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Email resumes…Web resumes…HTML resumes…Scannable resumes… Keyword resumes…Text resumes…ASCII resumes…PDF resumes…Word resumes…Traditional resumes…

A resume is a resume, right? But then, what are all these different types of resumes you keep hearing about? If you are confused and not quite sure what is being referred to when you hear all these different names for resumes, you are certainly not alone!

Over the past decade, the most common resume-related questions asked by job hunters have progressively shifted. While still of major importance, the majority of queries are no longer about functional versus chronological resume styles, whether to keep or remove experience from twenty-five years ago, or whether to include dates of education. With the advent and subsequent explosive increase in the use of the Internet during the job search, questions have turned overwhelmingly to issues of electronic resume creation and transmission.

What are the different types of electronic resumes?

What are the differences between an e-mail resume, a scannable resume, and a web resume?

How do I know which resume format to use?

How do I format my electronic resume to ensure that the recipient can read it?

No wonder there is so much confusion! In just a few short years, there has been a complete revolution in the tools and techniques of job hunting. As applicant tracking technologies have come into common use among headhunter firms, large corporations, and even mid-size and small businesses, recommended resume formats and methods of transmission have rapidly evolved with the advancing technologies. Further complicating things, have been the increasing availability of personal web space for online resume portfolios and biographies.

What does this mean for today’s job hunter? While the Internet has opened unprecedented doors of opportunity in the job search process, for those who have not taken the time to learn and apply the rules it can mean disaster!

While few job hunters have time to spend months studying the most recent technologies and recommendations for the creation of electronic resumes, before venturing onto the Internet with your resume it is critical that you take the time to learn and understand a few simple concepts. Knowing your audience and the formats most acceptable by those audiences are essential pieces of knowledge for the Internet job hunter.

The human reader – The traditional, printed, hard copy resume (yes, it does still have a primary place in job hunting!) is created to attract the human eye and attention. With the advantages of word processing applications, sophisticated formatting is possible and should be applied strategically to create eye-appeal and draw the readers’ attention to key qualifications.

The computer reader – The electronic or computer-optimized resume is designed, first and foremost, to be readable by the computer. There are several types of electronic resumes, but the common element of all is the ability to be searched by keyword. Of course, once your resume has been tagged as matching a keyword search, it will be reviewed by a human. So compelling, easy-to-read content is just as important in the electronic resume as in the traditional resume.

Miss these points and the effects could be devastating…you might send out hundreds of resumes only to sit at home and wonder why nobody, not even one company or headhunter, has called you for an interview. There are fundamental formatting differences between traditional and electronic resumes. If you do not understand these differences, your resume will make it into very few – if any – resume databases.

RESUME FORMATS

What are the differences between keyword, scannable, web, traditional, and text resumes?

Traditional resumes are designed, as already noted, to compel the human reader, through persuasive language and design, to take further action and call you for an interview. Layout and page design are critical and should be planned strategically to draw the eye to areas of emphasis. The most effective traditional resumes are focused on achievements and written in powerful, active language that captures and holds the attention of the reader.

Scannable resumes — also a printed, hardcopy format — are designed primarily for accurate scanning into a computer. Captured as an image, scannable resumes are fed through OCR (optical character recognition) software that reads and extracts the text. The extracted text is databased for storage and later recalled by keyword from an applicant tracking system. Scannable resumes are very rarely requested any more. If you are asked for a scannable resume, the most efficient option is to email the requestor your plain ASCII text resume (described next).

Text resumes (also referred to as ASCII resumes) are just what the name implies, an ASCII-formatted version of either your traditional or scannable resume. Text resumes are universally readable on all computer systems and platforms and are the preferred format when you are emailing your resume. An ASCII resume received in email can be entered directly into an applicant tracking system without the added step of needing to scan it. Entry into the system is fast, easy, and accurate and so many employers and recruiters prefer this format.

The phrase “keyword resume,” as it was first used, referred most often to either a scannable or text resume that incorporated a focus on nouns and phrases that employers were likely to use when searching for an applicant. Sometimes the keyword resume had a section at the beginning or end that listed the keywords separated by commas or periods. Today, there is no need to maintain both a keyword and a non-keyword resume. Keywords have become such an essential element in resumes that you should ensure that every version of your resume, whether meant for the human or the computer reader, incorporates the keywords most important in your field or industry.

Still confused? My recommendation is to simply maintain two separate versions of your resume:

Traditional resume – If you wish to send a hardcopy, paper version of your resume you should send your traditional resume. Traditional resumes are most often stored on your computer as a computer file and printed on an as-needed basis. For example, you will want to print at least several copies of your resume to carry with you and hand out at interviews. You may also be asked to send your traditional resume via email to a recruiter or employer. In these cases, you should have your traditional resume saved in the two most commonly asked for file formats: MS Word and Adobe PDF. You can then attach the requested file or files to an email message and send it to the requestor to be printed on the receiving end.

By far, you’ll find that the most requested format for your traditional resume is MS Word. If you comply with the request, be aware that your formatting may be incompatible with the recipient’s system. While usually still readable, fonts and bullet sizes and styles may be different from what you intended. These problems can be minimized, although not always eliminated, by embedding the fonts into the document. This is a simple process, and the MS Word help files will guide you through it. You should also take care, while writing and designing your resume, to use design elements that are default and standard on most systems. For example, it is not wise to use a fancy, custom font on your resume that you know will be emailed. Default fonts such as Garamond, Helvetica, Book Antiqua, or Verdana are better choices.

To eliminate issues with compatibility, if the recipient has the free Adobe Reader installed, Adobe PDF is the best format in which to send your traditional resume. The PDF version of your resume will appear on the recipient’s system precisely the way it appeared on your system. For this reason, if given the choice of sending an MS Word file and Adobe PDF file, always opt for Adobe PDF. However, many recruiters and employers still prefer the MS Word file format, because this is the format they are most familiar with.

ASCII text resume – If you conduct any portion of your job search on the Internet, ASCII-formatted resumes are critically important tools. Always have an up-to-date ASCII text version of your resume on your computer. This is the fastest way to contact potential employers and to apply for jobs advertised online. You must also have a text version of your resume if you wish to post in online resume databanks.

As previously noted, employers rarely request scannable resumes anymore. If they utilize an applicant tracking system, they will likely request that your resume be e-mailed, either as ASCII text or as an attachment. E-mail allows the recipient to enter your resume directly into the database, eliminating the extra steps of scanning and OCR.

How do you use these file formats and transit them to recipients via email? My recommendation is to actually attach the MS Word or Adobe PDF file to the email in its native file format. Then, ALSO copy and paste the text of your ASCII text resume into the body of your email (where you would normally type a message), along with a letter of introduction or other note explaining why you are sending the resume.

A final type of electronic resume is the web resume, also known as the online resume. Created using HTML, your web resume may be uploaded to space provided by a web-hosting provider. Eliminating the compatibility problems associated with word-processed resumes sent as e-mail attachments, web resumes offer the advantage of maintaining layout and design on the systems of anyone with a web browser. Available for viewing around the clock, conveying a technology-savvy image, and allowing the ability to add supporting content to your resume (effectively creating an online portfolio promoting your qualifications), web resumes are becoming a progressively important tool in the job search. The creation of a web resume or resume portfolio is far beyond the scope of this article, but if web resumes are an electronic format that interest you, be aware that many service providers have begun offering web resume design and hosting at affordable prices.

Preparing Internet Resumes

What do I need to know about writing keyword resumes?

Remember – it is absolutely essential that you create resume content that is keyword rich regardless of the file format. It is not necessary that you maintain a separate keyword version of your resume. ALL resumes must include a heavy emphasis on keywords. Keywords are generally defined as nouns or phrases that an employer will use when searching for an applicant with your skill set. To maximize the recall of your resume in a search, you will want to use as many keywords in your resume as possible.

1. Keywords should focus on technical and professional areas of expertise, industry-related jargon, and your work history. Also, include the names of associations and organizations of which you are a member.

2. Whenever possible, use synonyms of keywords in different parts of your resume and if you use initials for a term in one section, spell the term out in another.

3. Always be specific. For example, while it may be fine to include the phrase “computer literate,” you will also want to list the specific software that you are proficient in using.

This is one of the most common areas of confusion, so I’ll state it once again…the content of a keyword resume does not need to differ from the content of your traditional resume. With careful attention to rhythm and flow, it is possible to prepare a resume that is keyword optimized, but that also includes the powerful, compelling, active language of a traditional resume. Not only will this simplify your resume preparation, but it will ensure that the content of all versions of your resume will be optimized for both the computer and the human reader. Furthermore, if you incorporate a professional summary and bulleted list of qualifications in the text of your resume, there is little if any need to prepare a separate keyword summary.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to recommend a specific list of the best keywords to use in your resume, as the “best” keywords are different for every individual and depend mainly on your unique career objective and background. What is certain, however, is that a well-prepared keyword resume is so critical to your success in a job market that largely relies on electronic applicant tracking systems, if you have any doubts at all you should consult with a professional resume writer.

How do I prepare an ASCII text version of my resume?

Preparing the all-important ASCII text version of your resume is not difficult, but it does require a learning curve. Once converted to ASCII format, you will be able to email your resume in response to an ad or paste it directly into web-based forms and submit it to Internet resume databanks. The specific directions will vary depending on the software you have installed on your computer. But, in general, to prepare your ASCII resumes properly, follow these simple steps:

1. Using your word processing program, open your word-processed resume and use the “Save As” function to save a copy as a “Text Only” or “ASCII (DOS)” document. Title your document with an easily distinguishable name; perhaps “resume_internet.txt”

2. Close your word processing program and re-open the ASCII file. You will not be able to see your changes until you have done this. Note that it has been stripped of virtually all original formatting.

3. Go through your new ASCII document line-by-line. Align all text flush to the left-hand margin.

4. Remove all “centering,” “right hand margin,” and “justification” alignments.

5. Although you should no longer see them, if visible, remove all graphics, artwork, and special character formatting.

6. Remove all tab characters.

7. Remove all columns.

8. Replace bullets with a simple ASCII asterisk (*).

9. Carefully check the spelling and the accuracy of your data.

10. If you wish, use ASCII characters to enhance the appearance of your resume. Asterisks, plus signs, or other keyboard characters can be used to create visual lines that separate sections of your resume and make it easier to read.

The above steps convert your resume to ASCII without line breaks. When pasted into a web-based form or email message, your resume will automatically wrap to the size of the window.

Your new ASCII resume will be universally readable, no matter what computer system the recipient uses. It will also be easy to manipulate for entry into applicant tracking databases, eliminating the inherent difficulties of scanning and converting your paper resume with OCR systems.

There is no denying that the Internet has caused what was once a straightforward process to become complex and confusing to many job hunters. Yet, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Like never before, as a job seeker you have immediate access to announcements and advertisements of openings around the globe. You have the ability to conduct detailed research on companies of interest. And you have unprecedented opportunity to cost effectively promote your qualifications to hundreds or even thousands of hiring authorities of just a tiny fraction of the cost of doing so through traditional methods. While the new skills you must learn may seem daunting at first, by understanding the concepts and creating your electronic resumes, you are well on your way to an efficient, effective Internet job search.

Want to Use this Article in Your Ezine or Website? You are welcome to as long as you use the following text with it:

Nationally certified resume writer, career marketing expert, and personal branding strategist, Michelle Dumas is the founder and executive director of Distinctive Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents

Distinctive Web and her Executive VIP Services delivered through http://www.100kcareermarketing.com Michelle has empowered thousands of executives, professionals, and managers all across the U.S. and worldwide with all the tools and resources necessary to conduct a fast, effective job search. Michelle is also the author of the popular e-book 101 Before-and-After Resume Examples found at http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com and Secrets of a Successful Job Search found at [http://www.distinctiveweb.com/jobsearchsecrets.html] To learn more about her job search products, resume writing services, and career marketing programs, and to sign up for many other free resources, visit her websites.

Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

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A tractor is a farming vehicle traditionally used to mechanise agricultural tasks such as tillage. However, the tractor has come a long way since its humble beginning as a steam engine on wheels during the early 19th century. Today, tractors are used for ploughing, tilling and planting fields. Modern tractors can be used for a variety of tasks including routine lawn care, landscape maintenance, moving or spreading fertiliser and clearing bushes.

Whether you own a small farm or would simply like to work on your lawn and garden, you will find that using a tractor will make these chores easier for you. In this article, we discuss the top advantages of using tractors to mechanise your farming, gardening or even excavating tasks.

Wide Range

There is a wide range of tractors available today, each suitable for a specific task. If you need to work on a large garden or an extensive area of field or pasture, a subcompact or compact tractor will fit heavy duty landscaping jobs and tasks like digging, hauling or ploughing. A subcompact tractor is a smaller version of a compact tractor. It has the power and versatility to perform a large range of gardening tasks including mowing, moving mulch and tilling gardens. A compact tractor is a smaller version of the utility tractor and is ideal for landscaping tasks. Subcompact and compact tractors have a horsepower that ranges from 15hp to 40hp.

If you have a small farm and need to mechanise more complex farming tasks, then you will need a utility tractor. Utility tractors come in different models and offer a horsepower that ranges from 45hp to 110hp. Utility tractors are also known as diesel tractors because diesel is typically used to fuel these large tractors. There is also a wide range of farming implements that can be attached to utility tractors to help you accomplish a variety of tough jobs on the farm.

Versatility

Tractors are now designed and manufactured to be versatile so that a single tractor can perform a wide range of tasks. For instance, a compact tractor can accomplish tasks that range from gardening to simple farming jobs. You can also attach implements to a compact tractor such as front loaders or back hoes to perform an even wider range of jobs.

Power and durability

Tractors are also typically designed to run over rough terrain and pull extremely heavy loads. The engine generates a large amount of force to get the tractor to run and perform its tasks, making it effective in tough farming or landscape tasks. Modern tractors also come with cast iron front axles for extra strength and durability, so you can rely on your tractor to perform under tough conditions.

Ease of transmission and operation

You might find a manual transmission on a tractor difficult to use, but features of modern tractors such as powershift transmission and hydrostatic transmission make operation much easier. Powershift transmission facilitates smooth shifting through 8 gears in low range and 8 gears in high range while hydrostatic transmission allows for effortless changes in direction. Modern tractors also provide power steering to make turning much easier. Some more advanced models are also able to reduce operator fatigue with exclusive shift controls and an automatically responsive transmission.

Ease of installing gardening and farming implements

A variety of gardening and farming implements including a front end loader attachment or a back hoe can be installed on to a tractor, so that it can perform a wider range of tasks. A tractor may have three-point hitches and a power take-off or PTO. A three-point hitch attaches an implement, secures it in place and also lifts and lowers the implement. The PTO is a shaft that goes from the tractor to the implement and transfers the tractor’s engine power to it. Gardening and farming implements are considered heavy equipment so make sure you have the appropriate knowledge and training before you install and use it.

This article was written by Tom Jerrat for Boya Equipment. Boya Equipment is the leading Kubota and Schaffer Loaders dealership in Perth, Australia. They also provide machines including tractors, loaders, generators, mowers and utility vehicles. Please visit boyaequip.com.au for more information.

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Car crime is falling and statistics show that car criminals are slowly being outwitted by vehicle owners and the police. Car crime fell by 9 percent between 2002/3 and 2003/4 according to police recorded crime statistics, proving that if owners continue to make small changes in their behaviour they will generate a dramatic decline in the number of car insurance claims being made for stolen cars.

Having your car broken into or stolen is a distressing business that leads to emotional upset and financial implications. If your car is stolen you will have the hassle of making a claim on your car insurance policy and you will be seriously inconvenienced until it is replaced. If you have had belongings taken from your car then the chances are you will feel violated, having lost something valuable or irreplaceable. This is a natural response to having someone enter your property or take something that’s yours.

It’s fairly easy to break into a car, windows can be smashed and locks forced. Fortunately however measures can be taken to stop the thieves in their tracks. If every driver follows the thirteen point plan below then insurance premiums might fall and the honest motorist can keep their property to themselves. Keep your no claims bonus and even reduce your car insurance premiums by doing the following:

1. Never leave anything on display in your car. If you leave your bag, stereo, CD’s, wallet or mobile phone lying around in your car, then it is going to become a target for thieves

2. Park your car under a street lamp or in well lit open space if possible. Thieves do not want to work under a spotlight and are more likely to go for a car that is parked in a shady spot

3. Better still put your car in the garage every night if you have one and lock it. It is unlikely that car criminals will try and break into your garage to get to your vehicle

4. It sounds obvious but always remember to lock your car. Often car thieves are given an easy ride by people who leave their cars open

5. Try to park your car in a secure attended car park if you are leaving it anywhere public

6. Have a car alarm fitted by a professional. This will deter a thief like nothing else

7. Invest in a steering lock and use it every time you leave your car

8. Have an immobiliser fitted which prevents the car from starting. This will make sure that even if the thief gains access to your car he/she won’t be able to drive it away

9. Have a tracker fitted so that your car can be traced if it is taken

10. Have your car registration or vehicle identification number etched onto the windows, both windscreens and the headlights. This would deter a thief planning to disguise the identity of your car by changing its appearance

11. Put security markings on your car equipment. It is recommended that you put your vehicle registration on items such as your stereo

12. Never leave vehicle documents in your car as they could help a thief to sell it on

13. Put the aerial down so as not to give vandals temptation

Car crime is falling and people are taking preventative measures like those listed above, but statistics show that a vehicle is stolen every two minutes in the UK, so chances are you could become a victim of car crime at any time. If you have been unlucky enough to have your car broken into or stolen these are the next steps you should take:

o Firstly, let the police know. You don’t need to call 999, just contact your local police station or the non emergency number. The police will want to know as much detail as possible, such as the make, model and registration of the car, so make sure you know this.

o Notify your car insurance company to discuss your claim if you are making one. Letting your insurers know is very important as the thieves may be involved in a car accident and you could be implicated.

o If the car is found your insurers should pay for any repairs. If it is not found and you are going to claim, you should present your purchase documents, registration form and any service records.

Everyone is at risk from car crime. Even if you have protected yourself thieves can find a way to steal your car and belongings. Make sure you have adequate car insurance so that you can make a claim when you need it most.

To get cheap online car insurance visit http://www.hootcarinsurance.co.uk or call 0808 195 9954.

Editorial notes: Hoot Car Insurance is an online car insurance provider which offers savings on existing premiums and gives the customer the ease of buying online.

By Sophie Evans – http://www.hootcarinsurance.co.uk

Online car insurance provider exclusively for young people.

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Most die hard avid fans of celebrities no doubt collect memorabilia from the various works that the celebrity has taken part in. This is very true when it comes to celebrity’s who are involved in film or the music industry. Most avid collectors will generally focus their celebrity based collection on one or a handful of celebrities. They will then work their hardest to collect as much memorabilia on this specific celebrity or group.

For most collectors, they will no doubt want to purchase and or obtain autographed celebrity photos for their collection. Obtaining an autographed photo of your favorite celebrity is no doubt the crowning achievement to any collectors collection. Finding an actual photo with a legitimate and actual autograph of the celebrity in question brings more life to the collection. This is due to the fact that now you own an item that has actually been touched and looked upon by the celebrity you own a collection of.

There are many methods and routes that a collector can take in order to purchase a autographed celebrity photo. To begin with, a collector can visit the website of the celebrity they are hoping to obtain a autographed photo of. They can generally find when and where memorabilia auctions pertaining to their specific celebrity will be held, just by visiting their website.

In fact, many celebrity based websites actually conduct auctions on a monthly basis wherein they will auction off a specific number of autographed celebrity photos of the individual the website is promoting. These autographed photos are usually endorsed by the celebrity and are proven to be authentic. Each photo will be accompanied with a certificate of authentication along with a guarantee that the actual celebrity in question signed the autograph themselves.

Another method that many collectors use to obtain autographed celebrity photos, is to visit local or out of state celebrity memorabilia stores. These stores specialize in celebrity memorabilia and generally carry autographed celebrity photos. They also take the time to make sure that all the photos they sell are one hundred percent legitimate and test them for authentication.

However, at times you will run into crooked owners who state that an autographed celebrity photo in their store is authentic when in fact it isn’t. Make sure to do your homework and investigate any location you are considering buying an autographed celebrity photograph from. You will want to contact the Better Business Bureau and make sure that they have a good reputation. Also, ask them questions to see what process they took to make sure that the item in question is authentic. If they used a authentication service, be sure to investigate and check them out as well, to make sure that you are getting what you are looking for.

A final method in purchasing autographed celebrity photos is to look into private sellers who are parting ways with pieces in their own collections. These sellers can generally be found on the Internet and can generally be found on celebrity websites. However, as with every method that you can use to purchase autographed celebrity photos, be sure to check the product for authenticity before committing to a purchase.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for autographed celebrity photos, celebrity collectibles, and autographed art. You will find it all at these sites for purchasing autographed celebrity photos, celebrity collectibles.

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Are you pregnant and your regular clothes no longer seem to be a comfortable fit? Well, it is time to shop for affordable maternity clothes. It is a fact that most of us tuck away our maternity clothes post-delivery so it would be prudent to look for cheap maternity clothes.

Getting Affordable Maternity Clothes

Many pregnant women have resorted to using their partners shirts or borrow pregnancy clothes from friends and relatives. This may seem like a cost effective way of securing your clothes but perhaps you will be compromising on comfort as these clothes may not be the right size for you.

Clothes for pregnant women are designed for comfort and are stretchable, so it may not be a good idea to opt for plus-sized clothes too. Many talented women design and stitch their own clothes. Not all of us have the time or the talent to be like them. Women who have healthy pregnancy may perhaps enjoy shopping for clothes in the local malls and discount stores or at sales. If you look hard, you may find amazing clothes of good quality at affordable prices in a few select local stores.

The best place to look for affordable maternity clothes is online. Shopping online may be extremely convenient as you have so much variety in sizes, quality, colors and design. There are affordable maternity clothes designed for petite baby dolls to the amazing amazons! There are some lovely collections for working moms-to-be, trendy maternity clothes that make them look fashionable and attractive at affordable prices.

There are many online stores that offer maternity wear at a discount. Most of the stores claim that their collections can be worn after delivery too and that you need not put your maternity wear away. While selecting your maternity collection make sure that you get the right size as well as the kind of clothes that are easy to wash and maintain.

There are affordable maternity clothes such as stretch jeans for about $16, sun dresses for about $25, maternity and nursing top at under $8 etc. The clothes are durable and of good quality and it is recommended that you buy a few clothes at a time to ensure that they fit right. There are funny maternity clothes that are extremely easy on the pocket too for the more humorous amongst us. For those on a really tight budget, stretch jeans and a few tops, t-shirts and trendy shirts may be a great solution. Add a comfortable pair of maternity pajamas and perhaps a night gown and you are set for a comfy and enjoyable pregnancy. Do not hide your growing belly but flaunt it shamelessly! Shop for affordable maternity clothes and make your pregnancy even more enjoyable!

Online maternity clothing stores and even many offline stores have a wide range of affordable maternity clothes. With maternity clothes and more so cheap maternity clothes easily available, there is no need for you to wear makeshift pregnancy clothes during your pregnancy period. Rather enjoy your most beautiful period with funny maternity clothes and trendy maternity clothes. Your free online resource Pregnancy Clothes provides more information not just about options for maternity clothing but also answers all your questions related to pregnancy, breastfeeding and motherhood.

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Every January it’s the same. ‘New Year, New me’ we say, but by Valentine’s day all our best intentions have fallen by the wayside. But this year I’m going to stick to my regime by participating in team sports, as they give you a great work out, allow you to socialise, and appeal to your competitive streak.

Another motivating thing about team sports is that if you don’t go, unlike the gym, it’s not just yourself your letting down but also the team. This really makes me want to go, as although i think nothing of letting myself or my ftness down, my dedication to those around me guilts me into it!

So, now your thinking ‘hmmm, maybe team sports are for me after all’, which team sport should you do? Well here are my top 5:

Basketball: Very popular across the pond, but gaining a real following here in the UK, basketball is a fast paced game, and the time seems to fly by when ever i play. Speed and co-ordination are vital!

Netball: We all remember netball from our school days, but in recent years more and more adults are choosing to revisit it. It’s a great way to get fit with like minded women, and even make some friends along the way.

Football: The classic British team game, football is not just for watching. There are leagues everywhere, for both men and women and if you’re not keen for the full match then indoor or 5 a side is just as good for you. I’m really getting into football at the moment- something i thought I’d never say.

Ice Hockey: Not for the faint-hearted, but seriously good fun! if your balance is ok, and you’ve nerves of steel then I would definitely recommend ice hockey, for its fast pace and sheer enjoyment.

Volleyball: We’ve all played it on the beach in our time (even if its just between pina coladas), but have you ever thought of taking it up regularly. There are quite a few indoor and outdoor leagues around, but if there isn’t one near you then why not grab a few mates and set up a game.

Those are my favourite team games, but there are plenty more out there, and I’d really recommend them, so find a league or team near you and have fun.

Awards and Trophies are online suppliers of a range of trophies and medals, from football trophies to trophy cups for basketball or ice hockey. So whatever your league or event we have a trophy for you.

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Fear of Public Speaking has been rated as the #1 fear in America and has been rated in the top ten fears in “The Book of Lists”. It’s even topped death in some surveys. It manifests itself in many situations, and for people from all walks of life. Fear of public speaking is only one of a group of anxiety related illnesses known as social phobia but it is probably the one that affects most people.

Fear of public speaking can effect your career development, since it’s almost impossible to be successful in business without have speaking to a large group at some point. Public speaking phobia is all too common in professional and social arenas and tackling your nerves may seem like a difficult task.

Anxiety

You can overcome the fear of public speaking, provided you develop a plan based on three basic ideas. Accept the fact that you have a fear of public speaking; make up your mind to work with it rather than to fight it; and learn proper presentation techniques. A good public speaking training course should address not only the basics concerns over nerves and anxiety, but will examine the reasons behind the fear, and help you with your individual needs. Remember that it is normal to experience some degree of anxiety when engaging in public speaking and that a certain amount of arousal actually facilitates performance. It’s perfectly normal to be nervous and feel afraid or anxious when speaking in public.

Skills

Increase your confidence and develop stage presence skills by taking courses in speech communication, drama, and theater. Consider joining a local chapter of Toastmasters. Toastmasters International groups hold meetings where people develop and practice speech and communication skills. Members give speeches in various lengths and topics and other members give constructive criticism. The clubs are built around acceptance, and the members have various skill levels. The other benefit besides conquering your phobia of public speaking is that these clubs hone leadership skills as well.

Practice

The three most important words to remember is practice, practice, and practice. Public speaking is a learned skill, developed much like other skills, such as playing the piano or painting: over time, with practice and some guidance. Practicing in front of your friends will help you get comfortable speaking to a group of people. Here a few more practice tips.

1. Practice speaking at the correct volume for the crowd and room size.
2. Practice the ending just as much as you do the beginning.
3. Practice with any visuals you intend to use.
4. Practice your speech in front of a full length mirror.
5. Practice giving your speech to a group of stuffed animals. Don’t laugh it works!

The more you practice your speech, the more easily the words will flow, and the less you will have to rely on your notes.

Confidence

Develop a confident and relaxed state of mind when preparing to speak. Your audience should only see the relaxed, confident, professional you. If you give your body the signal that you are a confident public speaker by taking the stance of a confident presenter, your emotions and mind will follow. As the host introduces you, the audience will see how confident you are before you even before open your mouth. Tell yourself, “I am going to speak loudly and confidently.” Concentrate on projecting your voice and coming across as confident and cool.

Remember these tips the next time you have to speak before an audience and your fear of public speaking will lessen each time you repeat the process. Don’t let the fear of public speaking stop your career path, develop the public speaking skills, practice, and become a confident public speaker today.

Jim Best is an entrepreneur, speaker, and owner of the site, BestPublicSpeaking.com. Read more about overcoming the fear of public speaking [http://www.bestpublicspeaking.com], sales presentation techniques, and Power Point tips at www.bestpublicspeaking.com [http://www.bestpublicspeaking.com].

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Numerous fly fishers report that Alaska is a place full of mountains, lakes, rivers, as well as many streams which make it a good place for a fly fishing trip in Alaska. They are fishers report that fly fishing trip in Alaska is also one of the most pleasant experiences that they never come across. In fact, there are many fishers know fly fishing trip in Alaska is a very big market and filled with large opportunity that no one should miss. For beginners, you also can find a good fly fishing school there.

An excellence Experience

Alaska is a very special magical state that every year attracts numerous of fly fishers.

It is a simply and pleasant experience you should not miss, whether is it for the skilled or beginner anglers. Alaska is a remote US state, but because of the nature resources there, numberless of fly fishers prefer Alaska to other places. One of the most exciting fly fishing areas in Alaska is Katmai; this is a spot where many fly fishers recommend.

When they visit Katmai there is even more amazing experience to be had. Katmai is a special place that has a lot of lakes and more than thousand miles of rivers and streams to fish for Coho salmon, rainbow trout and much other type of fish including pikes. In Alaska areas, the most likely having trophy sport fishing is Katmai. To find lodging in Katmai areas is no a problem as there are a lot of various lodges there. The majority of lodges at Alaska can only be reached by taking train or floatplane. Motor vehicle is not possible. If you can, engage a guide that will make your fly fishing trip in Alaska an adventure, pleasance and safe one. Some fishers prefer to go without a guide.

Some places you should not miss

You should visit the Alagnak River which lies close to Bristol Bay. The tidal waters containing good fish species, like the chrome-bright salmon. When each new tide coming, catching the fish is much easier as more fish came with the tide. The other topmost place is Lake Creek that lies northwest of Anchorage. Over here, you can found some of the best fish including the pink salmons and rainbow trout, as well as king.

Fishing School for Beginners

If you like fly fishing sport, it would be a good idea for you to take some fishing classes first before you embarked in your trip. The good thing about attending the classes is that you will be more prepared and more confident in what you will be doing later. Always remember that you will be able to enjoy your fly fishing trip better if you will be able to catch some big fishes and you can only do that if you have the basic fishing knowledge and skill.

Finding a Good School at Alaska

To find a good fly fishing school at Alaska, you might want to try asking and collecting useful information from your family members, your friends and relatives who are keen on fly fishing. Inform them that you are interested and you want to learn some good and basic techniques in catching fish. If they see how enthusiastic you are, they will be more tending to help you out. They might even accompany you during your fly fishing trip. If you have no family members or friends who are keen on fly fishing, do not worry.

There many ways to find a good fly fishing school at Alaska. You can do a quick search on internet website. A lot of information about fishing school can be obtained from here. Searching online will save you a lot of time. On the other hand, asking for information from the fishing shop or fishing equipment store will yield some important information. These shop or store may have contacts with the fishing schools, some time they also can recommend you which school you should go for it.

Going To Fishing Classes

In order for you to be perform better; you need to be comfortable with what you are holding, so that you will be able to catch more fishes. When you are attending the fishing classes, it would be a good idea for you to bring your own fishing gears. The school may be able to provide you the fishing gears, but it is always good to use fishing gears that you are very much familiar with.

Learning Fly Fishing at Alaska

Fly fishing can be a very exciting form of exercise. It is a suitable exercise for everyone. As long as you have the interest and enthusiasm to go fishing, you can always learn the art of fly fishing in the school at Alaska. The remote Alaska has many school, beauty and fantastic scenery, the large quantity of fish available as well as enjoys the adventure and quietness of the state and you will not regret your visit here.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit Fly Fishing Women to learn more about fly fishing trip in Alaska and remote alaska fly fishing.

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Advice for creating a resume that accurately portrays your skills, experience, interests and personality.

The job market is a tough one right now, and it clearly favors employers over job seekers. There are simply more job seekers than available jobs. Competing in this market means that you need a solid resume, and one that recognizes a current reality for technical jobs. Employers are not just filling positions. They are looking to hire “the whole person” – someone who fits organizationally and culturally, and who can fill multiple job roles. The bottom line: You’ll be more competitive in this job market if you have a resume that shows “the whole person.”

The Resume Challenge

Almost without exception, no one likes to work on their resume. It ranks somewhere close to filing taxes or having cavities filled on the list of unpleasant things in life. It is one of those undesirable activities that simply must be done and done right. Many hire tax professionals to complete their returns, and nobody fills their own cavities. But all too often we struggle alone to produce resumes. My recommendation: Get some help! Seek help from your friends and colleagues, and perhaps from a resume professional. But even when you use the services of a professional resume writer, you can’t abdicate responsibility to make your resume personal and human – to let the “whole person” shine through. Creating a resume that accurately portrays your skills, experience, interests, and personality can only be done with your participation and the participation of those who know you well. Participation means reflection on who you are and what you want to do – a task that can’t be hired, contracted, or delegated.

Professional resume writers, often with good intentions, can create resumes that make interviews difficult, uncomfortable, and sometimes even defensive. Lacking the participation that is needed to make a resume personal, the hired writer will resort to superlatives and overstatements. Imagine being interviewed based upon a resume that that makes statements about you that you don’t even believe to be true. How do you respond to interview questions that arise from these statements? It is far better to be confident in the language that is used to describe you, and readily able to respond to any questions about your resume.

This statement was written by a professional resume writer who was overzealous in his desire to help a client obtain employment: “Exploited the power of system tools including scandisk and defrag to counteract performance issues in machines.” How would you answer interview questions about such a statement? Would you be comfortable to glorify such a simple task? Does it really offer a clear picture of the prospective employee, or does it cloud that picture?

Clear and Concise

I’m not particularly good at taking care of my glasses. I’m careless with where I leave them so they often develop scratches quickly. Gradually I find myself squinting more and more as I try to make out details. When the squinting becomes too severe, I become aware of the problem and replace the glasses. With each new pair of glasses I’m initially surprised by how clean and crisp everything looks. The comparison between before and after is dramatic. If your resume isn’t clean and crisp – if it doesn’t accurately portray the real you – then you have the “scratchy glasses” version with prospective employers “squinting” at your resume.

In this article I’ll illustrate resume clarity and showing the “whole person” by telling you Stephen’s story. Stephen is both a talented IT professional and a friend. His story does a good job of illustrating the importance of sincerity and clarity in resume writing. Stephen’s resume is included here for illustration and reference. The resume is not full of superlatives. It uses clear and concise language and describes Stephen’s accomplishments and abilities without embellishment.

It is a powerful resume that tells Stephen’s story quite well. But we didn’t get to this resume quickly or easily. There were bumps and bruises, starts and stops, and detours along the way. I’ll also tell you a bit of my story, as I am a resume writer who learned and grew from the experience of working with Stephen. I’ll tell this story in the form of issues, describing each issue encountered and the ways that the issues were resolved.

Issue #1-Personalization

Managers want to hire people, not marketing brochures. Your resume should give them a good sense of who are and how you might fit into their team. It’s a recipe for disaster when your resume tells one story and your interview tells another. You do a disservice to yourself when you let others describe you without comment or intervention. You know yourself better than anyone else, so it’s your decision how you are portrayed in your resume.

The first sentence in Stephen’s summary of qualifications statement answers one of my common questions when gathering information for a resume: “What is it that makes you most proud?” Stephen loves to stretch software functionality almost to its breaking point-it’s a game to see who will win. Even though he’s proficient with numerous BI and data warehousing tools, Excel remains his favorite. It was during our discussions about Excel that I captured this sentence: “Innovative technology professional who takes pride in building complex solutions with basic technology, getting the most from a company’s technology investment.”

I thought this was a powerful statement that couldn’t be a more perfect fit, so I submitted it as part of my resume certification program. The rewrite I received back was a bit of a surprise. The “resume expert” restated the sentence as “Innovative technology professional, expert in building complex solutions and extracting optimum results from a company’s technology investment.” In trying to improve what I had written, the reviewer changed the meaning and reduced the value of the statement. The more general statement sounds good, but it loses the concept of making much from basic technology. More importantly, it is a less clear statement that takes a more careful read to find the meaning. Most important of all – it loses the sense of Stephen as a person who takes pride in his technical abilities.

Stephen also has a love of learning and finds it rewarding to help others learn. He is naturally patient, and is clear and descriptive in his explanations. This important aspect of Stephen closes his summary of qualifications with the statement” “Applies natural talent to translate a love of learning into a love of teaching, and helping others to learn.” To reinforce this message we interwove elements of teaching into his resume with a section titled Business Intelligence (BI) Technical Training and Learning Laboratory Management

Issue #2 -Technology

Stephen is a gentle soul who is modest about his achievements. When I first read his resume I told him that something was missing. He asked “what? And I replied “technology.” This simple exchange highlights the fact that we often find it difficult to accurately self-describe. I know that Stephen has exceptional technical expertise, having worked with him in the past. But he had not thought to include most of it on his resume. His reasoning: he only included technology where he had an extreme level of experience and had not considered others. His measure of acceptance was so high that most technology was excluded.

I assigned Stephen the task to list every technology he had used during the past eight years. It is difficult to remember specifics over an extended period of time, so it made sense to start with an all inclusive approach then refine the list based on how and how extensively he used each technology. Together we found the right list of technologies to accurately represent Stephen on his resume.

How you position and organize technologies on your resume depends on how you view yourself. For those who feel tightly coupled with technology, placing it on the first page makes sense. In Stephen’s case, he is not so much interested in specific technologies as in pushing the limits of what the technology can do. He wants to see tangible results. We organized his technologies into five categories and placed them near the end of the resume. We focused the first page on the results instead of technology.

Issue #3-Projects

Determining which projects to include and how to describe Stephen’s roles in each of them was particularly challenging. He has worked on many projects over a span of eight years, so discussion alone was not enough to decide which projects to feature. I asked Stephen to create a list that included every project he had worked on, no matter how small. From that list we selected projects based on how well they matched Stephen’s interests and skills – how well the demonstrated “the whole person.” Then we organized them into seven categories.

Issue #4-Value

With an organized project list we were ready to tackle the question: “What’s the connection to business value?” Not everyone has statistics, such as ‘delivered 20% cost reduction’ or ‘increased new product sales by 35%’. For IT professionals, value statements are especially difficult because they often think in terms of providing technical solutions, not business value. Extending from technology projects to business value means thinking about what will work better, who will be happier, and what new capabilities will be available when the project is completed.

The following statements in Stephen’s resume effectively describe the qualitative value that he created without resorting to exaggerations, superlatives, or fictionalized quantifications:

Implemented systems to satisfy a variety of business-to-consumer requirements including web-initiated database transactions, contact management, and communications tracking. Software development – Reduced the time, cost and complexity of maintaining the ETL process by developing a rules engine to remove hard-coded rules from an existing difficult to maintain ETL process. Stephen’s project and technology lists now serve multiple purposes. The refined lists are included in his resume and the original lists serve as a quick review and reference prior to interviews. It’s best to refresh your memory before interviewing so that the facts are clear in your mind and ready when needed.

Stephen’s resume tells a story. It works as a well placed introduction that describes him in his entirety – his character, interests, and skills. What story does your resume convey? What does it say about your past, present, and future? A good resume does not come easily. It must be crafted over time and from all of the right perspectives. Put together all of the right pieces, including a pinch of this and a dash of that, to show the individual and make the resume interesting to read. Consider who you really are and how best to personalize your resume and properly position technology, projects, and value. Capture the sense of yourself that conjures up an image of you as a whole person.

About IT Resume Service

Jennifer Hay combines career coaching and resume writing skills with a broad knowledge of information technology to provide specialized and targeted career guidance services to IT professionals. Jennifer’s varied background of IT positions, technical training, career counseling, and educational advising make a solid foundation for IT career counseling.

Her interest in the human side of career development makes each career plan personal and individualized. Her unique and IT-specific assessment methods help people to make the best career decisions. A disciplined approach to planning and action helps to turn decisions and plans into real career successes.

Jennifer Hay
IT Resume Service
Phone: (425) 245-5102
http://www.itresumeservice.com

Submit Your Resume For a Complimentary Review & Consultation CLICK HERE

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Anyone wanting a new kitten should be a cat lover. Let’s face it, folks, cats are just different from dogs. Cats do not usually perform any special tricks, and they certainly do not guard your possessions while you are away. In fact, the only thing you can be guaranteed of by having a cat is that a mouse won’t last long if they creep into your home.

Cats are loved by many because of their independence. Cats have a life, so to speak. Most cats do not follow you around the home with their tongues hanging out of their mouths waiting on your attention. While they do love their owners fiercely, cats will not grovel like a dog and worship and fawn over their owners. Cats are perfectly content simply being themselves–and they do not seem to need constant reassurance, unlike canines.

This does not mean cats do not need love and affection, it simply means cats are not “fragile” characters. In fact, cats exude a self assurance which can often be misunderstood as aloofness or coldness. Yet, cats are far from aloof or unfeeling. They feel deeply and love deeply. If a cat comes to sit on your lap, you know you are truly loved.

Anytime the family thinks about bringing a new pet into the home, it is exciting. Cats are a favorite of many because as kittens they are so entertaining to watch. Cats have a mind all of their own and only a true cat lover can even claim to understand the psyche of a feline. Cats are mysterious animals, which is part of the draw to them. While cats have been brought into the home, their instincts still remain. Cats adopt their owners and will even go out and provide “dinner.” Many cat owners have stepped out on the stoop to find a dead mouse, opossum, or mole waiting for them. Now, that is love and loyalty!

If you are planning to bring a cat into your home, you should look at it as a life long commitment. Cats can live fifteen years and beyond. You should also understand that as cats mature, they will often sleep and laze around the home. If you are wanting a cat to entertain you throughout her life, you should seriously think about whether a cat is the pet for you. Kittens are very entertaining and young cats are always curious and open for a challenge. However, older cats aren’t easily excitable and usually prefer to watch the antics in the home from a distance.

When you have made the decision to bring a new cat into your home, you will have to decide between a domestic or purebred cat. If you choose to go with a purebred cat, you can be guaranteed of size and appearance, and possibly temperament. There are more than 40 breeds to choose from, so do your homework. You will want to research the grooming requirements of the breed you are considering, along with the general disposition of the breed.

Domestic cats come in all colors and shapes. When you look at any cat, there are some things you should consider. For instance, while all cats are fairly in proportion to each other, there are some cats which are more lanky and lean than others. These cats will be the ones who may be more interested in running and exploration. The chunkier, heavier cat will probably be more laid back and not get into too big a hurry about anything. You have a choice between a domestic long hair or domestic short hair cat.

When picking out your kitten, you should understand that kittens should not have an odor. While puppies do tend to have a smell about them, kittens do not. You should observe the entire litter of kittens. Do any of them have crusty eyes or a runny nose? If so, you may want to reconsider choosing a kitten from that litter. You certainly shouldn’t take one home simply because you feel sorry for it, either. Especially if you have other pets in your home. All of the kittens should have bright and clear eyes and be very alert.

You should handle the kittens. Their fur should be soft and silky, and never stiff or dry. Likewise, their coat should not feel oily or greasy. When you are petting the kitten, you should run your hands along her skin to ensure she has no sores. When you are holding each kitten, place them up to your face and nuzzle them. Listen for any breathing noises. You should not hear any raspy or breathy breathing. If you do, this is possibly a signal that the kitten has a respitory infection.

After visiting with the kittens, instinct will usually dictate to you which kitten is your match. You may feel the rowdy, rambunctious kitten will fit the best into your lively home. Or, you may decide the laid back kitten is more your speed, especially if you have a quiet home. Once you have made your decision and chosen your kitten, you should have a kennel waiting for travel. You should never try to ride in a car with a cat unless they are restrained or in a kennel. While most dogs love car rides, cats tend to scare. They can cower under your feet and this can lead to a wreck.

When you bring your new kitten into your home, you should immediately show her where the litter box, food and water are located. You should also have a supply of cat toys on hand to distract the cat from missing her mom and litter mates. While this cannot entirely be avoided, lavishing attention on a new kitten will do wonders in the transition to her new family.

You should expect your new kitten to explore every nook and cranny in the home. This is a necessary part of a kitten’s disposition. (Even older cats seem to perk up when a new piece of furniture is brought into a home they have lived in for years.) You will want to kitten proof your home. You should keep the lids down on the toilet, and you may want to remove potted plants and the like until your cat learns the rules.

Cats are social creatures, and they can learn the rules of their new environment with consistency. While you may think they do not understand what you are saying, this is not true. If you have a new kitten who wants to walk across the kitchen counter or dining room table, simply rattling a newspaper at her and saying “down” will teach her to stay off. With time you will be able to put the newspaper away and simply speak the command.

Kittens can add joy to any home. Part of the fun is knowing the kitten is oblivious to the fact that she is the center of attention. She is not trying to gain your attention by performing. She is simply being a cat. You should also not be upset if your kitten is not interested in being a lap cat. While she may be content for a few moments on your lap, kittens have to roam, play and explore. As your cat matures she will be more inclined to take it easy curled up on your lap. Until then, just make her feel loved and you will have a feline that will adore you and her new home.

Author Ian White is founder of cat-breeders.biz This extensive online directory includes listings by private breeders, and occasional hobby or family breeders. Those seeking kittens can locate and match with appropriate breeders. Cat-Breeders.biz automates the matching of kittens for sale with kitten wanted entries, with daily email notifications to all parties. Cat Lovers and Breeders find more information

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The Best Way to Make Money Without Spending Money and Time is to Have the KNOWLEDGE! Learn how to From the best expert.

I worked my butt off for two years before I made my first sale online. Two years of trial and error, late nights and too much coffee. Making money online is not easy. To set up your business in the Internet marketing world, you need to have the knowledge and the ways and means to go along with to sell your products. I want to help you to make money without spending a lot of money and time.

Know that 99% of money making websites and information products are scams, and real money-making recipes need real authority.

To make money online is NECESSARY to use Proven Online Marketing Strategies, Secrets and Tactics That Will Boost Your Online Sales And Explode Your Profit. It is NECESSARY to Learn Internet Marketing from Internet Marketing Experts. These Internet Marketing Experts come from all kinds of backgrounds, but have one thing in common.

They make a living providing Internet Marketing tools to help us build better online businesses.

If you want to be a success, you must study the great ones: Internet Marketers, have a lot to teach. All you need to do is begin studying what works for them and adapt it to your own site. Study great sales letters, see what they have in common and then apply those techniques to your own site.

THE BEST WAY TO MAKE MONEY WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY AND TIME IS TO HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE! LEARN HOW TO …… FROM THE BEST EXPERT.

Feel free to meet some of our favorite Internet Marketing Experts.

Allan Gardyne is THE No 1 affiliate marketing expert.

Alex Mandossian is well known on the Internet for traffic conversion strategies, showing his clients how to turn website visitors into customers.

Alexandria K. Brown is the best Ezine Articles Expert.

Armand Morin is the developer behind many of the top selling internet marketing software tools today.

Keith Voiles is copywriting experts. Keith Voiles has authored sales copy for the top names in Internet marketing.

Brian Tracy is expert in personal development and leadership training.

Bryan Winters is copywriting experts.

Charlie Page is copywriting experts.He is considered the leading expert on marketing with ezines.

Corey Rudl was one of the most respected experts in the internet marketing world.. He was a marketing strategist, author, speaker and software maker. Rudl specializes in utilizing unique and powerful Internet marketing techniques.

Dan Kennedy – Legendary marketing expert. He is a leading consultant in direct marketing, copywriting, internet strategies, and profit improvement systems. Dan Kennedy is one of the greatest marketers of all time.

Dan Lok is a reputed marketer and web site conversion expert.

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Derek Gehl is internet marketing expert who specializes in teaching real people how to start and automate a profitable Internet businesses.

Ewen Chia is expert in the affiliate marketing and the traffic generation.

Harvey Segal is the man behind The Complete Guide to ClickBank Websites and The Complete Guide to Ad Tracking Programs, and the publisher of SuperTips Ezine.

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Jimmy D. Brown is an expert on Viral Marketing. His information products and tools are helping people to generate and increase traffic to their websites.

Jo Han Mok is a copywriter who’s highly in-demand. Hi has written copy for some of the top names in marketing and one of his sales letters grossed 6 figures in 4 weeks.

Joe Vitale is “Mr. Fire” for Copywriting.

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Lynn Terry is expert in: Internet Business Development & Start-up.

Dr Mani is webmaster and an expert commentator on Ezine Publishing and Marketing.

Matt Gill is an expert forecaster of marketing trends – and with the Internet changing so rapidly he is able to keep us up to date on where to spend our marketing time and dollars for the year to come.

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Michael Green will be giving you the lowdown on e-book creation, product creation, copywriting, software creation and Teleseminars to help grow your Internet Business.

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When you’ve learned all the knowledge of all that you need to know from e-books, you will have to implement what you’ve learnt.

Be yourself. Take what works for the experts and make it work for you – for your own products and services.

Feel Free to Meet World’s Top Internet Marketing Experts and Their Unique Products.. Learn from them, this is the only way to discover The Power of the Internet Marketing.

Maria Bumbarova, If you want to learn more visit to my blogs
Best Selling Internet Marketing Courses http://onlinemarketingtraining.blogspot.com/
Ultimate Affiliate Marketing Resources http://affiliatestoolsonline.blogspot.com/

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For far too long, college students have spent money that doesn’t have to be spent. Now, with the economy faltering and the cost of college at an all time high, more students are dropping out of college for financial reasons. Other students are leaving college with huge debts and a twinge of fear. That’s why wise students are aggressively looking for every possible way to cut their costs and increase their income.

Here are a few ideas for students and parents to consider.

Seek Out Grants, Scholarships And Financial Aid, Not Loans – Over the past thirty years, colleges have lulled parents and students into thinking that loans are financial aid. They are not. Loans have to be paid back. They place a large and immediate financial burden on graduates and often last for more than twenty years. True financial aid is money that doesn’t have to be paid back. Since it exists in many forms, students and parents should start looking for aid in the junior year of high school. This doesn’t mean that students won’t end up with some loans. However, if good students start early and work diligently, more true financial aid will flow their way.

Start Off At A Community College – Students can dramatically cut their costs by attending a well respected community college for the first two years of college. At the same time, if they seek financial aid, work at a part-time job while in college and also work summers, they can completely avoid taking out loans. In this way, students can get through the first two years nearly debt free. Caution: Identify the two colleges to which you are most likely to transfer. Then, make certain that you take only courses that will be accepted by those colleges. Also, keep your grades up. Transfer colleges won’t accept poor grades.

Start Off At A Lower Cost Four Year College – The same advice about Community Colleges will apply to lower cost, four year colleges. Choose wisely and you will benefit.

Attend A College That Offers An Accelerated Degree Program – Some colleges offer you the opportunity to complete your college degree in less that four years. If you have the temperament and work ethic, you can save time and money. However, only highly motivated and dedicated students are usually suitable for such a commitment.

Increase or Decrease The Credits You Take – At some colleges, students pay the same tuition whether they take 15 or 18 credits. If the student is both willing and capable, why not take 18 credits and get one course at no extra cost. By doing that, some students can cut out a full semester and graduate in three and a half years. For students who work full time and even for some part-timers, taking six or nine credits may be a way to get through college without college loans. This will greatly depend on your income.

Seek Out And Work For An Employer That Offers An Educational Assistance Program – A number of employers still offer educational assistance programs for their full-time employees. Investigate their requirements. Most require at least one year of service and pursuit of a degree that is job related. Many reimburse a percentage of your costs for tuition and books based on the grades you achieve.

Attend A Local College And Live At Home – At many colleges, room and board will represent around 20% of your costs, sometimes more. By attending a local college, you can nearly eliminate these costs. In some cases, the local college may also be less expensive. When you eat your meals at home and take a brown bag lunch, additional savings, however small, will result.

Sell Your Car and Ride A Bike – If you live at home, you can achieve a dramatic savings by eliminating your car during the college years. Yes, for many students, this is a psychological and emotional issue. However, a car can be a money pit (purchase price, maintenance, repairs, fuel and insurance). If you make the sacrifice and find other less expensive means of transportation, this action can pay off.

Take Some Online Courses – Many colleges now offer online courses. They eliminate your transportation needs and offer greater convenience. Furthermore, some of these courses can be taken as you have time because classes can be viewed at your convenience. This approach is expedient and a cost effective alternative for people with busy lives.

Cut Up Your Credit Cards – If you don’t have the cash to pay for something, don’t buy it now. Wait until you have the money. Too many young adults graduate from college not only with college loans, they also owe money on their credit cards. Some owe more than $5,000.

Evaluate Your Spending – Some students have difficulty understanding the difference between needs and wants. However, almost anyone can chart their monthly spending to see where their money is going. Armed with that information, many students can cut their spending by 10 – 20%.

Get A Part-Time Job – If you are attending college on a full-time basis, you should be able to find a part-time job that will cover some of your weekly expenses. When money is tight, a part-time job is more than an option.

A Campus-Wide Lawn Sale – With permission from the college, any student or student group can take the initiative and arrange for a campus-wide lawn sale/tag sale/street festival during the semester. Individual students and student groups will then have the opportunity to reserve lawn blanket space for the sale of their used Electronic Equipment, CD’s, DVD’s, Books, Clothing, and anything else that may be relevant. As appropriate, Entertainment and Food items may also be provided to attract buyers. For the most enterprising and businesslike students, this kind of campus event can result in a substantial amount of income.

When money is tight, there are only two prudent things that students can do. One is to reduce expenses; the other is to increase income. Since a college education is a requirement for many good jobs, serious students must face their financial challenges with a willingness to make the sacrifices that will get them through the tough times. It’s those sacrifices that will strengthen their resolve and lead to greater success.

Visit Bob’s web site: http://www.The4Realities.com . Bob Roth is the author of The 4 Realities Of Success During and After College -and- The College Student’s Guide To Landing A Great Job.

by Bob Roth The “College & Career Success” Coach

Bob Roth is the author of The College Student’s Guide To Landing A Great Job -and- The 4 Realities Of Success During and After College. He also write articles for more than 175 college career services offices and campus newspapers. Additionally, Bob has developed 15 self-scoring learning tool that help college students find success. http://www.The4Realities.com Bob Roth, a former campus recruiter, is the author of The College Student’s Guide To Landing A Great Job -and- The 4 Realities Of Success During and After College. Known as The “College & Career Success” Coach, Bob also writes articles for more than 200 College Career Services Offices, Campus Newspapers, Parent Associations and Employment Web Sites. Additionally, Bob has developed 20 Self-Scoring Learning Tools that help college students find success. He has been interviewed on numerous radio programs across the country and also by many newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal. Lastly, Bob has served as an Adjunct at Marist College, teaching a course in Career Development. The4Realities.com

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PHP is a very versatile language, allowing for programmers to make applications according to their various tastes or styles. But one thing all programmers should maintain is the ability to comment effectively. In essence, commenting can save hours of time perusing code months down the road- and is often required by employers.

Comments aren’t parsed by the PHP engine, so they are only visible to those who are viewing the original source code of the file. This is great for documenting what each code block does, all while keeping the casual visitor to a website oblivious to the extra comments present on the application they are using.

Unlike HTML comments, PHP comments aren’t even visible in the source code of a website. HTML comments are visible to the general public, which can potentially lead to the stealing of code or may even help hackers exploit applications. PHP comments aren’t output to the browser at all, so they are completely safe from prying eyes.

There are actually three operators that we may use to tell the PHP engine that we want to use a comment. Single inline comments can be used with the “//” and “#” operators. For multiple-line comments, we use “/*” and “*/” respectively to indicate what is a comment and what is actually PHP code. While the first two operators are synonymous, the last one discussed is the only one that can perform multiple line comments with relatively little work.

Unknown to most, PHP comments can also be used for more practical scenarios, such as troubleshooting. Expert programmers will find they have a problem with their application, and comment out different blocks of code to see what is causing the error. While it is usually in new code blocks, this method will indeed show that sometimes the problem is due to program code interacting wrong, which can in effect mean the problem is anywhere in the application.

Commenting in PHP is also great to use in selection structures, since PHP has long been known as a hard to scale language. Once files start getting big, it can be dizzying to try and remember which loops and selection structures go where, and what they do. By commenting out every closing bracket, and what it is in relation to, the problem is easily fixed. This is often mandatory for programmers who work for employers.

Closing Comments

PHP Comments are quite handy as we can see, more so than most would think. From troubleshooting to simple documentation, the three methods of commenting have a lot of use to the proper programmer. For more information on comments in PHP, and in other languages, check out more books, articles, and magazines for a more detailed guide in using them effectively.

You can learn more about the inner workings of PHP Comments via a PHP Comments Tutorial to get more experience with Comments In PHP

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At the end of this article is an answer to a note left regarding the article. The article begins here;

Bringing the whole family on a camping trip is one of the most creative, interesting, and natural things that you can do in your lifetime. You have come to the right page if you want to be as safe and as secure as you can be on any camping trip. First – safety and security begins with having the proper equipment and tools for your camping trip. There are certain rules of safety and security that you need to follow when you are camping out with babies and children. There are some tools and some equipment that will make your vacation easier and more fun.

Camping with baby:

If you are bringing a baby along on a trip, prepare ahead of time and buy a baby tent. This is a small enclosure that will hold one baby – with one baby infant seat. The enclosure is not really a “tent” but it is more a screen enclosure that you will use inside the tent or outside the tent. This will make your baby insect-proof. Your baby will be free from mosquitoes and spiders and their bites. Bring a sleeping bag for baby (for inside the tent, when the baby is not inside the baby tent. This kind of sleeping equipment will make your baby feel more secure than a regular blanket. Remember that your baby is not at home and might feel some apprehension about its’ new temporary quarters. Use the sleeping bag at home for a few nights before you go on your camping trip. This way, your baby will be used to it and will be familiar with it on the trip. Bring bandages, over-the-counter medicine, bottled water, a ball, some toys and whatever else is familiar to the baby.

Location: When camping with babies or young children, try the “family” campsites first or the private campgrounds to see how the baby or children will react to the outdoors experience. Camping at a private campgrounds or family campgrounds offer many amenities that state parks might not offer. For example, at the private campgrounds, you might find a kiddie pool and a regular pool, an indoor store for necessities, internet connections, game rooms for children, golf carts, abundant water spigots and fountains, and many other items that make camping with children more fun. After choosing your campground, the next mission is to chose the best site for children and babies. You will want to choose a site that is near the bathrooms, near the public phones (bring a cellular phone too), and or near the store or the more trafficked areas of the campgrounds. When choosing a site near the bathrooms, choose the right one, not one too near it.

Important Timely Note: **This note added, March 19, 2008: Wow! At least once a year, you have a perfect location to camp at with your children, especially if you are beginning campers. This year, and most likely every year thereafter, there will be camping (for families) in NYC for one night. Most times throughout the year, there is no camping in Staten Island, New York. However, over the past month or so, I read that they are going to be camping out for one night in High Rock park. Reservations are needed and on March 24, they are going to accept the first reservations. (If you have missed it for this year, save this information because it will be helpful to you next year). You call up and reserve your space. Tell them that you have no tent and they will supply a tent to you for the night (as long as supplies last). You can also camp out with them that night if you have your own tent but you must still register to take part in this. You supply your own food and beverages but they will supply the campfire to roast marshmallows and cook your hotdogs. Sounds like an awesome night in people in New York, for beginning campers. This is your opportunity to get used to camping in a safe environment with expert supervision. (You must be of legal age to register). Look up park rangers or High Rock park on the net to find the details). This is only happening once a year in in this particular area, so be sure and telephone be March 24th to register.

A few years ago, one of the news items that did not make it into the newspapers, but did disturb the campgrounds, happened at Hecksher State Park in New York State. One night an RV family came into the campgrounds very late, after dark and proceeded to back into a water fountain. The driver of the RV did not look behind him as he parked and his RV landed right on top of a water fountain. The water fountain tilted and tipped, flooding the surrounding area with water. Thankfully, no human being was hit in this accident. But think of what a close call that was. . This campsite was the one very nearest the restroom and the area all around it was flooded. Good that no one had camped out there, so the only ones affected were the park rangers and the camper who ran the RV. So choose one close to the restrooms but not too close. You might want to choose a site that is near other family campers. Perhaps the children can play together in the daytime. Sometimes as an added safety precaution, campers put lights on the outside of their tents, and sometimes they use special camping blinking lights. If any campers near that water fountain had those lights on their tents that would have been an added protection for them that night when the RV ran over the water fountain.

Rules: Sounds simple? Most everyone knows the rules of the campgrounds if they have been camping in the past. But newcomers and children generally do not know the rules. One of the most important things that you can remind your children about are the vehicle and road rules. Remind them that the lanes in between the rows of tents are just like city roads. Cars and sometimes huge RVs travel those roads, so if the children are playing at the campgrounds, they must look both ways before crossing these innocent-looking lanes at campgrounds. So many times during the camping season, you will see children running and playing in or near the campsites roads. This is a very dangerous thing to do as there are many cars going back and forth even if you do not see them right away. Remind all children that roads are roads even when the roads are in campsites. Remember that RV that hit the water spigot and knocked it over ? That could have been a child. Luckily it was just a water spigot. You need to instruct the children on the road rules before you leave your vehicle and stress the importance of obeying all rules, including the road rules.

Food: Food rules are the next important. If you have decided to camp out in a state park, you need to stress the importance of food rules. Most times children do not understand why they cannot eat inside the tent (especially in bad weather). If you camp out anywhere in the wild or in state parks in any state, you must not have any food in your tent, not even cookies or cookie crumbs. Trust us on this one. Even at the most civilized camp sites, if you bring any food inside your tent you are asking for big trouble. There are state parks where there are no bears, but still the food rule should be number one on your list to remember. We camped out at Hecksher State Park in New York once or twice. We knew the food rule so we never brought any food into the tent and we did not leave any food on the picnic table either. That’s almost a guarantee that you will have no animal visitors during the night. That’s almost a guarantee but not a real promise. Even when you are diligent about camping rules and regulations, what your neighbors do will affect your stay at the camp. Sometimes your neighboring campers will forget food outside and that will be enough to bring raccoons and little animals and insects into your campsite. That happened to a friend of ours. While he was careful about camping and careful about his food, his neighbors left food out on the table – overnight. All through the night, the pesky raccoons kept pushing through the campsite going into everything they could find. They kept everyone up at night be their scavenger hunt for more food. Our friend found out the hard way that any food left out, even your neighbor’s food, will attract small animals, raccoons and insects into his own campsite. He found out the hard way – by having the raccoons keep him up all night. You can learn the easy way, by just taking this advice. If your neighbors are inexperienced campers, tell them about the animals and raccoons that spill through the campgrounds at night. They will be glad you told them and you will have a good night’s sleep. (Raccoons are creepy at night in the dark at night -especially since they are so bold). Good thing to remember is that some raccoons can carry or have rabies. So, store your food inside your car. Raccoons do open coolers up. Funny thing is that the one thing they could not do was open the zippered cooler.

Restrooms: Another important rule is that no one goes to the restroom alone after dark or at night. In the daytime also, accompany all children to the restroom. This is an important safety rule for our state parks in NY, and probably everywhere else also. If you think that this is “too safe” , think again. In some of our state parks, there are homeless people camping out; in others, there might even be newly-released inmates, and in others there might even be perverts. Yes, this might be shocking to you and it is something that most people do not think or want to think about. But the truth is -that is the truth. So, watch the children when they go off to the bathroom in the daytime and if they do not come out quickly, go and check on them. And, after dark or near dark, the rule must be that no one goes to the rest room alone. You can wait outside for the older children and you go inside the restroom with the younger ones.

Don’t Feed or Pet Wild Animals: You need to instruct children to not approach and to not pet wild animals, no matter how cute they look. Remind the children that some wild animals carry or have rabies. Some of the bold raccoons at Hecksher and some other parks will approach you and the children if you leave food out at night. So the best way to avoid this is to keep all food in plastic containers and keep them in your car. Keep the family pets at home (find pet sitters for them). Family pets attract wild animals and insects. Besides, if you are on vacation, you will want to leave them home and enjoy their company when you return. If you MUST bring family pets, the best place to go is to family campsites that advertise that they welcome pets. There are one or two state parks that accept animals. Do the research online and find out where these parks are.

Weather:

There is a difference between a storm and a rainy day. If you are prepared, relaxed and intent on enjoying your camping experience, even rain will not ruin your camping vacation. It is an interesting experience. That’s really roughing it. That’s camping! However, with babies and children, the wet camping experience is different and less fun. So here’s how to handle weather. Bring a solar-powered radio and solar-powered flashlight. Having a radio on stormy or rainy days makes all the difference in a camping trip. Tune in to the weather station and you will find out if the storm is temporary or will last for days. You can plan – that is so much better than just having bad weather happen to you. If the rainy weather is just going to last for an hour or three, you can rough it out and outlast the rain. So , do not pack up and go home. Having that radio makes a big difference.

Rainy Days: These are great fun days and a great excuse to sit in the tent and get to know each other better. You can talk, chat, play games, share stories, and read. READ? Who ever heard of reading on a camping trip. Yes, you can read. Bring enough flashlights for the night. You can wait out the rain and you can play and read until the rain stops. If it is a light sprinkle, this is great for blowing bubbles in the rain (no thunder, no lightening). Stay away from the trees for safety. Kids love to splash in puddles and why not? It’s vacation . It’s time to do things you would not normally have them doing. You can cook out, so you can take a short trip to the local fast food place ( Many fast food places have play rooms), so your rainy camping day will turn out to be a fun success instead of just another day in the rain.

Stormy Weather: With the storms or prediction of storms while you are camping, use the malls to your benefit. During the worst part of the storms, pack it all up (not the tent) ; bring the kids and put them in the car and drive to the nearest mall stores. You can spend hours there going to the movies, browsing the bookstores, having lunch or dinner, and you can party-out the storm.

First things first, get away from the trees and out of the rain. Hop into the car or RV. You don’t have to drive right away. Sometimes a storm can last ten minutes other times ten days. Knowing is being informed. Listen to your radio. Once at Hecksher State Park , all of a sudden it began to pour, lighting and thunder. It rained so hard and thundered so loud it sounded as if Noah would have to rebuild the ark. Most of the campers thought it best to leave the campsite for a while since the thunder was getting louder and louder. . There are malls not too far from Hecksher State Park, a short drive away. So, many times when the weather gets stormy, some of the campers pack up and spend a few hours at the mall instead of spending the entire day or night in the tent listening to the rain. If this happens to you, you can go to the mall, spend hours at a bookstore, have lunch in a fast food restaurant or at a pizza place and then head back to the campgounds after the worst of the storm is over. Everyone will be happy, entertained and feel that even the stormiest camping outing can be a total success. The rain will eventually lighten up, and you can experience your first rainy day camping but you will come away with a fun experience, not a griping holiday. Attitude is everything! Creativity is everything while camping. So many other people were there that same day – camping out through the storm but they were not as happy as as the campers who chose to leave the campgrounds and head to “CAMP MALL” . That’s the difference between planning a great camping trip and being surprised by something that you did not expect. Plan your trip, plan for a storm and then you will know just what to do when the storm hits if the storm does hit. So, be prepared, be wise and you will have a wonderful camping trip, no matter what the weather.

Restrooms and Showers: Always accompany children to the restrooms. Never permit anyone to go alone to the restroom after dark or near dark, that includes adults. One of the things that people do not think or or remember is that whatever is out in the world is at your campgrounds too. Somehow people think that camping is a ‘different’ world just because they feel safe and peaceful in the woods and outdoors in nature. And that false sense of security is what puts many children and adults in danger. Take the same safety precautions that you would take if you are in a large city. Everyone goes to the rest rooms in pairs or in groups. Even in the middle of the night. Tell your children if they need to go to the restroom in the middle of the night, they need to wake you up. You will all go together. When you first arrive at the campgrounds remind your children what the rules are and let them know that these rules are for their safety and protection. Children should never go into any stranger’s tent. And you need to remind each child that every other camper in the place is a stranger to them. At campgrounds, strangers and neighboring campers are always very friendly and after a day or two it can seem or feel like you all know each other. You need to remind your children that all over campers are still strangers and they shouldn’t go into neighbor’s tents at all -without you. Following this rule can keep children alive and safe. Keep the same rules that you keep at home. When at home, you don’t allow your children to go home with strangers or go into strangers’ homes. So when camping out – those tents are people’s homes -even if only for a night or two. The tents are temporary homes so do not let any of the children to into any strangers’ tents. Hecksher State Park has electrical outlets in the restroom. These are convenient to charge up your cellular phones, or other batteries needed. Stay with your equipment while it is charging. No state park is secure from thieves. Although the parks are serene and full of nature, you need to remember that in our country, thieves go on vacation also. So, protect your equipment, even in the state parks.

Hot, Hot, Hot! No matter what, always pack sunscreen, sunblock and insect repellent. These are essentials. If you don’t have these, don’t bring the children or babies camping. Bring a screen hut. This is an open-enclosure. It is open on two sides, closed on two sides. These go for around forty dollars, but we picked one up for ten dollars at a dollar store. This is a great tool to put over the picnic table. It brings you less mosquitoes and insects over your plates and food. Plus, it is fun for the kids. They enjoy sitting under it. Part of the enclosure is screened and part is cloth, so it provides some shade on hot and sunny days.

Those are just some of the basic essentials of camping out with babies and children. Some of our upcoming articles will focus on tents and choosing the right tent for you. There are many more ways to be safe and secure.

Thank you for leaving your note regarding camping with children. I read that the article scared you a little, which was not the intent of the article. But rather, the intent of the article is to bring some things to the attention of moms, dads, guardians or others who will bring babies, tots and children on camping excursions. As far as being scared, I am sorry to hear that it scared you. But as with all life, having some fear is a natural thing. In fact, it is our fear that usually protects us from other dangers. Imagine a child without fear? That child might get into serious trouble that the natural fear might not allow. For example, if children were not afraid of fire, they could be more easily burned and more often burned. But once they are told, and made aware of the dangers of fire, those children lead healthier lives and they are protected from third-degree burns and even in some cases –read the news– protected from death. I am changing the title of the article to be more specific and more revealing about the actual topic that I am writing about, which is safety and security.

And it is in that spirit that I wrote the article about camping. I wrote it to reveal things that people would not ordinarily think of when they are about to go camping with children, babies or toddlers. And yet the things that I wrote about are actual things that have happened in campgrounds. For example, the big RV that backed up into the fountain, that actually happened. And, luckily there were no children around the spigot at that time of night. No one was hurt, just the water fountain was hurt. Before seeing that happen, I never, ever would have expected that a large RV would back up–without the driver looking out for what was behind the RV. Who would think that? But obviously that happened. So I pass on this information, not to scare, but to inform and to remind people of the dangers that really are around some campsites.

I hope that I can relieve some of your fears by saying this– that none of what happened or could happen is anything that would keep someone from camping out. Camping is a wonderful, relaxing experience, that thousands, if not millions do, every camping season. And some even camp out in winter too. And some of the camping problems occurred in larger cities, not in small towns, like the RV backing up. That happened at a campsite that has millions of people visiting each and every year. So, you see, real occurrances do not keep campers from attending state parks or from camping out. Sincerely, I hope you camp and camp and camp again, at as many places as you are able to.

I, as many campers do, believe that everyone should be aware of what happens in campsites and of would could happen or did happen at campsites. Being aware of these things does not put us in fear, but rather strengthens us. Everyone in the NY campsites know that most times it is always safer to accompany children to the restrooms rather than let them go alone. That is just a New York thing. If you do not have to do that in your smaller towns, kudos to you. But I guess just growing up in NY and having the all-around NY experience, we just use your common sense and our training to do what we have to do to keep babies, toddlers and children safe when we are camping out. For us, New Yorkers, camping is never a fearful experience, but to the contrary, it is a very comfortable, relaxing and usually peaceful experience for all of us. And we hope that happens for you too.

For other camping suggestions and ideas, for babies, toddlers and children, during camping excursions, I will write another article. I do appreciate your comments, questions and feedback, all of the time, whether you agree or do not agree, I welcome your remarks and emails. Thank you so much for reading and participating.

Updated May 10, 2008

Hope that you read our other articles for that information. If you want the free newsletter about camping, send an email to towriteus@yahoo.com

The author of this article is an experienced camper who graduated from Outward Bound School. Besides spending seven wonderful days in the wilderness in North Carolina, she received a Wilderness Survival Certificate. Her wilderness experience in game lands, in state parks and in private campgrounds adds to her expertise in the outdoors and in camping. The author invites you to write for the free camping newsletter (sent only by email).

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Mario Uribe Escobar, the president of Colombia’s cousin and leader of the Colombia Democratica political party, announced the removal of two Congressional candidates, Rocío Arias and Eleonora Pineda, from his party on 2 February for their outward support of paramilitary organizations. His announcement comes on the tail of a purge of a limited number of political candidates known to be supportive of Colombia’s paramilitary organizations.

These two candidates belong to a long list of politicians that in private will admit to close contact with paramilitary chieftains. Arias and Pineda are considered the most public faces of a wide-reaching and deep-pocketed effort to increase paramilitary political control on the national level through the upcoming congressional elections to be held on Sunday, 12 March.

A much smaller, more organized, and influential group of former paramilitary war lords has emerged. As a group, they began to exercise power within the realms of politics on a municipal and state level years ago. Their efforts were first recorded in the 2002 congressional elections. In these elections, paramilitary-supported candidates won with over 90 per cent of the vote in many cases because there was no opposition candidate on the ticket and voters were scared to abstain.

Through these strong arm tactics, paramilitary organizations have begun to increase the number of politicians they control in the Colombian congress. This time around, they look set to further increase that power. If they succeed, they will work to ban extradition, eradicating their worst fear, while solidifying their positions of power across numerous Colombian departments. It is a reality that severely hinders democracy and sets Colombia and the region on a path to less stability into the foreseeable future.

Paramilitary politics

Colombia’s departments, stretching from Panama to Venezuela along the country’s northern coast, have long been held by paramilitary commanders who act both publicly and behind the scenes to control political candidates on the municipal, gubernatorial, and national levels. Their heavy handed political influence in coastal departments such as Cesar, Guajira, Atlantico, Magdalena, and Cordoba, is most evident, according to German Espejo, an analyst with the Bogota-based Security and Democracy Foundation.

Espejo agrees that the paramilitaries fund and support congressional elections. “In addition to financial support, it is possible that the paramilitaries use their influence to obstruct the campaigns of candidates that do not support them,” Espejo told ISN Security Watch.

Claudia Lopez, Colombian journalist and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) consultant, completed a study published in December 2005 that took a close look at the intersection between paramilitary control in Colombia’s northern departments and the indices of landslide victories of political candidates from those areas. Her conclusions revealed atypical electoral behaviors in the 2002 Congressional elections where areas that had experienced high levels of paramilitary-related massacres, and thus presumed under paramilitary control, had produced unopposed political candidates who were elected with over 90 per cent of votes.

The Colombian daily El Tiempo has reported that in the paramilitary-dominated department of Magdalena, mayoral candidates ran unopposed in 14 of the department’s 30 municipalities. The tendency for candidates to run without opposition, winning with inflated percentages of the vote, has been repeated in numerous Colombian departments. The trend, referred to as “paramilitarization”, has been documented in the Colombian press and noted on the floor of the Colombian congress.

Alvaro Sierra published a column in El Tiempo on 25 September 2004 in which he stated that Colombia was becoming aware of the fact that “a substantial portion of national territory, of the daily lives of millions of people, of politics, of the economy, and local-government budgets, and an unknown amount of power and influence at the level of central-government institutions like the congress, is in paramilitary hands”.

Colombian Senator Carlos Moreno de Caro, vice-chairman of the Senate’s Peace Committee, was highlighted in the Colombian press in March 2005 when he defended the a move to give paramilitaries lenient treatment in the disarmament negotiations, arguing “the thing is, half the country is theirs”.

Adam Isacson, director of programs with the Center for International Policy in Washington, DC, said Senator Moreno de Caro’s statement was an exaggeration but not a wild one.

“Salvatore Mancuso’s statement that the paramilitaries control over 30 per cent of the Colombian Congress was probably inflated,” Isacson said. “But after the upcoming elections, it’s possible to be closer to the truth,” he told ISN Security Watch.

Ineffective pre-election purge

Relatively few candidates will publicly admit to their alliances with the paramilitaries, yet many will admit such ties in private. This has created a “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation that has made it difficult for President Uribe to act on the opposition’s claims. Many fingers are pointed in public but little evidence substantiates claims.

Paramilitary control of politics is a reality that some can stomach and others cannot. In the lead up to the 12 March elections, many opposition candidates publicly demanded that President Uribe do something to purge the lists of political candidates, removing those individuals thought to be in close cooperation with paramilitary leaders.

A great purge of political candidates suspected of paramilitary ties was most likely on US ambassador William Wood’s mind when in December 2005 he publicly stated: “Corrupt electoral practices may occur in the elections of 2006, notably by paramilitaries.” Uribe told him to stop “meddling” in Colombian affairs.

Weeks later, at a meeting in Cordoba on 9 January, Uribe found himself audience to a very heated discussion between two senatorial candidates in the paramilitary-controlled department. Each claimed the other to have made political pacts with paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso. Days later, Uribe asked the Colombian attorney general to investigate the senators’ ties to the paramilitaries.

That same week, Gina Parody, a Bogota congresswoman, declined invitations to run as a candidate for one of the two largest pro-Uribe political parties, Partido de la U and Cambio Radical. She explained that her decision not to run with either party was based on the fact that both parties include candidates “with paramilitary links”.

She named Dieb Maloof and Habib Merheg, both running for re-election as candidates of the Partido de la U. Maloof is believed to be an associate of Jorge 40, leader of the Northern Bloc, one of the largest and most powerful paramilitary organizations. Merheg has been suspected of paramilitary ties since 2003. Both were elected to Congress in 2002 as members of the Colombia Viva party, a political organization thought to be close to the paramilitaries.

On 18 January, the tide of accusations and investigations came to a head. Both Partido de la U and Cambio Radical expelled a total of five candidates from their ranks. But these candidates were quickly absorbed by smaller, pro-Uribe political parties, much to the disappointment of opposition candidates who supported the purges. Even after the very public removal of Rocío Arias and Eleonora Pineda, both candidates were absorbed into smaller, pro-Uribe political organizations.

Power over extradition

What has US ambassador Wood – and many others in Colombia – worried is not just pre-election purging and increased paramilitarization. The 2006 Congressional elections may place in power enough pro-paramilitary politicians to make extradition unlawful.

A law that bans extradition represents a de facto victory for Colombia’s paramilitary organizations. The US has made nine extradition requests for paramilitary leaders. All are immune to extradition while under the protection of the disarmament process, but currently have no definitive guarantee that they will not be extradited.

Banning extradition is the focus of every paramilitary leader’s political power play.

If the Colombian government were left without the negotiating leverage of extradition, the matter of ultimate justice for human rights atrocities, drug trafficking, and other criminal acts would be left in the sole jurisdiction of the Colombian justice system, one not known to have much success with Colombian criminals in the past. It is a system that would certainly be manipulated again in the future and one paramilitary leaders are willing to take on.

Paramilitary influence in Colombia’s congress ultimately goes beyond extradition. It places Colombian organized crime one step closer to the ultimate tool to protect itself – control over the legislative process.

With control over the legislative process, legally protected paramilitary leaders will contribute to massacres and escalated conflict with the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Their positions as regional warlords will be solidified.

Increases in drug and gun trafficking are ensured. Exploitation of Colombia’s rural poor in the name of making the landed elite class more wealthy and powerful will grow.

Such a reality concentrates wealth in power in the hands of a few, exploiting the rest. It would consolidate many more years of insecurity for both Colombia and the region. And it promises a future where security – Uribe’s number one goal – in Colombia becomes a mirage. Paramilitary “king makers” will rule from regional outposts contributing to a de facto “Balkanization” of the country and a weakening of state sovereignty and democracy. If the paramilitaries come to control the legislative process in the Colombian Congress, a country ruled by warlords is a reality that may come to pass, and there is little the Colombian government, or any other government, can do to prevent it.

Sam Logan (http://www.samuellogan.com) is an investigative journalist who has covered business, security, energy, politics, economics, organized crime, terrorism, and black markets in Latin America since July 1999. He has reported from Caracas, Santiago, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires. He currently reports from Rio de Janeiro.

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Analog television (or analogue television) encodes television and transports the picture and sound information as an analog signal, that is, by varying the amplitude and/or frequencies of the broadcast signal. Analog television, like all other motion picture systems, exploits the properties of the human eye to create the illusion of moving images. Analog television service is the traditional TV system. Analog television has been the standard broadcast technology since the inception of television using magnetic waves to transmit and display pictures and sound. Analog television has an aspect ratio of 4 by 3, which means the screen is 4 units wide by 3 units high.

HDTV

HDTV, the highest quality format, provides high resolution, a widescreen format, and surround sound. HDTV is a name given to two of the digital television (DTV) formats. HDTV programs can include Dolby Digital surround sound, the same digital sound system used in many movie theaters and DVDs. HDTV uses the same amount of bandwidth (the size of the communications channel) as the current analog system, but with HDTV, about six times more information is transmitted. HDTV is the highest quality of DTV, but it is only one of many formats. HDTV pictures are created by scanning up to twice as many lines. HDTV sets have wider, movie-theater like screens that more closely resemble human peripheral vision, making it more natural to watch. HDTV sets are “backward compatible,” meaning existing analog equipment (VCRs, DVD players, camcorders, video games, etc. HDTV is best viewed on a new high-definition television. HDTV uses a wider 16 by 9 aspect ratio, which delivers movies with less “edge cropping” and provides a more intense viewing experience. HDTV’s digital audio sounds better than a standard television’s analog sound, just like digital CDs are superior to analog radio.

Cable

Cable Television Networks are already being broadcasted in simulcast since 2004 and analogue cable services were switched-off in April 2007. Cable and satellite subscribers with analog TVs should contact their service providers about obtaining converter boxes for the DTV transition. Cable here faces minor but growing competition from satellite and more recently, television via high-speed Internet connections with the service known as IPTV. Cable operators must ensure that all local broadcast stations carried pursuant to this Act are ‘viewable’ by all cable subscribers,” explained Martin, in a statement.

Analog television was introduced in the Netherlands in 1951. Analog televisions will work until all analog broadcasting ceases. Analog televisions are now commonly referred to conventional televisions. Analog television sets will continue to receive analog broadcasts at least through 2006 and possibly longer. Analog Television signals, both broadcast and cable, as well as VHS, in most cases, will look worse on an HDTV than they do on a standard analog television. Analog television technology is around 60 years old but still produces good quality pictures. Analog televisions will no longer function unless they are connected to a cable or satellite supplier that continues to deliver analog. Analog television uses a series of wavelengths to represent picture elements.

Clint Thomas is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.TvThroughTime.com [http://www.TvThroughTime.com]. He provides more information about televisions and television issues [http://www.TvThroughTime.com] that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

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ABSTRACT

The importance of parental involvement as an accelerating and motivating factor in their children’s education is a worldwide-accepted fact. This research project provides an in depth explanation along with specific reasons, the importance of parents’ involvement in their children’s education. It also discusses the parenting techniques, their types and their consequences if neglected. It also describes the ways to measure the outcome of the positive parental involvement. Furthermore, it mentions the teachers involvement and the difficulties faced by the teachers in getting parents involved in their children’s (this is further supported by the examples of two teachers who with their deliberate efforts won the parents over to devote their maximum attention towards their children), single-parent involvement, children’s own efforts to improve their academic levels and joint home-school based interventions. A detailed analysis of the different main ideas is given, based on the findings from other research surveys and projects.

INTRODUCTION:

Parental involvement can be seen to fall into three types: 1) Behavioral, 2) Intellectual and 3) Personal. The research explores the effect of multi-dimensional participation of parents and the resulting progress of children in their studies when different parental resources were dedicated to them. Actively participating parents help their children in their academic development by going to schools and participating in open houses. By keenly observing the behavior of their children they can rightly judge the kind of behavior or the allocation of resources required by their children. Such caring parents can also motivate teachers to become more attentive towards a particular student, thus maintaining the cycle of parent-teacher involvement. Encourage Building up cognitive and perception abilities in a child is a major concern in the upbringing of the child. The way the parents involve their children in cognitive learning is by exposing them to different cognitively stimulating activities and materials such as books, electronic media and current events at home. This helps the child to practice all sorts of language comprehending skills at the school. The results show a remarkably positive behavior at the school and with peers.

Two parenting processes namely the Supportive Parenting (SP) and Harsh Parenting (HP) helped a lot in the research of parental involvement in their children’s education. By adjusting the levels of supportive parenting, different levels of successful outcomes were observed. Supportive parenting in even kindergarten students yielded positive results. Four measures of supportive parenting were used in the study, they were:

1. Proactive teaching.

2. Calm discussion in disciplinary encounters.

3. Warmth.

4. Interest and involvement in peer activities.

The assessments were conducted when children entered kindergarten and when they reached grade 6. There was a factor noted to hinder children’s development: family adversity. It was the result of a multipurpose negative process that included the risk of low socio-economic status, single-parenting and family stress. Child maladjustments were found to be more common in families with such adversities. No matter how much negative impacts were cast, SP was found to overcome the risks associated with family adversity. SP was strongly related to adjustment procedures in grade 6 children who had single parent family or experienced low socio-economic status (SES) in their early childhood.

In a way to socialize their children, parents adopted the techniques of calm discussion and proactive teaching. They helped lessen the behavioral problems by carrying long discussions with their children, cultivating in them a sense of respect, calmness and peace of mind. Mothers also participated actively in reducing the peer stress among their children. It is also a widely accepted fact that supportive parenting plays an important role in the children’s development of empathy, prosocial behavior and emotional competence. On the negative side, the absence of supportive parenting may be related to the development of internal problems such as anxiety and depression.

Lack of the necessary parental care and attention is the main factor for the subsequent rise in the percentage of juvenile delinquency (crime among children). The absence of parental instructions causes children to develop irreversible behavioral and emotional problems. They in order to seek attention, resort to crimes thinking that in this way they could fulfill their wishes. They may revert to uncontrolled violence if not kept an eye upon. Such criminal activities cannot be brought to a halt until their distressing symptoms of low self-esteem, depression, dysphonic mood, tension and worries, and other disturbances are relieved. And the importance of parents’ role in this regard cannot be over-emphasized.

In an effort to describe parental involvement, many researchers use a term “Transition”(Lombardi, Joan). “Transition” is used to describe the time period in which children move from home to school, from school to after school activities, from one activity to another within a pre-school, or from pre-school to kindergarten. The untiring endeavors of teachers in the phenomenon of transition cannot be ignored. They prepared the children and their parents to face the problems of adjusting to elementary school programs that had different psychology, teaching styles and structure than the programs offered at the kindergarten level. In the elementary level schools the teachers had to face serious challenges in motivating the parents to take interest in their children’s activities. The teachers adopted different methods to involve the parents in day-to-day classroom and home activities. They used to send notes, invitation of parent-teacher meetings, invitation of parental guidance sessions and training sessions, continuously directing the parent’s attention towards their children. Patricia Brown Clark suggests that it is very important to keep the line of communication between teachers and parents open, so that the parents can interact with the teachers and get up to date information of their children’s school activities. One way to involve parents is to schedule school events and arranging classroom activities such as volunteering for libraries, acting as classroom aides or efficiently organizing lunch breaks. The teachers also opt for making phone calls at the children’s houses to keep in touch with the parents and getting to know the extent to which they are contributing towards the welfare of their children. Apart from the above activities, the teachers also assign home activities for both the parents and their children so that the parents remain indulged in their children and the children get to study at home. However, it was a bad and disappointing experience for the teachers when many of the parents failed to respond as expected. Many of the parents were so overwhelmed with their official work that they could hardly take out some time for their beloved children.

Moreover, for some parents their schoolings were not positive and character-boosting experiences, therefore they preferred to keep a distance from their children’s school as well. This made it really difficult and at times impossible for teachers to bring the parental involvement to the desired level. Nevertheless, the activities of two teachers proved greatly fruitful in making parents involved in their children. They were Carlos Valdez, an art teacher and 8th grade class sponsor, and Mike Hogan, the school’s band director. They did it by involving parents in music festivals and other school ceremonies. They proved to be great examples for the future teachers to come.

If the children’s academic development programs are to prove successful they must share two characteristics:

1) Developmentally appropriate practice:

A child’s academic progress is clearly reflected by the appropriate practice he/she administers while in school life. During transitions from pre-school to kindergarten, a child if given the exact developmentally appropriate practice tends to learn a great deal of language and playing skills. He develops a keen interest in exploring his environments and interacting (without hesitation) with his adults.

2) Supportive services:

These include the assistance that the school provides to low-income family students. The services include health care, childcare and community care. This strengthens the relation between school and children and creates a sense of security and confidence among the children. They get to learn that their communities are a part of their school since the school’s supportive services strive to help community development.

It is commonly believed that children are good self-teachers. Their self-initiated strategies help improve their expression, creativity, intellectual capabilities and extra-curricular skills. This idea is proved by the documentation of young children’s work provided by Reggio Emilia :

“The Reggio Emilia educators highlight young children’s amazing capabilities and indicate that it is through the unity of thinking and feeling that young children can explore their world, represent their ideas, and communicate with others at their highest level.”(Edwards, Pope. C, Springate, Wright.K)

The climax rests in the fact that how the parents would know that their sincere involvements are really proving worthwhile for their children. The answer lies in the attitude of the children. The degree of parental involvement can be judged by a child’s attitude towards his school subjects, his academic desires and achievements. There is a direct relationship between academic achievements and the attitude towards school. Schunk in 1981 had the following idea of aspiration or academic desires:

“Level of aspiration is defined as one’s subjective probability that he or she will reach a certain level of education.”(Abu, H. & Maher, M)

As a result children who received adequate parental concern were found to be much more confident in their academic desires and achievements than those who could not get the right amount of parental concern.

The individual involvement of mothers and fathers also plays a vital role in the behavioral development of a child. Students from one-parent household were observed to show less positive attitude towards schools and studies as compared to students from two-parent households. One study aimed at investigating parental concern showed that despite mothers’ sincere endeavors, the role of fathers could not be ignored and both served as an important foundation for the future progress of the child. This can be proved from the following fact:

According to a recent report from the National Center for Educational Statistics (1997), compared to their counterparts, children with involved fathers are more likely to have participated in educational activities with their parents (e.g., to have visited a museum or a historical site with their parents in the past month), and are more likely to have access to multiple types of resources at home as well (as measured by the proportion of parents who belong to community or professional organizations, or regularly volunteer in the community). (Flouri, E. And Buchanan, A, Pg.142)

Also, the parental involvement has been discussed and implemented in terms of interventions or prevention programs, which are nothing but safety measures taken to assure healthy and perfect upbringing of the child. The study uses school-based and home-only intervention programs to find out the extent of intellectual capabilities found in children from different family backgrounds. The success of one school-based interventions can be proved from the following fact, which was a part of “Education Service Improvement Plan 2001-2005” of Edinburgh:

—-The Scottish Executive Discipline Task Force, which studied the causes of poor behavior among pupils in schools produced a report of ‘Better Behavior – Better Learning’ in June 2001. The report included 36 recommendations for action, which were then turned into an Action Plan in 2002. Many of these have implications for the Education Authority. (Craig Millar Instep Project)

References

Abu, H. & Maher, M. (2000). A structural model of attitudes towards school subjects, academic aspiration and achievement. Educational Psychology, 20, 75-84.

Angoff, W.H. (1988). The nature-nurture debate, aptitudes and group differences. American Psychologist, 43, 713-720

Berger, D. (2003). The Developing Person, Worth Publishers

Brown, P. C. (1989). Involving Parents in the Education of Their Children. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education Urbana IL.

“Craig Millar Instep Project” [http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/CEC/Recreation/Libraries/] Local_Organisations/local_Craigmillar_Instep_Project.html&

http://www.inspire.edin.org/pages/paperA.htm – context

DeKlyen, M., Speltz, M.L., & Greenberg, M.T. (1998).

Fathering and early onset conduct problems: Positive and negative parenting, father-son attachment, and the marital context. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 1, 3-21.

Edwards, Carolyn Pope; Springate, Kay Wright (1995), Encouraging Creativity in Early Childhood Classrooms, Eric Digest.

Flouri, E. & Buchanan, A. (2004). Early father’s and mothers involvement and child’s later educational outcomes. Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Oxford, UK, British Journal of Educational Psychology 74, 141-153

Fortier, M.S., Vallerand, R.J., & Guay, F. (1995). Academic motivation and school performance: Toward a structural model. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 20, 257-274.

Ganzach, Y. (2000). Parents’ education, cognitive ability, educational expectations and educational attainment: Interactive effects. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 419-441.

Georgiou, S. (1999). Parental attributions as predictors of involvement and influences on child achievement. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 69, 409-429.

Grolnick, W.S., & Slowiaczek, M.L. (1994). Parents’ involvement in children’s schooling: A multidimensional conceptualization and motivational model. Child Development, 65, 237-252.

Halsey, P. (2004). Nurturing the Parent Involvement, Two middle Level Teachers Share their Secrets. Assistant Professor in the College of Education at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Vol 77, No. 4, pages 135-137 WN: 04062038590002

Lombardi, Joan (1992), Beyond Transition: Ensuring Continuity in Early Childhood Services, Eric Digest.

Masse, L.C., & Tremblay, R.E. (1999). Kindergarten disruptive behavior, family adversity, gender and elementary school failure. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 23, 225-240.

Mulkey, L.M., Crain, R.L, & Harrington, A.J.C. (1992). One parent households and achievement: Economic and behavioral explanations of a small effect. Sociology & Education, 65, 48-65.

Pamela A. Halsey (2004) Nurturing the Parent Involvement, Two middle Level Teachers Share their Secrets. Assistant Professor in the College of Education at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Vol 77, No. 4, pages 135-137 WN: 04062038590002.

Pettit, G.S., Bates, J.E., & Dodge, K.A. (1997). Supportive parenting ecological context and children’s adjustment: A seven year longitudinal study. Child Development, 68, 908-923.

Ramey, C.T., Campbell, F.A, & Ramey, S.L, (1999). Early intervention: Successful pathways to improving intellectual development. Developmental Neuropsychology, 16, 385-392.

Shepard, J. & Carlson, J.S. (2003).

An Empirical Evaluation of School-Based Prevention Programs that Involve Parents. Oklahoma State University and, Michigan State University, copyright, Wiley Periodicals, Psychology in the Schools, Vol. 40 (6), pages 641-656

Updegraff, K.A., McHale, S.M., Crouter, A.C. (1996). Gender roles in marriage: What do they mean for girls’ and boys’ school achievement? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 25, 73-88.

Yongman, M.W., Kindlon, D., & Earls, F. (1995). Father involvement and cognitive/behavioral outcomes of preterm infants. Journal of American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 58-66.

Fawwad works as a staff writer for TermPapersCorner,Inc. Term Papers Corner Provide high quality custom term paper, custom essay and thesis writing service to students and professionals. We are currently having a writing competition visit Writing Contest 2005

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Getting links from other blog owners that already have pages indexed by the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN has become one of the most effective methods for building quality traffic. But finding blogs that have an adequate Google Pagerank is even tougher as many of these blog owners don’t wish to swap links with new blog owners for fear of loosing their Google Pagerank or seeing a decrease in their pr.

So how does new bloggers obtain quality links, and get their blogs indexed quickly?

Many bloggers have found blog hopping works quiet well, or taking part in blog memes or submitting your blog to blog directories work very well for creating traffic and readership over time, but where does a new blog owner begin what’s the most effective way?

All the above!

There is no secret technique to success, it takes a little bit of work but if done effectively it’s well worth it in the end.

Start by Blog Hopping or Searching for related blogs

Blogger.com has a unique feature included in their navbar that’s displayed at the top of each blog hosted with Blogger.com, that allows visitors to randomly select the next blog, or search for other blogs that may interest you!

This is referred to as blog hopping, by randomly searching or jumping from one blog to another blog looking for common interest articles that you can relate too and comment on. While commenting on individual blogs you have the opportunity to leave your blog URL. But don’t become a spammer just to get your blog URL listed, leave positive comments and relative ones that relate to the article in question.

As most bloggers will simply delete comments that where left in bad taste or resemble anything that looks like spam or self promotional. Bloggers are smarter then you think and the objective here is to create backlinks and readership by socializing with other bloggers with the same common interest you share. The last thing you want to do is come off looking like a spammer.

Blog Memes

Another activity popular with bloggers is ‘Blog Memes,’ as there fun little activities that bloggers have created to help promote or interact with other bloggers. Many of these popular memes can be found by using your favorite search engine.

Many of the popular memes can be found quiet easily by searching blog memes, Thursday 13, Wordless Wednesday and Photo Hunters just to name a few.

Once you have created a readership, you may wish to try and create your own memes or blog activity for other bloggers to interact and take part in, as bloggers especially like to network together as a community. Their approach to the web is more sociable than webmasters who deal with clients, coding issues or other business related issues.

Bloggers are a new unique breed of webmaster and SEO experts, as they have found dozens of effective ways to maximize their blog popularity.

So how does a new blogger get quality backlinks?

Bloggers like webmasters are always looking for quality links, blogs with good search engine positioning, quality content and have a decent Google Pagerank.

This is why new bloggers especially need to take a very active part in updating and spending time creating content for their blogs. Posting often and insuring your content has something that other bloggers can relate too, is the key to any new blog owner’s success. But keep in mind that you want to create interaction with your readers. Your articles should leave the opportunity for bloggers to leave feedback about your articles good or bad.

If you provide quality content other bloggers are more likely to link back to you!

Be sure to ping your blog after every update using Technorati.com and Pingoat.com, and keep posting regularly — the minimum you should post is three times a week, remember search engines love content as any SEO expert will tell you – content is king.

Host your blog on your own domain rather than a free service. WordPress is the most commonly used free blogging software and, it’s free and comes with many key features to ensure your success.

It’s also easy to install if your web host offers Fantastico, and can be installed with minimal knowledge. But if your not to savvy with scripts and web related programs I recommend http://www.Visionthishosting.com for your blog hosting needs as they offer WordPress installed with all Blog hosting plans at affordable rates that start at $2.99 a month and they will install and configure your WordPress Blog for FREE with all blog hosting plans to help you get started with your blogging experience!

Commenting on Blogs

Take time when commenting on other blogs that interest you, then simply let the blog owner know that you enjoyed their topic and may refer to it in your next blog post. This step could be the beginning of a quality link exchange that’s 100% effective.

Blog Directories

The most important – submit your blog to blog directories. Now there are 1000′s of blog directories online so rather then list all of them I’ll recommend my favorite “Blogging Fusion Blog Directory“. Like most blog directories they have become the Web2.0 structure for blogs that wish to get quality backlinks, readership and search engine visibility.

It’s no secret that search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN index and frequently crawl these types of directories often. Good blog directories also offer the ability for bloggers to include their RSS feed, creating deep inbound links insuring your blog content is crawled and indexed quickly. Blogging Fusion Blog Directory is just one of these directories that offer FREE and Paid submission!

Getting quality links is the well known successor for many bloggers and SEO experts. As major search engine like Google that uses algorithms to rely on and determine which links are quality backlinks to determine Pagerank or relevancy for search engine positioning is very important.

When submitting to blog directories, be sure to select a category that best suites your blogs topic or affiliation. Blog directories are also another great way to search for link partners related to your genre and creating partnerships.

Follow these simple methods and you will be off to a great start with creating your own social network of friends among the blogasphere!

This article may be reprinted freely as long as the author byline and links stay active.

About the Author:
Shawn DesRochers is the CEO of a successful SEO & Web Design Support Forum http://www.Invision-Graphics.com. He also helps administrate on of the most popular Blogger support forums online at http://www.bloggertalk.net where bloggers can get answers to their current questions.

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What really makes a celebrity a true celebrity? Is it the news coverage? The pursuit of tabloids? Perhaps sheer popularity is what drives us to call movie stars, musicians, and politicians celebrities. If that is the case, are the non-traditional stars celebrities as well?

In order to find a satisfactory answer to this dilemma, one must look for a celebrity index. CelebrityContest.net has developed an algorithm to assign a value to a celebrity, much as stocks are assigned a monetary value in order for site visitors or members to build celebrity portfolio. The algorithm takes into consideration the amount and timing of news items pertaining to celebrities as well as the popularity of the celebrity as a portion of online portfolios. But does this adequately measure the amount of celebrity status an individual has achieved?

Celebrity

To determine this, we need to consider what celebrity actually means. The American Heritage Dictionary defines celebrity as “a famous person,” or “renown, fame.” That definition is very broad indeed. To be renown is to simply be well-known. Osama Bin Laden is well-known, but does not necessarily have the same following as Jessica Alba. By this definition, however, they are both celebrities.

Thus, to be a celebrity, one must be either famous or infamous, and the distinction is not relevant. By this same token, individuals who have developed a following in unconventional ways such as the internet or reality programming are certainly celebrities as well – albeit some have more global coverage than others. So to measure the amount of celebrity an individual has obtained, one would simply need to measure his or her popularity.

Measuring Popularity

Before the information age, to measure popularity would involve countless newspaper and magazine searches. Print resources as well as television and radio contained any and all celebrity news and gossip. With the advent of the internet, this changed, of course. In present times, the internet has not only opened countless doors to those aspiring to stardom, but has developed a multitude of news and gossip outlets as well.

Most of the conventional media outlets – magazines, newspapers, radio, and television have developed an online presence. Often these websites contain more information pertaining to celebrities than the original medium. Those interested in entertainment news now have almost countless methods to find the information they seek.

The fastest way to find information online, however, is through the search engines. Major search engines index all web pages and online news items as they are developed, and offer users a chance to hone in on the desired material. Searching for celebrities will pull up thousands, if not millions, of relevant results. It follows that by simply counting the number of searches and articles for each celebrity, one could understand the popularity of that individual.

Celebrity Contest

It seems the algorithm developed by CelebrityContest.net holds true. The algorithm assigns value to a celebrity based on the number and age of news items and searches, which is the best indicator of popularity. Of course, the algorithm also includes results from CelebrityContest.net, which are a valid indicator as well.

If a celebrity is popular, he or she will be included in many portfolios. If he is becoming blasé, he will be dropped from portfolios in favor of more popular individuals. If a celebrity is looking for a gauge of her own value, she can perform a complicated web analysis, or simply track her price changes on CelebrityContest.net to understand how her fan base is feeling. Of course, fans can search for the value of their favorite celebrity, and even cash in on the details only devoted fans are privy to – insider trading if you will.

celebrity. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved October 29, 2006, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/celebrity

For additional gossip, news, and the opportunity to buy and sell the most popular celebrities in the world today, visit CelebrityContest.net [http://celebritycontest.net]

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Fashion is the general style or custom of clothing worn at any given time. The word “fashion” comes from the years when people described a woman who was well dressed as a “fashion plate”.

Whether or not it had a name, fashion has always been important to women. Now it seems to be almost as important to men. Beau Brummell is probably the most well known and talked about male fashion plate in history. His colorful clothing and accessories were copied by men all over Europe.

Couturiers with famous names such as Worth, Dior, Balenciaga, Chanel had famous fashion houses in Paris. These were the haute couture designers that every other fashion designer since has aspired to become. In spite of Prêt a Porter (French for ready made or off the rack) the world still looks to Paris first when fashion is concerned. Today, although fashion designers and models come from all over the world, fashion week in Paris is still the most exciting event of the year.

Fashion changes nearly instantly. Each season welcomes in a different style, color, hem length, and designer. Today the person who follows fashion like a slave is called a fashionista. Some fashionistas look ridiculous in the new styles but they wear them anyway.

The media is very important to fashion and can rightly take credit for the spread of each new style and trend over the world map. Fashion blogs are the newest manner of communicating the newest fashion. Prior to blogs there were fashion web sites, columns in newspapers and magazines, fashion magazines. One of the most famous fashion magazines is Vogue. It was founded in 1892 and it is the longest lasting fashion magazine in the world with versions being published in England, France, Italy, Germany and other countries. Vogue’s influence grew after W.W. II. Ready to wear designers and perfume companies were their largest advertisers. In the 50′, 60′s 70′s television was featured on television shows such as Today and other morning shows.

A few years ago, Project Runway became one of the most watched reality shows on television. Each season a new designer is launched with his/her own fashion line. The show is sponsored by a well known department store, hair care company, and make-up company. The judges are a model, a fashion magazine editor, a famous designer and a weekly guest. This program watches a group of people who want to become fashion designers go through each stage of the competition. At the end, the three remaining designers compete with a line they put together in a month or two. This is presented at Mercedes Benz fashion week in Bryant Park, N.Y. The winner gets a large check to work at producing his/her own line which will be carried at the major department store.

Fashion Week is a big industry event. There is one held in each of the large fashion capitals. This week the biggest fashion houses and designers display their newest designs and styles. There is a fashion week in Paris, Milan, London, and New York. These weeks occur twice a year for autumn/winter fashions and spring/summer fashions. They are held many months in advance so that the buyers and the magazine editors can see the designs prior to ordering them for their venue. The first week of women’s wear is New York followed by London, Milan and Paris. The men’s wear lines are shown in between in Milan.

Fashion weeks are also held in other places for specific types of clothing such as swim wear and cruise wear in Miami. In fact, there are fashion weeks in many U.S. cities for several different types of clothing. You can probably find an alphabetical listing online if you want to go to one.

Herb likes to keep up on the latest trends in society. Please check out his website with information on porcelain kitchen sink selections and details on drop in sink options.

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