Computer Service Contracts - Moving From Customer to Client

Computer service contracts are the butter of a computer services business. The difference between having a computer service contract and not having one, is what defines the difference between a customer and a client. As a business owner you want clients - people who are on long term computer service contracts.

Your goal is to move your customers into computer service contracts and begin a long term, stable relationship with them. The customers that you are in contact with several times a year should be very receptive to at least a small computer service agreement.

These are the customers you should spend time trying to convert. Make sure you keep in contact with them on a monthly basis. Let them know of special offers you are making and any discounts you have on computer service contracts. If a customer is calling you several times per year then they should benefit from a computer service contract. Outline to them what their savings would be.

Ultimately, you would like to have computer service contracts with everyone. That won't be possible. But even a $500 computer service contract gets them to raise their hand. They are indicating a willingness and ability to pay on a regular basis. This is what your business will thrive on - one regular, paying customer at a time.

Bottom Line on Computer Service Contracts

Computer service contracts are golden to your computer services business. When you set up a computer service contract you are solidifying a long term relationship. For customers who aren't on a computer service contract but very easily could be - it is wise for you to keep in regular contact with them. These customers have the potential to turn into clients so you need to do whatever it takes to make that conversion happen.

Copyright MMI-MMVII, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg, co-founder of Computer Consulting 101, helps computer consulting business owners get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too with free proven computer consulting secrets at http://www.ComputerConsulting101.comAfton Blog7371
Ardyce Blog22234

100 Promises to My Baby (Book Review)

When I read the first few pages of this book, I thought to myself that I had come across, finally, a book that goes further than a how-to baby book in the physical sense.

I also have to admit that what hooked me in the beginning was the quote from Tagore, opposite the contents page. "Every child is born proof that God has not given up on human beings." That is a quote I have always repeated to myself all through my life and all through the hectic times of our present-day history.

We take our baby raising tasks as if our babies are objects and they should be handled in a certain way. We always forget that there is a person inside that tiny being, and more importantly, that person has a soul. In contrast, Mallika Chopra's book raises our understanding of having children to a higher level, to the level of the soul, by reflecting her deep awareness of the responsibilities of becoming a mother.

The author, who has a physician's training, started writing this book when she was expecting her first child. In the introduction of the book she says she wanted to bond with her baby early on and started making her promises as a mother. Thus, this book was born out of the author's pledge to her baby so the baby could fulfill her potential and her purpose in life.

The author may have addressed the mothers, but fathers, too, can benefit greatly from this book. In close inspection, the book does not only relate the author's personal stories and commitment, but also, it influences mothers as well as fathers everywhere to think about their roles as parents.

"100 Promises to My Baby" has about ten chapters with titles like values, purpose, love, miracles, spirit, lessons, and traditions. With love and compassion as its highest goal, the book is interspersed with poetry, like that of Khalil Gibran, quotes from the Bhagavad Gita, definitions, and at the end of each chapter, some very precious reflections.

What I liked about the book was the charming style of telling personal stories. I believe, in a book, almost any reader looks for the personal touch or for anything of human interest, and here, that human interest gives this book its true depth.

The book, with ISBN:1594861293, has 252 pages and is in hardcover with an elegant white overlay.

The author, Mallika Chopra, is daughter of Deepak Chopra and mother of two children. A partner in Chopra Media and in the K Lounge in New York City, she is an author and producer with a medical school background. Her book, "100 Promises to My Baby" is a gift to mankind that will never go out of style.

This article has been submitted by Joy Cagil in affiliation with http://www.BabyNameVote.Com/ which is a site for finding baby names. Joy Cagil is an author in www.writing.com. Her educational background is in literature and linguistics.Aubrette Blog10272
Benedikta Blog89376

7 Tips for Saving Money on Electricity

According to the United States Department of energy, the average household spends about $1,300 on electricity annually. This is a lot of money and things such as the weather; the types of lights used and the frequent use of appliances are the deciding factors.

Can anything be done to make this go down? The answer is yes. By reading these tips, the money saved can be used for other expenses.

1. The weather surely gets hot in the summer. It could go up to 90 degrees or higher and the only way to stay cool is using an air conditioner. People should use curtains and shades to reduce the effort of this appliance in cooling the room under these hot conditions.

The doors and windows in the house must also be closed so the air doesnt go out enabling it to circulate in the designated area. The filters of this household appliance should be cleaned every 3 months to keep it in good condition.

2. The wattage of the bulbs determines how much electricity is consumed. These should be checked because there are some brands available that are just as bright as others that dont use a lot of power.

3. If there is no one in the room, the lights and other appliances such as the computer must be turned off. This can help prevent overloads or short circuits from happening that may start a fire in the home.

4. Many households have washers and dryers. If the practice is to do the laundry every other day, perhaps doing this twice a week when the load is full is advisable. This can also save some money when paying for gallons of water used during the month.

5. The refrigerator and freezer should be defrosted and cleaned every 2 weeks. This prevents the ice from getting too thick which may cause this machine to break down.

6. People have to cook in order to eat. The person can try using range top burners instead of ovens that use up a lot of electricity.

7. People who live in cold climates need a heater to warm the home. A blanket can be use to wrap around it to lessen the power used inside and while taking a shower.

There are many things that people pay for when owning a home. The homeowner can monitor the electric bills the few past months and see if the steps taken has shown improvements when the next one arrives.

The above article was written by Sarah Miller on behalf of a buzzing online Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling Contractors community where homeowners easily and painlessly find the right contractor for their home improvement projects and in turn, contractors can find the right Home Improvement Leads! Also check out the http://QuoteCity.com Blog for more related Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling Articles and Ideas.Alyson Blog62888
Astra Blog85810

Helping Your Child Become A Reader

Evidence is plentiful throughout the years that when parents and families actively support and encourage their children, the children are far more likely to succeed educationally. When you as a parent or family member are actively involved in a childs learning process, you give them a significant advantage.

Even more specifically, the foundation from which to build the foundation for this success is reading. How well your child learns to - and enjoys reading, is absolutely directly related to not only how well your child will do in school, but how successful they will be throughout their lifetime. When a child develops good reading skills they have developed a foundation on which all other learning is built upon.

From the day a child is born they begin to learn. From the moment you begin to talk or sing to your new baby they begin to hear and to respond to sounds. The more your talk and sing to your child, the more you strengthen and advance their understanding of language. You are laying the first blocks for your child to becoming a reader.

As a parent you yourself dont have to be the worlds best reader in order to help your child become a successful reader. It is your time, your interest, your enthusiasm, and your dedication to your childs success that is important. Remember, it is reading that is the essential element that all other learning is dependent upon.

Every child learns to read at different paces. It is a step by step process with each step mastered leading to the next.

Early on babies and toddlers learn primarily by experiencing the sights and sounds that become a part of their world. Babies are natural born curiosity seekers and learners. They are in a constant explore and discover mode. As a parent you should take great advantage of this natural desire.

As a part of this early discovery and leaning stage babies quickly learn to imitate those events that they both see and hear. So, right from the beginning, parents should be reading, singing, gesturing, smiling and making funny faces with their children. Believe it or not, these are the very first activities that begin to establish a childs path toward understanding the language and ultimately begin reading.

So you see, even though your baby hasnt officially began learning to read in a structured manner, becoming an eventual good reader starts from the first day your child begins to hear what is to become their primary language. The first steps of translating sounds into words, words to sentences, and sentences to meanings is, in a sense, the foundation for the foundation of reading.

Mary Joyce is a former educator, successful homeschool parent, and the primary contributor to the Homeschool-Curriculum-4u website. Please visit (http://www.homeschool-curriculum-4u.com) for a complete list of Mary's articles, resources on homeschool, ideas, and curriculum information.Amalie Blog67704
Billie Blog11691

Help, I Am Not Getting Any Response From My Job Applications!

Most job seekers get very few replies to their applications even when they are an ideal match for the position. A large and growing proportion of this is due to the use of computer technology which is used to reduce hundreds of applications down to a handful. You absolutely must understand how this works and just ow to improve your odds.

In the past these all had to be read individually, a very time consuming and tedious task. Imagine if several hundred turned up on your desk!

If your CV was received in the first days post for a new job advertisement, there was a good chance it would get read and that your details would be properly considered. After this point, you are pretty much wasting your time. Once the consultant gets bored, the chances are that your CV will get a cursory glance at best.

The IT industry has developed a number of tools designed to automate the processing of job applications and CVs. These work in a variety of ways, but their basic aim is to extract the information in the CV and convert it into a form that can be searched. In order to search your covering letter or CV, they both need to be in an electronic form. Scanning technology can be used to scan paper CVs and convert them into word type documents, but these are expensive, error prone and slow.

Agencies much prefer an electronic application either with your details sent via Email or entered into the registration form on their web site. This allows them to eliminate data entry or re-keying. Once they have your details electronically, the fun starts. It is very expensive to use staff to sort through hundreds of CVs, although some agencies still do this. However, most are looking to use automated approaches to reduce their costs and improve their margins.

Once your CV is received, it is then placed into an electronic queue containing each application for this position or it's added to a giant database full of candidates. All of the applications for a position are rarely read by the recruitment consultant. When they are ready to build a shortlist of applicants, they will perform a search of their database looking for suitable candidates. They search all of the CVs and resumes looking for particular keywords that may indicate someone who is a good fit for the position. Some will also use other filters such as salaries.

For more senior positions, there is sometimes an assumption that someone earning 100K should not be considered for a position earning 150K simply because "If you were good enough you would already be earning this sort of income". You probably are already doing an identical job, but your company or industry simply pays less for those skills. Ill-informed attitudes like this show that you have to play the game

The problem lies in the choice of the words they search for. Very often, their search will only bring back a small number of candidates who have explicitly mentioned a particular word. There may well be many other, better qualified candidates, but these are not found as the search did not match their details. For instance a search that looks for "accountant" may miss applications who mentioned FCA or any other accountancy qualification in their CV but did not say they where an accountant.

During a conversation with a headhunter last week, they complained that they often accidentally stumble across great candidates who had been sitting in their databases for months, but simply not turned up on a search. Their details only appeared when they were looking for another unrelated role.

It may seem shocking, but this is the way that most of the recruitment systems work. This often explains why you did not even get considered for a position where you should have been a very strong contender.

What do you need to do to ensure that your CV gets read and shortlisted??

Key Point

Make sure that you really are a very close fit for the position. When there are hundreds of applicants, only those exactly matching the criteria will get considered. If you are an 80% fit, then don't waste your time. Make sure that you are a 90-100% fit! If you are not selective, then the chances are that you will get demoralised by lots of rejections letters. You should always tailor each response carefully to bring out your most relevant experience. If you are targeting every position, then you are not giving sufficient care and attention to your applications.

Once you have carefully picked the best positions that match your skills, you need to think how the recruitment consultant might try and locate CVs that are a good fit for the role.

You need to carefully scrutinize the advert or job description if available. Your covering letter and CV need to replay as closely as possible the wording the agency have used. If they say "Outstanding senior accountant with business development experience needed for a busy practice", then you should try to repeat this at the start of your covering letter and in the summary of your CV. If they then search for all CVs that contain senior accountant and business development, there is a very high chance they will look at your details.

As an example, don't assume that because you mention that you are an accountant or that you are registered with the ICAEW, that the recruitment consultant will find you when they search. You should spell out that you are an accountant and mention your qualification and professional body within the document. You increase your odds of being found enormously if you do.

Every CV you send out should be tailored for the position to maximise your chances of success. It may take a little more time, but it helps to make sure you are found. There is nothing more demoralizing than not even getting a response to an application.

For more senior roles, this gets even more involved. It is more difficult to find top people just using keywords. For instance, the agency may have 500 partners on its books, but how do you find one who is "dynamic, go-ahead and will grow my business"?? The consultant will still use their search tools, but they now have to look for words that describe the ideal candidate. You really have to understand exactly what they are looking for to "tune" your CV appropriately. If your skills aren't a strong fit, then you are wasting your time applying and need to find a more suitable position.

Another trick that can bypass the search issue, is to ring the agency up and talk to the person who is looking after that position. Tell them you are interested in the job and ask them if they can tell you more. Very often you will get extra clues that help you to target your skills and experience effectively. The other benefit is that if you can whet the appetite of the consultant, they may well be looking our for your CV when it arrives. This makes a dramatic difference and radically increases your chances.

Action Summary

1. Select only completely relevant positions
2. Precise the advert and write down the key requirements.
3. Make a note of the words that they use
4. Save a new copy of your CV and tailor this specifically for this position bringing out your best and most relevant experience.
5. Use the same words as they do, particularly mentioning any keywords
6. Do the same for the covering letter

In each document, place the keywords at the end using white text on a white background to make this invisible. The search engines will still see this, but the reader won't.

When you send the documents to the agency, wait a day and then contact the consultant handling the position. Explain your interest, why you are a close fit and ask for their feedback. At the least, it should ensure that they do read your CV.

If there is a big difference in your current salary to that in the position, don't provide details of your salary even if it is asked for. If the agency likes your CV and then rings you back, then they are potentially interested.

Never discuss the salary until much later on. Once an employer has decided that they want you, you can often get the salary you deserve! Very often you can get the right salary, once you have convinced them that you are the right candidate.

At least 80% of applications are nowhere near the mark and will get instantly rejected! Don't waste your time applying unless you really are a very good fit!

Steve Butler - GetMoreJobOffers.com. This is a unique and proven approach that helps job seekers find more jobs and then present their skills effectively so that they secure their ideal jobs. Beth Blog35141
Carlyn Blog71758

All Grown Up: Why You Don't Need a Website

Why Your Small Business Needs a Web Solution Not a Website

Raise your hand if you have a website for your small business. Now keep it raised if it is generating a significant volume of prospects or sales. Not holding your hand up anymore? You are not alone.

Just a few years ago, small companies flocked to the web in droves, rushing to post their first website, anxious at the prospect of low-cost instant exposure. The web was going to be the great equalizer, putting small business on par with the big brand names, dangling the promise of visitors flocking to a company's site to purchase its wares or partake in its services. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, for most small businesses and organizations, the promise fell short and company sales did not skyrocket from an unending march of site visitors.

So, what happened? For one, the web quickly became ultra competitive. Millions of sites sprang up in every business category making it virtually impossible to be found in the search engines. What little bit of traffic the businesses may have enjoyed when the site was first launched began to dry up. Also, as the web evolved to become a more interactive user experience, it became more technologically complex and many small business websites did not keep up. The other part of the problem was in the approach; not understanding that just putting together a website, even a pretty one, and finding some faceless company offering cheap web hosting services is not likely to make you the next great success story.

A large hurdle that many small business owners and managers face is the tendency to compartmentalize the web into a few oversimplified tasks: grab a cheap domain name, find a budget small business website design and development person, look for some impossibly low-priced website hosting, and then expect their website to magically appear on page one of Google. Unfortunately, this ends up being a waste of time and money.

A Solutions-Based Approach with Professional Guidance

To create an effective web presence requires a solutions-based approach with clear ideas about what you want to accomplish and who the audience is you are targeting. The right elements have to be present; a well orchestrated website design with cohesive branding, solid technical acumen, clearly defined objectives for the organization, reliable small business web hosting services and some method of marketing your site and tracking the results. The web is constantly evolving and search engine competition is fierce. Being successful on the web requires consistently evaluating the site's effectiveness based on your objectives, understanding the latest technologies and trends, having a dynamic website marketing plan and constantly fine tuning.

While you don't have to spend a fortune to create real value on the web, you should also be realistic. Understand that being successful will require an investment that you should plan for and a clear vision of how your website fits into the goals and objectives of the organization. If you don't have the experience and technical resources in-house, working with a professional web solutions provider, preferably one specializing in small business web design and development can provide great benefits. A good starting point in the process is to have an understanding of the core elements that are part of a successful website strategy and how they fit together.

The Elements of a Web Solution

1) Domain names - Choosing the right domain name is an important branding decision which impacts how your organization is perceived and also how it is found in the search engines. Purchasing from a cheap bulk registrar or choosing can spell trouble.

2) Website Design & Development Services> - Find a provider that specializes in small business web design and development. An organization that offers a solutions-based approach can assist your company in doing thorough needs analysis and in designing all of the elements to work well together. First impressions count!

3) E-mail Management - E-mail is a key communication tool for your business. The right system will help you maximize communications within the company, on the road and with your customers.

4) Social Media - Social media such as blogging, Podcasting and other web 2.0 tools can greatly enhance customer communications. Your web services company should be able to help you evaluate how social media tools can best benefit your web presence and business objects.

5) Small Business Website Hosting Services - All web hosting is NOT created equal. There are many nuances and technical consideration involved with hosting solutions. It is best to stay away from budget hosting companies. Look for a managed hosting provider who can help you select the right plan for your web solution goals, get your website up and running and support you as it grows and evolves.

6) Website Maintenance - How will your site be maintained and updated? Having both small business web development and managed web site hosting as a package is immensely helpful for maximizing web server resources, identifying problems and keeping the site maintained and updated.

7) E-Commerce - Will you be actually selling on your site or using it for lead generation or information dissemination? If you are selling products, who will create and maintain your product database. How will transactions be handled? What about web server requirements? Working with a professional can help ensure you make the right choices for your e-commerce site.

8) Business Process Interaction (database development, customer relationship management, integration with your business management systems) - A website needs to be more than just an ad on the Internet to be effective as a business tool. There are many ways the web can be used to improve your business processes and integrate with your existing systems such as accounting or contact management.

9) Website Marketing - How will people find you on the web? Will you optimize your site for organic search or employ paid marketing techniques or a combination? What directories should you list your site in? Search engine marketing has evolved to be a complex specialty. It's critical that you understand the tools available for driving traffic to your site and if needed, know how to evaluate and engage a web marketing specialist.

10) Website Analytics and Conversion - Having a great site isn't enough if your visitors aren't doing what you intended; buying something, contacting your company or using your site for an information source. Does your site have usability issues? What kind of reporting will you use to track site visitors? What do you need to know and do to convert your visitors into action-takers?

It's a Process and a Work in Progress

While there is certainly a lot to think about, creating the best possible website solution for your business doesn't have to be overwhelming. Your website can and should be a work in progress, evolving as your business grows.Because most small businesses do not have an internal IT staff to handle the technical elements of web development and planning, working with a web solutions provider that specializes in small business website hosting services and small business web design and development is a good start. Such an organization can help you identify your goals, manage the technical aspects of your site and guide you in your marketing efforts. They can also help you work within your budget to develop a plan that combines all the elements into a cohesive whole for creating and maintaining a successful web presence.

Conclusion

The web has grown up to be a terrific marketing medium for small businesses and organizations. Done right, it can be the most cost effective and powerful marketing and communication tool in your arsenal. The promise is still there. However, to truly leverage the power of the web, it is important to take a good, hard look at the website you currently have or the one you are thinking about creating. The elements of a successful web presence: small business web hosting, website design and development and web marketing are only the framework for a well thought-out web solution designed to reach your customers and truly benefit your business.

Ilene Rosoff is the president and founder of The Launch Pad, a 15-year-old Florida-based technology services company specializing in small business web hosting services, small business web design and development, and business information technology solutions for local and national clients with zero to sixty employees. Visit http://www.launchpadonline.com to request ano-cost technology or web assessment for your organization.Biddy Blog62432
Ansley Blog13978

Beware Of Fake Online Degree Scams

With modern technology, the internet offers students many opportunities to study for online college degrees. Students can also find a wealth of information regarding their online education ambition, for instance like how to apply for college student loan, how to find the right online college degree program for a wide variety of other online education information.

Since many prospective online students are usually working adults, more and more people are turning to the internet to obtain a college degree education program, studying completely from the internet.

However, do be careful when you choose an online college to study with. Beware of fake college degree scams. What many students fail to do is to research the online collegess accreditation process. This is a vital process and is done to make sure that the online college you chose to study from is genuine and creditable.

Since the benefits of an accredited college degree are plentiful, potential students need to ensure that the online college they study with offers fully accredited degrees. An accredited college degree is an endorsement and recognition that you have received a certain level of standard and quality in your education.

However, in the online degree industry, scams abound. There are many so called "degree-mills" on the internet which promise that you will receive degrees in half the time that is normally taken to study for a degree and some even to go as far as to claim that you can earn a college degree even without studying or taking examinations.

These scams and fake "colleges" only want your money and when you are done with them, you will be left with a degree that has not been through a proper accreditation process or worse, you will receive a fake college degree which is completely worthless. So you must beware of them.

A properly accredited online college degree program ensures that a student is receiving a high quality education that is the standard among colleges and universities both online and offline. By being accredited, it holds the online colleges and universities accountable for their performances and this auger well for employer's confidence in the degree's credibility.

By having a fully accredited online college degree by the proper governing boards ensures that your hard work is rewarded. Employers and other learning institutions will accept your degree as being credible.

Students who wish to apply for college financing can only do so if their college is properly accredited by the proper educational boards. No banks will give any college student loans to students who are intending to study with a college without accreditation.

Furthermore, in order to transfer your credits to another educational institution that is accredited, you have to receive a degree from an accredited college or university online.

While the internet is a good medium where students from all over the world with internet access can obtain get a college degree education, you should by all means avoid being a victim of such ruthless scams. Proper accreditation ensures that your online degree will be respected by your employers and other colleges and universities should you wish to go for your post graduate degree.

It is therefore imperative that you research your chosen college's accreditation process thoroughly before committing to any online college degree program. This will make sure that the accredited online college degree you will obtain is properly accredited through the proper state or regional boards. By doing your research well, you will avoid being a victim of fake college degree online scams may cost you lot of money, time, hard work and heartache.

Chris Chew is a writer and author. More education articles at his sites http://universityeducation.blogspot.com and http://create-attract-wealth.blogspot.comBecki Blog98181
Anita Blog59610

Herbal And Alternative Treatments For Breast Cancer

Herbal remedies have been around for for thousands of years. Now, women with breast cancer facing chemotherapy and radiation are supplementing this traditional medicine with herbal remedies and alternative treatments. They are not abandoning the usual breast cancer treatment; they are using herbal remedies and alternative treatments to curb the side effects.

Ginseng has been used by the Chinese for centuries. They believe that it stimulates the immune system and energies the patient. There are more than 30 active compounds in the ginseng root. Many of the compounds are believed to have anti-tumor properties. In a Chinese study it was found that women who took ginseng before their diagnosis had a higher survival rate than the women who took ginseng after their diagnosis. Women have reported that they have a higher quality of life and suffer less depression while using ginseng.

There is a mushroom, the Maitake that helps in boosting the immune system. Here again, in the East this has been used widely. Lab studies have been done using liquid Maitake extract. Many researchers believe that the mushrooms contain beta-glucans which helps to enhance the immune system. They still don't know why, but they are working on it.

Mistletoe extract has been used in Europe to treat cancer patients for over 80 years. It has been shown to kill cancer cells and boost the immune system. There have been very few studies done here on mistletoe, but some research is under way and will be out at the end of this year. Researchers are studying the safety, the effects on the immune system and its toxicity.

Acupuncture is especially helpful for nausea and post surgical pain. Many studies done by research oncologists have shown that acupuncture was better for women with breast cancer than the medication taken to fight nausea. It also helps in loss of appetite, fatigue and sleep disorders. The AAMA recommends women with breast cancer should get acupuncture during their chemotherapy treatments but only after you have spoken to your primary doctor.

All doctors and researchers stress that diet and exercise play a key role in treating cancer. Stick to a diet that is high in fruits, vegetables and grains. The National Cancer Institute recommends at least 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day. Phytochemicals are found in fruits and vegetables and they prevent cancers in a number of ways. Research shows that they help in detoxification of carcinogens, DNA repair, boosting of the immune system and maintenance of cellular control mechanisms. Obesity plays a role in getting cancer. Change your diet, eat healthy and go for a walk or ride a bike. This is a suggestion we should all take to heart.

These alternative methods may well help you through your breast cancer treatment and perhaps even get you a speedier recovery. New studies are being done everyday for women with breast cancer. Discuss these alternative therapies with your Doctor and always let your physician and your oncologist know about any therapies you want to take, before you take them. This will make sure that the alternative therapy won't interfere with your chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor am I in the medical field. This is just information that I researched out of curiosity and the desire to know all of the options available.

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com, http://www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com, and http://www.GardeningHerb.com.Benni Blog31468
Amandi Blog38828

Art, Culture and Haggis: It May Not Seem It, But These Are The Elements Of A Harmonious Holiday

Edinburgh is one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations, attracting roughly 13 million visitors each year; and it's no surprise as to why. With so many remarkable attributes - from an amazing theatre and art scene, to a rich cultural history - anyone who visits the city is sure to go home with something to talk about.

Edinburgh is renowned for its theatre scene; the city is, after all, home to the Fringe Festival - the largest performing arts festival in the world. Countless theatre productions can be found running in Edinburgh at any given time of the year; the city's main classic-production theatres include Usher Hall, the Royal Lyceum Theatre, King's Theatre, and the Playhouse, while the Traverse Theatre offers a more contemporary programme of plays.

In addition to theatres, Edinburgh boasts five National Galleries - so anyone who loves art is sure to be impressed. Tourists can even pay a visit to 'Dolly' - the first cloned mammal - which is now on display at the Royal Museum. Edinburgh also features a Writer's Museum in light of its rich literary tradition; some of the most famous writers who lived or worked in Edinburgh include Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and more recently, Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh.

Ghost tours are particularly popular with tourists as well; beginning on the Royal Mile, visitors are guided down into the city's underground streets and vaults - relics of previous life in Edinburgh - while being relayed with stories about the ghosts which now occupy them. A ghost tour is one of the city's quintessential tourist attractions, and taking one is well worth your time - even if you don't believe in ghosts.

While tasting haggis is also a classic part of experiencing Scotland, one can't help but notice that Edinburgh is strewn with international restaurants. From Jamaican and Moroccan to Thai and Indian food, anyone who loves to try different flavours will be absolutely delighted. Edinburgh also carries a prominent 'coffee culture' by way of its countless charming cafes and coffee houses. Harry Potter fans can even visit the famous Elephant House caf, where J.K. Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter book.

While the bustle of the city is truly amazing, there are various opportunities in and around Edinburgh for anyone who loves the peaceful outdoors. Arthur's Seat in Hollyrood Park, for example, offers spectacular hiking trails which lead to breathtaking views over the city; the Royal Botanical Garden is also a great place to spend an entire day or an afternoon. And if you'd like to take a scenic stroll in the city, head to Princes Street Gardens or up to Calton Hill, where you'll see the National Monument and get a great view of the city. If you'd like to get away from the bustle of the city for a bit, you can also easily arrange a day-tour up to the Highlands from Edinburgh.

While there are countless activities to partake in during the day, Edinburgh also boasts an exciting nightlife; from small, intimate pubs and live-music venues to elegant bars and clubs, anyone out for a night on the town will not be disappointed. The Grassmarket is lined with pubs and bars, while the New Town boasts the newest fashionable venues.

Other must-see attractions in the city include the Edinburgh Castle, the Scott Monument, St. Giles' Cathedral, the Royal Yacht Brittania and the National Monument on Calton Hill. But the city's most renowned attraction is undoubtedly the summertime Edinburgh Festival - a collection of independent festivals focusing on theatre, music, film and literature. The most famous of these include the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival, which hosts high profile productions and classic musical performances. The Festival begins in early August and last for four weeks - a period during which the city's population doubles.

The Edinburgh Hogmanay celebration is another immensely popular event; and while the street party - which draws 100,000 people on New Year's Eve - is the main event, the celebration lasts for four days, and is famously one of the largest New Year's Eve gatherings in the world.

With the Edinburgh Airport just half an hour from the city centre, it makes sense to fly in rather than to take a lengthy train or bus ride. Countless flights to Edinburgh arrive into Edinburgh daily, so why wait any longer? Start planning your trip today, and see what 13 million people flock to each year; you'll then see that art, culture and haggis truly can be elements of a harmonious holiday.

Andrew Regan is an online journalist who enjoys socialising at his local Edinburgh rugby club.Anjanette Blog84074
Bibi Blog21522

Is Your Wireless Network Secure?

Networking professionals are encouraging people to think twice about wireless network security. You might be thinking I use WEP-128 bit encryption with MAC address filtering, Im safe. Or you may be youve never even heard of WEP, if this is the case you might want to unplug your wireless access point immediately. But then again look at the bright side at least you dont have the false sense of security that your network is secure. Perhaps you are the smart guy who knows how insecure wireless networks are. You too are at just an equal risk!

Your computer consultant might be partially right when they say WEP will protect your network. It will protect your network from casual snooping but that is about it. Last year the FBI was able to crack a WEP protected network in less than 3 minutes with tools widely available on the internet. Since then its been downhill for WEP.

At this point you might be thinking, Oh well, someone gets on my network and uses the internet. This is completely false. If someone has gone through the process of getting on your network chances are the only thing they want is not internet access. Any computer security professional will tell you that physical access to the network is 95% of the security battle. Once this has been accomplished you can consider all of your data compromised. Customer invoices, customer data, credit card numbers and passwords to financial institutions will all be in the hands of a hacker. One in many methods can be used to gain access to your personal data, whether its through Key loggers, Trojans, or just by sniffing your plaintext network traffic.

Maybe, just maybe, I have not convinced you of the insecurities of wireless networks. Let me tell you about another attack that hackers can use to gain access to your network. Lets say your access points are completely locked down, to your knowledge. A user from your network goes and flips on their laptop while sitting in an airport terminal waiting for a plane. They see an available insecure wireless network so they click on it and connect. None of us have ever done this before right, itching to check their email one last time before heading out of town? Unbeknownst to them they have just clicked on a fake honeypot wireless network, set up by a rogue hacker that before they can even realize their machine is already being scanned. Picture for a moment that user could be anywhere, even sitting at a desk in your network. Just as long as the rogue access point is stronger than your APs radio signal youre security is done.

May be you fall into the category of never setting up wireless networks because you read about their insecurities. How then can you be at risk? Just consider for a moment that a user in your organization fires up his wireless card. Sees a wireless network that is named XYZCorp after your company. So they connect to it and immediately a script is hammering their machine for security vulnerabilities. Once again they connected to a rogue access point setup by a hacker. Now you might be thinking. Cmon you must have to be a computer genius to find and run these tools. Think again, thanks to the kind people over at http://remote-exploit.org all these tools can be downloaded in one big happy ISO file. Burned to a CD as an image and bang youre done, ready to take a drive to the nearest business and start sniffing credit card numbers. Everything wrapped into a nice package just waiting for the next script kiddy to start running the programs. You may be thinking ok this is a major problem so what should I do? Give up my organizations ability to use wireless networks? This isnt exactly what we are saying. A newer wireless security technology has taken over in 2004 called WPA. It is more secure than WEP. And so far tools are not as readily available to hack your network. But consider the following. WEP was ratified in the late 1990s less than six years later it was exploited. This is typical of almost every computer technology. It is only a matter of time before technologies are exploited. Just always remember Security is a multi-tiered companywide responsibility. From providing physical security to web site security all matters should be considered serious and not taken lightly. So before you grab a wireless access point and slap it in your network, I urge you to think twice.

You may think you are in a sinking boat because you are a small organization not able to implement the latest technologies and afford the newest access points. Or maybe you cannot afford to pay an IT staff over 100k-200k a year to maintain your medium size network. Executives at N2 Network Solutions say you should consider IT outsourcing or IT consulting. You can get Industry certified engineers on a project by project basis. Contractual relationships are also available to dump the responsibility of your network into their hands for a fraction of the price. To keep your small to medium size network performing like a Fortune 500 machine invest the capital and secure your assets.

Jeremy Whittaker is a Senior Consultant for N2 Network Solutions, visit N2 online http://www.n2networksolutions.com.Carlee Blog84851
Berenice Blog3395

Website Builder: Professionally Designed Websites

Operating your business requires the right amount of finesse, rapport with customers and the unshakable faith that you will succeed.

Youre a business owner and youre always looking for new avenues of growth. Youve been mulling over the idea of having a website ever since you went to your business development conference and they informed you that having a website will boost your sales and give you another outlet for your products or services.

Youve performed your research; however, youre more confused than ever. There seems to be so many different ways that a website can be designed, the computer languages it takes, uploading, downloading, FTP; so many names and so confusing.

As a result of so many businesses confused about what a website can do, an informal survey of prospective and current website owners was conducted. These are its findings:

1. Inexpensive Website Building
2. Professional Design
3. Have Access to Changes From Any PC
4. Customer Service With Real live Human Beings
5. High Uptime (99%)
6. Network Status Availability
7. Common Control Panel

Inexpensive website building doesnt mean that you wont pay to get the job done right the first time. What it means is that youre not going to spend $50,000 on a 2 page website. You expect and deserve value for your money.

Along with an inexpensive website, a professionally designed website or a website that looks professionally designed is also important. You dont want an outdated design style because this will drive away prospective customers.

In order not to drive away potential customers, you also require the ability to provide changes to your website wherever you are that has Internet connection. For example, youre on vacation and your Uncle calls you to tell you that something on your website isnt spelled correctly and can affect sales. So you log on from your hotel and within 15 minutes the problem is solved. Can you imagine if you had to wait until you arrived home? By that time, your stress level would have increased and you would need another vacation!

Another area that tends to stress new and old website business owners is the ability to speak with a real person when it comes to customer service. Customer service and real human contact is important to forge real business bonds. This allows transparency of operations for the website company and provides another element of trust for the customer.

A website business couldnt be successful unless the computers that are storing those files (hosting) are functioning 99% of the time. If those computers are down, that means that potential customers may not be able to reach your website and will look at another to get what they want.

Another important aspect is network status availability. This is related to high uptime. What network status availability means to you, the website business owner is that the network that connects those computers that host your files is also functioning. For example, the computers may be fine, however if the network has issues, then those computers wont be able to communicate with Internet users, thus resulting in potentially lost business.

Controlling your website and its content from one central area is also important. Usually, this is called a control panel. This allows you to re-set passwords, see website statistics (number of visitors etc) and can help you manage the content of your website. This tool should be relatively straightforward and self-explanatory. It may take you some time to understand, however shouldnt require a Ph.D. in computer science to operate.

These 7 steps can help guide you to having a successfully built website. Take a look at what your requirements are and dont hesitate to ask whether these 7 items will be delivered. In order to eliminate the doubt, hesitation and lack of trust that can be associated with business transactions and website building, the website owner needs to be reassured that what theyre paying for, theyre getting.

With a successful website builder, your business can attain another level of success.

Mark Gerrard is the Development Manager of the Freestart Website Builder Platform. See our website builder in action at http://www.freestart.com April Blog29852
Brynne Blog88262

Sicko and Bill Clinton on Health and Wellness Trends

Have you watched Sicko already? It is very worth doing so.

In order to help put the health problem we are living in better perspective, let me share now some of the insights and advice that Bill Clinton gave us in San Francisco recently at the Healthetc event sponsored by California Pacific Medical Center and KCBS.

Some of the speech highlights:

1) Clinton's great overview of key comparative data:

* 16 vs 10-11: % GDP spent on health care in the US vs. other industrialized countries. This percentage difference equals around $800 billion annually!

* 84 vs 100: % population with some form of health insurance in the US vs. other countries

* 34 and 37: ranking of the US system as measured by health outcomes and life expectancy, respectively

* 34 vs 19: % health care costs spent on administration in the US vs. other countries

2) President Clinton then outlined the 3 main problems with US Healthcare as follows, empathizing that any serious, long-term solution needs to address these 3 elements as a whole:

* immoral unequal coverage, where a large percentage of citizens lack access to quality care

* inefficient system: we pay more for less, as you could see in Sicko

* we still focus more on disease than on health. But he is hopeful about an increasing focus on wellness, absolutely necessary to alleviate future cost pressures

3) Now, let's reflect on couple of (approximate) quotes with profound wisdom

* "I am a testimonial for the best of American medicine. Given my heart problems, it is a miracle I am here with you today. These days I cannot stay more than 5 minutes in a bad mood, because I remind myself how fortunate I am simply to be alive"

* (when people were clapping and cheering to easy "sound bites" while he was still trying to make a complex point) "Please stop. I don't want you to boo or cheer, simply to think on your own"

Amazing words.

In the afternoon, after his speech, we spent some time talking with health providers and attending some panels, such as the one put together by the Alzheimer's Association on ways to prevent or delay Alzheimer's.

We were surprised at the amount of education still needed to make the medical and health community incorporate science-based advice on lifelong learning and mental stimulation on top of "traditional" advice around nutrition and physical exercise. The Alzheimer's Association is being one of the pioneers with their "Maintain Your Brain" campaign, suggesting a comprehensive set of health and wellness guidelines we should all follow:

1) Stay mentally active: "Mentally stimulating activities strengthen brain cells and the connections between them, and may even create new nerve cells."

2) Remain socially active: "Social activity not only makes physical and mental activity more enjoyable, it can reduce stress levels, which helps maintain healthy connections among brain cells"

3) Stay physically active: "Physical exercise is essential for maintaining good blood flow to the brain as well as to encourage new brain cells. It also can significantly reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes, and thereby protect against those risk factors for Alzheimer's and other dementias."

4) Adopt a brain-healthy diet: "Research suggests that high cholesterol may contribute to stroke and brain cell damage. A low fat, low cholesterol diet is advisable. And there is growing evidence that a diet rich in dark vegetables and fruits, which contain antioxidants, may help protect brain cells."

No doubt, Bill Clinton would agree with the importance of these guidelines to ensure Baby Boomers can age in a healthy way and prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed with Alzheimer's related costs.

Let's watch with attention what the presidential candidates propose to deal with this situation.

Copyright (c) 2007 SharpBrains

Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains, which provides the latest science-based information for Brain Health and Brain Fitness, and has been recognized by Scientific American Mind, CBS, Forbes, and more. Alvaro holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University, and teaches The Science of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute. Learn more at http://www.sharpbrains.com/hottopics.Brigitte Blog57308
Brunhilde Blog17454

Cold Calling Intel

The statistic quoted loudly by those who do not know how to cold call is this, "An industry rule of thumb holds that only about 2% of cold calls produce solid prospects." That has been the industry stat since the early 1950's and means any idiot can pick up the phone, call prospects, and expect to find that 2% of the people on the cold calling list to turn into solid prospects.

Successful sales pros know cold calling is a great way to build and add to a client base out of thin air.

The tremendous advantage of cold calling is this: No other marketing method allows sales professionals to reach as many prospects in as short a period of time.

Before your colleagues tries to lull you into believing, the 2% figure only proves that cold calling is a tactic with a low return on time spent, stop and do some focused thinking about the importance and value of cold calling metrics.

Fact is a 2% return is the very place where every expert cold callers start. 2% is the test number sellers know they can hit if they get up in the morning and make calls. These experts want great results; and make all sorts of adjustments that allow them to beat 2% in geometric proportions. How do they do this? By ruthless examination of additional metrics that have meaning to outrageously successful cold callers. Such as:

1. Percentage of appointments scheduled out of every 10 calls made.

2. Percentage of callbacks from voice mail messages

3. Percentage of appointment scheduled with callbacks from voice mail

4. Average number of calls made to each prospect to schedule an appointment

5. Differences in numbers of appointments scheduled with changes made in words spoken

The good news is your industry colleagues watch just one of these five important cold calling business metrics.

The bad news is you very well may be like most sellers who cold call and:

1. Settle for only one of five important cold calling metrics

2. Fail to leverage even that one metric into a higher response rate

3. Fail to capitalize on cold calling as a significant part of their sales strategy

You have got to ask yourself, are you going to be among the masses who settle for what's been the norm for half-a-century? Or are you going to join the ranks of the elite sellers who examine their Cold Calling Intel to leverage the power and profit awaiting the serious student of cold calling? The answer to these important questions can dramatically change the results of your cold calls.

For your mini-course Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents visit http://www.ColdCallingExecutives.com ! Or call Cold Calling Expert, Lead New Business Development Coach, Leslie Buterin (like butterin bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (thats Kansas City/Chicago Time) Find much more on our http://www.ColdCallingExecutives.com/blog/index.htmlCelestyn Blog15560
Annetta Blog28441

5 Tips For Bloggers

I started blogging for personal reasons: to keep in touch with long distant friends and relatives. Then I added a Q&A blog (http://thedabblingmum.blogspot.com) for my magazine (http://thedabblingmum.com) to host interviews I conduct with authors and entrepreneurs. Now I get paid to ghostwrite for blogs and you can too!

Tip #1

Understand the industry you want to be paid to blog for.

Lets assume you enjoy health and nutrition and have read up on this topic for years. In fact, you know many facts and insider secrets by heart and often share this information with friends, relatives, and strangers in your local health food store. Thats a topic you could easily be paid to write about. Because of your vast knowledge, the posts will come easy and when they dont youre magazine subscriptions will offer plenty of food for thought.

Tip #2

Never accept a non-compete contract.

As a blog writer, you will make your living writing for various blogs. A non-compete clause will prevent you from writing about the same topic on another blog and thats not good for business.

As a health and nutrition specialist, you may write for a vegetarian blog, a holistic treatment blog, a vitamin companys blog, and even a diet blog. Theres no competition there, right? And no conflict of interest, correct? The non-compete clause wont even apply.

But what if youre asked to write for another vegetarian blog? Thats when the non-compete clause kicks in and prevents you from earning a better living. Is there really a conflict of interest? Not if you dont post the same information on both blogs. You can write for five different vegetarian blogs and still not show a conflict of interest. Its all about choosing a different angle on the same idea and writing about it.

Tip #3

Never rely on revenue sharing as your sole source of income.

Youre job as a blog writer is to write about topics relevant to the blogs theme and interact with commenters. Your job isnt to market and advertise the blog. Thats the companys job. If the company isnt pulling its weight, the ad revenue will not exist and if the ad revenue doesnt exist, neither does your salary. Its best to be paid a flat fee, but if the company you truly want to work for only pays in ad revenue, negotiate a monthly stipend plus a percentage of the ad revenues.

If youre going to get paid based on ad revenue or clicks, and youre job is to also promote and market the blog, you should start your own blog. That way, you get to keep all the income you earn and dont have to share the revenues with a company who isnt doing anything to help promote the blogaside from hosting (which you can get for as little as $7 a month and free if you stick to blog networks.)

Tip #4

Get paid in advance.

Negotiate a contract to get paid at the beginning of the month for that months blogging. That way, you will never be out money for a project youve completed. And remember, if the company can pay the web host, the electricity bill, the web designer, the internet provider, and so forth, the company can afford to pay you!

Tip #5

When writers block hits, to a search online.

Sometimes bloggers get whats known as writers block. Writers block simply means youve run out of ideas to write about. It happens to the best of us, but it doesnt have to hurt your career as a blogger for hire. When writers block occurs, get online and search for blogs, websites, and forums related to your blogs topic. After a half hour to an hour of reading, youll have plenty of ideas to write about.

Alyice Edrich is the editor of The Dabbling Mum, a free parenting publication, and the author of several work from home e-books designed to help parents earn extra cash while spending more time with their children. To learn more, visit her at http://thedabblingmum.com/ebookstore Carolynn Blog29230
Casie Blog7074

Get a Head Start on Customer Relationship Management, What is CRM

Customer relation ship management

CRM is the abbreviation that stands for Customer Relationship Management. CRM has gained lot of importance in recent times because it concerns the way an organization or company deals with its customers as well as their personal information. The scope of CRM goes way beyond providing customer service and encompasses building healthy and long-term relationships. The personal information of customers has become more than just something a company owns.

Customer Relationship Management dictates how a company will handle the address, phone number, email address, fax number, or any personal information including how this information will be stored and analyzed and whether it will be outsourced or sold, or not.

Though customers for the most part are more or less not concerned when handing over their personal information to companies they trust the companies do need that information to study their customer profile as it gives them a better perspective of their target market.

There are many aspects to Customer Relationship Management including collaborative CRM, operational CRM, and analytical CRM. Collaborative CRM is all about direct communication and self service. Operational CRM is about the support and automation of operations that are related to customer services including customer service representatives and sales processes.

Analytical CRM is exactly what it states; it deals with the analysis and study of collected customer data for a variety of purposes. In many cases recruiting software is used in order to handle some of these tasks.

Job management is another important aspect of CRM because the people working in a company need training in order to gather and analyze customer information. This sort of training often takes some time when done for the first time but the benefits of this process far outweigh all the effort and time it takes to properly implement CRM. For most companies there is no need to buy new software as the recruitment software is more than enough but then this depends on what that software is.

The actual technology behind Customer Relationship Management is quite complicated and more than a little difficult for everyone to understand. There are several tools related to CRM like data warehousing, customer interaction software, customer support software, analytic software, automated phone software, and live chat software. These are all the basic elements that go to make three types of Customer Relationship Management though there are many more.

A deeper understanding of CRM is required to get a necessary mind-set to optimize its scope and implications.

John Keigh has a keen interest in the leading edge of CRM and contributes to his site: http://www.crmRevealed.com Customer Relationship ManagementAfton Blog7371
Bertha Blog6383

Search Wars Continue Is Social Search The Holy Grail?

Abstract:

The latest frontier in search engine technology is social search. Born out of the social networking boom, social search will attempt to humanize search results thereby providing users with consumer driven answers to their queries. Considering that 50% of queries go unanswered, social search could be the biggest breakthrough since page ranking.

Overview:

As search giants, Google, Yahoo and MSN continue their fierce battle to become king of the search engines, internet marketers are faced with increasing challenges to dominate in the rankings. As algorithms and methodologies change, savvy entrepreneurs and Madison Avenue continue their heated battle for a coveted Top 10 spot in search engine rankings.

Social search is not officially here but the debut is not far off. Yahoo, MSN and Google are all purportedly working on methodologies to converge search and user generated content all while walking the tightrope known as privacy. Yahoo has been beta-testing Yahoo Answers since December 2005 and has hired powerhouse, Raghu Ramakrishnan, the co-author of Database Management Systems and co-founder of QUIQ. Mircosoft is in talks with Eurekster.com, a company specializing in social search and Google is experimenting with Google Base Beta.

Why are these internet behemoths investing so much in social search? Social networks such as MySpace and Friendster are threatening the domination of established search giants.

Social networks are pulling in a significant and increasing share of web traffic.

Social network sites are actively working to improve their internal search capabilities and provide an even richer experience for their members. Search giants such as Google, Yahoo and MSN must accelerate their social search efforts or they may be left out of the search game that they now dominate. Search giants must step it up or they will get left behind.

Why now, what drives this apparent sudden change?

It is hard to believe that in the early days of the net, there was an underlying assumption that technology would replace or hinder human interaction. There were those that believed users would prefer getting their information from a computer rather than a person. Social networking is really something old made new by bringing it online. It turns out we humans still rely on other humans and technology simply allows us to expand the boundaries of our social networks. Studies have proven what we already knew intuitively, we pay attention to recommendations from real people.

Social search, viral marketing and social networking are not at all new concepts. Social search is really the technology derivative of asking friends and colleagues for recommendations. In the long ago, dark ages before we googled, if you needed a mechanic you asked your neighbor, your colleagues and your friends for a recommendation. We now google for mechanics and visit websites to gain information that will help us in our decision.

Social search will enable users to combine the two for a robust result that combines user driven content or the human element with the power of technology. Pretty heady stuff, when you contemplate the impact of this new era of search.

What does all of this mean to the internet marketer?

The internet marketers goals remain the same - drive traffic and convert that traffic to profitable sales.

Social search will not change the foundation of marketing but it will change the way in which you present your information to generate leads. In other words, you will still need to apply good old fashioned Public Relations and Marketing tactics to the new fangled Social Search Medium, fondly dubbed SMM by some.

Drive traffic to your site from social search and search engine optimization

To take advantage of social search, the first step is to develop a plan, and finding your niche. Contrary to popular belief, the world is not your customer. Often the focus is on pure traffic results, but none of that matters if youre not hitting your sales goals. Answer these:

- Who is your ideal customer, what does he look like?
- Do you merely want 200,000 hits per day or do you want 200,000 hits from people that have a problem your product or service can solve?
- What complementary products or services do they buy?
- How often do they make purchases, when?

Take the time to identify your target market before you launch a marketing plan. Make sure to also include complimentary offerings through popular email courses, as in: http://www.microsaw.com/myform.htm to educate your audience first. Then, sample them via a survey, to find out more about them. And, because you gave them something for free, they'll be more willing to fill out the survey.

Now that you have identified your niche, youll have a much easier time capturing them using SMM. Marketing whether online or off is all about relevancy, visibility, and credibility. As an internet marketer you want to dominate your niche market by establishing yourself as the expert in your area, delivering content to your potential customer that is relevant to their needs and preferences and have greater visibility than your competitors.

Steps that you can take to achieve expertness with SMM:

1. Become an expert source of information.

Use the bookmarks and article submission features of sites such as Digg to establish yourself as a credible and recognizable source of information.

2. Hitchhike on a blog.

Post relevant and informative content on high profile blogs in your industry. Contributing to a blog on relevant subject matter will increase your visibility and credibility with your target market.

3. Share, share, share.

Create a Squidoo lens, write and publish articles to online article banks (i.e. ezinearticles.com), contribute to wikipedia. Issue quarterly press releases through PR Web. Providing content will establish familiarity with your name (the havent I heard of you? effect) and enable you to cement your expertise with your audience. You will then drive pre-qualified users to your site, who has already established interest in what you have to sell.

4. Create your own friendly network.

Link sharing with complementary products and services is still a great way to expand your social network, and hence your visibility.

5. Build on your existing foundation. The technical aspect of search will not be eliminated with the dawn of social search. Rather social search will augment technical search. Thus, it is important to continue utilizing the tools and resources that drive technical search including optimization techniques and paid inclusion.

6. Apply innovation directly to your site. Here's an example: http://microsaw-swicki.eurekster.com/ that we are using, and it's a free service.

Summary:

Social search will not entirely replace the traditional technical driven search but does open up yet another avenue for internet marketers. One of the more exciting aspects is that smaller businesses are better positioned to make the most gains from the social frontier. We have seen the power of the regular Joe community in driving site popularity and outpacing Madison Avenue marketing efforts.

YouTube, MySpace and Facebook owe their growth to the power of viral marketing. Big Business has not yet mastered the art of getting up close and personal with its users providing savvy entrepreneurs with the opportunity of a lifetime. By using the simple techniques outlined in this article you will be well poised to take advantage of that opportunity.

Social Marketing Resources:

Digg, Wikipedia, Wikihow, Flickr, StumbleUpon, Newsvine, LinkedIn, Del.icio.us, MySpace, Ma.gnolia, Yahoo Answers, Reddit, Technorati, Squidoo, Shoutwire, 43 Things, YourElevatorPitch, Ning, Yahoo 360, BlinkList, Shadows, Wetpaint, Jotspot

Article Banks:

Ezinearticles, GoArticles, SubmitYourArticles (fee required), Buzzle, Articlealley, iSnare

Jon Rognerud is a recognized authority on the subject of search marketing, and has spent over 10 years developing websites and marketing solutions at companies like Overture and Yahoo. His website, http://www.microsaw.com, provides a wealth of informative articles, tips and tools.Allyn Blog1153
Celestine Blog78642

Home Automation Technology Selling Your Home in a Buyers Market

With the current real estate bubble bursting homeowners are eager to find a way to move their home faster. Home automation is a proven way to stimulate the interest of potential buyers, in many cases reducing the number of days or weeks a home remains on the market. I was surprised to find out that less than 1% of homeowners in this country have the technology in their home to make selling easier.

Surprisingly this technology remains a niche usually reserved for high-end new homes. I think that the reason behind this statistic is the large investment required in a complete home automation package. The cost can be prohibitive, that is why I came up with new, more modular solutions. I can offer two automation solutions based common internet technologies (TCPIP) using the homes data network for communications.

Utilizing these systems I have developed a way that homeowners and builders alike can invest a small amount into their home to promote a big return. I would suggest that homeowners and builders need to start with a solid technological foundation of wiring.

For many years high-end homes have had structured wiring installed. Structured wiring is a planned wiring method by which all services (phone, data, television, music, and security) originate from a central location or hub. Structured wiring is still an extremely desirable feature; however, one facet of the structured wiring methodology is beginning to overshadow the others in its overall importance. As the technologic world moves toward online programming and distribution of media (streaming media), so does the automation market. The data network is becoming the most critical and resalable components of the home. Investing the time to design a solid wiring backbone for a home can increase the attractiveness of your home to a prospective buyer. This strategy helps both the homeowner and the builder make their homes stand out from the crowd.

If you start with a foundation of structured wiring and a solid data network backbone this makes your home easily upgradeable. I feel that home automation is obviously the wave of the future and this plan enables the homeowner of today to start small and upgrade in affordable pieces. After the foundation is laid you can then decide at a later date what type of systems you desire, such as home security. All you need to decide is how big of a system you need. All systems run through you new upgradeable home, therefore, you can keep it simple or the sky is the limit.

You build the system to fit your needs and to make your life easier, the technology itself makes your home more profitable and easier to sell.

To learn more about home automation or eHomeXtreme please call our offices at 678-888-0718 or visit us at http://www.ehomex.com

Rodney Blanchard is an expert in the field of home automation and consumer electronics. He is also an expert in networking systems for the home and business. With over 15 years experience he has taken what he has learned and is revolutionizing the world of custom home automation, networking and electronics.Annabell Blog2058
Bernelle Blog63033

The Key To Online Branding

Branding is the process of building a favorable image for your product or enterprise. It differentiates your identity from others in this increasingly competitive world and is a key component of most business strategy.

To build a strong brand presence, your communication needs to be global. Hence the internet is a vital facilitator in any branding exercise since it has the power to deepen the relationship between your enterprise and your customers worldwide.

In this piece well talk about how you can integrate your website into your overall branding strategy.

The ultimate goal is to ensure that the name of your product, service or website finds a special place in the mind of your customers. How will you achieve this?

Have an attractive storefront: If you sell online, use images to your advantage. Employ an innovative website model with a focus on display backed by a description of your product. Visitors to your site are more likely to remember your product if they see pictures.

Choose a catchy domain name: This point needs your attention. Visitors recognize you by this name, hence choose a unique name that is easy to remember. It need not necessarily relate to the products that you sell, but must leave an impression. For example, Amazon doesnt relate to books or any other products that they sell, but it sure conveys a certain image. Incidentally, if your company has a long name, consider shortening it for use as the name of the website. Remember that many successful brands are three-letter acronyms such as IBM, CNN and BBC.

Design a memorable logo: By this we dont mean that you have to commission a complex work of art at great cost. Think of eBay, Google or Yahoo. All these companies have distinctive logos that most people are able to describe from memory. A logo creates a lasting impression in the mind of your consumers and brings worldwide recognition. Display your logo at all important locations on your site to enhance brand recall. A tagline as part of the logo may be a good idea, provided it reflects your business. Think of Wal-Marts tagline "Always low prices. Always."

Consider the following values before actually developing or refining the website.

Be consistent: A complete branding exercise requires targeting customers through various channels (radio, newspaper ads, event management, etc). Your message should be consistent across all channels. Only then will your identity be established uniformly in the minds of the audience.

Be creative: Branding is all about originality. So, you need to come up with new ideas to become a favorite. Think of ways in which you can differentiate yourself from your competitors. Can you be novel, without being wacky?

Reflect your qualities: The product or service that you offer is the real hero, and the website must reflect its personality. Sometimes the website has little resemblance to the other important business elements and this only serves to confuse the customer. Projecting the qualities of the product, service or company in a consistent manner will help people remember them.

Talk about yourself: The About Us section must also be an integral part of the branding effort. Think of what information will interest visitors, and compose this section accordingly. Generally, a brief description of origin, founders, size and important business milestones is appropriate.

Include a copyright statement: Your exclusive rights to your brands, trademarks and other intellectual property must be stated on the website. Not only does that give you legal protection but also another opportunity to remind the customers about who owns the brand. This is particularly important in cases where product brands are much better known than the company they belong to, and are often used in a generic sense.

A brand is quite often the most valuable property that a company may have. An online branding strategy goes a long way in cashing in on that value.

Hi, I am Akhil Shahani, a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. Over the years I have run many successful businesses & made many mistakes on the way. I have created http://www.aykya.com to help you benefit from all I've learned on my journey. Please visit us & download our special 'Freebie of the Month' as a thank you for your visit.Alberta Blog81507
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The 10 Most Rampant Computer Viruses

Every day new computer viruses are created to annoy us and to wreak havoc on our computer systems. Below are ten viruses currently cited as being the most prevalent in terms of being seen the most or in their ability to potentially cause damage. New viruses are created daily. This is by no means an all inclusive list. The best thing you can do is to remain vigilant, keep your anti-virus software updated, and stay aware of the current computer virus threats.

Virus: Trojan.Lodear
A Trojan horse that attempts to download remote files. It will inject a .dll file into the EXPLORER.EXE process causing system instability.

Virus: W32.Beagle.CO@mm
A mass-mailing worm that lowers security settings. It can delete security-related registry sub keys and may block access to security-related websites.

Virus: Backdoor.Zagaban
A Trojan horse that allows the compromised computer to be used as a covert proxy and which may degrade network performance.

Virus: W32/Netsky-P
A mass-mailing worm which spreads by emailing itself to addresses produced from files on the local drives.

Virus: W32/Mytob-GH
A mass-mailing worm and IRC backdoor Trojan for the Windows platform. Messages sent by this worm will have the subject chosen randomly from a list including titles such as: Notice of account limitation, Email Account Suspension, Security measures, Members Support, Important Notification.

Virus: W32/Mytob-EX
A mass-mailing worm and IRC backdoor Trojan similar in nature to W32-Mytob-GH. W32/Mytob-EX runs continuously in the background, providing a backdoor server which allows a remote intruder to gain access and control over the computer via IRC channels. This virus spreads by sending itself to email attachments harvested from your email addresses.

Virus: W32/Mytob-AS, Mytob-BE, Mytob-C, and Mytob-ER
This family of worm variations possesses similar characteristics in terms of what they can do. They are mass-mailing worms with backdoor functionality that can be controlled through the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) network. Additionally, they can spread through email and through various operating system vulnerabilities such as the LSASS (MS04-011).

Virus: Zafi-D
A mass mailing worm and a peer-to-peer worm which copies itself to the Windows system folder with the filename Norton Update.exe. It can then create a number of files in the Windows system folder with filenames consisting of 8 random characters and a DLL extension. W32/Zafi-D copies itself to folders with names containing share, upload, or music as ICQ 2005a new!.exe or winamp 5.7 new!.exe. W32/Zafi-D will also display a fake error message box with the caption "CRC: 04F6Bh" and the text "Error in packed file!".

Virus: W32/Netsky-D
A mass-mailing worm with IRC backdoor functionality which can also infect computers vulnerable to the LSASS (MS04-011) exploit.

Virus: W32/Zafi-B
A peer-to-peer (P2P) and email worm that will copy itself to the Windows system folder as a randomly named EXE file. This worm will test for the presence of an internet connection by attempting to connect to http://www.google.com or http://www.microsoft.com. A bilingual, worm with an attached Hungarian political text message box which translates to We demand that the government accommodates the homeless, tightens up the penal code and VOTES FOR THE DEATH PENALTY to cut down the increasing crime. Jun. 2004, Pcs (SNAF Team)

Anne Wolski has worked in the health and welfare industry for more than 30 years. She is the owner of http://www.mummansun.com, a discount retail outlet, and a co-director of http://www.betterhealthshoppe.com which is an information portal with many interesting medical articles. She is also an associate of http://www.timzbiz.com which features many articles on internet marketing and resources.Aile Blog77796
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Weddings Rings Shapes and Insurance

What you need to know for wedding rings.

Diamonds: A Guide to Diamond Shapes

EMERALD - This rectangular shaped stone is a very elegant and sophisticated look for a bride.

HEART - A truly romantic statement on any brides finger this stones shape resembles a heart.

MARQUISE - Beautiful as a solitaire, this diamond too is elongated diamond but has pointed ends.

OVAL - This perfectly symmetrical elongated shaped diamond adds length to fingers and is very popular among three stone rings.

PEAR - This shape is derived from combining both the marquise and the oval shaped diamonds. One end is beautifully rounded while the other leads to a point.

PRINCESS - This is a perfectly square shaped stone which has become increasingly more popular among brides today.

ROUND - A circular shaped diamond which has always been a popular and traditional choice for many brides.

TRILLIANT - Shaped like a triangle, the trilliant may have rounded corners or pointed ones and provides a perfect accent to a princess or round shaped diamond.

Appraisals and Insurance

Once the question has been popped, the marriage proposal accepted and the stunning diamond ring is on the finger, now is the time to think about taking care of the engagement ring.

Diamond rings are an investment. It shows the love and commitment to the relationship. It is an investment that will be a reminder years later, of how much time, energy and love was poured into the marriage. Like a relationship, a diamond ring needs care too. According to Colin Nash of Nash Jewellers in London, Ontario, the first step is to get the diamond ring checked and cleaned every three to six months. In doing so, this is a small part of the insurance that the ring is in tip-top shape. The claws are holding the stone properly, which will prevent the loss of the diamond. The mounting secure and the band is not thinning, which could cause breakage and at worst, loss of the ring itself. If weight loss has occurred and the ring is loose, make sure to have the ring sized, this is one way to guarantee against the loss of a valuable piece of jewellery, not only in monetary value but sentiment too.

The second step according to Colin Nash is to get the ring insured. Again, the investment of months of hard saving for the ring, the purchase and the memories would all be lost if the ring were to go missing or worse, stolen. Break-ins in Canada do happen and the targets besides small appliances and technological items are - jewellery! Jewellery is small and easy to hide on the burglars body and in pockets of clothing.

When the decision has been made to insure the ring, the next step is to have the ring appraised. Get in touch with a Jeweler, who has a Certified Gemologist Appraiser on staff. There are only 14 Certified Gemologist Appraisers in Canada. A Certified Gemologist Appraiser will give an accurate description of the diamonds quality. They will look for stone damage, chips or marks or if claw damage has occurred and will disclose all information to the customer. The piece of jewellery is job-tagged with contact information and cleaned. Once the cleaning is done, they will record the 4 Cs, which are colour, clarity, cut and carat-weight. Measurements are taken and the gold is tested, to record what kind of gold it is, along with the price per carat of the diamond at the time because diamond markets do fluctuate. The Appraiser compiles all this information into a report for the customer. Nash Jewellers also takes a digital photo of the ring up to 10X for a clear and concise image, which they keep on file in their computer system along with a copy for the customers file. This is all done in order to give the insurance company a proper and modern retail replacement value, whether it was lost, stolen or damaged. It also is proof of what the actual piece looks like for insurance and police purposes.

The cost of an appraisal varies from company to company. It could start from $50.00 for the first piece and $40.00 for any additional pieces brought in at the time or could cost more or less.

Most Canadians purchase higher quality diamonds and spends approximately $2500.00 to $3500.00 on an engagement ring, which is a ring with a (0.50) carat diamond to a 1.0-carat depending on wage and financial situation. Insure a ring that is over a thousand dollars. If the ring is less in value, make sure it is listed in the home insurance under Special Items or Personal. Even better, take a digital photo with a optical zoom of the ring and keep this photo and any other information (receipt of purchase) about the engagement ring in a safety deposit box at the bank.

If an appraisal file has been done, call an insurance agent and make sure to insure it for the full amount paid at the time of purchase or the amount appraised. Once insurance on the ring has been put into place, keep all these important papers in a safety deposit box. Any unworn and expensive jewellery would be best kept in the safety deposit box too. Safety deposit boxes are not expensive to keep. They are tax deductible and an investment towards piece of mind, same as the insurance on the ring itself.

The engagement ring is an investment towards a future life together, take care of that investment by following a few simple, precautionary steps towards guaranteeing that the ring will last for years to come and will be passed down to offspring and future generations.

For more information on planning your wedding visit my website http://www.getmarriedcanada.com

Leah Bacon Amitie Blog30625
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Practical Tips On How To Clean Your LCD Screen

Despite the many benefits of LCD screens, from lower power consumption to crisper image quality, they must still be cleaned and they cannot be cleaned as easily as traditional CRT monitors. Before the days of LCD screens, all you needed to clean a monitor was window cleaner and a paper towel, but now you need special equipment to properly and safely clean your screen. Cleaning an LCD screen is, however, still easy once you know the correct methods.

Before cleaning is necessary, though, you can perform some preventative maintenance. Like all screens, LCD screens accumulate dust from the air, and for laptop screens, from bags. Simply dusting the screen regularly can improve the quality of the image and help reduce the effects of other substances that can dirty your screen. To dust an LCD screen, either use one of the computer "dust squeegees" you can find at little or no cost at most computer stores, or use a very, very soft, dry cloth to wipe the dust away.

Aside from dust, another common way LCD screens get dirty is from body oil on fingers. For all LCD screens, the easiest way to prevent this is to not touch the screen. This simple advice can help keep your LCD screen clean enough to only need a more through cleaning every few months. Unless, of course, you have a laptop, since on most laptops, even if you never directly touch the screen, body oils will get on the screen from the keys when the laptop is closed. A simply solution to this is to place a thin, soft cloth between the keyboard and screen, keeping the screen from accumulating key marks.

Even with this advice to keep your LCD screen from getting dirty, it will eventually need to be cleaned since fluids, grime, and dirt find a way to your screen. When your LCD needs to be cleaned, the best way to do it is with a diluted isopropyl alcohol solution made of water and at most 50% isopropyl alcohol. You can either mix your own or purchased a premixed cleaning solution (usually mixed to 30% concentration) from a computer store. To apply the solution, use a very, very soft cloth, such as a piece of soft flannel or a synthetic microfiber material, and wipe the screen gently: too much pressure can cause the screen to crack or warp. You can use this cleaning method as often as necessary.

A word of warning, though. Never use any other cleaners, especially those that contain ammonia, such as glass cleaners. Ammonia can damage an LCD screen and leave it looking cloudy. Also avoid paper towels, since they can easily scratch an LCD as they drag dirt and paper particles over the surface of the screen; that's why it's so important to use the softest cloth you can.

Cleaning LCD screens is a simple process, but requires some care. You must use the proper tools; otherwise you could permanently damage your screen. With the right knowledge and tools, though, you'll be able to keep your LCD clean and functional for years to come.

Johnny Waymire has a great free resource site, http://tv-advisor.com , containing practical and helpful information on how to purchase Flat Panel TVs that fit YOUR needs. Visit to find all the helps, brands and reviews to make your next purchase very informative.Arleyne Blog17891
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5 Internet Marketing Mindsets Required for Online Business Success

Many independent service professionals nonchalantly enter the Internet marketing game by throwing together a half-baked website without any plan and mistakenly believe that visitors will find them. Initially, my online business grew from word-of-mouth referrals from other clients rather than from any true Internet marketing. My website simply served as an online brochure detailing my services and my rates for several years.

Over time, I became tired of trading time for money. Upon gaining some time and experience in business, the independent service professional has a rude awakening that there are only so many hours in the day and consequently that limits the number of clients that can be served.

Despite all the useful information I'd absorbed over the years about expanding my business reach through the development of products that I could sell on my website, I just didn't want to devote the time necessary to create multiple streams of income for my business. However, as I began to see friends and colleagues do this successfully in their businesses, the light bulb finally went off, and I realized that this was my next step, as well. So, I bit the bullet and began to try some of the strategies and began to get quick results from what I had implemented.

In my own professional development as an Internet marketer, as well as from work with clients over the years, I've come to realize that there are 5 Internet Marketing Mindsets that must be in place for someone to be successful online:

1. Create content that can be re-purposed. The goals here is to create your content once and find multiple ways to use it or multiple ways of delivery. So, for example, if you have an Inspiration Line phone service in which you record an inspiring thought each day for your clients, you can record these calls and have them serve as a publicity tool by distributing them as a podcast. This will help drive traffic to your site and bring people into your marketing funnel. When you've accumulated enough recordings, you then sell a subscription membership so that the buyer receives a new inspiring thought each day via email or a direct-to-desktop service. Over time, you can categorize recordings by topic and then combine the recordings into multiple motivational CDs or .mp3 downloads and make them available for sale online. When you've been doing this for a year, perhaps you then parlay the recordings into a book or an inspirational card deck. Sometimes it helps to start with the end in mind.

2. Record everything that you do. Whether you're doing live events, radio or TV interviews, teleclasses, webinars, etc., it pays to record and have a permanent record of everything that you do. Having a digital video recording of yourself in a one-day live event can be packaged into a "home study" course. Teleclasses with transcripts can be resold individually or packaged together for a bigger product. Radio or TV interviews can be placed on your website to enhance your credibility and convince a meeting planner to pay you big bucks to come and provide a keynote speech. Open your mind to the possibilities for re-purposing your recordings.

3. Get yourself and your customers into a sales mentality. Many of my clients simply like to have their products sit obscurely for sale on their websites and do nothing to make their list members or website visitors aware of what they have for sale for fear of offending their visitors or subscribers. If someone is going to be offended because you're trying to sell to them, then just let them go. You don't need a list of tire-kickers who want to sponge all the free info that they can from you and never buy anything -- you'll never be able to stay in business that way.

I have to chuckle when I do a promotion and get an email from someone on the list who chastises me for "daring" to sell to them and notes that they much prefer to "decide" when they want to buy something from me and then they threaten to leave the list. I just respond that I'm sorry that they feel that way, but unfortunately I'm not a trust-fund baby, and that my hard-earned information has the same value as any info that they might get from their car mechanic, doctor, attorney, or accountant, and I've never seen any of those professionals give away what they know.

Creating a sales mentality means that you need to acknowledge that you're in business to make money through selling and that your customers need to become accustomed to having you sell and seeing things for sale all over your websites. This is no different than the trait needed for success if you were to own a brick-and-mortar retail establishment. You can still provide free and valuable information to your visitors, but reserve the right to take that info, create a unique packaging and title for pieces of info on the same topic, and put it up for sale.

4. Acknowledge that people will pay more for convenience and instant delivery online. Many times, as I'm trying to help a client determine the price for a product, they' object to the price I suggest because they compare it to a physical product that can be purchased in the local bookstore or online bookstore for less. The "buy it now and give it to me instantly" mentality that is prevalent among online shoppers dictates that you can charge a higher price for an electronic product than a physical product because the shopper can fulfill his/her need for instant gratification and receive the electronic product in mere seconds. Wouldn't you rather do that instead of having to get in the car to make a trip across town to buy the product or waiting a few days for the delivery of a physical product from an online store?

And, people will pay for convenience. I recently spoke with a client about selling her content that was ready available in various locations all over the Internet. She was concerned that no one would pay for the product since it was currently available online at no cost if someone were to look hard enough. I told her that many of her customers didn't know it was available online, and even if they did, they would have to invest a great deal of their free time to gather all the info in one place. Few of us have that luxury of time today. For most of us, if it's easy and convenient and will save us some time, we'll buy it.

5. Plan your business growth around your marketing funnel. Independent service professionals shouldn't live on the sale of their services alone. Trust me, at some point in your business, you won't want to do that any longer. You need to create a marketing funnel of your products and services that range in price from free to very expensive and base your marketing strategy around that funnel. Your online business success will depend upon people being able to "sample" your expertise before deciding to purchase your service.

Remember that it takes 7-10 "touches" before a prospect will turn into a customer. Give them several ways to experience your expertise, all the way from free to expensive, with any number of price points and options in between. Keep your marketing funnel in mind in all that you do and strategize how every new activity, whether that's creating a new product, writing another article, offering a new service, or being a guest on a radio show fits into your marketing funnel.

By adopting these 5 Internet Marketing Mindsets into your daily marketing mantra, you'll be well on your way to positioning your online business for many years of success!

Copyright (c) 2006 Donna Gunter

Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps self-employed service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To sign up for more FREE tips like these and claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at http://www.GetMoreClientsOnline.com.Camala Blog71659
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