Are You Ready For Holiday Shopping This Year?

Know the holiday retail and spending trends

With the increase in gas prices, and the slow down of the housing market, you may think consumers will cut down on their holiday spending in 2006. But many reports and surveys have shown these concerns will have little to no impact on what consumers will spend this year. According to a report from the Radio Advertising Bureau, consumers have withstood challenges this year from energy costs, slow growth in jobs and softness in the housing market, and they will continue to be bullish about the economy and their own financial well-being. Overall spending is expected to be up for many key categories.

Gift Cards

Same as last year, gift cards are expected to be the top holiday purchase this year. Last year, 66 percent of consumers bought at least one gift card. Gift cards are an excellent idea if you are not sure what the person will like. However, many people think they are too impersonal. Retailers on the other hand, like gift cards. They like the idea when consumers come in to use the gift cards, there is a good chance the consumer will want to use the entire gift card balance and even spend more than the gift card.

Department Store Credit Cards

Everyone knows when the holiday season approaches, many department stores offer zero-percent financing or an additional percent off for consumer purchases. A survey conducted by Roper Public Affairs, stated that when consumers were asked how likely they are to make a major purchase this holiday season using either a zero-percent financing or a no payments/no interest offer, fewer than two in ten (18 percent) say it is very likely that they will. Additionally, 71 percent responded that if they were to take advantage of such an offer, they would plan to pay off the total due before incurring any interest charges.

This same survey also found a correlation between age and income level. Ninety-five percent of consumers 65 and older say they are highly unlikely to take advantage of store credit card offers. Twenty-five percent of consumers with household incomes $50 k or greater say they are very likely to take advantage of such an offer. Eighty-one percent of consumers with household incomes $50 k or greater say they would pay off the whole purchase before the interest is due.

If you choose to take advantage of such deals, make sure you pay the purchase off as quickly as possible. Department store credit cards are known for charging ridiculously high interest rates after the promotional offer expires. If this happens to you, the initial savings you received on the product when you first bought it will turn into a net loss, especially if you rack up late payment fees. Online Shopping

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers tips for safe online shopping

Know the seller. Confirm the online seller's address and phone number incase of problems

Know exactly what you are buying. Look out for descriptions like "refurbished," "vintage," or "close out." These terms may indicate that the products are not in mint condition.

Compare prices of the same product on different website.

Check the privacy policy to make sure the website will not share your personal information with anyone.

Pay with a credit card. Credit cards offer consumers the most protection. Do not send cash!

Use a secure browser. Buy only from websites that offer secure payments.

Consider shipping and handling costs.

Print records of your online transactions. (receipts, confirmation e-mails, bank statements, etc.).

Understand the return policy.

Check delivery dates. A FTC rule requires sellers to ship items as promised or within 30 days after the order date.

Retail store information for 2006

According to Forbes.com, here are their holiday picks. Specialty stores like Victoria's Secret, Coach and Aeropostale, will do very well because consumers want premium products. Another specialty store Gap, is introducing their limited edition "Product Red" clothing line just in time for the holidays. Product Red is being promoted by Oprah Winfrey and Bono to raise money for AIDS victims in Africa. Forbes.com says Product Red will bring a whole new customer to Gap stores, some who have not shopped there in years. Huge stores like Wal-Mart and Target have already shown a holiday shopping increase in October. Wal-Mart is now selling top notch electronics such as High Definition (HD) televisions. JC Penny is also expected to do well due their large advertising budget and their "Red Box" holiday campaign. The Red Box campaign will feature 20 30 items in advertisement across the whole country.

Protecting your purchases

If you decide to shop with a credit card, choose one that offers a purchase protection plan. There may be an instance that you buy a product that you do not want or a product that breaks or falls apart. Since many stores have a no-return or return for store credit only policy, you are usually out of luck. This is when purchase protection plans come in. If you shop with a credit card that offers return protection, you can receive reimbursement for the purchase price even if the store of origin has a no-return policy. Return protection programs typically involve a limit on the amount per item and an annual limit for the cardholder. Other qualifications such as the condition of the purchased item and the existence of any return/satisfaction guarantee programs at the store may apply. These plans also offer manufacturer's extended warranties. You may not need to buy additional warranties on major purchases because some credit card companies will extend the terms of the original manufacturer's warranty. This service could save you the expense of purchasing extended warranty programs. Make sure you familiarize yourself with coverage restrictions before making your final decision.

Pete Glocker is employed in the Education and Charitable Services Department at Debt Management Credit Counseling Corp. (DMCC), a 501c(3) non-profit charitable organization located in Boca Raton, Florida. Pete graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BA in Multimedia Journalism and was a web producer Intern for Tribune Interactive products Sun-Sentinel.com and SouthFlorida.com. DMCC provides free financial education, personal budget counseling, and debt management plans to consumers across the United States. Debt management plans offered by DMCC help consumers relieve the stress of excessive debt by reducing credit card interest rates, consolidating and lowering monthly payments, and stopping collection calls and late fees. DMCC financial counselors can be reached for free education materials, budget counseling and debt management plan quotes by calling 866-618-DEBT or by visiting http://www.dmcccorp.org. Pete Glocker can be reached by email at pete@dmcccorp.org.Alidia Blog87545
Buffy Blog13736

Tips for Increasing Your Website Traffic

Website Traffic Is The Key To Success

Most online publishers know that website traffic is the amount of visitors your website receives. The best gauge to determine how well you are doing regarding traffic is unique visitors. Generating those unique visitors is the single biggest challenge faced by most webmasters.

You have a wonderful website and attractive content but your website traffic is still low. Internet marketers know that with little or no traffic there is little or no income. Therefore it is imperative that you increase your website traffic to ensure a more successful business.

So now that we have discussed why website traffic is so important, how in the world do you get that traffic and keep it coming? How do you generate higher website traffic is a question that is asked by hundreds of thousands of internet marketers around the world. The basic answer is: Building website traffic is simply marketing your website so that it can market for you. But how does one market their website?

You need to use a combination of methods. You cannot focus on just one method and expect to get significant amounts of traffic. Also, keep in mind that building traffic to your site is a process and not a one-time event. It is something that requires regular effort.

All Website Traffic is Not Created Equal You Need Targeted Traffic

Website traffic is one thing, but targeted traffic is everything. The easiest way that I have found to increase targeted website traffic is to focus each website page or blog post on a specific niche in the market. An excellent way is to ask a "how to" question and write about your solution.

How to Get Traffic

One way to get traffic is by writing articles for your niche market and submitting them to article directories and ezine editors.

Another vital strategy for increasing your site traffic is to use inbound links to bring in traffic from other sites. Make it a priority to spend time every day increasing the amount of incoming links to your site. Social bookmarking is a great method to increase links exponentially with little effort.

If you can get a regular routine of writing articles, posting them to your site, and submitting them to social bookmarking sites, that is a powerful combination to increase your traffic.

A third very powerful tool that can dramatically increase your website traffic is a viral ebook or report. There have been several examples of this recently with free reports by Rich Schefren and Mike Filsaime "The Manifesto" and "The Death of Internet Marketing." Another report that started a buzz was "The Death of Adsense" by Scot Boulch.

Discussion boards, or forums, are another great way to increase traffic. If you are in a niche where people like to talk and discuss the topic, this can be a great way to increase traffic. Post comments around the web that you are starting a forum on such-and-such a topic and they will come.

Pay-per-click, such as Google AdWords, is an excellent way to generate traffic. But be careful. It's very easy to end up spending thousands of dollars for traffic that doesn't generate any revenue unless you know exactly how to do it. Perry Marshall is Mr. AdWords, the one that everyone goes to for learning AdWords. Purchasing his ebook for a few dollars will end up saving you big bucks if you want to use PPC.

When all is said and done, every internet marketer depends on website traffic to generate business. With a few basic tools such as article syndication, social bookmarking, linking and PPC, and a site that gives viewers what they are looking for, your traffic will increase every month.

Carol Stack was once stuck working in a cubicle like millions of others around the world, but now enjoys working at home online. She lives with her husband and three children in the United States. Carol enjoys homeschooling, internet marketing, and writing. To discover how you can earn money at home publishing online visit: http://www.selfpublishinghelper.com.Breanne Blog5400
Camila Blog14523

Web Design and Development Buyers Guide

Getting Started:

When developing a website for your business there are many important issues which need to be considered. I have made a list of recommendations about many of these issues so that you can evaluate your current project needs and how to prepare for them. Your website is by far the most important aspect of your business marketing. It is the face of your company which people from all across the world are going to see. People base their opinion on your company based on the professionalism of your website. If it looks cheap and amateur, people will simply think you have a poor business model and you arent making enough money to afford a professional web presence. But if your site looks incredible, your potential customers will feel comfortable with you and give you instant credibility. Studies have shown that a companys website design has more influence on a potential customer than the products, functionality or written content within the website.

Preparing Project Requirements

To start preparing for your project, first you must create a project requirement document for your exact needs of your project. It is extremely important to be as detailed as possible when creating these specs because the future of your project depends on it. Many times the company or individual developing your website design or web application does not take the time to help you build a spec, especially if you dont pay them a consulting fee. If you have the budget to pay for project consulting we highly recommend that you do. It could save you thousands of dollars and months of wasted time. Most companies will even refund your consulting fees once your project.

However if you feel that you dont need any consulting and you can write your project requirements on your own, then make sure you are as detailed as possible. If you forget something it could cost you much more to have it added later. If you would like some documents which can guide you through writing your project requirements please ask your web development company to provide them to you.

Also, you must write everything down in a word document format or in an email. This is very important especially towards the end of your project when testing begins to see if all the requirements have been met. If its not on your sheet, there is a great chance it wont get done, and youll have a real problem convincing a company to do any extras for free unless its something small.

Choosing Your Developer or Web Company

Once you have your requirements the next step is to choose your developer or development team. This is a very crucial decision which must be well thought out. Many people and small companies shop for these developers based on price alone. This is a big mistake. These low cost options tend to be college students, low cost offshore developers in India and other parts of the world, local web companies with weak portfolios, and large cookie cutter developers like www.register.com, www.networksolutions.com, or www.yahoo.com.

College students generally only charge $10 to $30 per hour and have very limited skills and experience. Anyone who charges this amount generally does so because they have no real experience and will take anything they can get their hands on. College students only know the basics and usually try to cut and paste their way through the project using free scripts and templates. The result is a website or application that doesnt do what its supposed to do and looks extremely amateur. Also college students generally never finish on time, or at all. They are not dedicated to your project because most of their time is spent doing homework, going to class, socializing, or working at a part time job. These delays can cost your business heavily. Also many times desperate college students will agree to take a project which is more than they can handle. They try to get a friend to help them or do it themselves. Once they fail, obviously you most likely wont be getting your money back. I have heard stories like these 1000 times over.

Another cheap option to avoid is low cost offshore developers. You will generally get hundreds of emails per year from these companies offering to work for $2 per hour up to $30 per hour. 99.9% of the time you are guaranteed to be disappointed. Most of the time the offers are coming from India, China, Russian, Ukraine, or Mexico, so please try to avoid them at all costs. They often reply to any ad posted on websites like www.elance.com, www.craigslist.org or www.guru.com. They usually reply to hundreds of ads per day in hopes that someone will actually give them a project, and then its just a game of roulette after that. Many times they will supply you with a stolen portfolio of completed work, or a bunch of promises to give you the highest quality, blah- blah- blah, etc... I have rarely seen anyone successfully do a project off shore without jumping through some major hoops to do it. The time differences, the language barriers, and the lack of security alone should push you away from these options. Many times they are just college students as well, and they cant provide you with what you need even if they wanted to.

The 3rd option to avoid like the plague is using cookie cutter companies. These large Do it yourself corporations butcher the web. Companies like www.register.com and www.networksolutions.com and www.fortunecity.com and many others, will offer you to buy a hosted solution. They offer you the wonderful opportunity to build your own site for only $250 or something, and host it with them for a year for only $20. This is a joke and all too many people have fallen for this. When you are surfing the web and find a site that looks like a kindergartener built it, this is usually one of the do-it-yourself websites that some poor sucker purchased. There is no functionality, there is no design template offered that is worth a look, and there is no way a real company or anyone serious about setting up a legitimate webpage would ever consider using this service. However I can see how many people have decided to buy these sites. They tried to use a college kid, and then tried some Indian offshore developer, and then tried their local low budget web or hosting company, and finally came to the conclusion that all of the quality was pretty similar to that of the cheap cookie cutter corporations. So they fall for the marketing, and buy the cheapo template website and now their stuck looking unprofessional and their potential clients wont take them serious.

Now that youve been informed of all the bad apples out there, lets take a look at the companies out there who actually decided to take this route, then we will look at some companies who took the high road and made a professional site. Please go to www.webpagesthatsuck.com and take a look at all the worthless sites that are out there. This site is dedicated to convincing people how important your web presence is and what people will think of you when you publish low cost amateur sites.

Once youre done, lets take a look at a few sites which were done professionally. I will use a few examples of websites our company has developed, and to be fair a few other random sites other companies developed. Take a look at www.dreamsoft.us, this site is very well put together with great use of colors, great structural layout, plenty of relevant content, reasonable use of flash and 3d, and overall you get a professional look and feel when youre on this website. Here is a www.completebirkenstock.com , nothing really fancy, very conservative use of flash, but yet its very professional and easy to look at with a top notch shopping system. Here is a site from one of our competitors www.spiketv.com. As you can see they have done an excellent job with flash animation and 3D graphics, as well as lots of content and functionality. In my opinion its one of the best sites around, and I commend them on their good work. Many people cannot afford this type of work, but it shows true quality. Buying web development and services is like buying a car. There are Cadillacs, Ferraris, Old Clunkers, and everything in between. The key is to find whats best for your needs and taking the proper steps to get what youre looking for.

Negotiating Your Costs:

Now that youve chosen a few potential developers, its time to negotiate a fair price for your project, this is a very important step. Generally for descent work you might be able looking at paying an average of $60-$300 USD per hour. This depends on the company and the difficulty of the work you are requesting. It is very possible to get the same quality for $60 USD per hour as it is for $300 USD per hour, so you want to look around and bargain shop. This isnt easy; you need to understand that many of these companies have new projects coming across their desks everyday. And many times these companies spend countless hours consulting and estimating without ever getting the project they spent so much time on. There are tons of freelancers out there who dont want to estimate their own projects so they go out and bid it out to a few web companies who will put together a nice presentation and detailed estimation, which they take to their clients and pretend its their own. This must happen 1000 times per day all over the world, its one of the oldest tricks in the book. So dont be surprised if your potential development company asks for a small consulting fee to see if youre serious. Usually it will be $50-$2000 depending on how large or small your project is, and its a good idea for you to pay the fee. It shows that youre serious, and the web development company will take you much more serious and it will probably lower you additional costs in the long run.

Once you give your project requirements document to the developers, they will begin to dig through it. They will most likely send you some questions to answer to give them a better idea of what youre looking for. Having a detailed requirements document is extremely important and can lower the cost of your project tremendously. And make sure you have it all written down properly, dont think you can just call and tell them over the phone. Web developers hate when a client calls and just starts rambling on and on about what they want changed, so if you have any changes make sure to send it in an email or word document and clearly label it. This can help you avoid any disputes later on down the line, and trust me there are always disputes over what the original requirements were and how they were conveyed. Dreamsoft.us built a huge project management and document management system called Projectpro.us just to avoid these conflicts.

As far as pricing goes, dont be fooled or intimidated by hourly rates. Its not as simple as it seems. Just because company X charges $100 per hour doesnt make them the wrong company to use, the same as company Z charging $40 per hour doesnt make them your best bet. For the exact same project, company X might bill you for 25 hours, while company Z might bill you for 100 hours. So for the same project company X charges $2500 while company Z charges $3000, yet company Z looks more attractive because of their low hourly billing structure. Dont judge your potential developers by their hourly rates; you could drop a reasonable offer just because of some unnecessary sticker shock.

Monthly Website Maintenance:

Also before choosing your developers you should consider the ongoing costs. These can REALLY add up. If youre going to be paying maintenance on some web program, SEO campaign, or hosting, just make sure its reasonable. Most web companies are pretty lenient about these fees, but expect to pay something. Also if you feel you wont need a lot of updates on a regular basis you can ask them to modify their monthly options to something smaller for your specific needs. Generally your monthly maintenance needs will be around $350 USD per month and up.

Web Hosting:

THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. Hosting is by far one of your most important issues as your company grows. At first its always easy to just take the cheapest hosting company in town, or the most well known. This is the recipe for disaster, almost every single time. DO NOT host with the major hosting companies like Godaddy.com, Register.com, Yahoo.com, or Networksolutions.com. Generally when you register your website you do it through a huge company like these, and then you sign up for the 1 year of hosting, and the ecommerce package. These solutions are only for individuals who dont know what they are doing and buy it out of convenience and low cost.

As your company grows, you will need to add email addresses, add functionality, add software, change server requirements, change passwords, gain particular server access, and many other things. These big low cost hosting providers wont even pick up the phone, if you can find a number to call. If there is a problem, it takes 2 weeks to 2 months before they can resolve it. And when you try to switch to another provider they will ignore you as long as they can before giving in to your request. They have millions of clients, only paying them a few bucks per year, so you can see they arent going to waste a few bucks having a customer service rep or technician help you out in a jam. And when your company goes offline because of some technical failure, not even the president of the United States can get these people on the phone. Meanwhile, your company suffers, and while people are trying to view your site, they see Page not found.

Another problem is when you add some new functionality to your website, and it requires that the server needs to run a certain program. Although it might take 5 minutes to install it they will bill you for 2.5 hours (because they have minimums) and they know you cant do anything about it.

I suggest using someone reliable, someone local, someone you know and trust. This is truly one of the most important aspects of having a web presence is making sure you have reliable hosting and registration.

Registration:

Dont forget, when registering your domain name; make sure the administrative contact is in your name with your email and your contact info. Dont let web or hosting companies hold you hostage. If the administrative contact information is in their name, they have total control of your site. I have seen this done once before with a fairly good sized web development and hosting company in Chicago. An acquaintance of our CEO had their site developed by a local web company. This acquaintance then asked our CEO if we could do some Search Engine Marketing for them. We agreed to the task, but when we went to get access to the site from the local web company, they decided that they were going to take this marketing project and refused to grant us access. Our customer called the web company and asked them to switch over the hosting rights to us, and they refused. Although this is illegal for this company to do this, there is nothing our client could do. The domain name was registered originally by this web company, and they kept the registration in their name (which is also illegal). But it takes 6 months and tons of court costs to get it back, so our client had no choice but to stay with the ones that refused to let him leave. This happens on a daily basis and the best way to avoid it is to use someone you trust.

As far as the cost, it ranges from $250 per year, up to $5000 depending on what programs your running and how much space youre using. 99% of sites usually only need the basics which is around $250- $350 per year.

Development Contracts:

Once youve made all your important decisions and found the right company to do your project, make sure you get everything in writing. And you must make sure that there is an attachment to the contract specifying the exact amount of time until the completion of your project, the total cost, and the project requirements. This will ensure that you get exactly what you paid for, and get it on time. Make sure to have a signed copy for yourself and also make sure the start date is clearly stated.

During Development:

Now that your project has begun, there is no time to relax yet. Although everything is clearly stated in your project requirements sheet, you must provide the developers with the necessary materials they need in a timely fashion. I am telling you this from a web developers standpoint. When a project starts, the development company has allocated tasks for its individual developers just for your project. So if you wait 2 weeks to send materials, then the company must allocate other tasks for their developer to keep him busy earning money for the company. This can cause major delays in your projects completion time. The materials you need to have prepared are images, content, and anything else which the web developers cannot provide for you. Please understand that developers cannot read your mind, dont just expect them to just miraculously build what you foresee in your mind without some direction from you.

Be attentive and always check your email. Web developers will send you updates and have multiple questions, sometimes on a daily basis, so you need to make sure and not neglect them. Sometimes they hit a brick wall, and cannot move forward without your comments, especially during web application programming or design. Many times if you dont respond within a day or so they will just keep trudging ahead and many times in the wrong direction. Then when you tell them to erase all the work and do something different they will get pretty angry. So to avoid any conflict try to check your email at least a few times each day, especially during business hours. Always send your responses by email. I cannot stress enough how irritating it is to have a client calling over the phone to tell you everything. This just makes the developer have to write everything down and there can be errors using this method. If you must talk on the phone, then call the developers, talk to them, then go back and recap the discussion on an email so they know what you want.

Project Completion:

Once your project is near completion, you need to start testing. Dont be angry to find small glitches or bugs, this is very common. You might find links which dont work, images misplaced, spelling errors, or other small inconveniences, but this is common when the project is coming to a close. The developers will wrap everything up and make everything look good, so dont get discouraged. When they tell you its finished and you still find something, dont get angry, just let your developers know and they will surely fix it quickly. Usually these little things take only a few minutes to fix and developers overlook them because they know its just something minor and they usually concentrate on the major functions. Some companies have testers which do quality assurance testing for the client, but these are only the larger companies, and even they miss things occasionally.

Project Payment:

The web development standard for any project is 50% up front and 50% at the end. In my opinion over years in this industry its truly unfair that the web development company gets paid in this fashion. But at the same time paying slowly via milestones is also a pain in the rear. Now for larger companies the 50/50 deal is fine, but for small 5 employee IT companies this can be life or death. I remember years ago when we first started we couldnt eat if a client decided to pay late, or of the project dragged on for weeks past the due date because our clients werent responsive enough, or they haggled over tiny details to delay the payment.

In my opinion no matter what size the company is, make sure to pay when the project is near completion, dont drag it out, its not fair to the developers who worked so hard to get you what you want. The margins in the web business arent what they used to be and some of these small fry companies may be doing great work, but they get killed on delay of payments. We recommend paying via bank wire to all our clients, and we are a company of over 40 developers.

Conclusion:

To wrap things up, I wrote this article in hopes of helping people understand how the web development and web design industry works. Most people who are getting ready to start a web project should read this, a lot of the information you read here you wont find anywhere else. It gives you an inside look at how a web project actually gets done, and hopefully you will avoid the pitfalls by having a better understanding of the process.
Alex Dubko Becky Blog5166
Bamby Blog99806

Jump Start Your Career In Real Estate

Have you ever stayed up late at night hoping to catch the infomercials on how to make it rich in real estate? No money down! Or spent endless hours reading this how to or that real estate success story book, maybe even gone to a boot camp or two? None of which have helped

I once read that if you read 7 books on a subject, that doing so, will make you an expert. I am not so sure it will but it does add a considerable amount of confidence to you as you prepare to introduce yourself to your new world.

What I find fascinating is that they all have a slight twist on the same goal.. The goal of buying real estate below market value, for as little money invested as possible, then selling for a profit. The American Dream Get rich in real estate We have all heard that the only way to become obnoxiously rich is to invest. In fact, when we are born we are slapped on the ass to breath and told get rich through buying real estate. No wonder why so many of us are choosing real estate as the means to wealth.

Every home type cable channel has their own version of the How Too Flip this, or Rehab that, programming that brags make more money than you have ever made before, and you dont even have to know how

I wish it were that simple.. It is/was for some of you I am sure and I imagine as you reflect on your beginning, as you tried figuring out your tomorrow, doing so was the most frightening battle you faced. But here you are, a success, the one that people will look at now and say, if he can do it, I can too.

As the year quickly approaches its end, I sit reflecting what I have accomplished and how to help those new investors who want so badly to create their paradigm shift on riches. What little hint or knowledge can I give to turn the light bulb on? Can you hear the rally yell, You can buy houses too?

And you can My wife, being a third grade teacher tells me all of the time, that the reason most dont jump in is because they like the security of knowing they have a paycheck coming and that their retirement is being taken care of, or that the health insurance coverage is too costly to give up. And I politely tell her, that in two weeks this month, I will have earned what it will take her all year to earn. I feel bad for those that have the attitude that they cant make the change because of fear. Fear is a great emotion, we can either let it stop us or we can use it to succeed.

Most investors dont Burn their Boat when they start most look at this career as a part time career at best. They keep their day job as a subsidy to their income until that big break. That one investment that will get them to go over the top.. That big deal

I understand that saying to your wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend honey I quite my job today and we are going to be rich is not something that easily flows out of ones lips.. I am also not so certain that entering into this career slowly isnt the best option for most investors.

So here you are ready to make millions. Eager and willing to do something, but what? What is the first step to fulfilling the promise given to us a birth?

This may sound so clich, but in my opinion you must set your goals first. You will not succeed by determining the amount of money you want to make, but instead what do you want out of this paradigm shift? Decide in the beginning those things that will drive you to success. Sure some are going to be physical possession but I bet some of them will be spiritual and mental.

So if you would, go grab your wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend and say these words to them Honey would it be okay if we started making more money? If their answer is yes then get into your car and drive. Stop by a store to buy

1. 24 x 36 poster board
2. Glue stick.
3. Set of magic markers
4. Scissors

After youre done buying your supplies drive to the neighborhood that you always wanted to live in, the ones that only those rich people can afford. Drive around and look for houses that are listed for sale. When you find them ask yourself if you would like to live there If the answer is YES then take a flyer out of the flyer box. Dont let size or price get in your way. BTW call the agent and make an appointment to see the inside

Then drive to the auto dealership and pick out the car you have always wanted Take it for a test drive, smell the interior What color is it? Pick out the accessories, from rims to navigational system. Dont forget satellite radio either. Find out how much it costsCASH get a Broacher on it.

Now drive to the chain bookstore, theyre open late so you wont have any problems getting in.. Walk over to the magazine section and start looking through the vacation magazines for that special vacation you have always wanted.. Dont tear that page out of the book, just pay the 4 or 5 bucks they want..

Now here is where it gets fun, there is something in that bookstore that you have always wanted. Maybe it is a how to book on loosing weight, maybe a book on the best colleges to send your children, even a book on your faith, what ever it is buy it.

Now find the section on real estate investing and buy the book with best cover Dont worry about content.. Maybe it says, Zero to a Million or Get Filthy Rich but it must say or show something that makes you inspired

Now walk over to the coffee area and sit down together and cut out the pictures of the vacation, and the other book. Cut the cover off of the investment book, cut the car out of the Broacher. Using the glue stick glue the pictures and cover onto your poster board not in any order just so they flow. I would put the cover of the investment book on top as I would want to focus on it all of the time.

Now on the top portion of the poster board write, these are my goals and I will achieve them.

Somewhere on one side write the words I am a great person and I am worthy of having nice things

On the other side write God loves me and wants me to become wealthy

On the bottom, each of you sign your name and put the date.

After you get home place your poster somewhere where you can see it everyday, and everyone else who comes over can see it too. Dont hide your goals from those who know and love you. AND dont hide them from yourself

I know this has nothing to do with real estate investing; you wanted some wisdom that would get you going. But I was reminded today as I began my journey to learn to swim a mile, its on my poster, as the young swimming instructor told me to cup my hands to hold water so that I could place my face, submerging my nose in the water and blow bubbles that learning starts with a desire.. We can not succeed unless we set a goal and follow a plan, sure there will be times that you will breath water up your nose and want to quit. Today my task to learn was blowing bubbles, tomorrow who knows but I will learn to swim a mile And you will learn to buy houses too!

Good Luck,
Michael Quarles

Michael Quarles is a successful real estate investor, broker and trainer located in Bakersfield, CA. http://www.REIU.com.Brinn Blog30379
Allie Blog20357

3 Key Internet Business StartUp Ideas Without a Website

A great deal of money has been made by online entrepreneurs who have implemented these 3 highly successful business models that can help you create income online without having to invest a single a cent in website design, hosting, optimizing or website maintenance.

1. Affiliate Marketing

This is how to set yourself up as an affiliate marketer

1. Becoming an Affiliate

Firstly you need to sign up as an affiliate with individual companies or affiliate networks that represent several companies.

These affiliate networks usually have a wide range of products and services to choose from and offer everything from e-books to networking products to sell.

They also administer your account in such a way as to provide you with up to date earning and traffic statistics.

2. Get Products and Services to Sell

Next you need to identify the products or companies whose products you would like to promote.

You can do this by either choosing the most popular, hottest selling products or the ones that you have an interest in or are knowledgeable about.

3. Selling and Marketing

Once you've got your unique affiliate link, which you'll get from the affiliate network, for each product that you want to sell you need to start getting it all over the internet.

This link can then be promoted by,

1. advertising it

One of the most effective and most popular advertising models involves you setting up a Google Adwords account

You then purchase pay-per-click keywords on which determine when, where and how often your Google Adsense ads appear all over the internet.

Your affiliate tracking code will be embedded in the Adsense link which will send buyers directly to the affiliate merchant.

You will then earn commission on each sale made.

This is the best way of getting massive targetted traffic to the merchant's site where your prospects will hopefully make a purchase.

However, whilst you may be generating traffic don't forget that each click your ad gets costs you money and if you are spending more on Adwords advertising than you are generating in commission you will be out of pocket soon.

2. having it included in someone else?s website

3. using it in an e-mail newsletter - direct marketing

2. Start Selling on eBay

eBay is the hottest e-commerce site on the web today, and for good reason...

* More than 2 million people visit eBay.com every single day, spending an

average of two hours navigating through eBay's pages and listings

* More than $1,000 in sales happen on eBay every single second

* 72% of eBay users have incomes in excess of $50,000 per year--so they come ready to spend!

And while those listings will cost you only pennies to place on eBay's pages, you gain immediate access to millions of buyers who are looking for items just like yours.

3. Start Selling on Purpose Built Websites

One of the easiest ways of setting up an online business is to buy into a ready made store front that will be populated with thousands of digital products and services all embedded with your unique affiliate tracking code

So everytime a purchase is made from your site you are credited with the commission.

So there you have it, employ one or all three methods to launch a legitimate and sustainable online business.

Tom is internet marketar from 2000.Becki Blog51914
Caye Blog96435

How To Make Karaoke CDs

Karaoke is a growing past time and if you haven't tried it you really should. You'll quickly understand what the rage is! Why not begin by learning how to make your own karaoke CDs.

Most CD RW drives are not able to burn CD+G discs due to missing internal firmware. This firmware recognizes files that contain the graphic extensions of the Red Book. Some of the older CD RW drives that were able to write CD+G files are not compatible with the newer software so you might need to upgrade your drive.

Drives by Plextor are the only ones that seam to be working with the new burn software packages. Plextor drives support CD+G read write capabilities as well as the technology to prevent buffer overruns. They also have the capability of choosing optimum recording speed.

Not all discs are equal. Although Plextor drive can burn almost all brands but there are always a few brands that can give grief so test your discs. CDs used to burn Karaoke should be no more than 6x and 4x is actually best.

Now that we've got the hardware covered it's time to look at the software that's needed to make those karaoke CDs.

1. Video Karaoke Studio

It has all the tools you need to create a professional karaoke video. It's quick and easy to use. In fact it's never been easier. You can create your own video karaoke files using different multimedia sources. When you're done you can take your files from VKStudio to Video-CD, DVD and SVideo-CD. Synchronized lyrics, video, and picture files have never been easier.

2. Karaoke-to-Text

Can automate the process of extracting song text from karaoke files and then determine the right cords. It has Midi file processing and a key signature finder. It's convenient to use and helps with transpositions.

3. Dart Karaoke Studio CD+G 1.49 CDGP

Not only can you make your own Karaoke on your computer you can also play it. This software turns your computer into a player.

The CD recorder makes capturing both digital and analogue music easy. You can rip and burn CD+G tracks from playlists. The Dart DeVocalizer removes the vocals from commercial recordings during playback.

The Dart Karaoke Author is used to edit, import, and synchronize the lyrics to your music. Just flag the word or phrases you want to synchronize along the waveform.

The CD+G Track Generator lets you customize your graphics, choose your fonts, number your verses, work out your presentation style and so much more. The wizard has an onscreen guide that will walk you through the entire process.

The Karaoke Player is where you get to have some fun with that creation. You've made your Karaoke cd now you get to use it. Select your tack, use the controls and as the lyrics appear it's sing along time.

4. Karaoke Song List Creator 2005

Lets you sort by title, artist, track number, and even producer. The toolbar provides a quick and easy way to catalogue all of your Karaoke disks. You can create lists buttons and track all your songs. You can even print your songbook.

5. Power CD+G Pro

This is a software package that supports BIN, CDG, MP3+G file formats converting your PC into an easy to use karaoke machine. Make your disk using this easy to use software which includes key transposer so you can adjust the songs to your own voice, seekbar, and playlist management. Then play back in full screen mode.

After you've chosen your software you can search online to find many different sites that provide Karaoke tunes for you to download. Some are even free, others charge a nominal fee. Be sure to check them all out.

If you love music and you love karaoke making your own Karaoke CDs and have a great time with your friends.

Nan Edemann worked in a karaoke bar for 9 years before starting his own audio electronics store. His store specializes in karaoke machines and accessories and has a much larger variety of items than almost all large department stores. At http://www.karaokeadvisor.com, he shares his experience with you by listing out the top karaoke essentials with buying advice on various products.Alikee Blog40817
Anna Diana Blog76356

Software Performance Engineering For Banks And Financial Institutions

Introduction:

Performance is one quality of software that can make or mar it. Poor performance can cause major losses. Hence, performance is an integral part of the various functions of Banks and Financial Institutions. Financial Institutions invest heavily in IT products and services for their better survival. Performance Engineering reduces TCO for IT and optimizes application performance.

Software Performance:

Software performance problems usually occur due to a fundamental misunderstanding of dealing with performance objectives. The idea is to tune for performance after getting the functionality right. Performance problems are complicated and require extensive code changes. Systematic planning and predicting the performance of the emerging software throughout the development process help in managing software performance properly.

Software Performance Engineering:

Software Performance Engineering is a systematic, quantitative, software-oriented approach to manage software performance proactively. Software Performance Engineering helps in recognizing problems early in development and corrects them.

The three measures of performance are Speed, Scalability and Stability, in which discrepancies may occur. Performance Engineering is all about solving a problem to achieve a desired and beneficial outcome.

The Cost of Performance Problems:

1. Ncreased hardware & development costs.

2. Cancelled projects.

3. Damaged customer relations.

4. Lost income.

5. Reduced competitiveness.

The Growth of Load Testing market:

Large development and implementation costs and the risk of losing of brand equity escalate the cost of application failure. According to Newport Group research, the hourly cost of downtime per million dollars of daily-generated online business revenue can range between $9,500 and $27,500,

Importance of Performance Engineering for Banks and Financial Institutions:

The services like loan, card, insurance, ERP and many more provided by banks and other financial institutions are subjected to improved Software Performance Engineering. Testing Banking Systems help to benchmark applications for users, predict the applications performance, fix problems in early stages, enhance the speed and response time of applications, prevent customer annoyance and loss, and get the most cost effective investment plan.

Testing Banking Applications require performance-engineering services such as Load and Stress test, End-to-end Transaction Testing, Architecture Benchmarking, Capacity Planning, Simulation/ Performance Prediction, Endurance Testing etc.

ReadyTestGos Performance Engineering Services:

ReadyTestGos Performance Engineering Services offer unbiased and unlimited testing of the software, besides offering anytime, over the net and lab testing services. Our consultants possess significant expertise in web servers, databases, networking and more. Our 20,000 sq.ft. Lab at Chennai, co-hosted at San Jose and Singapore is equipped with world-class hardware, software and testing tools for diagnosing and solving problems.

Process Overview:

Any performance engineering process should ensure repeatability, consistent delivery, complete coverage and a strong feedback mechanism to leverage knowledge. Figure 1 illustrates our approach to performance engineering.

Approach to Performance engineering:

To get proper utilization of Performance Engineering, test for common performance bottlenecks and transactions must be conducted. Creation of re-usable test scripts and tracking defects to closure are some way to make it happen.

Server Testing:

Server Testing needs to monitor Web, Application and Database Servers very well.

Performance Test Runs:

Performance Test Runs include:

Baseline and Diagnostic Test Runs, and Enhancement Test.

Monitoring:

Server Side and Client Side Monitoring are crucial for finer performance measure.

Reporting:

Testing Banking Systems is followed by the submission of a test report containing ReadyTestGos primary client and server side observations, its analysis of the correlated client and server side data and it would attempt to identify any and all bottlenecks in the application.

The graph in the following figure depicts a typical client and server side co-relation showing that the web site under test failed to scale beyond a user load of around 55 concurrent users due to high CPU utilization. It also shows that user processes were the primary contributors to the high CPU utilization observed and that CPU utilization by the Kernel and the I/O subsystem was nominal.

ReadyTestGo is a professional Software Testing Company ( http://www.readytestgo.com/readytestgo.htm ) and Outsourcing QA ( http://www.readytestgo.com/services.htm ) For more details, please contact marketing@readytestgo.comAmara Blog25866
Caralie Blog34758

Graduate School Admissions

In order to gain acceptance into Graduate School, several requirements or educational items must be met. These items vary from school to school; however, the main ones needed are listed below, with a brief overview of each.

- Transcript -

Colleges need a copy of a students permanent academic records, otherwise known as a transcript. This transcript details the students academic background by listing the courses taken along with the grades achieved in each. So that security measures are enforced and transcripts not altered, these documents need to come from the registrars office of the college or university attended. Some colleges and universities accept telephone orders for transcripts, charging a few dollars each to process the requests and mailing. Others honor online or postal mail requests.

When a student has an original transcript copy with a raised seal on hand, a copy of this may be substituted, depending upon the graduate schools requirements. Interested parties should check ahead first to see which type is needed. Do allow plenty of time for orders to reach destinations, as the process can take many weeks. And do follow up to make sure your transcripts arrive. (Many do not and must be resent!)

- Standardized Test Scores -

The results of standardized tests such as the GRE are required. Depending upon the major area of study, other scores may be needed such as: the LSAT for law school; the MCAT for medical school; the GMAT for business school.

- Recommendations - -

Letters of recommendation are required to help show your good traits and personality, etc. to new prospective school administrators. So choose professors from your past undergraduate years who can write positive letters for your file. Include any from persons with whom research and volunteer work was performed as well.

- Essay -

Most graduate programs seek a personal statement and/or admissions essay to be submitted along with the application. Put a lot of thought and planning into this, using books form the public library to help as needed; creating an outline, draft and final revision copy. Include volunteer and research work youve done and plan to do, any career work, etc. Ask the Graduate School for guidelines and samples.

- MISC -

Some schools require an interview. Seek job application books for tips in this area for what to wear, speaking tips, questions and answer tips, etc.

John DayeBerti Blog89872
Arabella Blog73919

Starting An Ecommerce Business

The concept of e-commerce is fast becoming a huge advantage for both the vendor and consumer in todays fast moving and wired world.

For many businesses, e-commerce is fast becoming the only option, as companies become more and more driven to expand their company operations online.

Additionally E-commerce has several benefits and advantages not found in your typical brick and mortar location, and therefore, explains why so many businesses are flocking to get online.

E-commerce offers the ability to expand into global markets with a minimum of expense, and allow firms to reach narrow market segments that are geographically scattered.

Since the Internet is a very cost effective medium of delivery, the biggest advantage of online ecommerce is its cost efficiency. And heres why: Ecommerce decreases the cost of creating, processing, distributing, storing and retrieving paper-based information.

High mailing and printing costs are also lowered or, in many cases, completely eliminated as the buyer most often pays for the shipping of the products that they buy.

The cost of marketing of promotional material also drops dramatically, meaning that most companies see is the increase in sales e-commerce brings, and increased sales typically mean increased profits as well.

Still another advantage of moving your business online is that it allows you the flexibility to target market segmentation, which in turn allows companies to focus on a select group of customers, thus having a competitive advantage in giving them what they want and satisfying unique needs.

This benefit ties in with the advantage of customer customization, in which the concept of built-to-order, allowing for inexpensive customization of products and services and provides a competitive advantage for companies who adapt this strategy.

Doing business online also has the advantage of removing barriers of global trading due to the fact that the Internet is a zero-cost delivery channel, and thus, many products and services, which are generally delivered as a physical object or service, are now delivered virtually in the form of data. This removes barriers such as time, distance and of course cost.

E-commerce marketing also allow for real-time communications and the interchange of data in the supply chain, making the supply chain more effective.

By having better visibility across the supply chain, company inventory levels can be reduced, as supplies are more predictable. With lower inventory levels, costs can once again be automatically be decreased.

Lastly, this sort of ecommerce also allows information to flow freely between cooperating businesses, making it easier and simpler for organizations to share information.

The cost savings and efficiencies from sharing and economies of scale can have a profound effect on the profitability of any online business. As a result this has lead to the development of collaborative working practices around the world, as collaborating businesses manage, share, and enhance project work regardless of location.

It is important to consider, however, that buyers or customers also benefit from doing their buying online. As sales opportunities expand for the vendor, they also increase the buying opportunities and power for the buyer. Its a win / win for all involved.

Many buyers choose to shop online as it provides them with an almost unlimited variety of choices from many different products and services from a wider variety of sellers.

Consumers also benefit from less expensive products and services as e-commerce allows customers to shop the convenience to shop from any location and at any given time of the day.

Don Schnure is CEO and founder of http://www.cybersamurai.com/1automationwiz-ecommerce.htm Cyber Samurai Marketing Inc, a leading provider of online business and http://www.1automationwiz.com/shopping-cart-software.htm shopping cart software.Annelise Blog34760
Catharine Blog74674

Top 40 'Things Said On Christmas Day' - EVERY Year!

Top 20 Statements, Comments & Questions At Christmas time

1 This single cream seems to be thicker than the double cream
2 Who's gonna pull this cracker with me?
3 Put your Christmas party hat on, you miserable git.
4 Where did you buy your crackers?, they're really good.
5 Do you want stuffing, Grandma?
6 Calm down you kids, you're all over excited!
7 That was you, you filthy pig!
8 What's your joke, Brian, what did you get in your cracker?
9 It's a shame to throw the paper away, isn't it?
10 The Queen's on in a minute, Mum!
11 I would give it a few minutes before you go in there - phew!
12 You won't eat all that, put a small amount onyou can always come back for more.
13 Chocolate anyone?
14 Does your mum still take sugar?
15 The turkey's lovely, isn't it?
16 Can someone pass the sprouts?
17 Don't you like Christmas pudding? - how strange.
18 You don't like mince pies? - how strange.
19 Who's gonna eat the sixpence from the Christmas pud? - ha ha ha
20 Where did we go last year, love?.

20 Comments, Statements & Questions At Christmas time -
From Children

1 Daddy, can you build this for me.
2 Mummy, can YOU build this for me.
3 Daddy, have you got a screwdriver
4 Daddy, have you got any of this size battery
5 Mummy, Jenny's just done a poo and she didn't wash her hands.
6 Mummy, I want some more
7 Daddy, Jenny's just hit me
8 I DID hit her back, look, she's on the floor.
9 This is the best Christmas I've ever had
10 Can I open another present?
11 What time is Aunty Wilma coming up?
12 Have I got any more presents to open?
13 I didn't WANT clothes
14 Mummy, I've just kicked your drink over - again.
15 I spy with my little eye - um - I don't want to play anymore.
16 Can I have another drink?
17 Mummy, Jenny's just tipped a bowl of custard over the cat.
18 Mummy, Daddy's just swear'd.
19 Daddy, this just broke off
20 Mummy - I feel sick!

©2006 Martyn Brown: Writes for many home business newsletters and magazines. To download your free copy of his current 'work from home' magazine, Visit: http://www.WorkingHoursMagazine.co.uk.Blinnie Blog16412
Becka Blog17554

Preparing the Family Pet to Welcome The Newborn

Is your dog intensely jealous of your affections? Does she always try to come between you and your spouse when you get close? Then naturally her reaction towards the new addition in the family who will certainly grab all the attention may not be pleasant. You need to prepare her for the change to be followed so as to make her interactions with the new baby safe. It's hard for a dog who's always been treated like a baby to roll over and play dog when a real baby appears on the scene. But that's exactly what she'll have to do when her place in your heart has to be shared by that tiny but threatening new addition you'll soon be bringing home from the hospital. Though a little initial moping around may be unavoidable, you'll want to do whatever you can to prevent excessive jealousy and, of course, any aggressive reactions. Start now,

Invest in an obedience training programme for your dog if she isn't trained already - and even if you've never felt there was the need for it before. Friskiness and puppy-like exuberance aren't usually a problem in a childless home, but they could be in one with a new baby. Particularly because the baby's behaviour won't be controllable or predictable, your dog's must be. Obedience training won't take the spirit out of your pet, but it will make her more stable, and thus less likely to harm your baby.

Get your dog used to babies now, if you can. Invite friends with babies over to the house, or let her (under careful supervision, and if the parent is willing) sniff near a baby in the park or be petted by a toddler, so that she can become familiar with their smells and their moves. Alternatively you can apply baby powder or baby oil on yourself to make your pet familiar with the smell.

Get your dog used to the life with a baby in the house. Use a baby-size dolls as a prop in her training. Put a nappy on the doll; carry, sing to, and rock it; nurse it; put it to bed in the cot; take it for a walk in the pram (if you don't mind the neighbours staring). Now and then play a tape of a baby crying.

Take your dog for a complete medical checkup. Be sure that your dog is flea and tick-free (ask your vet about using a pill or another method that's effective against these pests yet safe to use around your baby). Also be sure to have your dog checked for worms of any kind.

If your dog's feeding station is one your baby will later be able to get to easily, move it to the cellar, garage or some other area that doesn't invite a curious crawler, since even an easy going dog can become vicious when her food is threatened. If you live in a small apartment, get your dog on an evening feeding schedule and remove her food dish during the day. Don't even leave her food around when the dog is safely outside, because they may pose a choking hazard if your baby manages to swallow it.

After delivery, but while you're still in the hospital or birthing centre, have your spouse bring home an unwashed piece of clothing your newborn has worn so that your pet can become familiar with the baby's scent. When you arrive home, let your spouse hold the baby while you greet your pet. Then to satisfy her curiosity, let the dog sniff the baby who should be well swaddled, with head and face protected by your arms. Once the baby's snug in the cot, break out a special treat for the dog and spend a little time alone with her.

Be attentive to your new baby, of course, but don't act overprotective around your dog. This will only make the animal more jealous and insecure. Instead, as you would with a human sibling (though on a different level, naturally), try to get your pet involved with the new addition and let her know she's still a loved member of the family. Pet her while you nurse, walk her while you take the baby out in the pram, allow her into the baby's room while you're there. Try to make a point of spending at least five minutes every day alone with her. But should she show even the slightest aggressiveness towards your baby, reprimand her immediately.

If, despite your efforts to prepare and reassure her, your dog seems hostile towards the new arrival, keep her tied up and away from the baby until you re sure she's worked out her feelings. Just because a dog has never bitten before doesn't mean she's not capable of it under duress. If tying up the dog only adds to her hostility you may have to consider finding another home for her.

CAROLYN JOANA is a parenting expert who deeply understand all baby needs and desires to share her knowledge with the new parents. She offers great, tested, down to earth and reassuring tips on baby food, baby health, baby massage, baby care, breastfeeding and much more at http://www.guide-to-baby-needs.com.Carmel Blog2650
Bellina Blog24639

7 Tips And Exercises To Boost Your Creativity: Follow A Few Steps & Strategies To Solve Any Problem

So, you have a problem or projects that has you stumped? Or you are not quite satisfied with some of your solutions? Try these ideas:

1.Gather Information: you might not have enough information about your project/problem to come up with a great creative solution. Exercise: Go to a source of information you dont typically use. When is the last time you went to a library? Is there a government agency that has related information? How about a local community college, is there an instructor that teaches something connected to your subject? Clerks at bookstores are often very helpful. There may be trade magazines addressing your area of interest.

2. Be Active: yes, you read correctly. Your brain uses a lot of oxygen and does not work well when undernourished. Exercise: Go do something active and FUN! This will get the blood flowing and when you have fun, your creative juices start flowing. Do something that you havent done in long time: dance, roller skate, hike, ride horseback, garden, or ride a bike.

3. Change your viewpoint: As Einstein is quoted as saying: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Your perception determines the path to a problems solution. Exercise: Look at your problem from another point of view. What would your problem look like if you were a different person? Imaginefrom the viewpoint of a child, a co-worker, your dog, a gambler, a professional athlete, etc. This may sound silly, the point is to shake up your normal routine and help your brain create new pathways of thought.

4. Compare and Contrast: Compare your problem/issue/project to something very different; an object or a concept. Through juxtaposition, you may find combinations you never saw before. Exercise: Grab a blank sheet of paper. Write your problem at the top. Next to it write an unrelated idea such as shoe, the national highway system, a candy bar, cat litter.you get the idea! Underneath write every way you can think that these two things are alike. Remember to have fun. This is simply another method of changing your viewpoint as well as generating more ideas.

5. Be Visual: Thinking is very fluid and visual, making use of symbols and pictures instead of words. Give your problem a coloreven a smell! What shape is it? What does it feel like to the touch? Exercise: This is best done with a large sheet of paper or a white board. Use a regular piece of paper if thats all you have. Draw a rectangle in the center and label it with your problem/project. Draw at least 5-6 radiating lines coming out from the box. Label these lines as different aspects of your project. For instance, if the problem is Planning a Wedding on a Tight Budget, some of the radiating lines could be Food, Entertainment, and Wedding Dress. If the problem is Building a Team at work, some of the lines could be Collaboration, Productivity, and Communication. At the end of each line write whatever you think needs to happen with that area. This exercise can help you see the big picture as well as prioritize all the parts of your project.

6. Generate LOTS of ideas: You have gathered information, pumped up your enthusiasm and reviewed your problem from many angles. Its time to really let loose with ideas. Exercise: Brainstorm! I mean REALLY brainstorm. Dont just toss out a handful of ideas and call it quits. Put some energy into it. Collaboration is good for this as everyone will get some different ideas. Hand everyone a piece of paper (preferably large, that you can stick to the wall). Set a time limit. Allow enough time to get plenty of ideas but not so much time that you judge the ideas coming out of you (5-10 minutes). Also set a goal for the number ideas, a goal that will force you to work fast. Speed is important as well as reserving any judgment.

7. Give it to your subconscious: Let you subconscious mind have another crack at it. You have plenty of information and ideas. It may be challenging to pick the best course of action. Exercise: Sleep on it! Let your mind have it while you are resting. For this to really work you must do a review just before going to bed and place a notebook by your bed so you can jot down ideas if you wake up during the night and first thing in the morning. Intend that you will have some answers when you wake up. As you wake up, you may have to catch the ideas in the half-awake state. The notebook is right beside you so you wont lose any good thoughts.

Congratulations! You came up with some very creative solutions to your project. You can repeat this process with any subject.

By Lucretia Torva. I have a Master of Fine Art from the University of Illinois. I have taught college level art courses, helping hundreds of people tap into their creative abilities. Check out my site and get on my mailing list for more ideas and information: http://www.CreativePowerGenius.comAmalie Blog67704
Aundrea Blog29932

Getting A Credit Card In An Instant

Getting a credit card used to be a time-consuming business. You'd have to ring or go into your bank, fill out a lengthy form and wait for quite a while before you got a reply. Although many people are still using that method, there's now a quicker way, thanks to the Internet.

How Do I Find An Online Credit Card Application?

Most card issuers now offer online application for their credit cards. Finding one is as simple as doing an Internet search or visiting that company's website. In addition, there are several credit card comparison sites that allow users to select cards that match a range of features and then apply. Credit card applicants are required to be UK residents and over 18.

Most online credit card applications now have a summary box which gives details of the rates that apply to purchases, balance transfers and cash advances, the interest free period, fees and charges, how interest is charged and how payments are allocated. There is also a link to the detailed terms and conditions. Once you've read these, it's time to fill in the application form. Here is the information that most credit card applications ask for.

Cardholder's Name And Address

To start with, you will need to give your name. This is usually your full name no hiding that unwanted moniker from the credit card companies. They will also ask about marital status and your date of birth. Credit card companies also ask for your mother's maiden name for security purposes. Applications are only taken from the principal cardholder. This means you can't apply for a credit card on someone else's behalf. However, you can add an additional cardholder at the time of application or later.

You will also need details of your address and postcode. If you have lived at this address less than three years, you will also need to give your previous address and postcode. In essence, you need to show a three year history of where you have lived. Other contact details required include a phone number and an email address.

Home Ownership And Employment

Most companies want to know whether you own or rent your home and some may ask about the size of your mortgage payment. They will also want to know your occupation and employment status. Ideally credit card applicants should be working more than 16 hours a week.

They will also require annual income and bank details, including how long you've been with the bank. Finally, you'll have to list the types of credit cards you already have (Visa, MasterCard, Amex, store cards and so on).

All of these help credit card companies establish what level of credit risk you are and what credit rating you have.

Other Credit Card Services

Many online applications forms offer you the chance to take up additional services such as payment protection insurance, travel insurance, household insurance and much more.

You will also need to have details of any cards that need to be transferred to your new credit card.

Once you've completed all these details, you simply need to wait a short while for a response. Some card issuers respond within a minute. It's worth knowing that there will be some cases where they will ask for additional information before issuing a credit card.

Joe Kenny writes for the Card Guide, offering advice and links to UK credit cards, visit CardGuide.co.uk for more top credit cards. Cele Blog3180
Analise Blog32318

End Your Financial Woes with Unsecured Debt Consolidation

Today majority of the people uses credit cards, store cards etc and forgets its aspect of high interest rate. Not only the high rate of interest but it also results in accumulation of number of debts of a person, which he finds difficult in repaying them back may be due to lack of time or money. No matter what is the reason for accumulation of debts but it affects the credit score adversely, which emerges as hurdle in future for procuring funds. So, its better for a person to avail unsecured debt consolidation.

Unsecured debt consolidation has been designed for people facing debt problem. As the name suggest unsecured debt consolidation doesnt asks for any collateral which implies it can be availed by either tenant or homeowner who is not willing to place collateral.

Unsecured debt consolidation provides a great help to the person finding difficulty in managing his debts. Unsecured debt consolidation simplifies the procedure of paying off the debts as it combines all the debts of a person and let him pay a single monthly instalment rather than number of bills. It let the person to deal with the single lender rather than dealing with number of creditors. Unsecured debt consolidation brings an end to harassing call of the creditors.

The financial institutions offering unsecured debt consolidation have a panel of credit experts who listens to the problem of people and suggests them a way to overcome debt problem. Taking an advice is necessary because if we avail without consulting and the way we choose doesnt suit our financial problem then it can worsen the position of a person.

Unsecured debt consolidation is also very helpful in reducing the monthly outgoing of money. The agency or company engaged in providing such services negotiates with the creditors of person and appeal them to reduce the rate of interest and penalties (if any).

Financial market has abundant lenders offering unsecured debt consolidation which also make the rate of interest on them more competitive. This is available to all the people with different level of incomes. Only the person is required to do enquiry and shopping in the financial market which will help the person to avail the best and competitive unsecured debt consolidation deal which suits his needs and requirements.

It is absolutely true that the unsecured debt consolidations carries high rate of interest as compared to secured debt consolidation. But, it doesnt mean that they are expensive rather they are good in their own way as it involves no risk on the asset.

Maria Smith has not been writing articles from the beginning. But the increase in perplexing loans information has urged her to write on different loans types. So she writes in a way that is logical, comprehensive and understandably meant to cater to the need of general public who is left breathless while searching for loans. To find a Unsecured debt consolidation, unsecured loan uk, bad debt unsecured loan, unsecured home improvement loans in uk at low interest that best suits your needs visit http://www.loansfiesta.co.ukCarlyn Blog71758
Aubry Blog20536

6 Serious Article Writing Deficiencies, and 6 Ways You Can Fix Them

As a writer and editor of The Digital Camera Zone, I spend hours every day scouring the ezine barns for articles to put in front of an information hungry public.

I definitely find a lot of articles, all right. They number in the thousands. Because I need content to feed a voracious audience, I select as many as I can even though I'm often not really happy with many of them.

Why, I can hear you ask, do you publish articles that you are not happy with?

Well, the answer lies in several unfortunate deficiencies in many of the articles published in article barns...

DEFICIENCY NUMBER ONE: INADEQUATE CONTENT

Many articles are glaringly superficial. The author may start with a good premise, say, the need to research out digital cameras before buying one, but then drops the ball.

In essence, the only thing the article says, in 500 - 600 words or so, is Do your homework.

-There are no concrete suggestions as to how to do the research.

-There are no suggested sources where the reader can go to find information.

-There are no criteria by which the reader can decide which camera is best for her.

In short, the article might not as well have been written. The writer is merely telling the reader what she already knew and provides no real information. Remember: it's not content that is king; it's quality content that is king.

DEFICIENCY NUMBER TWO: OVERDEPENDENCE ON KEYWORD ANALYSIS

Just about every article on writing articles for the web emphasizes that your creation should be rich in the keywords your readership is inputting into the search engines.

The trouble comes when you try to include all of the right keywords in your article so that people will find and read it. The danger is that you actually degrade the content of the article and make it less useful.

DEFICIENCY NUMBER THREE: NOT GRABBING THE READER'S ATTENTION AT THE BEGINNING

There's nothing that attracts a reader more quickly to an article than a short story, anecdote or personal experience that identifies her with the subject.

This anecdote or short story should be based on experience, either your own, an acquaintance, or a plausible situation, and should confront the reader with a problem, immerse her in a dilemma, or invoke an emotion that directly leads to the solution posed by the article.

Many article writers start firing facts at the reader and doggedly go on in the same paragraph to advance the solution, without really building up the reader's curiosity or expectations.

DEFICIENCY NUMBER FOUR: NO ORGANIZATION

Many writers, when they decide it's time to pump out their daily (or minute-ly) articles, sit down and write paragraph after paragraph until the word count reaches 850 words or so without any discernible organization to their work.

Then they stop, and fire it off.

DEFICIENCY NUMBER FIVE: NO SUB HEADS OR BULLETS

We load up the article with long paragraphs which exhibit no logical breaks.

The article has no:

-- Subheads. A pithy subhead for each paragraph will pique your reader's interest and lead her into it. If your readers don't encounter at least one subhead after reading a couple of paragraphs, you've probably lost them.

-Bullets. If you've got several points you want to make in a paragraph, create as many bullets as you need. Don't overdo it of course. Bullets are like salt.

-Numbers. If you've got sequential steps you want the reader to take, number them. It makes it so much easier to figure out what you're trying to say.

DEFICIENCY NUMBER SIX AND THE FINAL HORROR: GRAMMATICAL AND SPELLING MISTAKES

-Gramatical Mistakes. Yes, you knew this one was coming-things like your, when you mean you're; its when you meant it's.

-Spelling Errors. Your reader will assume that if you can't spell, you don't know what you're talking about.

-Incomplete Sentences. Have a subject, a verb and an object unless you're being fancy, and know you're being fancy.

-Missing Words. Missing words, for example, I went New York, are enough to blow any reader away. My question is, You went what?

If your article contains any of these stoppers, your readership will never get as far as your Resource Box.

SO WHAT'S THE SOLUTION? GO OUT AND HIRE A PROFESSIONAL WRITER?

No, you are the pro. Here's what you can do to make your articles sizzle:

1) Read professionally written articles on the web until you've absorbed their style.

2) Develop your own voice. Do this by writing and writing.

3) Paste a picture of your hypothetical reader on the computer, and write to that person. What do you need to say to catch and keep their attention?

4) Break it up. Use subheads, bullets, and numbers. Keep pulling the reader ahead with your subheads.

5) Edit.

-Read and re-read what you've written; cut out unneeded words. Think economy: less is more.

-Get somebody else to read it

-somebody who neither loves you nor hates you.

-Sleep on it. Never send out an article the same day you wrote it. Your brain will cook overnight and you'll think of all kinds of things you needed to say...and change.

-Read it from the bottom up. This is a good way to catch typos after you've looked at it for too long.

-Read it out loud.

-Do a spell check. In this modern age of spell checking word processors, how can anybody submit an article that contains misspelled words?

6) Beware of the spell check. It doesn't catch words used in the wrong context. .

The bottom line is, take more time with your stuff. Write something that will make ezines glow like comets and you'll see your dreams come true.

John Young is a writer with a scientific and technical John Young has been writing since he was, well very young, and is now 62. Although he has a scientific background (degree in Chemistry), and several years IT and Programming experience, he is interested in a variety of subjects and is presently setting up a number of ezines. He lives in California with his wife and pet cat Bear. Check out his new ezine The Digital Camera Zone at http://www.pcreveal.com/digitalcamera and his Informational Marketing site at http://www.ebook-marketing-software.com where youll find a handy free tool (Article Creator) that really helps with article organization, as well as books writing.Ambur Blog79710
Bebe Blog75406

KnowboForm Semi-Automatic Website Submit Tool v1.4b Available

KnowboForm is an website promotion and site submission tool for web masters. KnowboForm v1.4 beta is freely available now for beta members. Please visit http://www.knowbotron.net and login to download the new version. Some features in KnowboForm that are essential for your website promotion are:

1. Submit to a huge number of directories, search engines, article sites and press release distribution network. Currently there are 5500 entries and the list is still growing.

2. Sites are categorized and structured for wide range of sorting and searching and counting.

3. Semi-automatic submission handles unlimited variations of titles and descriptions of your website before submitting.

4. Sites listed have 40+ attributes such as Google PageRank, Alexa Rank, Google Backlinks, Yahoo Backlinks, Msn Backlinks.

5. Auto update of Google PageRank, Alexa Rank, Google Backlinks, Yahoo Backlinks, Msn Backlinks, and Site title - that means site database will never be backdated.

6. Search whether your site is listed or not - this feature has been improved with multi threading capability. Searching within a site or directory is powered by Google, Yahoo, and Msn live search. You have the choice to exclude or include any of these three engine.

7. Support for both .NET 1.1 and .NET 2.0

8. "Find Site" dialog with "pattern matching", "exact matching", and "begins with" functionality.

Thanks to those who kindly extended their support to port KnowboForm in other languages. The v1.4 does not support multiple languages. However, a language port will be available soon.

Please help improve KnowboForm by posting your feedback to http://forums.knowbotron.net and by doing this you may be entitled to a lifetime free license (LFL). If you are already an LFL holder please keep sending your suggestions for further improvement of KnowboForm.

Website: http://www.knowbotron.net

Forum: http://forums.knowbotron.net

Knowbotron is a software development company with a vision of helping it's customer with intelligent solutions.Please visit http://www.knowbotron.com for further details.Becki Blog98181
Ariana Blog2434

Concealers: Hiding the Truth of Dark Circles

Eyes are capable of conveying a world of messages. Saint Jerome has rightly said, "The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes, without speaking, confess the secrets of the heart."

Great Qualities of Eyes

Such is the greatness and power of eyes that they can perform many functions. Beautiful eyes are an enviable gift because they simply enhance your beauty. They will never be missed. For this reason, all of us take care of our eyes and even spend fortunes to fine tune them.

Are Eye Problems Inevitable?

Sometimes though, our efforts fail to produce results, and our eyes start losing their glitter and life. Other than the natural causes like aging, you can try to solve your problem by using topical preparations and beauty products.

One of the main problems that women face is dark circles under their eyes. These dark circles are caused by many factorssome natural ones and some avoidable ones. You need to first analyze the cause of these dark circles so that you can plan the most appropriate and fastest solution. Select well-known brands of cosmetics to minimize side-effects.

Remedies to Treat Your Eyes

There are many solutions to treat dark circles under your eyes. Some of these treatments are temporary, while others are permanent. Choose one that suits your needs. For example, the most common procedure for treating dark circles is application of concealers. The term concealer is self-explanatory. It refers to those products used to conceal facial imperfections.

By facial imperfections, we refer to the common problems pertaining to the face, like dark circles under the eyes, wrinkles, puffiness, fine lines, and crow's feet. These are detrimental to your beauty since they make your eyes look tired and aged. To overcome such problems, you choose the correct shade of concealer and foundation. A few tips to choose the correct concealer will help you a great deal.

Useful Tips to Choose a Concealer

Typically, women use concealers to cover darker facial areas; for this purpose, the concealer should be one shade lighter than the foundation. Only in very unique cases should you choose concealers that are two shades lighter.

If you have dry skin and also suffer from dark circles under your eyes, then choose a liquid concealer so that you can nicely camouflage those unwanted dark areas without further dehydrating your skin. Combine these creamy concealers with a cream-to-powder foundation; this is the ideal combination for dry skin.

Choose a concealer according to your skin tone. During summer, your skin is prone to suntan so you will need to alter the shade of concealer to match your darker skin color. Generally, a yellow-based concealer suits all skin types, unlike green, white, or pink ones.

There are many types of concealers. Some are produced oil-free, while others contain mineral oils and pigments. Concealers are also produced in a variety of forms like tubes, sticks, and creams. Check concealers for their credibility and use only those tested and approved by ophthalmologists.

You may need to experiment with a few before you find the right one for your skin.

Apply a translucent powder base that will help the concealer set and prevent creasing.

To derive the maximum benefit, go for one that offers many facilities in one pack. For example, filters, especially soft-focus ones, help cover fine lines and creases. You can even try applying layers of concealers rather than depending on one single shade. However, avoid applying heavy formulations of concealers; otherwise, it will look like you are wearing a mask.

Avoid choosing opaque formulations since they fail to provide that extra zing or shine to your face. To get fuller satisfaction from concealers, apply a foundation that goes well with the neighboring areas like face, neck, and chest. This will give a natural look to your makeup.

Even after analyzing concealers in detail, you may still feel a little overwhelmed and confused by all the different issues involved in concealers and foundations. You can then opt to go with a more direct solution to minimize dark circles.

You can then choose to go for a more exclusive treatment like Eyederma(tm) cream. I understand Eyederma(tm) was created by its makers to specifically nurture eyes suffering from dark circles and puffiness.

I think you should seriously look into this product if you don't want your beauty concealed by dark circles under your eyes. To find out more about Eyederma(tm), search for it at fine online stores like Amazon.com or the BODeStore.com (http://www.BODeStore.com).

Written by the V-Team, courtesy Kamau Austin, publisher. The V-Team writes articles for the health and fitness enthusiast. Their timeless health and fitness tips are at the Fit After Forty Blog. See more useful news and tips about reducing dark cycle around the eyes with Eyedermaat http://www.healthandfitnessvitality.com/blogs/fitnessblog.htm.Ammamaria Blog80728
Bertie Blog10408

Title Insurance Companies Must Change Their Ways

In the last few years the real estate title industry has been in the news a lot more and usually it is not because of the good things they are doing. Most of the news has revolved around the illegal kickbacks and gifts they are giving to brokers in return for more business being sent their way. The latest story is from Washington and involves homeowners suing title agencies for providing illegal gifts to brokers and passing on extra charges to the customers, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/289185_title19.html. These stories have become far too common and in the Internet age it is only a matter of time before anyone who is in need of title insurance will be able to find similar stories. Because of the increased knowledge title insurance providers should take heed and change their ways. There is no way to hide this information from consumers and those title companies who are engaging in these illegal practices will pay the price and rightly so.

Before I go any further I need to discuss exactly what Title Insurance is. Title Insurance is an insurance policy to guarantee your ownership against claims, liens or judgments that might arise after your purchase or loan has been completed. Title insurance providers research and certify ownership of real estate before it is bought, sold or refinanced. They search state and municipal public records for the property and persons in the transaction. The investigation is thorough and complete. The title company will notify you and your attorney or lender of any claims that may challenge your ownership or the new loan on the property. Title insurance is a requirement in almost every state in the US and it serves to protect lenders and homeowners against losing their loan or home due to title inaccuracies or deceit.

The problems arise when title companies attempt to buy their business from real estate brokers, attorneys, and/or mortgage brokers. The practice of giving gifts and kickbacks in return for additional business is illegal in every state but many title companies ignore this. This practice has been ingrained in the title industry and the fact that customers were unaware of it has made it highly profitable and difficult to discover. That is until recently. Customers are becoming better educated on the closing process and in turn what title insurance is and how much it should cost. One of the biggest reasons for this is because of the increased availability of information because of the internet. Consumers now have instant access to all the information they want with a couple of clicks of their mouse. Title companies can no longer hide what they are doing from their customers.

In the past most consumers were unaware that they could choose their own title insurance company and instead used the company that their broker or attorney recommended. The fact is that this is just a recommendation and customers have a right to choose who they want to use for their title services. Armed with this knowledge customer have the ability to shop around and find the best price for their title insurance. When looking for a title service customers need to ask for a detailed breakdown of all fees and charges from each company and determine the best price. If a company refuses to give this information or try to tell you it is an estimate and the price may change at closing they are obviously hiding something. These companies should be eliminated immediately. Once the information is obtained from a number of companies the customer should review everything and choose the company they feel most comfortable with. And remember some brokers and attorneys rely on gifts and kickbacks so they may try to convince customers that they cant choose their own title company or otherwise try to steer them away from the customers choice. If that happens they should look closer at the broker or attorney who they are working with because they are being less than honest about this. The customer can have all of the power if they properly educate themselves.

As more and more problems are being exposed in the title industry space is opening up for companies who are willing to change the way the title industry works. Some new companies are trying to change the way consumers view title insurance and closing services by offering services directly to the consumer. They do not rely on leads from brokers or attorneys and as a result they do not need to rely on kickbacks to get increased business. Their goal is to educate the consumer and give them the lowest possible rates and they can do this because they are not adding junk fees to cover the cost of gifts and kickbacks that other title companies have. They offer flat fee charges for title and settlement services and the quote that is received on the website is what the consumer pays at closing, there are no hidden charges that pop up during the closing process. What you see is what you get.

As the title industry gains more and more negative exposure title companies who are trying to change the way the business works will see more room for themselves in the market and this will greatly benefit consumers. When consumers are shopping for a home, mortgage, or even a refinance mortgage they do plenty of research to get exactly what they want and title insurance & closing services should be no different. It could mean the difference of thousands at closing. The internet helped consumers find new alternatives when it comes to mortgages and as they become more educated they will realize that they can save a significant amount of money by learning about title insurance and shopping around.

Mark Pilatowski is a title industry insider and has followed the litigation surrounding the title industry for the past few years. Because of the problems with other title companies he joined the team at http://www.myclosingspace.com. My Closing Space offers Title Insurance and closing services direct to the consumer without the junk fees and kickbacks that other title companies charge.Cassandre Blog66160
Alyssa Blog59209