===========================================================
Are you selling a service? Subscribe to the no-cost Service Sellers Master Course. It's an intensive 5-DAY e-mail course that shows you how to attract targeted visitors from around the world or from around the block, and convert them into new clients for your services, each with a high lifetime value. Send blank email to this address.
===========================================================

Table of Contents

1. Editor's Musings
2. Article: HTML Issues for SEO's: Web Accessibility . . . Making your Pages Friendly to People with Disabilities by Robin Nobles
3. Recommended
4. Internet Sites Reviewed
5. Freebies and Other Good Deals
6. Joke of the Week

1. Editor's Musings

Best wishes for 2003, everyone. Now that the holiday madness is over, I trust we are all hard at work and ready to make this year a prosperous and successful one.

First, a request to my subscribers. Please do not send me "offers" of get-rich-quick schemes, money making matrixes and other questionable deals. I will not advertise these schemes in my ezines or web sites, I will not endorse them in any way, and I certainly won't spend any of my own cash.

Okay, rant over. Here's a little freebie you might enjoy. It's a translator that once installed, allows you to translate foreign languages that might appear in email, a web site, etc.

igspot.ig.com.br/lucianosiqueira/smart/

2.Article: HTML Issues for SEO's: Web Accessibility . . . Making your Pages Friendly to People with Disabilities by Robin Nobles

Did you know that nearly 20 percent of all Web users have some form of disability?

"Making your site accessible for all is a matter of courtesy, is good business practice, and is not difficult," explains Robert Roberts, a professional SEO who owns the SEO Toolbox.

In fact, Roberts believes that Web accessibility issues are so important that he's been having monthly chat sessions on the subject for students at the Academy of Web Specialists (http://www.onlinewebtraining.com/courses.html). He's also created a special section of his Web site that's devoted to accessibility issues (http://www.seotoolbox.com/htmlchat/accessibility.html).

Roberts states that disabilities can be anything from "simple" color blindness to more severe disabilities.

The Use of Alt Text to Solve Accessibility Issues

"Let's start with image alt tags. You can use the alt tag to your advantage, not just for SEO purposes. The alt description tells those users with assistive technologies what the image is about.

There is the issue of lots of clear images meant to be used as spacers in layouts. Should you use an alt tag for every one of those? Yes, in a sense, you use what's called the Null Alt, meaning an empty alt tag, like this: alt="". Notice that there is no space between the quotes, which means that assistive devices will bypass the image and not try to explain it. But if you don't use it, assistive devices will show a blank where the image would be or cause other display issues."

"The alt tag for navigation images is critical. Actually, you should use text navigation wherever possible, as good SEO's, but there are times when the layout uses buttons, which brings up another issue - that of navigation preceding content."

Solving the Problem of Navigation Preceding Content

Roberts continues, "When a person using an assistive device opens a Web page, he or she is usually greeted by lots of navigation before getting to the content. Furthermore, an assistive device like a screen reader will read ALL of the navigation every single time. One solution is to include a "skip navigation" link that allows the person to jump to the page content. This can be in the form of a tiny hidden clear image linked to an anchor tag."

"If you would like to see an example, take a look at the source code for any page at SEO Toolbox (http://www.seotoolbox.com). The logo at the top of the page is linked to the menu, because the menu markup is actually at the bottom of the HTML code. You would be able to use this strategy with any assistive device or in a text browser like Lynx."

Why Accessibility Issues Are So Important These Days

"One of the reasons all of this is so important," says Roberts, "is because of a lawsuit in progress that looks like it may get to the Supreme Court. A blind man in Florida is suing Southwest Airlines because he is unable to complete normal transactions on their Web site."

By means of explanation, the Americans with Disabilities Act provides provisions on the accessibility of public accommodations to the disabled, and this is the Act that is being referenced in the case.

The plaintiffs in the case claim that Congress wrote the ADA so broadly that the Internet is covered, meaning that it 'applies to Internet Web sites just as it does to brick-and-mortar facilities like movie theaters and department stores.'

The defendants (Southwest Airlines and American Airlines) have taken the position that Congress never meant to include the Internet, because cyberspace was in its infancy at the time the law was written. So, the argument is whether a Web site is a 'public accommodation' under Title III of the ADA.

"But," continues Roberts, "there is a precedent that will surely influence the outcome. In Australia, a similar suit was brought a couple of years ago by a blind person against the Olympic Committee because he could not get tickets online. The suit resulted in a win for him: a $20,000 damage settlement."

"What all this means is that sooner or later, any Internet site offering goods and services will have to comply with accessibility standards."

In Roberts' accessibility section (http://www.seotoolbox.com/htmlchat/accessibility.html), he's placed a link to the lawsuit, if you'd like to learn more.

(Continued in Part 2. If you want to see the article in its entirety, contact RobinN@academywebspecialists.com)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Robin Nobles, Director of Training, Academy of Web Specialists, has trained several thousand people in her online search engine marketing courses (http://www.onlinewebtraining.com) and is the content provider for (GRSeo) Search Engine Optimizer software (http://www.se- optimizer.com). She also teaches 4-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe with Search Engine Workshops (http://www.searchengineworkshops.com).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

3. Recommended Product: *** Site Build-it ***

Since I took 10 days off over the holidays, I haven't had time to look for new products to recommend. However, I did purchase SBI during the two for one sale. The product comes with a ten day schedule that if followed exactly, will, they claim… allow you to start making money from your site by Day Eleven. That's quite a claim, since it also includes searching keywords for niche markets and locating affiliate programs to use if you don't have your own product in mind. Today is Day 1 and I have no idea what theme my web site will take at this point. It's a real experiment. I will keep you informed.

Read the info at this link.

PS: To check your ezine to see how it will be interpreted by the spam filters, send your ezine to this email address: spamcheck-prosper5@sitesell.net. You MUST put TEST at the beginning of the Subject line. Like this: TESTRoundup is Ready.

4. Internet Sites -- reviewed by June Campbell

*** Opt-Out of DoubleClick
Here is the link if you want to opt-out of Doubleclick's ad tracking. The spyware won't hurt you, but if you don't want advertisers watching your surfing habits, this is one place to start.

*** Opt-Out of Network Advertising Initiative
This is another advertising initiative that allows you to opt-out of being tracked while you're surfing.

*** W3schools
Very good web-building tutorials.

*** The Common Cold
Everything you need to know about the prevention and treatment of the common cold.

*** US Government's Information about Small Pox
The US government recently announced a plan for smallpox vaccinations.

4. Freebies and Good Deals

A.Don't be Taken to the Cleaners Online!
Join The iCop Consumer Membership Program NOW! Discover how to stay safe from online scams - AND receive dozens of discounts from reputable online companies. Unethical online businesses can cost you more in 5 minutes than the Consumer Membership costs for a full year! A MUST for "Newbies!" ! Subscribe NOW!

b. Basic, "Dumb as Dirt" eZine focusing on how to help you make more money in your current business, and improve the quality of your life. It's simple, it's funny, it's intriguing, it's honest AND it's from someone who's a human too, who understands your fears, worries, needs, and what-not. It's a GOOD read... Subscribe to 'InternetProfitTactics' today!
Simply mailto:IPT@matthew.par32.com .
Visit: http://InternetProfitTactics.com
(New subs get $107 worth of ebooks to download!)

c. Where Writers, Publishers & Online Entrepreneurs Connect
Looking for the best ezines to subscribe to? Searching for great articles? Need some awesome content for your web site? Marketing-Seek.com has got it for you! We'll also update you monthly on the latest submissions into the article database - plus, we'll give you two versions to choose from! Just highlight or save the print copy and paste it into any ezine, magazine, or web page. Nothing could be easier! What'cha waiting for? Signup today.
Marketing~Seek.com
http://www.marketing-seek.com/newsletter/index.shtml

d. Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business on his Web Page? Subscribe here. Great Business and Computer Tips Monday thru Friday Instructions to place your ad are in the Newsletter.

e. http://www.ProfitQuests.com is pleased to announce www.AllBizSupplies.com. Anyone from businesses, individuals, students and teachers can use the AllBizSupplies.com website with over 30,000 discounted office supply products. Excellent prices vs. the superstores. Free next day delivery on most orders of $40+. Best in Customer Care at 1-866-533-9459.

f. Subscribe to our FBCN-FREE Business Classifieds Newsletter & receive FREE online access to our Entry Protected "FREE Submit To Over 3.1 MILLION FREE Ad Sites - DAILY!" mailto:subscribe_fbcn5@emailexchange.org Or visit here

g. Don't Blow It! Something Big is Coming Soon! One Small World - One Big Downline
It's FREE - It's NEW - It's HERE

6. Joke: A Consumer Issue

A painter named Jack used thinner to save money. He got away with it for the longest time. Eventually, he won a huge job, repainting a church. As usual, he thinned the paint. He was working away when suddenly the rains fell. Jack was knocked to the ground by lightning, while the thinned paint was washed from the church.

And a mighty voice roared: "Repaint! Repaint! And thin no more!"

To subscribe to this newsletter, visit this link.

"How to Booklets"-- topics include business proposal writing, business plan writing, brochure writing,an independant contractor's agreement, a sample joint venture agreement and more. Click www.nightcats.com