วันเสาร์ที่ 31 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Comparing Free Blogging Software

With the increased interest in Blogging (web Logging), many web hosting providers now provide an assortment of free usage, open source blogging software packages. Among the most popular of these blogging tools are B2evolution, WordPress and Nucleus. Each of these programs offer similar basic features, so the question arises as to which one is easiest to use and would be appropriate for the requirements of your particular website.

The answer lies in the true purpose of your blog website. If your primary goal is to share your opinions and ideas with the general public, you would want to utilize a different blogging tool than a user who was creating product blogs as a commercial sales effort. A blog for search engine promotion would have entirely different requirements. All of these uses are viable reasons to create a blog, however each requires different features to be successful.

WordPress Blogging Software

Available for free download at: http://wordpress.org/

It is hard to beat WordPress for general personal blogging. WordPress is an open source, state-of-the-art personal publishing platform with a focus on presentation and usability. Everything related to creating and updating your blog is available through an intuitive graphical interface. With WordPress there is no need to compile your work. You simply write your column. You then select the features you want and your blog is instantly created and published to your website.

If you are on vacation, you can schedule your uploads for some date in the future or even email your column to the server! The system allows multiple users with multiple blogs divided into categories and sub-categories. This allows multiple family members or friends to create their own blogs along with yours.

Easy customization and the availability of many "plug-ins" that provide more functionality (add new features as you learn) makes this software a very good choice for most individuals.

B2evolution

Available for free download at: http://b2evolution.net/

B2evolution is another advanced web log tool that features an integrated XHTML validator. It supports recursive subcategories, cross posting and has a really cool integrated "skinning" system.

The "skinning" system allows you to create multiple blogs in separate categories with different appearances for each blog. You simply "change the skin" for the blog to create a totally new look and feel.

The "skinning" feature, combined with the built in multi-user administration management tool, makes the system robust enough for more commercial endeavors, such as product promotion blogs. If you have much to publish with multiple themes, this is the software you are looking for.

Nucleus Blogging Software

Available for free download at: http://nucleuscms.org/

Though Nucleus is an extremely robust blogging tool in its own right, it also contains some powerful features that can provide benefits in promotion of your blog.

Nucleus offers the ability to optimize its URLS, creating simple page addresses that do not have and "&" or "=" characters. This makes the pages search engine (and user) friendly. Another great feature is the ability to show the contents of multiple weblogs on one page. This could allow a
website owner to manipulate the optimum text / keyword balance on pages for better search engine rankings.

Nucleus also provides RSS and Atom feeds that can be extremely helpful when promoting a website. If part of your blog's function is to work as a search engine marketing and promotion tool, Nucleus is an exceptional software package.

Each of these blogging software packages offer the basic tools that you would need to create a successful blog and all three are PHP - MySQL open source (free to use) packages. You should try to select the software that helps you achieve the long term goal that you have in mind for your website based on the unique extra features offered by each.




Don Beavers lives in Bryan/College Station, Texas and is an enterprise level PHP-MySQL programmer at both the Shopping Elf Shopping Guide [http://www.shoppingelf.com] and the Datavor Web Directory.

วันศุกร์ที่ 30 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Sharepoint - How to Add a Website URL to Your Top Link Bar

Sharepoint has quickly become a near "must have" program among business owners. With its unbelievably well rounded platform SP covers just about every necessary aspect of staying in clear communication with your associates.

Now in my opinion, an important aspect of effective business operation is making all of your tools easily accessible. In my industry, our website is extremely important and it is a tremendous benefit to have it in short distance.

With SP being such a huge part of me and my teams everyday work life, I found it extremely beneficial to be able to add our website address to the top link bar.

So how do you do this?

Let me take you through the process, step by step.

1. Login to your Sharepoint account using a login that has administrative rights.
2. Once you are logged in, direct your attention to the top right hand corner of your page. You will see a tab that is entitled "Site Actions". Click on that tab.
3. Once you have selected this tab, a drop down menu will appear. Select the option that is titled "Site Settings".
4. After you have selected the "Site Settings" tab, a new page will appear with a menu displayed horizontally. The 2nd menu option in from the left will be titled "Look and Feel". Under that heading will be a "top link bar" option. Select this option.
5. Next, a page will appear that displays your current links as well as a heading tab that says "New Link". Click that tab.
6. Now, you will be taken to a page that asks you to fill out the URL of the website you would like displayed as well as a description of the site. You will want to be careful when filling out the description because the text you put in here will be what is stated on your top link bar. I would recommend being very brief; maybe 1 or 2 words.
7. Once you are done with this, simply click the "OK" tab underneath the spaces you have just filled out.

Wa La! You're all done!

Until next time, have fun playing with your Sharepoint site!




You can set up your own Sharepoint Hosting account by visiting Sharepoint Hosting, visit http://www.Alentus.com

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 29 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Hosting a Holiday Open House for Your Business - Sample Your Wares

Hosting a Holiday Open House at your shop can net you one of your biggest sales days of the year. Consider having one each quarter. Come up with ideas that make sense for your shop. Obviously we have a Holiday Open House as soon as we've decorated the shop for Christmas. We have one in the spring near Easter, one for Mother's Day because 99.9% of our customers are women, and a fourth one late in the summer to celebrate the date we opened. We call that one our Anniversary Open House.

Our customers love, love, love our open houses. We treat them like guests and make them feel special.

During your Holiday Open Houses you have the opportunity for your customers to sample your wares, particularly if you have foods that you sell.

We carry scone mixes, cheeseballs mixes, teas, chocolate, coffee, and cider drink mixes, etc. We sell cookbooks. During our holiday open houses we would make a selection of foods and drinks based on our products, on our cookbooks. A number of things that we would have to nibble on throughout the shop were cheesy, easy things. Pretzels dipped in chocolate, M&M's, small trays of cookies etc. were things we would use to augment everything, but it was essential to allow customers to sample our wares.

When sampling your wares, make it very obvious what they are tasting. Set up a display of those items in that sampling area. When we had customers come in who we know have never purchased one of these items, we try to get them to just have a taste of it. Many times all they had to do is taste it and they change their mind about what they think about it. Get them to realize that this will make their life so much easier at their next party.

Make sure that your staff has tasted everything that you are serving as well. They need to be able to talk knowledgeably about it and give recommendations for how that can be served and how it would make your customer's life easier at a specific event. "For holiday entertaining it is really nice to be able to just open this up, add two ingredients and you have the most unique and delicious appetizer or dessert. I don't have a party without serving these." These are the kinds of things your staff needs to be able to say.

Above all, your customers need to feel as though they have been invited to something special, and when they come in they need to be greeted that way as well. Make sure you have enough staff on hand to help people find items, talk to them about what you're serving, and above all make sure you can check them out quickly. Most people are quite willing to wait when they know they're getting something special.

By treating your customers as honored guests at a Holiday Open House, you guarantee that they will return every single time you host one.




Kit Birmingham has learned over the years that to maintain customers, you must forge a relationship with them. Her experiences have helped her to develop ways to help all people improve their customer relations.

http://willowcreekacountryattic.blogspot.com/

http://auntiekitandcousins.blogspot.com

วันพุธที่ 28 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Top 10 New TV Shows to Watch This Fall 2011

FALL TELEVISION PREVIEW 2011 - is out, the kids are back in school, the summer buzz has slowed to a simmer, and then cooled, and now I'm pulling my snuggy and my slippers out, warming up some hot chocolate, forcing my doggy to cuddle on the couch with me for hours on end, while I watch the new fall prime time lineup from one network to the next, in search of my new diamonds in the rough to review for you! This year is no exception and I have a feeling it's going to be a great season, even though pilot season was almost at a dead stop this year, I still have hope!

10) The X Factor (FOX) - Simon Cowell is back with a brand new American Idol, basically. This show has a new panel of judges, well, sorta. Paula Abdul, not so new, but LA Reid and Nicole Scherzinger are new to the game. It's just a British talent show. I hate to admit that I am looking forward to this show, but it's a must watch, because you know that everyone and their momma is going to be curious to see if the show is better or worse than Cowell's first creation and after all, we do live for the hype. I don't see this show being original, so it barely makes the list at ten. I think that the show will be exactly like Idol, Dance, Top Model and we will watch it like zombies and it will get huge ratings because it's just more of what America wants to see.

9) Terra Nova (FOX) - Never mind the weird name, it's brought to you by Steven Speilberg, which usually speaks for itself, but after seeing SUPER 8 this last month, I do not assume that everything that the Berg makes is a monster hit. Obviously sci-fi, the show centers an ordinary family that lives on a dying earth in the year 2149. They sign up for project Terra Nova. The project transports them back 85 million years to prehistoric earth to join a colony of humans with a second chance to build a better civilization. Think, Dr. Mereau meets Land of the Lost and it has earned #9 on my list of shows to watch Fall 2011.

8) Ringer - (The CW) This show stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, and I love her, so I have hopes for this one. It's about a young woman on the run from the mob, and she poses as her wealthy twin sister to evade them, but she soon finds out that her sister has a price on her head as well. I'm a sucker for mob stories.

7) Charlie's Angels - (ABC) This show pretty much speaks for itself. It's a cool remake of the 70's classic, and the producers are on auto pilot as long as they follow the simple script that is already laid out for them. A monkey could make this show. We all know exactly how it goes, and there's not much mystery. Unlike Wonder Woman, there was no fancy suit or get up involved so the show was green lit without incident.

6) Icon News - (Bravo) This show is my sleeper and I already see a lot of eyebrows raising, but this looks like a very good show. Lew Marklin interviews celebrities from their living room, recording studio, on set or wherever they have a bubble cam, via skype about positive issues, etc. My interest in the show is its host, Lew Marklin. Many of you do not know that name yet, but in 2007, he hosted a show called ADHDtv, that was completely independent, came out of nowhere and ranked on the Neilsen charts next to Larry King and other major names. It was completely unheard of and though the show was somewhat odd, it caused ripples in TV land. Now Marklin has moved up the food chain to a larger network and I got a hunch, he's figured it out.

5) Person of Interest - (CBS) More hitmen and action! This show is about an ex CIA hitman and a Scientist who team up to stop crimes before they happen, sorta like the Minority Report. I like the concept and I think this will be a good action drama.

4) Prime Suspect - (NBC) I'm usually not big on adapted shows from Britain or elsewhere, but this show looks to be a good one. Female cop breaking sexist stereotypes. She's a tough female detective who has to prove herself in a male dominated New York City precinct. Sorta reminds me of last years premiere of Chase on NBC. A show that I also liked.

3) H8R - (The CW) Now don't H8 on me for saying that I grew up on Saved by the Bell, but for some reason Mario Lopez, who always shows up hosting some TV show, just when you though he and his dimples were retired, never completely flops, but never completely hits either. I like the concept though, and think that the show will be interesting and funny, and one of those reality shows that you can watch out of synch or miss a few times and not have to go back and catch up on what you missed.

2) Once Upon a Time - (ABC) I'm a girl, duh. Need I say more? What girl does not want to wake up in a fairytale, to find out that she really is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Besides, I liked The Tutors and it seems right up that line historically speaking.

1) AWAKE - (NBC) I love a good mind warp and a challenge. This show is a trip. Two different realities and you get to experience it all with the main character who suffers a traumattic car crash the servers his reality. He, his wife and son were all in the car, but only two people survive the crash. Only problem is that he comes out of crash experiencing two completely different realities, one in which his son has died and the other in which the wife died, and he, and the viewer have to take the ride, in order to figure out which reality is true! I love it!!

Well, there's my top ten. I'd love to hear your comments.



วันอังคารที่ 27 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Green Campaign - Its Role in Creating Awareness Among Malaysian to Protect the Environment

Nowadays green campaign is one of the hot topics among the Malaysian. The main objective of green campaign is to create awareness among the public to protect our environment. Green campaign not only popular in Malaysia, is also very famous in foreign country. In Malaysia there are a lot of organization organizing green campaign such as Environmental Protection Society Malaysia (EPSM), Malaysia Environment NGOs (MENGO) and Treat Every Environment Special Sdn. Bhd. (TRESS). Furthermore, from the researcher research, there also few business company supporting on green campaign such as Panasonic, TESCO, and Nippon weather paint company.

EPSM was founded on 11 January 1974 at University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. The society founded by a group of Malaysian who concerned about protecting the environment. EPSM is non-profit organization it runs by an elected executive committee on an entirely voluntary. The main objective of EPSM is to control the activities that will cause harm to the environment. In EPSM organization, public relations (PR) roles help to do publicity for the organization and at the same times help the create awareness among the public.

MENGO was formed under Danish International Development Assistance in November 2001. MENGO was an active society's, it can give impact on the decision making at the levels of Malaysia society. The organization gives support to the Government of Malaysia on environment policies. The mission of MENGO is to protect the environment and maintain the agenda level same as local, national and international. The organization had organized a campaign on 19 April 2009 in Penang Bosch Hall to discuss plastic bags should be ban or not to ban.

TREES is a local non-profit environment organization. The organization founded in February 1995. The main purpose of TREES is to educate public the important of protect our environment and reduce negative impact for our environment. TREES organizations had organized two successfully programs in this year. On 14th February 2009 they had organized Valentine's Pledge for Mother Earth, the program use to encourage the public send a photograph with a caption that how you protect the environment so that can share with each others. Furthermore, on 13th March the organization organized community recycling campaign at Ampang, this activity help to reduce the air pollution. There are a lot of people participated in these two events. The events are very meaningful and bring benefit to our environment.

Panasonic Sdn. Bhd. is one of the electronic company's had designed out an eco-refrigerator to support green campaign and the product have successfully launched in Malaysia. It's able to be self adjusting electricity regulator that reduces the wastage. Compare with other brand of refrigerator the Panasonic refrigerator able to save 40% of the electricity. It helps fight global warming and save money all the time. Panasonic electronic company in United State America also concerns for environmental protection and sustainability. The company's practices prudent, sustainable use of the earth's natural resources and the protection of the environment. Together with many benefits associated with the use and enjoyment of new technologies comes with responsibility that do not take lightly. The company hopes that this commitment able to protecting the environment continues to earn public trust and support.

Besides that, TESCO hypermarket had designed an eco-friendly recycle bag. The purpose is to encourage the consumer to use the recycle bag instead of using the plastic bag. Those consumers who using the recycle bag when purchase the goods can gain extra point for the member card. Furthermore, all the Tesco in Penang have applied the same rules that set by the Penang state government. Tesco hypermarket in Penang state not give out plastic bag for the consumer on every Monday. In foreign country, Tesco is the most environmentally friendly supermarket. Tesco had wins a award for being the best big company for corporate environmental strategy, has invested £115m in energy-saving technology for its stores in the past two years and is working hard to create the zero carbon supermarket of the future.

Malaysia Government also supporting green campaign. On 28th March 2009 the government encouraged whole Malaysian to switch off their lights from 8.00pm until 9.00pm. KL tower and 8TV is one of the company's supporting this program. In this program, PR practitioners help the government to spread out all the information and do publicity on the activities. Besides, to support green campaign Penang state had already ban the consumer using plastic bag on every Monday. The purpose of this program is to encourage the consumer use recycle bag for those consumers who require for a plastic bag on Monday need to pay 20sen for it.

Thus, University Sains Malaysia (USM) an university in Malaysia shows support on green campaign. USM have organized a lot of campaign encourage the student to take care of our environment. Besides that, USM also joined with Tupperware Company to support the green campaign. Tupperware Company provided each student who studies in USM a plastic container for daily use. When student need to packing the food can use plastic container instate of using plastic bag. This help to save one plastic bag for our mother earth.

Not only Malaysia had green campaign there are a lot of green campaign in the foreign. Such as Disney land from foreign country had set up a Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) found that Walt Disney World uses more than 80 extremely toxic cleaners, as opposed to just 12 that are non-toxic and which are used in the animal park out of safety concerns for the animals. Disney land is for children to pay visit in the park. At the same time it also can let the children "bathe, eat and play." CHEJ and community groups in Florida are urging Disney to use safer cleaning products for the sake of the children.

The main objective of the researcher is to create awareness among the public to be more concern about our environment and to let the public knows that protect our environment is our responsible.

There are few journals collected by the researcher for references purpose. From the researcher research, a campaign use to organize a series of activities to try to achieve something. A purpose of a campaign is use to get attention from the public and to promote a new product, or launch a new product. For a PR campaign mostly use to do publicity and create awareness among the public.

According to Singh (2007), nowadays our environment facing a lot of problem and it became more serious. Hopefully the committee can influence all the Malaysia society care about the environment and the problem can be solves easily. Toward EPSM the public able to understand what is green campaign.

As a parent needs to educate their children how to take care our environment. Reading about environment is not boring it is very helpful to everyone. Know about environment issues help to enlarge personal knowledge about something new. Do not let media to confuse us, as a responsible Malaysian we should use simple way to show others public what to do. (Wahid,2009).

Ohana (2007) define that environment education is very important. This education will influence the future individual human beings, the nation, and the whole world. The world environment will be affect depends on how human use science and technology in future. So that, science education must be prepare for the student. This because most of the decisions makes by the student will be revolves around issues of the environment in future.

Adebobola (2004) argue that the environmental problem become more serious this because the industrial growth very fast. Although some regions were virtually untouched by the inhabitants but there still got large areas been affected. This cause the organization Environment department of Africa concern in the major coexisting issues in the world.

Penang government had come out a new rules stated that start from 1st July no plastic bag on every Monday. There are a lot of people disagree with the rules. This because they say is not convenience when the purchase foods and goods make them feel so inconvenient. According to Yu (2009) mostly consumer using plastic bag for a rubbish bag if really want to apply the rules, Penang government need support form media. According to Yeap (2009), he claimed that every people should follow the rules and at the same time can educate and encourage others to recycle.

From the researcher research, there are two theories can be applied in the research. There are Interaction Theory and Klapper's Reinforcement Theory.

Interaction theory means influence a medium has over its audience is proportional to the amount of effort involved in consuming it. According to Ken Spencer humans remember only 10 percent of what they read, 20 percent of what they hear, and 30 percent of what they see. However, memory improves to 50 percent for those who see and hear something, and 90 percent if the person is actively involved in the process or event instead of merely observing it. This theory can be illustrated by considering the results of staged events involving audience participation. So, to encourage the public to take in green campaign, the organization needs to encourage the public to participate in the activities.

Klapper's Reinforcement Theory maintains the media cannot create opinions from scratch, but can be effective in reinforcing existing beliefs and attitudes or bringing latent beliefs and attitudes to the surface and encouraging individuals to act on them. In this theory, shows that even media not that powerful can influence people thinking but at least can lead the public to concern about the environment issues.

Qualitative research is a field of inquiry applicable to many disciplines and subject matters. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed, rather than large random samples

Quantitative research means the variable under consideration should be measured. It is an element of precision, as it uses numbers to quantify result. The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships. The term quantitative research is most often used in the social sciences in contrast to qualitative research.

The researcher use both quantitative and qualitative research method in this study. In which includes the survey questionnaire and intensive interview to the relevant people so that the researcher can get more detail information.

There will be 11 questions for the survey questionnaire. Inside the questionnaire include, 5 dichotomous response questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 3 open-ended questions. All the survey questions will be set based on the relevant to green campaign.

There are 100 copies questionnaire will be distributed to UTAR and KTAR student in Perak campus. Both UTAR and KTAR will be distributed 50 copies of questionnaire, from 50 set of questionnaire will be divided to half that mean 25 set, for both male and female. The reason that the researcher choose UTAR Perak campus because it is the biggest campus in whole Malaysia compare to other campus. Besides that, the researcher also had chosen KTAR Perak campus to distribute the questionnaire it is because the Perak campus is second largest and newest campus in Malaysia. Thus, the researcher choose UTAR and KTAR student as target audience, is because compare to other university UTAR and KTAR have more student and it can represent the majority of teenagers.

The researcher set target audience as college and university student the age range is around 18 to 23. It is because college and university student will become new generation in future of the society. So, their perception of green campaign is very important for the research.

Besides that, an intensive interview will be conducted with ESPM Manager Gurmit Singh to understand the view of him and why he form up ESPM organization. He is the advisor and founder president of ESPM. Another interview will conducted with the Panasonic product marketing general manager Cheng Chee Chung to understand why Panasonic need to came up the eco-refrigerator.

Both interviews will take around one hour. The researcher had set up 2 set of different interview questions for the EPSM president and Panasonic marketing general manager because both of them have their own perception toward green campaign.




Charly is Utar student and having training in WMA. She very interesting in online trading and very appreciate to WMA which provide this Basic Forex Course and Internet Marketing Mastery to those who are interest in online trading. After the forex class and started to know about the strategy of trading on internet. Please don't be hestitate to join Wealth Mastery Academy,join us now. Please go to [http://www.iforex.basicforexclass.com].

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วันจันทร์ที่ 26 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

How Much Does an Average Website Cost?

This is a question that is often asked by businesses that are trying to price out companies for web design and development. Before we get started I want to note that there is a difference between website design, website development, and web marketing. The differences are listed below:


  • Website Design - creating the overall layout, design/look and feel of a website. Developing the flow of how a page will look or where the content of the site will be placed.

  • Website Development - Taking the website design and bringing it to life via HTML/CSS and/or other web scripting/programming languages. Also, website development is the process of adding additional functionality to an existing website such as eCommerce, content management systems, and etc...

  • Web Marketing - taking the designed and developed website and promoting it via the web. Using outlets such as social media, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click, and etc...

These services are usually intertwined when a company or person is explaining that they need web work done. With that out of the way let's go into the reasons why web companies/freelancers charge what they charge and how they come up with their price.

How is price determined?

There are many aspects to consider when pricing out a project, but the main one is time. A freelancer/web firm will listen to you (the prospective client) explain the website of your dreams and from there they will base the price around what was discussed.

Some things that will increase the price are, the time frame in which the project is to be completed, support, consultation, or detouring from the original scope of work.

Other factors that go into creating a price quote for web services are the amount of resources, experience, and knowledge of the professional(s). The more value that can be offered the higher the price quote will be. For instance freelancers are often only equipped to perform one or two services while a team of web professionals are prepared to deliver in all areas.

Solutions such as templates, website builders, or other out of the box services can be priced fairly cheap due to the lack of customization. Also, note that some of these services have recurring monthly or yearly fees.

How will I be billed?

There are a couple of common ways to bill; one is to require half up front and half on delivery of the project. Let's say that the grand total of your project is $2000.00 before any work could be initiated you would be required to put down 50%. The other 50% is due after the agreed upon scope of work is completed. Other variations can be a 50% upfront, 25% on first set of deliverables, and the final 25% on project completion.

Another way is to be billed hourly. Being billed hourly seems to be the less popular way when getting a website developed. Most of the time billing hourly comes into play when providing advice or after a project runs longer than expected. Monthly fees usually occur with web hosting packages or if you agree to some type of maintenance plan.

What does the standard website package come with?

This will be based on what you have explained to the professional and what they can offer you. If you express that you need a website redesign you will get website design. If you say that you need to rank higher on Google or Yahoo then web marketing will be the primary focus.

As stated before each scenario and each company or freelancer is limited to the skills that they have acquired. Generally speaking if you have no website at bare minimum you should be offered a domain and hosting package (to keep your files and make them visible by visitors). Although, the company that you choose to take care of your web project may not have in house servers they usually know or work closely with a web host.

Should I budget for my web project?

The answer is yes, however if you have never had a site developed before it may be wise to ask others website owners how much they spent on their website. Ask others how the process went and what items/materials you need before you go calling every web company in town. Keep in mind that websites should be built with room to scale with the growth of your company, unless specified otherwise. Today your need may only be to have an online location to display information about your products or services and tomorrow you may need to provide a way for your customers to order online. A well thought out website will be able to handle this transition.

Determine what you need your site to do for you - do you need to inform others on the services or types of products that you sell? Do you need to sell items online? Do you need to create an online community revolved around a theme or set of topics? Write out how a website will help leverage your business, or if you are doing business solely on the web explain in greater detail the process on how you will make money or see a return. A brief explanation is always nice to hand over to a web specialist so that they can have a little guidance and understanding on what is valuable to you, also it will let them make suggestions based on what has worked for previous clients.

Show me the numbers... what can I expect to pay?

If you are like me you want to have a general idea on how much something cost so you do not have to waste time on calling around only find out that you are not prepared. So, I have put together some generic numbers to help illustrate how much you should expect to spend. Keep in mind that these prices are not in relation to any one company they are just the ranges of what I have seen or heard. Also, remember that each firm/freelancer charges differently, you may have to pay all up front, half, 25% or make some type of deposit to get work started.

On with the prices!

Simplistic Brochure Website (next to no functionality/no dynamic content)
This is a great place to start out at if you have never had a website created before. Typically the services included are a custom web design and HTML/CSS coding to bring the design to life. If anything such as a contact form, animation(s), or anything extra outside of the design and development scope you will be charged extra. Remember these are the lowest prices I have seen or heard of, I am not claiming that you will receive superior craftsmanship at these prices but it will certainly get you a website.

Freelance price: $200.00 +
Web firm price: $1000.00 +

Expert Advice: Always strive to have work done by the most professional and service friendly. The higher price does not always reflect skill or more importantly people skills. A lot of my clients are ones who have made a switch from a company that never answers the phone or doesn't do what they are supposed to do. Dig deeper than the portfolio, do not ignore it just dig a little deeper and see how he/she handles business.

eCommerce Website (add/edit/delete products or information)
eCommerce websites can and should be used in addition to your physical store front. The only difference is that the physical more than likely closes at night and the online location stays open day and night - year round. When looking to get an eCommerce website built you should consider the ease of use (adding/deleting/editing items in the inventory), stability, and how well does it integrate with your current site (assuming you have one).

Freelance Price: $750.00 +
Web firm Price: $4000.00 +

Expert Advice: If you do not have a $4000.00 plus budget I would suggest going with a freelancer or student. Start out small and upgrade! It makes no sense to pour tons of money into something that you have no idea on where it will lead you. If you are a start up company focus on bringing in revenue first and come back and get the bells and whistles. However, make sure that you will end up with a professional and presentable site; no one will buy if the site doesn't look legit. Remember, money doesn't automatically go into your bank account if you spend $4000.00 bucks on a website. Evaluate where your business is now and think about where you would like your website to help take it in the near future.

Interactive Website (add/edit/delete content, publish articles, visitor engagement)
Interactive websites are websites that keep your attention and have you coming back hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, etc... These sites are ones that display your favorite celebrity gossip, catch up on sports scores, or watch funny videos online. These sites are database driven and heavy on the dynamic content. Because, these sites are reliant on a database and require heavy back end programming the price sky rockets. Also, these sites are often found by search engines and have a way of self marketing themselves based off of their content.

Freelance Price: N/A
Web Firm Price: $10,000.00 +

Expert Advice: If you have never had a website built before I would suggest looking for free or low priced alternatives. There are plenty out of the box solutions that will get the ball rolling, you can always upgrade later. Also, if you are just starting out on the web creating or finding fresh content may be overwhelming at first. Sites like these tend to snowball and turn into a frequently visited site, unless you have tons of marketing dollars to back it up.

No matter which way you plan to go always think ahead and be prepare yourself for the amount of time and money you may have to put in for your business to take that next step, or to serve your customers better and faster. As I stated earlier in this article evaluate where your business is now and think about where you would like your website to help take it in the near future. Define your goals up front and be sure not to over or under do it and if you are not sure, always get a second opinion.




Hello Readers! My name is Lawrence C. Scott, Jr. I am an expert in all things web related that will help leverage your products, services, or yourself. I believe in information that you can take and apply to your current efforts now, not after you buy a series of products. Let's grow together and share ideas and good information. Remember, if there is a topic that you would like me to cover please contact me by visiting my website at http://www.lscott3.com.

วันเสาร์ที่ 24 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

What's the Difference Between DS3 and T3 Bandwidth?

Don't be confused about the difference between DS3 and T3 circuits. These terms are really synonymous. Instead you should focus on what they can do for you...and the best scenarios for application.

Digital Signal (DS) is a system of classifying digital circuits according to the rate and format of the signal (DS) and the equipment providing the signals (T). DS and T designations have come to be used synonymously so that DS1 implies T1, and DS3 implies T3.

A DS3 line (also known as a T-3) is an ultra high-speed connection capable of transmitting data at rates up to 45 Mbps. A DS3 line is equal to approximately 672 regular voice-grade telephone lines, which is fast enough to transmit full-motion, real-time video, and very large databases over a busy network. A DS3 line is typically installed as a major networking artery for large corporations and universities with high-volume network traffic. Other example applications include large call centers, enterprise wide VoIP and IP PBX systems, Internet service providers, research labs, video conference centers and software development companies. A DS3 is the second fastest, non optical connection offered in North America. A DS3 line is comprised of 28 T1 lines, each operating at total signaling rate of 1.544 Mbps.

DS3 circuits provide businesses and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) with up to 45 Mb/s of dedicated Internet connectivity. This is an ideal solution for users who have outgrown their T1 connections and are in search of unlimited, high-capacity access. A DS3 line actually consists of 672 individual channels, each of which supports 64 Kb/s. DS3 lines are extremely high bandwidth connections into a carrier's backbone. They typically include SLAs (Service Level Agreements) that guarantee uptime and performance.

The DS3 signal itself is composed of 28 DS1 signals and is constructed using a two-step multiplexing process. First, the 28 DS1 signals are multiplexed into seven DS2 signals. Second, the seven DS2 signals are multiplexed into one DS3 signal. Each multiplexing step uses bit stuffing to handle the different input frequencies. Overhead bits provide alignment, error checking, in-band communications, and bit stuffing control information.

Line rate: 44,736,000 b/s
Signals: 7 DS2 signals = 28 DS1 signals

Overhead bits:
56 bits total/frame
F-bits (framing) 28 bits/
M-bits (multiframing) 3 bits/
C-bits (stuffing) 21 bits
X-bits (message) 2 bits/
P-bits (parity) 2 bits/
Data bits between overhead bits 84

A DS3 connection is comprised up of two monthly charges: the local loop and the port charge. The local loop charge is the cost of the circuit provided by the Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) that allows DS3 access into the carrier's network. The loop charge is based on the distance from the customer's location to the edge of the carrier's network; the farther the customer is from the network, the more the loop will cost. Nearly every carrier prices loops differently so it is in your best interest to price DS3 service with several providers to ensure that you get the best deal.

DS Internet Access is the ideal solution for businesses that require high-bandwidth access at a reduced price. Whether you host high-traffic Web sites, support Web hosting or need high-capacity bandwidth on an as-needed basis, there's a level of DS3 service (Full or fractional) that will meet your needs. Fractional to full DS3 or T3 circuits run from speeds of 3 Mbps up to 45 Mbps.

For customers that require more bandwidth than a T1 line can provide but do not yet require the capacity of a full DS3 line, a fractional DS3 connection is the ideal solution. A fractional DS3 is similar to a full DS(T)3, only with some of the channels turned off. This reduces the total monthly cost and provides additional capacity that can be turned up in a matter of days. Unfortunately, the DS3 (T) loop is still required for this service.

If a full DS3 line is more bandwidth that you really need, it is also possible to get Fractional DS3, which gives you a portion of full DS3 bandwidth at a lower cost. Of course, DS3 is also available in multiples to increase bandwidth, similar to bonded T1 service.

DS3 service can be deployed for a wide verity of applications. The most common uses are DS3 point-to-point, DS3 internet, DS3 frame relay, DS3 voice and DS3 VPN. The pricing for these connections varies widely depending on the carrier, location of service and the application for which the connection is being used. Visit DS3 Bandwidth Solutions to obtain current "real time" rate quotes for your location.




Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications... including DS3 Bandwidth Solutions. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

วันศุกร์ที่ 23 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

The Advantages of Forums For Your Website

To make your Website appear inviting, warm, and interactive, it may be necessary to invite visitors' express their views on topics related to your business. A Website forum is like a virtual round-table conference, where your visitors can virtually sit next to each other and bounce ideas and views across the room. The knowledge that they can offer could be beneficial to all who participate in these forums.

The advantage of hosting a forum on your Website is that the views and advice offered by visitors' stays on your Website for all your visitors to see. Thus, any visitor can read the views of another visitor even if he or she visits your site after you and your post those views. Another advantage is that forums attract a wide section of society to express their views. This means that your Website generates additional traffic not only for those wishing to type in their views but also for those visitors that might want to read those views. This traffic can successfully convert into paying clients once you manage to collect the email addresses of those visitors.

By hosting a forum on your Website, you automatically attain credibility as an expert in your field of activity, even as you get much needed advice from tips posted by your visitors. Such a forum can also help you collect valuable data and feedback about your industry and you can implement to improve your business. A forum thus turns your Website into an interactive tool that is useful to communicate with your visitors. This will help in creating and building a rapport with your visitors, which can turn into long-lasting relationships. This will increase the trust factor of your Website and this will result in your visitors recommending your site to their acquaintances.

Make sure that you maintain a strict eye over the quality of content posted in these forums. Be sure to remove views that are below par, abusive or posted by visitors spamming your site by posting unrelated links or advertisements. This will assure your visitors that they can expect to find only high-quality advice and information in your Website forums. Forums encourage your visitors to your Website on a regular basis to check on any new topics, or to follow up on responses to any view that they might have posted. Over time, most of your viewers will start exploring other areas of your Website and this could translate into business opportunities since your visitors might already have faith in you and your site. Once you do have the email addresses of your visitors and start sending them emails, the chances of them rejecting your mail will be quite less since they might already know you well.

The biggest advantage of forums is that apart from gaining credibility and increasing business, it is virtually free to set-up such and maintain a forum on a regular level. You will only need to dedicate a little time and effort to set up and maintain. A solid Website with good forum topics can weave a strong community around it, and you too can benefit along with other visitors who take part in such forums.




Peter Brittain is a director of northland digital agency which owns web design company slinky web design.

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 22 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Jobs Without High School Education - Jobs Hiring Hard Workers

Having trouble finding a job without a high school education? Well you're not alone, thousands of companies place far too much emphasis in your previous schooling, and not enough in what really matters, work ethic. Even a monkey can be educated, but a solid work ethic can't be taught. I realize how much people without diplomas/degrees are being discriminated on so I wrote this article to help those people.

You can earn thousands per month, and you don't need a high school diploma or a college degree to do it. It's called Ezine Publishing, and it's a fairly simple way to make money online, but it requires quite a bit of work to be successful. You write articles and submit them to EzineArticles, and in your articles you include an advertisement. When someone clicks the link and makes a purchase, you get a solid commission. It's a very effective high paying way for someone to get a job without a high school education.

How much can you expect to earn? Well that all depends on how much work your willing to do. As a general rule, well written articles of about 250 - 400 words make anywhere from 15 - 30$ a month. They continue to make money for about 2 - 4 years. So every article you write will make on average 720$ over a course of 3 years. Articles only take 20 - 30 minutes to make, so just imagine how much money you'll be making after a single month!

If you're interested in getting started in ezine publishing there is a few things you should know. First off, the entire process is entirely free. Writing and publishing and hosting the articles will cost you nothing. The only thing that will cost a dime, is learning how to write and publish these articles correctly so they will get indexed on Google. The schooling wont cost you an arm or a leg and it wont bore you to death like Highschool/College/etc. try to do. It's quick and to the point.




Get a solid income stream going, start eZine Publishing!

วันพุธที่ 21 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

How to Submit Your Site Map to Google, Yahoo! and MSN

XML Sitemaps are an easy way for webmasters to tell search engines about pages on their site that may be crawled by their robots.

A typical XML Sitemap file lists each URL, together with information about when it was last updated, how often it normally changes, and how important it is, relative to other pages in the site). This helps search engines to more intelligently crawl your site.

In November 2006, Google, Yahoo! and MSN joined forces to support a new industry standard for sitemaps: Sitemaps 0.90. As long as webmasters follow the protocol, they can ensure their sites are fully and consistently indexed across all the major search engines (a real step forward). This article is important for all those with missing or poorly ranked pages.

The official site for the joint venture is at sitemaps.org and contains a lot of info about the new standard and it's syntax. What the site singularly fails to do is explain correctly how to submit your sitemap to the big three! The format suggested on the site of:

search-engine-url/ping?sitemap=your sitemap_url

does not currently work at any of the three sites! Until it does, this short article provides instructions for how to (a) create your sitemap and (b) how to submit to each of the three main search engines...

Creating your Sitemap

Some hosting providers (for example 1and1) provide utilities via their web control panel, to create your sitemap, so you should always check with your provider first. If this service is not available, then make a visit to xml-sitemaps.com and enter your site URL into the generator box. Copy-and-paste the resulting sitemap into notepad, then save-and-upload to your site with the file name: sitemap.xml

If you want to validate the XML prior to uploading to the search engines (useful if you have made any manual amendments), look at the XML validator (at the same site) where you can put in the URL of your sitemap and check it against the standard.

Submit sitemap to MSN

MSN have yet to implement a formal interface for Sitemap submission (as at July 2007). To monitor the situation, please visit (from time to time) the MSN Official Livesearch Blog (where where future announcements are likely to be found).

Whilst MSN have yet to implement a front door, there is a recognised back door for submitting your sitemap to the MSN Search index; namely moreover.com! You should use the following syntax directly in your browser URL box:

[http://api.moreover.com/ping?u=http://yourdomain.com/yoursitemap.xml]

Since February 2005, moreover.com have been the official provider of RSS feeds to the myMSN portal (see press release) and reliable evidence suggests that submission to Moreover will result in MSN spidering your pages within 2-3 weeks.

Note that, whilst MSN still do not support direct submission, they do suggest on their blog that you add a reference to your Sitemap into your robots.txt file (something now supported by sitemaps.org). For example:

User-agent: * <br />Sitemap: [http://www.yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml] <br />Disallow: /cgi-bin/

This would tell MSN (and all other engines) to crawl your sitemap file but not to crawl your cgi-bin directory. For more info on how to implement a robots.txt file (in the root of your site webserver) please visit: http://www.robotstxt.org

Submit sitemap to Google

Google originally developed the XML schema for sitemaps and have developed a dedicated portal for webmasters, from where you can submit your sitemap:

google.com/webmasters/

First, you need to tell Google all the sites you own, then verfiy that you indeed own them. The verifiaction is achieved by adding a metatag between the head tags on your site homepage. The syntax for the tag is as follows:

<meta content="unique code advised by google" name="verify-v1">

There are full instructions on how to do this on the Google site.

Submit sitemap to Yahoo

Yahoo follows a similar approach to Google. Again, there is a dedicated sevice for webmasters (Yahoo! Site Explorer) and a procedure for verifying your ownsership of the site. First go to:

siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/

Add a site, then click on the verification button. You can then download a verfication key html file - which you will need to upload to the root directory of your webserver. Then you can return to Site Explorer and tell Yahoo to start authentication. This will take up to 24 hours. At the same time you can also add your sitemap by clicking on the manage button and then adding the sitemap as a feed.

Submit sitemap to Ask

Ask follows a simpler approach to the other three. To submit you sitemap, you simply enter a ping URL, followed by the full URL of where your sitemap is located:

<a href="http://submissions.ask.com/ping?sitemap=http%3A//www.yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml" rel="nofollow" target="_new">http://submissions.ask.com/ping?sitemap=http%3A//www.yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml</a>

After clicking return, you will get a reassuring message from Ask that they have received your submission. Very neat!




About the author:

David Viney, the author of Get to the Top on Google [http://www.get-to-the-top-on-google.com], is a leading website promotion expert - and provides search engine optimisation services to companies large and small. Further articles tackling the tricky SEO challenges faced by David's customers may be found on the SEO Expert Services site.

วันอังคารที่ 20 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

The Best Home Party Companies

Are you looking for something to supplement your income? Have you ever wondered if hosting home parties might be a practical option? If so, here is some advice regarding how to find the best home party companies.

Carefully Check The Home Party Commission Structure!

You're going to want something simple that makes sense to you. Some companies offer 15% commission while others offer 50%,so make sure you really look around. If you don't know exactly what kind of company you're getting into, it's probably not a good idea. Do you get commission and discounted/free merchandise? You want to make a reasonable profit on the products you sell, so it's important that you find the pay structure that is right for you!

What Type Of Company Do You Want To Work With?

There are so many different kinds of direct sales businesses out there, narrow down your search by finding out what types of products you're interested and would want to purchase. You want to join a company that offers products that you would use. The more passionate you are about the product, the easier it will be to sell it.

Do The Products Have Longevity & Buzz?

It's important that the product is in constant demand, something that everyone wants and something that never goes out of style is a product that has longevity and buzz. If you don't believe in the product, you can't expect someone else to buy it!

Would You Feel Comfortable Hosting The Type Of Home Party?

Are the products you're selling something you can be proud to talk about? Sex toys and wrinkle cream may not be the best conversation starter. You want to feel comfortable hosting the party and all of your guests want to feel at ease too, so a neutral product that everyone uses is key.

These are just a few things to consider when deciding which kind of home party you'd like to host.




Are you looking for the best home party company?

If so, here is my top pick for 2011! Fun Home Parties!

วันจันทร์ที่ 19 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

MP3 vs. WMA

There are just a few audio compression formats out there, just like there are only a few image compression formats (you may have heard of them: JPG, GIF, BMP). Two of the most popular audio formats are WMA, or Windows Media Audio, and MP3 (Short for MPEG, Moving Pictures Experts Group, Audio Layer 3). WMA is the older audio format, produced by Microsoft, to work with Microsoft's Windows media player. The WMA compression format was designed specifically for this format, and thus can not be converted to other audio formats.

The audio quality of WMA and MP3 audio formats tends to be noticeably different. WMA is a decent quality audio format when streaming at phoneline speeds (maybe 30kbps or so). At such speed WMA almost reaches an FM level of audio quality, although not quite. At 128kbps, Microsoft claims the WMA is nearly CD-quality, although many would deny this. WMA, however, is not to be completely looked over. The compression provides relatively small audio files and they require less processing power to execute. It thus retains a deminishing niche as MP3 has become more popular and widely used.

The MP3 audio compression was developed in Germany in 1991 by the Fraunhofer Institute. MP3 typically provides higher quality sound than WMA because it uses perceptual audio coding to compress CD-quality sound by a factor of 12. As a result, MP3 has become almost the universal standard among audio usage and broadcasting. It provides CD-quality sound at reasonable compression sizes and high streaming speeds. Watch out, however, at low bitrates, as MP3 quality will likely suffer.




Bradley James is a senior editor at SciNet.cc, a website containing many helpful consumer electronics review articles. For more information on MP3 and WMA audio formats, please visit our MP3 vs. WMA webpage.

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 18 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

What is SEO Article Writing? - SEO Copywriting Explained

Many freelancers have questions about what is SEO; what is SEO copywriting; what is SEO writing. This article explains - in detail - what this is. And, how to make money from it as a freelance writer.

What is SEO?

SEO is an acronym for the phrase "search engine optimization." Search engine optimization is all about doing specific things to your website to drive more traffic to it so that you can increase online sales - and traffic.

What are some of these "things?"

There are many, but here we will discuss what it is as it applies to freelance writers. And, this means writing text in a certain way so that web surfers (ie, internet users) can land on a particular site.

What is SEO As It Relates to Freelance Writers?

What freelance writers need to be concerned with is keywords. What are keywords? Keywords are the words and phrases that web surfers type in when they search for things online.

For example, let's say you were interested in starting a foreclosure cleanup business. You may not know anything about it other than foreclosures are hot in the news right now and you are interested in starting this kind of company.

So, you log onto your favorite search engine, (eg, Google, Yahoo! MSN, etc.) and type in the keywords "foreclosure cleaning business" or "foreclosure cleaning" or "foreclosure cleanup" or some other relevant keyword phrase.

Note: When you type words into a search engine to find something on the internet, the words you type in are called a keyword (one word) or a keyword phrase (two or more words with commas in between).

How Businesses Get to the Top of Search Engine Results

When you type in these words and hit "ENTER", a bunch of sites pop up and you start to surf (ie, click on the results) and start investigating the sites to see if they have the information you need.

The sites that pop up are the results that search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, et al think are the most relevant to the keyword phrase (aka search phrase) you typed in. Companies pay a lot of money to be among the first two or three pages in the results that search engines return.

Why SEO Copywriters are So In Demand and How They Make Their Money

One of the ways they get to pop up in the first two or three pages of results is to have relevant text that contains the proper keyword phrases. And, this is where you as an SEO copywriter can make a lot of money. You write the text that their site needs to pop up high in search engine results.

Many times, companies will simply give you a bunch of keyword phrases and let you write what you want -- as long as it's a certain length (usually 300-500 words).

There are many freelance writers - hundreds of thousands, if not a few million. BUT, only a tiny minority know what SEO is and how to write this type of copy. And, this is why they're so in demand.

SEO copywriters have an in-demand skill. And, as more and more companies move larger portions of their advertising budgets to internet marketing, there is an even greater demand for their skills.

In the SearcheEngineWatch article, The SEO Copywriter: Wordsmithing the Web, William Flaiz, underscores the importance of an SEO copywriter. He writes:

"The role of the agency SEO copywriter is unique because.... Suddenly, the writer must optimize press releases, craft articles for social news, monitor social network communications, and develop wiki content.... a strong SEO copywriter is adaptable and capable of internalizing a lot of new information extremely quickly. These unique individuals have fast become the backbone of many SEO engagements. If content is king, then they [SEO copywriters] are the kingmakers."

And this is why SEO copywriters can charge a premium for their services. If you're looking for a way to start or maximize your income as an online freelance writer, then SEO copywriting is they way to go.




About the Author: Yuwanda Black heads New Media Words, an SEO content writing and distribution firm. She is the author of the best-selling ebook, How to Make $250+/Day Writing Simple, 500-Word Articles. Ms. Black says, "You can work from home as a freelance writer in your PJs, getting assignments via the internet. I do it every day." Learn more about how to start a successful SEO writing career.

วันเสาร์ที่ 17 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Company Picnic Ideas and Planning Tips

The company picnic is a beloved tradition at many firms.

It's an opportunity for employees to mingle and "let down their hair."

A well organized company picnic with planned activities can help integrate employees with each other. This is particularly important if the company has undergone recent reorganization. As such it functions as a "team bonding" mechanism.

A company picnic can be held for an entire firm of thousands or for a single department of 30.

In my role of party entertainer (and prior to that corporate employee), I have attended countless such events. Here are some observations, tips, and ideas I picked up along the way.

General Considerations

Like any other type of event, you need to decide what you want your picnic to be like and how much you want to spend.

As with any event, it is important to keep the needs and tastes of your attendees paramount.

Allow yourself sufficient time to book your venue if the picnic is offsite. Demand for some venues is at a premium during peak periods. It is not uncommon to make reservations several months or more in advance of a given date.

You'll need to plan food and beverages, and activities and entertainment and, in some cases, transportation to the picnic site.

Allow enough time so you can give your employees sufficient advance notice to include the picnic into their plans. This is especially important if you'll be inviting family members or if it is held on a weekend.

Company picnics and company picnic ideas can range from the very simple to a pull-out-all-stops extravaganza. My observation is that people have a good time at both.

Do you want to have a theme? A theme is fun! Plus it makes it easier to organize food and activities.

WHEN do you want to hold you company's picnic?

Here, in the Philadelphia area, companies hold their picnics beginning in June through early October.

Considerations such as your company's workflow, availability of a desired venue, etc., will help you determine the date. Employees are less apt to be away on vacation in June or September, but they will really enjoy the chance to kick back in July or August.

There are pros and cons to weekday picnics versus weekend picnics.

Company picnics held during a workday will ensure a greater attendance for employees when they would normally be in the office. And, they don't cut into precious personal time.

But spouses and children are generally more available for a weekend date.

WHOM do you want to invite?

Staff only? Members of the employee's immediate family? What about significant others, friends? Decide where to draw the line.

Family picnics are a great way for employees to meet co-workers' families. It humanizes co-workers by allowing them to relax their at-work personas.

On the other hand, single or divorced employees can feel like the odd wheel at a very family oriented event. That can be overcome by planning activities suitable for people of all ages.

Activities that require participants to form groups can help integrate the attendees. And it keeps your guests occupied.

WHERE do you want to have your company picnic?

While many picnics take place under a tent in the company's parking lot, offsite venues can make people feel more relaxed. If you're on a strict budget, one option is a nearby state park. Many have large pavilions ideally suited for such events.

I've also been to company picnics given at the home of the firm's CEO or owner. This kind of setting adds a homey touch to the festivities. In some instances, facilities were set up so that the guests attend to their needs without entering the host's private home.

An excellent option to consider is a venue that is set up especially for hosting the company picnic. Generally these picnic parks come complete with in-house catering and lots of games and activities for kids both big and small. Some day camps rent out their facilities on weekends when they are otherwise not in use.

Amusement parks and river cruises are other options.

Tip: Have a Plan B in the case of rain.

Some Plan B options include:
o A tent with walls or access to an on-site building
o Event insurance
o A rain date

Keep in mind that if you opt for a rain date, your vendors and entertainers may require additional payment to reserve the second date. That is because they have to turn down other clients during the busy summer season to keep that time open for you.

Food and Beverages

If you choose to have the food catered, you don't have to worry about preparation or cleanup. Many venues such as picnic parks have in-house catering. And many caterers specialize in handling company picnics.

The best part of picnic fare is that it is simple and satisfying. Hot dogs and hamburgers are extremely popular at picnics. But they are not compulsory and caterers will cater to your every whim.

Keep the menu flexible enough to accommodate those with special needs and preferences. These days you'll find many meat eaters and vegans, not to mention devotees of Atkins, South Beach, and other diets. Muslims and Jews may not wish to eat pork.

So having at least one non-pork and non-meat option is an excellent idea. If your picnic has a theme, your menu can reflect that.

Decide whether you want to permit alcoholic beverages. If so, make sure there is a way to ensure that anyone who drinks a bit too much makes it home safely.

Have age appropriate activities and games

Some venues such as picnic parks make it a point to supply many activities. Nonetheless, you may want to supplement them. Entertainers such as DJs, caricature artists, Tarot card readers, magicians, face painters, clowns are some popular additions.

Door prizes are a cherished company picnic idea at many firms. Door prizes work both as employee appreciation and an incentive for the employees to linger.

Examples of some prizes I've seen include certificate good for a dinner for two at a local restaurant, gift certificate at a local department store, a day off with pay, even a free vacation complete with round trip airline tickets.

These are some company picnic ideas and planning tips to get you started.

But the most important tip is the one I save for last. After you've worked so hard to organize and plan your event, be sure to go and enjoy the festivities yourself!




Want to learn more? Visit my blog, http://coolpartyhost.com where you can find cool party tips and tricks and observations of author, Ellen Zucker, who has entertained at hundreds of parties and special events of all kinds for over 15 years.

mailto:Ellen@facesandfortunes.com or (215) 722 2453

วันศุกร์ที่ 16 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Starting a Social Networking Website From Scratch

You've seen MySpace, you've heard of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and all the other ones. What do these websites share? They are very popular social networks. Would you like to give it a shot also? In that case, this article will point you in the correct direction.

What do you want to achieve by building a social networking website?

Think about this thoroughly. It is crucial that you comprehend your ambitions early on so you can avoid getting frustrated later. There are usually a couple of options:

- you are starting a social networking site for a real physical community you are a member of (e.g. your local soccerclub), with no financial ambitions.

- you are starting a niche community website for a group of people that you are perhaps a member of (or maybe not) with financial ambitions (you want to make some cash)

- you want to start a huge site, like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, with obvious financial ambitions.

Your ambitions and where you stands towards the community you are building a website for will determine your approach. In the following part, we will go over at the various options and the typical costs you can expect.

Starting a website for a a real physical community you are a member of

This is by far the most simple one, as a big chunk of the marketing will simply be word of mouth in your community. It's sufficient to have a person with some influence in the community promote the website (perhaps yourself) and the rest of the group will join.

To start from zero, as with any social network website project, you'll have to think about the needs of the community. Lets take an example. If you are starting a site for a soccerclub, the website will need things like groups, fan profiles, sharing of photos, event management calendar, etc.

Social networking sites are always built with the same basic principle: the goal it to provide online sharing and organisation tools for the members of the community. If you are starting a website for an existing community of which you are a part of, you should have a pretty good idea of what the people need.

Make a list of the functionalities you need, and compare this list to the features of social networking software packages like boonex, phpfox or Dzoic. These are complete out of the box social networking website scripts that you can upload on your website. If this seems complicated to you, you can often get help from the technicians at the customer service. If the service doesn't include this, take a look at the many freelancers available on elance.com for example. The average cost of such software is around 350$.

That might look like a lot of money, but the advantage is that you fully own the site and that you have complete control. You won't have any branding issues (your own logo and design will be on the website) either. If you are building a website for a community which really doesn't require all of this, you can do it a lot cheaper by creating a network at Ning. This is a website that permits people to create social networks on their hosting platform. A basic social network can be started for free.

Remember that when you choose this option, you will be completely dependent on Ning. The name of your website will include Ning, the layout will have Ning all over it, and changing any of this will cost money. You'll have very limited control over your network: it is hosted by Ning, implying that if Ning goes belly-up - so does your site.

So think about this thoroughly, check out Ning and check out some of the out of the box social networking software scripts if you want something more robust and reliable.

Starting a niche social networking site with financial ambitions

Excellent move! You have recognized that there is a huge stack of money out there waiting to be picked up. Niche social networking websites have been around since the dawn of the inet (remember yahoo groups? mIRC)? The difference is the fantastic technology we all have available now.

Facebook is excellent for superficial networking. LinkedIn is great for professional contacts. These sites however do not permit the users to be anonymous (that would be completely besides the point of these sites), implying that members can rarely express themselves fully. And there comes the need for niche networks where members can meet & share all they want without their real-life social networks ever finding out!

There are quite a few methods you can use to make this profitable. There is the obvious way of using AdSense on the networks, or affiliate links. There is off course is the huge e-mailing list you could acquire from having your own niche site. Put all this together, and a popular social network you own could be your new personal piggybank.

If this sounds exiting to you, you'll need to thoroughly think about the following:

What does the community require?

Again, this is the basis for any successful social networking project. Go deep! Here is an example. If you are building a social network for people with insomnia problems, you could have the "what are you doing now" feature of most profiles customized to: "how many hours awake".

Having nifty things like this will greatly enhance member experience. The members will feel like they are part of a community tailored to them, rather than being on a community website with features they don't need.

You'll have already understood that Ning is not an option here. You need full control over the website. If your budget is limited (e.g. below 500$), you'll have to find a social networking script that meets your needs as much as possible to limit the cost of customization afterwards. These software packages are usually open source, implying that you can change whatever you desire. This means that if you do not have developing skills, you are going to need a developer to do it for you. To reduce your costs, get a script that meets your requirements already as much as possible. To find a developer, you can usually refer to the forum of the developers of the site - there are plenty of young programmers out there who are willing to help you out for a very reasonable amount of money. You can also try a freelancing website.

Before starting the site, you'll have to think about how you will seduce members to join you. If you know people inside the community already, then that is a very good head start. You can speak to them and try to get them on board. You'll need to hit existing forums, maybe place a Google ad, or write articles (like the one you are reading now), etc.

You want to create the next huge thing like Facebook, MySpace...

Ok, knowing that you have most likely typed something like "how to start a social networking site", I am going to assume that you are not a developer. This implies that you will not be able to shake a social network out of your sleeve in the next couple of days.

All is not lost however. First of all, get help. Find a group of people who like the idea, and put your minds together. If you can get financing from somewhere, go for it. That's what you'll need to start developing a site that does exactly what you want it to do, with security, powerful servers and everything!

If you've got a great idea - try applying the same method as for niche networks - but think about getting financing as soon as possible. One you hit a hundred thousand users, your network will grow very quickly and you will pay huge amounts of money for the servers to host all of this!

If you are dreaming about the next big thing, experiment a bit beforehand - create some groups on Facebook and see what it takes to get people to join for example

Conclusion:

- small community websites can be created using Ning
- advanced, robust niche networks can be built using social networking scripts that come out of the box
- ideas for huge networks need financing early on to become a hit




Looking for social networking software to get you started? Below software review site will show you which one to pick:

http://www.TopCommunitySoftware.com

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 15 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Offshore Dedicated Server Hosting - Why Consider Hosting on Anonymous Dedicated Servers?

Offshore hosting industry has rapidly evolved from a pesky little brother to most mainland hosting giants into the leading hosting service provider catering to many small and average business projects that, by their nature, demand a higher degree of privacy and information security than most mainstream providers can offer.

Projects like electronic money (e-currency) services, high-yield investment funds and various merchants in developing and developed countries alike have long been opting for offshore server hosting rather than a standard hosting solution. Others include purely informative websites which need more freedom (e.g. political) for the kind of web contents they need to publish online.

Which offshore hosting plan to choose?

The short answer to this question would be "the one you can afford"... at the same time there are some important considerations that you need to keep in mind.

From my experience, offshore shared and VPS (virtual server) solutions are much less stable and reliable than their mainstream hosting counterparts (like say, a shared plan on a U.S. or U.K. server). The reason behind this is the nature of the websites themselves hosted on such servers.

Offshore anonymous shared plans usually attract a lot of "fly-by-night" scammers who often abuse the servers in various ways and may even bring on a DDOS attack from a competitor or third party affected by their websites.

An offshore VPS on a dedicated IP may be a better option but here again, "bad boys" may bring down MySQL, consume all RAM or CPU power and make all other plans on the server suffer. Additionally, overall slower network connections may only make these issues worse.

An offshore dedicated server is by all means the best option. If your online business has enough potential to generate hundreds of dollars in monthly sales, why would you go with a shared or VPS plan and risk losing your clients due to a likely downtime or slow connection speed? In those cases, offshore dedicated hosting is a better alternative that will give you peace of mind.




And if you need even more privacy, companies like YoHOST.ORG offer an extra level of security with their anonymous offshore dedicated server solutions.

วันพุธที่ 14 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Categories of the Different Types of Web Hosting Providers

In the least expensive, or low-end, category are shared servers. As their name implies, these are computer systems that are shared by more than one web site, and hence are appropriate for small, simple, low-traffic sites.

Next on the list are dedicated servers. These are nearly identical to shared servers with the obvious exception that they're not shared but rather dedicated to a single web site or to multiple web sites owned and controlled by the same business entity. As compared to shared servers, dedicated servers offer more capacity, flexibility, and better security, but at a higher price.

The next category is a substantial step away from the previous categories, but in some ways it's a step backward. Instead of offering more support that is available from shared- and dedicated-server web-hosting services, colocation is a rather bare-bones service that merely houses servers in a data center and connects those servers to the Internet. It doesn't include the server hardware or any of the software and services that are necessary to operate a web site. Colocation by itself is aimed at customers who want to supply and manage their own web-site hardware and software, but who don't want to provide their own physical facilities and may not want to manage their links to the Internet.

In the early days of the web, any organization that was building a web site large enough to be located at a colocation service was also large enough to hire its own staff to manage that web site around the clock. Such companies had little choice, since there were no vendors offering management services for large-scale sites, and the only way these companies could obtain the expertise necessary to run such a web site was to hire the system administrators, database administrators, and network engineers that knew how to do it.

Over time, two changes occurred. First, those system administrators, database administrators (DBAs), and network engineers who knew how to run large web sites became harder and harder to find out and more and more expensive when they could be found. Second, a new subgroup called managed service providers (MSPs) - fourth and final category - appeared in 1997 to address the huge gap between the bare bones offerings of colocation services and the needs of owners of major web sites. Colocation services and MSPs have developed truly symbiotic relationships in which one could not succeed without the other, and the combination of these two services is often the best choice for high-end web sites.

ASPs, or Application Service Providers, are not included here as they provide application services. For example, an ASP might offer hosting of enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications such as manufacturing, order entry, warehousing, accounting, and human resources developed by software vendors such as PeopleSoft, SAP, and Oracle. In these cases, the hosting isn't for the public WWW, but rather for corporate intranets.

The distinction between web-hosting services, MSPs, and ASPs isn't simply a matter of experience with public Internet versus corporate intranets, but rather the additional skills that web-hosting services and MSPs have that go far beyond application packages. Some ASPs offer hosting of web-based applications, but the expertise of these companies tends to be in applications such as specific third-party e-commerce packages, not in supporting technologies such as Internet connectivity, DNS, security, firewalls, web servers, and operating systems.




Manish Jain with Hosting24Hour.com that is providing the linux web hosting services. Choose the cheap web hosting services From hosting24hour.com.

วันอังคารที่ 13 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Colocation Vs Managed Hosting

Web Hosting is crucial to the success of any website. There are a large number of options available to you when you are picking a host for your website and the best option depends on many factors. Factor around the individual site are important as different sites need different things from their hosting. Your own experience and expertise are also important; if you are a novice you will need assistance but this may not be necessary if you are knowledgably around the subject. Other factors, like budget, may also come into the decision making process.

There really is no definitive answer as to what the best type of hosting is; it does all depend on your situation. Here though, we'll look at two of these types - Colocation and Managed Hosting. Colocation is where customers rent rack space from at a data centre and host their server there. The customer provides the server and all the equipment and runs the hosting themselves. Managed Hosting is, as the name suggests, where the hosting company manages the hosting for the customer, allowing them to concentrate on their core business.

The amount of control and amount of help you want is important to your decision. With Colocation you get complete control as you are only renting rack space. You are in charge of your hosting, which can be a negative when things go wrong, but it does allow you to have more of a say. If you don't want this control and want everything taken care of by somebody else then Managed Hosting may be preferable. It means you don't have to be too concerned with the hosting as experts are looking after you website. If you have no hosting knowledge but need complex hosting this could be the best option. There are many different types of managed hosting though, from partly managed to fully managed (although different providers have different definitions of fully managed).

Technical support is one of the main features of managed hosting. So if you need plenty of expert assistance this is the way to go. 24/7 monitoring is usually included which will put your mind at ease. Colocation doesn't normally include support but many are starting to offer this with some packages. You may consider this if you think you might need a little support from time to time. This support will not be at the same level as Managed Hosting but depending on your circumstances, could be sufficient.

Your specific requirements are obviously key to your decision. Both Colocation and Managed Hosting are good for large websites, but not usually necessary for small, simple ones. For small sites basic hosting may be more cost effective.

Price shouldn't be the only reason why you choose your host, but it can be a determining factor. Everyone has a maximum budget that cannot be exceeded so this needs to be thought about. If you can't afford a particular package then you will have to choose something else. This is an area where Colocation has an advantage over Managed Hosting, as it is significantly cheaper. Managed Hosting is quite expensive but if you need your web hosting managed for you it can be very cost effective.

Andrew Marshall ©




Colocation

Managed Hosting

วันจันทร์ที่ 12 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

The Meaning Of Unlimited Hosting

It was only not too long ago when we were still surrounded by different web hosting package that offers a certain amount of disk space and bandwidth. However, with the increase battle to win over customers, the web hosting industry has evolved hugely. There is a new phrase or a few words that you are most likely to come around in the market today. It is these words, 'Unlimited Web Hosting'. What is this unlimited hosting package? This article will tell you more about it.

Due to the intense competition in the hosting industry, smaller companies are finding it difficult to go against bigger and more reputable companies out there. So, they go all out and offer everything. Instead of providing a certain 'how-much' packages, why not provide everything they have. This is how the term unlimited hosting came from. It is a marketing tactic that providers use to lure customers their way. it is the super deal that they want to provide so that customers will find it too good to miss out. However, before they offer you this package, they will find out details about the amount of bandwidth your site is using and the size of your website.

They do this because if there is a website that contains a large number of graphics and visitors, it will drain the hosting resources and this may cause the quality of their service to drop. What they will do to prevent this is to estimate the growth of a particular website to estimate how much resources it need in order to perform at an optimal level. Not every user will be using their resources to the maximum. Therefore, they can make adjustments on their part.

So, in any case where a website reaches their allowed resources, the hosting provider will notify them saying that they need to change their hosting account into a bigger one. For this, the user will need to pay extra cost but will then have even more bandwidth and storage. So, the unlimited hosting is not really unlimited as there is a limit on how much of storage and bandwidth you can use. Well, you can blame the provider because they are out here to provide a service and to make profit. That is their ultimate goal.
Therefore, before you sign up with any of these packages, make sure you understand what you are getting yourself into. Read their terms of service document to see if there is any hidden cost, the type of technology they are using and so on. You won't want to get an unlimited hosting but end up having no features to aid you in building your website.




A final piece of advice

Website hosting is a must-learn topic for every modern business owner nowadays. Since you are reading this article, there is a high possibility that you are actually looking for the right web hosting plans.

For those who are still hesitating, I suggest you guys check out hosting reviews at WebHostingSecretRevealed.com (WHSR).

Article by Justin Knights, freelance writer.

วันเสาร์ที่ 10 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Django Hosting and Python Hosting

Tools developed by online communities become really powerful and efficient today. They allow developers to work more efficiently and faster. Django is a good example of the platform that allows programmers and developers to create applications without waste of time. Just a couple lines of code in Django allow you to create a blog, gallery, or even a content management system for your website. The Django frameworkis also easy and quick way to learn the Python programming language as well as rapid development.

Django is based on Python and it is normally used for higher speed and design flexibility, as well as for developing a wide range of applications.

As a programming language, Python is quite popular among developers. And the Django framework astonishes anyone by its well organized package, useful and structured system templates and the overall simplicity.

Code Organization in Python

While the process ofapplication development in Python you will have to strictly follow the formatting and margins. The way you develop and format your programming code defines the application's logics. Of course, you will have to get used the first time. However in future anyone who knows the Python programming language will be able to easily navigate through your programming code in the same way as if it were his/her own project. Python is a perfect choice for team development.

Django Templates System

The templates system in Django is one of the most useful on the web development and programming market. With no problem, you can use conditional statements and cycles to manipulate complex data structures, which in its turn is very thoroughly described in the Django documentation for the convenience of use.

User-Friendly & Easy-To-Use

Python itself is a universal language of high-level programming where you can write simple console programs as well as complete cross-platform applications with GUI interfaces. Once some solution is written, it can easily be used as the basis for the next functionality development. At the same time, you can specify what parts / functions will be used in the code or not. But when developing web applications using the Django framework, the development process becomes much faster, more manageable and sets you free from lots of routine work such as the size of input fields for a form, type verification in form fields, authorization, sessions, etc. This allows you to get more focused on the logics of the application you develop.

Django Hosting

Django is usually provided by professional web hosting provider as a part of Python hosting. Combined django and python hosting provides plenty of opportunities to developers who can fully enjoy the robust and powerful functionality of the Django framework.




WebHosting Garage Team
http://www.webhosting-garage.com/python-hosting.php

วันศุกร์ที่ 9 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Advantages and Disadvantages of Shared Web Hosting

Introduction.

In Shared Hosting One Web Server Hosts Number of Websites.Every User assigned some Space on Server.In Server hundred of or even Thousands of Websites.All Sites Using all Resources, like Bandwidth, Disc Space and Processor Speed, of Same Server.

Advantages :

Cheap Cost or Affordable Price:

Available at Most Affordable Cost. Today thousands of Companies Offering at Very Cheap Prices.Most Common Option In the Industry. Its Market Share is Also High as Compared to Other Host Options.

No Maintenance Cost:

It Comes with All Inclusive Price.You need Not Bother About Server Maintenance and Setup

Fast Setup:

In Case of Shared Host Your Site Could Be Live With in 24 Hours of Purchase.Unlike Dedicated Host it Could Setup Instantly.No need to be a Technically Sound Person.

Good For Small Sites:

It is the Best Option For Beginners and Small Websites.

Disadvantages :

Security issues:

Security is one Of Main Disadvantage.Backup Process is Very Hard Task As the thousands of Websites Hosted on Same Web Server.Security is one of main disadvantage of Shared Hosting. Backup Process is very hard task as the thousands of Web sites Hosted on same Web Server.

Limited Resources:

Thousands Of Web Sites Using Same Resources.That's Why If One User Site consumes More Resources of web Server Other Sites Might Slow Down.In Other Way One Problematic Website May Cause Crash of All Other Sites in the Same Server.

Dynamic IP:

Many Providers Does not Give Static ip For Shared Website Hosting. Dynamic ip is very risk when You Going for E-commerce Transactions On Your WebSite.This Disadvantage Could Overcome By Choosing Static iP.Some Companies Gives a Option to Choose Static or Dynamic IP. They Will Charge You Small Amount for Static IP.

Not good For Large Data Base E-Commerce Sites:

Large Websites Need Plenty of Server Resources.So They are not Suitable of it. Final Word: No Doubt It Has Major Share in Industry. But Before You Going to Buy a Shared host Plan, You Must Know Your Requirements.Then Proceed. Best of Luck.

Here Some Top Rated Web Hosting Services Compared




Check Out the Most Affordable Reliable Web Hosting Sites Compared.

[http://www.affordablewebhostingsites.com]