Advertise your site:  You can now get 100,000 Network Banner Advertising Impressions for only $65.00.  We have other plans you can order or just use our banner exchange and swap impressions within the network FREE.  Visit our partner at BannerJammers.com  Site Email Program down:  Presently we are experiencing a problem with our email service within our account management software.  We hope to have it up and running as soon as possible.  In the mean time, we are emailing new customers with pertinent information about there accounts manually.  We apologize for an inconvenience this may cause and are working to get this system back up and running in a timely manner.  Partnership with BannerJammers.com:  We recently partnered with BannerJammers.com to incorporate the to sites and combine efforts to create a larger banner exchange network and to offer BannerJammers.com website owners the opportunity to participate in our drop shipping program.  All accounts from our old exchange services will be transferred within the next couple of weeks.  All code from Intl Wholesale exchanges service will have to be change with each website to the new account codes.  We encourage you to signup with your new account at BannerJammers.com and we will transfer any credits you may have to the new account.  If you have any questions about this partnership, please contact us at:  merger@intlwholesale.com   Pre-Programmed Website:  We can generate a mirror site like our wholesale site only with retail prices and shopping cart for you for only $350.00.  It is completely database driven and user friendly.  You can add your own products and update prices all from an easy to use administration area.  You can also run a real-time tracking affiliate network to get other sites to sell for your business.  Demo -  BannerJammers.com Gifts of the Week.com These are prime examples of how we can implement our products into an already existing website or design a basic e-commerce retail site for you with our database of wholesale products imbedded into your site.  Email us at DesignDept@intlwholesale.com Hosting an merchant fees are additional. Lifetime Virtual Terminal License: Only $99.00 one time fee.  No monthly leases to contract.  2.29% plus $0.30 per transaction.  You can find a better deal than this on the internet for your payment systems.  More info...

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Pemberley Collection™ Pillow Covers. The excitement of the Mediterranean influence is carried forward with this beautiful red pillow cover. The shimmering gold thread weaves it’s magic through this design and is complemented with red satin fringe piping. Made of cotton chenille, this set of two each measures 153/4" square. Retail $37.95 Basic Price:  US$16.80 Upgrade Price:  US$12.60

From the inlaid semi-precious stones, representing the countries of the world, to the deep blue sea, this Kassel™ Small 220mm World Globe stands 15" tall and will bring attention and beauty to your home. Features a light gray, three-legged stand with ball feet. Presentation samples of each of the semi-precious stones is included.  Retail $499.95 Basic Price:  US$222.80 Upgrade Price:  US$167.10

Giovanni Navarre™ "Italian Stone Design"™ Genuine Suede Leather Jacket. Ladies and gentlemen take a step forward in this fashionable tan, leather jacket. This beautiful genuine suede jacket breathes naturally and can we worn year ‘round. A wardrobe must. Size Large. Available in sizes M-3X.  Retail $59.95 Basic Price:  US$27.20 Upgrade Price:  US$20.40

Advertise your website.  BannerJammers is presently offering 200,000 Top Network Banner Impressions for only $99.00.  That's less than 50 cents a thousand.  You can beat that with a stick.

Set the Stage for Your Community

By Heather Duggan

Your Web site is getting thousands of visitors each day. Your mailbox is bulging with letters from your customers. You've been successfully bootstrapping your online community, and you're ready to fling open the doors and start the party. My recommendation? Slow down.

The last step in bootstrapping your community — setting the stage — is the most critical. As when you build a house, the community framework you lay down now will define the kind of place your community will become. Here's how you set the stage for success:

Create a Clear Community Mission

You have a vision for your business — a concise description of what you hope to accomplish — that helps keep your business on track. You need the same kind of clear statement of purpose for your community. Think about what you hope your business will accomplish by hosting the community and what you hope your members will get out of it. Then write a clear statement of your vision and post it for the community to see.

Select the Software

Will you host your next intimate dinner party in your living room? Or at the train station? The place where people gather has a large influence on the conversations that take place. Here are some questions to help you decide on the type of community space you want to build:

• Do you want sporadic, real-time get-togethers? An ongoing, time-delayed discussion? Or both? Sue Boettcher covers the pros and cons of each approach.
• If you're hosting an ongoing discussion, will you conduct it via e-mail? Or will you have users come to your site? The advantage of mailing-list software is that it pushes messages out to a steady ring of subscribers. The advantage of a discussion hosted at your site is that it creates a stronger sense of place, community, and history.

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Choose Your Hosts

Just like customer service representatives, your community hosts are the "face" of your business. A community host with a short fuse makes your business look unhinged; a host who is slow to respond makes your business look disinterested. Read over my pointers for selecting a host before making your decision.

Work Out the Ground Rules

The time to figure out the ground rules for your community is before the first guest enters. These ground rules should clearly state what's acceptable in your community and what's not, and set out procedures for dealing with problems. Talk these rules through with your community hosts, make sure they communicate exactly what you want them to, and then post them in the community space.

Write the Opening Topics

Your community members may be burning with questions and ideas, but it's up to you to start the discussion and keep nudging it along. The best way to build an interesting discussion is by understanding the problems that keep your community members up at night, and the issues that they follow with interest. Identify four or five hot topics before you open your doors, and you'll get the conversation off to a good start.

The views of our authors don' t necessarily reflect the views and policies of this company or its advertisers.