Has Technolgy Actually Made Us Worse Off?

I will give you time to ponder the title question as I give you two examples. Heart disease and heart related problems are one of the leading causes of death in this country. Everyday in offices, homes, planes, on the road, etc. people are suffering heart attacks and inevitably requiring someone to call 000 to organise an Ambulance. In many instances due to traffic, Ambulance shortages and system inefficiencies, paramedics are arriving at a patient’s side to late to prevent major damage or death. In fact in the US, nearly 80 percent of all sudden cardiac arrests occur at home and fewer than 5 percent of those victims survive. In the market place now is a product called a Home Heart Start Defibrillator. This amazing product allows virtually any user to restart a person’s heart that may have stopped by talking a person clearly through the process. It even checks to see whether the electrical pads are in the right place and if the person actually needs the process at all. It even coaches a person trough CPR.

On the other hand we in Australia and indeed the Western World at large is going through an obesity epidemic starting with kids as young as 3. Why are we going through such an epidemic and why is the problem getting worse? Well we drive to school and the shops instead of riding or walking. We watch TV and chat and play games on the computer or games console for entertainment instead of exercising and playing outside. We have less time to cook because of our schedules so we eat more pre-prepared, highly processed and fast food. Basically we have automated so many our tasks because of the Internet and technological devices we have created, that our daily manual labour tasks are now minimal.

In many Universities in the 70s they used to teach students that in the future they would be working less because of technology and processes that were now human operated would be automated. Unfortunately they were only half right, we have automated most of those processes but we are working more than ever.

Now given all this due you think we are better or worse off than generations previous? The easy answer would probably be that is depends what you are talking about. We have made things more efficient, we have more entertainment options, medical science is able to cure more ailments, we can travel most places easily and we are able to access and information and communicate better. However as a society we also are now fatter, less active, more depressed and lonely, communicate face to face less, in more debt and if trends continue will have a shorter average life span to our preceding generation.

The saying “you are here for a good time not a long time” would suggest we are better off now but the fact that only a generation ago, terms like stress disorder, ADD, hyper obesity and road rage were rarely used if at all. I think the problem lies in the fact that over time, we as human beings became dependent on instant gratification in all aspects of our life. Whether it is entertainment, communication, travel or even curing a disease. At some point we had to invent the machines and systems to achieve this instant gratification and that would have taken hard work and maybe even a bit of suffering to achieve that goal. This sort of human struggle to achieve something is what many believe brings a fulfilling life. Maybe if we as a society struggled to achieve something for future generations to enjoy then not only can we overcome some of the problems our society has but we can also enjoy the technology we have because of generations past without it being detrimental to our lives.

TILL NEXT TIME.....

Chris JacobKailey Blog72665
Karin Blog69880

Technologies And Design Elements To Improve Web-site Navigation

As you browse the Web, you will find sites that implement just about every type of navigation scheme you can think of and then even some more! However, certain common factors do emerge. The use of menu bars, either horizontally or vertically oriented, are the most common way of allowing users to move through your site.

Sites with a great deal of content often implement dynamic menu bars that change to present the most relevant options on each page. Sites often use some kind of feedback or special effect to let users know where certain navigation elements are located, such as graphics that change colors when the users point their mouse at them.

You can use a variety of technologies and design elements to implement Web site navigation. As you consider different navigation techniques, keep the following seven basic comparison factors in mind:

Visual

Does the technique look and like a navigation element that users are accustomed to seeing? In other words, is it a button or a menu that users will recognize as a navigation element?

Feedback

Does the technique offer some form of feedback to indicate that a user has pointed at or clicked a particular navigation element? This type of feedback can be important because users often explore a site by moving their mouse around to see what happens. Navigation techniques that allow individual elements to respond to this activity make the overall navigation more likely to succeed.

Accessibility

How does the technique work when a visually impaired person attempts to use the site with a specially equipped Web browser? If this demographic is important to your company, pay special attention to this capability.

Overhead

Some techniques require the Web browser to server to transfer more data to the Web browser than is required by other techniques. If your customers will be accessing the site over slower connections, then using techniques with a high overhead will result in slow page loads, and possibly bored customers who will give up and move on to the competition.

Scalability

Does the technique offer any particular advantages to make growing the site easier? Some navigation designs may require you to redesign the entire site every time a new feature is added. Others may simply require a few minor modifications to add several new departments to a menu.

Space

Some techniques, combined with your sites browsing philosophy, require considerable space on the screen. Other techniques allow you to present a wider array of navigation choices while using less screen space. Keep in mind that your navigation elements should never occupy the majority of the screen. It is the content that your customers came for, not the menu bars.

Compatibility

How well wills this technique work within the available range of Web browsers? If one of your objectives is to have your site usable by as many customers as possible, pay attention to the techniques that offer a broad range of compatibility, and steer away those that are limited to a smaller set of browsers.

Navigation Technologies

To implement Web site navigation, you can use one of four primary technologies. The oldest and simplest of these technologies is the basic, static HTML page. A step up from that is the static HTML page, which is dynamically generated on the Web server. Web pages can be given more interactive capabilities with Dynamic HTML (DHTML), whether programmed in VBScript or JavaScript. Java presents the opportunity to program a complete, standalone application to use as a navigation aid.

Static HTML

Static HTML links are the oldest and simplest form of navigation on the Web. They can be less exciting than their dynamic counterparts, but remain one of the most effective navigational techniques on the Web.

Dynamically Generated Static HTML

If your site is constantly growing and changing, static HTML will require a constant effort to keep the navigational elements in line with the sites growth. A common solution to this problem has been to dynamically generate the navigation elements when the page displays. When using the DHTML, you dont have to manually update elements as the site grows, because an automated process generates the navigation elements as necessary, based on the information in a database.

VBScript and JavaScript Dynamic HTML

DHTML is a technology that allows you to embed programming code in the Web pages that are sent to users computers. DHTML code actually executes within the users Web browser, and can change the appearance and content of the Web page in response to the users actions on the page.

In Finality

You can use a variety of technologies and design elements to implement Web site navigation. As you consider different navigation techniques, keep the above seven basic comparison factors in mind. Visitors are becoming rare and rare in this competitive globe of e-commerce. Retain those who visit to your site for longer period in order to convert them as customers. Site navigation techniques help you to do so.

David Davis, is the lead developer and project manager of RedflyStudios LTD. Web Design Ireland. For more information visit http://www.redflystudios.comKris Blog81947
Kelila Blog67056

Guide to Buying a Webcam

How web broadcasting works

Webcams are those handy little cameras that attach to your PC and send images to a web page that can be viewed by others. This enables you to share daily life events with friends and family in other parts of the country or the world, or to arrange a video-conference with colleagues and maintain long distance relationships of all kinds. Of course the number of ways to use this technology is limited only by your imagination.

Web Cameras

But before you buy a webcam, it pays to understand a little about how the technology of broadcasting images over the Internet works. Of course, if you're a full bottle on this already, you can skip this section and go straight to browsing the options on Myshopping.com.au where you can compare products and suppliers, their specifications and prices.

Webcams provide 'real time' images of people; places and events that can be viewed 'live' on a web page. The broadcasting end has a camera that captures the images, feeds them into a computer to an ISP and out to viewing pages across the Internet. There are two different types of broadcast: streaming images, where the images are a constant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the images are captured at fixed time intervals and refreshed on the web pages at a rate fixed by the broadcaster.

The Applications - What are you intending to broadcast, and to whom?

There is a wide range of uses of webcam technology. Some examples include personal 'Big Brother' style diaries, sharing of family events, workplace security, video conferencing, virtual tourism, road traffic management, weather watching, event broadcast and a host of others.

Before you make a choice about any webcam equipment, it helps to decide exactly how you want to use the technology, in other words, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will impact upon the type of camera you use, and how you use it.

A second consideration is, who will be viewing your content? What level of quality is expected? This will help determine the type of camera you use, the software involved and your Internet connection. Of course, your Internet connection may be a limitation on how much you can do.

The requirements for video conferencing are different from the requirements of workplace security, which are different again from the requirements of sharing a family event.

The physical components

There are a number of physical components required to make web cam technology work. At the top of the list is the camera itself. Then, depending on the type of camera you use and the way in which you want to deliver the content to the Internet, you may need to incorporate video capture hardware in your computer. Some software is required to help you process the data, and Internet connection is required and a web page into which the data is fed.

CAMERA CHOICES

Your choice of camera depends somewhat on what you are intending to show. If you need to reach a large public audience yo may want good quality camcorder or megapixel camera that captures high quality images. If it's just for seeing who's at your front door or keeping an eye on the kids in their playroom, then it may not need to present high quality images. If you are intending to use it outdoors, it will need to be weather proof and you may need to consider sun and UV protection. Available power supply and any robotic requirements for camera movement and focus are extra considerations.

Dedicated webcams

The most basic webcams connect to a PC using a simple USB connection. A wide range of cameras with accompanying software at a range of prices is available for this type of application. Simply search though Myshopping.com.au to compare prices and specifications. Dedicated webcams are simple to install and easy to use, but come with limitations that affect the quality of the images, such as low number of frames per second (refresh rates) and resolution (pixels per inch).

Camcorders and security cameras

Higher quality images and more camera control come from using camcorder and security cameras. To use these devices you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that installed however, you can use a wide range of cameras from broadcast cameras to miniature spy cameras. You can include variable lens options, filters for daylight and low light situations, as well as robotic controls for panning and focus adjustments. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for camcorder selections.

Integrated cameras

An integrated camera combines the camera and the optical hardware with a video server, and as such requires no additional software. They can be used in network situations or as stand-alone devices for monitoring progress on a construction project for example.

Megapixel cameras

Network megapixel cameras combine network capability with high quality digital camera technology. These cameras offer excellent quality but this creates large files sizes, therefore they have limited application in constant streaming video. However for interval refreshed archive image collection, they are ideal, providing a constant record and high quality. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for digital camera selections.

SOFTWARE

If you are not using an integrated camera solution, you will need to install an encoding program like Webcaster or MediaCaster to transfer your images to a web page.

At the receiver end, when web surfers browse the internet and wish to view live video on the web for the first time, they will need to download dedicated applications that show the content such as an ActiveX control, Windows Media player, Flash player or the like.

INTERNET CONNECTION

Finally, you need an Internet connection. The hardware you will need may include a modem for dial-up connection, or modem/router for a broadband solution. Naturally the higher the quality you want, or the faster refresh rate you want, the more bandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadband) is going to offer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Internet connection when you are making choices of cameras and feeder software.

Webcam applications work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are purchasing a camera or network video solution that it is compatible with any wireless system you may be using in a LAN.

Key considerations

The specifications that are variable with webcam applications, and are affected by camera type, web interface and Internet connection, include the number of frames per second and the image resolution.

Frames-per-second is the number of times a still image flashes by in a second to give the appearance of moving pictures. In Australia, the standard television PAL format is at 25 frames per second. A webcam with up to 30 frames per second will show normal video images. But the more frames per second you demand, the more bandwidth, memory and processing power is required.

Resolution is measured the number of pixels per inch. High quality photographs require a high resolution. But the standard for web images is a low 72 dpi. Higher resolution images will not be of any better visual quality, just slower to upload and download.

Use Myshopping.com.au to compare different webcams, camcorders and digital cameras. You can compare the prices and specifications of the different products and brands, and a wide range of reputable vendors.

Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping site - http://www.myshopping.com.au , MyShopping.com.au helps you compare web cameras - http://www.myshopping.com.au/PT--53_Web_Cameras and buy online from top-rated online stores. You can also read webcams reviews - http://www.myshopping.com.au/PT--53_Web_Cameras and specifications.Kizzie Blog14175
Karin Blog16241

Why Pay for Advertising That Does Not Yield Sales, Increase Your Conversions

Why pay for advertising that does not yield sales?

Before you part with your cold hard cash, consider various ways to increase and maximize your conversions. The term conversion simply represents the number of website visitors that take the action that the web publisher desires. In most cases, conversion refers to an individual browsing a website and purchasing the product(s) or service(s) being sold. The idea is that a browser has been converted into a buyer.

What if you could increase the number of people that visit your site to customers who purchase or take action on your site by 1 percent. What would a 1 percent increase in conversion mean to your bottom line? Even on low ticket items, a 1 percent increase in conversions can be potentially staggering when considered over time.

How do you increase conversions?

Obviously the copy is critical in converting a 'browser' into a 'buyer' and while a webpage should be optimized for search engine spiders, search engine optimization should not be at the expense of web surfers. Webmasters must balance search engine optimization with sensible copy that calls the website visitor to the appropriate action.

What about advertising?

Keyword advertising can be very effective. In order to increase the conversion of keyword advertising, create continuity between your keyword and your landing page. Use the same words in the ad as in the landing page. Keep in mind that landing pages do not have to be part of a websites normal navigation. Webmasters can customize landing pages to cater to a specific audience, advertisement, or search term.

Ultimately, the goal is all about ROI or return on investment--publishers aim to make more than they spend. For every dollar you spend in advertising, you want to make a profit of $ 2.00 or better. That means in many cases you will need to monitor any changes in sales and web traffic, and determine what specific actions are resulting in the sales increases.

When evaluating advertising campaigns, consider whether the results will be long term or short term. Long term results from a short term expense could involve a website design. Short term results are generally things like ezine advertisements that result in sharp sales spikes that don't generally last.

Consider whether the expense is a one time cost or ongoing. Equally important, determine whether you can reliably track and measure the results of the advertising campaign. Can the results be reproduced by spending more money?

Targeted advertising will convert at a higher rate than non-targeted advertising. It is critical that advertising be targeted, so that you can maximize your conversion and increase your ROI.

On the other hand, if you have a low conversion rate, spending money on advertising is not likely going to produce significant results or a high ROI--so before you part with any hard earned cash take a look at your conversion rate.

Why pay for terms that are not converting?

Monitoring is critical to any advertising campaign. As a webmaster, you have a whole host of tools that allow you to track the actions that your visitors take. Use these tools to analyze and test theories that relate to conversions. When determining areas of low conversion, evaluate weblogs. Look at the abandon rate by viewing single access web pages. Use cookies to track the actions that browsers on a website take, do they return and purchase at a later date? Another option is to track customer actions using javascript that is embedded in the website's webpages.

Pay particular attention to what keywords result in traffic, and what keywords result in actual sales. Anyone can purchase traffic with the keyword phrase "free money" but how many of those who click are going to take the desired action on your webpage? Keyword terms that are closely related to the product or service being sold are going to have a higher conversion. It is important to filter phrases or keywords, that do not convert or result in unrelated traffic (due to synonym use).

What about the landing page?

When designing the landing page think about the action you want and emphasize it; remove all other distractions from the webpage. The landing page should be designed in such a way that the website is driven to the action you wish for them to take.

Unique URLs or special landing pages can be instrumental in tracking a advertising campaigns success. They are also helpful when you conduct split-testing sending users to different web pages, and then tracking the actions that result.

What common problems result in poor conversions?

Poor web site design can result in a low website conversion. Websites should explain the product or service is that you are selling in simple terms. The website navigation should be intuitive, and it should not be difficult to locate what visitors are looking for. Avoid vintage web graphics that are of low quality, or fonts that are unreadable. Avoid color schemes or font size that alienate web visitors, colors should be used to highlight important points. Webmasters should avoid small font sizes or fonts that are not easily readable.

While some items are easy to measure, others become a little more nebulous, it is difficult to know whether enhanced graphics will increase sales, but they should be considered when evaluating a poor conversion rate.

Copyright 2006 Sharon Housley

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.Kore Blog50581
Karlotte Blog33770

Indiana Jones Returns - Too Little, Too Late?

For those who came of age in the 1980s during a time of sleek consumerism and homogenous globalization, Indiana Jones was something of an idol. Harking back to a time when the jungles of South America and the Pyramids of Egypt were truly a world away, the Indiana Jones trilogy excited in us a feeling of adventure that has been rarely seen before or since.

The popularity of the Indiana Jones movies stems not just from the fact that they were directed and acted by some of the greatest Hollywood talent of the day, but also from the fact that the movies were classic adventures. They were swashbuckling epics that found an ideal mix of adventure, intrigue and mystery, steeped in myth and mysticism.

This formula was clearly successful. The first Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, was the highest grossing movie of 1981 and was nominated for eight Academy Awards (of which it won four). The following two instalments, Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade, fared almost as well, each winning an Academy Award and grossing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Since 1989, though, all has been quiet on the Indy front. Despite regular calls for a fourth movie there were no developments for years. Rumor and hearsay surrounded plans for the fourth Indiana Jones movie since 1995, when Last Crusade writer Jeffrey Boam was asked to write a script.

Since then, several screenwriters and directors have attempted to take on the project -- including Chris Columbus (Home Alone), M Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) and Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) -- without success.

Finally, though, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford have accepted a script written by David Koepp (Spiderman, War of the Worlds). As of July 2006 Spielberg and Koepp were fine-tuning the screenplay in advance of pre-production, expected to begin in early 2007.

The question that will be repeatedly posed by fans of the series over the next couple of years is this: will it be possible to recreate the magic of the original trilogy? Hollywood has moved on since the 1980s, and audiences have come to demand big budget CGI and dazzling visual effects. Despite winning the Academy Award for Visual Effects with Temple of Doom, the appeal of the Indiana Jones movies was never in their special effects. In fact, Temple of Doom -- admitted by Lucas and Spielberg as the most visual effects-heavy of the trilogy -- saw the most disappointing box office performance of the three.

The main concern, though, is Harrison Ford's age. Already in his 40s in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ford will be at least 65 when filming begins on the fourth movie. Even with the use of makeup, camera trickery and stuntmen, how can it be possible to remain faithful to the original trilogy when the star is old enough to draw a pension?

Despite these worries, however, one thing is certain. Come the release date a couple of years from now we'll see a sudden surge in the sales of fedoras and bullwhips. He may be old enough to qualify for a buss pass, but there's something about Indiana Jones that brings out the child in us all.

James Shenton is an entertainment writer and gossip columnist. James can often be found writing about movie trilogies such as Indiana Jones and Star Wars (don't get him started on the last three episodes). For similar articles and film downloads, take a look at http://www.EliteMovieDownloads.com.Kaila Blog17584
Kippy Blog60756

Open Source Technology, a Must For Your Small Business And Links To Get You Started

Are you looking for innovative ways to increase your ROI, your bottom line and downright save a ton of money on your IT costs? Let me answer that for you! Of course you are, you would not be a savvy business owner if you did not seek out ways to stretch your money. Drum roll please, introducing Open Source technology a new way for small businesses to even the playing field with their enterprise and big boy competitors.

Why is this important? You now have access to the same or comparable solutions that normally costs hundreds if not thousands to implement and deploy. Case in point, the Open Source version of SugarCRM, which is a Customer Relationship Management tool can be had for free while one of its proprietary and commercial competitors Salesforce.com cost about $1,000 to start per year for a five user license. Another quick example has Ubuntu, which is a full-featured Linux based operating system against Microsoft XP. XP Professional edition costs $299.99, while Ubuntu costs nothing and comes freely loaded with Office utilities that rival Microsofts Office software suite. You do the math. Remember to include per user and or per pc price and upgrades. Yeah, I know, you have been suckered for a long time and we didnt even mention the server operating system and licenses. Ask yourself, why am I paying for something when I can get it done for little or no cost?

Using Open Source is like using guerrilla tactics for your small business IT needs. Does free mean cheap? Lets take a look. Open Source software affords the user to have software developed by hundreds of developers instead of just a few. Most of the Open Source solutions mentioned here are tried and tested solutions. Did you know that you already use Open Source? Yep, in fact if you use a web browser or use email your using opens source software. The Internet is built upon open standards and runs on Open Source software. Who currently uses Open Source software? IBM, HP, Oracle, whole governments, Google, Yahoo and Amazon just to name a few.

So you might be asking yourself, what exactly is Open Source? Open Source software in its simplest form is software that freely distributes the source code along with the object code (the actual program that you install and use), so that any programmer familiar with the language can tweak, improve, modify or customize it without needing to ask anyone for permission or wait for a vendor to do it for them. For a more verbose definition, please visit http://www.opensource.org. The bottom line is, this model of software distribution can give you a freedom and a savings that compels you to at least become a bit more knowledgeable to its uses.

These are some useful links to help get you started on the Open Source road.

http://www.opensourceweekly.com (for the latest is Open Source technology for small business owners)
http://www.sourceforge.net (the world's largest Open Source software development web site)
http://www.freshmeat.org (Open Source software repository site)
http://www.theopencd.org (a collection of high quality Free and Open Source Software.)
http://www.ttcsweb.org/osswin-cd/ (a collection of over 100 free/Open Source software for home and business.)
http://www.itservants.com (Open Source Technology Consultants)

Top Open Source Applications for your small business needs.

http://www.openoffice.org (Great alternate to the Microsoft office suite.)
http://www.firefox.com (Open Source web browser, great alternative to Internet Explorer)
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird (Thunderbird email application, similar to Outlook)
http://www.tightvnc.com (for remote connection to your computers)
http://www.mysql.com (The worlds most popular Open Source database)
http://www.phpmyadmin.com (database management tool)
http://filezilla.sourceforge.net (Filezilla- ftp application to upload and download your web content)
http://www.joomla.org (Website Content Management System or CMS)
http://www.mamboserver.com (Website Content Management System or CMS)
http://www.apache.org (Very popular Web server application)
http://www.oscommerce.com (online shop/ e-commerce solution)
http://www.sugarcrm.com (the CRM tool mentioned in this article)
http://www.dotproject.net (project management web application)
http://www.gimp.org (Image manipulation program)
http://www.nvu.com (complete Web Authoring System)
http://www.gnucash.org (personal and small-business financial-accounting software.)
http://www.subversion.tigris.org (Subversion- Document management and revision control system)
http://www.k5n.us/webcalendar.php (WebCalendar- Online calendar program for single or multiple users)
http://www.openvpn.net (full-featured SSL VPN solution)

Desktop Linux Distributions

http://www.ubuntu.com Ubuntu
http://www.redhat.com Redhat
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki Fedora
http://www.novell.com/linux Suse
http://en.opensuse.org OpenSuse
http://www.slackware.com Slackware

You can also get the server versions to take care of your business client/server needs such as Email, file, print, FTP, Web, Database, Domain, Authentication etc., There are many distributions of Linux available please check http://www.distrowatch.com for additional resources.

This list is not at all exhausting and not meant to be. This should serve as a starting place on your journey into the Open Source realm. For general questions feel free to email me, if you have specific questions about any software listed here try posting to the respective forums. A good book to read is Open Source Solutions for Small Business Problems, written by John Locke. My definition of Open Source was found in this book.

What have we learned? Before you plunder hundreds of your hard earned or borrowed money into software seek out or find someone who is versed in this technology. Research and evaluate if an Open Source solution can fit your needs. Remember, Open Source Saves!

Paul Williams is a technology consultant, who teaches people how to save money by using open source software to solve their top 10 technology business problems. http://www.opensourceweekly.com.Laetitia Blog30960
Kass Blog11920

Internet Marketing As a Home-Based Business, Advantages And Possible Obstacles

Nowadays more and more people are thinking about taking a step towards additional income and financial freedom. Business opportunities are countless for those who would like to start their own home-based business. That is why it makes it so difficult to decide what exactly you would like to do and how and where you would start.

Lets talk about internet marketing as one of the great opportunities to work from home and make a part time or even a full time income for yourself and your family. As any other business, internet marketing has its advantages and possible problems you might face as a beginner.

If you dont have your own product or service, you can sell other peoples products or services. There is plenty of companies on the internet that you can become an affiliate for. In affiliate marketing, you simply send traffic to an end merchant, and that merchant handles all the details of the sale and pays you a commission. The benefit of this is that it is comparatively easy for you. Affiliate marketers do not have to take credit cards, select product lines or handle customer service, they receive their commission just for building a site that generates traffic to the merchant. However, you should not think that none of your efforts will be involved in this process. You will need to create and be responsible for your own advertising campaign for each and every affiliate program you are a part of. This of course includes driving lots of traffic to your web site and using various media, not only internet alone, to advertise your product or service.

If you have your own product or service, it is even better -- when you sell your own things you get 100% profits. The disadvantage is that you will have to handle the entire process of selling on your own, including inventory, payment, shipment, return policy etc. If your profit margin is high enough than it will be well worth all the hassle.

If you are not sure that you know enough about internet marketing you can educate yourself for free -- read articles from free articles web sites, there is always plenty of advice there. Another good source of free advice is forums. Participate in popular marketing forums, and you can get lots of tips, ideas, advice -- all for free. The disadvantage of self-education in marketing is that you have to spend a lot of time for that and always test, test and test new ideas and techniques. It may become a very time-consuming process.

If you do not want to spend so much time for self-education you can always find a marketing course, buy it and study. It is also possible to have a personal mentor or coach who would help you through the process. It will depend on your budget though, most of the personal coaches charge a very high fee for their consultations.

If you dont like to work for someone else, you can be self-employed when you do internet marketing. You can set your own hours, be your own boss, make your own decisions. With all of that comes lots of responsibility as in any privately owned business. Decisions are yours and responsibility is all yours also. You should not be afraid of that and treat internet marketing just like any private business.

First of all, you need to decide for yourself if internet marketing is right for you. Think about it and make a list of benefits and problems you might face when you start doing it. If you like it, have passion for it and can be persistent enough you will have all chances for success.

Elena Joggerst is a stay at home mom and a self-employed internet marketer. She offers free advice and ideas for beginners in marketing whenever possible.Kiley Blog5572
Laina Blog22895

CompTIA Network+ Certification Exam Tutorial: Virus Attacks And Antivirus Programs

Whether youre preparing to pass the Network+ or Cisco CCNA certification exam or not, you must not underestimate the importance of antivirus programs and virus definition updates. With all the attention we pay to viruses and their prevention, I feel a little silly even saying that. But.

If there's one thing you must have working at full capacity in your network, it's the antivirus programs.

If there's one thing that is commonly overlooked when it comes to updates, it's the antivirus programs.

In today's world, your network must be protected from both internal and external antivirus threats. By implementing and executing an aggressive antivirus strategy, you can greatly reduce your network's chances of being hit with a virus. Literally hundreds of millions of dollars in productivity are lost every year due to virus attacks, along with a few jobs. Make sure both your network and career are protected!

You may be asking yourself what this has to do with the CompTIA Network+ certification exam. To earn this important computer certification, youve got to display knowledge of threats to your network and how to stop them and viruses are at the top of that list.

Before we discuss how to stop viruses, let's discuss exactly what a virus is. All of the following are bad, but they're not all viruses.

Just as a human virus is spread through contact, so is a computer virus. A virus is a program that gets onto a computer without a user's knowledge and then performs an action that can range from mischievous to destructive. For a virus to be spread, there has to be some kind of contact between an infected user and another user - generally, that contact is the forwarding of an email that has an attachment that contains a virus.

A worm is a type of virus, but a worm can spread on its own without any "help" from the infected host. Even worse, a worm can replicate on its own, resulting in many more worms attacking other hosts. A common worm attack involves the worm sending a copy of itself to every single user listed in the infected host's email address book.

A third, more insidious attacker is the Trojan Horse. In history, the Trojan Horse was presented as a gift to Troy by the Greeks, and it was filled with Greek soldiers who attacked once the Horse was taken inside the city's defenses. Today's Trojan Horses attack in much the same fashion. The program installed by the user may look legitimate and innocent, but there's another program inside just waiting to attack the user's computer.

It's a good idea to periodically remind your end users about some basic steps they can take to help prevent unleashing a virus:

Don't open email attachments from anyone outside the company.

Don't download software and install it, especially what I call "fun and free" software such as gaming programs, animated cursors, etc. Most of that software is safe, but a minority of those programs contain adware and could unleash a virus on your network.

Don't open email from anyone you don't know, especially if the subject line doesnt make any sense. Just trash it.

End user education is important, but we have to face facts its not perfect. That's true for virus protection as well as network security. I personally wish I had a dime for every password I've seen written on a sticky note that was attached to the monitor! As network admins and engineers, we've got to be aggressive in the fight against viruses and not depend on others.

While we should certainly have an antivirus program on every server in our network, there is one point of communication that we've got to be particularly sensitive to, since this is where most viruses and worms make their way into our network the email server.

We've got to be particularly vigilant about the email server's antivirus protection, since this is where users come in contact the email attachments that can lead to so much trouble. When a host is receiving email from an email server, the antivirus program on the client should scan that email even before it's opened.

Attachments are a major source of viruses, and many networks now have a firewall strip attachments off before they even get to the email server. Firewalls are devices used to filter traffic, and a firewall can be set to remove incoming attachments. If attachments aren't allowed to enter the network, end users can't launch them and their potential viral payload.

This common configuration also gives you the option to reject incoming email that has an attachment, along with the option of notifying the sender that the email was filtered for that reason.

Bottom line: every email attachment is a virus threat.

So how do you best protect your network against viruses, Trojan horses, and the like? Well discuss that in tomorrows CompTIA Network+ certification exam tutorial! Until then, keep studying!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (http://www.thebryantadvantage.com).Kellsie Blog12782
Karole Blog29970

Social Bookmarking - Link Building And Search Engine Optimization

Social Bookmarking could be the next big thing in web site marketing since the development of the personal blogs.

Social Bookmarking web sites like http://Del.icio.us, Digg, Stumble Upon and Furl allow their users to create a set of web site content bookmarks. Submitted book marks are organized by content tags, which are arbitrary phrases or words a user can assign to the content they wish to bookmark. This gives the user a way to classify, rank and organize web site content using tags.

The most popular Social Bookmarking web site is Digg. Digg is a relatively new social bookmarking web site and has in it's short time attracted millions of members who daily add bookmarks to all sorts of web site content. Over search engines and other bots, social bookmarking web sites have an intrinsic advantage. Users will choose what content they will bookmark, unlike relying on a program to categorize and qualify content. There is an implied quality in something that someone has taken the time to select.

Users of a social bookmarking web site will read other posters bookmarks and then add them to their own bookmarks if they liked them.. You can even view RSS feeds to see what others are tagging, which is a very cool feature and is a textbook example of a very powerful viral marketing technique.

My own experience and testing shows that 3.2% of all my web site traffic come from social bookmarking web sites, off those 50% come from http://Digg.com, 20% from http://Del.icio.us and the remaining 30% come from various bookmarking sites I am a member of. These sites include Furl and Stumble Upon.

As a search engine optimizer, social bookmarking is another tool I use to promote my web sites. An example would be, introducing a new developed web site. I could wait until Google, Yahoo and MSN found my web site naturally, but that would takes weeks if not months. I could join a link exchange network and exchange links with other web site and have the search engines find me that way. But, then again I would be relying on the indexabilty of the linking web site for the search engine to find me. Or I could add a couple of bookmarks on 3 of the most popular social bookmarking web sites. These large bookmarking web sites are indexed many times a day and the search bots are only looking for new content. Have a bookmark on a social bookmarking web site and could expect to be crawled by the big 3 within hours or at the most, within days.

To successful bookmarker, you need to supply good quality original content. Content that is going to be searched for and will solve a problem the searcher has. There is no point bookmarking content that no one wants. Spamming has become a major problem, but social bookmarking is controlled by it's users. If the content you plan to bookmark is plain spam, the users of the bookmarking web site will just ignore it and move on. Your content will wither away and eventually be dropped out of the social bookmarking web site index.

If you social bookmark properly and supply good quality content, you can expect to gain dozens of quality back links as other bookmarkers, bookmark your content. This technique is a popular tool for successful search engine optimization and the best feature of social bookmarking is that it is free to use. I have not come across any social bookmarking web site that charges the user to use their facility.

Social bookmarking web sites are growing in popularity everyday. Find the ones that best fit the theme of your web site and bookmark with them. But remember, you will only succeed with bookmarking if you have content that is worth bookmarking.

Steve SzaszKelli Blog2096
Laraine Blog8707

How To Increase Your Fun In Playing Fantasy Baseball

In 1986, while working at KCBS-TV, Channel 2 in Los Angeles, California, my newsroom buddies and I made up a "fantasy" basketball game, drafting a bunch of NBA players, using their real life stats and vying for the title of best basketball owner in our workplace. However, because baseball was my favorite sport, I remember saying to the guys in my league, "It's too bad we couldn't figure out how to do this with baseball!" Well, wouldn't you know it, the power of suggestion kicked in, and the very next weekend after saying that, I was browsing through a bookstore in the mall and found a book entitled "Rotisserie Baseball". I took it off the shelf immediately, and read the whole thing while still in the bookstore. I was hooked. I purchased the book, took it home, and the following Monday at work announced to my guys, "Hey, I know how to do this now for baseball."

For the past two decades, I've been having the time of my life as commissioner of many different types of fantasy baseball leagues. Expanding from the "classic" version of roto-ball...you know, using those original 8 statistical categories, to a full-blown version of playing a 162 game schedule of head-to-head competition in a league of eighteen teams, waking up every morning to daily standings and box scores generated by our fantasy players using real life statistics.

Are you a fantasy baseball player? If not, would you like to be? If you are, are you completely satisfied with the way your final results and league champions are determined? Are you looking for new challenges in your game? Do you have the courage...and the skill...to take it to the next level? I believe all versions of the game are great. If you're having fun playing your own type of "Hot Stove" baseball, then that's all that really matters. Of course, if there are ways to boost your fun to much higher levels, and you just aren't aware of how to do so, you may not know what you're missing.

Using the classic eight categories of Batting Avg., Home Runs, RBIs, Stolen Bases (for hitters), and Wins, ERA, WHIP and Saves (for pitchers) was always a blast. But hey, for a baseball afficionado like myself, I was always searching for ways to enhance the pleasure of playing this incredibly enjoyable recreational sport. More categories, such as On Base Avg., Slugging Percentage, OPS (a combination of the preceding two), Winning Percentage, picking a major league manager and using his real life record, picking a major league team, and somehow incorporating its home attendance into your salary cap, are all options available in playing fantasy baseball.

Does it ever bother you though, knowing that one bad outing by one of your starting pitchers can destroy your ERA or WHIP for the entire season? In major league baseball, a pitcher may have a couple of bad outings, but that won't necessarily prevent his team from winning it all at the end of the year. Is it the best way to build a team by stockpiling hitters who slug tons of home runs and collect loads of RBIs, or to load up on closers? Those are very common strategies to winning in many forms of fantasy baseball.

Have you ever built a fantasy team where every hitter in your starting lineup, from the leadoff guy, to the cleanup hitter, to the 8th guy in the order, each has equal importance? Do you think MLB GM's consider these types of things to be vital? Have you ever built a fantasy team where your middle relievers are every bit as crucial to your success as your starting rotation and your closer? Just watch a major league game today, and you can see just how critical it is to have those middle relievers who can either keep a lead for you, or keep you close enough to get into a position to win, while setting things up for your closer to come in and hopefully slam the door on the opposition. How about your defense? Does the ability of your fielders to catch and throw the ball matter to your team's success?

How do you mix all of these elements into a fantasy baseball game? Imagine not only being able to do so, but also doing it 162 times every season, and again in the post-season if you're good enough to make it to the playoffs. There are plenty of computer simulations out there which will allow you to do this, and they, too, are great fun. That is, if you don't mind your team's or players' success relying upon the computer's "roll-of-the dice", or "spin-of-the-wheel" in generating the outcome of your game.

For the ultimate experience, I suggest you consider finding a way to play your fantasy games where the stats your players generated in real life the day or night before, have a direct and immediate impact on what your team does the very next day. Where every phase of the game is critical, hitting for average, getting on base, hitting for power, driving in runs, base running, fielding, fielding range, throwing out base runners. All of these elements are accurately measurable through a science known as sabermetrics, using linear weighted values, made popular by baseball statistics researchers like John Thorn, Pete Palmer and Bill James, just to name a few. When you assign linear weighted values to offensive events in baseball, you can predict the total amount of runs any major league team will score in a given season within about a five percent margin of error.

Wow! Well, isn't baseball all about scoring more runs than the other team? If you could predict, scientifically, how many runs a team should score, or prevent from being scored by a team's pitching staff and its defense, would that be a most viable and dynamic way to play fantasy baseball? Where every offensive event, and a pitcher's pitching index (total innings pitched...times the league ERA divided by nine...minus the pitcher's earned runs) are absolutely critical to the outcome of your game. You can absolutely play a game where all of these things, and much, much more are determined, every day of your season. If you'd like to learn more about how to do that, I invite you to visit my website. And hey, no matter how you play fantasy baseball in the upcoming seasons, I hope you continue to have as much fun as I do.

Tony Hernandez, President of Reality Fantasy Baseball, Inc. Kip Blog85491
Kristen Blog7326

How To Avoid Web Traffic Disasters, Part 2

Disaster #2. Not Using Your Mirrors

If you dont use your mirrors in your car you have no way of knowing where traffic is coming from or where its going to and you will crash. Its the same with your website.

You have to use your mirrors to check on where your traffic is coming and where it is going to on your website. Its only when you start to monitor the traffic thats coming into your website (and where its going once it gets there) that you can really start to improve on what youve got.

For example, lets just say youre getting some good amounts of traffic and you know this because your website statistics tell you youre getting 5,000 unique visitors a month.

Great - this is at least a starting point in terms of the information you have at your fingertips but its nowhere near enough. You want to start looking at SPECIFICS.

To give you a flavor here are some possible stats you want to get hold of;

- Top referring websites that send you traffic
- Top referring affiliates that send you traffic (if you have an affiliate program)
- Average length of visit of people to your website
- The most popular pages on your website
- Paths that people take through your website
- The most common exit pages for people on your website

All these things can power up your arsenal so that you can make INFORMED decisions about how to get MORE traffic and get more bang for your buck from the traffic you are getting.

"You obviously have to be careful here that you dont fall victim to analysis paralysis."

Too many stats and too much time spent poring over them can be a bad thing.

But you should make a point of taking some time each month to take an ECG on your websites performance. You NEED to know where you are getting traffic from so you can do more of the tactics that are working.

And you NEED to know where people go once on your website so you can convert more of them into optins, sales, affiliates etc.

Michael CheneyKaren Blog25182
Karel Blog36519

Capturing Special Moments With A Digital Camera

There are millions of people around the world who share a keen interest in photography. The charm of capturing a moment in a camera is truly amazing. Probably, this is one of the strongest reasons why a growing number of people are joining the cult of professional photographic pursuit. Traditionally, taking photographs, film processing and developing them in the dark room was a painfully long process. But as digital technology evolved, it enabled camera manufacturing companies to come up with high-end digital cameras.

Digital cameras are an ideal gadget for taking pictures without having to worry about running out of snaps of roll which is the case with the traditional film cameras. This apart, there is no need of having to wait till the entire roll of film gets used just to find the blown-up pictures in the dark room. Digital cameras allow you to take any number of photographs and see each one of them right after you take them. Also you can connect your camera to the USB port of you Personal Computer and store your snaps there in a folder. What is more is that you can customize each photograph, thru software, just the way like it. In case, you want to take a hard-copy of the pictures, you can always use the printer to get your favorite photograph printed out.

Buying a digital camera is a matter of serious deliberation. Since different brands of companies are offering cameras with special features, you have be aware of the standard features of the digital cameras in order to be able to make the right purchase. The following are some of the must-know tips that you should be familiar with before you swipe you credit card in a digital camera kiosk of a shopping mall or punch in the CVV number in the box while shopping online for a captivating camera.

Price Range:

The price of digital photographic cameras can usually range anything from US$100 to $1000. If you are buying a digital compact camera for the first time, then don`t go for an expensive one. It is quite easy to get tempted into spending a lot of money to buy a digital SLR camera offering features that are just of no use to you. Get to know your needs and settle for a prudent purchase. Ensure that the digital camera you pick should be light-weighted and easy-to-use. Later on, after you learn the basics of digital camera photograph, you may opt for an high-end edition.

Features:

The standard features of digital cameras of all make are almost similar except for some special features introduced by some renowned brands in the market. Features such as zoom, automatic functions, special effects, black & white images and video recording facilities are usually offered by most brands. However, as a prudent buyer you have be careful of the claims some manufactures might be making. For instance, the feature of digital zoom magnifications may not actually live up to your expectation level if you are hoping to get the optimal clarity especially if you are aiming at say 8x10 or larger size photos. Do not be tempted by the flashy promotional gimmickry of the brands. Consider the features keeping your pre-established price range in mind.

Lens:

All digital cameras provide two types of zoom features: optical and digital. While the optical zoom feature is based on the lens magnification and gives you images with a sharp and crystal-clear clarity, digital zoom relies on the magnification of the digital image which results in less sharp and fuzzy images. Make sure that the digital camera you buy should at least have the optical zoom features. However, as mentioned earlier, you have to be careful of the digital zoom magnification claim. You can look for digital cameras having lens auto focus and image stabilization features.

Image Resolution:

Image Resolution or Pixel Resolution is one of the most striking features of digital cameras. For personal and email purpose digital cameras having 2.0 mega pixels will deliver clear photos. However, many manufactures are now offering digital cameras with 8.0 and above mega pixels. You get better and clearer images with higher mega pixels. High mega pixel resolution plays a key role in image enlargement. So if size matters to you, consider this aspect seriously.

Battery Type and Longevity:

If you are likely to use the digital camera for outdoor activities, it is important to consider how long the built-in batteries will last. Even if you think of using some extra rechargeable batteries, just make sure whether the digital camera you are buying support the same batteries.

LCD Screen:

Every digital camera has the LCD Screen feature. Just make sure that the screen size should be at least 2 inches or above. It will give you better and clear images.

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for http://www.polomercantil.com.brKari Blog57882
Katti Blog2489

Cranking the Volume on Your iPod or MP3 Player Can Damage Hearing

Kids have always loved listening to their favorite music, and the louder the better much to their parents dismay. In the 1980s, the portable tape recorder with headphones which came to be known as the Walkman enabled teenagers to listen to their music as loud as they wanted, anywhere they wanted, without disturbing anyone around them.

But the more modern rendition of the Walkman portable MP3 Players and iPods pose a major threat to our childrens hearing health, and to ours.

The problem is a combination of the technology of portable digital devices that creates a non-buffered crystal clear sound, and the type of headphones typically used with them, which do not have a buffer either. In December 2005, Dean Garstecki, an audiologist and professor at Northwestern University reported that more and more young people were being diagnosed with the types of hearing loss typically found in older adults. He attributed this trend to the earbud type headphones that usually accompany iPod and MP3 Players.

With the earbud headphones, the sound frequencies are not buffered as they are with the more traditional, ear cup-style headsets. Newsweek Magazine recently reported that researchers at the House Ear Institute found that listeners can unfortunately increase the volume of todays portable digital devices without the signal distortion that occurs with traditional analog audio. The older-model headphones that were popular just 15 to 20 years ago that have ear cups outside of the ears had that distortion when the volume was turned up, which functioned as a much-needed buffer to protect our hearing. Todays technology does not provide that buffer the earpiece is placed in the ear, not outside of it, and the digital devices do not create that distortion, no matter how high the volume.

In addition, people often listen to these devices while they are on the go, and have a tendency to crank the volume in an attempt to drown outside noise, further posing a risk to our hearing. Using the earbud style headphones during activities such as exercise, for example, puts the user at a greater risk. During exercise, blood, which can act as a buffer, is diverted from the ears to other parts of the body so our already vulnerable hearing is in even more jeopardy.

Headwize reports that a study conducted on music listeners using headphones revealed that while indoors with no background noise, the participants were comfortable with their music at 69 decibels. Outdoors, where the background noise was recorded at 65 decibels, participants using their headphones turned the volume up to 82 decibels and as high as 95 decibels to drown out the surrounding noise. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines limit exposure to noise at this level to no more than four hours each day. The study concluded that the participants were at risk for hearing damage and recommended avoiding continuous use of [portable stereos] in noisy conditions.

Northwestern Universitys Dean Garstecki offers more specific guidelines: His 60 percent/60 minute rule listen to MP3 Players and iPods for about an hour a day and at levels below 60 percent of maximum volume. The problem is, most of the population using headphones young music fans listen to their music for much longer than one hour per day. But, you can help minimize hearing loss, damage and problems while listening to your favorite music as long as you want to the secret is in the headphones.

Headphones such as the EX29 Extreme Isolation Noise Reduction Headphones help block out external noise allowing you to hear the fine details of your music without blowing out your ear drums. The ear cup fits over the ear, and not in it, and the headphones are lightweight, dont require batteries and can be used with your MP3 Player or iPod. With 29 decibels of isolation from outside sound, the quiet headphones block outside noise and there is no need to crank the volume of your music.

Aging rock stars like the Whos Pete Townsend, who has some permanent hearing loss from years of exposure to loud music, and Mick Fleetwood, who has teamed up with Energizer batteries to promote hearing loss prevention, have brought public attention to the fact that many of us take our hearing for granted. But theres no need to turn off your music just be smarter about how you listen to it. If you are using your MP3 Player or iPod when youre exercising, in a noisy environment or you just want to hear the fine details of your music, ditch the earbud headphones and reach for a set of noise reduction ones instead. And youll be enjoying your favorite music for a long time to come.

Lee Blue is a musician, composer, and home studio recording artist. He uses Extreme Isolation headphones in his recording studio and his office to block out noise and distractions. Learn more at http://www.quietheadphones.com/.Karena Blog74650
Kacie Blog51829

Rapid Authoring Of E-Learning

So you think e-learning is the solution to your training needs but dont have the time or budget to commission material from specialist developers? Many trainers are finding the solution is at hand with rapid authoring tools which allow non IT specialists to write their own, high quality, e-learning in record time.

Why Rapid Authoring

The real excitement of rapid authoring is the way it promises to enable trainers to take control of their own e-learning agendas. Good rapid e-learning authoring is not only quick but it is intuitive and shouldnt require more than usual IT literacy to be able to master it. In short, rapid authoring allows non technical trainers to produce their own highly professional e-learning in times that even the best authoring houses couldnt have dreamed of even three years ago.

How Rapid is Rapid?

A recent assessment by e-learning consultancy Kineo identified 21 days as being the magic number for the creation of new e-learning, design, development and deployment included. In the fast paced business world, any slower and deadlines wouldnt be met and the window of opportunity would have been lost. The good news is that this target isnt very difficult with the new software available. Indeed, within the latest version of our own software, a quick start wizard allows highly graphical and interactive e-learning course structures to be authored in under a minute; yes this is an extreme, but it shows just how easy the process can be. We would expect a relatively inexperienced user to be able to produce 50 screens of learning a day while an experienced user could produce 100 without difficulty.

The glass ceiling on authoring speeds has been broken but dont buy without trying. Some fairly aging pieces of software are being re-badged as rapid but you should always ask for a demonstration.

What to look for in a Rapid Authoring Tool.

The features that now allow authoring tools to be used by the typical IT literate trainer include:

1. Ease of use

Authoring tools will have easy to manage Graphical User Interfaces which allow users to manipulate e-learning screens easily and intuitively. This will allow them to add to and edit existing courses and, if they wish, to author entirely new courses from scratch in minutes.

Tools will be expected to have easy interactivity with common software, particularly Microsoft office products. Automated output engines (Flash etc) will allow sophisticated effects and solutions without programming knowledge.

Speed of development will be a key feature enabling sophisticated learning courses to be available rapidly and be amended quickly and easily.User licensing will be simple and not restrictive giving companies internal flexibility to develop courses as they desire.

2. Collaborative Development Environment

Remote authoring will be the norm particularly server side using smart Windows clients which will allow all users to see amendments as they are made, so changes and additions can be easily facilitated. Remote manipulation through browser only interfaces will allow unrestricted collaboration with colleagues across the globe. Workflow based development and multi-stage publishing will allow rapid implementation of ongoing projects.

3. Quality features

Integrated Learning Management Systems will ensure that learning can be fully monitored while easy and effective screen and audio capture will ensure that learning environments replicate real environments with absolute accuracy. Mode switching between self learning and classroom delivery will ensure that the learning tool is flexible to meet training needs. Add to that web-based content management, LCMS functionality, SCORM compliance and integrated Learning Management Systems and you can see why these DIY authoring tools are turning traditional authoring on its head.

Conclusions

Rapid authoring of e-learning is here to stay. Be careful to try before you buy as some products out there are dinosaurs dressed up as the latest thing and the cheapest will certainly not have the range of features to allow truly rapid creation of e-learning. I do believe the industry has turned the corner in e-learning, the authoring tools now available mean that all courses should be quick to create, easy to amend, and above all enormously cost effective. This, in turn, will allow trainers to grab hold of the e-learning agenda and incorporate ever more effective small and large pieces of e-learning into their blended learning projects, saving money and improving knowledge retention.

Mike Alcock is MD of Atlantic Link Ltd http://www.atlantic-link.co.uk/.Keelia Blog30470
Lana Blog28500

Understanding Resell Rights & How To Create Your Own Resell Rights Products

When it comes to defining resell rights, its equally important for the individual selling the rights and the one buying them to understand the distinctions between the various types. This will prevent any confusion as to what the licensing agreement allows and will help to avoid any legal problems that may result from the improper use of a resell rights product.

Resell Rights allow the buyer to resell that product and retain 100% of the realized profits. Depending on the language used in the actual license agreement, there may or may not be a suggested minimum selling price. With Resell Rights, the purchaser will not be able to offer the license to resell the product to their customers.

Master Resell Rights, on the other hand, allows the purchaser to give the product away, sell it for whatever price they desire, package it with other products and/or offer the resell rights to their own customers. A product that is sold with master resell rights will generally be more expensive, but it gives the buyer additional options and more freedom in how they choose to distribute the product.

In some instances, Private Label Rights are offered and are the most expensive of all licenses. With Private Label Rights, the purchaser has permission to edit the content, claim it as their own creation and even repackage or rename it to create an entirely new product. In addition, the purchaser can sell the product with their choice of Resell Rights, Master Resell Rights and/or Private Label Rights.

Now that you are familiar with the various types of resell rights, its time to start thinking about ways to create your own product and start generating some income. The first and most important aspect of product creation is finding a niche. This should be something that you are knowledgeable about so that you can create a product that is built using your own expertise. For instance, if you are a successful eBay PowerSeller, perhaps sharing your secrets with others would be a successful venture. If you are an expert in the world of real estate investing or know how to purchase properties with little or no money down, perhaps this is your niche. If you are a whiz at software creation and have invented a tool that will help to make life easier, you may have just found a new source of income.

Once you have chosen the product that you want to create, its time to get to work. If you plan to produce the work yourself, thats great. If you dont have the time and need to outsource the project, take the time to choose a freelancer who is knowledgeable in this area and has a good reputation for producing quality work. You may want to consider signing a contract that guarantees you the work will be original and not copied in any way or from any source. Two popular online services geared toward hiring freelancers include http://Scriptlance.com and http://Elance.com.

As a final thought to creating your own resell rights product, make sure that your newest creation is one that will appeal to others. Browse bookstores, shop the software market and read up on whats hot in consumer information. Finding a popular niche that you possess a certain level of expertise in and marketing the right product could be the difference in a little extra cash and a full-time income.

Robert Clouthier gives away a free report that will teach you how to market resell rights products successfully. For more information visit: http://www.RobertClouthier.com.Lana Blog5634
Karina Blog55962

Things To-Be Remembered On A Cruise

First time cruisers usually have loads of questions creeping in their mind about what to expect. Since it is the first time they are going to take a luxury cruise, we have given vital tips which a novice cruiser is bound to know.

-Check with your cruise line in advance of what features were included in your ticket and what amount is to be given extra. Usually, it depends upon the package which you may purchase before traveling. Generally, the base cost includes your accommodations, activities, meals, entertainment and the use of the facilities available inside the ship.

-Selection of a good cabin should be done based upon the personal choice of the cruiser and its location. The most popular ones are the midship cabins which are less noisy and tend to revert less motion sensations. While booking a cabin just ensure that it is not placed near the kitchen or any noisy area. Most cruisers look out for cabins outside which includes windows and relatively inexpensive upgrade that would help to extend your time in the cabin.

-Usually the things which you need to bring with you depend upon your personal preference. It may vary depending on the cruise line and also the ports you will visit.

In general the important things to be brought are:

a) Documents: Identification Proof of citizenship and tickets.

b) Apparel: Bring your clothing according to the weather conditions of the destination of your travel and also comfortable shipboard clothes to relax.

c) Miscellaneous: Search the Internet for all the vital items to be bought while boarding and also ask your cruise line for a checklist.

d) Medications: Always ensure that when you travel you are having a first aid kit with you in case of any emergency.

When you arrive at the ship you will have to undergo the following check process

a) Luggage: will be given to porters to place it in your cabin.

b) Documents will be verified for entry

c) The ID cards of the shipboard and the cabin keys will be given to the cruisers.

d) Finally, there will be a security screening done.

Once you are inside the ship you will be given a map to follow the directions to your cabin or in some ships there will helpers to lead them to your cabin. Cruise lines will give you and introduction about the scheduled activities and shore excursions. These introductions will have all your doubts cleared.

Cathy Peterson writes about http://www.traveldealsdiscounts.com/ ,http://www.traveldealsdiscounts.com/discount-travel-deals/Site59.com/ and http://www.traveldealsdiscounts.com/discount-travel-deals/Hotels.com/Lacee Blog43144
Katherina Blog49226

8 Things to Consider when Buying a Laptop Computer

1. The ports. You should make sure that laptop has lots of USB ports for devices such as printer, mouse, flash drive, digital camera, etc. If your laptop does not come with many USB ports, you will need an USB hub. If you plan to connect your laptop to a TV, you will need an s-video port.

2. CD/DVD. Most of laptops come with a CD writer\DVD reader drive. If you want to copy DVDs, you will need a DVD writer drive. At this time the maximum speed for burning a DVD is 16X.

3. The hard drive. The speed of hard drive is measured in rpm or Rotations per Minute. Try to find a laptop that has 4200rpm or 5400rpm. A laptop with 40 Gigabytes is sufficient for an average person.

4. The memory. Your laptop should have at least 1 GB of memory. However, you can get a notebook with 512 MB and work with Windows XP. You should avoid a laptop with only 256 MB of memory.

5. The processor. You can choose between Intel and AMD. At the moment, Intel has the best processor for a laptop called the Core 2 Duo. The speed of processors is measured in Gigahertz. The bigger the number, the faster the processor is. There are also Dual-Core processors. It means they can process two things at the same time. As a result, the power of the processor is doubled.

6. Size. You should choose a smaller screen if you carry your laptop a lot. Typically a 14.1 inch screen is considered small. A 17 inch screen is considered big. A 17 inch screen is heavier and use up more battery life. You can get a 15 inch or a 15.4 inch.

7. The warranty. Each laptop computer should come with one year warranty from the manufacturer covering only defective equipment. You can also get an extended warrantycovering any accidents you may have.

8. The brand. Average brand of laptop is Dell, HP, Gateway, Acer and Compaq. The better brand of laptops is Sony, Toshiba, Alienware and IBM-Lenovo.

Alex Fir shares a wealth of information on his website Laptop Computers Center. If you want to learn more about buying a laptop go to http://www.laptopcomputerscenter.info/blog/Lana Blog98119
Kellen Blog35281

Dead Ducks Don't Quack...

I struggled around for almost 18 months before I realized that to have real success online, I needed to have my own product.

After I realized that, I created my first one... then another... and another... I started to get obsessed with product creation.

And that's the topic of this newsletter is creating your own product. I'm going to show you 19 ways to create your own products quickly.

But, before I do, I wanted to talk about a few key things.

1st - don't do all the work yourself (we covered this before when we talked about outsourcing)

2nd - the key is quality content... It doesn't matter if you have to film in on your home camcorder or a recorded phone call... if the content is high quality - your customers will love you.

I paid $50 for a weightlifting DVD the other day, and when I turned it on... the opening scene was black.

Then you heard the guys wife say "I can't see anything."

A second later the guy said, "You've got to take the lens cap off honey!"

You then saw her take the lens cap off, and he started teaching.

Now, that was horrible quality, but the content was amazing. I ended up buying all 6 dvd in his series BECAUSE THE CONTENT WAS SO GOOD!

I know quite a few people who get caught up in making everything look too professional. I had one friend spent thousands of dollars filming and producing one DVD (which turned out very nice BTW) - but all of his budget was spent on that, and had no moolah left over to market the product.

He still hasn't made his initial investment back.

My point isn't to make products that are crap - but to create the highest level quality content as possible, and your subscribers will appreciate it. I've been going back now with all of my old products and now repackaging them now that I can afford to.

3rd - just do it. Remember from before my motto "Ready, Fire, Aim." Get the product idea, create it and get it out there as fast as possible. Money follows speed, and if you don't go fast you will loose out.

Another reason to go fast is because what if your product is a flop? Another important lesson is to fail fast. I've known one person who's been trying to sell the same ebook for the 5 years I've known him with absolutely no success.

Like my friend Marlon Sanders says, "Dead ducks don't quack!" If you have a dead duck - move on to something new - FAST!

4th - people pay different prices for the same content delivered in different ways.

What I mean is that you can sell an ebook for $27. Now, if you take that exact same content, record it into a "book on CD" - you can sell that same content (in a different format) for a lot more - usually $97 or more.

Now, let's say you want to go to the next level... what if you took the audio, and the text, and combined them into a video. You could make a camtasia video that shows the bullet points from the book as the audio reads through them.

Or create an outline from the text, and record yourself teaching the concepts...

There are a million ways to switch forms of content - but just remember that people pay more for audio then they do text... and more for video then they do audio.

Ok - now that that is out of the way - let's get to work.

Here are 19 ways to create a product:

1st - Software Creation - Creating software is one of the easiest ways to create a product fast. You can create something for almost any niche. I have one client who had a public domain book about dream interpretation - so he had someone create a software program for under $100 where the user could type in a word, and if found that interpretation in the book and displayed it for the end user.

2nd - Public Domain - this is one of my FAVORITES!!! These are "works" where the copyrights has expired. You are able to take these and re-package them and sell them as your own products!

3rd - Interviews - interview an expert in ANY field and sell the recordings and/or the transcripts. This is the best way to become an expert in any field - just interview the experts and people will see you as one of them.

4th - Seminar Videos - put on your own seminar, record it with a video camera and sell the footage.

5th - Re-niche content - if your selling a product (or bought rights to a product) - you can re-niche it for a different audience. Example would be if you sell a book about speed reading, re-niche it to "speed reading for students."

6th - Book on CD - record yourself reading your book and sell it on cd.

7th - Resource CD - compile a list of resources for a specific niche, and sell the directory. I've personally bought resources on supplements directories and also one on "spy" stuff. (I know - I'm a geek)

8th - Recycle content - take products or content you've created in the past and re-use it. I'm using this blog post as a newsletter, an article, probably a chapter in a future book... Recycle what you're doing now.

9th - Camtasia Video - this is one of the most powerful tools online marketers have. Create screen capture videos of anything you can do on your computer. Demos of software - PowerPoint slides, how to... anything computer related. Think how much moolah the "computer professor" makes by making "how to" videos for different Microsoft products.

10th - Idea collection - Combine a list of ideas and sell those. I've got friends who sell list of ideas on how to make money quickly, how to clean your carpets, how to take care of lawns, etc...

11th - Others experts submit content - get others to submit articles, or audios, or vidoes, and compile them into a product. I did this with one of my wrestling products. I had people submit their best stories, pictures and poems and compiled them into a product.

12th - Podcasts - like an online radio show that you can download. Have paid podcasts - or record a bunch, then take the recordings and put them onto CD's.

13th - Membership sites - have residual income coming in when people pay you over and over again for access to your membership site. You can provide content in your membership sites - or create software programs that people have to pay monthly to use.

14th - Teleseminars - just record yourself interviewing someone or teaching on a subject that you know a lot about. The majority of my products were created with some type of teleseminar.

15th - Ghostwriters - hire someone (think outsourcing again) to write a book on a the subject that you want to sell.

16th - Free coaching calls - do free coaching calls for your members, track their progress, then compile the recordings into a product.

17th - Mastermind roundtables - get a group of experts together and have them discuss the subject - record the full thing and you've got an instant product!

18th - Private Label - similar to public domain, but usually created w/ the intent to sell w/out a copyright. A million ways to use private label stuff. Most people fail at this because they try to sell the content "as is." Be sure to make it your own and you'll have a ton of success with these.

19th - Case studies - one of the best products I bought this year is 12 hours of case studies. The people teaching the course compiled hundreds of casestudies for the subject we were learning about, and then explained how they all worked.

Ok - there's 19 ideas. Hopefully that will give you an idea for your first product.

To add your comments to this article please go to:
http://www.dotcomsecrets.com/blog/2006/11/the_buzz_about_viral_marketing.html#more

Russell Brunson has been a successful internet marketer over the last 4 years, he is actively helping other people to achieve their goals online. For more information go to http://www.DotComSecrets.com.Karole Blog29970
Kipp Blog88216

Business Promotion in a new Way - ClipsID.Com

If you are running a business or providing a service, it is most certain that you will be alarmed at the rate, which your competition is growing. Yesterday, it was you and your school chum who were running the online store to sell tattoo designs (or used jeans or whatever) and today you see that two more guys have opened up much better stores. Hey, they got all the products you are selling and something more. You are surprised. Tomorrow, it is certain that you will see few more stores popping-up and you will be, yes we all know, ALARMED!!

It is time for you to wake up from that comfortable couch and start singing those marketing songs about your business on all the available channels. If you are one among the royal lot, throw those investor backed marketing campaigns to woo your prospective customers. The bottom-less purses give you the freedom to experiment and take risks to utilize all media streams for promoting your business. However, if you are serious about each dollar that goes out of your wallet, you will be checking for the right cost-effective mediums for your business promotion as the first step.

Search Engine optimization and postings, Link Exchanges, Affiliate Programs, Banner Advertising are some of those techniques that has been used for this purpose by most of the online business owners for long time. Though this had been enough for your market presence and brand building few years back, times have changed and these mediums have become so common that everyone is into it and so are your competitors. It is high time you think of a new way, a niche area for wooing in your customers, a system that helps you to easily express everything about your business and make your customer feel the way you want them to feel.

The answer is in a new system that has been built to utilize the latest technological advancement in Internet media transfer, Video Streaming. ClipsID (www.clipsid.com) is a new entry into the list of fast growing online video streaming sites. However, this system has been developed to answer the constant yearning in the market for a better business promotional system and the way the system works is a perfect match for anyone wanting to promote their business online.

What is ClipsID?

If the system has to be described in a single phrase, the best one would be "The Largest Internet Theatre For Online Video Advertisements". Business Promotion is achieved by automated marketing of promotional videos of businesses currently within the system.

According to ClipsID.Com, "ClipsID is a powerful way of promoting yourself or your business with the aid of video presentations. Upload your videos into the system and the system will assign a unique number to your video. This is your video's ClipsID. It is a simple number just like your telephone number". The uploaded commercial videos are displayed on the system in various areas inviting customer interests. Also viewers can search for videos, watch them and invite others. Since the businesses can link their business contact details with the video, the prospective customers can directly contact these businesses, thus providing immediate results.

Currently, anyone can register for a free ClipsID account, which gives a free account with 10Mb video upload space plus access to all business promotional features currently available. All the promotional tools are easy to use with minimum technical know-how.

How to Promote your Business with ClipsID?

Some Power Tools that we will be using are:

Upload Tool
Associate Business Links Tool
Video Banner Creation Tool
Email Signature Tool
Webmercial Showcase
Invitation System

Upload Tool

The first and most important step you need to take in making this new promotion tool to work wonders for you is to upload your promotional content into it. Just make sure that you have an eye catching promotional video of your product, business or service. Remember, your response would be as good as your promotional video.

Once you have a promotional video, the rest is easy. Create a free account with ClipsID by clicking on the Sign-up button you can find on the home page (www.clipsid.com). All they ask you to enter is your email address (this is your username), a desired password and your first name. It is so very simple.

When you sign-in for the first time, you will be shown a welcome page with a button on it, asking you to upload your promotional video.

Clicking on it will pop-up the Upload Video tool where in you can upload your promotional video. You have two options for uploading the video, a Quick Upload option as well as a Complete Upload option. I suggest you choose the latter (Complete Upload) option, where in the first step is to provide details about the video/your business.

Note that the first 28 characters of your title as well as the first 64 characters of your description are very important. Please read the Webmercial Showcase section to know more about it.

This upload tool accepts video in AVI, MPG and FLV format only. If you have any other video format, you can use the free ClipsID Encoder tool (available in the Downloads section) to encode it to FLV format and then upload it.

Read the Associate Business Links Tool section for completing the second step.

Once your video is successfully uploaded, the ClipsID system will process the contents and generate a UNIQUE identifier for your video, called ClipsID, which is a simple number just like your telephone number.

Once you have your ClipsID for your video, you can exchange it with your friends, customers and prospects, who will be watching your video just by entering this number on the ClipsID player.

Associate Business Links Tool

Now, direct all your viewers to your website or online business using the Business Link tool, which is the second stage mentioned in the Upload Video Tool earlier.

Copy your website (or online business system) address (URL), and paste it on the Business Links section appropriate column.

If you go through the various options available, it is now easy to associate any Internet link or email address to your video so that all those viewers who are interested in your business can contact you or go directly to the online link where you want to redirect them.

When your promotional video is played on the player, your business link will be displayed as a click-able button on the player bar. The key is that it is really enticing for the viewer to see a button below the video being played that shows something like "Order Now!" just below a video that shows the promotional video below a product he would like to have, and not leaving without clicking on it.

When the button is clicked, the user is taken to the web-link you are associating with the video using this tool. The web-link will be opened in a separate window and this can be a direct link to your product details page or ordering page or whatever.

Video Banner Creation Tool

Banner Advertising has given users a new avenue for putting promotional content as fast paced advertising matter that is customized for the online crowd that can take prospective users directly to your online businesses. However, there is a single problem. Most of these ads were BORING!! And making those viewers clicking on it is becoming hard.

Use the ClipsID generated earlier, for creating your own Video Banners, where in you can show your promotional video in the banner, and thus making your advertisement much more interesting.

It is very simple to create your video banner. Click on the "Generate Banner" link that will open the Banner Creation tool.

All you have to do is select your promotional video and ask the banner creation tool to make it as a video banner in the size you want. It generates the code and you can use it where you want to place the banner. It is that simple.

Email Signature Tool

Did you ever know that your email client is your greatest marketing tool? Not your telephone, not your PowerPoint presentation. Without you even knowing, you are sending many pieces of digital information to a person who is analyzing it and forwarding most of them to others.

According to a research, around 68% of the emails sent throughout the world will have a lifetime of more than 3 hops from the originator. It means, that there is a high chance that your email might be copied or forwarded for two more people than whom you intended. If you know about the multi level marketing basics, then you would definitely understand the chances that your emails would be ready by people whom you might never have thought of.

Now you can leverage this hidden prospect for your Business Promotion, without much efforts and any irritation on the intended recipient.

Place a small HTML code generated by the Email Signature tool on the signature part of your email client. Each time you send an email, your video's ClipsID is sent as a link when clicked shows your promotional video on the ClipsID player in a separate window.

Click on the "Generate Email Signature" link and select your video that needs to be associated with all your emails. Once you click on the Generate button, you will be provided with a set of HTML code that can be copied and pasted to the signature section of your email client.

This will be a single word link identifying your ClipsID. If your email client supports HTML content, the signature will be displayed as a click-able link.

Be sure that the majority of your email recipients are going to click this link and once they click, they are going to be shown with your promotional video and most of them will want to see a video, which is unlike a promotional text message that will require efforts from their part to read it. So be sure that these viewers will sit back relaxed and watch your video.

Webmercial Showcase

The Webmercial Showcase is a selected catalog of promotional videos that will be displayed on ClipsID Home page, Search Page, Public Video page and even on Signature Video Display page. Listing your promotional video on this showcase means exposure to thousands of unique viewers for your advertisement video.

Webmercial Showcase contains a marquee like display of some of the promotional videos that has been uploaded to ClipsID, with part of title and description displayed below the video thumbnail.

To get listed on this Webmercial Showcase all you need to do is inform ClipsID about your wish. They have provided an almost hidden link on the Manage Videos page, where there is a small piece of text on the top of the form area, where in you can fill up your request and send to them.

Normally it takes less than 48 hours for your video to be listed on Webmercial Showcase.

Invitation System

Larger the number of Views for your promotional video, the larger would be the number of prospective customers that would be interested in doing business with you. How can you make some immediate viewer base for your video? The answer is ClipsID Invitation system that would help you to send invitations to your contact base telling more about your video as well as inviting them to view the video.

The process is very easy. Once you have your working ClipsID, create an Address Book of all your contacts and then proceed to the Invitation tool (you can find it in the Manage Videos section) for selecting your video, choosing the address book and for creating a small invitation message, which will be added a personal note to the invitation. The tool will add the rest of the invitation message and then send it to all on your selected address book.

Conclusion

So, by investing a small amount of time, you can use this innovative marketing system to promote your business to new heights.

It is a relatively new approach and hence it is the right time to experiment with this system. If you are stuck at any point of time, you can rely on the ClipsID support forum for your answers.

By the way, I am also interested to know more about your experiences with this innovative system. Please feel free to contact me at paul.linder@yahoo.com. I would be delighted to hear more about your experiences and share my thoughts.

All rights for the logo, name and other materials mentioned in this document belong to ClipsID.Com LLC (www.clipsid.com).

Paul Linder is a veteran in creating Online Marketing & Promotion campaigns with more than 12 years experience in advising medium to large-scale businesses the strategies for creating successful online businesses. He lives in San Francisco, CA mostly hugging his Dell 700m Laptop or iPod. He is currently working as the Vice President of http://ClipsID.Com and you can reach him at paul.linder@yahoo.comKellia Blog74218
Kelila Blog97155