Darkness surrounds you on all sides. Sometimes it just feels like you’re totally alone in the world. Many belief systems say that to find happiness and peace you need to go within yourself and speak to a higher power, asking for help. Some believe that all things in life are reflections of your self, part of a whole singular universal life force. Well if this is the case, it means that all objects are just parts of the self to be explored. This brings us to the Internet. Here is a tool, an external aspect of you that can help us to find a little light when all seems hopeless.
Do you ever feel like you just can’t figure out life, like there’s no one who understands how you see things? Praying to the Great Spirit is probably your best bet, but if you believe the higher power lives in all things, that little box in your room with the wire that connects to masses of human society could be an option for regaining lost hope. The Internet could just give you the injection of spirit you’ve been looking for.
The Web is full of knowledge and information on a multitude of life’s subjects, with opinions that cover both sides of the coin and in between. Look up any subject and your questions may be answered. A lot of happy and intelligent souls are sharing their ideas and opinions with the rest of us. I doubt there is a single topic that hasn’t been discussed by someone.
You might even want to personally communicate with some of these people. People who think differently than the people in your local area or maybe you don’t have anyone to talk to where you are. They could even become new friends. Blogs are on-line journals where you can comment and have direct discussions with the writers. You can join ‘communities’ that are interested in exactly the same things as you. Let me tell you, you’re not alone in the world. There are others just like you out there no matter how different, weird, or individual you think you are.
Email, web cams, chat rooms all exist to help you connect with other people, to add your perspective on the world. The more voices we can hear, the more shared experiences, the stronger humanity will become as a united force. This will result in much less people feeling like they are alone and have no one to share their life with.
Hope lives deep down inside us all. Peace and love are the true driving forces behind our actions. Let other people, and other forces of the higher self help you when you feel like all is lost. Life is a great adventure and we can’t forget that. We’re all here to help each other out. Someone could be waiting for your connection right now.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Online Travel Statistics
The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) released their annual Travelers’ Use of the Internet study in December 2003. The study shows an increase in the number of people using the internet to research and book travel.
TIA found that 30% of the adult U.S. population (63.8 million) consult the web for travel information. These travelers spend (on average) $300 more on travel, and nearly 40% had an annual household income above $75,000.
Online travelers surf to two or more travel websites, spending an average of 37 minutes. They research and compare prices, check schedules and book trips. The number of people actually booking online increased by 8% over 2002 and grew to 42.2 million people in 2003. Within this group of online travelers, 32 million people made travel arrangements exclusively through the internet (a figure expected to grow according to the TIA).
10 million travelers responded to email campaigns, causing the TIA to believe that email campaigns are stimulating unplanned travel.
TIA stated that the top 10 travel websites are:
* Expedia
* Travelocity
* Orbitz
* Yahoo Travel
* Cheap Tickets
* Hot Wire
* VIPfares
* Priceline.com
* ITN.net
* TravelNow.com
If your business supplies lodging, real estate, shopping, recreation, dining, events or tourist related specialty services, it may be wise to place advertisements with these websites. If you are not making full use of the internet for your marketing campaigns you are missing 30% of your potential market.
As online travelers’ habits become more sophisticated you will find them expecting to find and book everything from one location.
TIA found that 30% of the adult U.S. population (63.8 million) consult the web for travel information. These travelers spend (on average) $300 more on travel, and nearly 40% had an annual household income above $75,000.
Online travelers surf to two or more travel websites, spending an average of 37 minutes. They research and compare prices, check schedules and book trips. The number of people actually booking online increased by 8% over 2002 and grew to 42.2 million people in 2003. Within this group of online travelers, 32 million people made travel arrangements exclusively through the internet (a figure expected to grow according to the TIA).
10 million travelers responded to email campaigns, causing the TIA to believe that email campaigns are stimulating unplanned travel.
TIA stated that the top 10 travel websites are:
* Expedia
* Travelocity
* Orbitz
* Yahoo Travel
* Cheap Tickets
* Hot Wire
* VIPfares
* Priceline.com
* ITN.net
* TravelNow.com
If your business supplies lodging, real estate, shopping, recreation, dining, events or tourist related specialty services, it may be wise to place advertisements with these websites. If you are not making full use of the internet for your marketing campaigns you are missing 30% of your potential market.
As online travelers’ habits become more sophisticated you will find them expecting to find and book everything from one location.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Email Spam and Phishing
It seems like the volume of email spam has doubled in the last month. Increasingly, we receive daily emails for better mortgage rates, pharmaceutical discounts, and offers to enlarge body parts we don’t even have.
The next generation of sophisticated tools is available to email spammers. Hidden code can be embedded into email allowing the sender to track it. A “spam beacon” lets the sender know that this is a valid, live, email address. The sender can also tell if you’ve opened the email before you tossed it. “Nearly half of all spam is bugged with so-called "spam beacons" for tracking users who open junk mail, said e-mail filtering firm MX.”
The latest email scams have also evolved. The newest scams are called phishing attacks. Spammers copy and paste web coding, making their email message appear to be official. They provide links to “look alike” websites where they try to trick you into revealing your personal financial information, by asking you to update an account such as Ebay, PayPal or CitiBank (or other well known entities). Phishing attacks are successful 5% of the time.
The primary motivation behind these emails is identity theft. Scammers are looking to get you to their website and get your information. If the authenticity of the sender is questionable, call the company that sent the email. Most business email will also contain a phone number.
Earthlink is trying to address this problem by releasing new software. Its latest anti-spam software is available to both members and non-members. The software installs with Internet Explorer and automatically downloads a list of known “scam” websites. If you surf over to a site on the list, you will receive a warning.
Given the large volume of unsolicited email that must be sorted through and deleted daily by businesses, do not rely on email as your primary vehicle of communication. If the information is time sensitive, it’s best to follow up with a phone call.
The next generation of sophisticated tools is available to email spammers. Hidden code can be embedded into email allowing the sender to track it. A “spam beacon” lets the sender know that this is a valid, live, email address. The sender can also tell if you’ve opened the email before you tossed it. “Nearly half of all spam is bugged with so-called "spam beacons" for tracking users who open junk mail, said e-mail filtering firm MX.”
The latest email scams have also evolved. The newest scams are called phishing attacks. Spammers copy and paste web coding, making their email message appear to be official. They provide links to “look alike” websites where they try to trick you into revealing your personal financial information, by asking you to update an account such as Ebay, PayPal or CitiBank (or other well known entities). Phishing attacks are successful 5% of the time.
The primary motivation behind these emails is identity theft. Scammers are looking to get you to their website and get your information. If the authenticity of the sender is questionable, call the company that sent the email. Most business email will also contain a phone number.
Earthlink is trying to address this problem by releasing new software. Its latest anti-spam software is available to both members and non-members. The software installs with Internet Explorer and automatically downloads a list of known “scam” websites. If you surf over to a site on the list, you will receive a warning.
Given the large volume of unsolicited email that must be sorted through and deleted daily by businesses, do not rely on email as your primary vehicle of communication. If the information is time sensitive, it’s best to follow up with a phone call.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
5 Tips For Buying The Right Laptop Computer
It's easy to be intimidated by all the laptop models on the market today. There are literally dozens and dozens in every price range.
The key to finding the right one for you is to step back and consider exactly how you plan to use your laptop. When you define what you need before you go shopping, buying the right machine becomes much easier.
Here are 5 basic factors to consider:
1. SIZE
In the world of mobile computing, size definitely matters. The size of a laptop affects two key areas: portability and display size.
If you're always on the go and will be using your computer only in short bursts, a so-called ultralight will save you some shoulder strain.
On the other hand, if you're going to spend hours in front of your laptop, a larger display may be in order.
Today, some laptop displays exceed 17 inches, rivaling the display size of many desktop systems. The down side is that these monsters can easily weigh three times as much as an ultralight.
2. HARD DRIVE
Speaking of size, what about the size of the hard drive? One way to approach this issue is to ask yourself the following question:
Will this be my primary computer, or will it supplement my desktop system?
If the former, you should look for a bigger hard drive - 60 GB or more.
If the latter, you may be able to make it with a 20-30 GB hard drive.
But even this isn't absolute.
If, for example, you plan to copy a huge MP3 library from your desktop system to your laptop to make your music library portable, you'd be well advised to err on the side of too big.
3. MEMORY
In determining the right amount of system memory, or RAM, take a look at the ways in which you intend to use your laptop:
If your needs are somewhat mundane - email, spreadsheets, word processing, etc. - 256 MB of RAM should be plenty. This is a common configuration for many laptops, so it means you probably won't need to spend extra for more RAM.
On the flip side, if you're an aspiring mobile digital photographer or videographer, you should stuff your laptop with as much RAM as it can hold.
In fact, exactly how much RAM your laptop can hold may in part drive your purchase decision. Applications for editing and manipulating multimedia content are notorious resource hogs.
4. NETWORK CONNECTIONS
Thanks in no small part to the Internet, computing in the 21st century relies heavily on being connected:
Connected to the Internet, connected to a corporate network, connected to a wireless network, connected to a home network, connected to an online service.
Your life will be easier if you buy a laptop that includes built-in means to connect to them all.
5. PRICE
If you're considering a laptop, you're probably wondering how much money you'll need to spend.
A few years ago, you'd be hard-pressed to find one for under $2,000. Today, there are plenty of laptops to be had for under $1,000.
What's more, most of the major manufacturers offer a variety of financing options.
Laptop prices have come down, to be sure. However, a laptop still represents a fairly major purchase for most people.
If you take the time to search for a laptop that meets your specific needs, you should get many years of use and enjoyment from this important investment.
The key to finding the right one for you is to step back and consider exactly how you plan to use your laptop. When you define what you need before you go shopping, buying the right machine becomes much easier.
Here are 5 basic factors to consider:
1. SIZE
In the world of mobile computing, size definitely matters. The size of a laptop affects two key areas: portability and display size.
If you're always on the go and will be using your computer only in short bursts, a so-called ultralight will save you some shoulder strain.
On the other hand, if you're going to spend hours in front of your laptop, a larger display may be in order.
Today, some laptop displays exceed 17 inches, rivaling the display size of many desktop systems. The down side is that these monsters can easily weigh three times as much as an ultralight.
2. HARD DRIVE
Speaking of size, what about the size of the hard drive? One way to approach this issue is to ask yourself the following question:
Will this be my primary computer, or will it supplement my desktop system?
If the former, you should look for a bigger hard drive - 60 GB or more.
If the latter, you may be able to make it with a 20-30 GB hard drive.
But even this isn't absolute.
If, for example, you plan to copy a huge MP3 library from your desktop system to your laptop to make your music library portable, you'd be well advised to err on the side of too big.
3. MEMORY
In determining the right amount of system memory, or RAM, take a look at the ways in which you intend to use your laptop:
If your needs are somewhat mundane - email, spreadsheets, word processing, etc. - 256 MB of RAM should be plenty. This is a common configuration for many laptops, so it means you probably won't need to spend extra for more RAM.
On the flip side, if you're an aspiring mobile digital photographer or videographer, you should stuff your laptop with as much RAM as it can hold.
In fact, exactly how much RAM your laptop can hold may in part drive your purchase decision. Applications for editing and manipulating multimedia content are notorious resource hogs.
4. NETWORK CONNECTIONS
Thanks in no small part to the Internet, computing in the 21st century relies heavily on being connected:
Connected to the Internet, connected to a corporate network, connected to a wireless network, connected to a home network, connected to an online service.
Your life will be easier if you buy a laptop that includes built-in means to connect to them all.
5. PRICE
If you're considering a laptop, you're probably wondering how much money you'll need to spend.
A few years ago, you'd be hard-pressed to find one for under $2,000. Today, there are plenty of laptops to be had for under $1,000.
What's more, most of the major manufacturers offer a variety of financing options.
Laptop prices have come down, to be sure. However, a laptop still represents a fairly major purchase for most people.
If you take the time to search for a laptop that meets your specific needs, you should get many years of use and enjoyment from this important investment.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Dirty Little Computer Viruses and How To Protect Yourself
Whether you have learned your lesson from a past experience with a nasty computer virus or have been pressing your luck by surfing the web and downloading various files or opening those email messages sent to you by people you don’t know without any real understanding of just how vulnerable you really are each time you log onto your computer you now have the opportunity to discover what steps you can take to avoid such an annoying and many times destructive infestation.
Listed below are some of the guidelines you can follow in order to keep those nasty viruses from making a mess out of your computer and your life.
•Purchase and install a well respected antivirus software program and be sure to set it up so that it automatically runs when the computer starts up each time.
•Make sure to keep your antivirus software up to date by either using the automatic update feature that many come with or make it a habit to manually check at least once or twice a week for updates on your own.
•Set your antivirus program to scan for potential viruses each time you open a word-processing document like the ones that get sent through email. Viruses found in word-processing documents are called Macro Viruses.
•When purchasing software make sure to only buy from vendors that are well known and from ones you trust.
•Resist swapping data with the use of floppy disks or other mobile storage devices between various computers. If exchanging programs between computers is unavoidable just make sure to scan the storage device(s) for viruses before transferring data from one computer to the next.
•If using floppy disks to transfer data make sure to format them before using them for the first time.
•Never use pirated software. This is both illegal and a very good way to invite an unwanted computer virus.
•When downloading software from the internet do so as little as possible. There are many neat programs available on the internet, but unfortunately there are many viruses that go along with them also.
•If you must download programs from the internet ALWAYS scan them for viruses BEFORE opening them up to install on your computer.
•Probably the most important and neglected method of disaster recovery are periodic backups of all important files found on your computer. Should a virus happen to get through your lines of defense you may need to replace the virus corrupted files with fresh ones that have been kept for such an occasion.
Finally, it is not guaranteed that if you follow the above steps that you will not be the victim of a computer virus,but you can sure bet that if followed you will greatly reduce the chance of being an unsuspecting recipient of such an unwanted program.
Listed below are some of the guidelines you can follow in order to keep those nasty viruses from making a mess out of your computer and your life.
•Purchase and install a well respected antivirus software program and be sure to set it up so that it automatically runs when the computer starts up each time.
•Make sure to keep your antivirus software up to date by either using the automatic update feature that many come with or make it a habit to manually check at least once or twice a week for updates on your own.
•Set your antivirus program to scan for potential viruses each time you open a word-processing document like the ones that get sent through email. Viruses found in word-processing documents are called Macro Viruses.
•When purchasing software make sure to only buy from vendors that are well known and from ones you trust.
•Resist swapping data with the use of floppy disks or other mobile storage devices between various computers. If exchanging programs between computers is unavoidable just make sure to scan the storage device(s) for viruses before transferring data from one computer to the next.
•If using floppy disks to transfer data make sure to format them before using them for the first time.
•Never use pirated software. This is both illegal and a very good way to invite an unwanted computer virus.
•When downloading software from the internet do so as little as possible. There are many neat programs available on the internet, but unfortunately there are many viruses that go along with them also.
•If you must download programs from the internet ALWAYS scan them for viruses BEFORE opening them up to install on your computer.
•Probably the most important and neglected method of disaster recovery are periodic backups of all important files found on your computer. Should a virus happen to get through your lines of defense you may need to replace the virus corrupted files with fresh ones that have been kept for such an occasion.
Finally, it is not guaranteed that if you follow the above steps that you will not be the victim of a computer virus,but you can sure bet that if followed you will greatly reduce the chance of being an unsuspecting recipient of such an unwanted program.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The Cybermagic of Whitelists
Before we start getting deep into the meat of this article it's important to explain some standard terminology to make sure the rest of this article makes sense.
* An IP address is a number which identifies your location on the Internet.
* A blacklist is a list of IP addresses which your antispam software uses to block incoming spam.
* A whitelist is the exact opposite of a blacklist.
A whitelist is a predefined list of IP addresses that are allowed to send email to and receive email from each other. Blacklists exclude known and suspected spammers. Whitelists can be used to exclude everyone except known IP addresses. Think of it like this. A whitelist is a like having a phonebook which is owned by a small group of people who only wish to speak directly to each other. They don't want just anybody ringing them. Not only that but the entire group need to approve new phone numbers before they appear in this exclusive phonebook.
To send email to a whitelist you must be approved by the owner of the whitelist. This is a lot like the double optin systems used by legimiate ezines and mailing list owners. Whitelists are the nightclub bouncers of the virtual world - if you ain't on the list you ain't getting in. Simple but very effective.
A real world example of a whitelist would be if two companies wanted to exchange email only with each other. These companies could implement a whitelist that contained the IP address for just the two email servers that want to send email to each other. That would mean that any email coming from an IP address not on the whitelist would be returned to sender. For companies they can ensure that employees are only dealing with work related email and not chatting with their friends.
The benefits of whitelists are many but proper management of the whitelists is equally important. Misuse of whitelists will only lead to more headaches for everyone involved with missing email, irate customers and IT departments doing overtime just being the tip of the iceberg.
* An IP address is a number which identifies your location on the Internet.
* A blacklist is a list of IP addresses which your antispam software uses to block incoming spam.
* A whitelist is the exact opposite of a blacklist.
A whitelist is a predefined list of IP addresses that are allowed to send email to and receive email from each other. Blacklists exclude known and suspected spammers. Whitelists can be used to exclude everyone except known IP addresses. Think of it like this. A whitelist is a like having a phonebook which is owned by a small group of people who only wish to speak directly to each other. They don't want just anybody ringing them. Not only that but the entire group need to approve new phone numbers before they appear in this exclusive phonebook.
To send email to a whitelist you must be approved by the owner of the whitelist. This is a lot like the double optin systems used by legimiate ezines and mailing list owners. Whitelists are the nightclub bouncers of the virtual world - if you ain't on the list you ain't getting in. Simple but very effective.
A real world example of a whitelist would be if two companies wanted to exchange email only with each other. These companies could implement a whitelist that contained the IP address for just the two email servers that want to send email to each other. That would mean that any email coming from an IP address not on the whitelist would be returned to sender. For companies they can ensure that employees are only dealing with work related email and not chatting with their friends.
The benefits of whitelists are many but proper management of the whitelists is equally important. Misuse of whitelists will only lead to more headaches for everyone involved with missing email, irate customers and IT departments doing overtime just being the tip of the iceberg.
Monday, April 16, 2007
21 Hot Niche Minisite Profit Ideas
How To Use The Power Of HOT 'In-Demand' Niches To INSTANTLY Get More New Business Than You Can Handle!
Everyone's talking about profiting from "Niche Marketing" - but no one's telling you exactly HOW to do it! Now you'll discover how to tap the incredible wealth lying hidden in hot, in-demand niches - in 21 different ways.
Idea #1 - SELL AD SPACE
When you build a website around a niche - a 'niche minisite' - you'll attract a very specific audience to it. Advertisers and marketers will pay a premium to place their ads in front of this viewership if it is targeted to their needs. Selling ad space - at much higher price than generic run-of-the-mill ad space - is a proven strategy to profit from niches.
Idea #2 - POST PAY-PER-CLICK ADS
Pay-per-Click (or PPC) ads are ones where you, the niche minisite owner, get paid whenever anyone clicks on them. By placing targeted PPC ads on your niche website, you'll find it easy to get enough clicks from visitors to make a tidy profit. Two new services make it easy for you to get started:
* Google Adsense - http://www.Google.com/adsense/
* SearchFeed - http://www.SearchFeed.com
Idea #3 - SELL BOOKS, CDs & DVDs
The Web is an information-centric medium. People reach your niche minisite in 'research mode'. And by directing them to resources offering more information, you can sell them many different products. Books, CDs, DVDs and videos are just some of the many information products you can sell to visitors - and earn a profit.
Idea #4 - SELL PICTURES AND POSTERS
If you build a niche minisite around a visually appealing theme, you could offer extra value to your visitors by providing links to places they can buy pictures or posters. Niche marketing attracts passionately enthusiastic prospects who want all they can find on a particular topic. Give it to them - and you've built a very lucrative business!
A great resource to find posters and pictures on a variety of topics is AllPosters.com
Idea #5 - BUILD YOUR LIST
You've heard it before - "The Power Is In Your LIST".
Building your own in-house list of targeted prospects becomes incredibly effective when you apply intelligent niche marketing. Offer something of interest to your audience - an ebook, a set of tips, a collection of articles, an audio or video tape, a poster, book, anything at all. Promise to give them more of the same.
In return, ask them to share their contact details - email, phone number, address. Over time, you'll build a big list of prospects, all interested in the subject of your niche minisite.
Idea #5 - GIVE AWAY SAMPLES OR TRIAL COPIES
Niche minisites are a great way to 'trial market' a new product or service. You could offer your visitors a sample or review copies of your new release, in return for feedback, a testimonial, or any other service. It's an easy, inexpensive, low risk method to test your product's impact in the marketplace.
Idea #6 - SELL YOUR OWN PRODUCT
One of the highest profit systems for niche minisite marketing is to sell your own product or service through it. Build a niche website around your product, and offer it for sale to visitors. Or focus your niche minisite around a problem, mention how your product solves it... And then sell it to them!
Idea #7 - SELL A SERVICE
Niche minisites designed around a theme can promote services - your own or someone else's. You could use a direct selling model, or a 'softer' approach where your site subtly highlights the benefits of ordering the service.
Idea #8 - SELL NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTIONS
Can you create regularly updated content which your target audience perceives to be high value? Then you can sell newsletter subscriptions to your niche minisite visitors and profit from this content.
Has this whet your apetite for more niche minisite marketing ideas? You can get the other 13 ideas by sending any email to nicheideas@EzineMarketingCenter.com
Everyone's talking about profiting from "Niche Marketing" - but no one's telling you exactly HOW to do it! Now you'll discover how to tap the incredible wealth lying hidden in hot, in-demand niches - in 21 different ways.
Idea #1 - SELL AD SPACE
When you build a website around a niche - a 'niche minisite' - you'll attract a very specific audience to it. Advertisers and marketers will pay a premium to place their ads in front of this viewership if it is targeted to their needs. Selling ad space - at much higher price than generic run-of-the-mill ad space - is a proven strategy to profit from niches.
Idea #2 - POST PAY-PER-CLICK ADS
Pay-per-Click (or PPC) ads are ones where you, the niche minisite owner, get paid whenever anyone clicks on them. By placing targeted PPC ads on your niche website, you'll find it easy to get enough clicks from visitors to make a tidy profit. Two new services make it easy for you to get started:
* Google Adsense - http://www.Google.com/adsense/
* SearchFeed - http://www.SearchFeed.com
Idea #3 - SELL BOOKS, CDs & DVDs
The Web is an information-centric medium. People reach your niche minisite in 'research mode'. And by directing them to resources offering more information, you can sell them many different products. Books, CDs, DVDs and videos are just some of the many information products you can sell to visitors - and earn a profit.
Idea #4 - SELL PICTURES AND POSTERS
If you build a niche minisite around a visually appealing theme, you could offer extra value to your visitors by providing links to places they can buy pictures or posters. Niche marketing attracts passionately enthusiastic prospects who want all they can find on a particular topic. Give it to them - and you've built a very lucrative business!
A great resource to find posters and pictures on a variety of topics is AllPosters.com
Idea #5 - BUILD YOUR LIST
You've heard it before - "The Power Is In Your LIST".
Building your own in-house list of targeted prospects becomes incredibly effective when you apply intelligent niche marketing. Offer something of interest to your audience - an ebook, a set of tips, a collection of articles, an audio or video tape, a poster, book, anything at all. Promise to give them more of the same.
In return, ask them to share their contact details - email, phone number, address. Over time, you'll build a big list of prospects, all interested in the subject of your niche minisite.
Idea #5 - GIVE AWAY SAMPLES OR TRIAL COPIES
Niche minisites are a great way to 'trial market' a new product or service. You could offer your visitors a sample or review copies of your new release, in return for feedback, a testimonial, or any other service. It's an easy, inexpensive, low risk method to test your product's impact in the marketplace.
Idea #6 - SELL YOUR OWN PRODUCT
One of the highest profit systems for niche minisite marketing is to sell your own product or service through it. Build a niche website around your product, and offer it for sale to visitors. Or focus your niche minisite around a problem, mention how your product solves it... And then sell it to them!
Idea #7 - SELL A SERVICE
Niche minisites designed around a theme can promote services - your own or someone else's. You could use a direct selling model, or a 'softer' approach where your site subtly highlights the benefits of ordering the service.
Idea #8 - SELL NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTIONS
Can you create regularly updated content which your target audience perceives to be high value? Then you can sell newsletter subscriptions to your niche minisite visitors and profit from this content.
Has this whet your apetite for more niche minisite marketing ideas? You can get the other 13 ideas by sending any email to nicheideas@EzineMarketingCenter.com
How To Identify Your Own Style Of Writing
This article is to help identify which style, technique or strategy of writing that one may use. I will also help to understand the method in the way a writer writes and help in determinining which aproach may suite your needs.
I hope that this information will help all to become more effective in writing to help suite the needs of the reader as well as the writer by identifying which style is best for both parties.
1. Architectural strategy
2. Bricklaying strategy
3. Oil painting strategy
4. Water-colour strategy
Architectural strategy
Writing which comes ‘out of an architectural drawing of the thing you are doing’ no such dismissiveness is intended here. Academic writers in a study who used this very common plan-write-edit strategy reported that they consciously chose their writing strategies.
These writers were less likely than others to see writing as a way of thinking. In these respects these writers tended to be Planners. While most writers agreed that they wrote better when concentrating on the topic rather than on the way they were writing.
Architectural Writers showed an implicit awareness of the role of the unconscious as they exhibited the strongest tendency amongst all groups to think that it helped to leave their evolving texts and to return to them later.
They showed less of a sense of writing as intrinsically rewarding than other writers did; they were perhaps among the most pragmatic writers. They showed a slight tendency to be interlinear editors.
Writers who were word processor users showed a far stronger tendency than other writers not to find the size of the word processor screen restrictive.
Bricklaying strategy
I encountered examples of the metaphor of bricklaying in my review of writers’ accounts of their composing styles. They have to get every paragraph as nearly right as possible before you go onto the next paragraph. you are somewhat a bricklayer:
You build very slowly, not adding a new row until I feel that the foundation is solid enough to hold up the house. You are the exact opposite of the writer who dashes off his entire first draft, not caring how sloppy it looks or how badly it’s written.
In my survey, academic writers who frequently employed a sentence-by-sentence strategy were also very likely to work on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis. Their approach was, of course, largely sequential and the correction of linguistic slips tended to be done mainly as they wrote. They showed a stronger tendency than other writers not to complete a draft in a single session.
They showed some tendency to feel that it helped to leave a piece of writing and come back to it later. They usually had a clear idea of what they wanted to say and strongly disagreed that thinking would be difficult without writing: they tended not to be Discover.
They tended not to agree that the more they were concentrating on the topic rather than the way they were writing the better their writing was. They showed a stronger preference for handwritten letters than did other writers, and tended not to use the word processor (those who did so showed a strong tendency to find the screen size restrictive).
Bricklaying can be a slow process, and writers working in this way are referred to as ‘bleeders’ . Many writers who use this strategy may report - because they do only one complete draft - that they do little revision, even though they rework each chunk of text a great deal before proceeding to the next.
Oil painting strategy
Painting done in oils is reworkable over time in a way that painting with water-colours cannot be: in oils, one may paint over details in a way that would quickly become ‘muddy’ with water-colours. The surface of an oil painting typically has what is referred to as a painterly’ texture: revealing the marks of the making.
This writer usaully begin with several ideas, start playing with them. You play with these ideas until they start to feel right. It’s something like oil painting. You lay on paint and lay on paint. Suddenly you have something and you frame it... It’s like watching a tele- type machine in a newspaper office to see what comes out’.
‘Each book is worked over many times. I like to compare This method with that of painters centuries ago, pro- ceeding, as it were, from layer to layer. This first draft is quite crude... After that I rewrite it as many times - apply as many “layers” as I feel to be necessary’.
This minimal planning and maximal revision strategy is typical of Discoverers. Those who used this strategy frequently showed a strong tendency to write to understand better what they thought.
Most writers do not consciously choose their writing strategies. These writers were, of course, major revisers, and they often deleted a lot too. I wondered whether some writers abandon this strategy as they mature or whether the older generation simply did not grow up using it.
There was some tendency for frequent users of this strategy to agree that their writing was better the more they concentrated on the topic rather than on the way they were writing. They exhibited a strong tendency not to mind talking about work in progress, and also to feel that it helped to leave a piece of writing and to return to it later.
As for their use of writing tools, they were evenly di- vided over whether handwriting was too slow for them (other writers tended not to find it too slow). They were much more likely than other writers to be interlinear editors.
In my survey the word processor showed up as being most frequently used by oil painters: 79% used one often. They showed a stronger tendency than other writers to report that they felt more productive since they had begun using the word processor.
One may suggested that the first drafts of ‘multi-drafters tend to be writer-based rather than reader-based: that is, primarily an aid to the writer’s thinking rather than tailored to the needs of readers. Such writers may delete a large quantity of the text which they generate. They may also get lost in their evolving texts and have a strong need to re-read.
The oil painting strategy is not confined to literary writers. One leading scientist in the field of biochemistry reported that: I evolve a paper out of the mist. It comes in pieces, each piece being smoothed a bit as it comes along. It isn’t a linear thing starting at the beginning and going to the end, but rather clusters.
Another reported ‘writing it several times until I see how I’m going to convey crystallize, and then sort of letting the paper flow... I write the paper and let it come as it comes... My first draft is an enormous, lengthy, amorphous mass... I found myself crossing out... I do a tremendous amount of pruning’
Water-colour strategy
The water-colours, strategy involves an attempt to produce a complete version at the first attempt, with minimal revision. Paintings done in water- colours are typically characterized by a sense of freshness and lightness of touch.
James Britton referred explicitly to this strategy as painting in water-colours’, stressing the difference between this and the oil painting strategy: ‘where one pigment may be used to obliterate another.
This is associated with his notion of ‘shaping at the point of utterance’, declaring that ‘the initial process must capture immediately as much as possible of the painter’s vision.
Such a precipitative approach (in contrast to writing which is more planned, and/or more extensively revised) is often associated with novice writers.
Carl Bereiter and Marlene Scardamalia (1987) refer to the uncritical ‘knowledge-telling’ strategy of novices. In such hands it can result in writer based prose which is insufficiently adapted to the needs of readers.
Apart from inexperience, situational factors (such as deadlines or lack of motivation) can of course lead to the first draft being the final one.
However, the water-colour strategy is also the preferred method of many accomplished writers. This may also reflect an attempt to retain spontaneity’, ‘truth to feeling’, or descriptive accuracy. Some may refer, as I have indicated, to ‘unpremeditated’ writing ‘dictated’ by an inner voice.
Notes from some professional writers
For short pieces of writing about which they feel very confident, most writers probably write in this way. For some writers it may be simply an initial strategy for producing a first draft; sometimes only for part of a text.
John Steinbeck worked this way because he felt that ‘rewrite in process... interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.
Ray Bradbury similarly reported: ‘I do a first draft as passionately and as quickly as I can. I believe a story is only valid when it is imme- diate and passionate; when it dances out of your subconscious. If you interfere with it in any way, you destroy it.
As one would expect, users of this single draft strategy were most unlike those favouring the oil painting strategy in showing a very strong tendency not to do a great deal of revision.
They tended to work largely sequentially and showed a very strong tendency to correct any slips mainly as they wrote. Most writers were divided over whether it helped to leave a piece of writing and to return to it later.
Most tended to prefer not to discuss work in progress. They also showed a strong tendency not to be interlinear editors. These writers exhibited a stronger tendency than others to make frequent use of the pen or pencil but not of the word processor.
Some writers generate preferences of one- drafters’ for beginning with ‘a developed focus’, generating limited options prior to writing, settling quickly on a plan, making minimal changes to the text, and doing little re-reading.
This also suggests that they tend to be intolerant of ambiguity . They may need rapid closure, and in general to dislike writing.
One writer explains his writing technique:
I write in my mind. The more difficult and complex the writing, the more time I need to think before I write. Ideas incubate in my mind. While I talk, drive, swim and exercise I am thinking, planning, writing.
I think about the introduction, what examples to use, how to develop the main idea, what kind of conclusion to use. I write, revise, agonize, despair, give up, only to start all over again, and all of this before I ever begin to put words on paper...
Writing is not a process of discovery for me... The writing process takes place in my mind. Once that process is complete the product emerges.
The use of the water-colour strategy stemmed from his dislike of writing, and reflected a desire to get it out of the way as soon as possible.
I hope that this information will help all to become more effective in writing to help suite the needs of the reader as well as the writer by identifying which style is best for both parties.
1. Architectural strategy
2. Bricklaying strategy
3. Oil painting strategy
4. Water-colour strategy
Architectural strategy
Writing which comes ‘out of an architectural drawing of the thing you are doing’ no such dismissiveness is intended here. Academic writers in a study who used this very common plan-write-edit strategy reported that they consciously chose their writing strategies.
These writers were less likely than others to see writing as a way of thinking. In these respects these writers tended to be Planners. While most writers agreed that they wrote better when concentrating on the topic rather than on the way they were writing.
Architectural Writers showed an implicit awareness of the role of the unconscious as they exhibited the strongest tendency amongst all groups to think that it helped to leave their evolving texts and to return to them later.
They showed less of a sense of writing as intrinsically rewarding than other writers did; they were perhaps among the most pragmatic writers. They showed a slight tendency to be interlinear editors.
Writers who were word processor users showed a far stronger tendency than other writers not to find the size of the word processor screen restrictive.
Bricklaying strategy
I encountered examples of the metaphor of bricklaying in my review of writers’ accounts of their composing styles. They have to get every paragraph as nearly right as possible before you go onto the next paragraph. you are somewhat a bricklayer:
You build very slowly, not adding a new row until I feel that the foundation is solid enough to hold up the house. You are the exact opposite of the writer who dashes off his entire first draft, not caring how sloppy it looks or how badly it’s written.
In my survey, academic writers who frequently employed a sentence-by-sentence strategy were also very likely to work on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis. Their approach was, of course, largely sequential and the correction of linguistic slips tended to be done mainly as they wrote. They showed a stronger tendency than other writers not to complete a draft in a single session.
They showed some tendency to feel that it helped to leave a piece of writing and come back to it later. They usually had a clear idea of what they wanted to say and strongly disagreed that thinking would be difficult without writing: they tended not to be Discover.
They tended not to agree that the more they were concentrating on the topic rather than the way they were writing the better their writing was. They showed a stronger preference for handwritten letters than did other writers, and tended not to use the word processor (those who did so showed a strong tendency to find the screen size restrictive).
Bricklaying can be a slow process, and writers working in this way are referred to as ‘bleeders’ . Many writers who use this strategy may report - because they do only one complete draft - that they do little revision, even though they rework each chunk of text a great deal before proceeding to the next.
Oil painting strategy
Painting done in oils is reworkable over time in a way that painting with water-colours cannot be: in oils, one may paint over details in a way that would quickly become ‘muddy’ with water-colours. The surface of an oil painting typically has what is referred to as a painterly’ texture: revealing the marks of the making.
This writer usaully begin with several ideas, start playing with them. You play with these ideas until they start to feel right. It’s something like oil painting. You lay on paint and lay on paint. Suddenly you have something and you frame it... It’s like watching a tele- type machine in a newspaper office to see what comes out’.
‘Each book is worked over many times. I like to compare This method with that of painters centuries ago, pro- ceeding, as it were, from layer to layer. This first draft is quite crude... After that I rewrite it as many times - apply as many “layers” as I feel to be necessary’.
This minimal planning and maximal revision strategy is typical of Discoverers. Those who used this strategy frequently showed a strong tendency to write to understand better what they thought.
Most writers do not consciously choose their writing strategies. These writers were, of course, major revisers, and they often deleted a lot too. I wondered whether some writers abandon this strategy as they mature or whether the older generation simply did not grow up using it.
There was some tendency for frequent users of this strategy to agree that their writing was better the more they concentrated on the topic rather than on the way they were writing. They exhibited a strong tendency not to mind talking about work in progress, and also to feel that it helped to leave a piece of writing and to return to it later.
As for their use of writing tools, they were evenly di- vided over whether handwriting was too slow for them (other writers tended not to find it too slow). They were much more likely than other writers to be interlinear editors.
In my survey the word processor showed up as being most frequently used by oil painters: 79% used one often. They showed a stronger tendency than other writers to report that they felt more productive since they had begun using the word processor.
One may suggested that the first drafts of ‘multi-drafters tend to be writer-based rather than reader-based: that is, primarily an aid to the writer’s thinking rather than tailored to the needs of readers. Such writers may delete a large quantity of the text which they generate. They may also get lost in their evolving texts and have a strong need to re-read.
The oil painting strategy is not confined to literary writers. One leading scientist in the field of biochemistry reported that: I evolve a paper out of the mist. It comes in pieces, each piece being smoothed a bit as it comes along. It isn’t a linear thing starting at the beginning and going to the end, but rather clusters.
Another reported ‘writing it several times until I see how I’m going to convey crystallize, and then sort of letting the paper flow... I write the paper and let it come as it comes... My first draft is an enormous, lengthy, amorphous mass... I found myself crossing out... I do a tremendous amount of pruning’
Water-colour strategy
The water-colours, strategy involves an attempt to produce a complete version at the first attempt, with minimal revision. Paintings done in water- colours are typically characterized by a sense of freshness and lightness of touch.
James Britton referred explicitly to this strategy as painting in water-colours’, stressing the difference between this and the oil painting strategy: ‘where one pigment may be used to obliterate another.
This is associated with his notion of ‘shaping at the point of utterance’, declaring that ‘the initial process must capture immediately as much as possible of the painter’s vision.
Such a precipitative approach (in contrast to writing which is more planned, and/or more extensively revised) is often associated with novice writers.
Carl Bereiter and Marlene Scardamalia (1987) refer to the uncritical ‘knowledge-telling’ strategy of novices. In such hands it can result in writer based prose which is insufficiently adapted to the needs of readers.
Apart from inexperience, situational factors (such as deadlines or lack of motivation) can of course lead to the first draft being the final one.
However, the water-colour strategy is also the preferred method of many accomplished writers. This may also reflect an attempt to retain spontaneity’, ‘truth to feeling’, or descriptive accuracy. Some may refer, as I have indicated, to ‘unpremeditated’ writing ‘dictated’ by an inner voice.
Notes from some professional writers
For short pieces of writing about which they feel very confident, most writers probably write in this way. For some writers it may be simply an initial strategy for producing a first draft; sometimes only for part of a text.
John Steinbeck worked this way because he felt that ‘rewrite in process... interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.
Ray Bradbury similarly reported: ‘I do a first draft as passionately and as quickly as I can. I believe a story is only valid when it is imme- diate and passionate; when it dances out of your subconscious. If you interfere with it in any way, you destroy it.
As one would expect, users of this single draft strategy were most unlike those favouring the oil painting strategy in showing a very strong tendency not to do a great deal of revision.
They tended to work largely sequentially and showed a very strong tendency to correct any slips mainly as they wrote. Most writers were divided over whether it helped to leave a piece of writing and to return to it later.
Most tended to prefer not to discuss work in progress. They also showed a strong tendency not to be interlinear editors. These writers exhibited a stronger tendency than others to make frequent use of the pen or pencil but not of the word processor.
Some writers generate preferences of one- drafters’ for beginning with ‘a developed focus’, generating limited options prior to writing, settling quickly on a plan, making minimal changes to the text, and doing little re-reading.
This also suggests that they tend to be intolerant of ambiguity . They may need rapid closure, and in general to dislike writing.
One writer explains his writing technique:
I write in my mind. The more difficult and complex the writing, the more time I need to think before I write. Ideas incubate in my mind. While I talk, drive, swim and exercise I am thinking, planning, writing.
I think about the introduction, what examples to use, how to develop the main idea, what kind of conclusion to use. I write, revise, agonize, despair, give up, only to start all over again, and all of this before I ever begin to put words on paper...
Writing is not a process of discovery for me... The writing process takes place in my mind. Once that process is complete the product emerges.
The use of the water-colour strategy stemmed from his dislike of writing, and reflected a desire to get it out of the way as soon as possible.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Affiliate Communication
Communication is Key!
When building an affiliate network communicating with affiliates is important for merchants to maintain a good relationship. An affiliate's web site targets visitors, who may not necessarily view a merchant's web site, and therefore expands a merchants market. An affiliate may not be able to actively keep up with the merchants product, it is important for a merchant to keep affiliate's informed about new product information, sales, new releases, links, graphics, promotions and special offers.
Keep in mind, not all affiliates are going to produce a high volume of traffic, and importantly, visitors who want to purchase a merchant's products or services. The occasional gem makes the time taken well worth your effort. Talk with successful affiliates, find out what they are doing to effectively promote your software, and use that information to assist those affiliates who are not as successful.
Assist affiliates in understanding your product; no one knows your products like you do. For affiliates to drive traffic that will convert to sales, they need to understand the benefits of the product they are marketing. Once an affiliate knows the product, they will be better able to act as an extended sales force. In order for the affiliate to make the effort, you simply must support them!
Make Communication Easy
Many 3rd party affiliate-tracking programs notify both the affiliate and merchant of a sale. This can often be automated and will create positive communication between merchants and affiliates. Making an affiliate's role easier will help them increase earnings and further promote a merchants site.
Provide affiliates with great looking graphics and sample text. Graphics that work best are those that highlight your web site, yet fit the look of an affiliate's web site.
Newsletters are another great way to get information to affiliates. Include tips and specific for affiliates, along with general marketing advice that helps with site promotion. If you are looking for software to manage newsletters, I highly recommend Group Mail -. http://tinyurl.com/23ljy
Affiliate Taboos
An affiliate generates a sale for a product and the merchant promptly decreases the commission. This sends a very negative message to the affiliate, in many cases they've taken a lot of time to place links, promote products and because they've driven effective traffic their commission is decreased. If its necessary to decrease a commission for whatever reason, be sure to include a personal note detailing the reason and letting the affiliate know that you still support their efforts.
A Cheat?
An affiliate sale occurs, you go to their website and don't find any links you decide they must be cheating you! This conclusion is simply a based on poor communication and reporting. Many, many affiliates have multiple sites, very few affiliate tracking programs allow affiliates to list multiple sites, and in many cases the number of sites listed do not accurately reflect the number of sites owned and managed by the affiliate. Additionally many affiliates manage opt-in newsletters that may result in sales, but links are not visible on a website. An example of a popular ezine often promoting affiliates is Lockergnome!
Links, Links, Links
Keep your links valid! If you update a section of the site or remove an offer provide a redirect or retain the link saying that such and such offer has expired and a new one has replaced it. It seems a waste to discard targeted traffic because a special has expired. Be sure to communicate with your affiliates, and if a link will only be good for a specified length of time tell them up front. When an offer expires notify affiliates a week prior to the expiration with a reminder. This will give them ample time to make any needed updates.
Added Incentives!
Affiliates love added bonuses for reaching goals or specified levels of sales. Many of the 3rd party affiliate vendors run contests and provide large incentives for their top performing ones. Reward and praise successful affiliates.
Affiliates tend to be experts in other areas, which relate to a merchants business; therefore, by communicating useful information, and helping affiliates increase their earnings, they will give added exposure and increase your sales. Communicating with affiliates will ultimately benefit visitors of both sites. A little effort in the beginning can mean big rewards in the long run.
When building an affiliate network communicating with affiliates is important for merchants to maintain a good relationship. An affiliate's web site targets visitors, who may not necessarily view a merchant's web site, and therefore expands a merchants market. An affiliate may not be able to actively keep up with the merchants product, it is important for a merchant to keep affiliate's informed about new product information, sales, new releases, links, graphics, promotions and special offers.
Keep in mind, not all affiliates are going to produce a high volume of traffic, and importantly, visitors who want to purchase a merchant's products or services. The occasional gem makes the time taken well worth your effort. Talk with successful affiliates, find out what they are doing to effectively promote your software, and use that information to assist those affiliates who are not as successful.
Assist affiliates in understanding your product; no one knows your products like you do. For affiliates to drive traffic that will convert to sales, they need to understand the benefits of the product they are marketing. Once an affiliate knows the product, they will be better able to act as an extended sales force. In order for the affiliate to make the effort, you simply must support them!
Make Communication Easy
Many 3rd party affiliate-tracking programs notify both the affiliate and merchant of a sale. This can often be automated and will create positive communication between merchants and affiliates. Making an affiliate's role easier will help them increase earnings and further promote a merchants site.
Provide affiliates with great looking graphics and sample text. Graphics that work best are those that highlight your web site, yet fit the look of an affiliate's web site.
Newsletters are another great way to get information to affiliates. Include tips and specific for affiliates, along with general marketing advice that helps with site promotion. If you are looking for software to manage newsletters, I highly recommend Group Mail -. http://tinyurl.com/23ljy
Affiliate Taboos
An affiliate generates a sale for a product and the merchant promptly decreases the commission. This sends a very negative message to the affiliate, in many cases they've taken a lot of time to place links, promote products and because they've driven effective traffic their commission is decreased. If its necessary to decrease a commission for whatever reason, be sure to include a personal note detailing the reason and letting the affiliate know that you still support their efforts.
A Cheat?
An affiliate sale occurs, you go to their website and don't find any links you decide they must be cheating you! This conclusion is simply a based on poor communication and reporting. Many, many affiliates have multiple sites, very few affiliate tracking programs allow affiliates to list multiple sites, and in many cases the number of sites listed do not accurately reflect the number of sites owned and managed by the affiliate. Additionally many affiliates manage opt-in newsletters that may result in sales, but links are not visible on a website. An example of a popular ezine often promoting affiliates is Lockergnome!
Links, Links, Links
Keep your links valid! If you update a section of the site or remove an offer provide a redirect or retain the link saying that such and such offer has expired and a new one has replaced it. It seems a waste to discard targeted traffic because a special has expired. Be sure to communicate with your affiliates, and if a link will only be good for a specified length of time tell them up front. When an offer expires notify affiliates a week prior to the expiration with a reminder. This will give them ample time to make any needed updates.
Added Incentives!
Affiliates love added bonuses for reaching goals or specified levels of sales. Many of the 3rd party affiliate vendors run contests and provide large incentives for their top performing ones. Reward and praise successful affiliates.
Affiliates tend to be experts in other areas, which relate to a merchants business; therefore, by communicating useful information, and helping affiliates increase their earnings, they will give added exposure and increase your sales. Communicating with affiliates will ultimately benefit visitors of both sites. A little effort in the beginning can mean big rewards in the long run.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Why Your ISP Takes Bribes From Spammers
The lifeblood of the spammer is email. They need to be able to send lots of it on an ongoing basis to stay in "business". High profile spammers can send 80 million pieces of junk email every single day. Yes one single person.
ISPs all over the online world have vowed to stop spammers sending such vast amounts of email through their mail servers. Do they really keep their word? All the end user sees is that the spam keeps coming. There must be a loophole there somewhere. There is.
In the soft white underbelly of the internet there exists something known as a pink contract. The term pink contract comes from the color of the famous tinned meat that junk email gets its name from. A pink contract is simply a business agreement between the ISP and the spammer. The spammer agrees to pay the ISP to turn a blind eye to the junk email passing through their mail servers.
Surely this is bad business for the ISP? Well the answer to that is both Yes and No. Yes it's bad news for the people who receive the junk email and No it's good news for the ISPs bank balance. A monthly pink contract can pay the ISP amounts from $10,000 upwards. Bearing in mind that the average work-at-home spammer averages $100,000 net per year the above figure is small change fo the bigger junk email vendors (the guys who earn $200,000 - $400,000 per month.)
But..... the CanSpam Act 2003... surely that's going to make a difference? Of course. Any ISP in the United States can get in serious, serious trouble for signing pink contracts. Problem is that there's a whole big world wide web out there and the vast majority of pink contracts are signed with overseas ISPs where US authorities have no jurisdiction - China and Russia being perfect examples.
There's no moral to this story. Spam is a huge problem that's finally being taken seriously by Governmental bodies. However until they start imposing prison sentences or seizure orders on those individuals and companies in the pink contract business the problem can only continue.
ISPs all over the online world have vowed to stop spammers sending such vast amounts of email through their mail servers. Do they really keep their word? All the end user sees is that the spam keeps coming. There must be a loophole there somewhere. There is.
In the soft white underbelly of the internet there exists something known as a pink contract. The term pink contract comes from the color of the famous tinned meat that junk email gets its name from. A pink contract is simply a business agreement between the ISP and the spammer. The spammer agrees to pay the ISP to turn a blind eye to the junk email passing through their mail servers.
Surely this is bad business for the ISP? Well the answer to that is both Yes and No. Yes it's bad news for the people who receive the junk email and No it's good news for the ISPs bank balance. A monthly pink contract can pay the ISP amounts from $10,000 upwards. Bearing in mind that the average work-at-home spammer averages $100,000 net per year the above figure is small change fo the bigger junk email vendors (the guys who earn $200,000 - $400,000 per month.)
But..... the CanSpam Act 2003... surely that's going to make a difference? Of course. Any ISP in the United States can get in serious, serious trouble for signing pink contracts. Problem is that there's a whole big world wide web out there and the vast majority of pink contracts are signed with overseas ISPs where US authorities have no jurisdiction - China and Russia being perfect examples.
There's no moral to this story. Spam is a huge problem that's finally being taken seriously by Governmental bodies. However until they start imposing prison sentences or seizure orders on those individuals and companies in the pink contract business the problem can only continue.
Monday, April 9, 2007
‘Bad Blogs Have Got To Go, Blogging Could Be Really Cool If Done Properly, Maybe Even With A Pinch Of Love.’
There’s a lot of blogs out there on the Web, most of which don’t entice one to go back regularly to read updates. What is missing from these on-line journals that would essentially make them ‘good’ blogs? Well, the answers in life usually come down to simplicities. So let’s look at the problem like we were children. Children don’t complicate life with miscellaneous information, and when they speak they tell you straight to the point exactly how they feel and think about a subject.
First of all, we should ask the questions,” Why do blogs exist? And what are they here for?” Well, in an ideal world ‘good’ blogs would help people connect, sharing knowledge and feelings about issues in life. As they are journals written by individuals we would hope that they’d be readable and open to comment by all other people, not just a select group of friends. The key is speaking in a way that is understandable by the masses, get rid of acronyms and local slang that only few will comprehend. Keep the sentences grammatically simple and generally short and concise.
Try to write in your blog as often as possible because if people enjoy reading your thoughts and ideas they’ll want to communicate or at least be filled in regularly on ‘your world’. Ask questions, comment on other blogs of similar content, start communities with others you’ve never met, based on your interests. Keep focused; if your blog is about thoughts on war and peace, keep your thoughts on the latest movie and how hungry you are for somewhere else. The idea is to incite intelligent communication so that in time our collective stockpile of knowledge and wisdom will gradually grow like a tree in fertile soil.
I think of most importance is the fact that you want this journal to be ‘good’ reading. Of course we all have ideas about what genres and styles we like, but writing from your heart and soul is imperative for the connection with others that you’re looking for. Share yourself; don’t hide behind walls of fear of ridicule and judgment. In real life relationships trust, respect, intimacy, and unity are all necessary for a bond to form. It’s the same in the ‘virtual’ world; people want to hear from real people-not just one-sided, highly opinionated arguments from egos that don’t want to hear the ‘other side of the coin’.
Now, in my last article I really tore apart most writers out there, and here I’m giving some pretty complex ideas on how to fix the problem of ‘bad’ writing. In my next article I’ll attempt to go back to the simple basics of how to write for beginners. I hope I haven’t come across as too judgmental, I just truly believe the ‘blog world’ could become a real asset to humanity, and at the moment it’s missing the mark.
Ideas about sentence structure, grammar, paragraphing, using a thesaurus (varying terms used so as not to sound repetitive), whether or not your blog is suitable for a personal or professional approach, are all important to creating a simple and enjoyable read for the blogging visitor. If you are a beginner, please check out my next article on the basics.
First of all, we should ask the questions,” Why do blogs exist? And what are they here for?” Well, in an ideal world ‘good’ blogs would help people connect, sharing knowledge and feelings about issues in life. As they are journals written by individuals we would hope that they’d be readable and open to comment by all other people, not just a select group of friends. The key is speaking in a way that is understandable by the masses, get rid of acronyms and local slang that only few will comprehend. Keep the sentences grammatically simple and generally short and concise.
Try to write in your blog as often as possible because if people enjoy reading your thoughts and ideas they’ll want to communicate or at least be filled in regularly on ‘your world’. Ask questions, comment on other blogs of similar content, start communities with others you’ve never met, based on your interests. Keep focused; if your blog is about thoughts on war and peace, keep your thoughts on the latest movie and how hungry you are for somewhere else. The idea is to incite intelligent communication so that in time our collective stockpile of knowledge and wisdom will gradually grow like a tree in fertile soil.
I think of most importance is the fact that you want this journal to be ‘good’ reading. Of course we all have ideas about what genres and styles we like, but writing from your heart and soul is imperative for the connection with others that you’re looking for. Share yourself; don’t hide behind walls of fear of ridicule and judgment. In real life relationships trust, respect, intimacy, and unity are all necessary for a bond to form. It’s the same in the ‘virtual’ world; people want to hear from real people-not just one-sided, highly opinionated arguments from egos that don’t want to hear the ‘other side of the coin’.
Now, in my last article I really tore apart most writers out there, and here I’m giving some pretty complex ideas on how to fix the problem of ‘bad’ writing. In my next article I’ll attempt to go back to the simple basics of how to write for beginners. I hope I haven’t come across as too judgmental, I just truly believe the ‘blog world’ could become a real asset to humanity, and at the moment it’s missing the mark.
Ideas about sentence structure, grammar, paragraphing, using a thesaurus (varying terms used so as not to sound repetitive), whether or not your blog is suitable for a personal or professional approach, are all important to creating a simple and enjoyable read for the blogging visitor. If you are a beginner, please check out my next article on the basics.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Remote Collaboration Is Now A Service On The Internet
Easydesk is a new way to co-operate: a user-freindly instrument for the creation of a “virtual office”, designed for professional use, equipped with all the features and and the services needed to assure high performances and above all the maximum security in using it.
It is targeted to: professionals, Small and Medium Companies, Organization, Work Groups to increase the efficiency of the office, improve the collaboration among collegues and with suppliers and clients located anywhere in the World. easydesk grants a daily backup of the data, rapidly cuts some costs of the telephone bill, introduces economically Teleworking, e-learning and CRM.
It does not require to buy software, to create and mantein a personal server or to manage the service.
Easydesk presents a wide range of built-in functions and news ones are been developped for the future:
* Communication: Email, chat, multipart vocal conference, white board (allows making on-line presentations and lessons), forum. High service assures a safe communication).
* Filing: sharing of data located on the easydesk server and on the work stations, possibility to keep the data encrypted and to manage the access rights to them for the users of the office, opportunity to make automatic backup of the data located on the work station of the user.
Easydesk is offered as a service on the internet that one pays for what is needed and for the time it is necessary. The payment is made indeed through a subscription to use a basic office, and any additional function or service installed must be bought with points that can be top up, as for the mobile prepaid cards. The subscription includes the possibility to host up five users per office, up to 50 MB of remote memory and all the functions available at the moment excluded the vocal conference; the subscription can be expanded anytime through the above-mentioned top-up system. The annual subscription of the basic costs 180 Euro.
It is targeted to: professionals, Small and Medium Companies, Organization, Work Groups to increase the efficiency of the office, improve the collaboration among collegues and with suppliers and clients located anywhere in the World. easydesk grants a daily backup of the data, rapidly cuts some costs of the telephone bill, introduces economically Teleworking, e-learning and CRM.
It does not require to buy software, to create and mantein a personal server or to manage the service.
Easydesk presents a wide range of built-in functions and news ones are been developped for the future:
* Communication: Email, chat, multipart vocal conference, white board (allows making on-line presentations and lessons), forum. High service assures a safe communication).
* Filing: sharing of data located on the easydesk server and on the work stations, possibility to keep the data encrypted and to manage the access rights to them for the users of the office, opportunity to make automatic backup of the data located on the work station of the user.
Easydesk is offered as a service on the internet that one pays for what is needed and for the time it is necessary. The payment is made indeed through a subscription to use a basic office, and any additional function or service installed must be bought with points that can be top up, as for the mobile prepaid cards. The subscription includes the possibility to host up five users per office, up to 50 MB of remote memory and all the functions available at the moment excluded the vocal conference; the subscription can be expanded anytime through the above-mentioned top-up system. The annual subscription of the basic costs 180 Euro.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
