Internet network marketing is misunderstood by a lot of marketers. This leads to a lot of people draining their wallets trying to spend their way to success…often with less than spectacular results. Finally I draw back the curtain to reveal what most gurus will not ever tell you for fear of you finally knowing the truth about Internet network marketing.

Internet network marketing, like any other kind of industry, makes money by selling products people think they need.

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I was leading a business writing program yesterday, when someone asked me to cover instant messaging (IM). Of course, I said the principles we were discussing in class applied to all types of business writing.

Yet IM at work is a unique form of communication–instant and fleeting like nothing else. What makes it efficient?

As someone who rarely uses IM at work, I will offer a few common-sense ideas. But then it’s your turn–please. If you use IM efficiently on the job, will you please add your wisdom? 

Here are my suggestions:

1. Greet the other person briefly at the start of the IM conversation. Don’t do the equivalent of barging in with a business question without saying hello. Be courteous.
2. Wait for a response to each of your comments before adding more. Otherwise, you won’t be sure which comment the other person is addressing.
3. Do your best to use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Mistakes will happen, of course, but don’t make them knowingly. They ge

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Two weeks ago I took my laptop and went away to an inn to work on a book I am writing. At the end of a long weekend, I was excited to have finished two more chapters totaling around 7,500 words.

Ten days ago my laptop was stolen. Those 7,500 words were on it.

I would have been sick at heart if my days of work had disappeared with the computer. Luckily I had saved the chapters on a flash drive in case I wanted to work on them on my desktop computer too.

A new laptop from Dell is on its way. But that weekend of inspired work would have been irreplaceable. I am so happy I saved my chapters to another piece of equipment, taking a step I often don’t think about.

In a business writing class I was teaching this past week, an attendee mentioned that her laptop had just been stolen too.

So please don’t think it doesn’t happen. Back up your documents on flash drives and external hard drives. Good

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Breathe deeply. LSAT day will arrive no matter what you do. A lot of your success in the next 5 days is mind over matter. Will you let the LSAT get to you, or are you excited to prove what you can do and show off all of your hard work preparing for it?

Here’s a helpful article by my friends at BlueprintPrep about what to do this week to prepare for the LSAT.

Here’s a link to one of my favorite Law School Expert Blog Talk Radio Shows about Last Minute Tips for LSAT Takers. You can listen to it online or download it from iTunes under Blog Talk Radio Feed – Ann Levine (or something like that).

In my law school admission consulting business, October is the month when most people sign up to work with me. So don’t feel you’re behind the curve. Do what you need to do on the LSAT this week, and if you’re considering working with me I’m here to talk when you’re ready. I’ll move you along very quickly. With an October L

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While making a comment on Marcia Yudkin’s excellent Marketing for More forum, I realized I was not sure of the spelling of a word. I was writing a comment something like this:

When a website doesn’t contain an About Us page, I bail. (Or do I bale?)

Do you know which word is correct?

All I knew was that I did not know for sure. So I looked up both bale and bail.

It turns out that I wanted bail: “to abandon a project” or ”to extricate from a difficult situation.”

If you are feeling smug because you knew the correct word and I did not, I caution you about hubris.

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I’m very happy to announce that “The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert” (my bestselling law school guide book) is now available on AudioBook CD and as an MP3 Download.

Click here to buy the CD for $9.95 with FREE SHIPPING. Click here to Download the Audiobook on MP3 from CD Baby, or get the spoken word album on iTunes.

If you love my Law School Expert podcasts, you’ll love this – it’s three hours of my voice and all the great law school admission advice from my book in  format you can bring with you to the gym, on the train, and as you drive.

P.S. Don’t miss my Top 10 Mistakes People Make on Law School Applications on my USNews.com Get In Law School post today.

I am working on business writing skills with a team that writes emails to sell their company’s product. Here are the 12 essentials for sales emails I created for them. Would you add any essentials to this list?

1. Grab the client in the subject line and opening sentence. Create a reason to open the email and read it.
2. Focus on just one purpose in each message. Don’t make the client (or you as the writer) go in different directions.
3. Focus on you–not on I, we, or your company. Clients focus on themselves–so should you.
4. Describe benefits to your client–not features or deliverables. Excite your client with possibilities.
5. Write to this client–not any client or clients. Use his or her name, and be specific in your offer.
6. Provide value in each sales communication–don’t just check in or follow up.
7. Ask for action. Give the client a clear step to take. If there is nothing to do, your client will delete and forget the message.
8. Show the benefits of taking action. Wh

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