Greyhound Handicapping - Should You Play Route Races?

In my opinion, route races can give you the best return for your handicapping buck. While there aren't as many of them as there are sprint races, this isn't necessarily a disadvantage. Most bettors tend to treat them the same way as sprints, and handicap them that way. While there are some bettors who just skip them and turn the page to the next 5/16ths distance race.

I love the longer races. From 3/8ths all the way up to the marathon length races, I've found value galore. Of course, there are a few things that you have to keep in mind when you're handicapping this length race. For one thing, early speed, while it is still important, isn't the huge factor that it is in shorter races. There's more time for closers to get in at the wire. There's more room for dogs to maneuver and get the position they need to win, and this can mean that dogs that get into trouble in sprints, manage to avoid it and hit the board in longer races.

Another reason that I love sprints is that, because there ARE fewer of them, it's easier to follow the dogs who are true routers. At some points in my handicapping life, I've actually saved every 3/8ths mile race page, stapled them together and referred to them when I handicap each program. It's pretty easy to see who's moving up or down in grade, and who can beat who. After all, many of the same dogs compete against each other, race after race.

Of course, there are some dogs, although not that many, who seem to be able to move between short and long races with no problem. These are the dogs you should keep a list of, because people forget that these dogs are multi-talented. They see that a dog has been running in sprints and now it's in a route and they can't see that it's ever won at the longer distance, so they don't play it.

But if you've done your homework, and know that this dog has won at this distance in the past, you're way ahead of the casual player, who only knows what the last six races in the program tell him. This is why it's good to make notes about the dogs and review them every so often. Things change and you have to keep reviewing the results and the dogs that are in different stages of their careers so that you're on top of the changes.

So, if you've never been a fan of the distance races, maybe you should take a second look. Consider following them for a while and see how you do. Look at the top dogs for this type of race in the stats and also notice which kennels have the best dogs for them. Some kennels seem to specialize in dogs who can win at the longer distances. After all, anything that can give you an edge over the crowd is a plus, and specializing in one type of race to the point where you know it in-depth gives you a huge advantage over the people who don't even try to figure it out.

Automatic Backlink Software: Link Building Strategies for Local SEO

Local link building is essential for any company or website that caters to a local audience. If you do things right, you can absolutely dominate your local niche. What you need are some proven strategies for targeting a local audience. This form of link building can drive relevant, targeted traffic to your site and help you build relationships with authoritative local link sources. Quality links build value and trust. Here are some of the best local link building strategies for a successful SEO campaign:

Create Your Own Network

Try to obtain links from organizations or websites related to your business. If you have an ecommerce site that sells products online, contact your suppliers and ask them for a backlink. Connect with local bloggers and get links from them. Check out local business group and join up. Try to get listed on the local Chamber of Commerce or the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website. Links from these sources add tremendous value to your site.

Start a Blog

The first thing that you need to do before starting a local link building campaign is to make sure that you have great content that will draw links to your website. Create a blog related to your business and add informative articles, vide tutorials, and free guides. If you don't have time to write fresh content regularly, work with others in your niche that share a common market, but are not direct competitors. Ask them to contribute to your blog in exchange for a backlink and free advertising.

Send Out Local Press Releases

Send out press releases to local online and paper newspapers whenever you something of interest going on within your company. Online press releases are a great way to spread the word about your latest products and services, or let people know about your website. This strategy can generate relevant backlinks from trustworthy sources. If you have just launched your site or you simple want to get faster results, you can use automatic backlink software. This useful tool works best when combined with organic link building and SEO.

Get Listed in Industry Related Directories

Adding your website to industry related directories is the easiest way to get backlinks and attract organic traffic. Make a list of niche directories and local business directories, check their rankings in search engines, and submit your site to the best ones. Focus on quality, not quantity. Directory submission can be a powerful marketing tool for local businesses.

Product Launch Secret: 6 Elements for a Killer Preview Call

If you have seen a few products or program launches, you probably realize that most people use a preview call or webinar to kick off the launch, drive traffic and create buzz.

Preview call helps you introduce your program to your potential clients and allow them a chance to get to know you and your materials better. It is a great way to build and enhance the "Know, Like and Trust" factor, and whet your audience's appetite for more knowledge that you are providing in your product.

Here are the 6 elements to include in any preview call to help you engage your audience and increase sales:

Your story - it's a great way to give your audience a chance to get to know and like you, thereby building trust. Remember, emotion is what drives decision making. Make sure you tell a story that is related to the product or program you are offering, and is relevant to your target audience. Your target audience's pain point - tap into the emotions and what the cost is of not taking action. Valuable content - people are taking time out of their day to listen to you, you want to give them something valuable. This segment should take up the largest proportion of your call. The content should be relevant to the program/product that you are launching, and you want to whet your listeners' appetite. Some people are afraid of giving away the farm, but know that there are so much more than just content people are buying from you. You actually want to make people think "if her free content is this good, I wonder what I can get when I pay for her program or product." One way to go about "not giving away the farm" is to focus on building awareness around the problem that your program is designed to solve - until people recognize that they have this problem and this problem is causing them pain, your program is irrelevant to them. In this case, your content can focus on the "what" and the "why". When you get to the "how", give your audience one or two action steps that they can try easily and see results right away. By following your advice and getting results, they will see you as credible and someone who can lead them to success. Your program or product - highlight the benefits and results of your offering, again, tap into the emotions of having the pain removed or resolved. Social proof - testimonials and success story. You can even invite your clients to tell their stories on the call. Motivator - give people reason to act right away. E.g. limited time or quality bonuses, early bird pricing. You can even do a "door prize" - such as a special discount - for people who are live on the call. You can announce that you are giving away a "door prize" ahead of time so that people will actually dial in live. (Think how many times you have signed up for a call, download the recording and never "get around" to it!)

To go the extra mile, engage your audience on the call by creating a worksheet that they can fill out during the call, and/or open the call to Q&A.

Russian Kettlebell Workout

Russian Kettlebells are amazing! These kettlebell workouts may be the answer to maintaining a home gym or having an expensive club membership.

With Russian kettlebells you can develop superior gains over traditional workout methods and save lots of space in your home.

The man who teaches Kettlebell training is Pavel Tsatsouline. He is a former Spetznaz trainer. For those who may not know, Spetznaz is the Russian equivalent of the CIA or special forces.

As every high-risk agent would wish for, after studying some of Pavel's books you can definitely find out how to have explosive instant power ready at all times.

But, not everyone is a spy; in fact very few of us are. So what benefits does kettlebell training have for the average woman or man?

Russian Kettlebell Training can be a great way to lose weight, tone up the body, and stay in shape once you get it there with the added benefits mentioned above.

And not only that, kettlebell workouts may be better for you than weights. In one of his books, Pavel mentions some of the fitness tests that were used to compare kettlebell training to traditional workouts.

The kettlebell trainers seemed to be in much better shape according to Pavel. And Pavel would know - You can see a picture of Pavel on his web site. The guy is well muscled and toned for someone that avoids weight training like the plague.

Speaking of muscle and tone, check out the incredible Ab muscles that Pavel can show you how to develop. Pavel, being an expert in physical training combined with his unique experience and insight with Russian kettlebell training is fully qualified to show you all about physical fitness.

Whether you are female or male, Pavel can show you the way to fitness. He has also collected for our benefit, what he believes to be excellent advice in nutrition.

Another thing I think that is interesting about Pavel and his work is that he brings his colorful and interesting Russian personality into play. For example, just think of the title of one of his books, Power to the People.

Me? I find that title humorous, but if I had to explain why I think it's funny, I'm not sure that I could. It might be the underlying but subtle notion that liberation is in order for someone. Come to think of it, I guess liberation is in order.

Pavel wants to show us a better way to fitness and free us from our need to spend an inordinate amount of time in the gym and spend it more wisely and effectively, so that we can have great physical fitness and time to enjoy it as well.

As you can see by glancing at his pictures, Pavel not only knows how to develop an amazing physique but he also knows how to keep himself flexible at the same time.

Maybe now you can understand why I think this man has some answers to fitness that we might not be able to find anywhere else, nor all in one convenient location either. Follow the link below for more information.

Podcast RSS Feeds

RSS feeds are used today to deliver a wide array of content options. The origin of the RSS feed came from blogging programs when the author wanted to share their posts with others around the world. The technology today has grown immensely in that just about every webmaster is taking advantage of this wonderful technology as it provides real time news, events, and information including podcasts. The application allows the information as well as the download on a simple format, which is easy to receive and download right on their desktop instead of searching online for the information.

Today, instead of just receiving information, Podcast RSS feeds are becoming even more popular. Now, instead of having those interested in your podcast having to visit your website frequently to enjoy your content they can easily download it via the feed and watch when they desire. This way they do not have to rush to your website to view your podcast but can have it right on their desktop to view.

These types of feed allow webmasters to send out a variety of podcast feeds. This means that business bloggers to film producers can use the same technology to send out their work and have it viewed by the world. A few entrepreneurs have even created their own radio stations using podcasts, which allows them to start without all the high costs of starting up a traditional radio station.

Podcasting is changing the media, as it is low cost and easy to implement, therefore media is always changing. Today, just about anyone can create their own podcast and send it out across the net. This means whether you want to submit information to your business partners or to your fans, a podcast is a very easy tool to use.

With Podcast RSS feeds, publishing was never easier or quicker. The feeds are sent out where those interested in the subject matter can subscribe. This means the information is sent out as soon as published so the feed will be seen quickly by those looking for information on the subject.

No matter if, you wish to use a podcast to introduce your new song, your business plan, or to save animals, RSS feeds will help with your efforts. Of course, you will still need to market your Podcast feed but once you get the word out, everyone interested in your topic will soon be subscribing and you will be receiving targeted traffic in no time.

Greyhound Handicapping - Weather and Track Condition Tips

Handicapping is an art, not a science. Never is this more obvious than when the weather affects the track and we have to figure out how it will affect the dogs we like. When the weather is sunny and warm and there's been enough rain in the last few days, the track will most probably be rated as "Fast" and its surface condition won't affect the running of the race that much.

But when it rains, or when it's snowy, dry or very windy - what then? Rain is tricky. If it just rains a little - like it does in Florida's afternoon showers - it might speed up the times a little, but have little effect otherwise. But when it rains heavily over a period of days, or when there's a very heavy shower before or during racing, it's a different story.

On most tracks, heavy rain really affects dogs that run the rail, because that's where the water pools up. That's when I look at mid-track runners. And if it's really, really pouring down, I even look at dogs that run wide and outside, because that's sometimes the fastest part of the track in these conditions. I also like dogs that get out early, because they aren't getting spattered with mud from the other greyhounds.

In colder weather though, I like closers, especially if there's a cold rain and a lot of wind. Breakers tend to fade in weather like this, while the closers, who have more stamina, can hang in there to close at the wire. When times are slow, watch for the dogs who have stamina but lack early speed to finally have enough time to jockey for position and do better than they do when the pace of the race is too fast for them.

When you're playing simulcast races, don't forget to watch the first race and pay attention to both the weather forecast and to what you can see of the track. Note the time of the first race and compare it to recent times for that grade at that track. If it's faster or slower than normal, keep that in mind when you handicap. Faster times favor early speed and slower times usually favor closers, in my experience. Paying close attention to the weather and to the current conditions at the track you're playing is one way to improve your chances of making money at the dog track.