Internet Authors aren't losers

Ask the majority of so-called 'gurus' to talk about business or self-improvement, and here's a funny thing. They start talking about sport. That's odd. Sport isn't the same as life. It's completely different. As Brian Tracey says, in sport you get three chances to hit the baseball and then you're out, but in life you can go up to the mound as many times as you've got the energy and the inclination, try hitting the ball, miss and still keep coming back for more. Or, to be precise, keep on swinging until you hit the home run. That's not allowed in the actual sport. They're very strict. Three strikes and you're out.

Yes, if sport is definite about one thing, it's this. It has rules. It says that you have to pick up the bat and try to hit the ball. It defines how many people can play at one time, where they stand and what they have to aim to do. That's not like life. In life you can choose anything as an aim, you don't have to aim for 'the goal' that everyone else is looking for. After all, don't forget, the only reason we have a new game called Rugby in England is that a young schoolboy picked up the ball in the game of soccer and started running with it. Wow, he invented a new game. They came up with some rules to allow for handling, and now England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and France battle it out every year for a metal cup (plus fame and honour). That's fine, but guess what would happen if someone decided they didn't like running in the same direction as their team mates now? No, they wouldn't have invented a new game. They'd be ruled out and sent to sit on the bench. Those are the rules.

Having one agreed goal gives the game a major advantage. You can tell who's doing well and who's doing badly. You can measure success. You can tell who's won. That's not like life. The glossy magazines are full of stories of rich and famous people who are having miserable lives, divorces and diets. Have they 'won'? Your neighbourhood is full of people, some of them in big houses and some in small. Who's winning? The only way you could tell is if you made it into a game, with the rule that the person in the biggest house is the winner. Of what? Well, the 'biggest house' game, of course. Okay, that's true. But it makes no sense. Would that 'league table' tell you if they were happy? Or if their kids were doing well and going to college? Or if they weren't ill?

In the world of publishing they've invented a game too. The rules are that authors have to send their manuscripts to posh people in smart offices in the middle of big cities, and these business people then decide which offerings get printed and put into bookshops and which don't. Any writer who gets taken on by a publisher is 'a winner', which means that every author without a publishing deal must be by the rules of the game a loser. But what if that writer puts their book up on the internet and signs up with a print-on-demand publisher? That's not in the rules! But they've got their book printed, and, if they pay extra, they can have an ISBN issued, which means it gets listed in catalogues. As far as readers are concerned, there's no difference. These shoppers go into a bookshop and ask for a particular author. If that person is an Internet Author, the bookshop is unlikely to have the book on its shelves, but they can order it from the publisher, (someone like Lulu.com). Even stranger, if a reader goes to an on-line bookstore like Amazon, they can flip through the novels on offer and not be able to tell which ones come from Traditional Publishers and which don't! If they order a book that's listed, they'll pay for it and have it delivered to their door whether it's 'won' the race to get to an old-style publisher or whether it hasn't.

Let's sum up. Authors who have their work published on the internet and their books available on the web only are considered to be 'losers' by Traditional Publishers and their cronies, traditional critics and journalists. These writers are people who have failed in the race to land a publishing contract. The fruits of that contract printed work, advertised books, sales are the same on the web, of course, and some 'successful' authors find this out too, when their books first go into bookshops and then end up on the publisher's own website as well! Internet Authors don't get the 'benefits' flowing from Traditional Publishers, but they do get published. They've scored a goal, they've won a point, it's just that they weren't playing the same game. By the same rules.

Which means they haven't 'lost'. The only way you could possibly think that is if you truly believe that you are playing the only game in town. No, Traditional Publishers are having to wake up to the fact that now there other people in the arena too. Trouble is, they aren't playing by the same rules.

Mike Scantlebury currently lives in Manchester, England, home of football and Morrisey, the eclectic singer. He is an Internet Author with books, stories and education material to his credit, including videos. He has 5 novels listed on Lulu.com but you can find more about him on his download site, try http://www.mikescantlebury.biz and see what's on offer.Garth Blog66128
Grey Blog48956

Website Basics-Dot ORG, NET,BIZ, etc....

There is a school of thought that the dot com domain name is the Gold Standard, the only type of domain name extension (or TLD) worth owning. Indeed there is some merit to this. As the original type of domain name since the internets inception, far more dot coms have been bought up versus all other extensions (as of August 2006, over 50 million dot coms were registered versus 6 million dot nets and 4 million dot orgs, for example). Be that as it may, there is still good reason to consider other domain name extensions besides, or possibly in addition to, the dot com extension.

First, consider the fact that with so many dot coms already spoken for, it is far more likely that you will be able to find the name you want as a dot net, org, biz, or info. And although it is arguable that in the minds of most net surfers dot com is king, the walls are coming down in that respect also. In fact, when was the last time you searched for something through Google or Yahoo, and upon finding the results and clicking to go to a website, did you really pay attention to the extension of the domain name? Most people dont surf the web by typing in memorized domain names.

Dot net is generally the second choice after dot com for most buyers of domain names. But that is changing as well. Dot org, originally the extension for non-profit and government websites, is now available for all, even commercial sites. And it gives off a more social, more community oriented connotation. Dot biz, while open to all, actually gives a professional sound to a domain name, leaving little doubt that commercial interests are involved. Dot info, again open to all comers, gives the impression that the user will find waiting for them a site rich with content and pertinent information.

Many savvy web builders these days will lock down not only a dot com domain name, but every other available extension along with it as well. When you purchase mygreatgizmo.com, and then also buy the same domain name with the dot net, info, biz, org, etc., you are performing a preemptive strike against the competition, a hedge against someone capitalizing on your good domain name in the future. And you are able to point as many domain names to a single website as you wish.

The bottom line here is that there is good reason to consider other extensions in addition to dot com. With the vast majority of web surfers using search engines to find websites, coupled with the fact that dot net dot org dot info dot biz extensions are more and more recognized and accepted, going forward there is no reason to limit yourself to only dot com domain names.

A couple of final thoughts: consider country specific domain names if doing business only in your home country. Dot US for the United States, dot EU for Europe, dot CA for Canada, dot UK for United Kingdom (dot co uk is most popular) as well as the New Zealand nz domain name. And coming on strong in the last year is dot MOBI domain names, the only domain name for mobile devices. The land rush is on for this extension, and dot MOBI domain names will be discussed in a future article.

Richard James has written several articles on the subject of domains as well as other web-building related subjects. His company, StartMyWebsiteToday.COM, was created to cater to all levels of expertise and budgets. For more articles and products visit http://www.startmywebsitetoday.com This article is copyrighted, please do not alter in any way.Haluk Blog94502
Goran Blog14370

Web Address Domain Icons

Want to make your online business look more professional and standout from the rest of the domain names saved in a web browser favorites lists?

Now, adding an image to the URL domain name listed in the address bar is easy and will help your website stand out from the rest. The hardest part of adding a web address icon to your domain name is choosing the image that you want to use.

Many of the most reputable and large web domains use this simple tactic of placing an image in the web address bar to help their sites stand out. Look through your favorites menu you may already have some websites bookmarked that are displaying a nice little image next to the name. Notice how those URLs stand out and draw your attention from the default icons used by all the other sites.

What is a Web Address Icon?

The image you see is a page or URL icon commonly called a favorites icon or favicon for short and is commonly associated with a particular website. Many (if not all) of the popular web browsers used today, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and above and Firefox will display these favicons. The icons will be shown in the browsers address bar next to the URL, next to the page name on the tab (if you are using IE-7) and next to the name of the website if you saved it in your favorites list.

Creating a web address icon and getting it to display is very easy and only takes a few minutes. You can have a web designer create the icon but it is not necessary since the process is very easy, you can do it yourself.

How Do I Create a Favicon?

The process for creating and setting up you very own web address icon is very simple consisting of four main steps:

Create an image to use
Transform the image into an icon
Edit your website pages with a few lines of HTML code
Upload the image and edited web pages to your domain

When you create your very web address icon, the most difficult part you may face is deciding on the image to use. A note of caution here, be sure to avoid using any copyrighted images or logos that are already in use especially if you are running an online business. For example, sites like Google, CNN, and eBay all use a favicon so using theirs on for your site would be a big no-no.

How Can I Use a Web Address Icon?

Think of a favicon as a form of avatar, similar to one you may use in online forums or chat rooms. If you run a personal web page or blog, you can use a picture of yourself to place alongside your domain name. That way when your friends and family bookmark your site, your picture will be displayed alongside the bookmark to your personal website or blog in the favorites menu. If you are using a free website, you may not be able to use the favicon feature - check with the site provider first.

If you running an online business, what better way to start promoting your brand or logo than by having your very own web address icon. The image you use can be your business logo, or an image of a particular product or service you are promoting.

Whether you are an individual looking to make your personal website look better, or an online business that wants to look more professional and stand out from the rest, using a web address icon can do that. So, take a few minutes today to create an icon that you can use alongside your domain name to help make your website stand out.

Larry Waverly is a contributing writer for Computer Internet Resources. Visit http://www.domainnames.computerinternetresources.com for free domain name service reviews.Gayatri Blog19073
Giles Blog22526

Quality Time

Quality time games, books, television, computer: how, why and how much?

This article examines the term quality time and tries to clarify what should be emphasized when planning quality time with children. It also examines ways of knowing how to choose the better quality products from among the wealth of offerings on the market.

The meaning of the term quality time

The term was coined in response to the many hours parents work and the long stretches of time they are away from home. Behind it is the notion that it not only the number of hours the parent spends with the child are important, but also the quality of the time, that is, how the parent fills the time he spends with his child.

Quality time means time devoted exclusively to the child and to engaging in activities with him. The parent interacts with and focuses all his attention on the child. The interaction consists of communication between them at a time when the parent is entirely free from other activities: he does not think about work, talk on the phone, try to sneak a peek at the TV, etc. Quality means emotional quality for the child. When the parent concentrates on the child, the latter feels he is important, loved and wanted. Those feelings contribute significantly to his self-confidence and to his relationship with the parent. During quality time, that is, when the parent is completely attentive to the child, it is easier for the child to open up share with his parent all kinds of things. That mutuality is very important for the foundation of the parent-child relationship and also enables the child to receive feedback from the parent, which will help him process his experience and perhaps see things from a different angle.

Quality time is not necessarily a time for productions or distractions, but rather a time when the parent is entirely focused on the child, attentive to him and as available as possible. Thus reading a story, playing a board game, or even playing hide and seek inside the house are all activities which can become quality time.

Quality time is not measured in terms of what the child has learned from the interaction but rather according to how much real, full attention he has received. Not every action with the child has to be educational. In todays competitive society there is a very strong tendency to have the child make as much progress as possible and to enrich his knowledge. It is true that the child learns a great deal from his parents and that the parent has the enormous responsibility for teaching the child, but that does not mean that there is no time to play. If the parent and child played hide and seek and enjoyed themselves, then the child experienced quality time and profited emotionally

How is quality time spent?

Even if it is understood that quality time is measured by how free the parent is for the child, there is still the question of how to channel the time. The leading principle should be mutual enjoyment, that is, to search for activities that will enable pleasant, attentive interaction.

One way of spending the afternoon is to take the child to a local attraction, such as a jamboree or performance. When the parent decides on such an attraction it is important to remember not to raise the level of stimulation too quickly for small children. If a child is taken to an amusement park when he is two years old, where will his parent take him when he is four? If the parent decides to go to a performance, it is better at first to go to small, intimate performances and only at a later age to go to larger productions. To make the outing interesting the level of stimulation will have to be raised, and if it is high from the outset, problems are likely to arise. In addition, smaller places enable closer parent-child interaction, and that is what is really important.

Creative activities

Mutual parent-child creative activities can be an excellent time for closeness and conversation. For the child to be able to utilize his capacities and feel comfortable while engaging in creative activities, it is important to let him do things his own way. For example the parent should not force the child to fill the whole page when drawing' or demand that he use specific colors. Since his finished work is his personal stamp, it is important not to interpret the work but to allow the child to explain it himself. It is also important to provide detailed positive reinforcement as to why the work is pretty. Because the childs finished product is an externalization of his inner world it is important to treat it with respect.

Of course, children of different ages can be given different materials to work with, from Playdoh and finger-paints to scissors and glue.

Games and toys

Todays market is flooded with games and toys and the supply is enormous. The child does not need a lot of everything: he can play with the same toy a number of times, and he will only profit by using his imagination to find new ways of playing with the same game.

Choosing games and toys

First of all, the game or toy should be interesting and fun to play with for both parent and child, since both will play with it. It must be completely safe for the child. To be interesting it should be suited to the childs level of development, including language ability, motor skills and ability to deal with complicated instructions. The game or toy does not have to teach the child something, it has to provide a pleasant mutual experience. To know which game is suitable for the childs development, the parent can consult friends, the Internet, the kindergarten staff or friends with children.

In principle, at around two years of age the child can be acquainted with games that require coordination based on the understanding of concepts, such as the animal and its dwelling, the mother animal and its young, dominoes, etc. Such games allow the child to experience the significance of playing in turn, of playing with others and of postponing gratification, which are all skills he will acquire and practice, and calm interaction with a parent is a good time for such learning.

At around three years of age the child begins to play pretend, a socio-dramatic game that essentially imitates situations in the adult world. It is worthwhile to provide him with equipment for such games, such as kitchen utensils and a doctors bag, etc.

Physical games

Studies have shown that children with lots of good experience in movement will grow up with a positive self-image and confidence in themselves and their abilities. Parents should provide their children with motor experiences such as hide and go seek, a play ground or just and dance and jump together. Such games are often entertaining for the child and can also serve as a good way for parents and children to become close. The physical contact which is part of such games adds to parent-child closeness.

The importance of books

Reading books is a wonderful way of creating quality time, in that both parent and child concentrate together and experience the book being read. There are three kinds of childrens books: those whose aim is to help the child through an emotional process, such as weaning, going to sleep, divorce, etc.; those with an educational message, such as it is best to be what you are, everyone is different and special, etc.; and those which simply tell a story.

Regardless of the kind of story, first of all the child will profit from an intimate, pleasant situation with the parent, and the resulting enjoyment will reinforce the relationship, which is a very important benefit. Naturally, an additional benefit for the child will be the development of his vocabulary and language in general.

Many books raise the childs independent emotional awareness. Children tend to identify relatively easily with characters in stories or to transfer the characters to significant figures in their own world. They discover that they are not the only ones to cope with a specific difficulty, and through a book can better understand their own feelings. Very often books suggest solutions which the child can adopt as is, or can use them as the basis for other solutions.

Books enable the child to preserve a certain distance from what happens: the story is not about him but about a fictional character and the distance allows him to examine his emotions, thoughts and behavior in a relatively protected and secure way, thus he can consider them without fear. Such a conversation will be possible mainly in quality time situations, that is, situations in which the child feels the parent is attentive to him and only him.

Choosing books

Today there are a great many books for toddlers, but how can the parent know if they are good or not? How can he know if it is suitable for his child? First of all, as with games, the book must please the parent who is supposed to read it. Then the following should be examined:

1. The relationship between text and pictures: as the child grows, there should be more text and fewer illustrations.

2. The degree to which the written language is suitable for the language of the child: at the beginning of language acquirement rhymes are more suitable, songs and poems that can be recited; later complex sentences can be included, as can the prepositions the child is supposed to learn.

3. The degree to which the book activates the child: action books arouse a greater degree of activity while they are being read, which is suitable for younger children whose attention span is shorter.

4. Illustrations: are they pleasing to look at, can they be used to develop interaction, etc.?

5. How complicated the story is: the older the child, the more complicated and longer the story can be, and the greater the number of characters it can have.

6. Coordinating the story to situations in the childs life: if the parents know that changes are about to occur, shortly beforehand it is preferable to read a story in preparation for the subject, and to enable the child to process his feelings before the change takes place.

7. The child should be allowed to choose: the child can choose between two books the parent liked in the bookstore, and he can certainly choose what he wants to hear from among the books he has at home.

In summation, the most important thing about quality time is that it devotes attention to the child. The joint activity does not have to be very instructive or a great production, it should simply be done together.

Tamar Levy is a child development specialist and obtains a M.A. in Preschool Counseling. Tamar acts as Director of Content at http://www.babytoonz.com, a leading producer of baby television programs and DVDs for infants.Gayathree Blog63360
Giambattista Blog20574

A Marketing Lesson From "The Godfather"

Maybe it was the commercials for the recent release of the video game based on the movie based on one of my all-time favorite novels that got me to thinking about how great marketers are just like Don Corleone, the infamous Godfather.

We all need to make em an offer they cant refuse.

Now, Im not suggesting that we all need to start sending dead fish wrapped in newspaper to anyone who doesnt buy from us, or start putting hits out on our competitors well leave those particular tactics to the Corleone family.

What I am suggesting is that, like Don Corleone, we tell our prospects all the reasons why it would be beneficial to them to do business with us. Highlight those benefits, and make it so obvious to them that they cant live (happily) without your product or service that they are dying to buy from you!

You see people dont really care about you or your company or even your product or service all that much. What they care about is how you and your product or service will benefit THEM. Youve heard of WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get)? Well, heres a new one that your customer repeats every time he reads anyones marketing copy: WIIFM (Whats In It For Me)?

So you tell him! Dont talk about boring features (the drill is black and weighs 2 lbs. 3 oz.) tell him about the benefits your drill has to offer (our drill is so light weight, you wont feel like your arm is going to fall off even after 30 minutes of continuous use!)

Your customers dont want your drill they want the hole.

Show him how your drill will solve all of his problems, save him time, make his life easier, save him money and make him look like a virtual genius to his friends and family for having chosen such a perfect drill.

By highlighting the specific benefits of your product or service, you will appeal to your prospects on an emotional level and youll have made em an offer they cant refuse!

© Copyright 2006

Entrepreneur and outdoor photography adventurer Caroline Melberg is President and CEO of Melberg Marketing, Inc., a full-service virtual Marketing Communications Agency. She has over 20 years of experience creating marketing communications materials and writing copy for some of the largest and most successful companies in the world. She publishes the popular ezine, "Blue Chip Tips: The Secrets of Blue Chip Marketing...Revealed!" Get your Free subscription at http://www.melberg.com!Gerarda Blog52988
Henri Blog61679

Phentermine Review: Say Shut up to your Flab

Obesity has always been a serious problem for people of all age group. Every one wishes to keep him slim and trim with good figure. Phentermine, like other diet pills, works to decrease fats in body making overweight people look attractive, and in good health.

Phentermine is a sympathomimetic amine. It works as an appetite suppressant which is used in short term management of controlling obesity. It supports people having overweight to control their extra flab, and enjoy healthy living. Taken in right quantity, and on proper time with good food, this diet can do wonders in helping people to lose their weight.

Phentermine works by stimulating the hypothalamus gland and affecting certain neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters control the control appetite, and weaken it. Loss in appetite automatically keeps fat not to become flab, and makes people get rid of over weight. Phentermine comes in three forms- tablets, capsules, and resin capsules. This diet pill is subject to be prescribed by doctor only.

A good combination of exercise, healthy diet, and dose of Phentermine can keep people away from being overweight. Phentermine diet pills are available in strength of 15, 30 and 37.5 milligram depending upon the needs of different people. Pills should be taken empty stomach at least one-half hour before breakfast. This drug is not recommended for use among children.

The best place to buy Phentermine diet pills is getting it online. It doesnt only save a lot of time, but also puts out of embarrassment while asking obesity pills at medicine shops. It requires only checking the websites, and clicking options for buying pills. Phentermine diet pills are one of the best and easy ways for different age group to put their obesity under control. Besides, obesity, which has become today a serious chronic disease, can be Dealt well by using Phentermine diet pills.

Phentermine works by stimulating the hypothalamus gland and affecting certain neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters control the control appetite, and weaken it. Loss in appetite automatically keeps fat not to become flab, and makes people get rid of over weight. Phentermine comes in three forms- tablets, capsules, and resin capsules. This diet pill is subject to be prescribed by doctor only.

Joseph Jones received training as a healthcare scientist.To find Phentermine, Cheap phentermine, Diet pills, buy phentermine diet pills visit http://www.onlinephentermine.netGlasgow Blog38276
Giambattista Blog29459

What About Cheap Breast Pumps for the Breast-Feeding Mother?

Walk into any Wal-Mart, Target or Babies R Us in the United States and you will see cheap breast pumps. Seeing them everywhere lends certain credence. Many of the companies that market these cheap breast pumps have long-standing reputations in the manufacturing of toys, car seats, strollers, baby bottles, and solid baby foods. Stores must be selling a large number of them. Why would anyone spend $200 or more on a Medela, Avent, or Ameda breast pump, when you can buy one of these cheap ones?

Actual users of cheap breast pumps have said the pumps were painful, caused nipple injuries and were unable to express their milk. For women who were able to express breast milk, the pumps were messy, with milk getting in the tubing and other places impossible to fully clean. The electric breast pumps had motors that were noisy and died after short term use. A typical comment was dont waste your money.

In a letter written to the maker of a cheap breast pump, one woman said, the pump is very painful, and I cant stress this fact enough. I even called your company to see if maybe something was wrong with the pump. Nothing was. . . . I stopped breast-feeding and pumping altogether and switched to formula. It was so painful for the next two and a half weeks that I went nowhere because I could not stand to have clothing or even breast pads touch my nipples.

Another mother who was unsuccessful at expressing any milk with one of these cheap breast pumps wrote, "I am very disappointed with my experiences with this pump. It destroyed my confidence in my body and caused me to give up expressing milk. She began supplementing with formula. On her second baby she used a well-reviewed breast pump and had no problems at all. Many women falsely conclude it is their own incompetence or their own lack of breast milk supply when a breast pump is ineffective. These false ideas will start a mother on the slippery slope of less nursing, less pumping, supplementing with formula, and in no time at all, the baby is weaned.

The purchase of a cheap breast pump is a risk. If you are committed to breast feeding your baby or expressing breast milk for your baby you should stay away from these pumps. Better to buy your babys clothes and other gear at garage sales, consignment sales and eBay, and put your saved money towards a well-reviewed breast pump. Also, if you are trying to decide between breast pumping and using formula, look carefully at the cost of formula. Take into account the increased intake of formula as your baby grows. Consider also the immunity your baby receives from your breast milk as well as at least one hundred other benefits. It may well be that buying a cheap breast pump is just not worth it.

Sources:

Product reviews by Amazon, Target and Epinions

Summary of Breast Pump Adverse Events Reported to the FDA at http://www.babylovesyourmilk.com/breast-pump-adverse-events.htm

Cheap Breast Pumps by Name-Brand at http://www.babylovesyourmilk.com/cheap-breast-pumps.htm

EBay Breast Pump Watch Page at http://www.babylovesyourmilk.com/ebay-breast-pumps.htm
Matia Bryson is the mother of seven previously breastfed children and reviews breast pumps at the Baby Loves Your Milk website.Gayle Blog20664
Glasgow Blog38276

URL Forwarding and Redirection

Webmasters and common Internet users have a constant need for URL forwarding and redirection. The reason is that there are many long URLs that are not convenient to use. The solution is using a URL redirection service that would create a shorter URL and forward the long URL to the short one. URLic.com is a new free URL forwarding and redirection service that meets these needs. URLic.com can instantly turn every awkward and inconvenient long URL into a handy and easy to use short URL. URLic.com also allows you to choose your own suffix (the part after the "/" in the URL), so the URL will be easy to remember and represent the page it refers to.

So why would someone want to use it? Heres a few common cases:

For Your own use:

Lets say that you often search for the map of Brooklyn in Google maps. The URL is

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=new%20york%20map%20brooklin&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

Of course its not convenient to use and its impossible to remember.

Using URLic you can create this URL: http://urlic.com/map1

This can easily be remembered.

For emailing and posting:

Lets say that you want to post a long URL on your website or in an article or just send to

your friends in an Email or to you customers in a newsletter. Long URLs just dont look good. With URLic.com you can create an Easy and Friendly URL for posting or Emailing.

For your website:

Lets say that you have a website or a webpage on a free web host, without you own domain.

The URL would be something like:

http://www.my-internet-host.com/~myusername/my-page.html

This is not easy to use, remember or tell people.

With URLic.com you can easily create a URL like: http://urlic.com/john

To hide your Affiliate link:

Lets say that you have affiliate referral links on your site, this links usually contain numbers and are not easy to use. Besides, many people know that these are affiliate links and dont want to click them. With URLic.com you can mask these links into short and good looking links.

What are the other advantages of URLic.com ?

URLic.com is a 100% WEB 2.0 website, built with AJAX. The meaning is that there are no page reloads of any kind, and the user experience is just like of a desktop application. URLic.com also allows you to choose your own suffix, unlike some other services. When using the automatic URL (without choosing a suffix), URLic.com will always give you the shortest possible URL.

All Rights Reserved to Eugine Campbell, Webmaster of http://URLic.com.Hans Rudi Blog83469
Gino Blog16583

eBay Auction Home Business Tutorial: Registering As An eBay Seller

Past eBay auction home business tutorials have concentrated on deciding what to sell, what price to charge, what payment methods to accept...but once we've decided on all of this, we've got to go out to eBay and create an account!

Starting an account on eBay is a simple process, and even better, it's free! If you're 18 or older and you've got Internet access, you can have an active eBay account in just minutes. Just go to www.ebay.com, click on "Register Now", and you're off!

Having said that, here's what to expect during the registration process and a few hints on choosing a username.

eBay will ask you for a valid email address. Almost everyone has an email address through a free service such as Yahoo or Microsoft Hotmail.. and that "almost everyone" includes scammers. For that reason, if you use a free email service, eBay will require credit card information from you in order to validate your identity. eBay's registration is free, so you won't be charged. (As an eBay seller, you'll need to provide eBay with a valid credit card number anyway. Buyers aren't required to do so.)

You'll need to create an eBay ID. Your potential customers are going to see this name every single time they look at one of your postings, so don't get too crazy. If you hate the one you come up with, you can change it after you've had the current one for 30 days. Don't get into the habit of changing it too often, because that does make some potential buyers suspicious.

You'll be prompted to create a password, and also to choose a "secret question" that eBay will ask you in case you forget your password. I'm not a big fan of sites that have secret questions for you to choose from rather than writing your own, but most sites do that. Whatever you do, don't choose the "What is your mother's maiden name?" question. The answer to that is easier for someone else to get than you might think.

You'll be asked for your date of birth, just to make sure that you're of legal age to do business on eBay.

Finally, you'll be asked to agree to eBay's User Agreement. It's boring, but you should read it before checking the "I Agree" button. Once you do this, you're almost in! eBay will now send a verification email to the address you gave them, and you must click on a link inside that email in order to finish the signup process.

Congratulations! You're now ready to post items on eBay. You're going to see some odd symbols and numbers next to your eBay auction username, and we'll talk about those and what they mean in my next free eBay auction tutorial!

Chris Bryant is an eight-year veteran of eBay, and he wants to help you use eBay to change your life just as it's done for him. For free eBay tutorials, articles, and other freebies, visit http://www.freeebayauctiontutorials.com today!Gerry Blog78762
Giselle Blog86914

The 12-Question Formula You Must Use When Choosing A Home-Based Business, Part II

Copyright 2006 Monique Hawkins

As we discovered in part one of this two article series, there is a 12-step question formula that all home-based business opportunity seekers must ask when investigating business opportunities. We all know that all that glitters is not gold! We want to avoid scams at all costs. We also want to find a work at home opportunity that is legitimate and can bring in significant income.

Are there any home-based opportunities that can meet these needs? Sure, but you have to do careful research. If you use this 12-question formula to separate the good opportunities from the bad, and find that the answer is "yes", to most of these questions, great! You can rest assure you have stumbled onto a red-hot program that has the power to make you lots of money! That said; let's discover what the final 6 questions to ask are for this 12-question formula.

#7. Find out if you can make huge sums of money without selling anything. Is this possible? Yes! There are business opportunities out that do not involve selling. This works primarily if the business uses a powerful Direct Response Marketing approach. The beauty of this approach is that it attracts all the right people and turns away the wrong ones. Folks are bought into the home-based business system automatically! Direct Response Marketing also eliminates the biggest objections, educates people about the major advantages of a product or service, and best of all, it makes people want to buy now! Therefore, finding an opportunity like this is crucial.

#8. Discover if the work at home opportunity offers help, support, and guidance from experts with a proven track record of making millions of dollars. This will require some research. It's safe to say that many opportunities will fail miserably in this area. However, if such a home business opportunity is found, your chance of success will be very high.

#9. Check to see if the company offers long-term opportunity. In other words, is the system the company has in place designed to make people money for the next 10, 20, and even 30 years? Avoid opportunities that sound golden, but will lose their glitter very quickly.

#10. Determine whether the home-based business opportunity can produce automatic income. It is useless to become involved in a business opportunity that will take months before any results or income can be seen. Why? People will usually become discouraged and quit if efforts are not rewarded in a timely manner. Avoid opportunities that will take months before any type of cash reward will be seen.

#11. Always ask if the start up is easy. If it will take three months to start up the business, why even become involved?

#12. This could be the most important question. Never forget to ask if there is an exit strategy. This is not being negative at all. On the contrary, it is being smart! Remember, there are no guarantees in life and business; things can and do change. Thus, it is always smart and never negative to have a back up plan or exit strategy.

Starting a business from home is a dream that many people have. However, one does not want to make a decision blindly and without careful thought and consideration. You can't go wrong when using this twelve-step question formula!

Monique Hawkins is the small business owner of the online music box store, "Monique's Music Box" located at http://www.my-music-box.com/ She enjoys sharing information with business owners that will help them attain success. For additional exciting information about how Funded Sponsoring Franchise Systems are Revolutionizing the Home Based Business Industry, Whether You Have a Business or You're Looking for One, visit http://moniquerh.payitforward4profits.comGilberto Blog95073
Henriette Blog36877

Practical Benefits of Breastfeeding Your Baby

Practical Benefits of Breastfeeding Your Baby

Practical benefits of Breastfeeding the baby is quite numerous that makes breastfeeding acceptable to most mothers. Undeniably, breastfeeding is the best gift a mother can give to her baby as soon as he comes out. Breastfeeding is also higly recommended by all doctors and hospitals. Before the baby arrives, most doctors already explained the practical benefits that can be derived from breastfeeding. They also teach expectant mother on how to breastfeed to make them ready as soon as the baby comes out.

One of the practical benefits of breastfeeding the baby is it is much easier and require less effort. Imagine all the mother has to do to feed her baby is just to wipe the nipple area and let the nipple gently slide to the babys mouth. Breastfeeding can also be done while sitting or lying on the bed. Its flexibility allows the baby to have the milk at anytime they want. In bottle feeding, the mother has to make a lot of preparations like cleaning and boiling the bottles, boiling water and preparation of infant milk which are all absent in breastfeeding.

Another practical benefit of breastfeeding the baby is it allows the family budget to save money because breast milk is all natural. Mother does not need to go to the grocery to buy milk hence saves her time and money. Breastfeeding at start can be quite painful but as the mother go on, the pain will subsist too. Patience is the key to have a successful breastfeeding. Remember that no other milk can give the complete nutrients and vitamins other than the all natural milk that comes from a mothers breast. Practicality wise, the vitamin of the breast milk can help the baby to develop anti-bodies to protect the baby from possible illnesses.

Alan Murray runs the site http://www.top-100-baby-names.name A site with information on baby names Henrik Blog89510
Heywood Blog80282

Long Term Care Decision Can Take an Emotional Toll on Caregiver

It is universally agreed that one of the most difficult decisions a caregiver must make is deciding when it is finally time to choose a long term care facility for a loved one. Accepting that home is no longer enough is tremendously difficult for a caregiver and all concerned. Not only must families handle the grief, heartbreak and guilt of the placement, but they must also decide which type of care facility will be most appropriate for a loved one - plus, how to manage family finances. This period is, without a doubt, one of the most stressful for any family, especially for the the caregiver.

For the caregiver the bitter grief of separation and lingering guilt about the choice continues throughout this period. Caregiver strain can be made even harder by the patient who pleads to return home or asks staff to call the caregiver at home. Caregiver guilt can be devastating. As friends, family and community we can help acaregiver at this time. Telephone the caregiver often, or better still drop by for a visit. Listen to caregiver concerns and offer your support. Caregiving can be a very lonely game. A caregiver who has been out of the "social circle" for awhile will welcome an invitation to lunch or other pleasant outing.

Please don't forget the person in the care facility. Visit often, take old photos to jog pleasant memories and stimulate conversation. Knowing that friends and family continue to visit is a great comfort to the caregiver. We often hear from caregivers dealing with these issues.

Connie Metsger, director of Sun City's Residence for Alzheimer's Care, offers good advice:

"Dear Connie: My husband has recently moved into an Assisted Living Facility. He has had Alzheimer's disease for five years and has reached a stage where I could not manage his care at home any longer. I feel horrible about leaving him there, and I cannot get the image of his sad eyes out of my mind. The thought that we shall never again share the same home often brings me to tears. My friends tell me I made the right choice, and I know that they are correct. I have tried to get back to my old activities, but I feel so callous. How can I enjoy myself when Bob is so unhappy? I end up spending most days at the facility. Is the rest of my life going to be like this? - Judy

Making the decision to place a loved one under care is probably one of the hardest decisions a caregiver can ever be asked to make. Once the decision has been made, it is also very common to question whether you did the right thing. Going to a caregiver support group and hearing this from others may be helpful to you. They can share tips on how they handled their periods of caregiver adjustment. The trials of caregiver adjustment are not easily grasped by those who have not experienced similar hardship. Children and other family members may benefit from counseling as well. These are psychologically traumatic events, and we must deal with them as maturely and sensibly as possible."

Having to place your loved one in a care facility is hard enough. Trying to come up with the money to pay for their care can make a hard situation unbearable. Don't wait until it's too late. Speak to your long term care insurance Buyer's Advocate to see if coverage is right for you and your family.

Copyright (c) 2006 Clay Cotton

Long term care insurance activist, Clay Cotton, writes for http://www.PrepSmart.com - The Online Baby Boomers Decision Assistance Center, where you get Free Long Term Care Insurance advice, comparative rate quotes and personal guidance, all while safely at home in your favorite pajamas and bunny slippers.Helmut Blog81602
Harold Blog59752

Discount Baby Furniture could Save You a Small Fortune

New parents and those who are soon to become parents are often shocked by all the things that are needed for babies. There is so much stuff out there that they recommend babies have that it seems one could go broke in the process.

It is true that you will be a lot of stuff to care for your new baby but it doesn't have to cost as much money as you think. You can find all of the stuff that you need at prices significantly below typical retail.

Consignment Baby Shops

A great place to go shopping for stuff for babies is local consignment stores. There are a variety of popular chains as well as other locally owned shops. These stores carry used products at prices sometimes well below retail. You can find baby clothes, cribs, strollers, diaper bags, bouncy seats, and much more at consignment shops for babies. Be careful though as sometimes these items will be priced as high as they would be brand new. Comparison shop and keep an eye out for good deals.

Discount Internet Stores

You can often find good deals on baby stuff through Internet stores which can sell for much lower prices than traditional brick and mortar stores because they have less overhead. Many people are afraid to buy products online because of security issues. This is really not a concern anymore if a few precautions are taken. Review the site where you like to do business carefully. Take a look at their customer service and return policies. Make sure that you're comfortable with doing business there. Always use a major credit card for all Internet purchases. By using a credit card you are protected if your card should become compromised anyway. Most credit card companies will not hold you liable for any charges that result from fraud.

Online Auctions

Did you know that you can also buy products for babies at a variety of online auctions? Online auctions are quickly becoming one of the most popular avenues for shopping online. You can buy everything from diaper bags to bouncy seats at online auctions.

This is another area where you want to protect yourself by taking a few precautions. Make sure that the seller you buy from has good ratings from prior customers and an established track record.

It doesn't have to cost a lot to find great deals on products for babies.

These days, the number of baby room decorating ideas are practically limitless due to the many different items available to expecting parents. Therefore, decorating a baby room has more to do with narrowing down your options than coming up with them in the first place. Among the best ways to come up with the right baby room ideas for decorating is to begin with a theme, and then expand from there.

To choose a theme for baby room decorating, start by brainstorming those ideas for decorating baby room that you find most pleasing. Remember that youll want it to be something that your baby will find enjoying to first learn and recognize. It should be interesting and fun to look at for the baby, to provide the right amount of stimulation.

Decorating a baby room can be as simple as choosing a teddy bear theme and then going from there. For example, your steps for the teddy bear theme when decorating a baby room may be as follows:

* Furniture among the most appealing baby room furniture is that made out of solid wood because of its classic elegance and reliable quality. The furniture may include a crib, dresser, changing table, and rocking chair, depending on your budget and the amount of space you have in the nursery.

* Walls baby room decorating with teddy bears can mean the standard classic brown bears, or bears of different colors. You can stencil them, paint a mural, or add some wallpaper.

* Floors many people dont even think about the floors as a part of decorating a baby room. However, the floors really do finish the look, with hardwood, soft carpeting, or pleasant throw rugs.

* Bedding it is extremely simple to find adorable teddy bear baby room decorating ideas for bedding. There will be ample sets to choose from in every store you visit. Just make sure that they are of good quality, are machine washable (and dryable), hypoallergenic, and, of course, are very soft.

Besides that, all you need to finish your baby room decorating is a teddy bear!

Anita Eracybab provides free advice on her site and has established an online community for those looking for information on how to care for their baby. Head on over to http://www.101babycare.com for more information.Heberto Blog56002
Hilda Blog8883

Baby Clothes for the Bargain Hunter

Baby clothing has become very expensive. In this day and age, many new parents struggle to make ends meet and to make certain that they have all of the clothing items that the need for their baby. If you are such a person, you will want to spend some time on the Internet. At this point in time, a new parent can find an array of solid bargains on the Internet when it comes to clothing for a baby.

If you have spent any time looking for brand new baby clothes at stores in the brick and mortar world, you may have found yourself suffering from complete sticker shock. Over the course of the past couple of decades, the cost of clothing for babies has escalated significantly.

In recent years, an ever growing number of parents have turned to the Internet in search of more reasonably priced clothing for their children. One type of websites venue that has gained in popularity in recent years when it comes to the search for lower cost baby clothing is the overstock website.

The typical overstock website generally carries a wide range of different types of merchandise. Oftentimes, you will be able to find a number of different products line for children -- from toys to clothing. In addition, frequently you will be able to find very high end baby clothing products at this type of website -- items that literally have been overstocked in other stores and have been reduced in price at such a site for quick clearance.

There are thousands of different websites in operation now that cater exclusively to the marketing of products and services for babies. These include sites dedicated to the selling of baby clothes. Of course, some of these sites cater to parents who are interested in buying more expensive -- perhaps even designer -- clothing for their baby. However, a large number of these sites have been established to lend assistance to the budget conscious parent in his or her search for more reasonably priced clothing.

Finally, in the grand tradition of hand-me-down clothing for a baby, a parent interested in finding lower cost baby clothing might want to surf over to one or another of the different auction sites on the Net. Through these sites, you will be able to find a large selection of different types of products for children and babies, including clothing. Oftentimes the items being offered for sale -- at very low prices -- at these sites are brand new items.

Anita Eracybab provides free advice on her site and has established an online community for those looking for information on how to care for their baby. Head on over to http://www.101babycare.com for more information.Haohug Blog8316
Giorgio Blog98110

Using Blogs For Affilate And Adsense Profits Combined

How do you set up a blog for effective affilate and Adsense profits?

Here is the low down of how its done and some of the ins and outs of rss.

For this example I will use web hosting as the affilate product we selling on the blog.

1. Rss is great for getting the robots to visit but it will not get you visitors until

* You have quite a number of pages
* Have decent page rank

2. Best blog platform

> http://www.wordpress.org

3. Blog page - index page.

* A two column blog I find works the best
* The sidebar should be on the right hand of the page for SEO purposes
* Heading for your affiliate reviews shouls be first something like In-Dpeth, Top 5 Cheap Hosting Reviews. Two links underneath, one going to reviews and the other to why our reviews are more relaible than other sites

4. Reviews of your products.

4 to 10 reviews, make them long and give info of what benefits one product has over the other and a rating for different aspects. Do not put adsense on your reviews page.

This site does it really well - http://www.keywordworkshop.com/ and its a blog to boot.

5. Next heading in the sidebar - Articles

A link going to current articles followed by a search box for your articles. Each article page is where you Adsense sits and here are some good tips

* All links including Adsense, one color underlined.
* Research has shown the normal blue and darker blue gets the best hits
* Adsense in the middle and at the end of all your articles you will get less click troughs with Adsense in the borders

6. Next heading contact Me

Blurb A little confused with all the info, so many choices or an aspect of one of hosting reviews (linked to your review page feel free drop me an email any time.. blah blah

Then more headings after this is you wish My fav top ten hosting tips articles Top 5 Domain Name Website Reviews? and so on.

The way I see it, is if they are customers coming for information on a given product, service or business area, why not stick some products up and make some more money!

If they are just interested in the articles monetize those with Adsense.

And then if for any reason you have a bad Adsense month, the affilate income is there as a backup.

The final tip is to keep your blogs clean so people can easily find the information they are looking for whether that be a product or articles. Heres one of my article directories as an example

> http://www.thewebtrafficco.com/adb/

Chris Taylor is the director of Catdynamics, an established online company which specializes in all areas of online business implementation, internet marketing and search engine optimization - http://www.catdynamics.com/web-master-affiliate-program.html.Gualtiero Blog20013
Harborne Blog481

How To Find The Best Domain Names

Registering a domain name is a pretty straightforward matter. You find a web hosting site, register with them, look for a desired domain name, select one that suits your business or personal fancy, choose whats available and then you will be on your merry way to building the websites innards. Easy, right? Not exactly because there is more to it than just getting a name that is appropriate for the business or a personal preference. The steps mentioned earlier would result in an ill constructed site that is going to be nameless in the world wide web and will be doomed to failure on the get go. This crude way of doing things will get you nowhere fast. Now why would anyone want that?

There is a better approach in making a name for your business or yourself on the net. It will be a presence that will be felt and sensed by your target audience whether they are your customers, prospective clients or a particular group of people. Its easy enough to do this. You just have to know the right place to go on the web for help. Searching for the right domain for personal use or for a business is job best suited for professionals who understand the significance of internet jargons like keyword density, key phrases, search engine optimization, ranking and tags. What all these means is basically to have your site primed for search engines to find when people put in a search that concerns the subject, business identity or personal matter of your particular website.

Websites that exist for the sole purpose of locating or creating a new domain name for you are very reliable in terms of achieving their goal of increasing the likelihood that your site will come up on top of the list of sites when search engines spews out seek results. These so called domains finders are essential in any enterprise that is bent on achieving an online presence immediately. It is an established fact that search engines churn out sites that have been around for years. In other words, the age of a site does count when it comes to search results. How does this concern your site?

The domain finders are in the know as to which existing domains would not be reregistered or renewed by the current owners. Just imagine if your business coincides with a domain name that has been around for years. Youll have first dibs with that domain name through a domain finder, in effect, theyll claim it for you resulting in a well positioned new website with old rankings that will put you on top as quickly as when your site is ready. Another advantage of having a domain finder in your corner is that you can consolidate your entire site building needs from creating or finding a domain to the theme and content of your site. This would mean lesser legwork and lesser expenses since their comprehensive service would cover everything so you wont end up paying more.

Tom Takihi is the owner of the Domains Finders website. To gain more information, please visit http://www.domainsfinders.comGil Blog35944
Herrick Blog48607

Tips For Buying A Used Car

For the average individual who knows little about cars or mechanics, buying a used car can be a worrying experience. Buying a car is often one of the biggest purchases we make in our lives and the nagging doubt of whether or not you are about to buy a lemon always makes buying a used car difficult. So how do you go about choosing a car that is unlikely to be a lemon?

If you have found a bargain or a car you like the look of go check it out. At this stage it is always useful to take someone who knows something about cars with you if you can. If you havent got anyone whose opinion you can trust then you are going to have to use your own instincts.

Check for obvious accident damage. Accident damaged cars can be spotted by little tell tail signs. Look for signs of overspray to panels, bumpers and fittings, look for areas of paintwork that are inconsistent with the general condition of the car (these may indicate filled dents, filled rotten patches) and check that all the tyres are wearing evenly (uneven wear may indicate the car isnt running straight and true as a result of a crash or poorly executed accident repair).

If you are happy there are no obvious clues to suggest accident damage check the general condition of the car for wear. Is the amount of wear consistent with the mileage of the car? Worn foot mats, shiny steering wheels and worn/damaged driver seats are not what you would expect to find on a low mileage car.

Does the car have missing interior fittings or scratched paint work? Would you expect a car you owned from new for a number of years to have accrued a similar amount of damage? Make a mental note of the amount of wear for bargaining purposes should you decide to buy the car.

Check the vehicle for rot in the doorways and wheel arches. A little rot can become a serious costly problem after as little as one year. A lot of rot, especially to structural areas of the car where panels and sections of the car come together could indicate the car is not safe to drive.

Once you have established the car looks to be cosmetically genuine and that the condition is as you would expect for the cars age start to look at the mechanics of the car. Check the oil on the dipstick. Are there bubbles in the oil? If there are bubbles this is a sure sign of water in the oil and likely to result in expensive repair. Check the water filler. Is there a white residue on the cap or visible in the filler area. This is an expensive sign of oil in the water. Check the oil filter (easy to spot, generally looks like a brightly painted tin can sticking out of the side of the engine) does it look to be recently fitted or like it has been on for some time. This is a standard part that is replaced at service and can indicate how the owner has been treating the car.

Start the motor up. Does the engine rattle or have a pronounced ticking noise or does it sound healthy? Is the exhaust loud or well silenced you dont need to be paying for a new exhaust system. Once the engine has warmed go look at the exhaust. Are there large quantities of smoke, black or white being omitted? Both can indicate expensive faults. At this stage check to make sure headlamps, indicator and brake lights work.

If all seems fine the next step is a test drive. Check the steering. Is it light or vague, neither is a good sign. Does the wheel have a large amount of play in it? Steering is important for clear safety reasons. The steering should be responsive and direct. Neither to heavy nor light.

Check the brakes. Do they inspire confidence? They should pull the car firmly to a stop in a straight line without fading or feeling as if they are about to run out. Find a car park or space where you can turn the car on full lock in both directions. Do the front wheels grind or shriek? This could indicate expensive wheel bearing problems.

If you do not come across these problems then it is fair to say you have a solid used car that is unlikely to be a lemon. Now if you can recall all the little details you spotted you can use these points to bargain a good price and buy the used car with the confidence that you have avoided a lemon.

John Rodgers writes for Used Car San Antonio at http://www.usedcar-sanantonio.comHakim Blog18640
Groucho Blog80787

Will You Be Working From Home Someday

The ever increasing growth of the World Wide Web has literally put the global market place right at your fingertips. There are more ways then ever before to earn an income via the internet from the comfort and safety of home anytime day or night.

More and more people are enjoying the benefits associated with this new found, round-the-clock, electronic connectivity with the world at large and reaping the financial rewards as well. Some have become work at home parents, while others are tele-commuting rather than working in a specified office space. Then there are the part-time and full-time net-preneurs who are earning money even while they sleep.

Is it no surprise that the United States Department of Labor has projected that by the year 2025 up to two-thirds of all Americans could be working from home? Have you considered the various opportunities made available to you today by the internet?

Lets examine a few of these opportunities to see if any spark an interest with you.

Work At Home Jobs and Tele-Commuting.

Employers are discovering that it can be more cost effective and better for productivity if they allow their employees to perform their duties from home. This situation does not just apply to information technology workers. Customer service representatives, as an example, working for large and small companies are now answering phone calls and clicking away on their home computers just like they would at the office. A little research can help you find scores of companies that employ home workers. Remember, you should never pay anyone for a job.

E-bay

The worlds very own global flea market with consumers spending millions of dollars per hour and vendors of all kind from just about anywhere selling their wares. Many people operate their e-bay business from home and make good money doing so. People are always finding good deals on new and used items and that is what keeps them coming back. The ease and low cost of doing business with its market reach gives E-bay unique appeal. Drop-shipping items at wholesale prices keep costs down and profits up.

Home Based Business

It is an economic answer that avoids the costs of a traditional brick and mortar business and affords the luxury of being at home. People have discovered that a well designed website has leveled the playing field against bigger businesses that provide the same goods and services with all the extra overhead. Whether you are running a day care center, an accounting service, or some other business, the internet opens up venues for customer acquisition never before heard of.

Home Business Opportunity

Similar to the home based business but more simplified and flexible to operate which justifies its universal appeal. Not to be mislabeled as a get-rich-quick scheme but rather a packaged, ready-to-start, mode of doing business and making money with plenty of support to assist the participants success regardless of their education level or experience.

Needless to say, these are just a few examples of the opportunities afforded us locally and globally to connect with people and conduct business. Work at home is a growing trend that is forecasted to continue growing well into the next decade.

Robert Williams is the Editor of Work At Home Business Website. Visit http://www.work-at-home-business-website.com Robert also promotes his own home business opportunity at http://www.prepare4success.comHernan Blog38161
Hera Blog5093

Seven Steps To A Successful Audition

I have been a musician since the tender age of 7 and in my career I've passed a larger number of auditions all of which have taught me something. These days, however, as the owner of a talent agency, I seem to be learning a disproportioned amount more about these same auditions. There is something to be said about looking at an issue from different perspectives.

In this article, I want to shed some light on what an audition process looks like from the point of view of the "auditioner" rather than the "auditionee". I'll give you seven tips that hopefully provide some help.

I should mention that my company, Oceanbound Entertainment Inc., hires musicians, bands, and variety acts for placement on cruise ships and thus the auditions I'll talk about will mostly relate to cruise line entertainment auditions.

Let me quickly outline the various types of auditions you can encounter when applying for a job on a cruise ship.

The most obvious type would be the live audition, where you go to the audition location in person and play what's asked of you.

You may also be asked to record your audition on videotape and mail it to the company. This is very similar to the first category since you'd play almost exactly the same music.

And finally, you may be asked to submit a recording of your band or your solo act to the company. This audition differs from the previous two in that you don't have to perform music that the company provides, but rather your own repertoire.

There are several problems that keep arising in regards to these different types of auditions that have led me to compile the following tips.

1. Get the details on the job description

This is one of the most important steps. If you know exactly what it is that the employer is looking for, you won't waste time, money, and energy presenting the wrong package. There is no point in submitting a tape of your local blues band if the employer is looking for a cover band that plays all kinds of musical styles. Similarly, there is no point in applying as a clarinet player if the job description clearly indicates that woodwind players have to play saxophone, flute and clarinet.

Also, if sight-reading is the main focus of the job you're applying for, there is no point in hoping you'll slip by simply because you can improvise like Charlie Parker.

2. Be flexible enough to present what's actually needed

Let's assume that you got all the details on the job description and you realize that you don't exactly fit that description. It is probably wiser for you to take some time to try to fit the description, rather than trying anyway, hoping it'll pass somehow. Try to make changes to your line-up, add some repertoire or start a completely new project thats geared to the job in question.

3. Audition only when you feel that you have a good chance of passing

Often musicians apply for a job they are not qualified for. Now, you could argue that that's what auditions are for, and people couldn't possibly know in every case whether they are qualified or not. I agree, all I'm saying is that if the job description mentions that strong sight-reading skills are required for example, musicians should ask themselves how good their sight-reading skills really are and be honest about it.

Being dishonest about what your skills really are can hurt you in more ways than one. Let's assume for a minute that you slip through the cracks and you end up in an orchestra but you can't cut the gig. First and foremost, you'll be humiliated in front of other musicians, you'll feel uncomfortable, you may actually feel guilty for not being able to do the job, and you will get fired on top of it, which will most likely kill your career before it's begun. (This happens all too often...)

So if you are unsure about whether you are qualified or not, ask questions. Call the agency you are about to audition for and ask specific questions that will help you get a good picture of the job you're about to apply for. With that knowledge you can always postpone the audition and work on the skills that you may feel you're lacking.

4. Put some time and effort into preparing your best possible package

This applies to bands, small ensembles, and solo entertainers. Often artists get turned down, not because they are bad entertainers, but because they didn't supply a package that's appealing, that can be viewed quickly and that presents exactly what was asked for in the beginning. Often this happens because the artist already has some demo laying around that could kind of qualify but not really, and instead of modifying it or recording a new one that fits the specifications, they send it in anyway.

Usually, demo packages include the recording itself, which should present the exact repertoire you're planning to play on the gig, a short resume of each member, and a list of your repertoire.

You won't impress people with fancy DVD animations or 12-page resumes, but rather with short examples of the repertoire that's asked of you, played with energy and skill.

5. Try to impress with your playing, not with your resume

I would say 7 people out of 10 probably fall under this category. Simply put, a masters degree from the best school in the country won't get you a gig if you can't play, yet all too often do people try to sway the decision in their favor by mailing in overly long resumes stating all the famous people they've played with. You're doing yourself a disservice if you hype yourself up with your resume and you can't back it up later during the audition.

6. If you fail, accept the criticism and use it to prepare better for your next audition

All the practicing in the world may sometimes not be enough to pass an audition. If that's the case, accept the reasons that you're given by the jury, and go home and practice those specific things. If they aren't forthcoming with specific reasons, ask questions. I think it's only fair that a jury tells you what your weaknesses are if they turn you down.

I'll spare you the details of all the things we've heard from people that have been rejected. Just watch "American Idol", and you'll get a good idea of what we go through sometimes.

7. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses

This step ties in with step #3. Keep in mind that the ideal candidate for a job is not always the best musician. Other qualities like, honesty, work ethic, respect for others and inter-communication skills, amongst others are qualities that you're being judged on. Weaknesses you've been trying to hide prior to the audition will come out during the audition and will speak volumes about your character. Would you hire a dishonest person?

Those are my "7 Steps to a successful audition". I hope that some of you will find this information helpful. Please visit my website for more information on the subject of "Music on Cruise Ships". Contact me if you have questions or if you'd like to audition.

Good luck

Marco Kasel
President
Oceanbound Entertainment Inc.
http://www.oceanbound.ca

Marco Kasel is the president of Oceanbound Entertainment Inc., an international referral agency for musicians and entertainers.Harout Blog36765
Hedy Blog96701

6-Figure Internet Work At Home Moms On The Rise

Can a work at home mom make a greater income than when she was working? The answer might surprise you.

One mom started her internet home business while she still held down a banking job. Then, when she started receiving regular $3,000 lump sums from her home business, it was time to head for the friendly confines of her home and family.

These payments started out slowly at first, then grew until she made $15,000 in one month, $21,000 in the next and suddenly, she was faced with the prospect of not only having a thriving home based business, but complete financial freedom!

Her story is not unique. In exchange for around $3,995, you receive the rights to market a very powerful home business product, and the internet storefront necessary to sell it.

Once a storefront is set up for you, your only responsibility is generating traffic to it. The ways of doing this run the gamut from referring friends to your website, putting classified ads in the paper, or dropping off flyers, to running a small Google advertising campaign or taking advantage of powerful leads generating software you can manage from home.

And heres the best part of this home business model. After your first qualifying lead, you get the first sale of everyone who comes in under you. Thats when your income starts to skyrocket.

Dont confuse this business model with MLM or so-called pyramid schemes. Youre selling a legitimate home business product and a full blown marketing mechanism, including slick videos, audio testimonialsthe works.

Think these businesses will take up too much of a moms time? Think again. A prospect who visits your home business site and fills in a brief form gets a call from a team leader, not the mom, who may be off quietly rocking her child to sleep.

Her time away from the home business goes unnoticed. She knows about each and every call back request and sale by receiving an email or phone confirmation or by visiting the back office of her website. With the rise of internet marketing, work at home moms never had it so good!

For more information, please visit:
http://www.GrowYourRiches.net

Paul Johnson is a successful internet entrepreneur, who has authored and published numerous self-help ebooks on stocks, real estate and work at home business opportunities. For more information, please visit: http://www.GrowYourRiches.net/Giovanni Blog6978
Henning Blog59782

Overcoming Your Husband's Objections To Telecommuting

If you are an aspiring work from home mom, you may have already heard these common objections from your husband (and perhaps that nagging mother in law):

We shouldn't have to pay for an extra phone line.
We can't afford to upgrade the computer.
The company should pay for the transcription equipment.
You will be wasting your time and not making a "real" income.
Why can't you keep your "real job" / get a "real job"?
So how can you overcome these objections? It's simple.

The secret is in numbers. Men understand figures and costs.

If you are presently working outside of the home, what kind of expenses do you have?

You may have car insurance on a second car you wouldn't need. Add in the cost of routine maintenance, gas, repairs, eating out at lunch time, that coffee you grab on the way to work, professional clothing, dry cleaning, a second cell phone, and if you have children, DAYCARE! Note that these expenses are ongoing.

Now compare that to getting started with a telecommuting company as an independent contractor.

Once you have your home office set up, your only monthly expenses will be the added telephone line (if required), high speed internet (most people like to have that anyway), and the electricity you are using (which is a very minimal amount).

Not everyone has these figures readily available, so I thought I would ask my good friend to share her monthly expenses from when she worked outside of the home as compared to what her current expenses are.

Working Outside of the Home

Gas - $78 (drives an average of 30 miles a day, or 650 miles a month)
Insurance on second vehicle - $107
Car payment on second vehicle - $289
Maintenance allowance $7.00 (towards the cost of routine oil changes)
Daycare (1 kid) - $540
Clothing - $60 (towards a yearly budget)
Cell Phone - $80
Lunches - $130 (She ate out roughly three times a week)
Coffee $76 (She stopped every day at Starbucks for a __mocha)
TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES - $1367

INCOME - $2080 at 40 hours per week and $12/hour

PROFIT only $713 for an entire month!

Working from Home

The car was sold, so she eliminated the costs of gas, insurance, repairs, and the hefty car payments. Her son no longer went to daycare. She could go to work in her sweats, eliminating the need for work wear. She discontinued her cell phone service as soon as the contract was up and she eats lunch at home and makes her own coffee. She is saving a bunch of money!

However, there are a few expenses she now has to include:

High-speed internet - $39
Second phone line - $25
Coffee from home - $20
Lunches at home - $60

Now we will calculate her income at a slightly lower hourly rate, as telecommute jobs typically pay around $9/hour. To be realistic, we will also reduce the working hours to 30, as that is more typical of working from home.

TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES - $144

INCOME - $1170 at 30 hours per week

PROFIT $1026 for an entire month!

What? More profit? Working less hours? What does that ultimately equate to?

A happier mom, which means a happier house because anyone who can work less and keep more of their paycheck will want to jump for joy!
Nell Taliercio is the owner and founder of http://www.telecommutingmoms.com which is a leading resource website with work at home jobs and everything a telecommuting mom would need. Come visit us todayGustavo Blog61472
Hale Blog91267

Getting a Jump Start on Work-Study Opportunities Can Pay Off

Since some colleges start posting available work-study positions as early as the summer, students looking for first dibs on campus jobs in the fall can get a leg up on their competition by hammering out that perfect rsum and cover letter now. According to NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company, work-study programs can be a great option for students who need a little help meeting their college expenses.

The Federal Work-Study Program makes part-time jobs available for both undergraduate and graduate students with qualifying financial need. A work-study job allows students to earn a paycheck while usually still giving them enough flexibility to navigate their class schedule. Students might work on campus or off, honing in on a career in a job related to your major, or testing out a new career path by stepping into a position completely different from anything theyve done before. Work-study jobs are required to pay at least the current federal minimum wage, but students might earn more, depending on the type of work they choose and the skills they bring to the table.

The Advantages of Work-Study

 Flexibility. Work-study jobs are often much more flexible than other part-time work. Where students in nonwork-study jobs might run into long work days or overtime that can compete with school, work-study employers tend to be more accommodating, offering less rigid hours, especially around midterms and finals. And to help keep work-study from interfering with classes, schools will typically cap an undergraduate students work week at 20 hours.

 Convenience. Students who snag a work-study job on-campus pretty much have it made. They save on gas money, they can take a ten-minute walk to work straight out of class or out of bed, and they can make plans to meet their friends back at the dorm another ten-minute walk after their shift ends.

 Variety. Since work-study can take place either on- or off-campus, students have a wealth of options available to them. Work-study positions can range from research assistants to elementary school tutors to art gallery docents. Some financial aid counselors and work-study employers will encourage students to apply for those opportunities related to their major or to their field of interest And if students cant find a work-study position they like, they can always go to a campus department to discuss creating a new position that fits their skill set.

 Experience. Work-study allows students to start building their work history while still in school, and can help put them a couple steps ahead of those students who chose not to work. When the post-graduation job-hunting starts, prospective employers may look more favorably on graduates who were able to balance the demands of their schooling with the scheduling requirements of work.

Applying for Work-Study

Students interested in work-study positions must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and mark yes when asked if they are interested in student employment. To qualify, students will need to demonstrate sufficient financial need, enroll in a minimum number of credit hours, and meet other requirements.

Students who qualify for work-study will be notified by their universitys financial aid office. A work-study award is not a guarantee of employment, so students need to be diligent about pursuing and applying for available work-study positions. Students who dont receive a work-study award and believe they are eligible to receive one should make an appointment with a financial aid counselor to discuss their options. Some schools may offer to put students on a waiting list.

NextStudent believes that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and it is dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding simple. Learn more about Student Loans (http://www.nextstudent.com), Private Student Loans (http://www.nextstudent.com/private_loans/private_loans.asp) and Student Loan Consolidation (http://www.nextstudent.com) at NextStudent.com.

Jeff Mictabor is an enthusiast on the topic of student loan issues in the news. He has been writing for the past 10 years for a variety of education publications. He now offers his writing services on a freelance basis.Gilda Blog50263
Giuseppina Blog52554

What Is ITV Ventuers?

Consumers are surrounded by hundreds of advertisements every day. Everything from billboards to radio commercials to internet banners and television commercials. Over time companies have had to find new and unique ways to reach their consumers in order to provide them with the information necessary to make educated decisions about products and services. Only in recent years has the advertising industry really targeted consumers through infomercials on television, websites, and network marketing in order to pair consumers with the best products and services for their individual needs. ITV Ventures manages to achieve all of these targeted marketing strategies, bringing both ITV IBOs (Independent Business Owners) and the consumers a direct-marketing, targeted approach to matching consumers with quality products.

ITV Ventures combines the best of targeted adverting through its combined media of infomercials, websites, and direct marketing. ITV is unique in its approach by directing advertising through channeled electronic avenues and creating infomercials for use in multiple mediums including targeted websites. The success of infomercials is undisputed and continues to revolutionize mass media sales and advertising. By creating long advertisements that not only tout the benefits of products, but educate the consumer about them as well, infomercials have risen to the top of quality, targeted advertising. ITV combines the proven success of infomercials with the accessibility and function of the internet and direct marketing to take this form of sales to the next level. By bringing informative sales to the internet, customers are able to access product lines and information on demand. ITV uses multiple mediums in order to better inform consumers about the products and create a system that provides consumers with the best possible conditions in which to make an educated decision.

ITV Ventures is dedicated to providing high quality products and services that positively impact the market and create return customers who are overwhelmingly satisfied with their products. Like most other infomercials, most of the products sold through ITV Ventures are not sold through any other sales source. Not only does this create a focused advertising market, but also provides quality control over the product. It also allows ITV to partner with consumers and provide financial rewards for sales through word of mouth and networking. ITV Ventures also provides the opportunity for consumers to get directly involved with sales and receive commission for not only the sales they provide, but also for sales from a guaranteed client base. Customers who watch the ITV television segments or use other access to order, are directed to sales associates and ITV Ventures partners who take direct orders and receive commissions for individual and repeat sales. ITV creates a network of passionate individuals who believe in their products and reap rewards from continued sales.

By combining multiple forms of advertising and informative mediums, ITV caters to every market. ITV Ventures targets various age groups and consumers through multiple streams of mediums, creating the best possible environments for sales of high quality products. And through these sales, ITV manages to not only provide excellent products and services, but also continues to reward its partners for their dedicated passion towards the industry.

Albert Milligan is a writer and editor of internet business opportunity related articles. He has over 20 years experience in business networking, marketing and computer training. You can find out more about ITV Ventures at: http://www.itvsimple.comGina Blog90141
Groucho Blog80787

Top 10 Website Mistakes

After being a website designer and user since 1996, I'm still seeing people make the same mistakes on their websites. Here's a list of the ones that will drive people away from your site and cause you to lose business (and your reputation as a professional business person).

1. 'Under construction' signs on your site. Websites are intended to be Living Documents. They are supposed to change and grow. Putting an 'under construction' sign on your website marks you as an amateur. If your site isn't ready to show to the public, don't publish it to a public location.

2. Visitor counters. Visitors generally don't care how many other people have visited your site. If the visitor counter shows a low number, that can be a psychological turn-off to people; if it's too high, people might believe that you've forged the number. Just take the visitor counter off your site. If you really need to know how many people have visited your website, check your statistics. (If your hosting company doesn't provide good statistics, get a new one!) Check out our article on how to choose a hosting company:

http://www.passionforbusiness.com/articles.htm

3. Lack of copyright statements. Everything you write, and your website design itself, is copyright-able. Make sure you include copyright statements on every page, and update the year in the copyright statement as appropriate. Nothing screams 'Not up-to-date' like having a copyright statement from 1997 on your site.

4. Overuse of technology. There are some really great, cool and wild techie things you can program into your website. But it they are going to distract the visitor from your message, or if they're going to slow down the loading of your page, ditch the extra technology in favor of simplicity. This includes large Flash shows, animated graphics and other large graphics, as well as scrolling text and audio that comes on as soon as the person hits your website.

5. Passive verbs. Use active verbs and active sentences when writing your site's copy. Active verbs are powerful and lend energy to your site. Need to brush up on using active verbs? Check out this site:
http://essayinfo.com/tips/active_verbs.php

6. Long sentences. When people read long sentences, they have to keep the first part of the sentence in their mind when reading the last part. People are easily distracted. Help your visitors by keeping your sentences short and crisp.

7. Long pages. Studies show that most people will not read a long page of text off of their computer monitor. They'll either print it or they'll scan it looking for major topics and bullet points. Keep your pages short. If you have a lot to say, consider creating a series of pages that explain your topic, with good navigation between each page.

8. Not identifying the benefits of your products or services. People make purchases for two reasons: to get rid of pain or to get pleasure. People want to know how your products and services will help them with their specific pain/pleasure situation. Instead of telling them that your widgets are made from steel and are 3 inches across, tell them that your widgets will stop their faucets from leaking for a lifetime.

9. Forgetting to ask the visitor to do something. In marketing, this is known as a Call To Action. Tell your visitors what you want them to do next. Sign up for my newsletter. Call me. Order today.

10. Believing in 'build it and they will come.' It might have worked in the movie Field Of Dreams, but in the reality of internet marketing it's: build it, MARKET it, and they will come. Once you've built your website you have to tell people about it. Think of your website the same way you'd think of a box of marketing brochures: if you don't get them into the hands of people, they're not worth the money you spent to create them.

Umang Patel (http://www.ydeveloper.com)Graciela Blog58480
Gladys Blog48918

The True Axis of Evil

Do you remember the movie Star Trek: Generations starring William Shatner and Patrick Stewart? Early on in the movie Dr. Tolian Soran, played by Malcolm McDowell, encounters and is enveloped by the "Nexus", an energy ribbon traveling through space, during which time he experiences complete "rapture". His ecstasy is short-lived, however, as circumstances pull him abruptly back to reality, and he subsequently commits the rest of his life to relocating and re-entering the "Nexus" so that he may live forevermore within its seductive grasp. One small problem. To accomplish this, Dr. Soran must cause the destruction of an entire planet inhabited by billions of souls. If you saw the movie, you know, of course, that ultimately his evil plans are thwarted, and the planet is saved.

That was fiction. What's going on in our world, however, is not, and I've mentioned this movie because I'm truly concerned about the existence on our planet, in our country, and in our heartland of a growing collection of fanatics who in their hearts believe, much like Dr. Soran, that they're entitled to manufacture a path for themselves into the waiting arms of their vision of Heaven, and seem to have no qualms about designating and rejoicing in the end of the world as their gateway to this Nirvana.

My Oh My. Where do people like this come from? Human life is not sacred to them. The world is not precious to them. The physical universe holds no meaning for them. All that really matters is the attainment of "rapture", and even then only for the faithful few. To hell with all the rest. And the sooner this happens the better. Oh, and did I mention the part about complicity in murder? Because, quite frankly, I see very little difference between those who pull the trigger and those who stand by while offering encouragement to the ones pulling the trigger, so that they can then proceed to step over the corpse once the trigger's been pulled.

Until recently, it never occurred to me that humankind would be struggling to save the planet from, among other things, a group of faith-obsessed fundamentalist Christians who're actually endeavoring to hasten its demise. As mind-boggling as this sounds, though, it wouldn't really be anything to worry about except for the fact that these lunatics have allied themselves with what might easily be thought of as the most high-strung, idealogically racist nation on Earth. I'm referring, of course, to the Zionist state of Israel, and Israel, as we all know, is also aligned with Washington's high-strung, idealogically racist Neoconservatives, who likewise share a common vision with the fundamentalist Christians.

And round and round it goes. Where one group stops and another one starts nobody knows. A three-headed hydra gyrating its way through some macabre dance of death, commanding the attentions and loyalties of millions, possessing vast amounts of nuclear armaments, and hell-bent on redefining the priorities which govern our community of nations.

Is it just me, or is this beginning to sound kind of dangerous? I mean, what exactly are we dealing with here, and where will it eventually lead to? Does anyone even know?

The ultimate goal of the Israelis appears to be that of converting the Middle East into one all-encompassing Zionist-dominated region, while the Neocons believe the entire planet would be better off if it were simply "regime-changed" into one all-encompassing Anglo-dominated region; and if neither of these two propositions works out, that's okay, 'cause the Evangalists are praying that none of us survive anyway, as they build a Stairway to Heaven for themselves upon the bones of the countless dead created by the other two.

Pretty gruesome scenario, if you ask me. And yes, maybe I'm exaggerating somewhat, but then again, who'd have thought six years ago that we'd be where we are today, involved in two unending pre-emptive wars and threatening to initiate a third?

In any event, it's only through our acquiescence that the aspirations of such people can ever truly be realized. It's our fear and our ignorance, after all, that they depend on more than anything to catapult them to their goals. And no matter which of these three villians you choose to examine, you'll find the method of operation used is pretty much always the same - generate enough fear, and violence or the acceptance of it will inevitably follow.

The Israelis, for example, have spent decades preying upon the fears of their Arab neighbors, goading and provoking them into violent responses. After all, without the occasional Palestinian bomb or rocket being set off, Israel would have no justification for rolling into the Occupied Territories with their tanks and armies, flattening whole communities, bulldozing orchards, robbing innocent people of their livelihood. Of course, they do this anyway on a regular basis, but without some level of resistance, they're naturally obliged to keep a lid on their criminality. (And I ask you, is that any way of ethnically cleansing the people whose land you're trying to grab?)

As for the Neocons, the power to pursue their violent strategies across our beleaguered globe has been lavished upon them by an American public steeped in fear (not to mention ignorance). Look how easily we allowed ourselves to be swayed by fear when 9/11 occurred, how skillfully this fear was manipulated and exploited, and how transfixed we were in responding to it through violent means.

And then there's the fundamentalist Christians, conjuring up the fear of demons and hobgoblins, while screaming violence at the top of their lungs in the most unchristianlike manner imaginable. Who could have imagined that the road to eternal bliss would be smeared with so much blood?

Put it all together and you've got a very freakish alliance of nearly comical proportions, but of not-so-comical implications - a fear factory, if you will, managed and operated by a small coterie of snake-oil salesmen, propagandizing their barbaric plunder by assuring the workforce that it's all being done in the name of what's right and good. Anxiety and hysteria are their production units, manufactured through an ingenious collage of press briefings, television interviews, and personal appearances, while infectious soundbites and catch phrases are regurgitated ad nauseum, reminding us of the unending need to guard ourselves against the beasts and ogres who threaten our existence.

I'm sorry folks, but the only ogres I see are the ones in the factory board room, spouting lies to justify their own programs of butchery and slaughter.

One might say that there truly is an Axis of Evil in our world, but it doesn't involve Iraq or Iran or North Korea. What it does involve is a group of misguided, miscreant men and women, who've lost all touch with whatever goodness might have at some point in their lives motivated or inspired them, and whose outlook on reality has become so distended over time as to leave the rest of us in complete awe and disbelief.

Why, then, are we allowing the reigns of our planet's destiny to be controlled by such people? Isn't it time to hand these shallow and pretentious con-artists their hats and show them the door? Don't we owe it to ourselves at such a critical time in this world's history to put into practice those values which are so necessary to its survival?

I believe we do. And if our efforts are successful, then we too will have saved an entire planet inhabited by billions of souls from the sour intentions of small-minded and insignificant beings, a planet which can then breathe a collective sigh of relief and return to the business of moving our civilization towards a better future.

Live Long and Prosper.

Larry Parker is author of the following blogs:Gaston Blog17822
Harrison Blog6041