As our site grows every day we want to share some information with you on the way we are operating the project. We call this section «Business Blog» as it is similar to doing a log book where data is recorded in a chronological order. «Blogging» is gaining popularity with more and more people picking up the habit of publishing their experiences and thoughts on the Internet. Our Blog covers various topics — from TOEFL, TOEIC, MBA, GMAT, ESL/EFL test preperation to cultural traditions and current political events.
There will also be some Internet marketing terminology and if you have any questions regarding the information simply let us know.

The Business Blog is written by Torsten Daerr and edited by Alan Townend.

2003 — December 25
Psychology plays an important role when it comes to business and this holds good for any transaction taking place on the internet, too. Think about the concept of something for nothing. Yes, there are thousands of websites offering «free products» — one of the most popular ones is www.thefreesite.com and if you type in «free English» into Google you will get almost 7 million entries. But have you ever asked yourself why and how someone would give away a product or service for free? Would you want to work for free, for nothing in return? This question doesn't seem to make much sense, yet, every day people from all around the world search for «free TOEFL materials» or «free English exercises». A wise man once said «Most free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it.»

So, the word «free» works like candy — you know it is bad for your teeth but it tastes so good and once you start eating it, you can't stop. You know full well that a professional command of the English language requires an investment from your end but still you go to Google and type in «free TOEIC test». The TOEIC test is developed and administered by ETS, the world's largest private educational testing and measurement organization. Do you expect them to work for free?

2003 — December 19
What do Coca Cola and Google have in common? Well, a lot as a matter of fact. Both enterprises have hold of the lion's share in their particular field. They operate worldwide and you can invest your money in them by buying part of their stock. We could undoubtedly continue this list of factors Coke and Google have in common. Yet, the most important one is that both Coca Cola and Google have been so successful because they both have secret recipes. It is true that a glass of Coca Cola contains an awfully large amount of sugar and chemical ingredients and you'd hardly call it a refreshing drink. Yet, millions of people consume this artificially coloured liquid every day spending loads of money on something that might force them later on to go on a diet. So, where then is the connection with Google here? Clearly, it must be their secret indexing algorithm that has been attracting so called SEO experts ever since it came into being. It goes without saying that I'm very interested in Google's technology too because it enables me to read other people's minds….

2003 — December 17
An important event happened last week: our NetLog passed the 100 entry mark — almost 4 months after we started it on August 15, 2003. It has given me the opportunity to gather and exchange ideas on how to promote our site and what kind of contents to add. Alan has been tirelessly editing every single text and has been excellent training for my writing skills. As 2004 approaches I'm thinking of what the english-test.net NetLog will be like next year and I can see some definite potential because we have been able to attract a substantial number of visitors from many countries through this electronic diary,more and more of whom are now reading every single NetLog entry. This means I will have to step up my efforts in order to keep the diary attractive and informative. One major factor is a constant supply of fresh ideas and now I have found a new resource: the visitors and users of english-test.net

I'll show you how to tap into this new idea stream soon…

2003 — December 15
Google has now indexed our English test download pages. You can get all the English tests for use offline as well as a printable PDF version of the tests. When you go to Google and type in the search terms «download English test» or «download English tests», you will find the english-test.net download pages within the top search results. As you can see we are offering 10 printable tests for free. At the same time you can purchase the remaining 170+ tests at a very reasonable price. The printable tests are a powerful tool for students of English as well as English language trainers because it saves the latter a lot of time they would otherwise have to spend on preparing their lessons. For students the printable English tests are very practical as you can select a number of tests, print them off, take them with you to school or work or even when you visit friends. I've seen so many people doing cross words — why not take a multiple choice English test with you instead? Try them out for a certain length of time and you will see how soon your English grammar skills improve…