Student Resource – eCampus

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by eCampus, I have received compensation for this post. That will be all, continue to read. -Greg

At Appalachian State, we have a great resource that not many other campuses have. Most universities require a student to buy their textbooks, whether from Amazon, second hand, or any cheap way they can get their hands on. We all know that us a students are probably the most thrifty when it comes to money. We sacrifice good beer with cheap beer, good soup with Ramen noodles, the list is endless really.

While options exist, like Craigslist or re-selling on Amazon or eBay to make your money back for the hundreds you dump on textbooks every semester, eCampus offers a unique solution. Textbook rentals from online. As one of the only services that does this you’re saving money at the beginning of the semester which gives you a better deal at the end of the semester when you’re really strapped for cash.

Lets thing about this logically, over at Amazon, the textbook Sociology in Our Times is on sale (New) at $95.97, the used book price is around $70-$75. The same textbook over at eCampus is, $62.10 for the full semester (130 days), Free Shipping and Free Return. So, even if you buy from Amazon and re-sell at the average used book price, you’re saving around $10/per book, that’s a couple runs to CookOut after a night out (If you’re from NC, or any place with a CookOut you know what I’m talkin’ about).

How it Works

eCampus revolves around their plan of the 4 R’s.

• Rent
• Receive
• Read
• Return

Simple plan, simple solution is the way I see it. You find the book(s) that you need, you order them, pay, use them, when your rental time is up, you log in to their book return, and print out your return ticket for UPS (you’re up to package it though. I feel like I should add more to this process, but that’s it…really.

Besides just renting textbooks eCampus offers the opportunity to buy textbooks as well as college apparel or DVDs & Blu-ray.

Have you used eCampus? What was your take? Would you use this? Leave a comment, let me know!

Image by Anonymous9000

How I Made Page 1 of Google

My friend asked me once a while back, how did I manage my SEO strategy in order to rank high, and basically dominate the first page of Google results for “Greg de Lima”?

Quite simply, it all boils down to patience.

I have never really managed my self in a way of SEO to intentionally try to become the lead results of my own search results. When I began my blog in Early 2008, I couldn’t have told you what Search Engine Optimization was. But now, with a little bit of understanding and a couple of WordPress plugins achieving and maintaining the results is just a matter or patience.

Here are my tips:

• Keep consistent – The name you use in one place should be the name you use everywhere else. I branded myself since the beginning as Greg de Lima (@gregdelima, Facebook.com/gregdelima, gregdelima.posterous.com, gregdelima.tumblr.com etc.) If you change it, make sure you change them all, unless you want a different association with each.
• Post Often – If you are not keeping updated or posting something at least once every two weeks (I have found) can lead to lower results, or less accurate results. Keeping fresh news coming from your consistent names gives search engines something to keep posted.
• All-in-One SEO Pack – Get it. Use it, considering you’re running on WordPress. Download here.
• Link Out/Link In – If you mention external sources, link to it. Whether these posts are within your own blog, someone else’s, a news article, etc. Hit up a small link, and make sure the link title reflects what it is. Ex; Greg de Lima on Twitter (@gregdelima) the html should look something like this:<a title=”Twitter – Greg de Lima” href=”http//twitter.com/gregdelima>@gregdelima</a>
• Be Patient – Rome wasn’t built in a day.

From a students point of view, especially for young entrepreneurs, this will definitely help with new and upcoming personal brands. Getting yourself known and building up your network never hurt anyone!

Downside – don’t do anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see. You get one bad rep on your name, and it will definitely hurt your reputation.

Disagree? Extra tips? Leave a comment!