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I used Amazon’s MP3 store for the first time today and was very impressed. I wanted to download a few songs, and being a huge Amazon fan I checked out their MP3 music store. I soon realized after purchasing my songs that they were DRM (Digital Rights Management) free! This means I could put the songs anywhere I want and they are truly mine. I really don’t need something like DRM telling me where and how I can play my music.

Until now I rarely purchased music because I have always been against DRM protection. I always listened to my music on the radio and Pandora to avoid purchasing music. I believe that if you make songs affordable and allow buyers to do whatever they want with their music (DRM free) P2P music downloading will decrease. I say this because it’s much safer, quality is higher, and is easier to purchase your music from a reputable site like Amazon’s MP3 store, and have the same freedom with the song as ones obtained illegally. Many of Amazon’s music is even priced under 99 cents a song!

Amazon’s free Cloud Player is a great feature since the music you purchase stays backed-up online. You can even download the Cloud Player for Android and listen to all your music streamed online right on your phone.

Now I can finally purchase my music, and transfer it to my computer, cell phone, MP3 player, and burn CDs without anything getting in my way. Thanks Amazon!

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One And One (1and1 or 1&1) Web Hosting has served me well for about 5 years now. This blog as well as all my other sites are hosted with 1and1. I wanted to share a few points to explain why they are my favorite web hosting company.

I have used other hosting providers such as Host Gator and I was not impressed, especially with the lack of features and price. Why spend more money if you don’t have to?

I’ve always been impressed with how easy setting up a website with 1and1 is. They built their own server management software which is simple yet powerful, instead of using the traditional Cpanel (can be confusing for beginners).

I have been on the 1&1 Linux hosting beginner package forever and despite the number of websites I host on it, I seem to never run out of space or have a need to upgrade. I strongly recommend that if you choose 1and1, stick with the beginner package as it is very feature rich. Remember, you can always upgrade packages later if you need to! You can use the beginner package for everything including forums, blogs, traditional websites, and other scripts. They even include a website builder program which makes creating a website very simple.

Just this past year I was able to try out 1and1′s VPS servers. I chose the 1&1 Virtual Server L which is the cheapest. It had all the features I needed and was much cheaper than GoDaddy, BlueHost, and Host Gator. Remember if you are getting a VPS you are going to want Parallels Small Business Panel and Plesk. These do not come free with the other hosts in their cheap VPS packages. With 1and1 the management software is 100% free, even with the cheapest VPS they have. This was a huge plus for me because I saved a lot of money. I used the VPS for about 4 months for a large site I had owned before selling it. The VPS worked very well, was easy to set-up, and had plenty of power for the complex site I was running.

If you are debating on whether to purchase 1and1 hosting DO IT! It’s the cheapest and best hosting out there. Click HERE for their packages and pricing!

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The difference between NoFollow and DoFollow links is a pretty strait-forward concept.

DoFollow links are counted as backlinks by search engines. The more backlinks you have the better your site will rank. Many people spam a link to their website on blog comments, forums, etc; hoping that the site’s links are DoFollow. If the site uses the “NoFollow” HTML attribute for its outgoing hyperlinks, then you would not receive any backlink credit from search engines who crawl the page, since they won’t follow the link. DoFollow links help increase both your traffic and backlinks which is most beneficial to you.

NoFollow links do not give you any backlinks or search engine credit. They are still indexed, but do not provide any substantial value to your site. NoFollow links are only beneficial for increasing traffic to your website. They do not hurt your site at all so they should complement your other DoFollow links.

In conclusion, adding both NoFollow and DoFollow links back to your website will help you achieve success. And please don’t spam your links!

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In order to clarify the Ubuntu VS Windows debate, I have put together some helpful information to persuade you to choose Ubuntu.

I was primarily a Windows user ever since I can remember, but I occasionally used Linux here and there. This was back when Linux was not as refined and user friendly as it is now. Ubuntu has definitely set the precedence in the Linux market by creating a great distro that is both powerful and very user friendly.

Over the past several months I have completely transitioned to Ubuntu Linux and I love it. Ubuntu does have a learning curve, but if you are willing to take the time and not get too frustrated you will pick it up quick. You will soon realize how sluggish and bulky Windows really is.

With Ubuntu, tasks become simpler and easier to perform.  Your office programs, image editing programs, web browsers, and tools are all pre-installed and ready to use right out of the box. If you need a program, simply launch the Ubuntu Software Center and search for it. Install is just a click of a button.

Ubuntu has drivers built-in for just about anything. Your computer components, digital cameras, MP3 players, and other devices work by just plugging them in.

Viruses, Malware, Spyware, Trojans, and Worms are rarely spoken of due to the almost zero chance of vulnerability. Ubuntu has a built in firewall called IPTables which is already configured to close all of your computers ports right out of the box. Coming from Windows, you will feel nervous not seeing your antivirus or firewall program in the taskbar while surfing the internet. RELAX it’s Linux your safe!

Please try Ubuntu for yourself, you won’t be disappointed!

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I am sure I am not the only one annoyed with the latest radio advertisements for freeusipad.com (Free US iPad). First of all, “Free US iPad” just sounds so plain and it couldn’t be any more original.

If you found this post by researching if Free US iPad is a scam or legit, I applaud you. I am glad some people out there can take the time to look something up before they decide to make a purchase or try something.

I suggest you don’t even waste your time with Free US iPad, and here’s why:

After submitting your precious email address  on the site you are taken to a page to fill out your personal information (yikes). The way this system works is you must complete many different “offers” most of which you have to pay for in order to have a chance at getting a “free” iPad. So in essence you are not really getting a free iPad. Instead, you are paying for many products and getting roped into subscriptions that may be hard to get out of. Here is a quote taken from the site that explains it all:

In order to receive your gift you must: (1) Meet the eligibility requirements (2) complete the rewards bonus survey (3) complete a total of 13 Sponsor Offers as stated in the Gift Rules (4) not cancel your participation in more than a total of 2 Sponsor Offers within 30 days of any Sponsor Offer Sign-Up Date as outlined in the Gift Rules (the Cancellation Limit) and (5) follow the redemption instructions.

These types of websites are not a new thing, they have been around for awhile and most of them offer some type of free product like an Xbox, Wii, and PlayStation in order to appeal to the younger crowd which may not read into the Scam.

Yes, I believe Free US iPad is a SCAM; just because they are indirectly taking advantage of you instead of strait on doesn’t mean it’s right in any way. Therefore it is a Scam in my book; don’t waste your time or money.

UPDATE 7/17/2011:

I noticed today after returning from a long vacation, that the .net version of FreeUSiPad has turned into a content based blog. It is filled with random content about iPads. If you try Googling “free us ipad” you will not only see this post listed in the results, but you will see many other pages created on free hosting websites.

These seem to be fillers created by freeusipad to “take over” the search results. Probably to push my article, and possibly others against them down the Google results to keep from being seen. If you notice, all of these filler websites are linked together in the form of a link wheel. A link wheel is basically one strategy used to propel ones website up the Google results by connected several sites together that are run by the same person or company.

Still looks shady huh?

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