Best Article Sites for Experts and a Great Read

Looking for articles to read – or perhaps articles for your website or ezine? We’ve got some of the top places you’ll find great articles ready for you to enjoy and to add fresh content to your site or ezine. Note: the articles at Squidoo.com are NOT for use at your site – only to enjoy reading.
If you are an expert of any type and want to share on your favorite subject, these article sites are certainly worth checking out. Many experts today like to share what they know – whether it is within their profession, a passion or that hobby they enjoy in their free time – and writing articles about it is a great way to get this information out to people that will look forward to what you have to say.
There are many article sites out there. These are some of our favorites – but we’re certainly interested in hearing about your favorite sites. Be sure to share your favorite article sites with us in the comments below – and tell us why you enjoy these sites so much!

Ezine Articles

This is one of the favorite articles sites available today. You’ll find thousands of articles on popular subjects, from business, internet business, real estate, computers and technology, self improvement and kids and teens to mention a few subjects. Many people enjoy writing for or publishing Ezine Articles on their website/ezine as they know they’ll find great quality here.
Visit this article site here at http://ezinearticles.com/

Go Articles

At Go Articles you’ll find many articles on some of the most popular subjects. Including Autos, Careers, Education, Family, Health and much more. You can be an Author here or an Expert Author. Recent Articles are listed right on the home page, so you’ll easily see what’s available. It’s easy to join here – just takes a minute!
Visit this article site here at http://www.goarticles.com/

IdeaMarketers

This is a favorite site here. For one thing, it’s very well organized and has great graphics. You can find articles easily and quickly in their categories or by authors. Also note which authors have more authority by the “Expert” next to their name. Many people enjoy Idea Marketers whether writing for them or reading their articles!
Visit this article site here at http://www.ideamarketers.com/

SelfGrowth

If you like spirituality, holistic health and self improvement, then SelfGrowth is the site for you. This article site is entirely dedicated to these subjects. Find thousands of articles on these subjects by experts dedicated to share their knowledge. It’s an interesting site with lots of information.
Visit this article site here at http://www.selfgrowth.com/

Article Alley

You’ll find lots of great articles at Article Alley. One of our favorite things about this article site is that there are lots of e-business articles. So if you are looking for articles about Blogs, Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Directories, Domain Names and other e-business/computer related topics, this is a great site for you!
Visit this article site here at http://www.articlealley.com/

Squidoo

We’ve saved one of the best article sites for last: Squidoo. Okay, you can’t publish these to your own site or ezine – but there are great articles here by experts and they are fun to read. If you are an expert, you’ll want to think about writing for Squidoo, it is an easy to use system with cool and fun tools to make your Squidoo lenses (that’s what they call articles) even more exciting. You’ll find Squidoo lenses on every subject – and you can make money from your lenses!
Visit this article site at http://www.squidoo.com/

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Best Advertising and Marketing News and Information Sites

I’m consistently surprised at the amount of people in the U.S. who have either studied marketing in college, or had jobs in marketing departments of companies.  Marketing is a big deal.  If you have a company, you have to market it.  If you work for a company, odds are they want to market it, and they want you to know how – or at least understand how.

Advertising Age

Not only is it a website, it’s a printed weekly that has been around since 1930.  In addition to getting the printed weekly, you can also sign up for a number of digital newsletters to keep you in the know.  Advertising Age, the website, offers advertising news, weekly columns, blogs, white papers, and more.  The layout is easy to navigate and the content is solid.
>>Advertising News – adage.com

ADWEEK

Advertising and marketing are sort of sisters, or close cousins.  Adweek is totally devoted to advertising, but even marketing professionals can learn a thing or two from it.  Published first in 1978, Adweek talks about new campaigns, relationships between clients and agencies, and Internet advertising.  It is the second-biggest trade publication in advertising, beat out by Advertising Age, which we already told you about.
>>Adweek – adweek.com

Brand Packaging

OK, so this site is mainly about packaging, but the site is so pretty!  And, this is about best websites overall, so bear with me.  You can learn a lot about a brand by the way it packages itself, and you can learn a lot about marketing from learning how successful companies market their brand.  So see?  There’s a connection.
>>Brand Packaging – brandpackaging.com

Brandweek

Brandweek is a sister site to Adweek, and it covers marketing campaigns the world over.  It is one of the most educational publications on marketing you can read.  It prints 46 issues per year and keeps the website updated constantly.  You can also subscribe to a number of different newsletters.
>>Marketing Trade Publication – brandweek.com

DMNews

A brainchild of Haymarket Media, DMNews (short for Direct Marketing News) aims to report on marketing trends and technologies, employing a team of professional journalists and utilizing contributions from industry specialists.  The print version is ginormous, so you might want to stick with the online version, though you might like ginormous print magazines.  If so, go for it.
>>Ginormous Print Version – dmnews.com

Marketing Today

Peter DeLegge Consulting runs this website, which is an absolute wealth of knowledge and information.  DeLegge himself has an illustrious history in the marketing world, including serving in a marketing capacity to companies like Motorola and Aon.  He started this website with a focus on marketing from the marketing professional’s perspective.  Seth Godin has contributed to the website, and has openly praised the site.  It ain’t all that pretty, but boy, is it good.
>>Great Marketing Insight – marketingtoday.com

Marketing Vox

It’s hip-looking, and employs the word “Vox” for “voice” which is very edgy, yes?  The site is owned by Watershed Publishing, a Vermont company that does quite a few other publications, like MarketingCharts.com, MediaBuyerPlanner.com, RetailerDaily.com, and more.  They are all good sites.  Plus, you know Vermont people.  They’re just sort of cool, aren’t they?  And this company?  Watershed Media?  Sort of dreamy.  Check them out.
>>Very Cool Marketing Publication – marketingvox.com

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Best Mobile Sites for Android Apps

Got an Android mobile phone? You’re certainly not alone. The Android mobile phone is more popular than ever. With Google’s intuitive technology and tools behind it, this mobile phone offers its users a lot.
Here are some of the best mobile sites for Android. Whether you are looking for more information about your Android phone as a new user or want to find that great new Android app – give these sites a try. Enjoy your Android mobile phone!

Google Mobile Blogspot

This is a great blog not only for Android lovers, but for every mobile user who wants to use Google’s great tools. You’ll find ways to make your mobile phone access Google’s tools that much easier. Lots of cool information here for the Android user, iPhone and others. Especially ideal for the new Android user who wants to understand more about what their phone can really do. Things explained step by step.
Learn about your Android here http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/

Android and Me

This is a very active blog and site with tons of information about Google’s Android phone. You’ll get the latest information about the Android and how you can use it more successfully – whether to access it for business, school or social contact. A great site with lots of videos and screenshots to let you know what you’ll see on your Android. A friendly, fun site with lots of cool apps and information about the Android phone.
Learn about your Android here http://androidandme.com/

PC World – Flash Games for Android

This is a short section on the PC World site but we thought we’d include it because it has something you aren’t going to see everyday – find 40 free flash games ideal to play using your Android phone. This list will keep you busy gaming for awhile. Whether you are new to computer games or a passionate player – there’s lots of fun to be had here. So go ahead and take a break, you’ll find a great game to play on your Android!
Learn about your Android here http://www.pcworld.com/article/206044/40_flash_sites_for_android_22_phones.html

Mobile Mammoth

Now here’s a site you can really sink your teeth into. The Mobile Mammoth offers you a new mobile site every day. Lots of variety and cool mobile sites you’ll look forward to visiting. The day we checked them out they had gStrings, a chromatic tuner for musicians to use on your Android phone. Page through and look at the week or month’s suggested apps for great ideas.
Learn about your Android here http://www.mobilemammoth.com/

AppBrain

The AppBrain site is a place where you’ll find the best Android apps reviewed and ranked for you. They are all easy to find in categories. From Hot Apps to Latest Reviews and then various categories by type of app. You’ll be sure to find some great Android apps here for work, play and everything in between. A unique site with lots of cool reviews.
Learn about your Android here http://www.appbrain.com/

Android Market

Here’s a site an Android lover can’t be without – the Android Market. You’ll find every great Android App available here in the Android Market. You can also list your own Android App here in the market. Find both free and paid apps. Apps are ranked and featured. Tens of thousands of apps to enjoy – plan on spending some time when you visit, there is a lot to see!
Learn more about your Android here http://www.android.com/market/#app=basesign.alltie

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Best Sites For Free Wallpapers

Many of us spend a lot of hours every single day staring at our computer screens.  We flip back and forth between browser windows, we open documents, spreadsheets, and lots of other stuff, and every now and then we catch a glimpse of our desktop.  For some, it’s fine to have the Windows standard tulips, boxes, or Stonehenge desktop.  For others, it’s essential to have something new and fun to look at as a brief window in between those windows that are filled with work.  Here are some places where you can download free wallpaper.

Digital Desktop Wallpaper

This site offers a number of free wallpapers that you can download in a variety of sizes.  Their categories are mostly the standard – animals, scenery, flowers, etc.  and the website looks a little shady with links that look like they might spin you into some sort of free wallpaper spamornator, but I could just be paranoid.
>>Digital Desktop Wallpaper – digitaldesktopwallpaper.com

Customize

This site has been around since 1998, which is why it is able to offer so many cool free desktop themes and wallpapers.  Because the 100,000 plus members supply the content.  How cool is that?  You can join the community and contribute, or just take advantage of the creative minds of some of the members.  The site is well-organized and not very scary at all.
>>Customize – customize.org

Interface Lift

This site offers 2250 free desktop wallpapers, as well as lots of themes, icons, apps, and more.  They also have a groovy bulk download service so you can just have the whole kit and kaboodle, should you choose to do so.  There are some very cool scenery-type wallpapers, as well as some nature-related, abstracty looking ones.
>>InterfaceLIFT – interfacelift.com

Pixel Girl

Shana Victor created this site in 2000, and I’d venture to guess its success has been completely mind-blowing.  With user-submitted content and downloads, her site offers offbeat and original wallpapers, themes, and icons for Mac and Windows, and this is is where I personally get my desktop wallpaper.
>>Pixel Girl – pixelgirlpresents.com

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Best Church Web Site Templates

Today many churches have websites. It’s a convenient way to let congregation members know when services and special events will be held. Or to post pictures of mission trips or annual events celebrated at the church. Your church website can give new and potential members a sense of what the church is like.
Here are some great church web site templates for you. Some are paid services and others are free. One even offers resources to completely set up your church website for less than $100 – ideal for many churches on a budget! So if you’d like to create a church website, here are the best of the best sites for you offering great church web site templates and more.

Christian Templates Online

This is a paid template site and you’ll find professional looking church templates here. Whether you are looking for something contemporary, classic, traditional or a church website template that will stand out from the crowd you’ll find it here. Preview the templates in full view so you can get a sense of what they look like. Two column and three column templates.
Find church web site templates here http://www.christiantemplatesonline.com/

Discount Church Websites

Now these aren’t listed as templates but basically they are – which is why we included them. What you purchase is a blank website to fill with your own information with hosting included. They have great looking templates to choose from. This is a convenient choice for the church that prefers a one stop solution for their web needs. When you purchase or get a free template you would then need to buy web hosting. Choosing a website service such as this is an alternative, ideal for those who are new to the Internet or don’t like doing “techy” things. Comes with a 30 day free trial.
Find church web site templates here http://www.discountchurchwebsites.com/

Magic Template – free Christian church website templates

Here is a collection of free Christian church website templates. Finding a free website template is ideal for many and this collection is very attractive and has a nice variety which will please lots of churches. There are both 2 and 3 column choices, as some prefer one or the other. You can preview the templates in full view before you download them, a great convenience for anyone trying to build a church website.
Find church web site templates here http://www.magictemplate.com/files/free-christian-church-website-templates.php

Wyoming Web Design

You’ll find a great selection of paid church web site templates here. Nine pages of templates to review. There are church web site templates for every church’s preference – from classic, modern and traditional. Two and three column church web site templates are available. Many of these templates are very visual, with great graphics and the ability to add photos – perfect for your church’s fellowship and activities.
Find church web site templates here http://www.wyomingwebdesign.com/files/pages/cats/religious.html

EntheosWeb

We included this selection of church web site templates because they looked different from what we have seen. These have a quieter tone to them and might even be ideal for that church who says, “We don’t know if we want a web site.” Colors are classic or soft and muted. Images are very classic and traditional. There is great variety in their collection in that you aren’t viewing the same type of template over and over.
Find church web site templates here http://www.entheosweb.com/website_templates/preview/christian.asp

Free Church Web Designs

This is a great site, for many churches you could say it is a “must visit.” Started by a member and volunteer of a small church, you’ll find many great resources to create your low budget church website. These resources include a collection of church web site templates. But that’s not all you’ll find here! Visit and see her great tips on setting up your church website and suggestions for how to keep it running smoothly.
Find church web site templates here http://www.freechurchwebdesigns.com/

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Best Hosting Sites for WordPress

Literally millions of people use WordPress as their content management system for the blogs and websites.  While there are other choices out there, WordPress is the easiest to use and has the most functionality.  And, because it is so popular, there are lots of themes available to make your WordPress website all your own.  But what hosting services are most compatible with WordPress?

Blue Host

Blue Host has been in the website hosting business since 1996, and in that amount of time they have managed to create one of the easiest-to-use, most cost-effective, best-supported hosting services available.  They had around 945,000 domain names as of February 2010, and they continue to grow because of their stellar customer service and affordable hosting plans.
>>Blue Host – bluehost.com

Just Host

Just Host is known their great technical support, an attribute that goes a long way to inspire confidence, even in a new company like theirs.  They are based in London with a few offices here in the U.S., and I guess they’ve studied on what NOT to do, because they get great ratings and reviews.
>>Just Host – justhost.com

Host Monster

Host Monster is a subsidiary company to Blue Host, because Blue Host got big and wanted to be able to serve more customers.  Host Monster currently supports over 475,000 domains, and they leverage the expertise and best practices of their parent company to provide excellent technical support, customer service, and a slew of great tools and features.
>>Host Monster – hostmonster.com

Super Green Hosting

UK-based, Super Green Hosting is very concerned with the environment, so they only use environmentally-friendly equipment and their office practices practice environmentally responsible behavior.  They only offer one plan, but it  is fine for a small to medium website and they offer incentives along with a fair pricing structure.
>>Super Green – supergreen.com

Host Gator

One of the most popular and widely-used hosting providers, Host Gator hosts over one million domains and houses 5000 servers in their Houston headquarters.  Their technical support is unparalleled, and despite a recent technical problem that caused some outages, their otherwise unblemished record shows that they are plenty reliable.  If you want to go with a great big company that knows its stuff, go with them.
>>Host Gator – hostgator.com

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Best Social Sites

It used to be that in order to meet people and hang out with the people you already know, you went to a club, or a gathering place, or something.  I don’t even know, because I barely remember those times.  They are but a brief blip on my social radar.  Yours too, most likely, because we’ve all been swept up in the World of Social Networking.  Here are some of the sites that will keep you connected with all your in-personal and virtually all virtual friends:

Facebook

Well, duh.  Practically EVERYONE is on Facebook.  That’s why I put it first.  Because it is, technically, first.  I’m not necessarily listing all the others in order of popularity, but I am starting with the big dog, because it’s not like putting it at the end of the post is going to make you salivate with anticipation, right?  So.  Facebook.  It launched in 2004 – starting out as Mark Zuckerberg’s social Harvard experiment.  Now?  It is the most used social networking site.  Usage increased 188% from 2006 to 2007, 87% from 2007 to 2008, 186% from 2008 to 2009, and 38% from 2009 to 2010.   I can’t help but think that the decline in new users is attributed to the fact that EVERYBODY is now on Facebook.  Everybody.
>>Facebook – facebook.com

Bebo

Facebook, meet the site you killed.  Bebo used to be a wildly popular social networking site.  So popular, in fact, that 3 years after its 2005 launch it was bought by AOL for $850 million dollars.  Then, Facebook got more popular, and Bebo lost favor with us fickle social networkers.  AOL, stuck with some serious buyer’s remorse, announced that it would be selling (or shutting down, whichever) around April of 2010.  Along came a hedge fund group called Criterion Capital Partners and the sale was finalized in June of the same year.  The amount they bought it for?  It was not disclosed.  But analysts figure it was less than $10 million.  Sad, huh?  I guess “blog early, blog often” is not as good of a tagline as…what IS Facebook’s tagline, anyway?  What will be the fate of Bebo?
>>Poor Bebo – bebo.com

Zorpia

An article I read called Zorpia.com “the largest social networking site you’ve never heard of.”  It has tons of international users, but to have the “Royal” membership you have to pay.  Which means it’s not as popular as one of the free sites.  One cool fact – the site was founded in 2003 by one Jeffrey Ng, who was a tender 15 years old in 2003 and is now the CEO of the company.  So, he’s a 22-year-old CEO.  That’s pretty neat.
>>Hong-Kong based social networking site – zorpia.com

MySpace

Remember MySpace?  Man, was that popular!  Turns out it still is, to a certain degree.  While the site reached its height of popularity in 2006 after a 2003 launch (ousting Friendster as a favorite for social media-savvy people), it still gets plenty of use.  It’s a great place to find up-and-coming bands, and if you’re feeling creative, it still has the most customizable profiles of any other social networking site.
>>MySpace It Up – myspace.com

Orkut

Yeah, I’d never heard of it either.  Orkut is a social networking site owned by Google and named after the developer who created it.  His first name is Orkut.  I don’t know the keyboard codes to create the characters needed to tell you his last name, but he has a wicked cool personal website that you should look up.  He’s from Turkey.  Orkut, the website, is huge in India (responsible for 20.02% of total users) and huger in Brazil (51.09% of users).  So, if you want to meet people from India or Brazil, I strongly suggest you sign up for Orkut.
>>Huge in India and Brazil – orkut.com

Twitter

Twitter is the 15th most visited website of all the websites on the internet.  The spill-your-guts-in-140-characters-or-less microblogging site was created in 2006 and has grown by leaps and bounds since then.  Wikipedia tells me that the following is true:  in 2007 there were 400,000 recorded tweets per quarter.  In 2008 there were 100 million tweets per quarter.  In 2009 there were 2 BILLION tweets per quarter, and in the first quarter of 2010 there were 4 billion tweets.  Come June, there are a whopping 65 million tweets per day, which comes out to about 750 tweets per second.  Or, TPS.
>>TPS Reports – Twitter.com

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Very Best Free WordPress Themes

Looking for a new free WordPress theme? One of the biggest challenges is it seems there are so many places to look. How can you find the really great ones?
Here are some of the best sites we’ve found that offer great variety and quality WordPress themes. They are also current (recently updated). So no matter what you like to blog about – you’ll be able to find a WordPress theme that appeals to you. Happy blogging!

Best WordPress Themes

Their motto is “sorting the wheat from chaff since 2007.” We aren’t quite sure what “chaff” is, but one thing is for certain: you’ll find some great free WordPress themes here. Great variety and lots of different styles. They have 1, 2, 3- column blogs, magazine style, photo gallery blogs and specialized blogs. Take a look at their Top 10 free blogs to see what others find appealing too. Whether you are looking for a magazine type of blog, something Web 2.0 or a fun personal blog – this site is worth a visit.
Find a WordPress template here http://www.bestwpthemes.com/

WPExplorer

This site offers the best free & premium WordPress themes. At the top you can choose to only search Free Themes if you prefer. Don’t worry, you’ll find lots of variety here. One of our favorites was the Blissful Blog Free WordPress Wedding Theme, ideal for personal wedding photos or a professional wedding photographer. Have patience as there is no way to search other than “Free” or “Premium,” you simply have to go through the themes – but it is worth the search.
Find a WordPress template here http://www.wpexplorer.com/

Themes2WP

One of our favorite things about this site is that it is very well organized. You can search by color and style – something you simply don’t find at quite a few of the other free WordPress theme sites. You can also search by a keyword like “poker” for your WordPress theme to see what comes up. Very helpful and saves you time on searching. Many themes here and all are free WordPress themes.
Find a WordPress template  here http://www.themes2wp.com/

wpsnap

This site has a very fresh and modern look. You’ll find many free WordPress themes here. More than 35 pages of free WordPress themes! There is no category listing or other way to search than to go through the pages. But the large and varied selection makes it worth your while to visit this site and take a look.
Find a WordPress template here http://www.wpsnap.com/

Smashing Magazine – 100 Free High Quality WordPress Themes 2010 Edition

Now this is a site with great free WordPress themes! Smashing Magazine does this special feature every year – listing the best 100 high quality WordPress themes. They’ve done it for at least the past 3 years. You can view the previous years’ themes too. You’ll see some themes you’ve probably seen elsewhere and thought, “Oh that was good!” – but you’ll also see others that you may have never seen before. Check it out and see some unique, free WordPress themes great for that blog.
Find a WordPress theme here http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/08/19/100-free-high-quality-WordPress-themes-for-2010/

WpPedia

At WpPedia you’ll find creative and colorful WordPress themes from around the ‘net. The ones we’ve seen are very graphic and modern. WpPedia says they post new themes every week, a great convenience for anyone looking for a WordPress theme for their blog. With so many great themes out there – they’ve done the searching for you!
Find a WordPress template here http://www.wppedia.com/

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Best Email Sites to Send and Receive Emails

Need to send emails? If you’re like most of us, you send email out daily or perhaps weekly. Today email has become just a part of life. Whether you send out personal or professional email, you want a good email box to keep your email for you.
There are many choices for email sites. We’ve picked out a few of the best for you. Our selection process was practical: email sites had to be easy to use, ideally offering free email and have large storage space. Here are the best email sites we’ve found – so get ready to send and receive emails!

Gmail

This is one of the newer email sites around. When Google burst onto the scene they offered a large email storage of 2GB and today they offer 7+GB of storage! They say you’ll find “less spam and mobile access.” Gmail is considered intuitive and quick to use email.
Visit a great email site here http://mail.google.com

Yahoo Email

Yahoo offers email service that is easy to use and offers large storage space (2GB or more). Many enjoy the fun stationary you can add to your emails. Some of the stationary choices change depending on the seasons and the holidays.
Visit a great email site here at http://www.yahoo.com

About.com Email

Now this is a site to know if you want to learn more about email and email sites! You’ll find tips and techniques for using your email better. A tip featured on the homepage as we visited was “Change Your Gmail Passoword.” Other email sites discussed are Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL.
Visit a great email site here http://email.about.com/

AOL

AOL now offers free email service. This is easy and convenient for everyone. If you’ve liked AOL – and many people do – you’ll probably want an AOL email address. AOL has been one of the biggest names known in the Internet.
Visit a great email site here at http://www.aol.com/

Juno

At Juno you’ll also find free email services offered. Juno sells monthly internet connection too, just like AOL. It’s easy to sign up for a free email address. Their email box has all of the popular features you’d expect including an address book and lots of storage space.
Visit a great email site here at http://webmail.juno.com/

Hushmail

This email site offers free, private and secure email. Your email is encrypted and scanned for viruses and spam. This is a great convenience for anyone sending email. You can upgrade to a Premium account if you wish. Your Hushmail can be used through your mobile phone or PDA.
Visit a great email site here at http://www.hushmail.com/

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