Are You Backing Up Your Biggest Asset?

By Author: Alexandria K. Brown
Total Articles: 14
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Have you ever accidentally lost an important file on your computer? Perhaps your computer crashed (again) or your cat sauntered over a dooming sequence of keys. Remember that little
pang in your stomach you felt when you realized that file was gone for good?

OK, now imagine losing your entire e-zine subscriber list. Did that pang just get a bit more intense? (Ouch!)

"Master List Builder" Joel Christopher asked several Internet marketing gurus the question, "If your office was burning down and you could save one thing, what would it be?"

The unanimous answer among all of them was, "my list "!

Your list is your goldmine. It's your pool of warm prospects and clients with whom you've taken months to build a level of credibility and trust. They're your ticket to a steady stream of income.

It can take years to build a large collection of opt-in subscribers. But they can disappear in a flash if they're not protected.

So, are YOU backing up your list on a regular basis? (Be honest!) If not, let's get you started today.



Even if you host ...
... your list online with a listserve (such as Topica) or an autoresponder service (such as GetResponse) that should make their own secure backups, you should still make your own backup copy on a regular basis! Just download or "export" a
copy of your list each week for safekeeping. It should be pretty
easy to do. This procedure varies depending on what program you use, so see its help files or contact their support center for assistance.

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Southern California is known for its frequent power outages, and they were wreaking havoc on my computer. So I purchased a battery backup unit. (I chose APC's 650 model.) It's about the size of a breadbox and keeps my computer going for another hour or so in the event of a power outage. This gives me ample time to back up any files I'm working on and shut down my computer properly. It also functions as a surge-protector to keep my computer safe from electric surges. You can buy units like these at any large office supply store, and they range in price from $100 to $500.