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Word count: 538

Summary: When a business owner chooses to move some or all
of their marketing to the Internet, choosing a hosting
service can be a major production.  This article gives
new domain owners a look at what is truely important.

==========================================================
Choosing a Hosting Service: A Primer

Are you ready for a web site? Not sure what to look for? Use
this article to help you determine the best hosting company
for your site.

Growth
Is this a company you can grow with vs. having to change
companies when you outgrow the service?

Customer Service
Many people start with a lost cost service, only to find
that the only way to receive customer service is by email.
Choose a company that offers you low cost services with a
long distance phone number for customer service. If you need
a larger service, $20 a month +, they should offer you a
toll free customer service number.

Reliability
Do they provide information about their server
uptime/downtime (and possibly even provide a guarantee)?  Do
they provide you with your own IP Address? (that's a special
number identification system for a web site, vs. the worded
identification most people are familiar with.)

Choices
The type of server you will need depends on the programs you
want to run for things like your shopping cart, affiliate
program, web site pages, etc. ASP, JSP, PHP, CGI, PL, CSS
programs will influence the choice of a server and visa
versa. Your hosting service may have windows (which for
example accepts ASP but not PHP), Linux or nix-based
(Apache/FreeBSD/etc.) servers.

Email Accounts
How many Pop 3 accounts (Post Office Protocol) do you want?
Basically, these are email accounts where both the to and
from accounts are your domain names. The other type, you
don't want as a business owner are "alias" accounts where
the to account is your domain name, then it's transferred to
your ISP/DSL account. Outgoing mail does not include your
domain name account.

Security
If you want a shopping cart, make sure that your site is
secure, is encrypted and has the programming capacity that
allows you to produce a shopping cart, too.

Statistics
Does your hosting companies plan include monthly and yearly
statistics on each of your web pages? Will you know how
someone found each of your web pages?

Easy
Does your hosting package include a simple to understand
control panel? This is especially important if you want to
maintain your site or have someone else easily maintain it.
It's one place to visit when making changes to your site,
add addresses, etc.

Protection
It is easy to password protect a page or area of your web
site? This is becoming more important as web owners develop
client, subscriber and note areas of their web sites.

Web Email Option
Can you easily read your messages on line, when you travel,
because it has a Web-based Email system?

Pluses:

--Does it offer an ezine subscription service and if so,
will it accept both text and HTML?
--Does your hosting package include an easy to use web page
builder?
--Does it include a way for you to send your files to the
server?
--If you are building or having your site built with MS
Front Page, you want to make sure that the server accepts
Front Page pages.
--What are the hidden, one time only, set-up fees?

Special thanks to my two favorite web design email lists
www.WiseWomen.com and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HTML-on-the-WEB/ for
assistance with this article.

© 2004 From Web Site Marketing Primer: 52 Things To REALLY
Consider Before You Create A Web Site, a new ebook by Maria
Marsala, Business and Life Coach-Trainer. Our mission is to
teach, motivate and inspire others to live their "best
lives" while contribute to the world in wonderful ways. Join
our newsletter, Elevating Your Business at
http://www.coachmaria.com/ .

Title:  Perfectly Easy! Repairing Damaged Vinyl Flooring
Author:  Pamela Cole Harris
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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Perfectly Easy! Repairing Damaged Vinyl Flooring
Copyright © 2004, Pamela Cole Harris
Home and Garden Makeover.com
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com



So you got the perfect refrigerator. For the perfect kitchen.
Miles and miles of virgin stainless steel. Perfect width. A
virtual soda fountain in the door. And as your husband (just a
shade less than perfect) pulls it across the floor to that
perfect spot wayyyyy on the other side of the kitchen, you hear a
slight ripping sound. Can stainless steel rip?  Not likely. Your
husband gives it another pull. The same sound. Looking down to
investigate (as any perfect homeowner would), you discover that
your perfect vinyl flooring now has a wide, perfectly-jagged
tear. Yikes!

Here is how you can make the perfect repair:

1. Measure the extent of the damage. Width? Length?

2. Is your vinyl flooring relatively new? You should be able to
    find the pattern at your local home-improvement or flooring
    supply store. If your pattern is unavailable, you may have to
    replace the entire floor.

3. Buy enough of the flooring to repair the damaged area and a
    little extra to save for future repairs.

4. Cut a piece of the new flooring a bit larger than the damaged
    area. A sharp utility knife should do the job (handle with
    care!). Use a straight edge or ruler to help keep the blade
    vertical.

5. Match the pattern of the new piece with the old at each edge
    of the damaged area.

6. Take out your handy dandy duct or masking tape and tape the
    new piece to the floor below. You don't want the new tile to
    slip, so make certain you have taped it securely.

7. Ok. This is tricky. Use your knife to cut through both layers
    of vinyl. Cut around the damaged area (make certain you cut it
    just a bit bigger so that you will remove all the damage).

8. Now remove the new vinyl on top and the piece of damaged vinyl
    beneath. If you have difficulty removing the old vinyl, a hair
    dryer works great to soften the adhesive!

9. Scrap away all of the old gunk (Gunk. That's a technical
    term!) with a putty knife or an old mismatched table knife
    (not a steak knife!). Be sure to sweep clean!

10. Using your putty knife, apply adhesive to the back of the new
     piece of vinyl. Make sure your kitchen is well-ventilated.
     That stuff can be harmful!

11. Press the new piece into place. It's best to start at the
     center and work towards the edge to make certain all those
     little air bubbles are worked out.

12. If you have excess adhesive around the edges, wipe it up with
     a clean, damp sponge.

13. This is the fun part! Take your rolling pin (you DO have a
     rolling pin, don't you?) and roll the patch firmly. You will
     have to wipe the excess adhesive again.

14. Now you can let the adhesive dry (no dancing on it for about
     24 hours!).

Zowie! Now your perfect kitchen has returned! Wait! Is that a
perfectly awful footprint I see?



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Pamela Cole Harris is an editor and writer with 35 years
experience. Visit her website,
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com, for a free newsletter
with remodeling, home improvement and decorating ideas for the
financially challenged, creatively deficient and technologically
illiterate.
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Sun Feb  8 20:36:16 EST 2004


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/d/index.shtml#Pamela_Cole_Harris

Title:  POWERFUL TIPS FOR SELLING YOUR HOME
Author:  W. Troy Swezey
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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POWERFUL TIPS FOR SELLING YOUR HOME
Copyright © 2004, W. Troy Swezey
Author of *REAL ESTATE SECRETS EXPOSED*
http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com



Maybe you're moving to a larger home to accommodate a growing
family, relocating for a new career opportunity, or purchasing
a townhouse for retirement.  Whatever the reason for the move,
you'll need to take the necessary steps to sell your home for
the best possible price, within a reasonable amount of time.
Where do you begin?

If you're like most people, you'll start by seeking assistance
from a professional.  A local real estate sales associate, who
knows your neighborhood, can help you determine a fair market
price.  The sales associate should also recommend the extent to
which you should make repairs or improvements to your house.

In order to select a real estate professional who's right for
you, ask family, friends and neighbors for referrals.  Attend
open houses and interview several sales associates to find out
how professional or experienced they may be.  Get a written
outline of how they plan to market your property and the
services they will offer you.

Once you've identified a qualified professional, the rest is
chemistry.  Is the sales associate someone with whom you would
like to work closely?  Do you feel comfortable with the sales
associate as your partner, working with you to give you advice
and acting as your representative?  Does he or she practice a
consultative selling approach, focusing on the long-term client
relationship and on the importance of exceeding client needs and
expectations or is he or she caught up in the proverbial 'hard
sell?'

The brokerage firm that your agent is associated with is also
important.  Research the firm's success rate and commitment to
quality service.  Does it survey existing clients in order to
ensure customer satisfaction?  What are the results of those
surveys? How in tune are they with consumer needs?  Do they
offer guidance with mortgages or any discounts for other home
related or moving services?

To be competitive in today's real estate market, as agents, we
have to offer the buyer/seller products and services above and
beyond the sale.  That's why the CENTURY 21 System has
established partnerships with various companies that allow us
to offer everything from mortgages to moving services.  This
Preferred Alliance Services Program has enabled us to satisfy a
consumer need while maintaining a high-level of quality service.

Determining your home's fair market value is one of the most
important decisions you'll make during the home-selling/buying
process.  Your sales associate can help you set a fair price
based on local market conditions.  For instance, I will provide
sale prices and other statistics of homes similar to yours that
have recently been sold.  Prospective buyers will be comparing
your home to others on the market.  Therefore, setting a
comprehensive price can determine if your property will or
will not sell.

For the first offer made, it's rare that the prospective buyer
matches the asking price.  If the offer is reasonably close
to the asking price, carefully consider the offer before you
consider turning it down.  Curiously, it's the first offer that
can often be the best offer.  If the first offer is unacceptable
to you, it may in your best interest to have your sales associate
respond with a counter offer.  Whenever considering an offer, ask
yourself if you would purchase the property for the amount being
offered.  Always be willing to negotiate, especially if the
prospective buyer is pre-qualified for a mortgage.

Once you decide what terms are acceptable, let your sales
associate negotiate with the prospective buyer to work out the
best agreement for you.  You'll need to be patient while the
buyer arranges financing and as the real estate company compiles
and prepares pertinent data.

Careful planning and sound advice from a real estate professional
can make selling your home a very satisfying experience.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
W. Troy Swezey is the author of “MOVING ON: POWERFULTIPS FOR
SELLING YOUR HOME."  As a Realtor at Century 21 Paul &
Associates, he has helped many individuals with their real
estate needs. Visit his web site to download his free e-book,
“REAL ESTATE SECRETS EXPOSED.” http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com
or mailto:TroyC21@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Sun Feb  8 20:05:29 EST 2004


For more articles by this author, please visit:

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~
Title:  Do You Use Viral Marketing?
Author:  F. Terrence (Terry) Markle
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: February, 2004

Article URL:
    http://www.QuikSystems.com/Article/ViralMarketing.htm

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Do You Use Viral Marketing?
Copyright © 2004, F. Terrence (Terry) Markle
Author of "How To Build Your Own Opt--In Mailing List"
http://www.QuikSystems.com/OIC/OpInCourse.htm



Viral marketing is an extremely powerful and effective form
of Internet marketing.  It is the online digital equivalent
of the offline word of mouth advertising.  In viral marketing,
one person passes on a marketing message to another person
and so on.  The message spreads in a viral form in a manner
similar to the spreading of a common cold virus from person to
person.  It is a great way to market your product or service
and increase your opt^in subscriber list.  If you are not
using viral marketing then you need to seriously consider it
in your online business.

It combines advertising and the leverage of duplication to
spread your marketing message to an untold number of persons
on the Internet.  You reap the benefits of viral marketing by
attracting more customers to your product or service and
increasing the number of subscribers to your opt^in mailing
list.  It enables you to advertise your business without
spending huge amounts on advertising campaigns.

There are many forms of viral marketing.  Some examples of
viral marketing include fr^ee products or services such as:
ebooks, web sites, e-mail service, classified advertising,
links, traffic exchanges, banners, greeting cards and refer
a friend.

You are in complete control of which method of viral marketing
is right for your business.  In order to promote viral marketing
you need to create an incentive or reason for your customers,
subscribers or website visitors to duplicate or pass on your
advertisement to other individuals.  This incentive is usually
in the form of fr^ee valuable information.

For most online business owners, the viral ebook is probably
the easiest and most effective form of viral marketing.  Your
viral ebook must have links back to your website, products
and affiliate programs in order to successfully promote your
business.  Viral marketing is a great way to get your ebook
recipients to promote you to their customers, friends and
acquaintances.  These recipients will then promote you to their
customers and the promoting cycle continues to grow.   It is a
very effective method of marketing.

The viral ebook can be created using special software that is
relatively inexpensive.  Ebooks can include different types of
media including text, html, graphic images, animation and video.
The media information is inserted into a compiler that produces
an ebook in an "exe" or "pdf" file.   Once created, a viral
ebook can be easily distributed by downloading from any website.

The original author has ultimate control over what information
in the viral ebook can be changed.  The ebook should include
an opt^in subscription form that can’t be changed by the ebook
recipients.  You can earn money from the affiliate links in your
ebook up until the time they are changed.  Most important, you
can continue to build your mailing list due to the newsletter
or mini-course opt^in subscriber form in the ebook.

The ebook compiler enables the ebook recipient to edit specific
information as allowed by the author.  The recipient needs to
be able to change the affiliate links to their affiliate links
and add their name and URL link as a distributor in the ebook.
This enables them to earn money from the affiliate links and
get marketing exposure because their name and link is in the
ebook.

This will give them incentive to market the ebook to their
customers or e-mail list.  These next level individuals can
then download the ebook and add their name and URL link and
change the affiliate links to their links.  The net result is
your business gets promoted many times over without additional
involvement on your part.

Your viral ebook can be distributed in many different ways to
promote your name and business.  Some of the common methods
of distribution include giving the ebook away as:

* An incentive to individuals to join your opt^in mailing list
* A bonus to get individuals to buy your product or service
* An inventive to get other websites to link to your website

The free viral ebook is a very effective way to market your
website, products or services and affiliate programs.  People
love free things.  Many of your website visitors will download
your free ebook if it contains information that is valuable
and useful to them.

The key to creating a successful viral ebook is to make
certain the information in the ebook appeals to your niche
market.  In order to draw traffic your ebook must have a
killer topic and meet the needs or solve a problem of your
targeted audience.  A viral ebook on a topic that has been
beat to death will not get you a lot of viral advertising.

There must be quality information in the ebook that meets the
wants and needs of your audience or addresses a problem of
your niche market.  Your free exposure and the number of
visitors to your website will be affected by the number of
visitors that download your free viral ebook.  Make certain
your ebook contains the message that it can be freely given
away and the affiliate links changed to the recipient’s links.
Your positive marketing exposure increases with each download.

Viral marketing can be a huge advantage in your business
advertising.  Is it the right choice for you?  Your response
should be a definite "yes."  It is not difficult to set up
and the results could be well worth the effort.  It is free
advertising that works if done properly.  Give it a try and
you may be very surprised at the results.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © F. Terrence Markle – All Rights Reserved
FR^EE e-mail course on list building
"How To Build Your Own Opt--In Mailing List" at:
http://www.QuikSystems.com/OIC/OpInCourse.htm
FR^EE ezine on improving your biz and building your list
http://www.QuikSystems.com/Ezine/EzineSub1.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Sun Feb  8 19:31:49 EST 2004


For more articles by this author, please visit:

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~
Title:  Cajun Clark's Fortnight Recipe: Ransom's 1911 Family Receipts
Author:  Cajun Clark
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written for: February 7, 2004

Article URL:
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Formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Word Count: 802 words

Publisher:
Executive Scribe Publications
P.O. Box 398
Castor, LA  71016

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   Email distribution of this article MUST be opt-in email only.

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Cajun Clark's Fortnight Recipe: Ransom's 1911 Family Receipts
Copyright © 2004, Cajun Clark
Cajun Clark's Cookbooks
http://cajunclarks.com/busyolmon.htm



In 1911 D. Ransom, Son & Co., Buffalo, N.Y., published another
one of their respected Ransom's Family Receipt Book. (Yes,
receipt is the way it's spelled.)

Evidently the company was a pharmaceutical manufacturer that
printed these booklets, then on the back cover imprinted the
name of the druggist who sold their remedies. Their annual
booklet consisted of Receipts, Testimonials, and the Remedies
they sold. To get a handle of cost, under the INDEX they write:
Back numbers of our Receipt Book for past years from 1893 on,
will be available on receipt of 2 cents in postage stamps for
each copy. 1910 and 1911 books free.

Now, before getting into their Receipts, here's something of
interest.  Quoting directly from Ransom's Family Receipt 1911:

Our Cooking Receipts
"The many commendations we have received from patrons of
"Ransom's Family Receipt Book" convince us that we are on
the right path, if our receipts are chosen with a view to
palatability and economy.

"A varied, well-prepared table, with occasional surprises, is
undoubtedly the one thing which more than any other keeps a
family well and in good spirits. Unless the cooking arrangements
are kept plumb, good health and good humor fly out at the window;
whereas a table provided and served with care for taste, quality
and variety need not be an expensive one even in these days of
high cost of food. This any good cook knows.

"Our receipts are obtained from those who insist upon the above
standard and know how to keep it up in their own homes. Like
old friends, they are tried and true."

There is one other point to make--relax, you knew there would
be. The receipts are presented exactly as written--words,
punctuation, format. Now enjoy your trip into the past.


BAKED ONIONS. Boil one dozen onions until tender, then pour off
    water. Put a layer of onions and a thin layer of bread crumbs
    id baking dish. After each layer season with salt, pepper
    and bits of butter. When dish is filled, pour over milk to
    moisten. Bake until a nice brown.


FRIED GREEN TOMATOES. Wash and slice green tomatoes, sprinkle
    with salt and pepper, dip in beaten egg and cracker (or
    bread) crumbs, and fry in butter until tender. Serve hot.


FRUIT SALAD. Pare and cut fine four tart apples, one small head
    of celery freed from all strings and cut fine, one-half pound
    dates, one-half pound nuts, two oranges peeled and cut in
    small pieces, add one-quarter teaspoon salt, one tablespoon
    fine sugar. Mix and serve on lettuce with whipped cream.


HUNGARIAN GOULASH. Heat the spider* and fry a tablespoonful of
    chopped onion a golden brown in a tablespoonful of butter.
    Add two pounds of beef cut into good-sized dice and brown.
    Add a can of tomatoes rubbed through a sieve or its
    equivalent in fresh ones. Allow to cook an hour just at the
    point of bubbling. Ten minutes before serving, add half a
    pint or less of heavy sour cream. Season with salt and
    paprika.

    * An iron pan with a long handle, used as a kitchen utensil
    in frying food.  Originally, it had long legs, and was used
    over coals on the hearth.


LEMON PIE. Three eggs, one cup sugar, one cup hot water, the
    grated rind of one and juice of two lemons, one large spoon
    of corn starch (or flour). Cook in double boiler, bake the
    crust first, then fill. The Meringue--Beat the white of one
    egg with one teaspoon powdered sugar and brown in the oven.


SPLIT PEA SOUP. Soak one pint split peas overnight; in morning
    wash and put into kettle with three quarts water. Cook slowly
    until soft, then rub through sieve, return to fire and season
    with two tablespoons butter, two tablespoons flour, salt and
    pepper. If liked, add a little parsley.


You have to admit those folks knew how to cook some good "stuff"
back then.  If you'd like to see all of Ransom's Receipts that
are in Cajun Clark's Big Cookbook, here ya go:
http://cajunclarks.com/more_recipes.htm   Have a good one, and
Bon Appetit!


Please tell everyone you know that Cajun Clark's Fortnight
Recipe is published on the 7th and 21st of each month, and
if they're not a valued subscriber they should be.
http://cajunclarkcooks.com/cajsfortnightrecipe.htm


Also, Fortnight is syndicated for the convenience of webmasters
who would like it to magically appear on their web site.  Send
an email to: mailto:cajsfortnight@...


Finally, the Fortnight Archives are at:
http://cajunclarkssweetandsassy.com/fortnightrecipeindex.htm



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(c) Copyright 2004, Cajun Clark.  All rights reserved.
Email: mailto:cajsfortnight@...

Cajun Clark's Cookbooks make great gifts that keep on giving,
and when you give the print version you'll never be forgotten.
Take a look, there's something for everyone:
http://cajunclarks.com/busyolmon.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Sat Feb  7 03:41:16 EST 2004

Title:  A GUIDE TO LOW DOWN PAYMENT MORTGAGE PROGRAMS
Author:  W. Troy Swezey
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

Article URL:
    http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/d/s/low_down_payments.shtml

Article Autoresponder:
    mailto:low_down_payments@...

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    mailto:TroyC21@...

Formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Word Count: 644 words

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   the context of the article.

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   Email distribution of this article MUST be opt-in email only.

* You must forward a copy of the ezine or newsletter that
   contains the article inside to the author at:
   mailto:TroyC21@...

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A GUIDE TO LOW DOWN PAYMENT MORTGAGE PROGRAMS
Copyright © 2004, W. Troy Swezey
Author of *REAL ESTATE SECRETS EXPOSED*
http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com



There’s no question about it:  Buying a first home is a big
financial commitment.  In most cases, a home is the largest
single purchase an individual or family will make in a lifetime.
  However, because of the tax advantages afforded to homeowners,
buying a home also can be one of the best financial decisions
you’ll ever make.

Problem is, many would-be homeowners remain renters simply
because they mistakenly believe mortgage lenders require that
buyers come up with 20 percent of the purchase price as a down
payment.  While it is true lenders feel it is less risky to work
with buyers who are able to bring a substantial down payment to
the table, the standard 20 percent requirement is fast becoming
a relic of the past.  In recent years, lenders have become more
flexible in working with first-time homebuyers by creating a
variety of special programs that require only a small down
payment.  These programs, combined with the most favorable
interest rates in two decades, have encouraged growing numbers
of renters to consider the tremendous benefits of home ownership.

While the list of programs offered by individual lenders is too
extensive to mention in detail, here are some common programs
you are likely to come across as you work with your real estate
agent to purchase your first home:

Federal Housing Administration (FHA):  FHS mortgages allow
    homebuyers to purchase a home with as little as a 5 percent
    down payment, and to finance all non-recurring closing costs.
    In addition, borrowers are allowed to use up to 41 percent
    of their gross income toward paying mortgage debt – well
    above the ratio allowed under most private programs.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): VA mortgages allow veteran
    or active service personnel purchase home with no down
    payment.  However, there is no purchase price limitation for
    buyers able to make a down payment.  Like the FHA program,
    VA borrowers can put up to 41 percent of gross income toward
    their mortgage debt.

Mortgage Revenue Bonds and Mortgage Credit Certificates:
    Mortgages funded with these instruments typically require a
    minimum of 5 percent down and have interest rates that are
    1.5 to 2 percentage points below conventional 30-year fixed
    rates.  These types of loans, offered by state and local
    housing agencies, are available only to first-time homebuyers.
    There generally are income and purchase price caps that vary,
    depending on where you plan to buy.

Private Mortgage Insurance: Most major lenders offer privately
    insured mortgages, which generally require a 10 percent down
    payment (although some lenders offer loans with a 5 percent
    down payment to buyers with exceptional credit).  These loans
    typically are not limited by maximum loan amount or purchase
    price limitation.

Community Homebuyer Program:  Through their networks of mortgage
    lenders, the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie
    Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie
    Mac) offer Community Homebuyer Program loans.  These programs
    require a 5 percent down payment, 3 percent of which may be
    a gift.  To further help buyers qualify, applicants may use
    38 percent of their gross income.

Clearly, there are a lot of options for first-time homebuyers.
While lenders will be more than happy to share information about
their own programs, you can save yourself a good deal of time
by first selecting a professional real estate agent who is
experienced in working with first-time buyers in the areas
where you plan to buy.

An agent who focuses on first-time buyers will know from
experience which lenders in your area offer a low down payment
program that will meet your unique needs.

Today, taking the first step toward owning your own home is
easier than before.  Your real estate agent is your best
resource for finding innovative ways to help you come up with
a down payment and qualify for financing.  There’s certainly no
need to wait until you’ve saved a 20 percent down payment!



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
W. Troy Swezey is the author of “A GUIDE TO LOW DOWN PAYMENT
MORTGAGE PROGRAMS."  As a Realtor at Century 21 Paul &
Associates, he has helped many individuals with their real
estate needs. Visit his web site to download his free e-book,
“REAL ESTATE SECRETS EXPOSED.” http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com
or mailto:TroyC21@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Fri Feb  6 05:02:54 EST 2004


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/d/index.shtml#W._Troy_Swezey

Title:  Ebay and Dropshipping, A Marriage Made In Heaven?
Author:  Ron Keegan
Copyright:

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Ebay and Dropshipping, A Marriage Made In Heaven?
Copyright © , Ron Keegan
Megastar Distributors
http://www.Megdis.com



Believe it or not, eBay is the 'BEST' opportunity you can use
right now to make money online in the dropshipping business
from the comfort of your own home.

Thousands of people just like you use eBay auctions on a daily
basis to sell and buy products on the Internet; now it's your
time to START your own dropshipping home-based business
and succeed in the eBay auctions 'game'!

There are no special skills required for this dropshipping
business, all you need is a computer, Internet access and some
basic computer / Internet knowledge.

Dropshipping is when you sell products on the Web, forward
the orders to the dropship supplier and, in return, the
dropshipper ships the product to your customer (buyer).

You act as the middleman between the dropshipping supplier
and your buyer. You can take orders by credit card, PayPal
fax or any other method you can think of. You can sell via
your own Web Site, Yahoo store, or even through e-mails.

Your profit is generated on the difference between your selling
price and the price the dropshipping supplier charges you.

Thanks to dropshipping you can start making money 'instantly'
without any investment in inventory, warehousing, shipping,
equipment, employees or office space.

Having products drop shipped by suppliers, allows you to
concentrate on truly important aspects like advertising,
sales and promotion.

Pay attention! There are lots of companies claiming to be
'Drop Shippers'. However, a legitimate drop shipper is a
factory-authorized wholesale distributor, or sometimes the
actual manufacturer of the product. A legitimate drop shipper
should not charge you an 'account setup fee' or ask you to place
a 'minimum quantity order'.

Make sure you find legitimate drop shippers who have
the product(s) you want to sell, talk with them on the phone
or by e-mail and let them know that you are truly serious about
doing business with them.

Customer support counts in the dropshipping business, so don't
hesitate to contact dropshipping suppliers before you proceed
to work with them.

This will help you decide if you really want to do business
with a particular drop shipper or not.

To succeed in the dropshipping business you'll have to LOOK
for hard-to-find products that people desperately need and want
to purchase.

The key is to sell products with little or no competition.

Do some research for product's you want to sell
that you think will have little or no competition on eBay.

I suggest you RESEARCH for quality products & legitimate
dropship suppliers, MONITOR the eBay auction listings to see if
there's any competition and TEST the market (e.g. find out if
people really want to spend CASH on the product you want to
sell)

Remember! Dropshipping makes it EASY for you to start and
run your own home-based businesses on a shoestring budget;
and eBay is the 'perfect' MEDIUM to expose your product
to potential buyers all over the globe!



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ron Keegan runs Megastar Distributors a red-hot Web Site
jam-packed with lots of FREE Resources, Tips & Reports
on DropShipping & eBay. Pick-up your *FREE* ebook at
http://www.Megdis.com to learn more about making-money
dropshipping!
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Fri Feb  6 04:49:14 EST 2004


For more articles by this author, please visit:

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Title:  The Impossible Dream?
Author:  Geela
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written:

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The Impossible Dream?
Copyright © 2004, Geela
Geela.com
http://www.geela.com



So many of our dreams, at first seem impossible.  In fact, our
repeated attempts to share our enthusiasm about our dreams with
others is often met with "dream on... your chances of winning the
lottery are better than achieving this dream".

Is it any wonder that over time we give our power and will away
by virtue of giving in to the negative voices in our head while
doubting our own ability and power to achieve our dreams despite
all the seeming obstacles?

We are all prone to suggestions, why not consciously choose
positive suggestions by refusing to live according to what
others expect of us or underestimating our own power to make a
change in ourselves and be the change we wish to see in the
world?

After all, the key to achieving anything and even overcoming
seemingly insurmountable obstacles is faith; the knowledge that
the possible always exceeds the impossible. However, if we are
to overcome the outer space (those superficial materialistic
values that don't serve our highest good but instead leave us
weak, unhappy and insecure), we must first learn to conquer our
inner space (by reevaluating our own values system, thinking and
false belief systems that may be self-defeating and not in our
best interest).

When we make conscious choices based on our own will and truth,
we automatically reclaim our power and set in motion a powerful
chain reaction of events that harmonize with our dominant
thoughts and attract positive experiences into our lives.

Suddenly the possible exceeds the impossible and life has a new
meaning and purpose and you experience renewed spirits, a sense
of well-being and real joy.

You CAN master the art of the possible through unshakeable
faith. Remember, good things come to those who have faith.  What
you BELIEVE is what you achieve.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In THE AMERICAN DREAM, Geela shares her true-life story of how
she came to America and overcame incredible obstacles to achieve
mega-success. Learn how to master the "art of the possible", and
make your life an adventure in living,  instead of a problem to
be solved by visiting her website for F.REE music, articles and
more: http://www.geela.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Fri Feb  6 04:35:24 EST 2004


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/d/index.shtml#Geela

Unlimited Wealth Creation through Reseller Hosting
Web hosting can be an exciting business start up for aspiring
entrepreneurs. All you have to do to set up your business is become
a hosting reseller, i.e., provide hosting facilities to website
owners. Here as a business owner, you are buying space from a big
hosting company, and redistributing the hosting space to other
website owners.

Resellers are nothing but entrepreneurs acting as middlemen,
offering you hosting services by leasing time and space from another
Web host's server rather than owning their own. Most of the times,
the quality of services offered by resellers are so good that
consumers do not even have the idea that they are dealing with
resellers who do not have servers of their own. Resellers, since
they can pick and choose their servers, are basically in a position
to provide the customers with the best of services.

Reseller hosting business can be quite a profit making venture once
you understand the figures and profit margins involved. Let us go
through them. One can buy around 1000 MB space from a major web host
at a cost of $25 per month. This 1000 MB space that you now own can
in turn be redistributed to site owners who need space for uploading
their site. Here you can give about 25 MB space for around $5 per
month. Which means your monthly income comes to around $200 when you
sell 40 hosting packages. Want more… some hosts allow you to
oversell the space and do not charge you extra unless the actual
usage of your account exceeds 1000MB. It is seen that a typical user
uses less than half of the allotted web space… which means you can
double or even triple sell your quota and make unlimited wealth.

And mind well, this income is residual income. It will keep coming
to you month after month, year after year. You do the work once… and
get paid for it over and over. All you are doing is buying space
from a major web hosting company and becoming a reseller host. Your
efforts are focused towards selling hosting space and the rest is
handled by your web host. Some of them even handle customer service
to your customers for a nominal fee… which makes it even easier for
you.

If this is not enough… you can earn additional residual incomes by
adding recruiting more resellers through you. By doing this you will
earn regular commissions on their monthly sales… isn't this smart
business.
The profit margins in the business of reseller hosting is quite good
and you can start on this exciting business venture even if you do
not have the required expertise and access to funds for setting up
the required infrastructure. Strange as it might sound, there are
also times where a reseller can also be more scalable than a typical
hosting firm. A true Web host is limited by its hardware; if a
client suddenly requires an upgrade the host is not prepared for,
the only way the host will be able to satisfy the customer is by
upgrading its hardware - expensive and time consuming for both
sides. The reseller host, however, can simply choose to locate with
a different Web host that will better suit the customer's needs.
Happy Wealth Creation !!!

Ninad Gupte,
Founder, CEO of www.linuxresellerhosting.com

Ninad Gupte is the Founder, CEO of www.linuxresellerhosting.com
He has trained as an Electronics Engineer from Mumbai University,
and has a Diploma in Advanced Computing from CDAC. He has served as
the Director – Technologies in Webmoney India Pvt. Ltd. He has
executed several turnkey B2B Web application projects like House
layouts, Maharashtra State Electricity Board and portals & sites
like McDonalds India, Air France and RPG Raychem. To take his dreams
forward of forming a technology oriented diversified company,
Interpole Solutions was formed in March 2001. The company was setup
with a strong base of skills and a deep understanding of
technologies mastered by Ninad.
He can contacted at ninad@... or at 91-22-2522
2505 and at
91-22-2524 4874.

Title:  Five Easy Steps For Arranging your Living Room Furniture
Author:  Pamela Cole Harris
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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Five Easy Steps For Arranging your Living Room Furniture
Copyright © 2004, Pamela Cole Harris
Home and Garden Makeover.com
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com



If you are hopelessly lost when thinking beyond shoving your
furniture against a wall, or if you've recently bought a
six-foot sofa for an eight-foot room, you need help!  Here are
some easy tips for arranging your living room furniture in ways
that make the most of your space:

1. Measure your room.  Draw it to scale on graph paper which you
    can find at your local discount store.  Use a ¼ in. equal
    1 ft. scale. If you can't figure out how to draw out scale,
    ask your know-it-all teenage son!

2. Mark anything on your room drawing that will affect the
    arrangement of the room.  Outlets, telephone, cable, light
    switches, windows, doors that open in, the space between
    windows, and the height of the window sills are all things
    that should be measured and noted.

3. This is the fun part!  Make scale paper cutouts of your
    furniture (just like cutting out paper dolls!)  Use the
    cutouts to arrange and rearrange the furniture in your room
    until you are satisfied with the result.

4. Select a focal point of the room.  If you have a fireplace,
    it will nearly always be the focal point.  If you have large
    bookcases, you might make those your focal point or you may
    choose a sofa with a special painting hung above it.  Orient
    the remaining furniture and the lighting to highlight the
    focal point.

5. Think about your guests when you arrange the room.  The room
    should promote conversation.  Set up cozy areas with a couple
    of chairs or a loveseat. Ideally, there should be 4-10 ft.
    between your sofa or loveseat and chairs so that the space
    doesn't seem cramped.  If you move the pieces too far apart,
    conversation will be difficult.

Other points to remember: leave 14 to 18 inches between the
coffee table and the sofa for comfortable leg room (Err on the
side of more space!). And make sure you have the traffic lane at
least 3 ft. wide to move from one area of the room to another.

Arranging your room on paper allows you to experiment with new
looks, new combinations, and new ideas before you move the
furniture itself.  Not only when you come up with the perfect
arrangement for your room, but you'll also save a visit to the
chiropractor for your husband or furniture-moving friends!



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Pamela Cole Harris is a writer, eco-decorator and author of
"100+ Wildly Imaginative Ways to Make Your Own Coffee Table - a
Handbook for Creatively Deficient Decorators." Visit her website,
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com for her unique decorating
and remodeling style (and a free newsletter!) Or for unique
content for your website, written especially for your keywords
and audience, visit http://www.pamelacoleharris.com.
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Wed Feb  4 03:13:22 EST 2004


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/d/index.shtml#Pamela_Cole_Harris

Title:  UNDERSTANDING REAL ESTATE TERMINOLOGY
Author:  W. Troy Swezey
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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UNDERSTANDING REAL ESTATE TERMINOLOGY
Copyright © 2004, W. Troy Swezey
Author of *UNDERSTANDING REAL ESTATE TERMINOLOGY*
http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com



Purchasing a home can be a complicated and confusing process,
especially for first-time buyers.  Throughout the process,
first-time home buyers will encounter a variety of unfamiliar
real state terms. There are several key terms associates with
purchasing real estate that are helpful to learn.

For example, many buyers confuse the terms broker and
salesperson.  A broker  is a properly licensed individual, or
corporation, who serves as a special agent in the purchase and
sale of real estate, a salesperson is an individual employed or
associated by written agreement by the broker as an independent
contractor.  The salesperson facilitates the purchase or sale
of real estate.

Once you decide to purchase, a salesperson will prepare a sales
contract to present to the seller along with your earnest money
deposit.  The sales contract is the document through which the
seller agrees to give possession and title of property to the
buyer upon full payment of the purchase price and performance of
agreed-upon conditions.  The earnest money is a buyer’s partial
payment, as a show of good faith, to make the contract binding.
Often, the earnest money is held in an escrow account.  Escrow
is the process by which money is held by a disinterested party
until the terms of the escrow instructions are fulfilled.

After the buyer and seller have signed the contract, the buyer
must obtain a mortgage note by presenting the contract to a
mortgage lender.  The note is the buyer’s promise to pay the
purchase price of the real estate in addition to a stated
interest rate over a specified period of time.  A mortgage
lender places a lien on the property, or mortgage, and this
secures the mortgage note.

The buyer pays interest money to the lender exchange for the use
of money borrowed.  Interest is usually referred to as APR or
annual percentage rate.  Interest is paid on the principle, the
capital sum the buyer owes.  Interest payments may be disguised
in the form of points.  Points are an up-front cost which may be
paid by either the buyer or seller or both in conventional loans.

In general, there are two types of conventional loans that a
buyer can obtain.  A fixed rate loan has the same rate of
interest for the life of the loan, usually 14 to 30 years. An
adjustable rate loan or adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) provides
a discounted initial rate, which changes after a set period of
time.  The rate can’t exceed the interest rate cap or ceiling
allowed on such loans for any one adjustment period.  Some ARMs
have a lifetime cap on interest.  The buyer makes the loan and
interest payments to the lender through amortization, the
systematic payment and retirement of debt over a set period
of time.

Once the contract has been signed and a mortgage note obtained,
the buyer and seller must legally close the real estate
transaction.  The closing is a meeting where the buyer, seller
and their attorneys review, sign and exchange the final
documents.  At the closing, the buyer receives the appraisal
report, an estimate of the property’s value with the appraiser’s
signature, certification and sporting documents.  The buyer also
receives the title and the deed.  The title shows evidence of
the buyer’s ownership of the property while the deed legally
transfers the title from the seller to the buyer.  The final
document the buyer receives at closing is a title insurance
policy, insurance against the loss of the title if it’s found
to be imperfect.

Buyers should plan on at least four to twelve weeks for a
typical real estate transaction.  The process is difficult and
at times, intimidating.  A general understanding of real estate
terminology and chronology of the transaction, however, will
help any real estate novice to confidently buy his or her first
home.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
W. Troy Swezey is the author of “UNDERSTANDING REAL ESTATE
TERMINOLOGY."  As a Realtor at Century 21 Paul & Associates, he
has helped many individuals with their real estate needs. Visit
his web site to download his free e-book, “REAL ESTATE SECRETS
EXPOSED.” http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com or
mailto:TroyC21@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Wed Feb  4 03:02:57 EST 2004


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Title:  Hiring the Right Candidate for the Job and Your Company
Author:  Kate Smalley
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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Hiring the Right Candidate for the Job and Your Company
Copyright © 2004, Kate Smalley
Connecticut Secretary
http://www.connecticutsecretary.com



Increasingly, companies are evaluating job candidates on how
well they fit their corporate culture - not just the job.

It's an important consideration, as shrinking budgets and
economic uncertainty put a squeeze on corporate environments
and demand smarter hiring practices.

Filling open positions can be a grueling, expensive and lengthy
process. According to recent research by global human resources
firm DBM, 94 percent find the average job search is taking four
to six months, with the majority seeing most job seekers taking
about five months to secure employment. And finding a new,
senior-level position in the current job market takes more than
12 months, compared to about seven months in 1998.

To manage the more extensive search process, many companies are
using personality assessments to find the right person for their
company. In fact, one third of 2,100 human resource managers
recently surveyed by the American Management Association were
incorporating personality profiling into their hiring
decision-making process.

Personality testing allows companies to go beyond first
impressions and analyze the true value of candidates' skills
and character. The goal is to determine how the combination
of the two will fit into the organization.

Considering a job candidate's characteristics can help employers
determine if that person has the right ability and adaptability
for their work environment. For example: a new hire may have
outstanding abilities, but if he doesn't have the communication
skills to work well with a team, he may not be the best
candidate. The company may be better off hiring a great
communicator with average skills that can be improved upon
with training instead.

The bottom line is: Personality assessments can help companies
hire the right employee - and retain them longer. And employee
retention saves companies money and valuable time due to lost
productivity and costs associated with recruiting and hiring.

In addition to personality testing, more businesses are relying
on the expertise of innovative firms like ASearch LLC to help
them identify the best candidates for the job and company.
ASearch is a Connecticut executive search firm that heavily
factors a potential employee's character into the recruitment
and hiring process.

In his 30 years of organizational development consulting, Bruce
Clinton has watched too many poor executive hires endanger the
success of organizations. But very few executives fail because
of their resume, says Clinton, a founding partner of ASearch.
"Most failures are due to lack of the right behavioral or
cultural fit."

If you only hire on experience, he poses, how do you deal with
the behavior and chemistry that walks in the door? "We help the
hiring authority get beyond the tip of the iceberg, which is
the resume, experience, interview and references…to find the
best fit for the organization's culture and job requirements."

ASearch takes an in-depth approach that helps its clients lower
their transaction costs. The company provides value-added
services such as a company culture analysis of the executive
team. As a result, job candidates submitted to companies will
all meet the cultural and behavioral requirements for the
position and will have third-party assessments to verify their
qualifications. Therefore, their clients generally only need
to review a few candidates to find the best match.

ASearch's process guarantees the suitability of candidates and
removes the risk of a poor fit. "Our value proposition is not
offered by all search firms," Clinton says. "As a matter of
fact, I don't know of any that do all we do."

The company's approach is evidenced by its bold slogan: "We go
beyond the search. We take the risk and doubt out of your next
critical executive hire."

ASearch is a major New England search firm that represents
decades of organizational development, executive search and
assessment experience. Following are questions and answers about
the company's background and perspective on the executive search
process. More information is available at the company's Website
at http://www.asearchllc.com.


Q: Why did you start ASearch?

A: I saw this as an opportunity to fill a gap in an under
    serviced and misunderstood market of closely-held businesses.
    I believe small and medium sized businesses are the key to
    our economic growth and felt that this retained search
    business could make a positive difference. And between my
    background and that of my two partners, we had an exceptional
    value to offer key executives and company owners.


Q: Tell us about your experience.

A: My background is over 30 years of organizational development
    consulting to closely-held and family businesses. Prior to
    this, I was owner and president of a residential real estate
    business with two locations plus a new home sales division;
    president and owner of a land development company; and
    general partner of a limited partnership which developed
    200 acres of land into a luxury subdivision of 96 lots. I
    later joined the consulting company that helped me build my
    real estate business when I sold it to one of my managers in
    the mid-seventies.


Q: What about your partners and their experience?

A: Anthony Townley has over thirty years of staffing and
    executive search experience. He conducts our searches once
    the position requirements have been defined. Barry Foster
    has extensive assessment knowledge and is a leader and
    innovator in the business and executive coaching profession.
    Barry and I procure the retained search assignments,
    facilitate the development of the position requirements with
    the position development team and the selection team, and
    coach the integration process of the new executive.


Q: Describe the typical client you work with.

A: Closely-held companies with a sweet spot of $25-100 million
    in sales. We have worked with organizations with sales of
    $4 million to over $300 million. We deal mostly with the
    CEO or President of the organization or the COO.


Q: Can you give us an overview of your company and its services?

A: ASearch takes the risk and doubt out of the next critical
    hire an organization makes.  We take an organizational
    development approach to make this a reality.  We help our
    clients understand their culture, define the position and
    the goals for the first 30, 60, 90 and next 180 days with
    agreed upon evidence of goal accomplishments, required and
    desired experience and education and the objective
    psychometrics required for the new position based on the
    understanding of the culture and position requirements. We
    also make sure that the selection team understands its role
    in making this new key person successful. Finally, we coach
    the integration process of the new hire with reviews at the
    45- and 90-day time periods. At that time, if all parties
    are progressing as expected, we extend our guarantee for the
    balance of the first year from the date of hire.


Q: Any additional information about your services?

A: Because we become so knowledgeable about an organization
    and are able to provide so much value, we often reach the
    level of trusted advisor and are asked to assist in other
    organizational development type assignments.  In this case,
    we will do the assignment or bring in other professionals
    who we have worked with to perform the services on behalf
    of ASearch and the client.


Q: Have most of your clients had a negative hiring experience?

A: Yes. Almost all of our current search clients have had a poor
    hire in a similar position or understand the value of getting
    the right fit the first time.


Q: Can you give us an idea of how much money is lost due to
    these failures?

A: It's hard to gauge the lost opportunity costs -- which are the
    higher costs -- lost business, turnover of good employees,
    lost production and bad comments about an organization which
    means opportunities you will never get or know why. On the
    tangible side, are the transaction costs, advertising, resume
    culling, extensive interview time, training costs of the
    wrong person once hired, lost wages and benefits, placement
    fees, law suits for wrongful discharge, contractual costs,
    relocation costs and contractual separation costs if the
    executive is let go for any reason but cause. Minimum figures
    for turnover of an executive have been four to five times the
    annual salary.


Q: Why have those employees failed?

A: If you interview companies, you will find a lack of cultural
    fit (chemistry) and behavior that did not allow the new hire
    to perform i.e. no sense of urgency, low energy, not able to
    make a decision or hold people accountable, etc.


Q: What are the challenges you see facing employers who are
    trying to do it on their own?

A: Understanding the real requirements of the position and their
    culture, being able to get below the surface or tip of the
    iceberg to match the position requirements to the candidate,
    determine what is success early on as well as long term,
    integrating the new hire into the organization and working
    out the rough spots - especially if the position requires
    different behavior(s) than the current culture.


Q: At what point do employers give up their own attempts and
    seek your help?

A: I am not sure…the need to know that there is a better way
    than the traditional search firm... Otherwise they will
    continue on a hit or miss proposition. I knew of one firm
    that turned over a key executive position three or more
    times and still did not get it right.


Q: Can you quantify the retention rate of employees who were
    sourced on their own, compared to those hired using your
    firm's services?

A: No, but the cost of any turnover is great …We know that if
    you know how to define your culture and the position and have
    objective means of measuring the culture and behaviors
    required for success in this culture doing the position
    requirements, with the right experience and education you
    will have little chance of turning over the position. That
    is why we offer an unprecedented one-year guarantee to
    everyone who uses our process.




Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2004
Kate Smalley
Connecticut Secretary
http://www.connecticutsecretary.com
kms@...

-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Wed Feb  4 02:32:52 EST 2004


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Title:  The Best Way to Pick Up a Girl
Author:  Paul Kyriazi
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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The Best Way to Pick Up a Girl
Copyright © 2004, Paul Kyriazi
How to Live the James Bond Lifestyle
http://www.BondLife.com



You see her across the room.  Ah, so attractive.  But nobody to
introduce her to you.  "Ah, I'll do a James Bond on her," you
think.  Now what was Bond's first words to Pussy Galore?  "I
must be dreaming."  No, that won't work.  How about singing
"Underneath the Mango Tree" to her as Bond did to Honey Rider
in "Dr. No".  Ah?  No!

Well, what's left?  You'll just have to go up and talk to her,
if it's a situation where you won't see her again.  But it's
always safe to assume that she has a boyfriend that can squeeze
the stuffings out of a gold ball.  That aside, take a chance
and make polite conversation.  What's the worst that can happen.
She says, "I'm sorry, I'm not available."  and you save the
time and money of a date with her.  Like George Burns says,
"When a beautiful woman says "no" to me, it's a relief.

If you know that you will see her again, like at your university,
your job, or working at a restaurant, you can have another shot
at her and use the shy man's approach to getting a date.

"You farm boys don't make a  pitch, you just shy your way into
position,"  Ann Margaret says to Pat Boone in "State Fair".

Okay, here it is.  Instead of asking her to dinner or out on a
date which has romance intended, get some tickets to a concert
or event first, and then with tickets in hand say, "I just
happened to have tickets to this event.  If you'd like to go
with me, I'd be happy to take you."  This way the subject is
the event.  Talk about the person singing at the concert,
instead of if the two of you could hit it off or not.  She can
easily say yes or no, or ask more questions about you or the
time and place of the event.  She doesn't have the pressure of
turning you down, so she can just turn the event down and that
will be that.  And if by chance she can't make that date, but
is interested in you, she can start talking about going out
another time.

I've strongly suggested this "ticket" technique to both men and
women who are infatuated with someone at work, or at shop, or
restaurant, and have no idea how to make an approach.  If the
person is available, they usually say yes to an invitation.
After all, it's just going to an event.  It's not really a
date.

I used this "ticket" technique in college to ask out a beautiful
stranger.  I was very shy, but was "in love" from a distance so
I had to take some kind of scary attraction.  Her name was Cindy
and I often saw her in the student lounge surrounded by guys.
It took weeks of watching her before I could catch her walking
alone, and ask her if she'd like to go see the reserved seat
Cinerama showing of "Grand Prix".  She said, "Well, I don't
know you, but if you come and talk to me sometimes and I get
to know you, then maybe."

So in the next days I made an attempts at getting in a few words
with her as she talked with her friends.  Then I found out she
was taking the film appreciation class that I had taken a
semester earlier.  So I pushed the teacher to show my new 16mm
action film  in the class that she was in.  He fiqured I had a
secret motive because he said he'd show it in the morning class,
but I said it had to be shown in the afternoon class (the one
Cindy was in).  Finally, he agreed.

I not only directed the film, but had a part in it where I used
my newly learned karate and hoped she would be impressed.  The
film went over great with the class cheering and applauding.
As she was leaving the class I said to her, "Well, do you know
me well enough now?"  She said, "To go out with you?  I replied,
"Yes."  She smilled and nodded her head yes.

So don't "ask her out".  Don't "take her to dinner". Get some
tickets, and maybe she'll answer you like Cameron Diaz does in
"Charlie's Angels".  "Tickets?  I love tickets!"



Resource Box:
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Paul Kyriazi - "How to Live the James Bond Lifestyle"
http://www.BondLife.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Wed Feb  4 02:16:22 EST 2004


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Make Profits On Online Shopping

Time was when shopping was a painful experience, a chore to be lived
with. Cash Back schemes have now brought the fun back into shopping.
One can now shop online and purchase all that you need without even
leaving home. What's more, these online purchases also pay you back a
certain amount on your purchases. Online purchase stores are now
offering its customers up to 40% Cash Back on every purchase made.
For shoppers, who do not like to venture out for their shopping and
make all their purchases from online stores, these Cash Back rebate
programmes actually pay them back for just the pains you are taking
to go online.

Now, you may say that all this seems too good to be true, and might
be skeptical about the whole idea. But all the skepticism becomes mud
once you have the hard cash on your hands….. Yes, the Cash Back. The
Cash Back Rebate Programme works once you make a particular online
shopping site, such as ours, your gateway to make all your online
purchases. The share of the commissions which we get from our online
stores for bringing customers to them is then shared with…… who else,
but YOU.

The Cash Back Rebate Programmes on the web consist of Cash Back on
Credit Cards, Cash Back on Real Estate, Cash Back on Mortgage and
Cash Back on Juvenile Money, apart from Cash Back shopping. When you
log on to an online site offering Cash Back on Real Estate, find a
good real estate agent who can buy you a good property or sell you a
good one, and you will receive a share of the commission that is paid
to the site by the agent for finding him a customer. This same
principal operates on all the online sites which provide Cash Back
Rebate Programmes to its surfers. Cash Back Mortgages provide you
with a very useful cash injection at a very expensive time of your
life.

The unique concept of Cash Back must have become clear to you by now.
You can now prepare yourself to just sit in front of your computer
and not only make your purchases, but also get paid back for it. Cash
Back is shopping made bliss when you get all that hard cash in your
hand after all the purchases you have made.

Sites which offers Cash Back opportunities to its surfers have
quality stores like eBay, Circuit City, Hotwire, Advanta, TechDepot,
Best Buy, Target on its site. So you're purchasing from quality
stores as well as saving on cash. It's a veritable windfall for you,
so don't miss out on such opportunities which you can find plenty on
the net.

Ricky Ahuja
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Ricky Ahuja is currently the CEO of http://www.ruinit.com ,
overseeing all operations for the company. He formed the Company and
immediately tasked himself with orchestrating and building a strong
management team, innovating its Cash Back Wizard technology and
improving the user experience. Ahuja made the critical decision to
partner with Nusance Technologies, a then little known company with a
unique approach to Web programming and development. He is also
responsible for helping the relaunch of Discovery.com division of
Discovery Channel, the leading media and interactive corporation.
Ahuja also served as the VP of Marketing and Business Development for
G&B Enterprise, Inc.

He can be contacted at ricky@... and at 773-865-4325.

Please consider this article for your website or
eZine .  Permission to reprint if byline stays
intact.  May change title if you like.  Courtesy
copy appreciated.

TITLE:  Ecards as a marketing tool
AUTHOR:  Dessy Oundian
WORD COUNT:  608
URL:
http://musthavemarketing.com/articlelib/articles/ecardsmarketing.htm

"Ecards as a marketing tool"
by Dessy Oundian

As any successful businessman will confirm, having a great product
or service is just the beginning. After all, in this day and age,
everything comes down to marketing. The more creative you are in
your marketing efforts, the more successful your business is. There
are many ways to promote your business without spending a fortune.
In this article I will describe one of the most powerful tools on
the Internet – ecards!

Ecards (electronic greeting cards) are a great example of efficient
marketing on the internet. You have a service open to the Internet
users. The ecards they send from your site invariably contain
promotion for your company, products or services. They are
advertising tools that are immediate, inexpensive, personalized and
although sent via email, S.P.A.M.-free.

This form of Internet marketing is extremely effective. More than
50% of the U.S. population and 85% of all Internet users visit a
greeting's site annually, according to research firm Jupiter
MediaMetrix. Why not use even a small percentage of these potential
clients to your advantage? OK, BlueMountain.com has more than 100
million unique visitors each year, but even with less numbers, the
potential is there. Remember, with each sent ecard from your site
you have at least two potential clients!

If someone utilizes the ecards service on average only twice a day,
in the period of a year the service is advertised approximately 730
times. Multiply this number by the number of registered users and
you get yourself a healthy advertising stream. Recognizing the huge
potential, in 1999 Excite@Home Corp. paid $780 million for the
purchase of BlueMountain.com. How much would you pay for that type
of advertising?

No need to answer -- you can have an ecard site for a lot less. The
concept is the same, and you can use it just as the big boys. You
can build a database of qualified prospects and use ecards to:
- Promote - promote products and services
- Brand - create company awareness among your client base
- Invite - invite people to seminars and events
- Remind - send appointment reminders
- Inform - send Client appreciation memos, Recruiting/hiring
notices, etc.
- Reference - send Birthday wishes, Holiday greetings, Thank You's,
etc.

OK, so now you know you need an ecard section on your site. What do
you need next?

Content:
Custom content: If you have a larger budget you can have an well-
known artist create custom animated ecards for you. On average, a
Flash animated ecard costs $350.
Leased content: A much cheaper way to obtain high quality content is
to use the services of a company like Cardsup Greetings
(http://www.cardsup.com). Their ecards have been used by such sites
as Yahoo Greetings, Regards.com, ecards.com, etc. For a very
reasonable price you will get:

GREAT CONTENT for your existing web site, made by some of the best
animators/cartoonists in the business.
TIMELY UPDATES -- you will receive monthly Flash ecards! Each month
you will get from 5 to 30 additional ecards at no cost.
SCREENSAVERS -- you will receive all additional animations as
screensavers too, and you will be able to sell them to your
customers.

Ecards software:
There are a lot of very good ecard programs on the Internet. I
highly recommend the following:

- MyPostCards Platinum (http://mypostcards.com/platinum/)
- ECardsPro price U$299 (http://www.ecardspro.com/)
- Greeting Card PRO price U$249 (http://www.greetingcardpro.com/)
- Greeting Cards Pro price U$249 (http://www.all-yours.net/software/)

Web Hosting:
If you do not have a web host for your site, be sure to check out
Fullservehost.com (http://www.fullservehost.com). They have plans
for ecard sites owners that come with card software.


Dessy Oundian is a the marketing Guru behind http://www.etoon.com --
one of the largest searchable cartoon databases in the world. Find T-
shirts and other custom apparel, get information about licensing our
cartoons or send e-cards.

You have permission to publish this article in your ezine
or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the bylines
are included and no alterations are made. A courtesy copy of your
publication would be appreciated. Please send to
r.burton @ clear.net.nz



9 Pointers for Evaluating a Business Proposal

by
Ray Burton

Finding a business opportunity on the net is easy. But evaluating the
right one for you, takes a little knowledge. With so many scams,
takers and failed ventures you need a little more than the, "highest
dollar for the least amount of work" approach. So what should you
look for when evaluating an opportunity? Here are 9 pointers.

1. Is it legal?
	 Do they have a product? Many programs on the net are
simply "money movers" with no real products. If this is the case then
it's probably illegal simple as that. If you are serious about
developing an online reputation for quality and reliability, then
don't even entertain the idea of quick easy money. It will catch up
with you!
	 Do they know and follow the law concerning matters such as
CAN SPAM and other website legalities?  There is no excuse for
ignorance on the net! Do your home work and check out:
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt9/canspam_comply.htm
http://www.ipcgold.com/ad/112/CD996
	 Do a search on the names of the owners and founders of the
products.

2. Does their product have value and advantage?
	 Is the product something that people want with the potential
for repeat sales giving value for money at a competitive price? Do
your homework. Search the net for equivalent products and do a price
comparison. Does it offer a marketing advantage of some kind? What
are the selling benefits of the product over their competitors? If
they don't have a marketing advantage why would anyone buy their
products?

3. Is it residual?
	 The best opportunities are the ones that have a growing
industry and ideally repeat sales. Make sure if you are marketing a
product that you get the benefit of the repeat sales. This is called
residual income. If you are expected to find customers but only get
the benefit of the first sale, this is unethical and unfair. It is a
good idea to evaluate what % is paid back in commissions for the cost
of the product or service. All good opportunities pay back an
absolute minimum of 20%. Decide you are worth at least that much to
them.

4. How long will it pay?
	 The world is a fast changing place. The cyberworld is even
faster! Ask yourself where will the product be in 12 months, 2, and 5
years down the track? This is particularly important for digital and
information products. Ask yourself the same about the company. Are
they around for a quick buck or do they have a plan to establish long
term commerce? Will they develop or keep up with new technologies to
maintain a competitive edge? If this information is not readily
available on their website, ask them. If they are not planners then
they will not survive

5. How long will it take?
	 Take a long hard look at their compensation plan and compare
it to your own goals. Is it cost effective on an hourly basis for the
final outcome. You may have to make a decision by balancing time for
outcome. You may consider it worthwhile putting in 20 hours work over
and above a regular 40 hour job for a small return initially, if the
final outcome is say 10 hours per week total for a 5 fold income. Of
course you will have to decide first of all exactly how much time you
are willing to work on the proposal then ask yourself is their
program sufficiently automated to be worth your while?

6. Do they want your success as much as their own?
	 What is their commitment to you in terms of training and
support? If they are not willing to train and support you for your
success, are you willing to carry the responsibility of training
yourself and dealing with product problems? In my opinion you must
have online support and training for whatever you need to do for the
mutual success of both you and the company. This can be in the form
of email support, forums and a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page
on their website.

7. What are the hidden costs?
	 Ask yourself, "What do I need over and above their proposal
in order to achieve my goals", then factor this in to your decision
making process. In this you should include things like further study,
tools, web hosting expenses, stationary,
travel expenses, accommodation etc. It is also important with some
businesses to find out if you have a minimum purchase requirement,
frequency of compensation and the time period between sales and
commission. All these will affect your cash flow. You should then
work out exactly what it takes to firstly break even, then become
profitable and finally achieve your goals.

8. Is their a lead generation system ?
	 What assistance is given for approaching potential customers
through to closing the deal? This is often non existent with you left
to do it all. The best opportunities are fully automated for
efficiency but flexible enough to have the essential personal touch.
It can be hard work sifting through the opportunities to find
your "Ticket2Success".

9. Do they have a money back guarantee?
	 Whether the product is digital or hardware people will expect
a guarantee. Are you able to return and refund products quickly and
easily with out problem? Is it clear who handles the finances and
complaints in the event of an unhappy customer? You don't want to be
left with egg on your face after creating a good online reputation!



-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ray Burton is an internet marketer specializing in affiliate
programs, business opportunities, joint ventures and resources to
create your online success. He has paid special attention to online
training programs for new marketers. You can visit his store and
collect a "ticket2success" at http://www.cyberchoices.net  The mini
site - mega store.

© R.Burton  Jan 2004    All rights reserved

Title:  Fibromyalgia Pain Relief
Author:  Wendy Springer
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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Copyright © 2004, Wendy Springer
Shop By Click Health Section
http://www.shop-by-click.com/medication/index.html



FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome) is a musculoskeletal pain and fatigue
disorder with an unknown cause. The term Fibromyalgia means
pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons – the soft fibrous
tissues in the body. Although there is no known cure, there are
things that can be done to produce fibromyalgia pain relief.

FMS symptoms patients always report that "they ache all over".
Frequently the pain is reported to be similar to that of a
strained muscle or a burning sensation. FMS affects women more
than it does men and it strikes people of all ages.
all ages.

Fatigue is also reported by patients afflicted with FMS.  Beyond
mere physical fatigue, it is often described as "brain fatigue"
that cause patients to feel totally drained of energy. Although
fibromyalgia pain relief procedures can help with the pain, they
do very little to combat the fatigue, nor do they counteract the
accompanying sleep disorder, called the alpha-EEG anomaly, that
many patients experience.

Just as important as being able to provide some measure of
fibromyalgia pain relief, researchers are seeking ways to combat
the occurrence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Constipation, diarrhea,
frequent abdominal pain, abdominal gas, and nausea that are reported
by approximately 40 to 70% of FMS patients. Also, chronic headaches,
including recurrent migraine headaches, appear in about 50% of
FMS patients.

Other common symptoms that appear in FMS patients include PMS,
painful periods, chest pain, morning stiffness, cognitive or
memory impairment, numbness and tingling sensations, muscle
twitching, irritable bladder, the feeling of swollen extremities,
skin sensitivities, dry eyes and mouth, dizziness, and impaired
coordination can occur. Patients are often sensitive to odors,
loud noises, bright lights, and sometimes even the medications
that they are prescribed.

Current treatments focus on bringing some measure of fibromyalgia
pain relief. Most crucial are methods to bring about deep level
(stage 4) sleep to encourage tissue repair and antibody production,
as well as the regulation of various neurotransmitters, hormones
and immune system chemicals.

Beyond medication, a holistic approach to providing fibromyalgia
pain relief typically includes physical and occupational therapy,
acupuncture, acupressure, relaxation/biofeedback techniques,
osteopathic manipulation, chiropractic care, therapeutic massage,
or a gentle exercise program.

Ongoing studies on FMS show that although chronic, the symptoms
may come and go over a period of time. When present, ot has a
marked effect on daily living activities, including the
ability to work a full-time job. THousands of research hours are
spent each year in an effort to perfect the methods of providing
fibromyalgia pain relief, as well as searching for a cure.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Wendy Springer is a writer on wellness topics at the Shop By
Click Health Section. Visit to learn more about various health
conditions and find resources online to help relieve symptoms:
http://www.shop-by-click.com/medication/index.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Thu Jan 29 03:00:45 EST 2004


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Title:  Ten Ways to do Tuscan on a Budget
Author:  Pamela Cole Harris
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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Ten Ways to do Tuscan on a Budget
Copyright © 2004, Pamela Cole Harris
Home and Garden Makeover.com
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com



Sun-drenched days under the Tuscan sky…pasta and wine under
olive trees to the sound of the courtyard fountain. Sound
wonderful? Yes! But if you haven't won the lottery and a move
to Tuscany isn't in your future, you can bring that warm Tuscan
feel to your home (even if you live in Buffalo!). Here's how on
a bargain budget:

1. Bring color and texture to your home with rich, earthy reds
    and oranges. If red is too much for you, try a warm muted
    yellow or creamy stucco.

2. Copper pots and copper trimmed baskets can still be found at
    thrift shops. Find dried flowers, artificial fruit and ivy to
    fill the pots and baskets for a taste of an Italian vineyard.

3. Look for terracotta pots and lots of them. Fill them with
    greenery (and a few artificial grapes) to create a Tuscan
    feel in your room. Arrange them in groups of three or more!

4. Scavenge architectural features from salvage yards or garage
    sales. Old iron gates, windows or bits of railing can create
    rustic wall art.

5. Change your cabinet door fronts to chicken wire! Not only is
    it decorative, it is also practical (and cheap)!

6. Build a visual sense of having a grotto with tall artificial
    plants and a wrought iron archway to separate a special,
    intimate corner of the room. Check your local garden center
    for ideas!

7. Cover old picture frames with strips of leather cut from
    thrift shop coats. Wind the strips around the frame and
    secure the ends with a hot glue gun.

8. Mismatched ceramic and terracotta tiles can be arranged as
    a group on the wall or table. They can be used as coasters or
    trivets. Or they can be broken and used to make your own
    mosaic table top! Just add grout and tile to an old
    thrift-shop table!

9. Remember the old wrought iron accessories of the 60s? They
    are still available at thrift shops. They make wonderful
    additions to your Tuscan room!

10. To create the feeling of a courtyard indoors, install a
    fountain! A terracotta or stone-look fountain in the corner
    surrounded by plants and a small wrought iron table is a
    wonderful place to have breakfast. It's almost like being
    in Italy!

Have fun with your décor! Use your imagination to bring faraway
places to your own home! Hmmmm….maybe I will do that Amazonian
jungle bedroom I've always wanted!



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Pamela Cole Harris is an editor, writer, eco-decorator and the
author of "100+ Wildly Imaginative Ways to Create Your Own
Coffee Table (available at http://www.lulu.com/pamelacoleharris
). Visit her website, http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com, for
her unique view of home decorating and remodeling (and a free
monthly newsletter!).
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Thu Jan 29 02:45:38 EST 2004


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Title:  TIMING IS EVERYTHING WHEN IT COMES TO BUYING HOMES
Author:  W. Troy Swezey
Copyright: 2004

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TIMING IS EVERYTHING WHEN IT COMES TO BUYING HOMES
Copyright © 2004, W. Troy Swezey
Author of *Real Estate Secrets Exposed*
http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com



he old adage that “timing is everything” especially applies to
buying a new home.  And trying to be at the right house at the
right time and get it for the right price can be tricky.  Here
are some guidelines to assist you:

· Turn to the real estate section of your Sunday newspaper.
   Monitor the market and tract home prices. Expect to spend 90
   days watching the real estate market through advertisements.
   Question and investigate homes that are advertised month after
   month.  Hard-to-sell properties could either be a warning sign
   or simply overpriced for the value.

· When a real estate agent provides you with descriptions of
   homes currently on the market from the Multiple Listing
   Service (MLS), ask for a list of homes that were on the
   market within the last six months or year in the same
   neighborhood.  Compare asking prices to actual sales prices
   for the same type homes.

· In addition to monitoring housing prices, learn to identify
   hot, up-and-coming neighborhoods by tracking selling prices
   from week to week.  If one neighborhood experiences price
   booms while other house prices are sluggish, its’ clear which
   community to invest in.  If you’re passionate about an upscale
   area – and on a budget – prepare to buy a fixer-upper and
   invest some money in renovation.  Conversely, beware of buying
   a beautiful home in a marginal area.  You may not get your
   money back when you sell.

· Keep close watch on the fluctuating mortgage interest rates.
   Low interest rates are the most inspiring reason to buy
   property.  Watch the rate of United States Treasury Bills.
   According to Sonny Block, well-known talk show hose and real
   estate author. T-bills are a sure way of predicting the rise
   and fall of mortgage rates.

· Also watch the national Discount Rate, the rate at which banks
   can borrow money from the government.  When the Discount Rate
   drops, banks pay less for borrowing the money and in turn
   reduce mortgage rates to the borrower.

Predicting when a market is ripe for home buying is not an exact
science – even for real estate experts.  However, by following
these simple tips – and staying on top of real estate trends,
sales patterns and interest fluctuations, you are sure to get
the best house for your buck.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
W. Troy Swezey is the author of “TIMING IS EVERYTHING WHEN IT
COMES TO BUYING HOMES."  As a Realtor at Century 21 Paul &
Associates, he has helped many individuals with their real estate
needs. Visit his web site to download his free e-book, “REAL
ESTATE SECRETS EXPOSED.” http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com or
mailto:TroyC21@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Thu Jan 29 02:35:34 EST 2004


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Title:  Keyword Density And How To Use It To Keep Traffic Flowing To Your Site!
Author:  Avril Harper
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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Keyword Density And How To Use It To Keep Traffic Flowing To Your Site!
Copyright © 2004, Avril Harper
Publishing Circles
http://www.publishingcircles.com



Generating high traffic to your web site can be costly, or not,
depending on time and effort you commit to the business.

One of the easiest, least expensive and most effective ways to
get visitors is via a concept called 'Keyword Density'.

The concept rests on the knowledge that search engines spider
the Internet for sites containing keywords similar to those
someone has just keyed into a search engine. The more times
those words appear on your site - conditionally - the more
chance you'll get that high ranking.

But search engines aim for relevance, too, so a site actually
bearing little relevance to specific terms might rank high for
a short while, until human editors come in, check it out, then
abandon the site as irrelevant to their customers.

It's all about 'content' which for our purposes means useful
articles, information and advice that search engines consider
valuable to their customers, rather than pages packed with
advertisements and little else (unless they're getting paid
for it via pay per click promotions, of course!).

For example, 'sex' is a hot topic on the Internet and the
subject of millions of searches every month. How wonderful
for your site to appear to everyone searching for 'sex' -
(one day I will rephrase that) - who happens upon pages
offering discount holidays, printer refill cartridges, golf
clubs, pencils, but not sex!

The point is, anyone using specific techniques to lift their
own non-sex-related site high on the listings when someone keys
'sex' into search engines will soon be exposed and probably
banned for life from most search engine listings. By 'techniques'
I mean pasting the word 'sex' all over the background of your
site selling lawn mowers, or calling your site 'Everything to
Do with Sex' when your site bears no relevance at all to the
'S' word.

Here are a few ways to use keyword density to increase your
chance of a higher ranking over site owners who don't try
quite so hard:

· Choose a domain name containing words and phrases most
   commonly searched for by your target audience. The site
   for my mystery shopping book, for example, is
   www.mystery-shopping.org.uk. Other examples from my own
   collection, with titles, articles, domain names based on
   keyword density: www.fiveminutewriter.com,
   www.propertyfront.net, www.resell-rights.net.

· Include your best key words and phrases in page titles, for
   both the home page and all additional pages. My mystery
   shopping site has pages entitled: Get Paid to Shop or Even
   Start Your Own Mystery Shopping Business, Travel Free, Get
   Paid to Play Golf, and articles entitled: Start Your Own
   Mystery Shopping Business, Get Paid to Shop and Keep
   Everything You Buy Without Having to Pay! Those titles came,
   not surprisingly, because 'Get Paid to Shop' and 'Start
   Mystery Shopping Business' are common terms used by people
   seeking products like mine.

· Descriptions, keyword entries and metatags used when designing
   your site should also contain some of the most common terms
   used by your target audience. For a dating agency, the
   keywords might be 'dating', 'dating agency', 'online dating',
   and so on.

· It might be beneficial to use key words in titles for
   pictures and graphics used on your site. For example, my site
   www.boxerdog.biz has several pictures of cute boxer dogs, all
   mine, with gifs labelled boxerdog1, boxerdog2, boxerdog3, and
   so on. Beneath each picture there's a caption including the
   phrase 'boxer dog'. One of my first excursions into keyword
   analysis showed the term 'boxer dog' is keyed into search
   engines around 46,000 times every month. Not only that, but
   I love boxer dogs, and can think of nothing more delightful
   than marketing products for them and their two-legged friends.
   But, realistically, editors might consider my graphics titles
   a bit OTT (Over The Top) and this could adversely affect my
   rankings. I shall just have to wait and see!

· Have articles uploaded to your own and other people's sites.
   Search engines love articles and other chunks of useful
   information to benefit their customers, making articles one
   of the very best ways to lift your site high in search engine
   rankings. Again, use your keywords in page headings and
   article titles to further increase your chances, as I did for
   www.boxerdog.biz which includes articles called The Boxer Dog
   Who Cheated Death Row and Became a Television Star Instead,
   The Boxer Dog With the Longest Tongue, The Boxer Dog Who
   Received Hate Mail. Make sure the articles contain links back
   to your main web site, the one you want people to visit, and
   try to include those same articles on other sites to increase
   links to your main site that might also attract visitors to
   your site.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Harper is the author of 'Keyword Density and How to Get
A Top Listing on Major Search Engines'.  Get your copy free by
emailing avril@... with subject 'Keywords
Report'.  More copyright-free articles and ebooks are available
at http://www.publishingcircles.com
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Posted: Thu Jan 29 02:24:06 EST 2004


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Title:  Five Keys to Remodeling on a Budget
Author:  Pamela Cole Harris
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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Five Keys to Remodeling on a Budget
Copyright © 2004, Pamela Cole Harris
Home and Garden Makeover.com
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com



We would all love to remodel our home. The evidence? Just look
at the profusion of new programs dealing with remodeling rooms,
houses, or yards by neighbors, mothers, complete strangers or
your Uncle Mort on a $1000, $500 or $1.98 budget. If you, upon
viewing one too many episodes of Trading Spaces, have decided to
take the plunge, here are a few tips to ensure your remodeling
project is completed under budget.

1. Prioritize your needs and wants. Write down the top ten items
    you need, then write down the top ten items you want. Put
    your money towards your needs first, then you can use any
    extra money for things that you want.

2. So you want granite countertops and hardwood floors? You
    want wall-to-wall ceramic tile in the bath? Try alternative
    materials to give you the look you want for a lot less money.
    Try laminated stone countertops made with thin slabs of
    bonded granite and laminate flooring to resemble hardwoods
    or tile.

3. Do as much of the work as you can yourself. There are plenty
    of websites on the internet that will give you instructions
    and tips and your local home improvement store will be happy
    to advise you (especially if you are buying supplies from
    them!). If you use a contractor, you can save money by
    removing the old cabinets or flooring yourself.

4. If possible, try not to knock down walls or make other
    structural changes. Working with existing plumbing,
    electrical wiring and walls will dramatically reduce
    the cost of the project.

5 Take your time and have a plan. Taking it slow is the
    remodeling equivalent of "measuring twice and cutting
    once." Anything you have to re-do just adds to your total
    cost.

If you plan your project, take it slow and resist knocking
down walls, you should have no problem staying under budget.
On the other hand, if you wake up with the overwhelming urge
to remodel that bathroom today and an irresistible itch to use
a sledgehammer, prepare to open the checkbook and kiss your
budget goodbye!



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Pamela Cole Harris is an editor, writer, eco-decorator and the
author of "100+ Wildly Imaginative Ways to Create Your Own
Coffee Table (available at http://www.lulu.com/pamelacoleharris
). Visit her website, http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com, for
her unique view of home decorating and remodeling (and a free
monthly newsletter!).
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Tue Jan 27 02:16:10 EST 2004


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Title:  A Guide to America’s Most Common Home Styles
Author:  W. Troy Swezey
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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A Guide to America’s Most Common Home Styles
Copyright © 2004, W. Troy Swezey
Author of *Real Estate Secrets Exposed*
http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com



Styles of houses vary across the country.  From the New England
Cape Cod to the Victorians of San Francisco, the choices are
almost endless.  Knowing which style you prefer is one of the
basic elements in your hunt for the perfect home.

Following is a quick guide to help you recognize and use the
professional terms for many of the most prevalent house styles:

· Ranch:  these long, low houses rank among the most popular
   types in the country.  The ranch, which developed from early
   homes in the West and Southwest, is one-story with a low
   pitched room.  The raised ranch, which is also common is the
   U.S.. has two levels, each accessible from the home’s entry
   foyer, which features staircases to both upper and lower
   levels.

· Cape Cod:  this compact story-and-a-half house is small and
   symmetrical with a central entrance and a step, gable roof.
   Brick, wood or aluminum siding are the materials most commonly
   seen.

· Georgian:  Popular in New England, the Georgian has a very
   formal appearance with tow or three stories and classic lines.
   Usually built of red brick, the rectangular house has thin
   columns alongside the entry, and multi-paned windows above
   the door and throughout the house.  Two large chimneys rise
   high above the roof at each end.

· Tudor:   modeled after the English country cottage.  Tudor
   styling features trademark dark-wood timbering set against
   light-colored stucco that highlights the top half of the house
   and frames the numerous windows.  The bottom half of the house
   is often made of brick.

· Queen Anne/Victorian:  Developed from styles originated in
   Great Britain, these homes are usually two-story frame with
   large rooms, high ceilings and porches along the front and
   sometimes sides of the house.  Peaked roofs and ornamental
   wood trim, many times referred to as “gingerbread,” decorate
   these elaborate homes.

· Pueblo/Santa Fe Style – Popular in the Southwest, these homes
   are either frame or adobe brick with a stucco exterior.  The
   flat rood has protruding, rounded beams called vigas.  One or
   two story, the homes feature covered/enclosed patios and an
   abundance of tile.

· Dutch Colonial – the Dutch Colonial has two or two-and-one-half
   stories covered by a gambrel roof (having two lopes on each
   side, with the lower slope steeper than the upper, flatter
   slope) and eaves that flare outward.  This style is
   traditionally make of brick or shingles.

· New England Colonial – This two-and-one-half story early
   American style is box like with a gable roof.  The traditional
   material is narrow clapboard siding and a shingle roof.  The
   small-pane, double-hung windows usually have working wood
   shutters.

· Southern Colonial –this large, two-to-three-story frame house
   is world famous for its large front columns and wide porches.

· Split-levels: Split-level houses have one living level about
   half a floor above the other living level.  When this type of
   home is built on three different levels, it is called a
   tri-level.



These are just a few of the many styles of homes available
across the country – some are more prominent in different areas
than others.  Knowing home style terms will help you zero in on
the type of house that will fill your needs and suit your taste.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
W. Troy Swezey is the author of "A Guide to America’s Most Common
Home Styles."  As a Realtor at Century 21 Paul & Associates, he
has helped many individuals with their real estate needs. Visit
his web site to download his free e-book, “REAL ESTATE SECRETS
EXPOSED.” http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com or
mailto:TroyC21@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Tue Jan 27 02:31:52 EST 2004


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Title:  Follow the Leader? It’s a New Game!
Author:  Patsi Krakoff
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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Follow the Leader? It’s a New Game!
Copyright © 2004, Patsi Krakoff
Customized Newsletters.com
http://www.customizednewsletters.com



"Leaders rarely use their power wisely or effectively over long
periods unless they are supported by followers who have the
stature to help them do so."
--- Ira Chaleff, The Courageous Follower, 2003

Organizations are successful or not partly on the basis of how
well their leaders lead, but also on the basis of how well their
followers follow. What is the role of the follower and how does
it affect leadership behavior?

When there is a crisis, when a company fails or commits some
malfeasance, everyone cries out: "How could that have happened
here? How come nobody said anything?" A look at recent corporate
scandals reveals examples of not only leadership failure but
also a serious lack of responsible followership.

No matter how much partnership and empowerment there is, the CEO
has ultimate authority and responsibility. But the most capable
team members fail when they gripe about their leader but do not
say or do anything to help them improve or get back on track.

New roles for everyone

The movement away from command and control leadership has
brought new leadership styles that are more democratic and
coach-like. There are also new ways of interacting in the
follower role. Setting aside possible aversion to the term,
the new flatter business organization requires more responsible
followers.

Executive team members may be hesitant to speak up when the
leader makes mistakes, whether they are made from the best of
intentions or the worst. After all, "She's (or he's) the boss."
Although we've grown beyond authoritarian leadership whereby
followers have no accountability, we haven't yet developed a
model for responsible participation at the follower level for
the new leadership styles.

Five Patterns of Following

Robert E. Kelley, in his landmark article for HBR "In Praise of
Followers" (1988), describes five types of followers in
organizations.

    Sheep are passive participants and uncritical thinkers. They
    lack initiative and responsibility. They perform the required
    task and then stop.

    Yes People appear livelier but are also unenterprising. They
    depend on the leader and are servile. Their participation
    stifles creativity and energy.

    Alienated Followers are independent but passive thinkers.
    They perform with cynicism. They seldom actively oppose or
    speak up.

    Survivors believe "it is better to be safe than sorry." They
    are adept at surviving change.

Effective Followers perform with energy and assertiveness. They
are critical independent thinkers and will proactively challenge
decisions. They are risk-takers and problem solvers. They can
usually work without strong leadership.

Four Keys to Good Followership

There are four essential qualities of effective followers (from
Robert E. Kelley, Harvard Business Review, Nov./Dec.1988).

1. Self Management: The key to being effective as a follower is
    the ability to think for oneself.

2. Commitment: They are committed to the purpose of the
    organization, and to certain principles and values.

3. Competence and focus: They have high standards of performance
    and are continually updating their skills and abilities.

4. Courage: They are credible, honest and have the courage to
    speak up. They keep leaders and colleagues honest and
    informed.

In information-age organizations, hundreds of decentralized
units process and rapidly act on varied input within the design
and purpose of the organization. This requires an entirely
different relationship between leaders and followers.

Part of the problem in following responsibly and pro-actively
lies in the tendency for people to relate to authority figures
as they would in a parent-child relationship. Early childhood
memories deeply embedded in the subconscious mind trigger
emotions in a split second. It doesn't take much (a look, a
tone of voice) for anger or anxiety to be triggered by the boss.
A degree of emotional intelligence can help regulate and allow
more appropriate interactions.

The danger in the leader-follower relationship is the
assumption that the leader's interpretation must dominate. If
this assumption exists on the part of either the leader or the
follower, creativity and problem-solving processes become
stifled.

It is obviously not an easy task to speak up and challenge the
leader, but without the courage and skill to do so, corporate
scandals can ensue. Giving candid feedback to the boss is a
skill that is not practiced as often as necessary. Working with
a neutral party such as a consultant or executive coach can help
a follower or executive team member to act courageously and
effectively.

The full 2,000-word article expands on the following concepts:

Leading and Following: A Symbiosis
Five Styles of Following
Four Essential Qualities of Effective Followers
Four Keys to Developing Effective Followers
A List of Resources on Followership

To purchase the full article with reprint rights and use it
in your own newsletters $69:
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Patsi Krakoff is writer, editor and creator of Customized
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Posted: Tue Jan 27 02:46:58 EST 2004


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Title:  Creates Business Success
Author:  Mark Munday
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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Creates Business Success
Copyright © 2004, Mark Munday
Business Strategist and Coach
http://www.StratPlanWizard.com



It is often said that you just can't be everything to everyone.
This is especially true in business. The worst thing business
owners can do is to delude themselves into thinking that
everyone is in their buying audience.

Trying to satisfy everyone's requirements for your products or
services is a really big ask. And it is a thankless task too.
You run the risk of being only moderately successful at keeping
all your customers happy. This means that customer satisfaction,
on average, probably won't be high enough to bring you lots of
referrals and repeat business. And your business will be only
moderately successful.

As a small business owner, you will do far better if you focus
the delivery of your offering on satisfying the needs of a very
specific subset of the market. Because your niche market has
well defined needs, it is easier to satisfy them. And your
selected customers are like to be a lot more pleased with your
services.

You make a much bigger splash by jumping up and down in a
puddle, than when you bob up and down in the sea. Similarly,
focusing on a niche target market means that you have a much
greater impact on the customers you serve. Customer satisfaction
soars. And your reputation as a specialist grows as customers
pass the word around.

The need for a well defined market niche increases dramatically
as markets become more competitive. Having a market niche
enables you to differentiate yourself from competitors. And
it provides you with a steady stream of business, even in the
most crowded, fiercely competitive market.

Let's consider an example. Imagine that you are an ex-accountant,
and that you have decided to cash in on the booming internet
business market. So, you buy some equipment and software, and
you set yourself up to provide website hosting services.

The market for this service is enormous. Millions of new
websites are created every year. And the rate of growth is
skyrocketing. But you are dismayed to find that attracting any
of this business is almost impossible for a small newcomer like
you. There are so many people out there doing the same thing at
cutthroat prices, that you just can't get your business off the
ground.

Imagine how different your experience might have been if you
only offered this service to accountants, together with a suite
of tools accountants require for servicing their clients over
the internet. As an ex-accountant, you would understand the needs
of your target market very well. So you could put together a
compelling service offering. You would also have the credibility
it takes to inspire confidence in prospective clients.

Your specialisation would give all accountants out there who
want to get on the net, a really good reason to do business with
you. The size of this target market would be a small fraction of
all the people creating websites. But your ability to penetrate
this niche market would be infinitely greater. As a specialist,
you are also able to charge more for your products and services.
Which means that you don't have to compete on price.

Dominating a niche market means that you are well placed to
build a compelling competitive advantage. One that brings you
sustainable business success in a highly competitive market.

Applying this principle will make any business more successful.
You can base a market niche on various criteria : your location,
profile of your customers, industry knowledge, people you know
etc.

Think of how you can add value for your customers in a way that
no one else is doing it. And use this as your starting point.
Your objective should be to create and take ownership of a
market niche. And to do it in a way that makes your position
virtually un-assailable.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As a Business Strategist and Coach, Mark works with business
owners to help them achieve their business goals. He has just
unveiled a unique and revolutionary system for building your
business into what you really want it to become. Be sure to
review it at http://www.StratPlanWizard.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Tue Jan 27 02:03:40 EST 2004


For more articles by this author, please visit:

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What is an Investor Ready Business Plan

A Business Plan, as all good entrepreneurs starting out in life
should know is the foundation, or rather a springboard, towards the
establishment and growth of a new business. A business plan is an
essential tool for companies raising capital – and your business
plan needs to be Investor Ready.

What is an Investor Ready business plan?
An investor ready business plan is a document that has been
professionally prepared to meet the needs of both Venture
Capitalists and Angel investors. In your Business Plan, you should
be able to see your own project through the investor's eye. Your
plan must be able to answer the concerns of an investor.

The investors, both VCs and angels, are risking their hard earned
capital by investing in your venture in the hope of long term
returns that are worth many times their original investment. An
Investor Ready Business Plan demonstrates to investors that you are
an expert in your industry and that you have a clear mission. An
entrepreneur addresses these needs by prepareing a comprehensive and
detailed view of their business objectives and goals. Some important
sections that address different concerns of the investors are
below:

Management

Investors invest in management - not just ideas. It is very
important that you express your knowledge, passion and dedication to
your business as best as you can. The competence of your team along
with their experience levels and their commitment levels are also
factors that investors look into before making their investment
decisions.

Customers

It is important to communicate to the investors that you understand
the needs and requirements of your customers and to articulate your
marketing strategy within your business plan.

Product/Service Description

A complete description of the product or the services offered by you
should be outlined in detail. A description of the overall market
for your product or service, along with the details of your customer
base is essential. The investors need to know the reach and the kind
of customers your product / service is catering to.

Marketing Plan

One of the most important sections of your business plan is your
marketing plan. This section will outline your sustainable
competitive advantage to your investors. In a way assure them why
you will succeed where others have failed. This section is where you
include a definitive description of your customers, market size,
demographics, characteristics, growth prospects, trends and sales
potential per product / service category.
Here is where the pricing strategies are outlined and how they can
directly influence the growth potential of each product /service. It
is also important to include the future growth, market share and
trend influences.

Barriers to Entry

Along with giving the details of what your product / service is and
who your customers are, you also have to inform your investors how
you will you prevent your competitors from taking away your
customers. The barriers to entry section outlines your business
strategy to keep your competitors at bay and grow in the market.
Investors need to feel comfortable about the soundness of your
strategy before they invest in your venture.

Click here to contact us to learn more about writing an investor
ready business plan: http://www.investorbusinessplan.com/writing-
business-plan.html

For more in-depth information on Business Plans, you can visit our
site at:
http://www.investorbusinessplan.com

Howard Schwartz is a Business Plan Consultant and a partner in
investorbusinessplan.com. He is based at Stanford, Connecticut, and
has helped many young entrepreneurs start out on their business
careers by preparing a comprehensive business plan for them. He can
be contacted on info@... and at 203-494-
3344.

Title:  Keyword Rich Content + Well Written Press Release = Wow Results
Author:  Bill Platt
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written: January, 2004

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Keyword Rich Content + Well Written Press Release = Wow Results
Copyright © 2004, Bill Platt
the Phantom Writers
http://thePhantomWriters.com



IT IS NOT EVERYDAY...

It is not everyday that you launch a new website. It is even
less everyday that you launch a new domain and experience
significant site traffic within just a few weeks.

My newest site was launched in the middle of December, 2003.
As such it has only been in operation for less than six weeks.

Did I expect that within the first six weeks after the
unofficial launch of my site that I would have served over
1800 unique visitors to my new domain? Definitely not.

Did I expect to be generating most of that new traffic from
the search engines within one week of placing the first page
of content on the site? Certainly not.

Did I expect to be rushing out within the first month to do
the research necessary to find additional content for the
website and to offer more relevent affiliate programs and
products to be featured on my domain? I did not. Truth is, I
found myself on the run after only ten days.

Did I expect to be experiencing significant traffic without
any paid advertising or articles promoting my website? This
coming from the guy who has successfully exploited the power
of free reprint articles to promote his own businesses for the
last few years. No, I did not expect that at all. And yet,
this is my first article referencing my new site.


SO WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE FOR THE LAUNCH OF THIS DOMAIN?

That is a good question. And fortunately, I have an answer
for you.

There are three factors that have contributed to these early
successes:

1. Keyword Rich Content - The content on this site features
    the precise keywords that people are using in their
    search queries.

2. Highly Targeted Content - The content on my site is
    attracting people who are looking for exactly what I am
    offering.

    A search on Google for the following keyword combinations
    - television owner manuals
    - television user manuals
    provide number 3 and 4 results respectively.

    My content is aimed at folks looking for information about
    their "home entertainment electronics." My products are
    directly related to what these folks will be in searching
    for in the marketplace.

3. A Well-Written Press Release - An effective press release
    will always highlight the things that are newsworthy about
    your business.

    I used http://www.prweb.com to distribute my press release.
    Because I paid the minimum donation of $10 to support PRWeb,
    I now have access to tracking data for my press release. At
    a glance, I am able to see how many people have viewed my
    press release and how many media contacts have picked up
    the release.

    Within the four days since I put out the press release, I
    have had 108 media contacts pick up on the press release.
    http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/1/prwebxml99688.php

    Due to the fact that it has only been four days since its
    release, it is going to take some additional time to
    determine the true effectiveness of the release, but
    early results look good.

    My release was published in the HDTV Magazine's online
    news feed at:  http://www.hdtvforum.com

    This is great since the people viewing the HDTV Magazine
    site are in my target market. And, I have already noted
    traffic to my new site from hdtvforum.com .


OTHER TOOLS OF NOTE...

I refer to my site rankings at Alexa on a weekly basis. Alexa
strives to determine the popularity of a single domain over
set periods of time.

Alexa makes its determinations based on the usage patterns of
the people who have installed the Alexa Toolbar to be used in
conjunction with their Internet Explorer software. To get your
own copy of the Alexa Toolbar, you can click this link:
http://toolbar.thePhantomWriters.com

On the first view of my new site at the Alexa website, I
scored a popularity rating somewhere in the two million plus
range.

Now, Alexa strives to show every visitor an overall popularity
/ traffic average for a site over the course of the previous
90 days. Of course, their results are going to somewhat
skewed since not everyone uses the Alexa toolbar, but the
results can show the webmaster a simple barometer of their
website traffic.

Alexa compiles their data on a daily basis and recompiles
their overall traffic ranking for each site on a weekly basis.

In the six weeks since I unofficially launched my new site, I
have moved up considerably in the Alexa ratings. My official
Alexa 3-month rating resides at 580,506. However, my weekly
rating is sitting at 238,838. Not bad for a site that was
only an idea six weeks ago.


IF YOUR CURIOUSITY HAS BEEN PIQUED...

Let me tell you a bit about my newest domain.

If you need to locate television owner manuals or universal
remote control programming codes, then my site provides links
to the resources that make this information available to you.

If you want to know if the television stations in your viewing
area have started broadcasting in the Digital Television (DTV)
format, then I have a link for that too.

As home surround sound technologies and High Definition
Television (HDTV) become mainstream, more people are going
to want to find information about the technology I feature.


IN CONCLUSION...

Given such a strong start, http://AVCabling-Guide.com seems
well positioned to take advantage of the growing interest
in home entertainment electronics.

The content I have included on this site assures that there
will always be a constant stream of people visiting the site
and learning about the technologies that my products will
represent.

As always, I hope to convey to you the lessons that I have
learned about generating traffic and sales to my websites,
based on my real world experience in acquiring both. And with
good luck, you will be able to take from my experience and
turn it into profits for your own sites.



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Platt owns http://thePhantomWriters.com . Do you need
free content for your website or ezine? Our archives deliver
more than 250 free-reprint articles available for your use.
http://content.thePhantomWriters.com . Do you write your own
articles? Let us distribute them for you to our network of 6000+
publishers & webmasters http://thePhantomWriters.com/distribution
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Posted: Sun Jan 25 04:53:18 EST 2004


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Title:  Five Easy Steps For Arranging your Living Room Furniture
Author:  Pamela Cole Harris
Copyright: 2004

Article Originally Written:

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Five Easy Steps For Arranging your Living Room Furniture
Copyright © 2004, Pamela Cole Harris
Home and Garden Makeover.com
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com



If you are hopelessly lost when thinking beyond shoving your
furniture against a wall, or if you've recently bought a
six-foot sofa for an eight-foot room, you need help!  Here
are some easy tips for arranging your living room furniture
in ways that make the most of your space:

1. Measure your room.  Draw it to scale on graph paper which
    you can find at your local discount store.  Use a ¼ in.
    equal 1 ft. scale. If you can't figure out how to draw
    out scale, ask your know-it-all teenage son!

2. Mark anything on your room drawing that will affect the
    arrangement of the room.  Outlets, telephone, cable, light
    switches, windows, doors that open in, the space between
    windows, and the height of the window sills are all things
    that should be measured and noted.

3. This is the fun part!  Make scale paper cutouts of your
    furniture (just like cutting out paper dolls!)  Use the
    cutouts to arrange and rearrange the furniture in your
    room until you are satisfied with the result.

4. Select a focal point of the room.  If you have a fireplace,
    it will nearly always be the focal point.  If you have large
    bookcases, you might make those your focal point or you may
    choose a sofa with a special painting hung above it.  Orient
    the remaining furniture and the lighting to highlight the
    focal point.

5. Think about your guests when you arrange the room.  The room
    should promote conversation.  Set up cozy areas with a
    couple of chairs or a loveseat. Ideally, there should be
    4-10 ft. between your sofa or loveseat and chairs so that
    the space doesn't seem cramped.  If you move the pieces too
    far apart, conversation will be difficult.

Other points to remember: leave 14 to 18 inches between the
coffee table and the sofa for comfortable leg room (Err on
the side of more space!). And make sure you have the traffic
lane at least 3 ft. wide to move from one area of the room
to another.

Arranging your room on paper allows you to experiment with new
looks, new combinations, and new ideas before you move the
furniture itself.  Not only when you come up with the perfect
arrangement for your room, but you'll also save a visit to the
chiropractor for your husband or furniture-moving friends!



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Pamela Cole Harris is a writer, eco-decorator and author of
"100+ Wildly Imaginative Ways to Make Your Own Coffee Table -
a Handbook for Creatively Deficient Decorators." Visit her
website, http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com for her unique
decorating and remodeling style (and a free newsletter!) Or for
unique content for your website, written especially for your
keywords and audience, visit http://www.pamelacoleharris.com.
-----------------------------------------------------------------


Posted: Fri Jan 23 00:47:13 EST 2004


For more articles by this author, please visit:

http://ThePhantomWriters.com/free_content/d/index.shtml#Pamela_Cole_Harris

Article Originally Written for: January 21, 2004

Article URL:
   http://cajunclarkssweetandsassy.com/fortcookinchili.htm

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Publisher:
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Castor, LA  71016
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Cajun Clark's Fortnight Recipe: Cookin' Chili
January 21, 2004
by Cajun Clark

Why Chili? you ask.  Da ol' mon's reasoning goes something like
this:

About now us folks in the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing
the depths of winter; fortunately the Winter Solstice was one
month ago and the days are getting longer.  While our friends
in the Southern Hemisphere, "Down Under," are still in the
middle of their summer, but their days are getting shorter.
Then we have all those good valued subscribers somewhere in
between.  Now that you've figured that out it's on to the
chili.

Have you ever been to a Chili Cook-off?  If so you know that
there are as many ways to make chili as there are cooks!  Some
use meat, others don't.  Some use beans, others don't.  And
when it comes to meat, that's a real eye-opener.

You'll find any thing from ground beef to elk to rattlesnake,
including just about everything in between; such as moose,
possum, raccoon, venison, chicken, turkey, goat, rabbit, 'roo,
emu, ostrich, and who knows what else.

Some cooks use onions, bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, green
chilies, tomato sauce, even cream of mushroom soup.  Yep, you
read right on the soup.  The Chili Con Carne recipe from Caj's
Mother calls for it.

Another thing that's really strange about chili cooks are the
seasonings they use; not necessarily what's listed here.  You
name it and someone has probably used it; maybe not a second
time but at least once.  Some of the more common spices are
chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, oregano, you fill
in the blank ___.

So when it comes to Cookin' Chili, here's the bottom line, the
final ingredient--there's no one set recipe!  Sure you'll find
basic recipes like the first two that follow, but when you get
to the third one you'd best get a tight grip on your wooden
spoon.  Because it all came about by another of da ol' mon's
mistakes in the kitchen; fortunately this one turned out to be
an edible delight.  YES! luck does help when it comes to
cookin'.

Chili Con Carne
BROWN in frying pan: 2 pounds hamburger (or ground beef).

BROWN in another pan: 1 cup diced celery and 1 good size onion.

PUT meat, celery and onion into a roaster,
ADD:
1 can tomato soup
1 can red kidney beans
1 can spaghetti and tomato sauce
1 can mushroom soup
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon vinegar
FILL soup can with water and RINSE all tins and ADD. COOK in
slow oven 2 to 3 hours.


Chili
FRY until brown:
2 pounds hamburger
1 small can green chilies, drained
1 onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced

ADD:
2 cans tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons chili powder, to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, to taste

ADD water to cover ingredients. COVER and SIMMER 1 hour. ADD
beans if desired.


Venison Chili
This all started out to be Ham Hocks and Beans, but by the
time the recipe was finished...  For the full story see:
http://www.cajunclarks.com/ham_hocks.htm

Since the unmarked package pulled out of the freezer was not
ham hocks, it was time to rewrite the recipe.  So, here ya go:

Pull the two-pounds of venison hamburger out of the freezer, a
couple of packages of tomatoes, another couple of onions, and
don't forget the bell peppers. It's time to make venison chili
with beans; even if you don't like beans in your chili.

Looking at the pot containing the soaking beans, then looking at
the other ingredients to be added, leads to another decision:

Get out a bigger pot, the six-quart one. No, forget the
eight-quarter or you'll be selling chili on the corner.

Finally, mission accomplished, cookware ready for filling,
here's the recipe (kinda-sorta, since it's always a personal
decision of what to use and how much to add of any ingredient):

1 pound of pinto beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
2 pounds venison hamburger
4 cups tomatoes, chopped
4 cups onions, chopped
2 cups bell peppers, chopped; ADD to pot about 1/2 hour before
   calling it done.
1 can green chilies, chopped and drained

Mix the above ingredients together, and bring to a slow simmer.
Add water as needed for the consistency you desire; usually
just enough to cover all the stuff you're cookin'.

NOW here's the tricky part, the seasoning. Remember, what you
add and how much depends on your personal taste. So go slow;
it's better to have too little and add, than too much and spoil
what was tasting so good.

10 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic, granulated
2 1/2 tablespoons oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper

Okay, that's it. Well, not quite. Simmer, covered, until beans
are tender. This could take anywhere from an hour to two- or
three-hours, depending on how high you have your heat and the
type of cooking pot you're using. Remember, the amount and
kind of seasonings you use depends on your taste. Any recipe,
including this one is only a guide, a track to run on.

Okay, there you have it.  Ol' mon Caj's dissertation of Cookin'
Chili.  One thing not said is that chili is a great warmer-upper,
goes great with barbecue, and garlic French bread makes a great
bowl cleaner-upper.  With three "greats" it has to be a must
make for whatever reason.  Enjoy, and Bon Appetit!

Please tell everyone you know that Cajun Clark's Fortnight
Recipe is published on the 7th and 21st of each month, and
if they're not a valued subscriber they should be.
http://cajunclarkcooks.com/cajsfortnightrecipe.htm


Also, Fortnight is syndicated for the convenience of webmasters
who would like it to magically appear on their web site.  Send
an email to: mailto:cajsfortnight@...


Finally, the Fortnight Archives are at:
http://cajunclarkssweetandsassy.com/fortnightrecipeindex.htm



Resource Box:
-----------------------------------------------------------
(c) Copyright 2004, Cajun Clark.  All rights reserved.
Email: mailto:cajsfortnight@...

Cajun Clark's Cookbooks make great gifts that keep on giving,
and when you give the print version you'll never be forgotten.
Take a look, there's something for everyone:
http://cajunclarks.com/busyolmon.htm
------------------------------------------------------------

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DATA: 197 Lines Wrap at 65 Chars 1266 Words

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Most Important Question To Ask About Your Web Site!


By Martin Gateshill - AdzInMotion - http://www.adzinmotion.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

When you design a website how do you start ?

Do you start with the banner graphics at the top, or the order
page or maybe the sales letter ?

All of those are areas that have to be created but they're
really not the place to start.

The place to start is by answering one simple question about
your site.

>> What do I want my visitor to do before she leaves? <<

We'll call the answer to that your primary objective, the single
thing you most want a visitor to do before leaving.

Of course the answer gives rise to another equally important
question...

>> If she doesn't do that, what else would I like her to do? <<

We'll call the answer to that your secondary objective, it's
your fall back position. If you fail to convince them to take
the action that you most want them to do, this fall back action
will still serve a purpose and get you other opportunities to
achieve objective one.

The answer to these questions will define the design of your
site for you. Your site will have to be designed so that it can
react 'on the fly' and lead the visitor to objective 2 if you
fail to achieve objective 1.

REALISTIC OBJECTIVES

Let's take the case of a web site owner who's selling software
direct to the end user.

What would be the primary objective for such a site?

Often the site owner will decide that Objective 1 - the one
thing he most wants a visitor to do is to buy the software there
and then.

Great, that now defines the site for him. To meet the objective
the site has to be completely focused on that objective but, it
may turn out to be unrealistic to expect to achieve it in one
hit.

DESIGN THE SITE TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVE

The sales copy has to describe a problem, lay out the solutions
and show how the product available from this very page will
solve the problem now.

The copy must be compelling, it must describe the problem that
the product solves in a way that creates detailed pictures in
the visitors mind. Pictures of the day to day effects of this
problem that the visitor would really want to solve.

The copy must then paint pictures to create thoughts and images
of life for the visitor without this problem and how much better,
easier or more profitable etc life would be if this problem
could be solved.

Then, like the 7th cavalry riding in, the copy must link the
features of the software to the benefits that go with using it
and the problem being solved.

The more powerful the links and the more positive imagery
created in the visitors mind, the more likely it becomes that
s/he will be motivated to take action to end the problem and buy
the product then and there.

The good feelings developed by the copy can be reinforced by
glowing testimonials from users who are already enjoying life
with the software and without the problem defined.

A superb close should be used that reinforces all of the good
feelings achieved so far and adds value by careful positioning
of the price to be paid against the real value of the product
and the list of wonderful exclusive bonuses on offer if the
visitor orders now.

The visitor feels so positive she reaches for her credit card,
completes the order form and buys the product.

Great! Primary objective achieved. But....

WHAT IF IT OBJECTIVE 1 FAILS?

Sometimes, even if you get all of the above correct, it's just
not enough. Your visitor may not know you, one visit may not
convince them that you are trust worthy. They not be entirely
convinced that your software will deliver all the promised
benefits or that it's worth the money. Perhaps they might be
thinking that there might be a better, cheaper, better known
solution to be had elsewhere.

For any or all of these reasons the site owners primary
objective may prove to be unrealistic and may not be achieved.

If this is the case he needs to rapidly switch the purpose of
his site to achieving his secondary objective. This can be
tricky to do but there is a simple technique that can be
employed for the purpose.

First, what sort of secondary objective might be achievable by
the site owner? We'll look at a couple of examples.

NEWSLETTER

He may have a newsletter about the subject area that his
software covers.

If so, his secondary objective may be to get the visitor to sign
up for it before leaving.

That way the site owner has opportunities to build on the
pictures painted by the site. He can use the newsletter to
reassure, prove the benefits, introduce other benefits. He can
show more testimonials and provide a stream of useful, valued
information to build a relationship of trust with the visitor.

FREE TRIAL

He may have a 'test drive' version of the software that will
allow the visitor to find out first hand what it does and how it
will benefit him to own it. If so his secondary objective might
be to get the visitor to download the 'test drive' and then
supply him by email with how to's, tutorials and other useful
information to get the visitor using the software and
experiencing the benefits first hand.

BACK TO OBJECTIVE 1

Either of these secondary objectives provide the site owner
further opportunities to develop a relationship with the visitor
until they feel ready to buy the software.

HOW TO RE-PURPOSE THE SITE

One of the best ways is the intelligent use of Popups.

In this case the site owner only wants to go for objective 2 if
objective 1 is not achieved. He knows it hasn't been achieved if
the visitor is leaving the site without going to the order page
or does go there but doesn't buy the product.

Time for a great Popup triggered by either event.

A good, fast loading Popup inviting the visitor to sign up for
the newsletter or download the test drive works wonders. They're
about to leave, but now they see something that's so compelling,
free, zero risk, high benefit that they'd be crazy not to react
to it.

It's a simple technique that has earned a lot of money for a lot
of site owners.

Set your objectives carefully and structure your site to give
you the best chance to achieve at least one of them.

Look out for more in this series from Martin Gateshill
http://www.adzinmotion.com

      ______________________________________________________

      ABOUT THIS ARTICLE...

This free article has been provided to you courtesy of Martin
Gateshill of AdzInMotion http://www.adzinmotion.com.

AdzInMotion produce innovative software that allows Web Site
Owners of all levels of ability to produce eye catching on site
promotional materials that do one thing very well - Increase
Sales, Click thru's and Sign ups. To see AdzInMotion in action
go to http://www.adzinmotion.com

CONTACT AND INFO

This article along may be freely republished provided this
panel is included. A courtesy copy is appreciated.

Martin can be contacted at martin@...
      ______________________________________________________