generate Traffic To Your Website On A Shoestring Budget
If you are new to marketing online or network marketing and don’t have a large budget to play with, there are many low cost or no cost alternatives to help generate traffic to your website.
The key to success online is getting people to see what you have to offer. In other words generating traffic to your website so they can observe the product or service you are selling. There are many ways to do this and some methods are more expensive than others, while some cost nothing at all. Promoting your website need not be a costly activity and there are many free online marketing methods that can bring great results.
One of the most effective online marketing methods is Article Marketing. Article marketing consists of writing articles related to your website and then distributing them through article directories with an Author’s Biography Box at the end which includes a link to your website. Article marketing is free, but if you have written good articles which are also properly search engine optimized then you can get great results from this online marketing method.
Forum Marketing is another excellent way to promote your website. Although this online marketing method is more time consuming than some of the others it can provide excellent results. The trick with forum marketing is to provide plenty of useful information in forums related to your website and then include a link to your website in your forum signature. If people have read your posts and find them interesting, they will be more likely to click through to your website and hopefully buy what you are selling.
Social Networking has become another popular and free method to promote your business. Be careful when using this method not to break the rules of your social networking site. If used correctly, this method can provide increased traffic to your website.
Search Engine Optimization is perhaps the most important online marketing method you can use to promote your website. By learning a few search engine optimization techniques you will be able to do much of this yourself and enjoy the benefits of search engine optimization free of charge. Most people use search engines to find what they are looking for online.
So if your website is correctly optimized you will be seen by a lot more people, which should convert into a lot more sales.
Free Classified Advertising websites are also a good way to get your business seen by many more online consumers. Many of these classified ad sites allow you to post your ad free of charge in order to increase traffic to their site. Again, try to make your ad search engine friendly and it may also be picked up by some of the top search engines online today.
These are some of the main cost free methods of advertising your home business or any business for that matter online. They are also some of the more effective ones which will hopefully contribute to the success of your online endeavors.