In this day and age, everyone seems to be expecting to get everything for free. And, of course, they also expect the highest quality products and services for free. Having many years of experience in sales, I have had to deal with this evolution through many different venues. Some of which actually made sense. I’d like to focus on a few areas in which I side with the consumer in expecting something of high quality for free.

OK, this has been a topic of great debate for the past several years. It has even involved huge lawsuits and lots of publicity. The problem is that the current generation of music consumers are so used to getting music for free, that they actually find it odd or simply “uncool” to have to pay for music. Now, being a musician myself, I have a pretty good understanding of the ins and outs of the music business. So, here’s my take on free music…

First off, the artists or songwriters have always historically gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to actually making money. The large record companies typically got much larger portions of any profits then the people that slaved to produce their labors of love. So here’s the simple solution. It should be up to the artist whether or not they want to give their music away for free. This can actually be a great way for an unsigned artist to promote themselves. Now as far as the big, signed corporate music goes, it should not be free. The main reason for this is the fact that it does cost a lot of money to create and record a great album, and promote it, and distribute it. However, with the current trend of selling music digitally through downloads, this can cut many costs like printing, duplication, shipping, and storage of the inventory. So, basically, music should be much cheaper, but not free (unless the artists chooses it to be). There should be plenty of room for a compromise that would save the record labels a lot of money, while still paying the artists their fair share, and giving the consumer quality products for a decent price. So, to sum things up, in the case of music, I feel that while it should not necessarily be free, there should some cases of free music, and that other music should be sold for a more reasonable price.

Now here’s an example of what I consider “corporate greed”. Even though eBay is a well known, very functional, quality website, times have changed, and they seem to be slow to respond. One of the main reasons that I say that is Craigslist.com. They have grown immensely in popularity, and still remain a free service (at least for a majority of the website). I think it would be totally fair for eBay to continue charging their Final Value fees, and even the listing upgrade fees, however they don’t need to charge people for listing their items as well. Craigslist has grown so quickly because people can list in almost every category for free, and also avoid paying final value fees if the item sells. Yes, eBay will give you a lot more exposure. However, since the listings are free, it doesn’t cost the seller anything to simply list on Craigslist and just wait it out. Ultimately, you’ll make more profit for your item when it does sell. I have sold well over 200 items on eBay, and have recently sold several more on Craigslist, which is now my preferred selling platform. I do still use eBay, but only when they are having a special on listing fees, such as 3 cents per listing or something similar.

You would think that online dating websites could justify charging for their services because what they are offering is a way for you to meet “quality people” from the comfort of your own home. This is definitely a great convenience, and a fun way to meet many people without having to actually get all dressed up, and spend a bunch of money at clubs and bars. However, once again, Craigslist has shown great popularity with the personal ads on their website. The downside is that their site is extremely basic, so not only are you limited to the ways of communicating with others, and expressing yourself, but it’s also way too easy for spammers to quickly create fake ads too.

Now comes the evolution of another free service. As we see with the popularity of sites like Craigslist, people are constantly looking for free services. One website in particular, www.FreePersonalClassifieds.com has found a simple solution. They provide a quality online dating website with many of the same features as the expensive pay sites, completely for free, while earning revenue with a few simple ads on each page. This is a true win/win situation. The consumer gets a valuable service for free, while the business can actually thrive as well. This should come as no surprise, since MySpace.com (which is also free) was recently sold for an estimated $580 million dollars because there was obviously huge money to be made in advertising, while still providing something of value for free.

So, the bottom line is this: Consumers are always looking for free stuff, and for some smart businesses, there’s obviously a way to provide something for free while still having a profitable business that you can still feel good about.

It is a very exciting time when you agree to meet the person you have been communicating with online. You must, however, be careful with your safety above all else. There are some things you can do to ensure your safety and make you date a worry free event.

When agreeing to meet make all the arrangements first. Don’t let the person come to your home to meet with you. You don’t really know this person and you don’t want them knowing where you live right away. Make sure that you are meeting in a public place. You can also ask if some friends can come along for the date. If they are really interested and understand your concern they should not have a problem with this idea.

If you have decided to go for a lunch or dinner you should pay half of the bill. That eliminates any feeling of obligation on your part. If the date doesn’t go well then you don’t have to see this person again and you will have no guilty feelings about them buying your dinner.

Use your own car when you decide to meet. That gives you the opportunity to leave if things are not going well. You don’t want to be dependent on your date to get you home if the date goes bad.

Don’t drink too much alcohol on your date. In fact, it is probably a good idea to stay away from alcohol altogether during the date.

Once the date is over you can now decide if you want there to be a second date or if you can give out your address. If you feel as though your date is trustworthy then you can feel comfortable giving out this information.

Listen to your gut. If something doesn’t feel right on your date then try to figure it out immediately. Your subconscious usually knows how to read the signs better than you do. That funny feeling in your stomach could be your subconscious trying to tell you something. Listen to it.

Make sure you have let someone know what your plans are. Talk to friends and family about your decision to meet someone you met online. This is for your own safety and will make you feel a lot better about the date.

The most important thing to remember about online dating is to never give out your personal information to people you don’t know. These people may have been chatting with you and exchanging emails but the bottom line is that they are strangers to you. You don’t really know who they are or what their intentions are until you meet and get to know them better.

The people who achieve the most success with online dating are those that can communicate and are adept at maximizing their dating potentials. They know how to connect with people and practice their methods daily.

For most people it is difficult to find love online. The reason that they are having difficulty might be their profiles and the information that they are broadcasting to the world. There are some things that you should never do. Check the list and make sure that you don’t commit any of these offenses.

Don’t pick a lewd or sexual name for your online dating experience. You are not exactly projecting the image of someone who is looking for a lasting and long-term relationship. You simply won’t find the kind of quality people you are looking for with a nasty lewd screen name. All you will end up with are people who are looking for a quick hook up.

When the site asks you what you are looking for you should answer the question. If you have no requirements for the ideal partner you are opening up the door to a host of people that are not interested in the same things you are. If you know what you are looking for then say so.

You must include a photograph. Many people will simply pass by the profiles that don’t have a picture attached. You may have many reasons for not including a photo, but you won’t get responses without one. It really is that simple.

If you don’t communicate or make attempts to communicate with potential mates how will they ever know you are interested? You cannot sit back and wait for everyone to come to you. Sometimes you need to put yourself out there and make the first contact. Don’t be afraid, they are there for the same reason you are.

Also, if your ad is almost devoid of information you will not see much success. You will need to put in some information that has the potential to attract other people to you. You will get a lot more results if you write a good ad or profile.

When you don’t regularly visit the website you are never going to know who might have responded to your ad. Some sites may not send you notification that someone has expressed an interest in you. You will need to spend some time on the site developing your dating image.

If you are doing any of these things then you are just wasting your time with an online dating service. When you are truly interested in meeting an ideal partner you will do what you have to, to find them.

Online dating is a great way to meet a good variety of people. There are times when you just hit it off with someone online and are anxious for that first meeting. You have exchanged emails, talked through instant message for hours and finally spoken on the phone. The conversations have been wonderful and you really have a lot in common with this person. Now comes the inevitable meeting. What if the person is not what you expected? Or worse, what if they are a disappointment?

Sometimes the strain of meeting face to face will do a significant amount of damage to the conversation. You should take this into consideration before you just reject the person out of hand. They may have been very nervous. Weren’t you nervous? But if that is not the case and you find the person you have been having an online relationship with is really not the person you want, there are some graceful ways to get out of the situation.

Make sure you don’t go on and on about your disappointment. This will only hurt the other person. Don’t focus on your expectations of the meeting and how they were not fulfilled. It is important to help the other person get through the rejection without being overly hurt. Some hurt will probably be unavoidable, especially if they had a wonderful time.

Try to explain how important it is to you to find the right person. You can also talk about how important that they find the right person for them. Explain how chemistry plays in the meeting of two people. They might actually agree with you. You are simply letting them know that they are not responsible but that there wasn’t any chemistry between you and that you feel they should meet someone who will have that feeling.

Don’t make up excuses. Just bite the bullet and get the rejection over with. It will be appreciated in the long run. No one likes to be lied to and the person you are rejecting does not deserve that kind of treatment. You will only make a bad situation worse by making up excuses.

You should absolutely mean what you say. Don’t try to couch your feelings on the subject. This can lead the other person to believe that you are still interested. Leave no doubt in their mind that you believe the relationship will not work. Many people make this mistake because they are trying to spare someone’s feelings. That is certainly admirable but don’t leave yourself open to causing more hurt feelings down the road.

Let them talk and tell you how they feel about the situation. They may be angry and hurt, but they should be able to express that emotion. If you let them tell you, you let them get that hurt and anger out.

Bottom line; use some sensitivity when dealing with the feelings of others.

For many people finding the person they want to settle down with is their ultimate goal. Of course, that means that you will have to date. If you have decided to place a personal ad on one of the online dating services, how can you be assured of getting a good amount of response.

Remember that everyone who is placing these ads are trying to do the same thing you are. You will have some competition from other would be suitors and you will need to find a way to make your ad stand out. If you don’t get very many responses the first time you place an ad, don’t give up. Your ad might just need a few tweaks to get the responses you are after.

Your descriptive skills need to be worked on. Learn how to describe yourself honestly and accurately. But you should be able to do it with some flair and humor. Don’t be afraid to use a little humor in your ad. It shows that you don’t take yourself too seriously and are a fun person to be around. Make sure that your ad is truthful about the things that you do and do not like. It lets the reader know that you know what you are looking for and take the search seriously.

Don’t go on and on about your dating failures. There is nothing worse than reading a personal ad that is filled with the deceptions and pain that this person has gone through. While the pain and failure might be very true it is a sure sign that you are not ready for dating. If you find that you are not ready for dating then maybe you should put off your dating ad for now. Wait until you heal enough to write an ad without mentioning your other relationships. Of course, it’s okay to mention a thing or two about dating in the world today if you can do it with a little humor. The other person is most likely experiencing the same things you are and would probably appreciate your humorous outlook on it.

Don’t give up on your online dating ad if it generates little response. Keep plugging away until you write the ad that gets the attention. It might be a case of trial and error. Keep track of the things that you have tried that have not worked and make sure you try a new approach the next time. You will eventually hit the target and get the attention of many respondents.