Buying A New Computer 101: The Basics

Ok if your reading this I'm going to asume that you already have a computer but lets face it, in todays computing enviroment the power (speed) of computers doubles about every 18 months. We like to joke that when you get a new computer its obsolete before you can get it out of the box.

You have completed the first step, deciding that you need a new computer, now we must make a vital decision before any others can be made. Do you want a Macintosh or a Windows based computer? In the past Macintosh computers could only run the Macintosh operating system, however with the release fo the Intel chipsets in the new Mac Pro line users can now run either windows or Mac OS X. The basic advantages to buying a mac are: more stable operating system (aka it doesn't crash as often), for all practical pourposes they do not get viruses, adware or spyware, the tech support is very good, you can run Windows XP or Mac OS X and the operating system is very easy to use. Now the advantages of owning a Windows based computer are: cheaper, to be honest this is the honly advantage that I can think of and the main reason they are cheaper is usually because inferior components where used.

I own several computers, two Macs and a PC. I love the macs they are a joy to work with, they never break and I never have to defrag the hard drvie or run a virus scan. The PC I use because I like to play games. It is constantly breaking down adn having problems. It really comes down to this, if you want to play games and you cant instal Windows XP on your mac then buy a PC if you cann install windows on your mac buy a mac. Macs use higher quality components and are more reliable!

My name is Ian I am running several websites right now including:Berri Blog75189
Cacilia Blog91052

Another Unpopular Adsense Tips

As you know that I will publish an article weekly on how to get revenue from yourget revenue from adsense website using Adsense, take this note carefully. You can download them for your personal use or copy it into your website. Just dont forget to include my website link there (www.tech-scope.com). Its a fair share isnt it?

For this week, I will tell you some secret that Webmasters seldom share with others.
The important factor of achivieng good result using Adsense is by choosing to make a website with niche content. You can make a fansite for a famous people such as Maria Sharapova or Paris Hilton. Just remember that you have to get your own domain name and web hosting so that your competitor cant easily wipe you out. A good webhosting and domain name provider is Dreamhost.

A good way to find a niche content is by using this method below:

1. First, open this website: http://www.search.rightnow4you.com

2. Type your website keyword (as example maria sharapova) in the top page.

3. Click Research now.

4. Look at the left part, there are keywords and search result for every keyword for last month.

271504 maria sharapova
78603 maria sharapova picture
40394 maria sharapova hot
17515 maria sharapova photo
6516 maria sharapova nude
6338 maria sharapova hot photo
6021 hot maria picture sharapova shot
5622 hot maria sharapova picture
4691 maria sharapova hot pic
2945 maria sharapova modeling picture
2916 maria sharapova naked
2564 maria sharapova pic
2334 maria sharapova wallpaper
1519 sexy maria sharapova
1312 maria sharapova gallery
840 maria sharapova camel toe
799 maria sharapova upskirt

From this result, we know that Maria Sharapova keyword is not niche. You should use a niche keyword such as Maria Sharapova gallery so that you will get ranked easily by Google and the other search engine.

By using keyword in your domain such as www.mariasharapovafan.com or www.mariasharapovawallpaper.com, this will also help your website to get ranked high by the search engines. Make sure that you include more articles about her very week and her news so that your site will looked updated and fresh with new content. To make your site SEO-friendly, go to our webmaster section to learn more about that. This is essential part in marketing a website and you cant avoid that.

Use inventory tools to find out what internet surfers like to find in the internet. Another tips is improve your website loading time. From research, 32.7% which is web browsing is the most frustrating experience with computers.

Well, after youre satisfied with your website content and its performance, now its the time to submit your website to all website directory so that you will get a good page rank. What is a page rank? A page rank is the tool to determine your link popularity by Google. A website with page rank more than five is often recognized as a succesful website which has a lot of other websites linking to them. Advertiser will use their site to advertise their program. Thus, the webmaster will get some money. But, to achieve a good page rank, there are still other things that you need to do. They are,

1. Exchange link with a good PR (4-10) sites with relevant content with yours.

2. Advertise it using forums and e-mails signature, the more visitors you get, the more popular your website is.

3. Pray to God (so that you will get His blessing, haha!)

Now, thats about a page rank. Its not a big secret though. The most important thing that I want to tell you actually is there is no shortcut ways to achieve profit with Adsense. Wait for several months by filling your website with lots of articles, and your site will grow itself. Create a website with interest. Do not create a website only to gain money from it. m. Otherwise, you will stop doing it half-way when youre disappointed.

Muhamad Fuad is a full-time technology blogger who has a lot of interest to information technology. With the past-pace growing technology world, he is willing to learn new things everyday to be shared with his blog readers. Go to his blog now to see the latest thing that he discovered.Aliza Blog30325
Augustina Blog83130

Carry This Cell Phone For Your Safety

Chances are, you are in one of two groups when it comes to where you stand on cell phone use. You're either the person that never leaves home without it, loves the ability to stay in touch with everyone from your lawn guy to your spouse at the touch of a button, and just can't imagine how you lived before the invention of these nifty little gadgets. Or, you're on the other side of the equation. You're the person that got along fine for years without such a thing, are quite happy to not have someone call you just to say hi when you're enjoying a peaceful walk in the woods, and the one fuming in the Starbucks line while the person ahead of you tells the server to hang on while they continue chatting inanely away.

Regardless of your particular view of the cell phone, they have a function that you may never have thought of. They can be a deterrent to a potential mugger or attacker! You may be thinking, well that's just not true... someone will see you on your phone and think you're distracted and that you're a perfect target. Well, think about it. If a potential attacker is sizing you up, and you appear to be on the phone, it's unlikely you'll be chosen. The person on the other end of that phone can hang up and call 911. That person is likely to know exactly where you are, and you could be giving them a description of every person you see. That potential predator is most likely going to move on to someone who is more alone.

Do you know there is a perfect item out there for people on both sides of the cell phone fence? It's a fake cell phone, loaded with 180,000 volts and a 130 decibal alarm. The sheer ear-piercing volume is usually enough to get that attacker hauling some serious ass in the other direction. But, if they're foolish enough to think you're still a viable target? Zap 'em with that voltage and run for help while he writhes helplessly on the ground in a puddle of his own urine!

So, if you carry a cell phone, keep this extra one handy, particularly if you are alone. And for those of you who have managed to avoid this little bit of technology? Loosen up a little and carry one that lets you keep your peace and quiet without an annoying phonecall, but can save you from a potentially deadly situation.

Kelly MoranBelita Blog30091
Alexia Blog95951

Raleigh Schools Can You Hear Me Now?

Raleigh Schools have been trying all sorts of initiatives and programs to bring the district up to No Child Left Behind requirements. Charter caps, the achievement gap and school choices are all hotly debated as Raleigh Schools look for roads toward improvement. But until now, no one had asked, Can you hear me now?

Well, that tagline belongs to Verizon. But its QUALCOMM Incorporated and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction who have teamed up to create Project K-nect. Students in Raleigh Schools, and the rest of North Carolina, may be eligible for a mobile education pilot project this coming school year. QUALCOMM, a lead developer of wireless technologies, will provide high school students with Smartphones that will be used to deliver educational information. The Smartphones program is part of a $1 million grant provided by QUALCOMMs Wireless Reach Initiative.

Project K-nect has three goals:

1. To increase state assessment scores and classroom performance in math
2. To better engage children who struggle with math
3. To narrow the digital gap by providing supplemental learning opportunities through the use of the mobile Smartphone.

QUALCOMM will provide the Smartphones free of charge to selected ninth graders in Raleigh Schools and other North Carolina Districts. To be eligible students in Raleigh Schools must have below average math grades, qualify for free or reduced lunch, and have limited home access to the internet. Safeguards are in place to ensure that approved participants and teachers only use the phones. Student from Raleigh Schools may complete a grant application for one of the 250 openings.

Administrators of Raleigh Schools are hopeful that the added tutoring that will be available to the students through their phones will help some at-risk students achieve higher math grades and test scores. Corporate sponsors like QUALCOMM, Microsoft and the Carnegie Fund, are showing up in public school initiatives across the nation. While districts like the Raleigh Schools are strapped for funds to meet classroom ratios and provide needed remedial help to at-risk students, deep-pocketed corporations are showing more commitment to education than ever before.

The Raleigh Schools also elicit school choice through publicly funded, but privately run charter schools; as another way to help bridge the achievement gap between minority and white students. But the failure of some charters to prove their success, along with the North Carolina charter cap, means that option is limited for students in Raleigh Schools. There is also complaint that the charters of Raleigh Schools dont achieve a reasonable racial balance. Struggles like this are why Raleigh Schools gratefully accept corporate sponsors, and have high hope for the outcomes of initiatives like Project K-nect.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/North-Carolina/Raleigh/index.htmlCele Blog3180
Blondell Blog2012

Traveling in a Digital Age - Portable Solar Power?

I can still remember the analogue days of travel, when I backpacked through Europe and Asia with no more electronics than a couple of Double-A batteries (at best). I only needed them if I wanted to use the flash on my camera. That was less than fifteen years ago.

Now I don't even go to the zoo without my laptop and my digital camera. When the battery runs out, it's time for coffee. And then I make sure I sit near a power outlet in the nearest cafe.

But what do you do when there are no power outlets? If you are kayaking in the middle of the Atlantic, climbing Mount Everest, or just on a local camping trip in the wilderness, what do you do when the batteries run out?

Some say "just bring extra batteries." That might work.

But what if you have several different electronic items, and you don't want to buy spare batteries for each of them? What if you'll be away from civilization for an extended period of time, and the spare batteries just won't last?

A solution for this can be portable solar power. Devices exist which will charge your electronic equipment, using the power of the sun.

Not all portable solar power devices are the same. Some provide enough power to charge a laptop, some can be used for smaller devices such as cameras, and some can only be used for devices that use very little electricity - like MP3 players.

The amount of power that a solar device provides depends mostly on the size of the device. Bigger solar panels generally provide more power. Other factors influence the amount of electricity produced by a solar power device. These factors include the strength of the sun, the length of exposure to the sun, the obstruction to sun (mist, cloud cover, dust, etc.), and the location of the equipment on the Earth.

Different solar power devices provide different amounts of power, and are therefore compatible with different types of equipment.

Portable Solar Power devices also exist in a variety of forms. Some are light and flexible, while some are contained in durable units that look like a small suitcase or radio. There are waterproof varieties, as well as solar panels built into bags and backpacks.

When you are away for a few days, extra batteries may suffice to keep your camera or phone going. But if you will be away from civilization for weeks? Or even months? Ironically, escaping from the modern world can also involve modern solutions. Far and alone on the Patagonian plains, with nothing but the wind and the horses to keep you company, you may feel like you're living six centuries into the past. But that doesn't mean you will never want to access your email or take a photograph.

So don't cancel that 45-day mountain trek. And don't leave your digital camera behind.

We don't all have to be tethered to the power lines.

Anna Stone is an educator and a student in photography. She has traveled through the Americas, Europe, and Asia, using various means of transport including horseback, hitchhiking, bicycle, mulecart, train, bus, and foot. Her website, http://www.findportablesolarpower.com, helps photographers and travelers find devices to run their equipment when they are away from ordinary power supplies.Barbe Blog24444
Anna Diane Blog72502

Want A Stress Fee Life? Go For Debt Consolidation

People who have got themselves into the vicious cycle of multiple debts need to consider the option of debt consolidation. Debt consolidation comprises of merging all your pending loans into a single loan, and you now make a single payment to a single debt consolidation loan lender. This relieves you of the stress of dealing with multiple creditors and their multiple debts, which at times become unmanageable. Exercising this option also stops the harassment of receiving collection calls.

It does not matter the type of debts you carry your wedding loans, education, loans, car or credit card debts, and even your utility and other personal bills. These are all consolidated into a single loan for you to manage your debts easily.

As you keep on falling back on your monthly payments, it starts to affect your credit rating negatively, raising your stress levels. This has no affect on your ability to obtain debt consolidation loans. These are also available for those with bad debts. You are considered a bad debt if you have been defaulting on your payments regularly, are slow on your payments, carry huge arrears on your loans, or are thinking of filing for bankruptcy.

You can learn about debt consolidation from many online sites, or from debt consolidation agencies. Your understanding of your problems, and following the advice of professionals, will help you make a better use of your income, and reduce your debts. Other than state and federal agencies, you can seek counsel from the many private financial agencies dealing in debt consolidation.

Debt consolidation loans also include home equity loans and home refinancing. The advantage of such loans is that they are low interest loans, very much lower than the rates of interest being charged on your multiple debts. Ensure that you make your monthly payments in time as you will be risking your home.

Once you opt for debt consolidation, you are on your way to a stress free life.

Gibran Selman takes care of http://debtconsolidationcenter.net a website dedicated to gather information, on and off the internet, about debt consolidation and other related subjects.Amalie Blog67704
Carla Blog52421

Finding Remodelers with Integrity

There are many remodeling contractors in the world and, amazingly enough, they are not all quality. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find someone you can trust. The Better Business Bureau has listed remodeling as the #1 most searched industry and the #3 most complained about industry in the United States. So, how do you find the remodeler that will give you the most for your money? Answer: carefully.

One great place to start is to contact your insurance company. Big insurance companies have a few remodelers to whom they refer their claims. In order to be a part of this organization they have to pass multiple screenings and present themselves before a board of professionals. The insurance companies do not usually know these guys personally, but at least it is a good start. Typically, the contractors are at least ligitimate and can be found at a physical location.

Many people search the internet and fill out forms on referral websites. There are many referral companies out there, but I do not suggest seeking a remodeler, from what I call, a "contractor farm". It may seem like a good idea to "get free estimates from at least 4 remodelers", but the truth is that it opens a door for problems. The referral company is the only ones that have no risk. They will sell the lead that comes to their website to multiple contractors and then the bid war begins. The term "All's fair in love and war" applies to this method. Try to remember any horror stories you have heard about remodeling and see if this method would prevent or facilitate it. Most referral companies do not know any of their contractors personally. They have never met them face to face and have no plans to meet them. They have lost nothing if the remodeler doesn't get the job or if the homeowner hired a less than quality remodeler.

The best way to find a remodeler is to have a third party who has experience with the remodelers. If you know someone who has an understanding of what is required for the project and knows people in the industry that have great reputations, then I would solicit their help. Most people do not have a clue on what a good remodeler is supposed to look like or skills they need to possess. That is why many people are sold a bill of goods and end up being unhappy with the finished product. This is the safest way to hire a remodeler, but most of us do not have friends in the industry.

I would suggest finding someone in a related industry that you already know has a good reputation. For instance, if you have an air conditioning company that you have used for years and they have been extremely good, then you may ask them if they know a good remodeler. Most subcontractors that have good reputations will not risk their reputation by referring someone they wouldn't trust themselves. Believe me, it is worth going through the process to find someone you can trust. However, don't just take their word for it. Take the time to meet with the referred contractor and ask as many questions as you would like. If you feel rushed or you feel he is avoiding your questions, then move on quickly. You do not want to work with someone who does not communicate well.

There are no guarantees, but if you will take the time to truly seek out a professional, there is a good chance that you will be happy in the end.

John Hill is the owner of http://www.dfwremodelers.com, a free service designed to find high quality remodelers in the Dallas / Fort Worth area.Betsey Blog64210
Belle Blog38876

Virginia Schools Focus On The Needs Of Families

Virginia Schools are not alone in meeting the challenges of rising standards and inadequate funding. Efforts to update the states Standards of Learning (SOL) have been on-going since the late 1990s; long before the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act was implemented. What Virginia Schools have discovered is that there is not a one size fits all solution to education reform.

A 2007 Center on Education Policy report confirmed this belief when it said that the most successfully reformed schools analyzed data and made targeted and specific reforms. Different districts in the Virginia Schools are looking for the best ways to meet the needs of their students. The Virginia Beach City Public Schools is a great example. Due to its large military population, this corner of Virginia Schools has challenges with families on the move, absent parents and single parents. Several Virginia Schools are utilizing this information to make improvements.

Troop Tube: Operation Graduation is one way that the Virginia Schools are trying to help meet the needs of their families. The local cable company, Cox Communications, has donated the equipment to transmit 11 Virginia Schools High School Graduations over the internet. Military family members, or distanced love ones, can view the graduation on the district website at http://www.vbschools.com

According to Virginia Beaches School Superintendent Dr. James G. Merrill, Nearly 24 percent of our students are connected to the military. Its critical that we find innovative ways to meet their needs. By the very nature of their jobs and commitment to our country, these military families are often separated for holidays and important family occasions. This initiative is just one way to help them stay connected.

Another concern of these Virginia Schools is the large number of single parents. Virginia Schools and the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) have teamed up to provide support and information to help engage single parents in their childs education. There are over 12.3 million single parents in the United States. Virginia Schools and the Virginia Beach District offers workshops aimed at helping single-family parents overcome obstacles to their childs education.

Many studies have found correlations between low income, single parent households, minority status, and low academic achievement. Virginia Schools have identified the education and support of parents of at-risk learners as a key step to improving that achievement gap. The NNPS has provided Virginia Schools with a six-tiered program outlining the keys to successful community and parent involvement. The six keys are: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with community. Virginia Schools are hopeful that increased and meaningful parent involvement combined with support for high academic standards will help increase student achievement.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/Virginia/Beverlie Blog83065
Bernete Blog15026

Is a Walk-In Shower in Your Future?

If a man could simply drop his shorts and walk in to a shower, would he be inclined to take one more often? Perhaps he would if he could see something tantalizing waiting for him on the other side. And what about a woman? Could a glass enclosed, high-tech shower help wash away the stresses of her day? Could it perhaps even make her a bit more risqu?

These are compelling questions and one way to find out the answers is to install a walk-in shower and see what happens. Walk-in showers are THE latest trend in bathroom decorating. Theyre sleek, contemporary, and practically maintenance-free and right now theyre more affordable than ever.

When it comes to the bathroom, too many people take this room for granted. As long as the bathroom is functional and houses the essentials, most wont give this part of the home much thought. And thats a mistake. Go take a look at your bathroom. Are you happy with what you see? Is it soothing and relaxing? If its appearance is somewhat sterile or worse, if its seriously outdated, its time to turn your attention in that direction. Its time you give that room a makeover.

Need even more reasons to take the plunge, so to speak? Here are not one but six compelling reasons why Brits are falling in love with the walk-in shower.

Walk-in showers lend an air of luxury to the morning routine.

And luxury is what todays bathroom is all about. No longer is the bath being thought of as simply the place to take care of routine, mundane business. Its now THE place to go for pampering. With a walk-in shower as the centerpiece of the bath, itll be easier than ever to find coordinating fixtures no matter what your decorating style. You can accessorise to your hearts content with stainless steel, brushed nickel, silver or chrome taps, wall-mounted mirrors, luxuriously absorbent towels, aromatherapy candles and more. Youre in total charge of creating the type of escape you long for; one thats functional but best of all, one thats reminiscent of the 5-star accommodations at your favorite holiday hide-away.

Walk-in showers allow room for showering with a mate.

Take a moment to let your mind wander here and just imagine the possibilities. Go ahead, be adventurous. What a great way to break out of the bedroom rut and add a bit of excitement to your life! And if those kinds of thoughts are too much for your innocent mind, just think about the water youll conserve when showering together. Youll be doing your part for the environment while at the same time you can be setting the stage for lots of exciting things to come.

Walk-in showers raise the resale value of your home.

When it comes to a homes value, youll almost always get the maximum return on your investment when you update the kitchen and the bathroom. A frameless, clear-glass walk-in shower will instantly update the look of any bathroom, no matter how old. Walk-in showers create a more spacious environment, which is a terrific benefit especially when space is already limited. This popular look is trendy yet timeless meaning you wont have to worry about the money you invest the walk-in shower you install today will look good even 10 years from now!

Walk-in showers are easier to clean.

You wont have to spend another moment inhaling harsh chemicals while laboriously attempting to remove built-up mold and mildew from shower curtains and doors. Simply wipe down the glass when youre finished and youre done. Youre busy enough already so anything that helps cut cleaning time is a blessing. Youll likely be even more inclined to keep the walk-in shower area clean so that youre assured a crystal-clear view of whats waiting for you on the other side.

Walk-in showers are easier for the old and young to use.

When you install a wet floor shower, you wont have to step over any raised edges to get inside which greatly increases mobility. The safety aspect alone is the deciding factor for many. The addition of a seat and a flexible hose with hand-held showerhead means that showering will no longer be an unbearable task. Children love walk-in showers, too. And guess what? The more they enjoy taking a shower, the more inclined theyll be to do it!

Walk-in showers are easy to retrofit into an existing bath area.

Installation is possible (and not that difficult) even on out of true walls. Walk-in showers can be installed in any recessed area or in any corner. With easy-to-follow instructions included with every walk-in shower, do-it-yourselfers can handle most installations without hiring a contractor. You likely wont need to hire a plumber, either!

So there you have it several reasons why you should consider installing a walk-in shower. Youll benefit, your home will benefit and quite possibly, your love life might benefit, too!

Ray Dobson is managing director of http://www.wdbathrooms.co.uk UK Bathroom and Shower specialists. For more information on a wide range of walk in showers visit. - http://www.wdbathrooms.co.uk/acatalog/Walk_In_Showers.html.Cathrine Blog81780
Cathlene Blog89703

How to Get Started or Re-started in Your Mortgage Business

How to Get Started or Re-started in Your Mortgage Business

Whether you're new to the mortgage business or been sitting on the sidelines for a while, this is a great time to get involved and jump-start your mortgage business.

The U.S. housing market is still encouragingly active...thirty year interest rates although fluctuating are still below 7.00%...home equity interest rates have risen enough to force many folks to refinance and eliminate the higher rate line of credit...and, over 21 trillion dollars in adjustable-rate mortgages are ripe for conversion in the months ahead, to other mortgage products.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Make a list. Yes...you need to make a list of everyone you know. You've heard this before...the moneys in the list...and it's absolutely true. Make sure that you have their address, phone number, and email address if possible, plus and any other information you may have about them.

2. Send a personal letter to each of them. Tell them that you are now in the mortgage business and you are ready to help them any way that you can. Automate your list on your computer to make this function as easy as possible.

3. Follow-up a few days later with a phone call. Re-introduce yourself and your business. Ask if they have any questions about credit and/or mortgages. Ask questions that help you fill-in the blanks and take lots of notes. Offer your private number (cell phone number) in case they have any questions.

4. Send a hand written "Thank You" note expressing your gratitude for the time they spent with you and the information they provided. Very few people use "Thank You" cards today...you'll be remembered for using them.

5. Send holiday cards, birthday cards, postcards, articles and informative industry information each and every month there after. You'll eventually be accepted as an expert and trusted advisor, because of the valuable information that you continue to provide.

6. Never stop building your list. Set a personal goal of adding new contacts each day and then follow the same steps for each addition to your list.

This is the beginning of your database and your new mortgage business. Maintain your list, up-date it, and continually add to it. Handled correctly your database will result in mortgage referrals every month. The larger your database, the more referrals you'll receive.

By effectively using your database, maintaining an exceptional service level, and keeping your name in the forefront of your contacts mind...you have a great chance of generating business right away.

Tom Domin is the author of "Tom's Mortgage Tips" a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter that is geared for Mortgage Professionals. You can sign-up by visiting http://www.mortgagemarketingtoolkit.com/.Bee Blog31770
Anna Maria Blog20405

A Little Inspiration For You

Its about half way through the year or pretty close, at least. How are you doing in your business?

In the years Ive been building and marketing my business, Ive seen other entrepreneurs come and go. I truly hope the best for each one and its always sad when you hear about a great business idea from an excited entrepreneur one month, only to check in with them a few months later and hear that theyve had to move on to something else because their business did not do as well as they had hoped.

In every business there will be good times and hardships and I dont think anyone goes into business with the idea that its otherwise.

There are times when the stresses of the business can become so overwhelming, or the responsibilities of the business can become so mundane, that you think to yourself, it would be so much easier to pack it in and get a real job. I have those days too and I find they often happen around the middle of the year. People always joke that Wednesday is hump day because its the middle of the week the hump and therefore the hardest day to get through. When you own a business and it has its annual ups and downs, I think it can be more like hump month which is June.

So this article is about giving you inspiration and ideas to get through those times when you wonder why youre doing it all.

I want to provide a great future for my children. My parents worked hard to see that I could have the opportunities I had. They sacrificed for me. Where did they learn that from? Their own parents, who immigrated to the US, gave up so much for them. Their parents my grandparents left behind a successful, prosperous life in Europe to move to the US in search of a dream.

Some like to call it the American Dream. I like to think that they had a dream that was much more individualized than that. They came here with very little except a positive attitude and high hopes for their unborn children. They did enjoy financial stability in their golden years but spent decades working to achieve it. My parents grew up in that financially stable environment and sacrificed some of their dreams so I could have opportunities, too.

And now Im doing the same. By my computer I keep a picture of each of my children and I look at them all the time. Yes, I look at them because they are little darlings, but also because they are so precious to me that I am willing to put up with the occasional hardships and make the sacrifices I can to help them have opportunities when they grow up.

I could take my income and spend my time in the Caribbean on regular, extended holidays. I sell it all and go on cruises around the world or little weekend adventures here or there. Instead, I show up nearly every day to my work (which I love, by the way!) and as I turn on my computer I look at my kids and remember why Im here.

To be honest, I have an amazing job and very rarely find myself not enjoying every moment of it. But Im also realistic enough to recognize that we all do have hardships sometimes and we need to keep the bigger picture in mind to help us get through those days.

What can you do to help keep you motivated to succeed through thick and thin?

Copyright 2006 Diane Hughes

Diane HughesBunnie Blog54485
Alexis Blog8306

California Schools Educators Retirement System And Lionstone Group Create Investment Fund

The California State Teachers Retirement System (CSTRS) is the second largest public pension fund in the nation, providing retirement, disability and survivor benefits to California schools educators. Over 776,000 kindergarten through community college educators are members of the CSTRS, which currently has an investment portfolio of $142 billion.

Keeping quality educators in the California schools is of primary concern to everyone in the state. Without well-educated California schools youth, the city, businesses and economy of the state will suffer. Thus, when Lionstone Group, a research-based real estate investment firm, announced last month they and CSTRS had formed a discretionary $100 million real estate investment fund, the news was well received by everyone. As with any organization, good benefits will attract and keep quality educators in the California schools.

What makes the announcement so exciting is Lionstones track record with another fund it created with the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund (OPERF). Called the Cash Flow Office One, the fund has consistently exceeded expectations since its inception in December 2002. At that time, OPERF committed $75 million to the fund, expecting Lionstone to invest the capital within 24 months. Lionstone invested over 80 percent of OPERFs capital within 12 months with excellent returns. OPERF expanded its funding commitment in 2004 and now has over $200 million of equity and owns 20 office buildings around the country that are valued at $550 million.

Like OPERFs fund, the California schools educators fund, known as the Cash Flow Office Two, will target high occupancy office buildings in permanent locations across the United States.

CSTRS has committed $100 million to the fund, which can grow to over $500 million over time. Lionstone contributes one percent of the funds total equity. With the combined equity added to debt of up to 50 percent loan-to-value (LTV), the total buying power of the fund is approximately $1 billion.

The Lionstone Group was formed in 2001. It creates national investment strategies using primary research. Dedicated teams execute each investment strategy, including the fund for the California schools educators. Before creating the fund with the California schools educators retirement system, Lionstone refined their investment process to target locations that produce buildings with lower risk factors, according to Lionstone Principal Dan Dubrowski.

The California schools CSTRS Portfolio Manager Michael Thompson stated that the Lionstone management team over the Cash Flow Office Two fund is very entrepreneurial. He added that their skill set will enable CSTRS to continue to grow their core real estate portfolio.

This news gives all California schools educators hope for a better future, knowing they have an excellent resource during their tenure with the California schools and in retirement.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information on California schools visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/California/index.htmlCam Blog86805
Anissa Blog39980

Getting The Best Deal On Cheap Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance

If you want the best deal on cheap mortgage payment protection insurance then without a doubt the only way to go is by purchasing shopping around and getting the cover independently from a specialist provider. A specialist provider can not only help you to make substantial savings when it comes to the premiums charged for the policy, but will also be able to ensure you get the policy most suited for your needs and, if they are reputable, should provide free advice.

When looking for a policy, never be tempted to take what the high street lenders and banks offer you when you take out your mortgage without first doing a bit of research. The cover doesnt have to be taken alongside your mortgage regardless of the pressure techniques the lender might use to persuade you it does. While its true some lenders will insist that you do take out cover to protect the loan, you can choose where to buy the cover from. High street lenders in the majority simply dont have the experience needed when it comes to selling mortgage payment protection and, as recent finings from the Financial Services Authority have proved, sales techniques are very poor. This has led to wide spread mis-selling of policies and has left many unfortunate people not being able to make a claim on their policy when needed.

All policies will have exclusions and these are often hidden in the small print and these are what you should be aware of when it comes to taking out the policy. A mortgage payment protection policy is taken out to ensure that if you should come out of work through an accident, prolonged sickness or unforeseen unemployment then the cover will provide a tax-free monthly income which means you can still pay the mortgage. However there are certain illnesses which are excluded and medical conditions that you have at the time of taking out the policy will normally be excluded, this is why its important that you check the small print of a policy.

When it comes to getting the best deal on a mortgage payment protection insurance policy then you simply have to go independently to a specialist for it, this is probably the only way to get a quality product while making savings on your premium.

Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance (http://www.britishinsurance.com), a specialist provider of low cost income payment protection insurance (PPI), mortgage payment protection insurance (MPPI) and loan payment protection insurance.Bambi Blog77126
Arlena Blog23163

How To Use Public Domain Works For Profit

If you are new to marketing online, there are a lot of things you will know in the long run.

But if you are already an experienced specialist, for sure, you are aware that increasing traffic to your website is not an easy job.

You are almost certain that you already know that the search engines are the best and only free way to get additional targeted visitors coming to your website.

This simply means your website needs to have quite a few pages of related content.

The more unique your content is, the more improved your site will be because the principal search engine in the world, which is Google, is the source of the biggest percentage of all search engine traffic and uniqueness is one of the standards they use when taking into account how high your site will rank.

Getting a few articles from some of the ezine article directories will not be as effective as it used to be because you are only copying the content that is likely available from perhaps hundreds of other websites on the Internet.

These content affluent pages are obtainable for everyone to use for a number of reasons, including sellable expansion which is evidently outlined under the Public Domain policies of the United States copyright laws.

Although Public Domains can be useful tools in earning profits, you will need to follow some policies and rules.

The first policy states that you can legally reproduce any part of books, films, art works, and manuscripts in the early years before 1923. Meaning you can copy each and every word in the books which comes from public domain.

Find a public domain book which is relevant and similar to the market that you are targeting.

A lot of experts in the Internet marketing field have used public domains wisely for their websites. After doing so, they have noticed their sales have gone higher and they are getting high traffic from their sites. This is the reason why most web site companies have adopted the strategy to their own sites.

There is software available that you can use that will enable you to make corrections of the pages displayed on your website. You wont really need to check it from the top to the bottom. This shortens your job in checking and proofreading.

You will find out how to come up with hundreds of more article thoughts and ideas every day of the week.

These article thoughts are so influential that they oblige people to read through them and make you free money in the process. That is why a piece of writing is so prevailing. Not only do you get free and high traffic, but you can probably earn thousands of dollars in sales from the development of articles and public domains.

The Quick Page Generator will provide you with the absolutely fastest way to writing a winning article. Whether you believe it or not, there are only two main factors that will determine whether your piece of writing is so good that no other publisher can turn it down or make your piece get thrown in the pile along with the rest. The Quick Page Generator will show you how.

It will also illustrate to you how to write your articles faster than your opposition every time. By the time you finish reading the ebook, you will be trained on how to write influential articles in no less than 45 minutes and that includes the distribution to online publishers.

You will find out how to discover thousands of publishers who have been dying for your radiant articles every day. Publishers are accurately searching for writers and good quality content to launch to their subscribers and good readers.

You will become skilled at how to make the best use of your free traffic. There is really no use in having thousands of people coming to your web site unless you know how to obtain the most from them.

Use the Quick Page Generator and see the wonders. You will never really have to worry about getting your site banned in the search engines either.

For more information on how to produce high quality content for your website, visit http://www.bcp-systems.com/Recommends/qpg

Ian Simpson is the owner of http://surefire-systems.com providing powerful software and resources for active internet marketing.Annabel Blog69329
Caritta Blog26493

Colorful Diamonds - Not For Individuals Looking for Champagne on a Beer Budget

Pink diamond engagement rings received a lot of attention recently when J-Lo received an exquisite 6 carat pink diamond in 2002 from Ben Affleck. Although the romance fizzled, the desire for pink diamonds did not.

Only a small number of pink diamonds are found each year, making them both extremely rare and highly sought after. Due to the supply/demand factor, they are often extremely costly and can easily run over $10,000 and typically much much more. Natural pink diamonds are light in color with just a hint of pink. Most of the world's pink diamonds are found in Australia.

An appealing alternative to pink diamonds are pink sapphires, which are less expensive ($500 and up), come in a wider variety of shapes and sizes, and have both light and deep shades of pink. Pink sapphires receive their color from small amounts of chromium. They are a hard gemstone and are therefore suitable for everyday wear. Pink tourmalines are another alternative to pink diamonds. For those who fall into the "want champagne on a beer budget category," you can always combine small pink diamonds with more affordable gemstones. Also, colorless diamonds can undergo treatment to develop a pink hue at a more affordable price.

One of the most famous canary yellow engagement rings was worn by Paris Hilton. The emerald cut ring weighed in at a hefty 24 carats. Regular couples today are also selecting canary yellow stones for their engagement rings. While diamonds with a slight yellowish hue are not considered desirable, those with a natural intense yellow color are actually becoming quite valuable. Only 1 in 1,000 diamonds are classified as canary yellow. The yellow color is believed to be due to the presence of nitrogen atoms when the diamond is formed. Diamonds can also undergo a process called irridiation or high pressure/high temperature treaments in order to give them a yellow hue.

Yellow diamonds are more expensive than their white counterparts, and the intensity of the color factors into this. If couples can't afford a natural yellow diamond as a center-stone, as with pink diamonds, there are always alternatives. Smaller yellow diamonds can be used as sidestones or natural yellow gemstones such as yellow sapphires or citrine can be used instead.

Julie Shields recently celebrated her first wedding anniversary and is sporting an ascher cut diamond ring. She and her husband put together: http://www.ultimate-engagement-ring-guide.com to help you select the perfect engagement ring.Ashil Blog20771
Alys Blog70130

Why Outsourcing Takes Your Business to a Higher Level

Outsourcing is a term used in business and it is gaining popularity on the net as millions of web site owners discover they do not have all the tools and skills necessary to handle each and every portion of their businesses.

Unlike having to find, interview, and hire an employee - and thus incur the tax liability of a new employee - often savvy business owners turn to outside companies. Outsourcing services take on the tasks underlying a business leaving the owner more free time to pursue the front-end of his or her business.

Wikipedia states:

"Outsourcing" involves transferring or sharing management control and/or decision-making of a business function to an outside supplier, which involves a degree of two-way information exchange, coordination and trust between the outsourcer and its client."

Outsourcing, therefore, becomes an integrated part of your business. The importance is to determine what should be outsourced, why it should be outsourced, and who will provide your outsourcing services.

Business segments typically outsourced include:

* Information technology
* Human resources
* Facilities
* Real estate management
* Accounting
* Direct Online Marketing and SEO

In addition, many companies also outsource their customer support and rely on call center functions.

Using the Know How of Others

The business owner must be able to step back and make an honest evaluation of his or her talents. We are not all created equal. We all have different strengths. One surefire strength for business success that a business owner must cultivate is the ability to delegate responsibilty through the use of outsourcing. That's how a well-run, profit-pulling online business accomplishes its goals.

Today's businesses - large and small - gain immense benefits by finding other companies outside their own arena who possess the technological know how to analyze, plan, and implement target objectives.

In the case of the smaller web site owner looking to gain greater footing with the hot market of search engine results, finding an outsourcing service to handle marketing (and a small portion of advertising) is one such effective strategic move.

Traditional approaches to search engine marketing have, for decades, focused primarily around a web site's meta tags, firming up web page content, and then submitting the site on a regular basis to the search engines. From a purely advertising basis, other companies will insist that just driving "targeted traffic" to a site is "enough."

While both of these methods are viable, a good outsourcing company often adds these two methods at low cost or no cost - just bonuses while the real work of marketing is underway.

Choosing the Right Outsourcing Company

As an online business owner it is easy to become frozen in place trying to keep up on all the possible, working, methods for marketing online. Even if one could find the time to read everything and devise a plan, putting that plan into action becomes cumbersome. Doing even the "smallest" of tasks can literally take hours of your week away from you. Hours better spent on web site enhancements and new products, mailing list contacts, and just being there for your web site visitors. Unless the web site owner is willing to give up some control, the grind of working the foundation of marketing too often must supercede the human approach to being there for your customers.

While we all love to do our initial digging online, pick up a phone and call or send email inquiries or submit forms for call back when choosing an outsourcing service. Make sure your questions are addressed intelligently and at a level of understanding that you feel most comfortable with. Avoid listening to prescripted sales pitches where all they want to do is monopolize the phone and beat you down to the point where you really don't know what they can or cannot do. Take control of the conversation, then turn that conversation into an effective two-way street of open communication. Any company not willing to do that - or vague in their explanations of how - should be moved to the bottom of your list as you locate the best outsourcing company to work with you and your website.

Finding a company that understands and weeds out fad flash-in-the-pan methods, and builds your marketing business on solid, proven methods of web site promotion should be your goal. Find that company and establish a two-way street of information and trust in order to work effectively together.

How to Incorporate Outsourcing Into Your Business

"Prior to the contract development of any outsourcing agreement, the outsourcing company develops a request for proposal (RFP) document which highlights the major requirements and scope of the project which is to be outsourced."[1]

Through a bid-like process, or the acceptance of agreed upon stated services at given costs, the recipient company has an actual proposal of services in hand. They know what they are getting, what timeframe to expect, and projected results from this outsourced service.

By outsourcing, the owner understands what the benefits to the service(s) are, but the strategizing, planning, and implementating can be safely placed into more knowledgeable and efficient hands to get the job done.

In Summary

Outsourcing is not just for the "big guy." Overall outsourcing is viewed by many organizations as a strong business tactic that ultimately is a superior economical approach to developing products and services.

Simply put, don't try to do everything yourself. You may have many fine strong points, but running your online internet business single-handly should not be one of them. Learn when and delegating responsibility can actually make your business grow by leaps and bounds. Then find an outsourcing service you can work with - one with a complete understanding of your web site - one that is willing to go extra miles to make your business a success.

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Theresa Cahill and her business partner, Jeff Greer, put their experience at your disposal. Our effective, reliable outsourcing service specializing in home business, or storefront marketing. For a FREE web site analysis http://www.market-for-me.com.Ali Blog65064
Alfreda Blog30007

Self Improvement Motivation: Unlock The Good Life

Have you ever taken a long, hard look at your life and felt depressed when you thought about things that it lacked? Chances are, you have. No one has a perfect life. There are countless and constant ways in which a person can improve. Self-improvement motivation comes from a place inside each of us that desires to be a better person. There are several elements that are considered part of self-improvement motivation.

Among the most popular are:

- Appearance improvement
- Intellectual improvement
- Financial improvement

Dress to impress:
Appearance improvement is one of the most popular types of self-improvement motivation. For many people, there is always a pound to be lost, a gray hair to be covered up, or new clothing to be purchased. Other people get extremely obsessive about appearance improvement, paying thousands of dollars for nose jobs, liposuction, collagen implants, hair replacement, or other such procedures. Because of the media and the influence of Hollywood stars, people who are young, old, male, and female have become appearance improvement crazy. These are the often the same people who feel that appearance is all that matters in life.

Self-improvement motivation by the books:

Intellectual motivation is another key element of self-improvement motivation. The desire to become more educated or gain more knowledge on a subject drives many minds. Well-informed people are often perceived as powerful people. After all, knowledge is power.

Today, it is no surprise that more and more middle-aged adults are going back to school to get their bachelor's or master's degrees. This desire to get more education often stems from the fact that most companies are interested with employees who know how to use the latest and greatest software and computer programs. Companies are also interested in employees that have an up-to-date education. Many companies, especially larger ones, will pay for employees to go back to school or be trained for a specific job.

Most colleges and universities even have continuing education programs. These programs allow non-traditional students to learn about a subject or become educated on how to use programs for computers.

Financial improvement:

Another important element of self-improvement motivation is financial motivation. In reality, most people desire to have more money than they have at the present time. Perhaps a person wants to purchase a home, car, or an education. Perhaps someone needs to pay medical bills or legal fees, or raise a child. Finances are key to surviving in today's world. Financial self-improvement motivation often comes in the form of taking on a second or third job, investing in stocks or bonds, or learning how to save money wisely. Financial self-improvement motivation may also include asking a current employer for a promotion or a raise.

Overall, anything that motivates and in turn improves the physical, material, or mental part of a person is a form of self-improvement motivation. No one is perfect, but many of us can try to get as close as we can.

Matthew Hick has been designing profitable Niche Adsense Websites for over 5 years.Beth Blog15571
Adriaens Blog91553

Great Technical Writing: Has Anyone Ever Used Your Product?

Product documentation gives the feeling that nobody has ever used the product. Most documentation:

. Ignores the product's failings (warts), and how to overcome them.

. Leaves out tips that would improve the User's experience with the product

. Leaves out knowledge that experienced Users could share with the new User

Before you release a product, have some people use it. From these "test users" get solutions to problems, tips and knowledge that would help your real-life Users. Put that information in your User Documentation, and on your product support Website.

Three More Ways That Your User Documentation Fails Your Reader/User:

1. Ignores the product's failings (warts), and how to overcome them

Every product has "warts". Warts are the failings of your product. A wart might be something that the current version of the product cannot easily do, but needs to be done.

Here are some examples of product warts. Some of the warts can only be cured in the next version of the product:

. A telephone answering machine that has no wall mounting. It only takes a small change in the mold of the plastic for the back of the unit to enable screws to hold the device on the wall. The answering machine has its cable permanently connected to the device, making it difficult to use a shorter cable when needed.

. A word processor that has the most unusual and troublesome defaults. These cause the users a myriad of problems, including reformatting an entire document when a small change is made to the appearance of a piece of text.

. An electrical sub-panel for eight circuits that only has room for four ground wires. This makes it difficult to connect all the circuits.

. A five-stage water filter that does not mark which of its filters fit into which holder.

. A graphical (windowing) computer operating system where the mouse cursor jumps around the screen.

. A toaster oven with an electronic timer built in, that does not stay on long enough to toast an English muffin in one toasting session. (It only takes a larger resistor in the timing circuit to make it work properly.)

. A digital timer coffee maker (I love this product for its flaws and the flaws in the User Manual). Quiz: For home use, when do you think most people want to have coffee automatically brewed? I think it's in the morning. However when a user sets the clock, the time display starts at 12:00 A.M. But when the user sets the brew timer (when the coffee will begin brewing) the timer starts at 12:00 P.M. This is not just a flaw; this is silly.

The Users of your product need to know how to get around its warts. Think about these warts, how to overcome them, and the best way to tell the User the techniques you find.

If you do not think that your product has warts, then you may be living in a fantasy world. The entire concept of the "next version" of the product suggests failings in the product. If these shortcomings are not in the product itself, then they are failings in our understanding of how our User needs to/wants to use the product.

2. Leaves out tips that would help the User in his/her experience with the Product

After using any product, one comes up with tips for better use. Share these tips with your Users so they will have the best possible experience with your product.

Probably the most outrageous missing tip is a product feature that is not described anywhere in the User Documentation. I have a low-flush toilet. These toilets have been the butt (sorry about the pun) of jokes because they have trouble with large quantities of "solid waste." My toilet has an undocumented feature. If I hold the handle down the entire time the flush is taking place, there will be extra water to handle the large quantity of "solid waste." But it's not documented! That is really a missed tip!

Think about how your User might want to and need to use the product. Add tips to help him/her.

Almost all computer software documentation leaves out a very important tip. It's a fact of life that users change computers every few years. Yet software documenters never describe how to move the User's data from the old machine to the new one. This is a failure of most software documenters to face reality.

3. Leaves out knowledge that experienced Users could share with the Reader

A front-loading washing machine has two spin speeds: "Normal" and "Fast". The User Document merely says to 'set the spin speed.' However I am confused. The User Document writers should have told me the benefits and the costs of using each spin speed. This information would help me decide what speed to use for my particular situation.

Computer language reference manuals are another good example of missed knowledge sharing. In many languages (for example the C or C++ languages in the UNIX environment) there are many ways to perform an operation. In computer jargon there are many different functions (or methods) that a programmer can use to do something with the computer. Yet these language manuals do not provide the knowledge that will help a programmer decide which function or method to use. The developers of the language know. It is only a matter of sharing the knowledge.

A good rule of thumb is that if your User has to make a decision, provide the information that will enable him/her to make the best decision.

The knowledge need not only be gained from your own use of the product, but from the product's industry. Let me give you two examples:

. A blood pressure monitor: Its User Manual provides a chart of blood pressure ranges and their meaning. That is good.

. A dehumidifier (or, also true for humidifiers): Its documentation does NOT tell the best range for indoor humidity. That is not so good.

Often it only takes a small table or a few lines in the User Document to provide this beneficial information, yet for some reason it is left out.

Test in Real USER Life

I bought a device (an "FM transmitter") that enables my MP3 player to play through any FM radio. The problem is that the transmitter distorts the sound. However, if I turn down the volume on the MP3 player when connected to the FM transmitter, the distortion is reduced. There is no tip or instruction in the User Manual telling me to turn down the volume. When I hear the unclear sound, I'm disappointed in the product, and believe that the product does not work.

I am sure that the company tested their FM transmitter. I am also sure that they were careful to set the volume on the audio source (MP3 player) low enough as not to distort. That is NOT a Real User life test.

In real life, the User would set the volume for comfortable headphone listening. Then when connecting the device to the FM transmitter, the volume would be too loud and the sound from the FM radio would be distorted.

My guess is that either

. The people testing the product never set it to the Users' real-life volume settings (they did not test in Real USER life)

. Or, if they knew that the User's headphone volume would be too loud, they felt that "everyone could figure it out" and did not include this knowledge (as a tip) in their instruction sheet.

By including the volume-setting information, the User would be more satisfied with the product, and thus less likely to return it.

Solicit Real Users' Comments

Ask your Users to comment on their real-life experiences with your product. Have them provide you with the tips, techniques, and shortcomings that they have discovered while using the product. Publish this information in later versions of the product's User Document, and on your product's web pages.

The Bottom Line

Share the experiences that your organization has with the product. Add relevant tips to the User Documentation. Add the knowledge that you uncovered in your experience with the product. Give remedies for the product's warts.

Doing so will improve your Users' experiences with your Product. Improving your Users' experiences with your product will:

. Reduce support costs

. Improve sales

. Reduce product returns

And those are the things we want to do to help our company thrive.

Barry Millman, Ph.D., has been a consultant for over 25 years, an instructor, course developer, and award-winning speaker.Visit: http://www.greatuserdocs.com/ for resources to help you create the content and access that your Users want and need.Bertha Blog39159
Aloisia Blog76167

Are You Spending Too Much Time on Your Online Business?

This is especially true if you are new to the cut-throat world of Internet marketing. You will be overloaded with too much information and bogus ebooks, so much so that you are not sure where you are heading.

My friend, the keyword here is automation. You would want your online business to run totally on auto-pilot, constantly raking in the profits 24/7, and with minimal effort on your part. So how do you achieve that? Here are some things about Internet marketing which you would need to know.

1. Your own digital salesman

What is this digital sales man I am talking about? It is your sales page, and this is the heart of your automated online business. It will do all the selling for you, and take all the orders online via an order button. All you need to do is just to monitor your sales. Your next Internet marketing strategy is to drive lots of traffic to your sales page.

2. Plant the seeds of success now, and reap the rewards later

You will never achieve anything without any initial effort on your part. You would need to plant the seeds of success now, so that your online business will truly run on auto-pilot in future. You can concentrate on some Internet marketing strategies that will last for a long time, and one of them is article marketing. This strategy involves submitting articles to articles directories. Your articles will contain your biography where you showcase your products and services, and they will give you back links that stay in the directories for a long, long time.

Another way is to market in forums, where you can promote your services at the end of your posts via your signature box, giving you back links that will stay on the Internet for many years to come.

3. Set up your own affiliate program

This Internet marketing strategy will take a bit of work. You would need some special software and get some decent web hosting to host your affiliate program. A more easier way is to join other popular affiliate programs like Clickbank and Commission Junction. All you need to do is just sign-up, get your affiliate URL, and the affiliate network will do everything for you, including the sales and processing of the checks. All you need to do is just to promote the affiliate link.

4. Instant delivery of your product

This is essential if you are selling digital downloads. Instant delivery can be executed via a Thank You page after your new customers have ordered your product through the payment processor's page. Your download link to your product will be located on your Thank You page, where you would also express your thanks and appreciation for the business that your new customers have given you.

5. Build your own mailing list

This is just like building your own network of clients who will be more than willing to listen to all of your offers. The difficult part is to maintain the trust with your paying customers in your mailing list. After all, they have paid good money for your services, and the least you can do is to reward them with some after-sales customer service. Building and maintaining your own mailing list is absolutely vital if you are to truly put your online business on auto-pilot.

There you have it. The complete Internet marketing system that will guarantee that your online business will virtually run on automation. You would have your own digital salesman that will do all the selling for you 24/7, your own payment processor page, your Thank You page that will do all the product deliveries, and of course your mailing list system that will capture contact details of prospects who are not ready to buy your products at first, so that you can follow-up on them for your future offers.

And the best part of this system is that, in time to come, it will ultimately run everything by itself. All you need to do is just spend a couple of hours a day monitoring your sales, and watch the checks roll in. But please understand that nothing in this world happens by magic, so you would need to give this system some time to develop.

You would need to have lots of patience, as there are going to be lots of adjustments and testing for you to do to make sure that each and every aspect of the system can achieve optimal results for your online business.

Wyatt Lee is an expert author specializing on the subject of Internet marketing. Please visit his Internet marketing strategy blog at http://internetmarketing-strategy.blogspot.com for all the best tips and latest news on the world of Internet marketing.Cal Blog68320
Amalle Blog42553

Personalized Gifts Giving a Personal Touch

It can be difficult to find the right gift for anyone. This is especially true if you dont know them all that well. While most people appreciate the positive intention inherent in gift giving, a poorly chosen gift can leave a sour taste in ones mouth. This is why personalized gift giving is becoming very popular. Personalized gifts accentuate the most important reason behind gift giving - because you know the person. The other impetuses for gift giving, that you want to offer thanks, good wishes and make them feel good are all dramatically increased by giving personalized gifts.

There are several ways to personalize a gift each of which makes sense for particular gift giving situations. Several gift providers offer custom photo printing on variety of products from coffee mugs to shirts and more. Putting someones picture on a daily use or novelty item along with a message of thanks, friendship or love (depending on the nature of the relationship) helps to transform what would otherwise be a not-very-interesting-gift into something that will make the recipient think of you fondly.

There are several online and brick and mortar stores that offer good deals on professionally produced personalized gifts. One excellent way to find stores offering such products is search online using Google, Yahoo!, or MSN. By simply searching phrases like personalized gifts you can find a plethora of offerings to meet your needs. If you have a specific idea you can try something like personalized coffee mug or personalized beach towel to help narrow your search results.

If you are more comfortable using a local supplier you can try looking at local search results as well. Google offers an excellent local search tool known as Google Local that allows you to search for local merchants. This tool is associated with Google Maps as well so you can get directions to their location at the same time, as well as contact information.

Personalized gifts can also be a great idea for giving gifts to children. There are companies specializing in personalized childrens gifts such as personalized rocking chairs or piggy banks. Giving personalized gifts to children is a way to show the parents of the children that youve taken the extra time, effort and expense to create a gift specifically for their child, scoring you major points.

Through personalizing a gift with special themes, their name and/or pictures you connect the gift to the recipient much more strongly, insinuating a stronger bond and imbuing the gift with more meaning. Personalized gift giving gets a much stronger response than ordinary gifts, especially if its someone who you dont know as well.

Anne Harvester is a homemaker extraordinaire with years of experience creating spectacular events and gifts. She supports http://www.GiftBasketsPlus.com/store/ for those in search of fantastic gift ideas.Britt Blog95573
Anny Blog84185

Obesity And The Importance Of Nonstick Cookware

While it is true that obesity has many causes and not all of them dietary, it is equally true that the consumption of excess fat promotes the condition. This is particularly true in the case of children.

Most children love fried food, as do many adults, because this method of cooking slightly caramelizes the food by burning natural sugars. In short, it makes the food sweet to taste.

Grilling, which is a healthier alternative under certain conditions, has a similar effect, and so too does roasting.

But the real villain where fat consumption is concerned is frying, because the food often has fat added to it, the principal role of which is to prevent meat from sticking to the pan it's cooking in.

Of course it is true that using oil or margarine for this purpose is a step up from using butter or lard, however they are still fats and best avoided altogether if at all possible.

One way to do this is to use non-stick cookware, when no additional fat is needed.

This type of cookware has received some bad press recently and is of particular concern to pet owners. There has been much speculation that the death of caged birds has been linked to toxic fumes from the heated surfaces.

It's important to understand that all the evidence in this regard has been related to Teflon coated surfaces and is thought to be a by-product of the Dupont manufacturing process. There are plenty of other non-stick surfaces available which do not have this type of stigma attached.

In fact the use of this type of cooking surface has now become so widespread, it has led to a new style of healthy home cooking using those double-sided, solid metal grills so beloved of ex-heavyweight boxers.

These have an added fat-reducing bonus in that any grease cooked out of the meat runs away into a separate tray, and of course no added fat is necessary to properly cook the food.

This means that lean cuts of meat such as chicken breast and loin of lamb remain just that, lean. This is a huge bonus not just for those of us fighting obesity, but for anyone who cares about having a healthy heart and circulatory system.

Non-stick surfaces also mean ease of use, and this too can prompt people to forsake red meat for fish on more occasions than was previously the case. In addition, with the new grills there is no need for fatty batters and cooking times are very quick, further helping the busy family cook to 'do the right thing'.

If the health arguments don't convince you, perhaps the economic ones will. Most non-stick cookware is based on low grade aluminium, making it far cheaper to produce and distribute than the alternatives such as stainless steel and cast iron.

And of course just a simple rinse in warm, soapy water is all that is required to keep non-stick surfaces clean. Even the most over-weight of us can surely manage that.

Michael Sheridan is a former head-chef and an acknowledged authority and published writer on cooking matters. His website, which can be found at http://www.all-about-cooking.com, contains a wealth of information, hints, tips and recipes for busy home cooks.Candi Blog98240
Aurel Blog20615

Want A Stress Fee Life? Go For Debt Consolidation

People who have got themselves into the vicious cycle of multiple debts need to consider the option of debt consolidation. Debt consolidation comprises of merging all your pending loans into a single loan, and you now make a single payment to a single debt consolidation loan lender. This relieves you of the stress of dealing with multiple creditors and their multiple debts, which at times become unmanageable. Exercising this option also stops the harassment of receiving collection calls.

It does not matter the type of debts you carry your wedding loans, education, loans, car or credit card debts, and even your utility and other personal bills. These are all consolidated into a single loan for you to manage your debts easily.

As you keep on falling back on your monthly payments, it starts to affect your credit rating negatively, raising your stress levels. This has no affect on your ability to obtain debt consolidation loans. These are also available for those with bad debts. You are considered a bad debt if you have been defaulting on your payments regularly, are slow on your payments, carry huge arrears on your loans, or are thinking of filing for bankruptcy.

You can learn about debt consolidation from many online sites, or from debt consolidation agencies. Your understanding of your problems, and following the advice of professionals, will help you make a better use of your income, and reduce your debts. Other than state and federal agencies, you can seek counsel from the many private financial agencies dealing in debt consolidation.

Debt consolidation loans also include home equity loans and home refinancing. The advantage of such loans is that they are low interest loans, very much lower than the rates of interest being charged on your multiple debts. Ensure that you make your monthly payments in time as you will be risking your home.

Once you opt for debt consolidation, you are on your way to a stress free life.

Gibran Selman takes care of http://debtconsolidationcenter.net a website dedicated to gather information, on and off the internet, about debt consolidation and other related subjects.Birgit Blog13977
Aprilette Blog99104

Learning To Compete In A Very Competitive Industry: Travel

Over the years, many of us have heard about the opportunities available in wholesale travel. As a consumer, we can recognize that if these wholesale travel packages are legitimate, then we will have access to vacation packages that would make the average traveler drool over their possibilities in travel destinations. When we slide the shoe to the other foot and consider wholesale travel as a business opportunity, we question whether we have the knowledge or fortitude to succeed in this type of business.

Read on as we examine wholesale travel from the perspective of the consumer and the online businessperson seeking new opportunities in profit.

Beware of The Discount Travel Scams

While the wholesale travel industry is a legitimate industry offering legitimate travel packages, there are a few people out there offering deals that are less than favorable to consumers.

The most common travel scam is the kind used to sell timeshare packages in real estate. The real estate agent will give you a free three-day package to an attractive destination, IF your yearly salary meets certain minimums AND you agree to sit down and listen to a sales pitch for timeshare properties.

Now, there is nothing wrong with timeshares per se, but the methods that some unscrupulous agents employ to sell timeshares are shameful to say the least. Timeshare supported vacations are well known for their hard-sell approach to the sales process.

As a result, when most people speak of discount travel or wholesale travel, the first thought that comes to the mind of most consumers is the timeshare sales pitch. As a result, consumers generally have a poor opinion of discount travel or wholesale travel, based only on their fears of timeshare selling scams.

Be Aware Of Travel Restrictions With Some Packages

There are three types of restrictions that may accompany some discount travel packages:

* Expiration Dates: Many packages come with defined expiration dates that make them difficult-to-use by the stated due-date. Not all of us can gear up to take our vacation within the next 90 days. So, be certain to read the fine print of any offer that is made available to you.

* Blackout Dates: Blackout dates were made famous by David Spade's representation of Capital One Credit Cards. Some travel rewards carry blackout dates to limit the expense of those rewards. They don't want you using your travel rewards over the Thanksgiving weekend, since that is the busiest travel weekend of the year, and prices are generally higher for that peak period. Travel rewards aside, some travel packages employ blackout dates as well. Check the fine print to make sure that any blackout dates offered with a package do not interfere with how you want to use the travel package.

* Non-Transferable Vouchers: In theory, if you buy a hotel room and an airline ticket to Jamaica for the weekend and if something were to happen in your life that prevented you from using your purchased services, you could give the tickets and reservations to your best friend, so your money would not be wasted. Some travel vouchers may prevent you from transferring your vacation to another party. As always, read the fine print to know what restrictions might limit your vacation plans.

In a lot of cases, even if these restrictions exist, they will not interfere with your vacation plans. But, it is far better to be aware of a limitation before you buy your vacation, than it is to find out about those restrictions when you are ready to plan your trip.

How Do Service Providers Profit From Vacation Packages?

Where the value of discount travel or wholesale travel packages distracts many people, is this underlying question of how companies can offer these types of packages. The consumer is confused by the whole concept of free vacations, so we will look into the profit motive here.

When people are looking at an offer of a free vacation that consists of three days in a hotel room, many people are dumbfounded that such a thing could exist. If we use Las Vegas hotels and Orlando Florida hotels as examples, it is a much easier concept to understand.

When a Las Vegas hotel offers a free three-day stay, they do so with the expectation that you may spend several hundred or thousand dollars in their casino. If you did not take the free stay in their hotel room, you may have taken your vacation in Las Vegas anyhow, but stayed in one of their competitor's hotel rooms. If that were to happen, then their competitor would have won your money in their casino instead.

Hotels in vacation spots such as Orlando Florida may be receiving rewards from Walt Disney World to ensure that you spend your vacation at Walt Disney World, instead of Six Flags Over Texas. The hotel will receive money from Walt Disney World for your stay, and you will eat several meals and use several services at the hotel that gave you the hotel room for free.

Free services frequently provide the lubrication that helps a local economy soar, so many businesses will offer rewards to the hotel chains to offer free hotel rooms to visitors.

Do keep in mind that if you do get a free hotel room, there will still be a small cost to you in terms of the taxes excised on that hotel room stay. State laws mandate that all visitors pay taxes on their hotel rooms, and even though your stay might be free, you will still be required to pay the taxes on the room.

How The Airline Industry Profits From Discount Air Travel

When an airplane flies from New York City to Los Angeles, they always have a specific number of seats on that flight. Even if only twenty people paid for that flight, they airline would be required to make the journey, with all of its empty seats in tow.

So, airlines have constructed a very unique business model to make sure their empty seats are filled. When you buy a seat directly from the airline company, you will most always pay full price for the seat. If you buy your airline seat from a travel company, you can often find discounts on those seats.

Very literally, airline companies calculate how many seats they will sell on their own for each flight, and then they wholesale the remaining seats to travel agencies and other travel companies, to ensure that they will fill most or all of their seats.

The travel industry will buy seats on the airplane for as much as 90% off the retail cost of a flight. Then they will turn around and sell those flights to their customers at a markup. The actual discount rate will vary by the company making the offer, since only the biggest wholesale travel companies will get the deepest discounts, and the travel agencies usually buy seats from these airline seat wholesalers.

Can The Little Guy Compete In A Market Saturated by Big Players?

Simply put, yes. A friend of mine at Dreams By Vasrue has built his own little travel empire selling wholesale travel packages. In a recent month, he was able to generate $18,000 in profits these were profits, not total sales.

With a saturated market filled by big names such as Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz and many others, you would think it impossible to compete in such a crowded marketplace. But, you must remember that these big travel websites are operating as the travel agency, buying travel services at wholesale and marking up their prices to make a significant profit.

This leaves the little guys lots of opportunity to reach the buying public in ways that the big websites cannot do themselves. The big websites are not in the business of offering true wholesale travel, because they are like travel agencies selling retail travel to consumers.

The Lesson In This Story

The lesson in this story is that the Internet is offering lots of entrepreneurs a way to stand up and compete with the largest corporations on the planet in a multitude of industries.

As an online businessperson, you should always be looking for that new opportunity that could make you very wealthy. When you take the time to learn the internal workings of any industry, you will uncover opportunities to compete successfully and prosperously with the biggest names in your own industries.

Bill Platt writes and ghost writes articles for dissemination on the World Wide Web through http://thePhantomWriters.com His company also offers article distribution services to people who write their own articles. Reach Bill at 405-780-7745 between 9am-6pm, M-F. One thing that success brings online entrepreneurs is the opportunity to travel more frequently. If you are interested in learning about wholesale travel as a way to save money or as a business opportunity, please visit http://www.DreamsByVasrue.com/ to learn more about the programs offered by Clinton Douglas IV.Ariana Blog2434
Agneta Blog57375

Seven Tips for Fire Safety

Its easy to think a house fire wont happen to you. But dont be fooledhouse fires are more common than youd think. All it takes is a spark, a flammable substance, and some oxygen to cause a tragedy. Dont let yourself be caught unpreparedfollow these safety tips to prevent fires in your home, and get out safely if one occurs.

Keep your fire alarms in working order. Make sure you have working fire alarms on every floor of the houseespecially the kitchen and near your bedroom. You should change the batteries twice a year. Dont ever turn off or remove your fire alarms for any reason. People most often do this when theyre cooking and creating a lot of smokethat fire alarm can get annoying when it keeps going off while youre trying to cook. Dont smash the alarm with a broom handle, tempting as it isdont even turn it off. Its easy to forget to turn it back on. Instead, open the windows and turn on the kitchen fan before you start cooking. Its also best not to trust that your fire alarms work, even if they have fresh batteriestest them by lighting a match underneath.

Have a just-in-case plan. Make sure your kids know what to do if the fire alarm goes off. They should hold hands and stay together, and one parent should be in charge of leading them out to a safe place. They should know how to get in formation and follow orders, even when half asleep. They should understand that they cannot be allowed to stop to find their favorite toy or pet. Pick a prominent place safely away from the houseunder a certain tree, by the swing-set, or at the end of the driveway, for examplewhere the family will meet in case of a fire alarm. You should keep a strong flashlight by your bed in case your power fails, as it often will during a fire. Rehearse your escape plan several times a year.

Know how to get out. If youre upstairs and the fire gets to your stairway before you do, you could be in serious troubleif you dont have an escape plan. Be sure all your windows open easily, and keep some escape ladders in your upper floors. Make sure both spouses and older children know how to unfold, safely attach, and use the ladders. Practice escaping from any upper floors of the house a few times a year.

Keep fire extinguishers in the house. Most guides will suggest that you have one on each floor in your house, especially in the kitchen and in the basement near the furnace and water heater. Be sure that all your fire extinguishers will work for wood, chemical, and electrical firesnot all brands do. Make sure both spouses and all older children know how to use the fire extinguishers.

Remove obvious fuels. Keep dry leaves and other detritus at least thirty feet away from your homethey are very flammable. If you have a fireplace or wood stove, store the wood in a wood shed at least thirty feet from your house. If you have a wood shop, make sure sawdust is not allowed to build upits extremely flammable and can ignite with enough force to blow a hole through a wall!

Get a fireproof safe. Its extremely important never to run back into a burning building, for any reasonit could be a death sentence. If theres something you really dont want to losevaluable documents or jewelry, for examplebuy a fireproof safe or cabinet to keep it in. That way, you wont worry about leaving something important inside the house, and you wont be tempted to run back inespecially if the fire doesnt look that bad yet. Even if it doesnt look that bad, it can still kill you. Keeping your most important belongings in a fireproof safe or cabinet could save your life.

Do a routine fire safety check. There are a lot of little things you can do to lessen your risk of a fire. Never leave a candle burning when you leave a room. Check your electrical wires and extension cords for signs of wearand never let them lie under rugs or furniture. Never leave anything that could catch fire near a heat source, like an oven, a radiator, or a portable heater. Regularly clean the lint from your dryers lint trap and tubing. Empty ashes from fireplaces, wood stoves, and ashtrays into a metal container, not a plastic garbage bin. Never smoke in bed.

You can protect yourself from fires just by making a few safety checks part of your routine, and being aware of fire safety in the home. Dont be caught unawarescheck in with your local fire station for their advice on how to fireproof your home, and follow these simple tips to make sure a fire never happens to you.

Anthony Neary works for online company http://www.thesafeshop.co.uk the UKs premier supplier of home and office safes. For more information on fire safes visit http://www.thesafeshop.co.uk/Categories/fire_document_safes/.Ardis Blog87870
Alena Blog32676

Ouch My Aching Wrists: No More Keyboarding Or Golf

You may have heard either experienced computer users or serious golfers lamenting that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has affected them big time. Just what is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and how can I prevent it from affecting my computer keyboarding and golf activities.

The hand to keyboard relationship is the most strained interface between you and your computer. Typing can be more than a bothersome task. Typing can cause permanent damage to your hands and wrists. It has been found that approximately 60 % of keyboard operators can be found to have recurring symptoms of keyboard related injury. Damage to wrist and hand function can be so severe that in approximately 10 % of those affected have had to contact health care professionals - be it Physiotherapist, chiropractor, medical gp or orthopedic medical specialist.

The most serious of the health problems associated with keyboard use is the same ailment suffered by chicken puckers and meat packers. The formal medical name for this ailment is Repetitive Stain injury (RSI). The name explains the cause. Straining to perform the same hand movements over and over again and again eventually leads to physical wrist and / or hand damage. The most common manifestation of RSI among computer keyboard users is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). In addition a similar ailment wrist tendonitis has also been associated with extensive regular keyboard use.

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in your wrist through your median nerves: it carries sensations for your entire hand. As well the median nerve affects the finger flexor tendons, which link your fingers to the muscles in your lower arm. The tunnel is formed by walls of solid bone on three sides with the bottom enclosed by the transverse carpal ligament, a tough inelastic cartilage.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when the tendons protect themselves from overuse. Each tendon is surrounded by a thick, fluid filled sac called a synovial sheath, which swells with extra fluid to protect the tendon. Scientifically, this swelling called tendonitis. When these sacs swell in the carpal tunnel, they can pinch the median nerve against the bones of the carpal ligament. This can result in the loss of sensation in the hand and debilitating pain.

Although the problem develops over a period of years, the onset of pain caused by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, the onset of pain is often sudden. Some sufferers have no symptoms at night and wake up the next morning with excruciating pain. Often these people with carpal tunnel syndrome are unable to work for months. And it is not only the computer skills that suffer.

It is not as if these people can lead normal lives. Other enjoyments such as the game and sport of golf may not be possible to be played. In most cases those afflicted with carpal tunnel syndrome have ignored all the pain warning signs: a minor pain in the wrist after a day of typing or some numbness in the thumb or fingers.

People have been typing for over 100 years, yet Carpal Tunnel Syndrome appears to be a recent phenomenon. The diagnosis is not new, and the condition is not caused by a recently evolved virus or bacterium. Peoples typing habits have actually changed.

Today, a computer users fingers stay as close to the home row on the keyboard as possible, a simple press of the pinkie is all that is needed to issue a carriage return. Old typewriters required a definite change of the position and a resounding right hook to send the carriage back to the left after each page, and the end of the page, the typist had to extract one sheet and roll a new one in the typewriter. All of these simple necessary acts added variation to the typing process. Computers encourage extended use, resulting in hour upon hour of entering and editing text and data.

These difference between classic typing and modern keyboarding hint at one way of avoiding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: What can you do to prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or reduce your symptoms?

First you may wish to replace your keyboard with an ergonomic friendly model. Avoid the following hand and wrist postures ulnar deviation where the wrist is bent outwards in the direction of the little finger, abduction where the hands and arms are angled together in front of the body rather than at shoulder width. Avoid flexion which is the anatomical term where the wrist is bent down in such a manner where the fingers are lower than the wrist joint. Extension of the wrists and hands where the wrist is bent up and back so that the fingers are higher than the wrist joint. Finally pronation is a bad idea. Pronation refers to the anatomical term describing a forearm and hand position in which the hand is open, palm down and parallel with the flat surface of the desk or floor.

If you are involved with computer keyboard tasks for very long period of times of time here are several tips to spare your keyboarding and golfing abilities and skill levels. Try to keep your wrists straight while typing. Adjust your chair so that as you type, your elbows are at the same height as your wrists. A proper computer desk which lies at the proper height rather than an old office desk that you just happened to have lying around is an excellent idea. As well spring on a proper, adjustable ergonomically designed chair. Be sure that you rest your wrists often.

Lastly and most importantly take frequent rests and relaxation periods along your conquests.

It may be important to be on par with the other players in your office. However it is false economy at the end of the game if both your keyboarding skills and golf game on the fairway suffers.

Syd NohcudBenedikta Blog78245
Annecorinne Blog96491