Contents:
1. What's Hot at DCW

• DCW Of The Month

• Dot Com Mommies Contest! * *

• New Column at DCW!

• Floral Decorations

2. Business & Entertainment

• Weekly Contest

• Winners

• Help Wanted* * *

• Let's Talk Business

• Fitness

• Beauty

• Craft Corner

Congratulations to Gloria McDonald of 'Gloria's Design Corner' for being chosen as the 'Dot Com Woman of the month' for July 2003. At the ripe age of 79 she is the oldest Dot Com Women member, yet with an incredible zest for life that has seen her launch a hugely successful home business making and selling customized T Shirts, Tote Bags, Aprons, Greeting Cards and lots more! She took her business online a few months ago and has had an overwhelming response to her website.

How did this incredible woman start a new business at this age and what keeps her going? Know more about the inspiring story of her life at http://www.dotcomwomen.com/dcw.shtml Gloria is also at the forums with us! Meet her at http://www.dotcomwomen.com/forums

The Power of TEA and TOAST
Brand new column - fresh and full of life - from the pen of a talented writer and DCW member - Tracey Smith! Tracey Smith brings you the cup of life with her beauty of words, a zest for life, fresh air from the Countryside...and a cup of Tea! On to the Column - http://www.dotcomwomen.com/tracey.shtml

WEEKLY CONTEST

WINNERS

Shanette of http://www.lexquisite.ca
Jennifer Moore of http://hometown.aol.com/adsfree
Dixie Laures of http://www.honeybearscloset.com

Congratulations!

Here's the question for this week:
Which country is TRACEY SMITH - the DCW columnist for 'The Power of Tea and Toast' from?

The DOT COM MOMMIES contest is Live. And there are prizes worth $1000 to be won! But if you are still not sure if you should enter the contest or not, read on to find out why you should enter contests.

The Contest Queen

There are a few publisher's out there who call me the
"Contest Queen". Why? Because I enter a lot of contests.
You're probably thinking "Yeah, so what?" Let me explain.

Ten years ago I was expecting my third child. I wanted more
than anything to stay home with my children. I searched the
want ads in the newspaper, visited with many District
Attornies and the Better Business Bureau. I'm sure the BBB
was tired of me calling. I was told the same thing across
the board. "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably
is." And of course, "Keep looking, there are legitimate work
from home business opportunities out there, you just have to
FIND them". Sheer determination fueled my fire and desire to
work from home. Eventually, I discovered the Internet. I
found an online "work from home" opportunity and decided to
try it. I was led to classified ad sites. Heck there were
hundreds of these sites and I could use them for free!

A while further down the road, I found Ezines and HEY!, I
could advertise for nothing there too! Oh Happy Days! I
wanted to be able to pay for these solo ads and top sponsor
ads they talked about. But I had no cash flow - none - for
advertising or anything else for that matter. I noticed that
many ezines had contests and the prize was, yep, you guessed
it - Free Ads!

I started entering contests in a number of ezines and I
began to win....a lot.

Now, understand this - utilizing contests for free
advertising is a ton of work. No, seriously, it is. It is
very time consuming, but I can tell your from first hand
experience, it is well worth it. I enter contests Daily and
I am a very active participant in many ezines.

I did a survey of about 40 Publisher's a while back. One of
the subjects I was interested in was contests. What I found
out really surprised me. The majority of the Publisher's
said the same thing about the contests they run. Overall,
only 4 to 5 percent of their subscribers entered the
contests. What does that mean to you? It means that the odds
of winning are GREAT, so you could can be a Contest Queen
too!

Author's Note: Another Excellent reason for entering
contests, is it "brands" your name. The publisher's know who
I am because I always enter their contests. Now I have an
Ezine of my own, but I am still entering contests. I still
don't have an advertising budget, but I am making huge
accomplishments towards my goal of finally being able to
purchase paid advertising. It has taken a long time, but I
am almost there. Besides, good things come to those who
wait:) I am only estimating, because I don't keep track of
my winnings, but I would guess that last year (2002), I
probably won $1000+ worth of free advertising. Now tell me
the contests aren't worth entering:)

************About the Author**************
Lisa A. Reddell is a Free-Lance writer, a domestic
engineer, a busy mother of three, a partner in LOGON's
Galleria of E- Publisher's and Co-op Owners and publishes
the weekly online Ezine, The Left Handed Times. Lisa has
finally started achieving dreams of online success. Visit
Lisa's website at: http://www.lisareddell.com/ OR contact
Lisa at: mailto:lisa@lisareddell.com
Feel free to reprint this article on your web site or in
your newsletter. Please do not edit in anyway and include
the Resource Box. Notification to the author is appreciated.

FITNESS

Start Walking
By Gabrielle Studenmund
Six good reasons to walk for your health!

It's a beautiful sunny day. You wish you were in better shape. And you still can't think of a good reason to start a walking program? Marilyn Bach, Ph.D., author of ShapeWalking, gives you six reasons to get off the couch and let your feet do the walking.

1. It's an easy way to a healthier you. Brisk walking lowers the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes in women, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. So in addition to strengthening your calves, hamstrings, arms (your entire body, really) walking can help prevent disease and illness. The bottom line: It does a body good.
2. You'll stick to it. Experts call it adherence. Others call it dedication. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, people tend to stick to a walking program better on a long-term basis than to other exercise activities. After all, you can do it anywhere -- with no equipment required.
3. It's a no pain, all gain proposition. Your body will thank you for choosing such a stress-free exercise method with low risk of injury. The impact of running on your joints is about three times your body weight, while walking is only about 1.3 times your body weight. "Lower impact means there's less risk that you'll have sore muscles, aching joints and repetitive stress injuries," explains Dr. Bach.
4. Both social butterflies and soul searchers enjoy it. There's no better way to catch up on gossip, brainstorm business plans or mull over an idea with a friend. Instead of meeting for a sit-down lunch, take a stroll. Or if you're in desperate need of some alone time, walking is also a great way to relax, reflect and re-energize after a long day or before the start of a busy one.
5. It's an excuse-proof workout. Walking is cheap and easy. No gym membership or expensive equipment required. Bad weather? Head to a mall -- some cities are extending hours so walkers can stride (and window shop) before stores open.
6. You can walk your way to the Fountain of Youth. A new study from the American Academy of Neurology reports that walking can keep your mind sharp as you age. Researchers tested the cognitive abilities of 5,925 women ages 65 and older, and then tested them again six to eight years later. Their finding: women who walked an average of 18 miles a week had the least cognitive decline. Women who said they walked the least -- just half a mile a week -- showed the greatest decline.

'The Dot Com Woman' Ezine is published by Lata Budhrani, Editor & Contributing Author.

You can send your feedback to feedback@dotcomwomen.com. Send in your short (yes! I mean that!) articles, tips etc. at lata@dotcomwomen.com

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