I Dare You Babe

Voice Chat Tools

2008-01-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

Personality Voices - MorphVOX Add-on 1.0

Change your identity with Personality Voices for MorphVOX Voice Changer. Choose to be old albert, a squeaky Mary Jane, or the goofy Clarence. Try this free Voice Changing add-on with MorphVOX Pro voice changer

File size 1178K

Try on a new personality.

This free voice add-on gives MorphVOX voice changing software, six comical voices including: Albert the old guy, Mary Jane the squeaky book worm, or Clarence the outrageous goof. From the makers of MorphVOX Voice Changer, Personality Voices can change your identity and enhance role-play in online games.

This voice changing pack uses advance voice changing technology to create unique-sounding voices. Try it out and hear the difference. The add-on contains the following voices: Albert, Clarence, Edith, Jake, Mary Jane, and Sabrina.

Note: This add-on requires the full version of MorphVOX Pro Voice Changer Software 3.4.16 or above.

Download Personality Voices - MorphVOX Add-on 1.0

Firefly Internet Phone 3.0.2

Firefly is Freshtel's fully-featured Internet Phone. You can make phone calls to any other Firefly users anywhere in the world for free.

File size 8000K

What's new in Firefly 3.0.2?

* Brand new look and feel!
* Ability to have multiple calls in progress simultaneously
* New call handling including conference calls and call transfer
* Advanced Echo Cancellation for better sound
* More user friendly features, including drag-and-drop contacts
* Microsoft Office Outlook® Integration allows Outlook contacts to be conveniently added to the Firefly Contact List and a Firefly toolbar to be displayed directly in Outlook (Outlook 2000, 2003 & 2007)
* Improved sound handling including the ability to preview and set on-hold music
* Mouse-over popups on contact list for easy access to information and contact management
* Windows Vista© compatibility

Download Firefly Internet Phone 3.0.2

Loudtalks 0.9.0.25

Loudtalks is internet walkie talkie, which provides fast and convenient way to communicate with very high voice quality. The software works on Windows 2000, XP and Vista and requires no configuration.

File size 833K

Loudtalks brings voice back to the internet communications. It's a little application, which allows you to talk to your friends or colleagues instantly with a single touch of a button. Think walkie talkie. It's faster than text chat and more convenient than calls. It's very easy to use and requires no configuration. Loudtalks is available for Windows right now, but we are working hard to bring it to other platforms soon, including your mobile phone.

Download Loudtalks 0.9.0.25

Zoiper 2.0

ZOIPER 2.0 Free Edition is a user-friendly SIP and IAX softphone compatible with the Asterisk platform or any other SIP or IAX capable system. ZOIPER Free . Find out the many advantages of this FREE product from Attractel!

File size 2000K

ZOIPER Free Version 2.0 is a new generation SIP and IAX softphone compatible with the Asterisk platform as any other SIP or IAX capable system. ZOIPER Free Edition features include: SIP + IAX/IAX 2 protocols, STUN support, STUN server per account, Echo cancellation, DTMF tones sending, Support for multiple audio devices, Automatic user registration, Call transfer, Hold function, Codecs: GSM, ulaw, alaw, speex, ilbc, Adaptive, Call history, Address book, Quick dial panel, Optional Automatic pop-up window for incoming call, Always on top, Call logs, Voice mail message information, Account password encryption, Upgrade notification, Jitter Buffer, Adjustment of audio device, Codecs priority, Portable storage compatibility, Multilanguage support; ZOIPER can also be re-branded. You can choose one of the three types of re-branding: Basic - colours, name and logo to your choice; Re-branding with additional development – e.g. changing the language; adding, disabling, removing menus, options, buttons; adding functionalities; Complete – you can go for complete change of the interface and functionality. Details about ZOIPER OEM can be obtained at zoiper@asteriskguru.com. ZOIPER BIZ, the advanced version of ZOIPER Free, gives more features: SIP + IAX protocols, Native conferencing, API, G729 (optionally), STUN support, STUN server per account, Mail program plug-in: Outlook integration, Callto URL protocol, Automatic provisioning (XML), Call forward, Auto answer, Incoming URL handling, Automatic opening of incoming URL, Access voice mail message with one button, Codec settings per account, Attended transfer, Call recording (Single file recordings), Command line dialing, Custom ring tones, TCP/TLS transport, Open URL on call answer, Call history, Call transfer, Unlimited number of accounts, Changeable number of lines (up to 6), etc.

Download Zoiper 2.0

PowerGramo Skype Recorder 3.0

Powerful Skype recorder with a flexible answering machine. It flawlessly records all type of Skype calls and have records password protected. The answering machine allows you to send different answering messages (andio & text) to different contacts.

File size 2500KB

PowerGramo is a powerful Skype audio recorder with the most flexible answering machine. It flawlessly records all type of Skype calls (pc-to-pc, skype in/out, conference, skypecast, etc..) with the best quality and have call records encrypted and password protected. Recording is done automantically and information about calls is saved together with the calls for future review. Furthermore, even text chat messages are logged together with audio data. The answering machine allows you to send different answering messages (andio & text) to different Skype contacts. PowerGramo is the perfect tool for podcasting, online journalism, conducting business, and much more!

Download PowerGramo Skype Recorder 3.0

AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) Game Name The Picture 1.2

AOL Instant Messenger Game Name The Picture. Each person in the game sees a picture, and has to think of a funny caption. Everyone then votes for their favorite caption, and the most votes wins a point!

File size 20232K

AOL Instant Messenger Game Name The Picture. Each person in the game sees a picture, and has to think of a funny caption. Everyone then writes their captions, and each caption is revealed and voted against by the players. The caption voted the funniest wins that round! The game includes a ranking system, and you can chat to others while you play. There are both members rooms and none-members rooms, which allow everyone to have a game. Each version of the game is interplayable - one version can play against another version. Play your AIM Messenger contacts in this version.

Download AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) Game Name The Picture 1.2

ICQ Messenger Game Name The Picture 1.2

ICQ Messenger Game Name The Picture. Each person in the game sees a picture, and has to think of a funny caption. Everyone then votes for their favorite caption, and the most votes wins a point! Play against your ICQ contacts in this version.

File size 19772K

ICQ Messenger Game Name The Picture. Each person in the game sees a picture, and has to think of a funny caption. Everyone then writes their captions, and each caption is revealed and voted against by the players. The caption voted the funniest wins that round! The game includes a ranking system, and you can chat to others while you play. Play against your ICQ contacts in this version.

Download ICQ Messenger Game Name The Picture 1.2

MSN Messenger Game Name The Picture 1.2

MSN Messenger Game Name The Picture. Each person in the game sees a picture, and has to think of a funny caption. Everyone then votes for their favorite caption, and the most votes wins a point! Play your MSN Messenger contacts in this version.

File size 19796K

MSN Messenger Game Name The Picture. Each person in the game sees a picture, and has to think of a funny caption. Everyone then writes their captions, and each caption is revealed and voted against by the players. The caption voted the funniest wins that round! The game includes a ranking system, and you can chat to others while you play. Play your MSN Messenger contacts in this version.

Download MSN Messenger Game Name The Picture 1.2

PowerGramo 2.7

PowerGramo is a powerful Skype audio recorder. It flawlessly records all type of Skype calls (pc-to-pc, skype in/out, conference, skypecast, etc..) with the best quality and have call records encrypted and password protected.

File size 1200K

PowerGramo is a powerful Skype audio recorder. It flawlessly records all type of Skype calls (pc-to-pc, skype in/out, conference, skypecast, etc..) with the best quality and have call records encrypted and password protected. Recording is done automantically and necessary information about calls is saved together with the calls for your future review. Furthermore, even text chat messages are logged together with audio data. It is the perfect tool for podcasting, online journalism, conducting business, and much more!

Download PowerGramo 2.7

DoNaut 2.1.0.1

Change and add effects to your voice. Play music, text to speech, add background sounds and sound effects under a phone conversation. All these funny and useful things you can now do when you are calling over internet.

File size 13924K

Change and add effects to your voice, sound like anything from a big giant to a little chipmunk. Add background sounds and sound effects to your phone conversation. Share your favorite music when you calling your friends.Text to speech, you write, your friends listen.

All these funny and useful things you can now do when you are calling freely over internet with your friends, colleagues or family. DoNaut is an instant messenger(chat) and internet phone(VoIP) add-on(Skype extras, plugin etc) and is compatible with all instant messagers and PC internet phone softwares existing today. DoNaut works with Skype, MSN, Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, ICQ, Open Wengo and many more instant messengers or internet phone softwares.

You can also use DoNaut to download free phone signals and sound effects as WAV, MP3 or OGG files. To use with your favorite IM, internet phone software or cellphone.

Download DoNaut 2.1.0.1

MorphVOX Classic Voice Changer 2.0

Voice changing software for online games. MorphVOX Pro Voice Changer will transform your voice. Use it to change your voice to match your personality. Disguise your identity or add additional themed voices and sound effects for even more fun.

File size 3362K

MorphVOX is voice changing software for online games. It will change your voice to match your personality. You can sound like a spryly wood nymph, a bad tempered dwarf or a Sith Lord. MorphVOX even allows you to create your own unique voices, along with providing many free downloadable voice changing packs.

MorphVOX Voice Changer can add fun to online communication. Gamers, you have spent many hours grooming your online character to look a certain way, why not change your voice to match! IM voice chatters, change your voice to disguise your age, gender or identity. Change your voice with the available themed voices or create your own. Additional voice changing packs, sound effects, and skins can be easily added.

MorphVOX is optimized for online games, but is also great for prank calling friends via instant messaging and VoIP. This voice changer can even send out belches and drum rolls with a push of a key, mouse or joystick button.

Download MorphVOX Classic Voice Changer 2.0

Video Chat Tools

2008-01-28T14:28:00.000-08:00

Galeax 2.14

You can create one or several different avatars with graphic or animated nickname Create own Voice Video chat room with many features such as graphics or animated logo, online games, draw board, background music, file transfer, photo gallery and more

File size 10240K

You can create one or several different avatars with graphic or animated nickname, photos. Create own Voice/Video chat room with many features such as graphics or animated logo, online games, draw board, background music, file transfer, photo gallery and more. Speak privatelly in peer-to-peer online messenger, transfer files, share photos, play in online games. We giving to you all tools for high quality communications.

Download Galeax 2.14

Qnext (Universal Messenger) 3.0

Import your buddy lists from Yahoo! Mail, AIM Mail, and GMail and address books and we’ll let you talk to everyone from a single list. Sharing your music, photos and files with your friends is just a click away..

File size 35635K

Qnext Universal Messenger keeps you truly connected to everyone. Import your buddy lists and address books and we’ll let you talk to everyone from a single list. That’s right, send messages to your IM buddies, and Emails to your contacts all from one list!
With Qnext you can import your buddy lists from MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, and ICQ. Now you can talk to all your buddies from a single list, including your Qnext Friends.
You can also import your address books from Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, AIM Mail, and GMail, or add individual Email contacts. Now you’re never more than a double-click away from sending an Email straight from your Qnext contact list! And any replies will be delivered directly to your regular inbox; you can even “CC” Email contacts on Instant Messages, and vice versa.
Having all your friends in one place means they are never more than a click away from accessing any music, photos, or files you’ve shared with them too! Say good-bye to the days of cutting and pasting from your address books every time you want to share something.
Find More about Qnext universal messenger

Download Qnext (Universal Messenger) 3.0

Omega Messenger 2.8.3

Omega Messenger is the only tool you'll need to chat online using your MSN, Yahoo!, AIM or ICQ Account, and best of all, it's free!

File size 3235K

Omega Messenger is an online communications tool designed to be more efficient than the others currently on the market.

It currently supports the four major instant messenger networks : MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM and ICQ.

You will be able to chat with friends, customers, co-workers, family, and anyone else you want to.

With Omega Messenger, you can:

-Chat via text or in conference in real time
-Transfer files quickly and more reliably than on official MSN or Yahoo clients!
-Get email from your Yahoo! account and Hotmail accounts
-Express yourself with emoticons
-Is small efficient and do not consume huge system resources as official MSN, Yahoo, AIM and ICQ clients

System Requirements
Operating System: Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/2003

Download Omega Messenger 2.8.3

Free Online Dating 1.0.0

Free Online Dating is a free online dating service. No subscription fees.

File size 2907K

Free Online Dating is a free online dating service. No subscription fees and lifetime membership with text and audio video chat features. Free Online Dating is a human edited profiles repository where participating members evaluate profiles thereby making Free Online Dating a social network of live dating personals. Easy to install and free to use. Free Online Dating makes online adult dating easy and fun. Download now and join Free Online Dating to meet your soulmate. Free Online Dating works on windows XP/2000 and windows 2003. Free Online Dating can import your yahoo and aol contacts and supports messaging to Yahoo and AIM messengers. Free Online Dating can be used to call online contacts using VOIP.

Download Free Online Dating 1.0.0

ZoomChat 4.4.0

An application for free video communication via Internet on any broadband or even dial-up. Easy and convenient interface which doesn’t require special skills and knowledge. A free service available on http://www.zoomfriends.com/

File size 2275K

Easy and small application (1.6MB when installed) for free video communication via Internet on any broadband or even dial-up. Easy and convenient interface which doesn’t require special skills and knowledge. It has call history book, full user information with photo, address book, alternative change of interface skins, multi-language support, chat, convenient search of friends via Web. It is possible to call right from Web-site. It also has big size video picture, separated self-view window; works through HTTP-proxies and firewalls. Thanks to the noise silence, face detector, automatic estimation of channel width, own video codec and other technologies it ensures good connection even through instable low speed channels. This application ensures more competitive quality of video communication on dial-up. A free service available on http://www.zoomfriends.com/

Download ZoomChat 4.4.0

MSN/Yahoo Message Archive Decoder and Viewer 1.0

View Yahoo and MSN chat logs of yourself, your spouse, your kids, or anyone, without logging in to Yahoo or MSN. Either you want to read your own chat logs or you want to spy on someone, this program allows you to view all the chat conversation.

File size 1100K

View Yahoo and MSN chat logs of yourself, your spouse, your kids, or anyone, without logging in to Yahoo or MSN. Either you want to read your own chat logs or you want to spy on your love ones, this program allows you to view all the chat conversation without knowing the password. You can also turn on anyone’s archiving option and secretly log her conversation.

Key Features
View Yahoo/MSN chat conversation
Spy on your kids or spouse

Download MSN/Yahoo Message Archive Decoder and Viewer 1.0

ThruCam 3.10

ThruCam supports video, audio, whiteboard, text chat for up to 10 people at one time and supports many auxiliary functions. *Audio and Video Conference system*Record Video and Audio simultaneously*File Transfer*Chat Box*Ten Video Monitors*Double Clic...

File size 4,259K

ThruCam supports video, audio, whiteboard, text chat for up to 10 people at one time and supports many auxiliary functions. *Audio and Video Conference system*Record Video and Audio simultaneously*File Transfer*Chat Box*Ten Video Monitors*Double Click On Video to Float*Midi Player*White Board*Image Processing*Remote Camera Control*Support Virtual IP (VPass)*The Key to almost everything in this program is at the tip of the chimney. New features of ThruCam3.10(18-Jan-2001) Smaller program size. Added menu option to select max views(1:1 ~ 1:9). Support for wireless LAN and some firewall types. Display the number of users at each Top-Room List. Several minor corrections.

Download ThruCam 3.10

Netmeeting Incoming Call Monitor 1.14 Build 1.0.0.32

It's finally here, Netmeeting Incoming Call Monitor is to Netmeeting what Caller Display is to the telephone system. Logs incoming Netmeeting callers IP addresses, and (optionally) connects to mIRC to see if the person calling you is on IRC and what ...

File size 196K

It's finally here, Netmeeting Incoming Call Monitor is to Netmeeting what Caller Display is to the telephone system. Logs incoming Netmeeting callers IP addresses, and (optionally) connects to mIRC to see if the person calling you is on IRC and what their nick is (mIRC Script add-on included). Even detects calls in Do Not Disturb Mode. A must have for any Netmeeting user (especially those who use ILS servers or mIRC)

Download Netmeeting Incoming Call Monitor 1.14 Build 1.0.0.32

Eyeball Chat 1.1

Eyeball Chat allows you to communicate face-to-face over the Internet for free. All you need is an Internet connection and a Webcam to connect with friends, family, and business contacts worldwide. The Contact List allows you to see which of your con...

File size 2,457K

Eyeball Chat allows you to communicate face-to-face over the Internet for free. All you need is an Internet connection and a Webcam to connect with friends, family, and business contacts worldwide. The Contact List allows you to see which of your contacts are online at anytime so you can instantly engage in a live video chat. Built on Eyeball Media Delivery Technology - which dynamically adapts to optimize video quality - Eyeball Chat lets you enjoy the best possible video quality over any Internet connection. A small download and easy installation means you can be video conferencing in no time.

Download Eyeball Chat 1.1

DGWConnect Communicator 1.0.1.8

Join the largest, most diverse online community of webcam lovers in history by downloading and installing DGWConnect. It's fun, simple, free, and available for Windows users. Personal Videochat using real-time video. - Multipoint Videochat - Conferen...

File size 1,030K

Join the largest, most diverse online community of webcam lovers in history by downloading and installing DGWConnect. It's fun, simple, free, and available for Windows users. Personal Videochat using real-time video. - Multipoint Videochat - Conference with up to six other people using real-time video, voice and text. - Group Text Chat - Chat with as many people in your personal password protected room at one time as you like using text chat. - Pal Lists - The perfect way to find your new friends without having to search through the directory. - Quick Messages - Instant Message your friends with voice, video and text. Rooms: Several different rooms for people of different interests. Navigating from room to room is an easy way to find new friends because each room has a directory that lists all of the people in the room, their location and a comment - Video mail including HTML templates for streaming video. Send V-Mail to your friends and family. - Create your personal rooms using our unlimited DCS servers. - ICQ Enabled - Chat with your favorite friends and see the online status of ICQ users. - Do Not Disturb & Hidden mode for personal privacy. - Internet Radio including the DGWConnect ShoutRadio™ - Real enabled - Broadcasting over the Internet using DGWConnect. - Powerfull search engine Available in your personal language. - Video Spy.to upload pictures and snap-shots to your personal website. - Installation Wizard and great image quality. - File explorer on the Internet, share your files over the Internet. - Personal email account including DGWConnect UID number.

Download DGWConnect Communicator 1.0.1.8

Camarades Webcam 2.25

Camarades is the easiest way to get your webcam video online now! Get your own webcam page, make a photo album, join video chat rooms and cool webcam communities, send webcam postcards, make new friends and much more. Camardes is a world of fun, what...

File size 1,526K

Camarades is the easiest way to get your webcam video online now! Get your own webcam page, make a photo album, join video chat rooms and cool webcam communities, send webcam postcards, make new friends and much more. Camardes is a world of fun, whatever you want to do with your webcam.

Download Camarades Webcam 2.25

NetMeeting Relay Chat 1.00.02

Tired of just being limited to just the basic NetMeeting comments field? Want to express yourself with more text, your picture, and your own web link? Now you can, with NetMeeting Relay Chat! With this text chat program, you can talk to people in the...

File size 329K

Tired of just being limited to just the basic NetMeeting comments field? Want to express yourself with more text, your picture, and your own web link? Now you can, with NetMeeting Relay Chat! With this text chat program, you can talk to people in the chat room, see who's got NetMeeting running, and connect with them directly! See people's pictures, vital statistics, and descriptions before you start a NetMeeting session with them! Never be stuck talking to someone you don't want to; now you can meet people in a group before you start talking one on one. The program is still under development by NetMeetingHQ and will be getting many new features in the future, so take this opportunity to help us make this into your chat program of the future.

Download NetMeeting Relay Chat 1.00.02

Hindi dance

2008-01-07T01:13:00.000-08:00

Hindi dance

Dola Re Dola - Devdas

Devdas - Maar Daala

Silsila ye Chaahat ka - Devdas

i dare you not to wach

2008-01-07T01:04:00.000-08:00

Byonce feat shakira

de woensdagse clip

beyonce

Emotions: A Trader's Worst Enemy; Get Rid of Fear and Greed - You'll be Glad You Did

2008-01-07T00:42:00.000-08:00

You hear it over and over and over in books, forums, and chatrooms. Fear and greed, fear and greed, fear and greed. Emotions are a trader’s worst enemy. What are we supposed to do about it? We are human after all. Human beings have emotions. We can’t just throw a switch and suddenly behave like “Data” on Star Trek the Next Generation.

So what’s the answer for the aspiring trader?

It all boils down to 2 main components:

1. Having a plan

2. Having an appropriate trading style

You hear the first point often. Obnoxious little phrases like “Plan your trade, Trade your plan” are thrown around like it was really just that simple. But without the second part, the first part is useless. What good is a plan if you don’t know what type of plan is appropriate?

For example, you could plan your commute to work expecting to make the 30 mile trip in 20 minutes, but if you’re on foot that plan isn’t going to work very well is it? The plan was simply not appropriate for you in that situation.

There are an unlimited number of possible trading methods and styles, from chart reading to fundamental analysis, cycles to Fibonacci retracements, intra-day, Dogs of the DOW, Options, Futures, FOREX, Pork Bellies, Arbitrage – it can make you feel like your head will explode! But what you trade does not matter nearly as much as how, or perhaps why you trade.

Why do you trade?

Are you the sort who likes to play video games, loves fast action, and has no problem being glued to a screen all day? Then maybe intra-day trading 1 and 5 minute charts of high volatility equity options is for you.

Rather check your trades maybe every few days, or maybe once a week? Then perhaps swing trading currency pairs is more your style.

Prefer sleeping easy at all times, never worrying in the least about your trades because you knew up front that they would profit? Then my friend, arbitrage trading is calling your name.

Every style has its advantages and disadvantages, its risks and rewards, but most important is that the style must match the trader. If you jump into trading believing that just because someone else can do it this way, then so can you – you may be in for a very painful surprise.

Never trade someone else’s plan. Never trade someone else’s style. You absolutely must know your own temperament well enough to determine what you will trade, and exactly how you will trade it. Your money management rules, your tolerance for losses, i.e. costs, , your willingness to change the trade if your market opinion is proven wrong – these are the true secrets to trading that separate the novice from the veteran. With these in place, emotions can be reduced if not eliminated.

After all, which would put you most at ease? Driving through an unfamiliar city alone with no guidance, driving with a map, or driving with a full color street-level-detail GPS navigation system?

I’ll take the GPS, thank you.

So before you place your first, or next, trade, consider the following:

a. Do you understand what you are trading and why?

b. Do you know what you will do given any of the possible outcomes?

c. Are you ready and willing to admit you were wrong about the trade, and if so what will you do about it and when?

d. Are you comfortable with the thought of losing the money you are putting into the trade, and will your trading account survive to trade another day if you do?

These are all part of what you need to have in your plan. I urge you to have considered them thoroughly before risking the slightest amount of money in a real trade.

Emotions – “You can’t trade with ‘em, and you must trade without ‘em.”

Financial Trading – so many markets, so little time

2008-01-07T00:40:00.002-08:00

Would you like to make money from trading but don't know how to trade?
Have you heard of others making a killing on the markets and wished yourself in their position?

Trading covers a multitude of sins, or at least a multitude of markets. Mention “trading” to a non-trader and they’ll probably think of stock and shares but there are many other markets you can trade in. These include commodities, futures, indices, CFDs and options. They all have their pros and cons and some require specialized knowledge.

The most popular markets used by traders are stocks, commodities, futures, indices and forex. Some traders switch between markets, others stick to just one. Let’s highlight some of the similarities and differences between them.

Shares

In the USA there are over 40,000 shares so you have a lot of markets to choose from. You can’t deal in all of them so you need to home in on those that offer good trading opportunities using whatever trading methods you decide to use.

When buying shares you usually have to put up all the money at the time of sale. That might seem obvious but it’s not so with all markets. Some brokers offer a 50% margin with shares which means you can trade to the value of twice the amount in your account. This seems like a good deal but if your shares start to go down you’ll get a “margin call” and will either have to put more money in your account or sell the shares at a loss.

Shares are normally traded in lots of 100. If you want to trade an expensive share – and some shares are very expensive, particularly in the US markets – you need a considerable amount of money in your account.

It’s not easy to sell shares short. Selling short is a strange concept to many people who think of buying shares at a low price and selling then at a higher price. But it’s often easier to predict that a share will fall rather than rise so what you’d like to do is to sell it at a high price and then buy it back later at a low price. The net result is the same whatever the order of the deals – buy low, sell high.

However, you can’t sell something you don’t own so in order to sell shares short you must “borrow” them from your broker. This is not quite as straightforward as buying and not all shares are available for selling short.

Finally, share dealing takes place during market hours so if you don’t live in the country where they are being traded you must adjust your trading hours to suit.

Futures, commodities and indices

Commodities are goods such as corn, copper, crude oil, orange juice, oats, gold and wheat.

Technically, a futures contract is an agreement to make or accept delivery of a commodity on a certain day at a certain price. In practice this rarely happens unless you’re a manufacturer who actually wants the goods. The vast majority of futures traders are simply speculating on whether the price will go up or down and never take delivery of an item.

Futures contacts include commodities and also stock market indices such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones and the Russell. Indices are simply a composite of securities that provide an overall reading of the market or some section of it.

The S&P 500 (Standard & Poor’s 500) tracks 500 of the largest companies in the US market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tracks only 30 of the largest and longest-established companies while the Russell 2000 is an index of smaller stocks.

Essentially, commodities and indices are futures and traded in much the same way although traders may use the terms interchangeably.

Unlike shares, futures can be sold short just as easily as they can be bought. Each futures contract has its own fluctuating price and many traders deal in just one lot contracts.

Brokers usually charge a flat fee commission per contract, often expressed as a “round turn” which is one buy and one sell transaction. This may be a few dollars, often less than the value of a point or two on the contract. If you’re trading a long time frame the commission is negligible but if you’re day trading and scalping for a few points here and there it becomes a considerable part of the cost.

Futures brokers usually offer a margin of around 20% of the value of the underlying instrument so you can control $10,000’s worth of a contract for maybe $2,000. However, the same rules apply – if you over-leverage your account you’ll receive a margin call or your positions will be closed at a loss. Margin and leverage are a two-edged sword.

Many brokers offer a demo account so you can get used to the trading platform and test your trading strategies before you put real money on the line.

Forex Currency Trading

Currency trading, foreign exchange or forex as it’s more commonly known, has fast become one of the most popular markets for private traders in recent years.

As its name suggests, it involves buying and selling foreign currency. The most commonly traded currencies are referenced against the US Dollar and are sometimes referred to as a “currency pair” even though you are only trading one instrument. For example, the GBPUSD is the UK Pound/US Dollar pair. A value of 1.7625 would mean that the one Pound is worth 1.7625 Dollars. Other popular pairs include the Euro (EURUSD), the Swiss Franc (USDCHF) and the Japanese Yen (USDJPY) although there are others.

So unlike shares and futures, you don’t have a mass of markets to choose from, but there is variety within forex currency trading to give you a range of markets to trade.

The value of each pair differs slightly but the minimum movement – called a “pip” – is worth approximately $10. The GBPUSD has been averaging 100-150 pips per day which would be $1000-1500. Many brokers let you trade half or even quarter-size lots which are useful when you’re starting out. Also, many brokers offer a demo account so you can practice before risking real money.

The total value of the forex market is worth trillions of dollars per day, far larger than shares or futures. It is also a truly international market with dealing taking place all around the globe 24 hours per day from Monday to Friday. You can, therefore, trade at any time of the day or night at times to suit you. It’s worth noting, however, that the bigger moves generally occur during the US and European trading sessions.

You can sell short forex just as easily as you can buy and brokers offer highly-leveraged accounts too – but the same warning regarding margins apply here as well.

Brokers tend not to charge a commission for trading forex and you will often see adverts for “commission free” trading. However, they make their money on the spread which is the difference between the buying price and the selling price. The spread is usually between 3 and 5 pips although some brokers may offer a 2 pip spread on some pairs, and some less-popular pairs may have a larger spread.

Paying on the spread is particularly useful when trading mini lots. A 3-pip spread on a quarter lot will be about $7.50 whereas on a full-size lot it would be $30. Again, the spread is more important when trading short time frames where you’re only aiming to make a few pips per trade. You need to build the spread into your trading system so you don’t overestimate the amount you might make per trade.

One interesting aspect of forex currency trading is that there is no central clearing house where absolute prices are quoted, unlike shares and futures. So it’s quite possible to see different brokers quoting slightly different prices for the same pair. As the market has become more efficient, this difference has reduced, in most cases, to a few pips but it highlights the importance of checking that the data you are using for analysis is the same – or close to – that used by your broker for placing your orders.

The market you decide to trade will depend on many things, not least of all, your budget, but also how many markets you want to look at and what hours you want to trade. There are trading vehicles to suit all preferences and pockets.

Forex Trading System: Mechanical vs. Discretionary Systems

2008-01-07T00:40:00.001-08:00

There are basically two types of Forex trading systems, mechanical and discretionary systems. The trading signals that come out of mechanical systems are mainly based off technical analysis applied in a systematic way. On the other hand, discretionary systems use experience, intuition or judgment on entries and exits. But which one produces better results? Or more importantly, which one fits better your trading style? These are the answers we will try to answer on this article.

We will first analyze the pros and cons about each system approach.

Mechanical systems

Advantages
This kind of system can be automated and backtested efficiently.
It has very rigid rules. Either, there is a trade or there isn’t.
Mechanical traders are less susceptible to emotions than discretionary traders.

Disadvantages
Most traders backtest Forex trading systems incorrectly. In order to produce accurate results you need tick data.
The Forex market is always changing. The Forex market (and all markets) has a random component. The market conditions may look similar, but they are never the same.
A system that worked successfully the past year doesn’t necessary mean it will work this year.

Discretionary systems

Advantages
Discretionary systems are easily adaptable to new market conditions.
Trading decisions are based on experience. Traders learn to see which trading signals have higher probability of success.

Disadvantages
They cannot be backtested or automated, since there is always a thought decision to be made.
It takes time to develop the experience required to trade successfully and track trades in a discretionary way. At early stages this can be dangerous.

Now, which approach is better for Forex traders? The one that fits better your personality. For instance, if you are a trader that finds it hard to follow your trading signals, then you are better off using a mechanical system, where your judgment won’t play an important role in your system. You only take the trades that your system signals.

If the psychological barriers that affect every trader (fear, greed, anger, etc.) puts you in unwanted scenarios, you are also better off trading mechanical systems, because you only need to follow what your system is telling you, go short, go long, close a trade. No other decision has to be made.

On the other hand, if you are a disciplined trader, then you are better off using a discretionary system, because discretionary systems adapt to the market conditions and you are able to change your trading conditions as the market changes. For instance, you have a target of 60 pips on a long trade. But the market suddenly starts trending up pretty strongly, then you could move your target to say 100 pips.

Does it mean that trading a discretionary system has no rules? This is absolutely incorrect. Trading discretionary systems means that once a trader finds his/her setup, the trader then decides what to do. But every trader still needs certain rules that need to be followed, such as the size of the position, conditions that have to be met before thinking to get in the market, and so on.

I am a discretionary trader. The main reason I chose a discretionary system is that my trades are based on price behavior, and as you already know, the price behaves similar to the past, but it is never identical, therefore the outcome of every trade is unknown. However, I do have rigid rules on my system, certain conditions have to be met before I even think in getting in a trade. This keeps me out of trouble, once my setup is present and in accordance with the rules I have set, I closely watch the price behavior and finally decide whether it is a good opportunity or not.

Whether you choose to be a discretionary or a mechanical trader there are some important points you should take in consideration:

1. You need to make sure the Forex trading system you are using totally fits your personality. Otherwise you will find yourself outguessing your system.
2. You also need to have some rules and most importantly have the discipline to follow them.
3. Take your time to build the perfect system for you. It’s not easy and requires time and hard work, but at the end, if done correctly, it will give you consistent profitable results.
4. Before going live, try it on a demo account or even on a small account (I will go for the second option, since psychological barriers will be present.)

What’s the Difference of Trading Mini Lots Vs. Full-sized Lots in Forex.

2008-01-07T00:39:00.001-08:00

In Forex trading there is something called, a Mini Account, and it uses a different leverage calculation than a regular (100k) account. This is, instead of trading full-size currency lots (100,000 units), you'll trade in lots that are just 1/10 the size (10,000 currency units), which in turn greatly reduces your risk. Pips in a Mini Account are worth, on average, $1 instead of the $8 to $10 value they have in a regular account. The Mini Forex account offers up to 200:1 leverage, this means that just a $50 margin deposit will allow you to trade lots worth roughly $10,000 , but the smaller lot sizes, with correspondingly smaller pip values, means that you'll be assuming less total risk. For example, while a 20-pip loss on a 100,000 USD/JPY position would be $200, the same loss on a 10,000 USD/JPY position in a Mini account would amount to $20.

Here you have an overview of leverage (Margin, Account Size) on each of the two accounts discussed above:

100K (Regular Full-sized Account)
- Minimum required account deposit = $2,000
- Recommended required account deposit = $5,000 to $10,000
- Traded in 100,000-unit currency lots
- Default Margin: set at 1% ($1,000 per lot)
- Leverage = 100:1 or 50:1 (if margin is set at 2%)

Mini Account
- Minimum required account deposit = $300
- Recommended required account deposit = $2,000
- Traded in 10,000-unit currency lots
- Default Margin: set at 0.5% ($50 per mini-lot)
- Leverage = 200:1

There is no downside to trading a mini account , you will be still enjoying all the benefits that full-size FX account holders enjoy; including, same state-of-the art trading software, charts, resources, and tools, etc. This mini accounts are ideal for a new Forex trader to develop a disciplined, rational forex trading strategy without excessively focusing on profits and losses.

Also there is no maximum trade volume when you use a mini account. Although the standard trade size is 10,000 units, you are not limited to trading one lot. For instance, you can trade 10,000 units, 50,000 units or 200,000 units. This means as you become more seasoned and build up confidence you can slowly increase the size of your positions to maximize profits. In fact the trade size of 10,000 units allows for more flexibility in terms of customizing the size of your trade. The ability to customize the size of the trade allows you to have a better risk management.
With less capital at risk in a Mini FX account, it is easier for you to develop a disciplined trading methodology, as well as the confidence needed to be a successful currency trader, without the anxiety and distractions that come with large Profit and Lose swings.

Forex And Daytrading

2008-01-07T00:38:00.000-08:00

Online trading is great way for serious investors to make money, but inexperienced traders often wind up with big losses. A good set of instructions can minimize the risks and save months of expensive trial-and-error learning.

Day Trading

Day Trading had its heyday during the bull market of the 1990's. All the amateurs have since dropped out, but day trading is still being practiced by professionals. There are fewer opportunities in the current market, but skilled investors can still find them if they know what to look for.

FOREX Trading

The Foreign Exchange Market (FOREX), the world's largest financial exchange market, originated in 1973. It has a daily turnover of currency worth more than $1.2 trillion dollars.

Unlike many other securities, FOREX does not trade on a fixed exchange rate; instead, currencies are traded primarily between central banks, commercial banks, various non-banking international corporations, hedge funds, personal investors and not to forget, speculators. Previously, smaller investors were excluded from FOREX due to the huge amount of deposit involved. This was changed in 1995, and now smaller investors can trade alongside the multi-nationals. As a result, the number of traders within the FOREX market has grown rapidly, and many FOREX courses are appearing to help individual traders increase their skills.

As a matter of fact, it's advisable to take FOREX training even before opening a trading account.
It is vital to know the market mechanics of FOREX, leveraging in FOREX, rollovers and the analysis of the FOREX market. Due to this fact, potential FOREX traders would do well to either enroll in a FOREX training courses or even purchase some books regarding FOREX trading.

There are pros and cons to enrolling into a FOREX course. For beginners a FOREX course is a rapid method of learning the basics of FOREX trading. Not much time is spent on history of the market or arcane economic theories. Often, on-line or phone support from a skilled FOREX trader is available to answer any questions. Also, the information is condensed and practical, often with graphs and charts.

The disadvantage is the price, as courses are more expensive than a paperback from the bookstore. Also,
the course may just teach the approach of the trader who wrote it, and individuals have different trading strategies. The student may grow accustomed to the logic and focus of the teacher without coming to realise that nothing is predictable in the FOREX market, and many different strategies will bring profits in varying market circumstances. Also, knowledge of practical applications may not be enough, as the FOREX is highly unpredictable and there are many external factors, such as political issues, affecting the flow of finances in the market.

The best advice would be to do some background research on the FOREX market first, and then enroll in a course.

Day Trading – The Ultimate Work-From-Home Job?

2008-01-07T00:37:00.000-08:00

Ever dreamt of giving up the daily grind? Want to strike out on your own and work from home, but don’t know what you could possibly do to make a living? Full time Nasdaq trader Harvey Walsh wondered just that, and now he asks “Is day trading the ultimate work from home job”?

We’ve probably all had the same thought at some time or another, as we trudge off towards another day at work – the same work we’ve been doing day in day out for years – “surely there has to be a better way?” Slaving away to make somebody else rich just doesn’t seem right somehow, but what alternative? Setting up a new business, or buying an established one, are both expensive and risky prospects. So how can the disenchanted employee ever hope to make the switch from wage-slave to total independence?

Those are thoughts I had almost every day, before I quit the safety of full time employment and decided to strike out on my own. I asked myself the same question day in and day out; surely there has to be a better way. What about the internet, I wondered, isn’t that supposed to be bringing new and exciting opportunities to all? I researched a lot of so-called work-from-home opportunities that promised untold riches, apparently mine for the taking just by sitting in front of my PC. Needless to say, in reality those schemes turned out to be about as fulfilling as, well, filling envelopes for a living. No, I knew there had to be another way – something real – something where I could be in control of my own destiny.

And then one morning on the train to work, I read about a couple of Wall Street boys who had struck it rich thanks to some huge bonuses, and were now going it alone setting up their own day trading shop. That was when I discovered day trading, and I realised that this was exactly the opportunity I had been searching for. I decided there and then that I was going to make a full time living from the stock markets, whatever it took to succeed.

The advantages of day trading as a job are numerous to say the least; there is no boss to answer to, no customers to satisfy, no suppliers to let you down, no waiting for invoices to be paid, I could go on. In fact, I will: trading is a location-independent activity – I can work from anywhere with an internet connection, which effectively means anywhere in the world with a telephone line. I regularly trade from my laptop whilst travelling. I can trade when I feel like it, and take time off when I like, which means I can spend quality time with my family.

Now let’s get this straight, trading can be a risky activity, there is no doubt about that. So is driving a car to work, but the risks of getting from A to B on four wheels are well understood and are managed accordingly, to the point where we don’t think twice about getting behind the wheel. And in the same way, provided a trader is disciplined in their approach to the job at hand, and understands the associated risks of the work, so those risks can be managed.

On the subject of risk, day trading is almost unique in that it can be learnt and practised with absolutely no financial risk at all, by means of paper-trading – that is - trading using freely available simulation software. Thus in the same way a trainee airline pilot won’t be let loose into the skies without having learnt and rehearsed their skills in a simulator, so a new trader can employ the same technique before they start trading real money. I “sim-traded” before I gave up the day-job; it made it easy to leave the safety-net of a monthly pay check knowing from my simulated trading sessions that I could already make money in the markets.

And that brings me to the most satisfying aspect of trading for a living; money. On an average day trading the Nasdaq, it is not unusual to make more money in a couple of hours than I used to make in a whole month working full time as a wage-slave. There are bad days of course, days where things just don’t work out, but they pale into insignificance over the course of a week or a month. It certainly took some intensive studying and a lot of practise before becoming a consistently profitable trader. But the end result of that hard work is an immensely valuable life skill that nobody can take away, and which allows for incredible freedom.

Since I first started trading, the learning curve has become even easier for the aspiring day trader, with a multitude of new websites, training courses, and books all covering the subject. I envy anyone starting out in this business today – they certainly have many more learning aids available to them than I had at the same point in my own career.

So is day trading the ultimate work-from-home job? No. I firmly believe it’s the ultimate work-from ANYWHERE job!

Yes, You Can Start Trading Forex For Free!

2008-01-07T00:36:00.000-08:00

Yes, it’s true, you can trade the forex markets for free and using the same state-of-the-art software packages that professional Forex traders, around the world, are currently using to make real-time, live currency trades.

And you can also experience the same dynamic market action and go through the same process of making decisions based on breaking news, reacting to charting patterns, and tracking ones performance the same way professional Forex traders do.

And all this can be done even if you don't put any real money into your account, you won’t see any difference in how the market behaves and how you react to the market. In short, at some point, every new forex trader needs to start Demo-trading.

Once you start placing demo trades, you will learn a lot about how Forex transactions are placed. I can’t emphasize you enough, that this is a very important step for you in order to be able to learn how to become a trader. A demo account allows one to become familiar with trading procedures, such as placing Market, Limit, Stop, OCO Orders without any risk. All dollar losses or gains on a demo account are imaginary but, as mentioned above, the trading experience you acquire is not.

You should notice that making big gains in a demo-account does not guarantee profits in live trading; however, those who are not successful trading on paper rarely are successful when money is on the line. So, yes, just playing around and getting familiar with a demo account can be a great learning experience; however, you will not learn how to become a trader this way. You need to have a trading strategy.

Once you sign up for a mini-demo account, you will need to try one of the trial charting packages from the broker you choose. Any demo software you choose will do because they all have the necessary indicator tools you need. Once you have downloaded the software you can then set up your demo account and start drawing trendlines, marking support & resistance levels, monitoring moving averages, etc. This is also a very good way to get used to how orders are placed. Once you have a real trading system, you will already know how to place orders properly.

And remember, everyone makes mistakes placing orders. So you need to experiment before in a demo account so you can make your mistakes without losing any real money.

How To Win In Futures Trading With This Simple Tactic

2008-01-07T00:35:00.000-08:00

Surprisingly, many profitable speculators have success rates between 30% and 50%. Futures traders are not successful because they predict prices well. They`re winning because their profitable trades far exceed their losses. The truth of the matter is all Futures systems win and lose.

Psychologically, this can make following a system difficult. Futures market professionals achieve success in this environment by controlling risk with money management rules. But, controlling risk goes against our natural tendencies. Most Futures traders don`t want to manage risk, they want to be right. Despite the proven fact that money management is so important, when Futures traders first come to me, many of my clients focus their time looking for the perfect entry. It`s their search for the Holy Grail. They want a perfect Futures indicator.

Not only is this Futures indicator going to get them in right at the bottom of the trend, but it`s also going to tell them at the exact point at the top of the trend when to get out. Here`s the best part and about this indicator: apparently, it can guarantee success and it`s never, ever wrong.

Unfortunately, though I don`t like to disappoint my clients, I need to let them know the hard truth. It does not matter whether you are trading in the Futures or any other market, the simple fact is this; there is no perfect indicator. Instead, there are carefully set money management rules that will place you in control. With this control, you`ll be able to follow the two cardinal rules in your Futures trading – you`ll be able to let your profits run and cut your losses short.

Once these money management rules are in place your system can be set on autopilot. You won`t need to worry…

"Should I be holding this stock?"

OR

"Shouldn`t I be holding that type of stock?"

This uncertainty is what people are confronted with when they don`t have their rules set for the Futures market. The end result is that small losses end up being big losses.

To make matters worse, a few of these big losses strung together can have a detrimental effect on your Futures trading capital. Unfortunately, it`s much more difficult to trade to gain back money you have lost then it is to trade with profits that you already have in hand. If things go to the absolute extreme, you run the risk of wiping out your entire Futures trading float, as many traders do when they first get started. But, with your money management rules in place, you can ride out the ups and downs of every Futures trading system and succeed where many fail.

Is Trading E-Currency a Legitimate Business?

2008-01-07T00:30:00.000-08:00

When I first came across the e-currency trading business on the advice of a friend, I didn't take the opportunity very seriously. It appeared to be just another "hyped up money making scheme." From what my friend was telling me it seemed too good to be true. However, being naturally curious and with a deep desire to profit from the internet, I decided to do some research on my own.

The very first thing I did was run a search on e-currency scams. I was led to several online forums and was surprised to see that no one had lost money. I didn't detect any disgruntled e-currency traders, unlike some of the other investing opportunities such as forex, options, or commodity trading.

I thought like most over-blown hyped up opportunities, I would eventually come upon some site or forum of unhappy customers. This didn't happen; in fact, the only gripe I saw was about the lack of information regarding the system. Most of the people were talking about the best way to make even more money trading e-currency. I was puzzled, I expected to see something bad, or worse. What I found was a lot of excited people saying how much money they are making.

This opportunity seemed like it had the credibility I needed to make the jump. Lucky for me, my friend was already very successful trading e-currency. I was able to ask every question about the business that came to mind. Thanks to his generosity, I was soon on my way to trading e-currency and immediately began to see why he and others were so excited.

After several months of trading e-currency, my initial investment had multiplied one hundred fold. This was too incredible to contain. I told everyone I knew how much money I was making. Pretty soon, I was swamped with questions from friends and family wanting private coaching through each step of the learning process.

That's when it hit me. The issue with trading e-currency is not if you can make money, but how to effectively learn the exact steps necessary to profit in the shortest amount of time.

Not everyone is as fortunate as I am, having a friend already successfully trading e-currency. After countless hours of research and through my own trial and error, I have discovered a formula to effectively and efficiently trade e-currency. With this system, you will master the e-currency trading business.

Where will you be this time next year? Will your lifestyle have changed for the better or worse? You can begin today on your financial path to freedom.

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2008-01-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

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The 10 Golden Rules of Trading

2008-01-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

1 Introduction

In this article we cover the few important rules that should never be broken in trading. If you can apply these rules consistently, and with discipline, you will be well on the way to being a profitable trader.

The rules we cover are:

• Have specific goals and objectives
• Be consistent and disciplined
• Let profits run
• Cut losses short
• Never add to a losing trade
• Don’t take too much risk
• Only trade positive expectancy systems
• Minimize all trading business costs
• Be well educated
• Don’t trade scared money

Each of the rules will now be discussed.

2 The Golden Rules of Trading

The following sections outline a set of rules that can significantly improve your chances of success if they are understood, practiced, and implemented consistently in your trading. These rules have been learned the hard way, by study, research, trial-and-error, and the inevitable mistakes that everyone makes when they start a trading business.

We hope that you can learn from the work we have done, and benefit from our experience. The rules will now be discussed.

2.1 Have specific goals and objectives

Few things are more important to your trading success than having set (i.e. written) goals and objective for what you are aiming to achieve. It is amazing to me how often we hit our targets, meet our objectives, and reach our goals only when we articulate them and write them down.

For any business to be successful it must have measurable objectives that are actually achievable. In trading (obviously) the primary objective is to make money, but it is important to have other objectives that are not purely cash-related. We must always remember that reward and risk go hand-in-hand in trading and that we cannot expect to achieve high returns without planning for high risk (i.e. draw-downs).

Your objectives and goals will be very specific to you, but they must have the following characteristics to be useful:

• Be measurable (in completion and timeframe)
• Be achievable
• Be worthwhile
• Be positive

As an example, here are some of our current objectives (this is only a partial list):

• Develop 2 new positive-expectancy trading systems each year
• Make fewer errors implementing our trading systems each year
• Achieve a return to maximum draw-down ratio of 1.5:1
• Take 2 weeks vacation each year

Note that only one of them is about making money, and that has a measurable objective that is relative to draw-down, not absolute (i.e. make 100% per year). If you know what you are trying to achieve, and when you are trying to achieve it, the whole business will be focused on meeting
your objectives and help guide you to only pay attention to things you really want to achieve with your limited time and resources. This will also give you a way to measure the success and progress of your trading. Generally traders with well-defined objectives will be much more successful than those that do not have pre-defined goals.

2.2 Be consistent and disciplined

In order to realize the full potential of your trading systems it is critical that you take every trading entry, adjust every stop, and close out every trade as and when your system says you should do. This takes extreme confidence in your trading systems, good robust reliable technology, and the mental discipline to stick to your trading plan whatever happens (assuming it is complete).
An underlying assumption about being consistent and disciplined is that you have a pre-defined plan for every situation you may face in your trading, so that you know how you are defining what being consistent is. Your plan needs to include at least the following items:

• All your trading rules for entering, adding to, and exiting positions
• What you will do if your trading computer, internet connection, broker, power, telephone
etc. fails
• What you will do if you are unable to trade
• What you will do if you lose X% of your account
• What you will do if all the markets are closed and you can’t exit your positions

Unless you write the answers down to all these issues, you cannot be consistent and disciplined in your approach to trading and if you lose money you will not know whether it is because you didn’t follow your plan, because your plan is incomplete, because your systems do not work, or simply because you are going through a losing period.

2.3 Let profits run

This simple rule is the key to being a successful trader. It is three simple words that are very hard to actually implement. When we get a profitable trade our natural fear of losing the unrealized cash kicks in and we truly want to close it out now and take the money. Most trading consists of long periods of small winners and losers followed by a few huge winners that make the difference between overall profitability and simply breaking even or losing due to trading costs(commissions, spread, and slippage).

It is our ability to let the huge winners become just that - huge - that determines how we will perform overall during the year. The key to letting winners run is to have trailing stops that are outside the daily noise of the market so that they are not tight enough to get stopped out during ‘normal’ trading. This means being prepared to give up a significant portion of a winning trade’s open profit and is the thing that makes this so hard to implement. In fact, we should be adding to a winner and widening stops rather than working out how tight our stops can be to capture maximum profit. The trade has already shown you that it intends to be a winner, and the chances are it is a low-risk idea to add to the position now rather than ‘strangle it’ with stops that are too tight.

It is very important that your position management rules allow for large winning trades, and that the rules are pre-defined and understood before you place the trade. This will allow you (if you have confidence in your method and discipline) to stick to your rules when you do get the big
winner.

2.4 Cut losses short

This is the sister rule to the previous one, and is usually just as difficult to implement (although it
is very easy to define). In the same way that profitability comes from a few large winning trades, capital preservation comes from avoiding the few large losers that the market will toss your way each year. Setting a maximum loss point before you enter the trade so you know before-hand approximately how much you are risking on this particular position is relatively straightforward. You simply need to have a exit price that says to you ‘this trade is a loser and I will exit before it gets any bigger’. Due to gaps at the open, or limit moves in futures we can never be 100%
certain that we can get out with our maximum loss, but simply having the rules, and always sticking to it will save us from the nasty trades that just keep on going and going against our position until we have lost more than many winning trades can make back.

If you have a losing position that is at you maximum loss point, just get out. Do not hope that it will turn around. Given that trades are either winners or losers, and this one is shouting ‘Loser’ at you, the chances that it will turn around and become a large winner is tiny. Why risk any more money on this losing trade, when you could simply close it out (accept the loss) and move on. This will leave you in a much better place financially and mentally, than holding the position and hoping it will go back your way. Even if it did do this, the mental energy and negative feelings from holding the losing position are not worth it. Always stick to your rules and exit a position if it hits your stop point.

2.5 Never add to a losing trade

One of the few trade management rules that we can state we never break is ‘Never add to a losing trade’. Trades are split into winners and losers, and if a trade is a loser, the chances of it turning right around and becoming a winner are too small to risk more money on. If indeed it is a winner disguised as a loser, why not wait until it shows it’s true colors (and becomes a winner)before you add to it.
If you do this you will notice that nearly always the trade ends up hitting your stop loss and does not look back. Sometimes the trade turns around before it hits your stop and becomes a winner and you can count yourself very fortunate. Sometimes the trade hits your stop loss and then
turns around and becomes a winner and you can count yourself unlucky. Whatever the result, it is never worth adding to a loser, hoping that it will become a winner. The odds of success are just too low to risk more capital in addition to the initial risk.

2.6 Don’t take too much risk

One of the most devastating mistakes any trader can make is risking too much of their capital on a single trade. One thing is certain in trading and that is if you lose all your capital you are out of the game. Why risk so much you could be prevented from continuing? There is a saying in
poker than going all-in (risking all your chips) works every time but once. This is true of trading.

If you risk all your account on every trade it only takes one loser to wipe you out (and no trading method is 100% accurate), so you will be out of the game at some point – it is only a question of time.

In general, we only risk 1-3% of the available capital allocated to a system on any individual trade. This is calculated using the size and, the difference between our entry price and our maximum stop price, and the amount of capital allocated to the system. With the win probability
and ratio of size of winning trades to losing trades we are almost certain never to lose all of our trading capital. In fact, the chance of us hitting our maximum drawdown for the year is tiny.

All trades should be of a size that almost seems insignificant. If you are worried about the size of a trade then it is too big and you should reduce the size immediately. Remember that longevity is the key to making money by trading – slowly over a long time with minimal risk, is always preferable to rapidly with too much risk.

2.7 Only trade positive expectancy systems

If you have a positive expectancy trading system, the only factors that determine how much money you will make per year are the number of trades the system generates, how much capital you allocate to the system, and how accurately you implement the trading signals. If you do not know whether your trading system is positive expectancy then why are you trading it? Expectancy is calculated using the profit or loss on each trade (net of trading implementation
costs) divided by the initial risk (using your stop loss) and then taking the average of this number of a series of trades. Systems that have positive expectancy will make money on average and those with negative expectancy will lose money.

Successful traders only trade systems where the odds of success are in their favor (i.e. the system is positive expectancy) so they know that making money is the result of accurately implementing the system and not just pure luck.

2.8 Minimize all trading business costs

Some trading systems have only marginal profitability, and trading implementation costs (commission, spread, and slippage) can be the difference between profitability and making a loss. With the easy availability of modern electronic brokers, and fully-automated trade processing and
execution, it is definitely worthwhile looking for a very low cost way to implement your trading system. High commission, wide spreads, and large amount of slippage can be reduced considerably simply by carefully choosing a broker. This can be the difference between a system
(especially a high frequency one) being useable or not. Paying too much for trade implementation is an avoidable way to lose money.

2.9 Be educated

In order to compete at the highest level in the trading business and be one of the few truly successful participants you must be well-educated about what you are doing. This does not mean having a degree from a well-respected university – the market doesn’t care where you were educated.

Being well-educated means that you have thoroughly researched and tested your trading ideas and know why your trading system worked in the past and is continuing to work now. It means understanding all the technology and applications that your system needs to perform accurately.
It means understanding your goal and objectives and how trading will achieve these. It means understanding yourself and how your personality affects your results. It means understanding the markets and instruments you trade.
In order to succeed you really need to become an expert in your own trading business to understand how it all fits together, when it is broken, and how it can be improved. As with all worthwhile endeavors, this takes commitment, hard work, dedication, and more hard work.

2.10 Don’t trade scared money

Lastly, no one ever made any money trading when they had to do it to pay the mortgage at the end of the month. Having a requirement to make X dollars per month or you will be financially in trouble is the best way I know to completely mess up all trading discipline, rules, objectives, and
leads quickly to disaster.

Trading is about taking a reasonable risk in order to achieve a good reward. The markets and how and when they give up their profits is not under your control. Do not trade if you need the money to pay bills. Do not trade if your business and personal expenses are not covered by
another income stream or cash reserve. This will only lead to additional unmanageable stress and be very detrimental to your trading performance.

3 Summary

In this article we have covered the rules that we believe should never be broken in trading. If you work on never breaking them, your trading should improve dramatically.

We sincerely hope this information has helped you to improve your trading performance.

Good luck in yout trading.

The Stock Trading Plan

2008-01-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

that discipline contributed more to their success than their trading philosophy itself. Remember that the key to any plan is how well it holds over time.

2. There is no "sure thing", and there is no trading system that is 100% accurate. Your goal, as a trader, is to usethe tools available and try to develop an edge. Base your trades on sound fundamental and technical reasoning,
rather than on hunches and long shots. If you can develop an edge, however small, over time you will be successful.

3. A trader must be able to admit they have made a mistake. Do not become emotionally or financially committed to a losing trade. Avoid the pitfall of becoming emotionally involved with any trade.

4. An investing edge is only part of the equation. A trader should diversify sufficiently so that the growth in equity can be consistent and the likelihood of a catastrophic loss can be diminished. The lower the percentage of a traders' account dedicated to any one trade the greater the chance of the trader being successful.

Even if the trader has a perceived investing edge, it is unwise to run the risk of ruin, and bet it all on one trade. The goal is not only to make money, but also to be able to continue to make money consistently for an
extended period of time. A trader must learn the basic concepts and the importance of money management.

5. Lack of experience in the market causes many traders to make the mistake of taking small profits and letting losses run.

Fundamental trading wisdom dictates the exact opposite. When in a winning trade, be patient and fully capitalize on the success. The trading axiom is, "cut your losses short and let your profits run".

6. A trading system does not have to be difficult, time consuming, complicated and stressful in order to be profitable.

In trading systems, as in many other things in life, simple can be better

7. As a trader, be cautious, and never let greed take control of a winning position.

8. Be aware that declining volume usually indicates the market is not accepting higher or lower prices, and this could indicate a market turn.

9. Learn from your trading mistakes. Never make a trading mistake without asking yourself why.

10. Do not make trading decision based solely on margin requirements, and always trade within your capabilities.

Remain true to your trading plan and follow the trading style that works best for you.

11. Do not trade markets that you don't understand. Trade with confidence and conviction. Trade only with risk capital and be aware of the risk of losing. Divide your capital into 6 equal parts and never risk more than one-tenth of your capital on any one trade.

12. After a long period of success or a period of profitable trades, try to avoid the natural tendency toward increasing your trading activity. Conversely, use self-discipline when a trade goes against your position. Take your loss and wait for another opportunity. Never increase your trading after a loss.

13. Avoid getting into the market because you are anxious from waiting and/or out of the market because you have lost your patience. Never over trade and adhere to your risk management rules

14. Do not make a trading decision to buy just because the price of the stock is low or sell just because the price is high. Never change your position in the market without a good reason that is based on a fundamental or technical rule indicating a change in trend.

15. Trade the most active stocks and refrain from trading the slow moving markets. Trade "at the market" whenever possible and try to avoid a fixed buying and selling price.

16. When the market is moving with your position and you are using a stop loss order, then raise your stop loss so as to lock in your profit. Protect yourself against the possibility of turning a profit into a loss.

17. The "trend is your friend," and never buy and sell if you are insecure of the trend according to your fundamentals and technical rules. If you are in doubt, then exit the market. Only trade when you feel confident with your trading strategies.

18. Trade in five or six different stocks at a time, so as to avoid tying up all of your capital in any single stock.

19. A trader should establish a "surplus account" after a series of successful or winning trades. The goal is to retain the "surplus account" for times of emergency or panic 20. It is difficult to try and guess where the top and bottom of the market is, instead let the market prove its top and bottom.

Forex Trading: The Perfect Forex Trading System

2008-01-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

Trading the Forex market has became very popular in the last few years. But how difficult is it to achieve success in the Forex trading arena? Or let me rephrase this question, how many traders achieve consistent profitable results trading the Forex market? Unfortunately very few, only 5% of traders achieve this goal. One of the main reasons of this is because Forex traders focus in the wrong information to make their trading decisions and totally forget about the most important factor: Price behavior.

Most Forex trading systems are made off technical indicators (a moving average (MA) crossover, overbought/oversold conditions in an oscillator, etc.) But what are technical indicators? They are just a series of data points plotted in a chart; these points are derived from a mathematical formula applied to the price of any given currency pair. In other words, it is a chart of price plotted in a different way that helps us see other aspects of price.

There is an important implication on this definition of technical indicators. The fact that the readings obtained from them are based on price action. Take for instance a long MA crossover signal, the price has gone up enough to make the short period MA crossover the long period MA generating a long signal. Most traders see it as “the MA crossover made the price go up,” but it happened the other way around, the MA crossover signal occurred because the price went up. Where I’m trying to get here is that at the end, price behavior dictates how an indicator will act, and this should be taken into consideration on any trading decision made.

Trading decisions based on technical indicators without taking price action into consideration will give us less accurate results. For example, again a long signal generated by a MA crossover as the market approaches an important resistance level. If the price suddenly starts to bounce back off that important level there is no point on taking this signal, price action is telling us the market doesn’t want to go up. Most of the time, under this circumstances, the market will continue to fall down, disregarding the MA crossover.

Don’t get me wrong here, technical indicators are a very important aspect of trading. They help us see certain conditions that are otherwise difficult to see by watching pure price action. But when it comes to pull the trigger, price action incorporation into our Forex trading system will definitely put the odds in our favor, it will generate higher probability trades.

So, how to create a perfect Forex trading system?
First of all, you need to make sure your trading system fits your trading personality; otherwise you will find it hard to follow it. Every trader has different needs and goals, thus there is no system that perfectly fits all traders. You need to make your own research on various trading styles and technical indicators until you find a concept that perfectly works for you. Make sure you know the nature of whatever technical indicator used.

Secondly, incorporate price action into your system. So you only take long signals if the price behavior tells you the market wants to go up, and short signals if the market gives you indication that it will go down.

Third, and most importantly, you need to have the discipline to follow your Forex trading system rigorously. Try it first on a demo account, then move on to a small account and finally when feeling comfortably and being consistent profitable apply your system in a regular account.

What’s Fibonacci Forex Trading?

2008-01-06T11:46:00.000-08:00

Fibonacci forex trading is the basis of many forex trading systems used by a great number of professional forex brokers around the globe, and many billions of dollars are profitable traded every year based on these trading techniques.

Fibonacci was an Italian mathematician and he is best remembered by his world famous Fibonacci sequence, the definition of this sequence is that it’s formed by a series of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers; 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 ...But in the case of currency trading what is more important for the forex trader is the Fibonacci ratios derived from this sequence of numbers, i.e. .236, .50, .382, .618, etc.

These ratios are mathematical proportions prevalent in many places and structures in nature, as well as in many man made creations.

Forex trading can greatly benefit form this mathematical proportions due to the fact that the oscillations observed in forex charts, where prices are visibly changing in an oscillatory pattern, follow Fibonacci ratios very closely as indicators of resistance and support levels; maybe not to the last cent, but so close as to be really amazing.

Fibonacci price points, or levels, for any forex currency pair can be calculated in advance so that the trader will know when to enter or exit the market if the prediction given by the Fibonacci forex day trading system he uses fulfills its predictions.

Many people tries to make this analysis overly complicated scaring away many new forex traders that are just beginning to understand how the forex market works and how to make a profit in it. But this is not how it has to be. I can’t say it’s a simple concept but it is quite understandable for any trader once he or she has grasped the basics and has had some practice trading using Fibonacci levels along with other secondary indicators that will help to improve the accuracy of the entry and exit point for every particular trade.

Free chapters of a forex day trading system can be downloaded at the author's website in case you are interested in learning more about Fibonacci forex trading.

Comments on Forex Trading Account Sizes, Lots and Margin Calls.

2008-01-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Forex trading is one of the best business opportunities you can think of joining these days. No other market in the world allows the “Leverage” that the profitable world of currency-trading does. Leverage is all about margin trading. In the Forex market, it is essentially the ratio of the amount used in a trade to the required security deposit needed, by the particular broker you chose to use, for that trade.

Normally, for most brokerages, a margin deposit of just $1,000 allows you to control a $100,000 position in the Forex market. That's 100:1 leverage, or 1%. Or, said in a different way, a “regular full-sized account”, sometimes referred to as a 100k account, allows you to trade with lot sizes equal to $100,000. Each lot is worth $100,000 in currency. So It would only require $1,000 to trade one lot.

This great feature in Forex trading is what makes this market the hottest market to trade in right now. The Forex broker has given you a loan of $99,000 dollars secured only by your $1,000! This is a huge loan and, as you may know by now, this is what allows traders to make extraordinary incomes in this market. And, as you also are probably used to hearing , "leverage is a two-edged sword" , it is what can cause you to lose a lot of money if you trade without rules or Stop-loss orders.

But just as an example, let's say you were a person that likes to trade with reckless abandon, i.e., with no strategy, no common sense, no money- management principles, etc. That’s never recommended for anyone, but being a Forex trader has such great advantages, that even someone with a trading mind like the one described before, will never lose more than what he has placed into a trade.

Unlike Futures (Commodity Trading), the market that most people associate with High leverage, you can never have a debit balance when trading Forex.

So, despite the greater leverage associated with FX trading, it is still arguably less risky than futures trading. Futures markets are often prone to sudden and dramatic moves, against which you can’t protect yourself, even by trading with protective stops. Your position may be liquidated at a loss, and you’ll be liable for any resulting deficit in the account. But because of the Forex markets great liquidity and 24-hour, continuous trading, dangerous trading gaps and limit moves are very unprobable. Orders are executed quickly, without slippage or partial fills, which is just great.

And as it was not enough, there are no margin calls, for your protection, the forex broker's trading platform will automatically close out some or all of your open positions if your account equity, meaning the total floating value of the account, falls below the level required to hold the positions. Think of this as a final, automatic stop, always working on your behalf to prevent a debit balance.

Forex Training: What to Look for in a Forex Training Program

2008-01-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

Should new Forex traders take Forex trading courses or join a Forex training program? Definitely yes; by now you have probably heard that only 5% of traders achieve consistent profitable results when trading the Forex market. The main reason for this is the lack of education. Don’t get me wrong here, taking a Forex training program or a Forex trading course won’t guarantee profitable results, nothing can, but choosing the right Forex training program or Forex trading course will definitely put the odds in your favor.

Before spending any amount of money on any Forex trading course or Forex training program there are some important aspects you need to take in consideration. There are many training programs available, but not every one of them suits the needs of every trader.

The first thing you should be looking in a Forex training program is the content of the material. Unfortunately, most courses or training programs focus or spend most of the time on basic concepts. Though these basic concepts are important, spending most of the course on them won’t help the trader to make consistent results.

The following subjects are what I consider the most important aspects of trading and every training program or trading course should address:

Forex trading basics.
Review basic concepts such as: margin, type of orders, a little background, bid/ask, rollover, etc. You need to make sure you understand every single concept to perfection.

Main drawbacks of Forex traders.
Being aware of the common mistakes made by Forex traders and knowing how to handle them will prevent new traders from making those mistakes.

Technical and fundamental analysis.
These are the two main approaches adopted by Forex traders. Knowing how to properly apply each concept will definitely put the odds in your favor.

The three pillars of Forex trading. I consider that these three subjects have the most impact on every trader trading account.

Forex trading system development.
Having the right system is a must if you want to have consistent profitable results. Having a system that doesn’t fit you will cause a series of problems that will make your trading account vanish away (second guessing the system, not following your system, etc.)

Money management.
This is considered by many successful traders to be the most important single aspect of trading. Money management helps to increase your profits geometrically and at the same time limit your losses (i.e. a good risk reward ratio of about 2:1 will make you money in a Forex trading system that is right only 38% of the time.)

Trading psychology.
Being aware and knowing hot to handle the psychological barriers that affect every trader decision will put the odds in your favor.

Other important aspects every training program should include are:
Developing habits for success (such as discipline patience, taking responsibility of every action, commitment, etc.,) understanding and taking our trading as a business, risk and trade management.

Another important aspect you should take into consideration when choosing a Forex training program is the mechanics of it, getting to know how the training program works.

A good course will have the following:

A live conference room, where you can apply everything learned under live market conditions.

One-on-one feedback, every trader has different needs and requires special attention. For instance a trader wanting to improve the system and requires individual feedback from the instructor about it.

Online trading course, a course that could be accessible through internet. A plus is a course where you are able to access the course at the convenient time for you, so you don’t have to change your lifestyle.

A forum, where members can talk just about everything related to the Forex market and the Forex training program.

Trading the Forex market is no easy task. It requires a lot of hard work. Making the right decision will definitely put the odds in your favor. Take your time when doing your diligence because it is a big and important step in a trader’s trading career.

Forex Trading

2008-01-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

The foreign exchange market, also knows as FOREX, originated in 1973 has become the largest e-currency trade market in the world today. FOREX trading occurs 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. The FOREX market offers a unique trading opportunity to those seeking a substantial profit in a market that trades over 1.2 trillion dollars each day.

FOREX market is primarily traded between central banks, commercial banks, non-banking International Corporation, hedge funds, private investors and speculators. Previously small investors were unable to trade in the FOREX market due to the large deposit required. However until recent years, with the continuing growth of the internet and competition, Forex trading has made it so small investors can now open a FOREX trading account with as little as $250.

There are a few factors as to why FOREX investing is starting to attract more small investors. For one, FOREX can be traded 24 hours a day 5 days a week. Previously trades were placed by phone, the internet has made it possible for traders to monitor their FOREX trading accounts from home and execute trades in real time with the click of a mouse button.

In order to start trading in the FOREX market, one must first open an account with a broker. It is recommended to obtain a list of brokers and do some research before deciding on which broker to deal with. Each broker offers different policies and different spreads on each currency that is traded.

Before trading in FOREX, one must first understand the risk and reward behind

margin trading in FOREX. A margined account can be leveraged, which means trading in FOREX can be done with solely cash or a combination of cash and collateral such as a security deposit. The main risk involved in margin trading is that margin trading tends to inflate loss. In addition the rate of loss and leverage makes FOREX a high risk investment. However, regardless of the downside in margin trading, FOREX is still very profitable as huge gains can be made.

There are plenty of resources on the internet that will discuss trading strategies, emotions and what it takes to become a successful trader. Most of these web sites are going to tell you that emotions play the largest roll in your success as a trader.

Benefits of Forex Trading

2008-01-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

There are many benefits and advantages to trading Forex. Here are just a few
reasons why so many people are choosing this market as a business
opportunity:

1. LEVERAGE: In Forex trading, a small margin deposit can control a much
larger total contract value. Leverage gives the trader the ability to make
extraordinary profits and at the same time keep risk capital to a minimum. Some
Forex firms offer 200 to 1 leverage, which means that a $50 dollar margin
deposit would enable a trader to buy or sell $10,000 worth of currencies.
Similarly, with $500 dollars, one could trade with $100,000 dollars and so on.

2. LIQUIDITY: Because the Forex Market is so large, it is also extremely liquid.
This means that with a click of a mouse you can instantaneously buy and sell at
will. You are never 'stuck' in a trade. You can even set the online trading
platform to automatically close your position at your desired profit level (limit
order), and/or close a trade if a trade is going against you (stop order).

3. PROFIT IN BOTH 'RISING' AND 'FALLING' MARKETS: On the stock
markets, you can only make money if shares are rising, but in economic
recession and falling 'bear' markets, there is little chance of making big money.
Forex is different. One of the most exciting advantages of FX trading is the ability
to generate profits whether a currency pair is 'up' or 'down'. A trader can profit
by taking a 'long' position, (buying the currency pair at one price and selling it
later at a higher price), or a 'short' position, (selling the currency pair and buying
it back at a lower price). For example, if you think the US dollar will increase in
value vs. the Japanese Yen then you will buy Dollars and sell Yen (go long). If
you think the Yen will increase in value against the Dollar then you will sell
Dollars and buy yen (go short). As long as the trader picks the right direction, a
potential for profit always exists.

4. 24 HRS: From Sunday evening to Friday Afternoon EST the Forex market
never sleeps. This is very desirable for those who want to trade on a part-time
basis, because you can choose when you want to trade--morning, noon or night.

5. FREE 'DEMO' ACCOUNTS, NEWS, CHARTS AND ANALYSIS: Most Online
Forex firms offer free 'Demo' accounts to practice trading, along with breaking
Forex news and charting services. These are very valuable resources for traders
who would like to hone their trading skills with 'virtual' money before opening a
live trading account.

6. 'MINI' TRADING: One might think that getting started as a currency trader
would cost a lot of money. The fact is, it doesn't. Online Forex Firms now offer
'mini' trading accounts with a minimum account deposit of only $200-$500 with
no commission trading. This makes Forex much more accessible to the average
individual, without large, start-up capital.

Forex Trading Online - 7 Reasons You Should!

2008-01-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Forex trading online is a fast way to use your investment capital to it's fullest. The Forex markets offer distinct advantages to the small and large traders alike, making Forex currency trading in many ways preferable to other markets such as stocks, options or traditional futures. Here are seven reasons why you'll want to look into Forex Trading online.

1 - Forex is the largest market.
Forex trading volume of more than 1.9 billion, more than 3 times larger than the equities market and more than 5 times bigger than futures, give Forex traders nearly unlimited liquidity and flexibility.

2 - Forex never sleeps!
You can execute forex trading online 24/7, from 7AM New Zealand time on Monday morning, to 5PM New York time on Friday evening. No waiting for markets to open: they're open all night! This makes Forex trading online a very attractive component that fits easily into your day (or night!)

3 - No Bulls or Bears!
Because Forex trading online involves the buying of one currency while simultaneously selling another, you have an equal opportunity for profit no matter which direction the currency is headed. Another advantage is that there are only around 14 pairs of currencies to trade, as opposed to many thousands of stocks, options and futures.

4 - Forex Trading online offers great leverage!
You can make the most of your investment resources with Forex trading online. Some brokers offer 200:1 margin ratios in your trading accounts. Mini-FX accounts, which can typically be opened with only $200-300, offer 0.5% margin, meaning that $50 in trading capital can control a 10,000 unit currency position. This is why people are flocking to Forex trading online as a way to highly leverage their investments.

5 - Forex prices are predictable.
Currency prices, though volatile, tend to create and follow trends, allowing the technically trained Forex trader to spot and take advantage of many entry and exit points.

6 - Forex trading online is commission free!
That's right! No commissions, no exchange fees or any other hidden fees. This is a very transparent market, and you'll find it very easy to research the currencies and the countries involved. Forex brokers make a small percentage of the bid/ask spread, and that's it. No longer any need to compute commissions and fees when executing a trade.

7 - Forex trading online is instant!
The FX market is astoundingly fast! Your orders are executed, filled and confirmed usually within 1-2 seconds. Since this is all done electronically with no humans involved, there is little to slow it down!

Forex trading online can get you where you want to go quicker and more profitably than any other form of trading. Check it out and see what Forex trading online can do for you!

Forex: Benefits of Trading the Forex Market

2008-01-06T11:39:00.000-08:00

Trading the Forex market has become very popular in the last years. Why is it that traders around the world see the Forex market as an investment opportunity? We will try to answer this question in this article. Also we will discuss come differences between the Forex market, the stocks market and the futures market.

Some of the benefits of trading the Forex market are:

Superior liquidity.

Liquidity is what really makes the Forex market different from other markets. The Forex market is by far the most liquid financial market in the world with nearly 2 trillion dollars traded everyday. This ensures price stability and better trade execution. Allowing traders to open and close transactions with ease. Also such a tremendous volume makes it hard to manipulate the market in an extended manner.

24hr Market.

This one is also one of the greatest advantages of trading Forex. It is an around the click market, the market opens on Sunday at 3:00 pm EST when New Zealand begins operations, and closes on Friday at 5:00 pm EST when San Francisco terminates operations. There are transactions in practically every time zone, allowing active traders to choose at what time to trade.

Leverage trading.

Trading the Forex Market offers a greater buying power than many other markets. Some Forex brokers offer leverage up to 400:1, allowing traders to have only 0.25% in margin of the total investment. For instance, a trader using 100:1 means that to have a US$100,000 position, only US$1,000 are needed on margin to be able to open that position.

Low Transaction costs.

Almost all brokers offer commission free trading. The only cost traders incur in any transaction is the spread (difference between the buy and sell price of each currency pair). This spread could be as low as 1 pip (the minimum increment in any currency pair) in some pairs.

Low minimum investment.

The Forex market requires less capital to start trading than any other markets. The initial investment could go as low as $300 USD, depending on leverage offered by the broker. This is a great advantage since Forex traders are able to keep their risk investment to the lowest level.

Specialized trading.

The liquidity of the market allows us to focus on just a few instruments (or currency pairs) as our main investments (85% of all trading transactions are made on the seven major currencies). Allowing us to monitor, and at the end get to know each instrument better.

Trading from anywhere.

If you do a lot of traveling, you can trade from anywhere in the world just having an internet connection.

Some of the most important differences between the Forex market and other markets are explained below.

Forex market vs. Equity markets

Liquidity

FX market: Near two trillion dollars of daily volume.

Equity market: Around 200 billion on a daily basis.

Trading hours

FX market: 24hr market, 5.5 days a week.

Equity market: Monday through Friday from 8:30 EST to 5:00 EST.

Profit potential

FX market: In both, rising and falling markets.

Equity market: Most traders/investor profit only from rising markets.

Transaction costs

FX market: Commission free and tight spreads.

Equity market: High Commissions and transaction fees.

Buying power

FX market: Leverage up to 400:1.

Equity market: Leverage from 2:1 to 4:1.

Specialization

FX market: most volume (85%) is made on major currencies (USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, CHF, CAD and AUD.)

Equity market: More than 40,000 stocks to choose from.

Forex market vs. Futures market

Liquidity

FX Market: Near two trillion dollars of daily volume.

Futures market: Around 400 billion dollars on a daily basis.

Transaction costs

FX market: Commission free and tight spreads.

Futures market: High commissions fees.

Margin

FX market: Fixed rate of margin on every position.

Futures market: Different levels of margin on overnight positions than day time positions.

Trade execution

FX market: Instantaneous execution.

Futures market: Inconsistent execution.

All this makes the Forex market very attractive to investors and traders. But I need to make something clear, although the benefits of trading the Forex market are notorious; it is still difficult to make a successful career trading the Forex market. It requires a lot of education, discipline, commitment and patience, as any other market.

What Some Web Hosts Don’t Want You To Know

2007-12-16T10:18:00.000-08:00

Many start-up web hosts in their desperate attempt to get hosting business from you have plenty to hide. Here are some of the things they will never tell you. For some start-up web hosts, service does not exist. Low cost or budget web hosting services are the ones most likely to fall under this category. Some will not provide any information about their service while others will proudly announce that they provide 24/7 service. This is quite often not true.

Many of the low-cost web hosts have little experience in web hosting. A good way to find out about the level of service is to get the service telephone number and use it before you sign on. This should tell you a lot about the level of service you should realistically expect from the host you want to use.

The other common truth amongst many web-hosting enterprises is that they lack experience. Ensure before signing up that the company that you are going with has reasonable experience. How long has your host been in business? You do not want to be part of a start –up experiment for an important service.

One other thing you will need to be very careful with when using low cost or budget web hosts, is the fact that some of them are involved in many different businesses and not just web hosting. Ask what other businesses or projects your web host handles before signing up with them. You want a specialist not a generalist whose resources and time are bound to be so stretched that chances of you getting reliable services are very slim indeed.

It is also a fact that some small low cost web hosts do not offer the promised bandwidth. They should not advertise one thing and end up providing something else.

The best way to protect yourself from most of these nasty surprises is to go for a short term contract to begin with. You can for example start off paying on a monthly basis. That way it will be easier to change hosts when you discover something you don’t like.

How To Find A Profitable Web Hosting Niche

2007-12-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

With the rapidly increasing competition amongst web hosting businesses, it is important to identify potentially profitable niches on which to base your business on. This will dramatically increase your chances of success because once you have identified a profitable niche you will then study it closely and figure out all the ways and methods of attracting business from that particular niche market.

To find profitable niches you can focus on for your web hosting business, one option you can use is to take a close look in an industry or occupation that you know well. For example if you have been in human resource management in the past, then that is a good area to look for a good niche you can focus on. The advantage of identifying a niche to focus on includes the fact that you are able to fully understand all the needs and requirements of that particular market. This makes your marketing effort a lot easier as you know all the hot buttons that will attract businesses and individuals in the industry who require a web host.

Another method is to use popular keywords and concentrate your efforts on a popular and growing area. One of the advantages of selecting a keyword that is growing in popularity is the fact that chances of you coming across websites that suddenly find that they require more bandwidth are high. This is easy business to get because most websites change their web hosting service when they require more bandwidth.

Yet another method of identifying a profitable web-hosting niche is to look at your existing clients and identify the ones whose referrals will lead to lucrative new business for you. You can then offer special incentives to those clients to refer business to you. Or alternatively you can give them an incentive to answer a special questionnaire that will help you understand the niche market better and therefore be in a better position to create a successful marketing plan and strategy to secure the business.

Web Hosting Providers Rule The Web

2007-12-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

It has been reported there are currently more than a staggering 50,000 web hosting providers all competing for the honour of hosting your website.

Every day dozens of new web hosting compaines are launching and struggling to get your attention and your web hosting business.

Even though the web hosting industry is really quite young, it is certainly one of the most competetive and cut-throat industries on the web today. Yet the growth of this marketplace is assured for the forseeable future.

Now each and every week it is estimated more than 50,000 websites are launched and need to be hosted somewhere online. This figure continues to grow and grow.

In fact the current monthly count for the number of searches at Yahoo for the term 'web hosting' is a whopping 2,149,851. That's right, over 2 million!

Also just recently it was reported that the popularity of blogs was seeing tens of thousands of new blogs launched each and every day. While many of these are hosted freely, the more serious bloggers each require an account with a reliable web hosting provider.

Of course every paid web hosting account usually requires at least one domain name registration. Here are some amazing domain name figures for you:

The registrar holding the largest number of domain names is said to be WildWestDomains. They may be better known to you as Godaddy. They currently hold over an estimated 5 million domain name registrations!

The registrar holding the second largest number of domain names is estimated to be Enom. The registrar holding the third largest number of domain names is estimated to be Networksolutions.

Domain Name Registration Growth:

By far the most popular top level domain is the .com There are currently over an estimated 40 million of these registered.

The .com top level domain currently holds over an estimated 70 percent of the domain name marketplace.
The .net top level domain currently holds just over an estimated 10 percent of the domain name marketplace.

The good news for web hosting and domain name customers is that incredible deals have become available as competition increases among web hosting providers.

In fact the price of web hosting has plumeted to just under $10 per month for a quality service. Domain names that cost up to $35 just a fews years ago can now be bought for as little as $4.99.

This is a winning situation for both the web hosting providers and their customers. The quality of service continues to grow. The new web hosting providers must impress their customers to compete with more established organisations.

There has never been a better time to find a web hosting provider and establish an internet presence of your own.

Multiple Website Hosting - Subdomains are the Answer!

2007-12-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

Many business owners find themselves in a quandary over the ways to make the most of their company's web site. This is especially true of those who have the need to maintain more than one web site but do not wish to pay for multiple hosting accounts. If this is you, a subdomain may be the answer.

Subdomains are sort of a site within a site. They are not, however, simply additional pages of an existing web site. The subdomain can have a web site all its own, completely separate from the site located at the main domain name.

To understand the use and purpose of subdomains, it may be necessary to first understand the concept of an internet domain name. Every web site that is active on the internet (and there are literally billions of them now - it was estimated as long ago as 1996 that there were more web pages in existence than there were people on Earth) has a unique domain name. There can be only one Ebay dot com, for example, on the entire internet. The domain name, however, is really just a way for humans to relate to the site. Internet servers see web site names as unique I.P. addresses. It is the domain name server that translates those numbers into names and back again.

A subdomain is simply an offshoot of your web site's domain. In terms of the way it appears on the server, the subdomain is simply a folder or a sub directory located within your domain's root directory. Any sub directory can serve as a sub domain. For example, if your web site is "www.mycompany.com" and you store the images for your site in a directory called "images," then you could, if you wished, create a subdomain at "images.mycompany.com". As long as you put an "index.html" page in the folder you should be able to pull it up in a web browser that way. In most cases you will create a new sub directory to be associated with a subdomain and some web hosts do not support subdomains on their servers or put a limit on the number of subdomains you may associate with your site.

The benefits of using subdomains as opposed to opening multiple hosting accounts are twofold. First, you get the obvious benefit of only having to pay for one hosting account. You also benefit from being able to have a completely separate web site, but one that your customers will easily recognize as being associated in some way with your business. Some companies will set up subdomains for various divisions (xyz.com may also have sales.xyz.com or support.xyz.com) and some will use subdomains for various businesses that are all offshoots of the same parent company.

That association could be a downside to using subdomains as well. If you want to keep the relationship between your companies under wraps (like Disney tried so hard to do with Touchstone Pictures so many years ago), you may want to use multiple accounts rather than subdomains. The web address clandestineproducts.megamall.com would clearly betray that there was some connection between Clandestine Products and Megamall, whether you wanted that information to be known or not.

Lifetime Web Hosting - a new trend?

2007-12-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

Web hosting companies all over the internet are dropping their prices and increasing their services. This is what most of them do but a few went against the odds. These few chose to sell lifetime web hosting. Now what is lifetime web hosting? It is still web hosting but you only get to pay once - no monthly bills - that's why it's called lifetime. You pay just once and you get web hosting for life. So what are the pros and cons of lifetime web hosting?

The major PRO of lifetime web hosting is the cost. Though the initial one-time fee is fairly high - ranging from $49.95 to $500, it still is cheaper when you look at it on the long-run. After all, lifetime web hosting means long-term so we have to compute it that way.

Assuming, we pay $1.00 monthly for 50MB of regular web hosting, 12 months would be $12.00 and 5 years would be $60.00. 10 years would be $120.00 - you compute the rest. With this, you would easily see how much it becomes as each month passes by. 50MB lifetime web hosting with the same specs (or even better) would cost you only $49.95 - no matter how many years your site is hosted. Furthermore, the overhead cost of maintaining your website is greatly reduced so you get to focus your finances on other important matters such as website promotion, and product/service development. One more thing is that you don't have to remove your website from the internet if you can no longer afford the web hosting - it's there for life!

On the other hand, critics would say that lifetime web hosting is dangerous because it is "overselling." I did a quick computation based on present-day dedicated server rates and checked if lifetime web hosting is indeed feasible and I found out that a company selling lifetime web hosting would be able to maintain the site for as much as 40 years! And still earn a good income out of it. Now that's not lifetime is it? Well, true. However, 40 years for $49.95? I still think it's a good deal. What do you think?

As I see it, the only CON I see is the initial one-time fee which is fairly high as compared to the $1 monthly on regular web hosting. But then again, we have to think long-term.

OK, now you're interested and thinking of moving your website to a lifetime web host provider but wait. You surely don't want to make it wrong. So, what do you look for in a lifetime web hosting plan? Basically, you should look for:

1. Easy upgrading of your account
2. Upgrade should also be paid on a lifetime basis
3. Must support whatever features a regular web hosting has
4. Affordable one-time fee
5. Good technical support
6. 30-day money-back guarantee

And here are a couple of tips:

1. Do not go for the huge plan immediately, take a low plan at first. Anyway, you can upgrade anytime in the future if you need more space.

2. Try contacting the lifetime web hosting provider first and ask them whatever concerns you have before getting a lifetime web hosting plan from them.

That's all I can say. Lifetime web hosting - like regular web hosting has its good and bad sides so it's really upto you to weigh them and see for yourself.

Why Your Web Host Could Be Out Of Business Tomorrow

2007-12-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

What are the chances of you waking up tomorrow and finding your web host and your website gone? Actually much higher than you may think and there are several reasons for this. For starters, the number of web hosting businesses these days is extremely high and growing all the time. This means that there is increased competition. In this kind of scenario only the fittest will survive. It is the law of the jungle and the law of life too. It means that hosting businesses that do not carefully think through their business plan and strategy are in great danger of soon finding themselves out of business.

Competition usually ushers in something else that is also a great danger to the survival of any business. And that is a price war. Many hosts are trying to outdo each other with the price they offer for hosting. Low prices work because some people are only looking for the lowest price. We fail to realize that a low price puts considerable pressure on any business and more so a web hosting business which is dependant on so many other outside services. It makes it a lot harder for them to pay their bills and sustain their hosting enterprise. This is not to say that higher priced web hosts cannot go belly up on you. They definitely can, especially when they do not have a solid business plan and strategy for survival. There are so many things that can go wrong. Even the hosts who charge an arm and a leg for a tiny amount of bandwidth can easily go out of business. They can fail to get enough clients to sustain their enterprise.

What all this means is that it is very important for every online entrepreneur to take precautions. Look for a hosting company that has been in business for many years. Look for a web host that has in-house employees and is not dependant on the whims of an out-sourced support company based in another country. Be sure to regularly back up everything on your site, just in case.

These are some of the reasons why using a directory becomes useful as you are able to gather some information from a third party with their names at stake. This should help you smell out a bad deal much quicker.

What makes a good Web Hosting Provider!

2007-12-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

When building your website and getting it hosted online, you want your site to be up and running on the World Wide Web 24/7 without any hitches so that it is making you money all the time and all you have to worry about then is getting visitors to your site, doing seo, getting repeat visitors, maximizing your sites revenue, etc. You don’t want to have to worry about your web hosting and it’s stability.

So, when choosing a web hosting provider to host your website with, you want to try and get the best web hosting provider so that your site is always up and running smoothly on the World Wide Web.

So what makes a good Web Hosting Provider?
There are many things that make up a good web-hosting provider. Some of these include good support, good uptime, good backup system in place, good hardware, offers loads of web hosting features including email features, scripting features and more.

So where can some good Web Hosting Providers be found?
There are many places across the web where you can find some of these good web-hosting providers. A good place to start is probably using a web-hosting directory as you can easily compare these web-hosting providers against what other providers are offering that’s listed within any individual web-hosting directory. For example, with http://www.1hostseeking.com you can easily find and compare a large amount of some of the top and most reliable web-hosting providers online. You can easily compare each web host against each other so that you can easily see what they offer for the amount of money that they charge.

When choosing a web host it is also best to choose one that offers free set-up and also a money back guarantee. This is because if you find that they don’t quite offer what you need for your website, then you can easily get your money back and choose another web hosting provider.

Even if you found some web hosting providers from a web hosting directory like http://www.1hostseeking.com that offer the features that you need for your website, but you still would like further information about the quality of their service, then you could also go to a web hosting related forum and ask others about what they think about these web hosting providers that you have chosen.

After you have done all this, you should then have a good idea or a better idea of which web hosting provider you are most likely to choose to host your website.

Web Site Hosting Plan - Key Elements

2007-12-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

What are the key elements in a good web host package? The answer to that question depends mainly on the service you expect from the web host provider. To decide what you need, you'll need to have at least a brief understanding of the typical services and features offered by web hosting companies.

The number of e-mail accounts available might be one of the key elements in a good web host package. If your ability to send and receive e-mail is important, you'll want to carefully consider whether a particular web host package includes enough e-mail accounts to accommodate that need. Some companies tout unlimited e-mail accounts and depending on your specific needs, this might be a very favorable element of a potential host company. If you are a businessperson, remember that it's possible your company will grow in the future. While you might need to only establish one or two e-mail accounts now, consider what your future needs could be. It would probably be difficult to change hosts later if you find that you need additional (even unlimited?) e-mail accounts.

Which brings up another of the key elements in a good web host package. If you are establishing a connection with a web host provider for business purposes, consider your provider's ability to grow with your business. The last thing you want to do is start with a company that will be unable to keep up as your business grows. Changing companies later is always an option, but that transition is not likely to be without problems.

The amount of disk space that will be allotted to your web site is another of the key elements in a good web host package. While it might seem that 30 megabytes is plenty of room, the potential for growth of your company means that you could easily need more space later. If you choose a web hosting provider that simply can't offer more space, you might find that your growth will be severely limited.

Other issues that can be key elements in a good web host package include the bandwidth, security and speed. Finding a company that provides the best of all these features is likely to be a daunting task, but it is possible.

Price is naturally a key element in a good web host package as well. Prices generally vary only by a few dollars per month and the difference between paying $6.95 per month and $9.95 per month is not likely to play a significant role in the final choice. If the less expensive service provider doesn't fulfill your needs, you'll certainly face significant expense and trouble rectifying the situation later.

In the end, deciding which are the key elements in a good web host package will be up to you. If you need large storage space, that becomes an important element. If your needs include larger-than-normal space requirements, that becomes one of the most important elements in a good web host package. The true test of a good web host package is answered with one easy question: "Will this provider adequately meet my needs at a competitive price?"

There are many free web hosting options on the web, but do some research before you use one for your online business.

2007-12-16T10:07:00.000-08:00

Where can I find free web hosting?
There are hundreds of free web hosting services on the web. You can type “free web hosting” into any major search engine and get an expanded list. However, when you sign up for free hosting account, you are basically signing an expanded advertising agreement.

What exactly is free hosting?
In exchange for free hosting, the company can place ads your website. The ads can be placed on the top of the main page, the top of every page, or on the sides. The ads are usually not targeted. It is possible that they won’t match the demographics of your web visitors. In addition, they are not customized to match the content on your web page.

This is a very expensive exchange program if your goal is to build up an online business. The area above the fold, everything that is visible without scrolling, is the most effective advertising area on the entire site. This is the area you should use for your affiliate links, Google Adsense, paid links and expanded site navigation.

Some free web hosting contracts go a step further and ask for your participation in their email marketing campaigns. You will receive emails that require a click through to a merchant site, and/or fill out endless surveys. This can be very time consuming and annoying.

Before you sign any free hosting contract ask to see sample sites. You want to get a feel for the types of ads that are being shown on other website. What do you want to look for?
1. Do you see pop-up ads? What about banners?
2. How large are the ads?
3. Are they just off topic or are they inappropriate?
4. Where are the ads? Are they on every single page or on selected pages?

Even if the ads are not on every page, watch out. It could mean that the hosting service has figured out which pages bring in the most revenue and they can afford to ignore everything else. Guess what? If it brings in lots of revenue for them, it could probably bring in lots of revenue for you.

There’s free and then there’s FREE
If the space is free, what about the domain name?

If your new site will look like http://yoursite.freewebhost.com you’re getting a subdomain for your site. It’s not really your unique domain name. They are simply loaning you a space for your stuff.

This is not a unique domain name that you can use to brand your business. You can’t use it anywhere except with this particular web hosting company. Ditto if the new domain names is http://www.freewebhost.com/yoursite/.

So what if they offer a truly unique domain name?
How long will it take before you actually own the domain name? Even the cheap web hosting services will require that you stay with the company for thirty to sixty days before you can keep a free domain name.

What happens if you want to switch to another company before the period is up? Sometimes there’s a charge to keep the domain name or to transfer it. This should be clearly stated in their FAQ's or in the text of the hosting contract before you agree to use their service.

Do you have enough bandwidth?
Many free web hosting services are providing their services in such a way that you will need to upgrade your hosting package if your site has any degree of minor success. The tipping point is usually bandwidth. That is a measure of how much text, pictures, ftps etc. you can send to your web customers every month.

The Bandwidth in your contract is measured on a monthly basis. Check the contract to see if there are any fees for going over your monthly amount, or if you will lose your free hosting privileges.

Free host today, no host tomorrow
There is a very high turnover for free web hosting services that heavily depend on advertising revenue. Even the most successful web companies will find that their advertising revenue varies on a monthly basis. Will the company suddenly go out business if they hit a three month slump?

There should be a written policy on what happens to your content if they site suddenly goes out of business. Can you still access your files? Is there an alternative URL or login site with your information? How much time do you have?

You are only as reliable as your hosting service
Check out the statistics on the uptime for their servers. This applies to any hosting service, whether you are paying or not. If their uptime is in the low 90’s and below, then try to find another hosting provider.

You are taking a big risk if you use a free web hosting services for your business site. The inability to control your advertising, high turnover rates among the free hosting providers, and variable contracts usually spells disaster for e-commerce sites.

To run a successful online venture, 24-hour live customer service, high uptimes ratios and control of your advertising space is a must. These features are also the major weaknesses of the average free hosting provider.

A better option for you company would be to sign up for an affordable or cheap web hosting provider. You will have many service options in this category and can usually avoid the limitations of the free hosting companies.

Web Hosting & Web Development: Unravel the Technobabble and Create a Great Site

2007-12-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

If you’ve ever browsed the World Wide Web and wondered how you could stake your claim on the Internet, like the millions of others that have done so already, then web hosting can provide you with the services to do just that. The Internet is a great way of sharing information and it is possible for you to take a portion of the web and make it your own. This article introduces the term “web hosting” and provides some useful tips for web development once you’ve obtained some web space.

What is the World Wide Web?
The “World Wide Web” is the network of computers from all over the world that communicate with each other using the HTTP protocol, a language that allows the transmission of web documents. Be careful as this term is not synonymous with the “Internet” because it is defined as a network of networks, where the computers communicate with protocols other than HTTP. The web is what you see on your Internet browser, the web pages complete with graphics, sound and other information. All this has got to come from somewhere, and this is where web hosting comes in.

Web Hosting
The information that you see from your web browser is contained in web pages. These web pages are kept on computers called web servers. Web hosting is about the storage of the web pages so that people can access them. It is possible to host your own websites yourself but the reasons stopping most people doing this is that there are issues to consider with having the right hardware and software to successfully host your web pages. Your web pages will take a certain amount of space, users will need to download each page to view them and your Internet connection needs to be fast to offer good performance to your viewers. Using specialised companies that offer web hosting capabilities on their web servers will take most of these worries away from you but you will need to choose wisely and weigh up the costs and your needs. In addition to having access to a web server, you will also need to register a domain name (for a cost) that uniquely identifies your website.

What Web Hosting Can Do For You
The most basic service that web hosting offers is that it exposes your web pages for others to see. The other services are: email capabilities that allow for email to be received and sent from your server; database capabilities that allow for large amounts of information to be updated and accessed on the web; and dynamic content which allows for users to interact with the web pages you’ve made.

Website Development
Poorly designed websites will most likely turn away users and harm the credibility of the information it contains. Thought should be put in on the way it looks and the way you intend your users to interact with the content. It is also recommended for more complex websites, a structured development process should be followed. Here is a guide to the logical steps of web development:
· Requirements Analysis: What is the purpose of the website? What content should it contain?
· Design: How should the pages be linked? What structure should they take? How should the pages interact with the user?
· Implementation: This step is the actual coding of the websites in accordance to the previous websites.
· Testing: Does the website do what it should?
· Maintenance: Is the information on the website up-to-date?

Some useful hints for web development below are taken from software quality aspects but they apply to the development of websites as well. They are described in terms of web development:

Reliability: Is the website reliable? Do faults allow for the system to continue running?
Robustness: How does the website respond to incorrect input?
Performance: How fast does the web page respond to user’s actions? Is it efficient in processing requests and inputs?
Usability: Is the website easy to navigate and understand?
Maintainability: Is the website easy to change? Can new functionality be added?
Portability: What software requirements does the website require? Will this limit the amount of potential users?
Understandability: How well do you understand the website you’ve developed?

When designing your website, keep these quality aspects in mind as they will help you develop pages worth visiting. How to choose the way to host your website is half of the problem, the other half is to create a website that people would want to visit and come back to. Knowledge of producing a good design can help you get the most out of your creations.

How to Choose a Right Web Hosting Service?

2007-12-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

Indeed, choosing a right web hosting service for your website is not an easy task especially when there are thousands of web hosting providers all offering almost identical web hosting packages. Therefore, it is important to know few major considerations even before you start your web hosting search. Below are three major criteria for web host seeker:

Web hosting features requirement

This is probably the most important consideration to start finding a host for your site. You need to decide the technical requirements for your website, this including:

a) Server platform and hardware requirements
If you plan to set up a website that uses programming environments such as Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Basic scripts, Cold Fusion or Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL database, in this case, you will need to find a web hosting service that supports Windows platform such as Windows NT or Windows 2000 servers.

Likewise, if you plan to use programming languages such as Perl, CGI, SSI, PHP or mySQL database, then any web hosting plans that support Unix/Linux platform should be sufficient to meet your hosting requirements. Once you have these server platform and hardware requirements in mind, you can decide the best web hosting plans for your need. For more information, you can read "How to select a web server and server platform?"

b) Disk space & Bandwidth requirement
Here is another technical requirement that you need to consider before selecting a web hosting plan, i.e. disk space and bandwidth. If you intend to publish a website that does not have a lot of contents (meaning, web pages), then the disk space requirement may not be a big concern to you. In general, a disk space with 200MB to 500MB should be enough to meet your hosting requirement. In contrast, if you plan to host a website with enormous amount of graphic pictures, mp3 or video files, then you should consider a web hosting plan that provide huge disk space, for example, 500 MB to 1,000 MB.

Similarly, the bandwidth requirement will depend on your site traffic estimation. Obviously, a website that expect to attract high traffic will consume the monthly bandwidth allowance very fast. If so, you will need to find one web hosting service that offer huge bandwidth with 40 GB to 100 GB per month. Depending upon your website requirement, choosing a web hosting service that provide sufficient amount of disk space and bandwidth is crucial consideration to prevent paying extra costs in the future should you overuse the monthly disk space and bandwidth allowance.

c) Other hosting features
While the above requirements are utmost important, there are other hosting features that you have to consider too. Can web hosting provider support video clips on your website, if you have? Is the web hosting service compatible with Dreamweaver or FrontPage web authoring tool? Do you plan to set up a virtual store online? Can the host support the e-commerce features without adding extra cost to your monthly payments? On top of that, you may also want to find out the number of email accounts provided, number of FTP accounts, web statistic software (analyze your web traffic), type of control panel supported (manage your web hosting account), database and scripting languages supported and etc.

Reliability and scalability

A first-class web hosting provider offers reliable server uptime and fast Internet connection. You should only choose a web hosting service that guarantee at least 99% server uptime with high-speed Internet backbones using at least OC3 (Optical Carrier) lines (155 Megabits per second) or above instead of T1 or T3 lines. A reliable web hosting provider usually invests heavily on their data center infrastructure with high performance servers, high speed multiple backbones providers with fail-over redundancy, backup power generators and firewall software protection in place to ensure they meet the uptime guarantee specified in the terms of service.

Similarly, you should choose a web hosting service with hardware facilities that designed for scalability, so that they can grow with your business. For example, if you need to increase more disk space, bandwidth or number of mySQL databases, you should be able to upgrade as needed without any problems.

Customer service and support

The last major consideration in choosing a web hosting service is to find a web hosting providers that offers excellent customer service and support. You should always search for a web hosting provider that offers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week technical support that fielded with highly experience technicians, so that any web hosting problems will be resolved within a reasonable amount of time. You may also want to consider to test how responsive is their customer support by sending few inquiry emails to the web hosting provider. In general, any response in less than 24 hours is considered acceptable. It is a sign of poor customer support if they take more than one day to response.

In addition, a web hosting provider with excellent support should also provide multiple support channels, such as toll-free phone support, 24/7 email support, live chat, online knowledgebase, Interactive flash tutorials and FAQ.

Above are few major considerations before you choose your web hosting service. In addition, how long has the web hosting provider in business and the number of customers that they currently have are also a good indication of the quality of their hosting products as well as the stability of the company. Even though cost of the web hosting service is also important but it should not be your major consideration. Because the price of a web hosting service has been declining over the years due to competition, as a result, the price of most of the web hosting services offering quality hosting features has been converging to less than US$10 per month. If you can't afford less than $10 per month, you probably isn't in the online business for the long haul. Therefore, price should not be a major deciding factor.

On the other hand, it is more important to ensure the web hosting service that you choose is able to meet your website hosting requirements, guarantee your website is always accessible with satisfying speed, provide scalability to grow and expand your website as well as offer excellent customer supports. Depending on your web hosting requirement, you can take advantage of our site, Cheap Web Hosting Review to find the recommended web hosting services that can match the three major criteria above. Good luck to your search.

Free Web Hosting With No Forced Ads

2007-12-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

This is a list of bannerless freewebhosting service sites in which no ad is placed on the user's hosted webpages -- no banners, no pop ups, no adverts, no textlinks, and no advertisements of any kind to interfere with your free website design. Since your free web site is without banners, popups, and other adds, you are generally allowed to use your own advertisements to make money, and the freeservers usually try to make money to pay for your free web hosting service in another manner, such as requiring forum posting or uploading through an online file manager or web hosting control panel in which you (the webmaster) see ads.

X10Hosting

300+ MB

FTP, Browser, SiteCopy

CGI, PHP, ASP, SSI, FrontPage Extensions, Perl, Python

X10Hosting

ZendURL

500+ MB

FTP, Browser

CGI, PHP, ASP, SSI, Perl

ZendURL

Jumpline

2,000 MB

FTP, Browser

CGI, PHP, ASP, SSI, FrontPage Extensions, Perl, Python

Jumpline

Find the Right Handbag for your style!

2007-12-12T10:34:00.000-08:00

To make the outfit a success, find the right handbag! A handbag, or purse, can be the item to make an okay outfit into a fashion statement. While some women prefer to have just one or a couple handbags in their collection, others have as many as they have outfits. Some women prefer the top of the line designer bag while others make do with the department store knock off. Regardless of these things, handbags are essential to the success of busy women.
First, to find the right handbag. Knowing what look is desired is important. It is also important to know the use of the handbag as well. Just about every style, size, and color imaginable are out there. Often matching the handbag to the shoes or even to a hair piece is key. So, to start, chose the style and color that will match the outfit. Know the texture and feel of the clothes as well as this will show in the details.

Now, we know what handbag we are looking for. So, were to look? Check out the local department stores. Quite possible the look we want will be there. Other options are to look in fashion boutiques and malls. Yet another place to look are catalogs, and even online. Most major designers have their handbags online for purchase to those who cannot get to the actual store. Even more possibilities are available to those who still can't find what they are looking for.

Handbags are essential to the busy women as well. Not only is it a fashion statement to have the right bag, it’s also a necessity. Many women are hustling from one place to the next, from home to work to picking up the kids to doctor's appointments and soccer games. All the necessary items, cell phone, wallet, extra snacks even gotta make it in the handbag or may get forgotten along the way. So, when choosing the right bag, ensure the handbag is the proper size for what it will be used for.

Overall, a handbag is necessary, but also fashionable. Whether it is making the outfit complete, adding to it as an accessory or just holding all the essentials of our busy lives, handbags are important. It is pretty easy to find just any bag, but to find the right bag may take some extra looking. But, the varieties are numerous and the choices are outstanding. Finding the right handbag will keep you fashionable and organized!

Boots to Work and Dance in!

2007-12-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

Wearing boots today is even more popular than ever. It used to be that boots were only for stomping through the mud with. Now however, boots can be as fashionable and stylish as you’d like. From motorcycle boots to cowboy boots and western boots, they’re all gaining in popularity. If you want to be on the edge of rugged fashion, get yourself some boots.

An early form of the boot was also known in Greece and Rome. Since ancient times men and women have recognized the need for a sturdy work boot. Today the choices of boots are great…wonderful styles and comfort.

Both men and women are wearing boots to all occasions that would have been unthinkable a short while ago. If you’re considering adding boots to your shoes collection (or if you’re looking at good solid work boots) you can find anything you want on the internet.

With today’s boots you can work, dress up and dance…all with the same pair of boots. When you’re deciding you which pair of boots to buy don’t settle for anything less than solid quality. You’ll find that a good pair of boots will fit better and wear longer than an inferior pair.

Chose from only the best suppliers of boots. It doesn’t matter if its wolverine boots or fashionable thigh boots, you can find any style your looking for.

The Women’s Plus Size Clothing Revolution

2007-12-12T10:32:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time, not too long ago, if you were a woman who wore clothes over a size 14 your clothing choices were limited to cheap looking, baggy and unattractive clothes that made you look old before your time.

My how times have changed! There has been a cultural shift in the acceptance of plussize women, particularly in the fashion industry. Women’s plus size clothing is no longer relegated to the back of the isle racks. Now days, it’s easy to find trendy plus size clothes such as: dresses, workout clothes, evening wear and swimwear.

Plus size celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Camryn Manheim, and Star Jones have also helped to usher in the era of plus size fashions. These women take pride in looking fashionable no matter how much their weight fluctuates. You can even see a once thin actress, Kirstie Alley, strut her stuff in her new cable show “Fat Actress”. This would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Even the high fashion industry has taken notice. Models such as Emme have become famous for modeling large size fashions for women. Agencies are also looking for aspiring plus size models. Women looking for designer plus size clothes online will not be disappointed.

In the past, clothing for large size women 22w to 44w was extremely difficult to find – and forget about being fashionable. Now, companies are springing up like Making It Big, who cater exclusively to this fashion hungry niche of clothing for big women. If you are looking for big women clothing, you now have more choice than ever when it comes to large size clothes for women.

Another old taboo in full figured clothing was that plus size women didn’t look good in ladies intimate apparel. Oh, I’m not talking about women wearing a large size bra (which it’s now easier to find comfortable large size bras). Plus size bras have been available for a long time. No, I mean really sensual full figure intimate apparel.

Designers have discovered that any woman will look good in intimate apparel if it’s made right for her body. Now, even in this fashion segment, plus sized women’s clothing has grown leaps and bounds. Plus size intimate apparel comes in all colors, styles and sizes, so that you can show off your sensual side too, ladies!

Need nice clothes for work? You can find an array of plus size suits, including: plus size pants suits, and plus size women’s suits.

Going to the beach or pool? It’s now possible to find a wide selection of plus size swimming suits. Where plus size swim suits used to be mostly black and unattractive, they are now very colorful and figure flattering.

Getting married? Obtaining a wedding dress plus size is no longer a huge ordeal. If you are looking for a large size wedding dress, with all the frills, or a plus size informal wedding dress, you’ll be delighted at the selection you’ll find online and offline. No bride should have an ill-fitting wedding dress, or be denied beautiful style that their thinner sisters enjoy. Many wedding boutiques and some online outlets offer beautiful plus size wedding dresses, and be assured that your plus size wedding dress will fit and look beautiful.

Yes, my friends. The plus size women’s clothing revolution has arrived. Our plus size sisters can now have a closet full of great looking clothes and keep pace with the best fashionistas. Not only is this great for plus size women, it’s great for society as well. Everyone can now see that a woman’s inner and outer beauty has nothing to do with size.

Seven Jeans.

2007-12-12T10:31:00.001-08:00

Are you into high fashion jeans like Seven jeans? Seven jeans are well known as highly priced, but highly fashionable jeans. They are worn by celebrities and teens alike. Of course they come in all shapes and sizes, but check out the heavy price tag before you purchase them!

Seven jeans are jeans of high fashion. They are available worldwide and known as well. To find a pair, simply check out your local mall. They offer a lot of options. To list a few: boot cut, high cut, low rise, and washed or not. They come in many colors and designs. Styles that come and go with trends are Seven jeans.

To find a pair of seven jeans, you will need to check out the mall. There you will find a few stores that offer the latest style. But, don’t forget to take the credit card for this purchase! These jeans are costly, but you are paying for quality and high fashion.

It is possible to find Seven jeans at a discount rate online though. Sales for them are everywhere. You maybe able to purchase them at online auctions. Of course, you take that chance with purchasing online that they will not fit the way you like or feel the way you like. But, it does offer some convenience and a cheaper rate.

Seven Jeans are high fashion, high quality, and highly demanded jeans. They range in styles from low rise to boot cut and base their designs off the trends set by the public. While costly, Seven jeans can be found online at discounted rates when you search for them or find a good sale. Seven jeans are a jean every teenager wants.

Finding the dresses and fashion you need!

2007-12-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

When you look in your closet do you see dresses that you like or are there many, many old, out of style dresses that you wouldn’t dare be seen in? Fashions do change over time and naturally the cut and style of modern dresses is very different from even 20-30 years ago. Why? Fashions change, tastes change and of course people simply get bored of wearing the same old dresses.

The 1970s and 80s saw the beginning of more divergent trends in fashion. This was the result of the increasing popularity of ready-to-wear collections by major designers, which made fashionable label-conscious dressing possible for the middle class. You’ll find that every store has dozens of trendy labels that portray the image style and class. Today most people simply buy their dresses of the shelf, no need to have each individual item of clothing hand made.

When you’re looking for the right dress to wear, don’t worry too much about it being the perfect one. Dresses come in all styles, shapes, colors and materials. Try this approach: choose a dress style that you feel comfortable and confident in, accessorize it with a few tasteful choices (such as a nice purse) and enjoy your evening out.

We’ve searched the web and found some very interesting selections for you to choose from if your looking for a new dress or dresses. The power of the internet allows you to thoughtfully choose and select the dresses that would look best on you. So the next time you look into your wardrobe closet and you’re wondering what to wear, you’ll have a wide range of comfortable, attractive dresses to choose from.

Guide To Choosing A Fashion Design School

2007-12-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

A successful future in the fashion design industry depends on the right choice of school to attend. Although fashion design is not one of the more popular careers to pursue, if your talents lie in this field, there is ample opportunity awaiting you. However, the first thing to hurdle is your choice of school.

When choosing a fashion design school, consider the following factors.

Area of Focus

Look into the nature of the school. Is it solely a fashion design school or does it offer other courses. Is this school well-known for its emphasis on fashion design?

Fashion design schools are few and far between. This makes it harder to choose one that fits your bill. Your first task will be to find a reputable school that will aid you in your training.

Also, look into whether the school participates in any fashion design competitions or has accomplished anything of reknown in the industry. This is a sure sign of their commitment to the fashion arts and its education among students.

Different schools have different strengths, find a school that plays to your strengths and has specializations in the field of your choice.

For example, you might choose a very well-known fashion design school only to find out that they specialize in childrens’ clothing, while the field of your choice is adult formal wear. This could diffuse your interests, and dull your specialization.

Make sure you know what field the school you are scouting focuses on. This will help you specialize in that area too.

Alumni and Job Placements

Does the college offer job placement assistance? And has the alumni from this school gone on to be successful professionals? Always learn from other’s previous experience. If you see that those that had gone through this school before you received proper training and are successful in their field, that is an indication of a good school.

Most of these reputable schools have numerous connections in the graphic arts industry. They usually offer job placement services. You may want to consider this when choosing a school.

It would do no harm to start looking at the educational background of your admired fashion designer. Checking out the schools they came from will give an idea of the sort of training these artists went through. From here, you may make decisions as to whether you would like to choose the same school as they did.

Curriculum

You must assess whether the curriculum is relevant to you field of study. You may want to compare the curricula of different schools to see which offers the best form of education.

It would also be wise to check the quality of the teaching staff at that school. Having established artists who teach at a fashion design school is also an indication of a good training program.

Student to Teacher Ratio

Ask yourself: how big are the classes and how many teachers and classes are available at this school before you choose it. The more the students, the lesser the efficacy of the teacher. However, if there are too few students per teacher, that could tell of a different problem – that of quality. If this is the case, it may be that the school is not popular or is suffering from anemic academic performance.

Accreditation

Accreditation means the school has passed certain standards of educational quality. Accreditation is performed by the U.S. Department of Education. Fashion design schools must be accredited to prove their level of competence.

Check with the State Postsecondary School Licensing Bureau to see if the college you are investigating is accredited. Also, check the National Approval and Accreditation for this concern.

Cost

Some people may proclaim that to obtain their education, they would spare no coin. Unfortunately, it also pays to be practical in your choice of fashion design school. If the school you choose has a tuition rate that is beyond your financial capability, you might find yourself working and unable to pursue your studies consistently due to the financial stress which may lead you to look for part-time work.

Scholarships

You might want to consider whether the design school you are looking at offers any scholarships. You also might want to know the terms to them too. Some schools offer scholarships based on academic performance. Some offer them based on fashion design competitions they hold regularly.

Your choice of school is an investment that will last you a lifetime. Proper care and investigation in choosing such is truly important. When you are comfortable with your choice of fashion design schools, you can now chart your path towards a successful career.

Get The Latest Scoop On What Fashions Are Out

2007-12-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

Just as fashion ebbs and flows, yesterday’s fashion ins are shut out in the cold! A true fashionista keeps careful track of what items have jumped to the out list. No one wants to be seen in a trend that expired yesterday, so if you are used to wearing trendy items, you may want to keep an eye out to see what’s out! The ever revolving door that is the fashion industry regularly makes and breaks fads in the blink of an eye. Look to your fashion magazines, cable channels that specialize in clothing and style, or great articles on the World Wide Web to determine when it is time to hang up your out clothing and accessories.

What’s out this season:

1.) Say good-bye to low cut pants today

The parents of the world let out a collective sigh when the ultra low cut pant waist line was declared dead. The days of a thong peeking out from the back of your trousers are a thing of the past, so pack away your crack-baring duds for their next time around! Today’s fashionable pants still feature a lower cut that seasons past—including the popular above-the-navel waistline of the 1950s—but are well above the modesty mark than in the recent past.

2.) Personalized Items are so old school, don’t ya know

Unless that “L” on your sweater stands for Laverne, put it away! The era of personalized items, from jewelry (remember the “Carrie” necklace?) to purses to clothing is in the past. Even though you searched an hour at your local bargain basement store to find that bag with your initial embroidered in leather, it’s time to say goodbye.

3.) Newsboy Hats Are Yesterday’s News

Extra, extra, read all about it: newsboy hats are out! Put down those papers, get off the corner, and ditch the hat! Even though cooler weather has arrived, find another way to keep your head warm than covering up in a newsboy hat. Consider donning a jaunty fedora cocked to one side—it’s the latest rage!

If you are concerned about items in your wardrobe or accessory closet becoming out of date, consider purchasing classic items. Look into wardrobe staples that are permanently found on the in list, so you will not have to juggle and reevaluate your closet. Furthermore, you may find a piece of clothing or accessory that you absolutely love has been retired to the out list. Instead of giving up a favorite, consider alternative ways to turn an out into an in!

Want To Be A Fashion Model?

2007-12-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought about becoming a fashion model? Do you think you have what it takes for that kind of job? The typical fashion model travels to exotic places, models the latest clothes, fashions, and accessories from top designers, and can even be featured in various magazines, which of course can also then lead to being pursued by manufacturers for you to do product endorsements. But that is typically not where a fashion model STARTS. Like anything else, a fashion model or teen model usually starts significantly lower on the totem pole while they are gaining visibility with potential clients and top modeling agencies around the world. But if you are willing to “pay your dues”, the rewards can be fabulous from many perspectives, including travel, mingling with celebrities, attending exclusive events, and of course from a financial perspective. Top models can earn upwards of thousands of dollars per day. Fashion modeling is no longer limited to just the “perfect” people anymore with the great looks, superb hair, and a Barbie-doll figure. Particularly in recent years, the fashion designers have started to realize that by only targeting the “perfect” people, they were ignoring a large portion, indeed a MAJORITY, of the audiences they could potentially target to sell their merchandise, accessories, and fashions. That being the case, there is also a market for fashion models that almost spans the entire range of types of people; i.e., the petite, the “plus size”, the teen, the “mature”, and yes even the retiree crowd. Think about it, all those types of people have money also, and are willing to spend it if they are aware of the possibilities and availability of their products. And selling their creations and fashions is what they are in business for! To become a successful fashion model today, you no longer need to be limited to the group that is about 5 foot 8 inches tall at 120 pounds with perfect bouncy hair and about 22 years old. There are many types of modeling jobs available, and virtually any of them would be a good start for someone with the motivation and desire to get into some of the top spots and top agencies. There is catalog modeling, runway modeling, showroom modeling, promotional or trade show modeling, television modeling, as well as print modeling like in newspapers or magazines. Make no mistake about it, it is a tough market and there will likely be some long hours involved. But for those with the motivation and desire to succeed in this very competitive industry, the rewards can far outweigh the negatives.

Tips For Petite Fashions

2007-12-08T19:23:00.000-08:00

In shopping and fashion nothing is what it seems. Some taller women having larger bone structures try to dress in such a way that they would appear smaller. Thin and slender women want to create the appearance of curves with their clothes, while curvier women put efforts into hiding their voluptuousness. These women who are considered "petite" will frequently attempt to wear clothes that would make them look taller.
There is one common misconception that "petite" means "small". The truth is that the term petite refers to height, not weight. Petite fashions come in sizes from O to plus-sized. Women who are shorter than 5'4 are considered petite no matter if she has a slender, average or plus-sized frame.
The conception that petite women are always "little" has caused frustration for the ladies when shopping. Women not taller than 5'5 have a difficult time finding petite fashions that are not high-wasted. Despite that, recently many designers started creating petite fashion lines offering new styles for the petite ladies. Now most of the designers offer petite fashions and they try to make them more classic and tailored, so petite women would wear clothes that accentuate the good sides of their body type.
Petite woman want to find the clothes that would accentuate their own style. Some fashions are designed in such a way that they make petite woman look taller by using horizontal as opposed to vertical lines. Monochromatic colour schemes are also a good idea.
When buying clothes a petite woman should avoid cuts, color schemes and prints that are made for taller women. Petite fashions often have higher wastes, shorter arms and legs and narrower shoulders. When print patters are used in petite fashions they tend to be smaller. This is how chunky appearance is avoided.
Petite women are advised to keep up to some simple style guidelines. According to fashion experts on petite fashions, women are not to wear shirt longer than mid-thigh and they should forget about drastic colour contrasts in blouses and trousers. As far as shoes are concerned, petite women are not advised to buy flat shoes or shoes with square toes. What is best for their feet is a pair of comfortable stylish shoes with gently pointed toe. Other things that should not be in a petite's woman wardrobe are ribbons and buckles.

Bridal Fashion Jewelry

2007-12-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

Jewellery (spelled jewelry in American English) refers to ornamental devices worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. Costume jewelry is made from less valuable materials. However, jewelry can and has been made out of almost every kind of material. Examples include bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings, as well as items like hair ornaments or body piercing jewelry. Jewelry, particularly when made with precious materials, is generally considered valuable and desirable. Some cultures have a practice of keeping large amounts of wealth stored in the form of jewelry. Jewelry can also be symbolic, as in the case of Christians wearing a crucifix in the form of jewelry, or, as is the case in many Western cultures, married people wearing a wedding ring. And what can symbolize love and, of course, the wedding ceremony more than a diamond?
Diamonds are graded by four characteristics: cut, carat (weight), clarity, and color. All four of these properties determine how much a diamond is worth.
Cut - What is the proportion of the diamond? Round brilliant diamonds are commonly cut with 58 facets. The better proportioned these facets are on the diamond, the more light will be reflected back to the viewer's eye. This is extremely important. When cut properly, the diamond will sparkle more. Diamond cuts are measured by the table percentage, so always ask for it. Cut also refers to the shape such as: round, pear, and oval.
Carat - How big is the diamond? Larger diamonds often cost more per carat due to their size. There are 100 points to a carat. Hence a 50 point diamond is 1/2 a carat. (There are 5 carats to a gram.)
Clarity - How clear is the stone? Clarity ranges from flawless (perfect) to I (included). Here is a summary:
Color: Diamond colors generally range from D - X for white and yellow diamonds. D is the whitest. Around S they become "Fancy" yellow Diamonds. One can also find green, pink, red, blue and brown diamonds - though these are usually irradiated.
Diamonds are often treated. If you are concerned about getting true value for your money, know what you are getting. Be sure to read the fine print.
Diamonds with inclusions are sometimes filled with glass to make them appear clearer. An inclusion is an imperfection internal to the diamond. Filler can be damaged by heat, ultrasonic cleaning, and by re-tipping. The filling does not repair the inclusion, it just makes it less visible. They can be painted to offset a yellow tinge. The paint wears off rather quickly.
Finally, now that you have that precious stone, here are some tips as to how to take care of it. Diamonds are often thought to be unshatterable. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Diamonds are brittle: If you hit a diamond hard, they WILL crack or chip if mishandled. Don't wear your diamond when doing rough work.
Storage: Store diamonds separately. When stored with other jewelry, diamonds may scratch other jewelry (or each other).
Cleaning: The best method for cleaning is a jeweler's polishing cloth. Many jewelers will clean your diamond ring for free if you are making another purchase in the store.

Fall 2008 Fashion

2007-12-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

Fashion week is over in New York City and fall styles have been released. It always amazes me to be talking about fall styles when spring has not even sprung yet. Here it is! Colors are dark and neutral but accessories are sizzling and spruce up those colors of the evening. There is plenty to keep from this winter season and plenty to get rid of.
Let us start with colors. Think of nightfall when it comes to fall color according to Pantone. The colors are very dark and neutral. Black is always in, dominated the runways by far from other colors. Brown known this season as Italian plum is still big. You will see a touch of garnet, spicy orange and purple drab. You may have to look hard, but they will be there. There will also be doe, a taupe color and griffin, good old gray. The color that tops all and is a must have for the season is deep cobalt, otherwise known as navy. Navy is being paired with all of the above including brown. You will see navy sweaters with brown skirts. Black dominated but had a touch of one of the colors above added to the outfit. There was plenty of play with different shades of black; it is not just solid black this season. Find it in shears, embroidery, and used in all different ways.
So pack away your blacks and browns from this season and pull them out in the fall. Add to your wardrobe plenty of navy and a touch of gray. There will be a touch of animal prints. Leopard is always a popular choice but zebra is the season's hottest choice. Get a short zebra pencil skirt (along with a black one) with a black or brown sweater or a jacket with faux fur trim; add opaque black tights and knee high boots and you are on your way to being in fashion for the fall. Remember a little animal print goes a long way. You want it to accentuate your outfit not overpower it.
Spring fashions have brought in a-line skirts, full skirts and bubble skirts. These will be carried over into the fall so hold on to them. The fall will add mini and short pencil skirts. Black pencil skirts are a staple for your wardrobe. Shirt dresses and sheaths are back and looking very sophisticated. Dresses have been making a come back the past year and are still riding on that trend. Grey trousers are a must have addition. Pants waistlines are on the rise, still at the hips but not as low as they were. Pair them up with a great fabric belt with a fancy buckle to set it off. No more boot leg cut, skinny pants and jeans are in. Hold on to the jackets, they are still a big item. Velvet and suede jackets are hot as well as any with faux fur collars. Cashmere coats trimmed in faux fur or shearling will be a great luxury item.
Colors and clothing for fall are the styles of the night. So drab you say? Not really, they are sexy, feminine and sophisticated. Accessories and embellishments will set them apart and make them exciting. This will be the year for fabulous accessories that will bring those nighttime colors into the day. Of course, they light up the evenings also.

How To Use Make Up As A Fashion Accessory

2007-12-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

Makeup can be one more accessory to your personal image and that’s why we are going to explain to you step by step the most flattering and easy trends so that this season you will be beautiful.
MAKEUP
There are various flattering trends this season. On the one hand, there is the natural look with earthy and gold tones, and neutral tones for the eyes and transparent but shinny lips. On the other hand, there is the sexier look with darker tones for the eyes from navy blue to purple, and (don’t forget black), and dark sexy lips.
ADVICE: Choose a look that works for you and one that you feel most comfortable with and follow the advice that we give you below.
FOUNDATION
Give a touch of something pearlescent to your foundation and you’ll achieve a modern and flattering look.
ADVICE: Apply your foundation to the entire face. Once it has been absorbed in to the skin, wait a few minutes for it to absorb, apply a small amount of illuminating powder in the T zone, forehead, cheekbones and chin. Blend it well with a brush for a pearly but natural effect. The result, light satiny skin.
COVER UP
Brighten your look by using a light cover up which is lighter than your skin tone over your foundation.
ADVICE: Blend it well around your eyes with your finger tip to take away any excess. And that’s it, a great look without bags and full of life.
EYES
For a natural look, use browns and neutral tones.
ADVICE: Apply a golden tone on the upper eyelid to achieve the look and give it a touch of light. If you want your eyes to have a stronger look, use a dark brown pencil on the inner eye.
For a sexy look, use darker tones, the ones you like the most, from navy blue to bottle green. Or if you like, use grays or blacks.
ADVICE: Don’t forget to put the darker color on your eyelid putting a blended line next to the eye lashes and put makeup on the outer eye with a black pencil. Lighten the eyelid just under the eyebrow with a pearly or shinny white for a sexy arousing look.
ESSENTIAL: Everyone notices mascara so curl your eyelashes beforehand and use two cotes to give them volume.
CHEEKBONES
Give your cheekbones a healthy look with soft rosy natural colors.
ADVICE: Blend blush well with a clean brush and loose powder on your cheekbones.
LIPS
If you want a natural look, or you have put too much lipstick on, apply lip gloss for a juicy natural look.
ADVICE: Choose a lip gloss that also shines and protects your lips.
On the other hand, if you want to forget the natural look, try a passion red or a bright fushia. The result, sexy provocative, but natural lips.
ADVICE: Use a well-sharpened lip pencil that is very similar to your lipstick to outline your lips. Do this before applying lipstick so that the color will last longer and it will be easier to use darker tones.
THE FINAL TOUCH
Wash your hair with a rinse similar to the natural color of your hair to make it brighter but without changing the color.
ADVICE: Ask you hairdresser. There are rinses that naturally moisturize and give shine to the hair.

Fashion Directions for 2008

2007-12-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Fashion styles are forever changing. What do this year's changes bring forth? Fashion is up and down and all around this year. Accessories are going to sizzle this summer, hemlines are going down a bit, pants waistlines are going up, necklaces are going down, scarves are fluid, earrings are dangling, handbags get soft, and belts are back. Feminine, sexy and sultry styles will keep those heads turning. Sheers, crocheted lace, silky satin and flowing gauze will be everywhere. Comfy cool and sexy, sounds like a great year for women!
Accessories are fabulous this year and are leaning in the arts & craft direction. We will start with necklaces. They are beady, long and plentiful. Where a single large beaded strand with artful beads or pair them up with several. Long is where they are at as well as big and with interesting beads. Plastic, glass, wood, handmade, crocheted, and metal beads in all variations have invaded the necklace world. Find them beaded alone or with lace, sheer or ribbon. Artisans beware; fabulous finds are in high demand! While you are at it, dangling earrings to match will complete the ensemble. Hoops and beads are dangling in the earring category. Out with the chandeliers and in come the dangling beads.
Belts are back big-time accentuating the waistlines. In the gym lately? You'll need it this year! Belts run the gamut this year in all styles. Wide big belts are back as well as plenty of other styles. Crocheted lace belts, pom pom end belts, leather, and fabric belts are all a hot ticket. Sheer or lace belts are big that can be used two fold. You can where them as a belt or as a scarf. Get creative and find those great finds at art fairs in fabric belts or crocheted belts.
Gold is big this season. Find it in handbags, jewelry, clothing and shoes. Don't go overboard with gold; remember a little goes a long way. Don't cover yourself in gold from head to toe; you'll look like a left over Christmas ornament! Gold shoes and a great gold handbag will look great with any outfit and you will not be overdoing it.
Handbags are always a favorite; you can never have enough of them. Soft leathers, straw and fabrics are very in. Larger size handbags are big. Look for lots of gathered ends on the top and visible pockets on the outside. Straw is hot in all colors and new styles, crochet and appliques are abundant. You will see simple designs to more artistic designs. Stick with simple if your outfit is strikingly fabulous. When going for a more conservative or simple style, then go with a more artistic handbag to set it off.
The ups and downs have it this year. Necklaces are going down as well as hemlines. Not too much though, just mini's are out. Look for knee length and long flowing skirts and dresses. Lacey, satin, sheers and gauze is it for skirts and dresses. Yes, I did say dresses; they are making a comeback big-time. Comfy and sexy at the same time! Skirts styles are very full along with A-lines are very in. Pants waistlines are starting to go up which is what is bringing belts back in. It may take a while but at least they are not going down any farther. Was there any room left to go?
Let your accessories sizzle and your femininity and sex-appeal reign in this year's styles.

Fashionable Over 40

2007-12-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

If we didn’t have enough to think about as we get older – aging parents, empty nests, new jobs, etc. we also have to deal with changing bodies and how to clothe them. Don’t despair all is not lost, you can look great after forty and not have to sneak into your daughter’s closet to do it. Many women who are not sure how to deal with thick waists and bulging tummies head straight for the baggy rack and try to conceal their bodies with shapeless clothing. And to make matters worse, they wear their makeup and hair the same way they always have. The key to looking great after forty is to make subtle changes in your clothing, hair and makeup that will equal a facelift and a trainer – well, maybe not that much difference. Here are some tips that you can put into practice right away.
1. Wear your skirts at the knee with a great pair of shoes to show off one of the most ageless and flattering parts of your body – your legs- they stay looking younger longer.
2. Wear tailored clothes, such as shaped jackets that glide over your tummy and waist. Stay away from boxy, baggy jackets and tops that hang from the bust and add five pounds.
3. The easiest way to put pizzazz into your outfit without looking overdone is to update your shoes and purses. If you carry a purse that looks like your grandmother’s – square and boring you’ll look outdated. Choose purses in different shapes and colors that will add interest. There are lots of styles and shapes available, the most flattering being a shoulder bag that fits nicely under your arm.
4. Stay away from clothing that has ‘old lady’ written all over it, such as huge shoulder pads, narrow pant legs, tiny prints, sweaters with embroidered flowers and big fancy buttons. If it’s something your mother would wear then it is not something for you.
5. To look fashionable you don’t have to wear the latest styles. Stick to classic lines that suit your body type and develop a look that reflects your personality and lifestyle.

Winter Fashion Etiquette

2007-12-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

Winter can be a busy time – with Christmas looming, New Year's Eve to celebrate and Valentines Day just around the corner you're going to need to be prepared. So what’s the right winter fashion etiquette for the occasion?
Get together in the near future?
A re-union? Try something in a festive jewel tone and be sure to finish your look with some fabulous shoes and hand bag and don’t forget the jewelry. Add earrings and a necklace to finish your look.
A baptism – you’re the godmother? Try a soft flowing skirt and a cap sleeve blouse. Or how about a nice light shift topped with a print jacket. You’ll look stylish but you won’t be over done. Pay attention to the shoes on your feet – classy but comfort is important because you’ll be standing for a while. Add some light jewelry, a pair of baguette studs and a chain and you’ll be ready.
A date for high tea? Although the formality of white gloves is gone it is still important to dress nicely. Do not wear jeans or a sloppy shirt. If the high tea is an informal meeting then pants with a nice light jacket is spring colors is appropriate. If high tea is to honor someone then step it up a notch with a nice light skirt and top, or a nice light dress with jacket. Some funky jewelry for the casual get together or more elegant jewelry for the more formal get together.
Cocktails? There are plenty of options for cocktails. A light weight dress in spring colors with short sleeves, dress it up a little with three quarter sleeves. Go for a fun print, v necklines are great, and don’t forget the finishing touches with jewelry. Try some dangle or chandelier earrings. Add a tennis bracelet or bead necklace, some fun but sexy shoes and your set.
Wedding? Make certain you’re not resembling the bride or taking away from her day by outdoing her. Contrary to popular belief black is an acceptable color for a wedding. Decide what you’re wearing to the wedding based on the type of wedding – is it formal choose a formal dress. Semi casual – skirt and blazer. Beach wedding – something soft and flowing. Add appropriate jewelry, shoes, and handbag.
Christmas Something comfy but semi-formal is always great. Depending on the type of festivities and where you'll be choose appropriate footwear. Slip on flats are nice around the house or you can choose a sassy pair of heels. Don't forget to make your handbag say "Merry Christmas."
New Years Eve This season is filled with soft flowing feminine looks. So here’s a perfect time to be a girl. Try an ankle length tiered dress with silky layers in a romantic print. Or perhaps a long flowing skirt accented with a fitted top and cashmere sweater. Add a pair of heels and a small matching bag. Don’t forget to finish your look with your jewelry – soft colored stone dangle earrings and a teardrop pendant would be perfect!
Evening Out? Pick your favorite pants, skirt, or dress, add a bolero or cardigan over a tank or sleeveless blouse you’ll be ready for your evening out. Make your bolero or cardigan your focal point. Add some understated jewelry and your ready to go.
Whether it’s a day at the beach, a board room meeting, a cocktail party, or a formal event. Dress to impress, complete your look with jewelry and accessories such as shoes, hand bag, or belt. Make your fashion statement!

Latest Fashion Trends in Unique Handbags and Purses

2007-12-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

If you’re looking for something a little different, there are literally thousands of beautifully crafted unique handbags and purses available for purchase online. If you’re tired of the mass-produced offerings you tend to find at the mall, the online handbag, purse and fashion accessory market is an exciting and exotic new world.
The variety of unique handbag and purse designs keeps getting bigger, better and more innovative all the time, but as with every kind of fashion accessory, interesting trends emerge with every new season. Here is a brief rundown of what’s coming in unique purses and handbags in 2006.
Cloth Purses
Cloth purses are very casual fashion items, so colorful fabrics and whimsical patterns are the strongest trend. If you love bold colors and striking contrasts you’ll have a great time shopping for cloth purses this season.
A cloth purse is mostly a spring/summer fashion accessory, so expect to see warm colors, and light breezy cotton or nylon fabrics. Fresh, summery patterned fabrics with flowers, fruits and ladybugs are always popular.
Also very fashionable is the clever and practical reversible cloth purse. You can literally turn the purse inside out to reveal the alternative fabric pattern, so you have two purses in one.
Monogrammed handbags
Monogrammed bags and purses never really go out of style, and this season we’ll see a huge range of colors, shapes sizes and styles.
A strong upcoming trend is leather sling hipster handbags with elegantly embossed initials or a name. Soft leather is a beautiful fabric for handbags because it’s durable, always very stylish, and it goes with everything. Sling handbags are very comfortable to carry, and perfect either for business or as a casual accessory.
Monogrammed tote bags
Tote bags are the most casual fashion accessory of all, and perfect for the beach, for picnics, or for a little shopping. Monogrammed tote bags are also great for kids to carry their school books or gym clothes, and having their initials or name printed on the bag means they won’t lose it.
Soft cotton canvas is the classic fabric for tote bags, and we’ll see an abundance of canvas tote bags this season.
The big trend for monogrammed tote bags will be big initials, printed across the whole side panel of the bag in big, bold colors. A single first initial of your first name as a monogram has a casual, whimsical kind of feel.
Dog purses
Everyone loves dogs, which is why the fashion for handbags, tote bags and purses decorated with a full panel photo of a gorgeous dachshund, poodle, beagle, yorkie or dalmatian just keeps getting stronger and stronger every year. Dog purses are a great gift idea for anyone whose best friend is their beloved hound.
Custom-made dog purses are also becoming more and more popular. You can have your own photograph of your dog printed onto a handbag, so your bag, like your dog, will be truly one of a kind.
Photo purses
Photo purses are simply ultra-cool, and the most individual and personal of fashion statements. You can have your own photo of anything you like printed onto a purse or handbag, like a special person in your life, your cat, dog or bird, or even your car.
A very trendy idea is to use a romantic old photograph of a relative as a model for your photo purse, so you can cherish their memory wherever you go.
Initial purses
Initial purses are a fashion accessory with a personal touch, and they make wonderful gifts. You can have just about any kind of purse printed, embroidered or embossed with a single initial or set of two or three initials in a wide variety of styles.
As for handbags, leather will be a big trend in the upcoming season for purses. We’ll see lots of small leather purses with a comfortable sling shoulder strap, elegantly embossed with two or three initials.
Cigar box purses
Cigar box purses are another strong trend for the coming year. They’re literally made from a wooden cigar box, fitted with a clasp and a handle, and embossed with an artistic or photographic image.
The most fashionable cigar box purses are decorated with advertising images from the glamorous 1920’s and 30’s. European advertising artwork from that period has a particularly elegant and alluring style, so we’ll be seeing a lot of Cinzano, Cognac and French Perfume labels on cigar box purses.
Hobo purses
Hobo purses can be cool and casual for shopping, or groovy and glamorous to go with evening wear.
Casual style hobo purses come in suede or leather, and soft colors like pastel pinks, beige, cream and white are very much in vogue.
A new look for hobo purses which is on the way in is a small purse in a gold or silver mesh fabric, or even ultra-glamorous sequins and rhinestones. These purses are a new take on the traditional evening purse, and make an eye-catching alternative.
Clutch handbags
Clutch purses and handbags have an elegant, streamlined look, but they’re the perfect size to carry all those little necessities.
The big look for clutch purses and clutch handbags in the coming year will be all glamour. Shiny metallic gold, silver, bronze and platinum shades will be the strong colors of the season, in soft suede leather.

How To Look Gorgeous In Red Women's Fashion

2007-12-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

Red is a sexy color. Think of the lady in red who turns the heads of every red blooded man around her. Think of the Hollywood starlet in her beautiful red gown. Or Julia Roberts, so radiant, so beautiful in her red gown in Pretty Woman.
The irony is that red is one color that few women dare wear.
Some women feel that red is too glaring. Some tried wearing red dresses and felt they looked like fire engines instead. Granted, red is an attention grabbing color. Not for someone who wants to disappear in the crowd. But if you want to be a star, if you are sick of being the perpetual wallflower red is the color to wear.
Red is a fiery color associated with love, passion, ambition.. with living.
A woman who wears the right shade of red looks stunning. She garners admiring glances all around.
Every woman can look really stunning in red.. if she knows what colors in general suit her.
You see, there are warm reds and cool reds.
Know yourself.
Do you look good in black and royal blue? Then you would look best in the cool reds and the true reds. That means choose a pure red or strong red with a bluish tinge. You can wear burgundy well too.
If you look better in pale blues and grays, then a softer, but cool red would be more flattering. Cut a watermelon open and look at that shade of red. This watermelon red is a soft cool red that suits you. Pick reds like these.
If you look better in peach or orange than you do in black and royal blue, then you would look fabulous in a warm red. A red with warmer tones. Look at a ripe tomato. That is the shade of red that suits you best.
If you look best in browns, then go for a brownish red. A red with brownish tones. A brick red would suit you well too. As would the color of red earth.
Once you know your red, you can start building a red wardrobe. You can base your wardrobe on red. Doesn't have to be that exact shade of red but somewhere like it.
A cooler pinkier red for those with cool skin tones. The ones who look good in blue and black.
A warmer, orangier red for those with warm skin tones, who look good in peach, brown or orange.
Now that you have your red, pick some other colors that would go with red and with your skin tone.

Blogosphere Networking

2007-12-05T06:27:00.000-08:00

Blogosphere Networking
Blogging seems to be taking over the world, or at least everyone seems to be talking about blogs. However, there are a surprisingly large number of people who have no idea of blogs, blawgs, blogsphere, etc....

I was recently at a social gathering with some very educated and sophisticated individuals. In the conversation I mentioned my new book (“Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Keep and Grow Your Business Relationships” and my blog (“The Business Development / Networking Blog”). Everyone immediately understood the concept of a book.....but the idea of a blog created many a puzzled face.

I was asked a lot of questions (some folks had heard of blogging, others had not). The following are the top questions, and my feeble attempt to answer them:

1. Why did you start your blog?

I started it as an experiment to help educate myself about blogs. My company is interested in having an industry focused blog, and I decided to take it upon myself to jump into the blogosphere and get my feet wet. In addition, I write a recurring column for Professional Marketing Magazine, and I thought that regularly writing a blog would give me some good practice and help me uncover themes for future articles. I also felt I could use it to help promote my new book.

2. Has it been worth it?

Yes!!! On all three of the above reasons I have exceeded my goals. I now understand the commitment involved if we create an industry blog. I have already created a lot of positive material that can later be turned into articles for my marketing column. AND.....I have sold a bunch of copies of my new book .....even before it is released.

3. Are all blogs the same?

NO. There are as many types of blogs are there are writers. I have categorized them into three types, but I am sure others would have arguments about these areas:

A. Corporate Blogs. These are hosted by companies to promote their products and services or to communicate with clients.

B. Philosophical / Content Blogs. In this type, an individual (or group of individuals) writes on a specific topic and shares their opinions with the readers. Topics can range from business to sports to politics to religion, etc.... I would put The Business Development / Networking Blog in this category. The blogs from which I learn the most are philosophical/content blogs.

C. Diaries. In these blogs people record their daily experiences the way one would write in a diary. Some of these can be quite entertaining, as they allow the voyeur in each of us to look into someone else's private world. However, reader beware...some of these can reveal a bit more than you want to read (or see).

4. Why would I want to read blogs?

They are a great way to discover information on any particular topic or variety of ideas. Many bloggers have very good sources of information and they certainly have opinions. As with any media source, you need to beware of the authors intent and ulterior motives. Also, blogs can just be interesting to read.

5. What have you learned from writing your blog?

Like the term "World Wide Web" only a decade ago, "Blogs, blogging and the blogosphere" are the new new thing, and are not just a "fad". If people are not yet aware of blogs, they will be soon. More and more blogs are created every day and blogs will soon touch everyone who surf the internet.
Having your own blog, however, is not for everyone. You must be committed to writing on a regular basis, and not shy about sharing your opinions. I have learned that a blog can go stale if you do not make posts on a regular basis.

I also learned that when you blog, you are actually networking. At first it seemed like this was one sided, until I began to hear from people who were regularly reading my blog. I have developed new friendships with many bloggers who write about similar topics. Often one blogger will email another with a compliment or suggestion, and they will begin to correspond regularly. Just like any other type of business friendship, the relationship grows over time. This blog-networking leads to mutual understanding and respect between the bloggers and then can lead to business relationships and referrals.

6. Should I start a blog?

That is a question every person will have to answer for himself/herself. I
would suggest you begin by reading other blogs and getting familiar with what is out there in blog-land. If you believe that you have something to say...then by all means, start a blog. But remember to be patient and persistent. Like writing a book, it takes time and there is no guarantee that you will become widely read. However if you are dedicated, you will uncover many unexpected benefits from your blogging experience.

If you are interested in easily learning about blogs, I suggest you start by reading the posts and links in the series called “31 Days to Better Blogs" at www.problogger.net, hosted by Darren Rowse. This is the best collection of advice to the experienced and novice blogger.

The Secrets of Corporate Blogging

2007-12-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

Web logs, popularly known as blogs, have become one of the hottest communication tools on the Web. Offering the opportunity for anyone to create their own free Web site, encouraging opinions and interaction, blogs provide forums for individuals to create their own highly personal presentations to the Web audience, and for consortia of all types to experience the sort of online community feeling that was pioneered by early newsgroups and by the phenomenal success of AOL in the 1990s.

Blogs have reached into the corporate and government sectors as well. A prominent federal magazine suggests that some company employees spend more time blogging than on personal e-mail, an average of over an hour a day. What started out as an outlet for teenage expression and grassroots journalism has turned into a lucrative communications tool for small and large businesses alike.

General Motors’ Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, turned to the company’s blog when rumors surfaced about the discontinuation of the Pontiac and Buick brands. It became a means for a direct response, a way to talk to their consumers unfiltered.

Other companies such as Sun Microsystems and Microsoft are also recognizing the impact of blogging in their relationships with their customers and employees. In an article dated June 5, 2005, The Washington Post proposed that there were more than 100 official corporate blogs in existence, with hundreds more on the horizon.

Although the a major newspaper called blogging “ephemeral, fast-paced and scathingly opinionated,” blogs continue to grow steadily in the corporate world and companies are realizing their value.

Corporate Blogging

Internal Communication

Corporate Blogging refers to a company producing or supporting a blog that it uses to accomplish business objectives. A blog can serve many purposes in a corporate setting. Internally, a blog can be a forum for discussion about work-related issues. The informal atmosphere is encouraging to internal corporate communication. From small-scale discussions to virtual “town meetings,” in which employees at all levels feel that they can be heard, blogs promote collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Blogging can help establish a company or employee as an expert in their field. By posting information about a certain topic, a person exhibits their knowledge of the subject matter, setting himself up as an authority. People will come to equate the site and the author with that topic. This reputation for subject mastery and expertise can boost your sales and consumer opinion.

A blog can be an interactive addition to an intranet or e-mail newsletters. Since automatic update notification is possible on blogs, people are more likely to stay on top of the latest postings.

Public Communication

Blogs can be used to communicate to prospects, clients, employees and the media. Press releases and project updates can be posted, as well as job opportunities or information that the company wants to distribute outside of the normal news channels.

A blog can strengthen the bonds between the company and its customers. When a company presents itself honestly and transparently, it not only builds trust, but instills loyalty as well. Customers are more likely to work with a company they feel they know better than another. Blogs allow for that informal communication. They create good word-of-mouth among customers who don’t read the trade magazines or business pages. The nature of a blog fosters that image of transparency and openness for a company. Most people prefer companies who are honest in their dealings and frank about their issues. As seen in the media with the Dan Rather case, a blog can illuminate the truth through encouraging people to share what they know.

Blogging also reflects forward thinking. By staying current with the technological trends, you give your company a fresh image.

A blog can serve as a recruiting method. Interested job seekers can examine the company by reading its blog.

When testing a new product or service, a blog is an excellent place to give more detailed instructions or receive feedback.

Although, comments can be negative. Not everyone will agree with what is said on a blog. Instead of preventing them, welcome the constructive criticism and edit comments only to remove profanity and personal attacks.

The Down Side

There are some drawbacks to blogging. It is not a magic solution to your business needs. Many people feel that blogging popularity is much like the Internet in the 90's, a promise of money, but not necessarily delivery.

Blogging can lead to legal issues as well. Companies have real concerns about liability, exclusions and limitations, and indemnity. Although there are laws that protect against libel, misappropriations and other injuries suffered as a result of posts on the Web, companies can be held vicariously responsible for statements made by employees that are harmful to others.

In any medium where an employee is sharing information, there is the possibility of leaking trade secrets or financial information. Former Google employee Mark Jen was famously fired for gabbing about life at the company on his personal blog, not sanctioned by Google.

Like all essentially unfiltered communication, blogs can get personal. Many bloggers feel the need to discuss their personal lives as well as their professional ones. Companies must be careful not to stifle communications by keeping personal lives out of the workplace. By doing this, they risk closing down the lines of communication entirely.

Inevitably, a disgruntled employee may use this as an opportunity to badmouth the company. This is not limited to blogs, since an unhappy employee has a variety of mediums through which to vent his disapproval. Blogs just make it easy.

The content may not have enough substance to warrant or hold an audience. Some companies fill their blog with marketing fluff. People can see right through this and will most likely ignore the site. Blogs should be used for transparency, not shameless self-promotion.

Best Practices

Fine Print. Since there are so many legal issues surrounding blogs, it is imperative that the site has some sort of disclaimer and limitation of liability.

Know What You’re Doing. Senior management should be educated by the corporate communications and legal department about what blogs are and how they might affect business.

Create blogging policies. A company should have a list of policies regarding blogging to ensure that trade secrets are kept secret and personal lives do not become public. Policies may include keeping financial information from being posted, as well as severe consequences for anyone using the blog for negative publicity.

Avoid the Marketing Blog. Making your blog into a blatant marketing campaign is a bad idea. Customers are looking for real answers and honest opinions. They will pick up on insincerity instantly.

Keep It Fresh. Make content relevant and timely. Update the blog as often as possible with the most worthwhile news. This will encourage people to come back.

Reinforce the company’s core values. Then, make sure the content fits these values and supports the business strategy.

Encourage employees to use it, but remind them of the ramifications of their actions.

Free versus Paid Products

When creating a blog, there are hundreds of services and software from which to choose. The first decision to make is whether to go with a free service or pay for one.

For paid services, the cost varies depending on the features used. The basic hosting fee for a domain is anywhere from $5 to $15 a month. The domain name will need to be registered yearly, which can cost $5 to $35. This does not include the software, which may also have to be purchased.

While free services offer the basic necessities of blogging, paid services are usually more desirable since they have more to offer.

With a free service, the company offers a free site, but it may contain advertisements to offset the cost of maintenance. A paid site will not have any advertisements.

Most free services have a variety of templates to choose from for the look of the site, but paid services offer highly customizable designs.

In addition to the basic functions, paid blogs offer the ability to upload photos and images and tailor links on the site. They also offer better security and allow the creator to censor or control comments. Paid sites normally lead to a higher search engine ranking. They enable the creator to configure search output and there are fewer restrictions placed on paid sites.

Paid news aggregators will often keep a list of recently updated blogs and will rank them, showing new sites and newly added photo albums.

For a simple blog, any free service will do, but to get a truly customized and highly functioning product, it will take paying something for it.

RSS Feeds

With the rising popularity of blogs, it has become increasingly time-consuming to keep track of ones that are of interest. No one has time to check each and every favorite blog every day to search for new content. RSS feeds have become the solution.

RSS feeds are small XML files that contain a headline, date/time and description and link to information published on a blog. When used along with a feed reader, or news aggregator, they give an update on the newest content that has been added to a blogging site to a subscribed user.

RSS was developed in several different versions, each with a different meaning. RSS can stand for Really Simple Syndication, Rich Site Summary or RDF Site Summary, depending on the version used. All versions do the same thing, though. They provide a summary of information. They send a blog’s highlights to subscribers instantly upon publication. RSS feeds save the user from having to visit the site for updates.

To receive RSS feed, a user must have a feed reader, also commonly referred to as a news aggregator. This can be software, a Web-based service, extension or built into a browser. It essentially takes the XML code and translates it into readable information. When the “update” button on the feed reader is clicked, it searches all of the subscribed sites’ RSS feed for new information.

Having a RSS feed greatly increases the traffic to a blogging site because it provides an easy way to keep an audience abreast of the latest developments. Once someone is a subscriber, he will continue to be involved in the site. RSS also makes it easier for someone to add a site as a link onto their own site.

Blogging inherently encourages communication and the transfer of ideas. Blogging lets businesses extend their reach and strengthen consumer loyalty, as well as get people talking about their product. It's a matter of perception, encouraging integrity and strengthing relationships in the corporate world. Blogging has become the trademark of forward thinking companies, willing to suffer a few stings in order to get to the benefits it has to offer.

7 Questions To Ask Yourself BEFORE Starting A Business Blog

2007-12-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

Blogging is the latest buzzword in online marketing and PR.

But with so many marketers jumping on the blogging bandwagon, few people are giving a thought to whether blogs are really up their alley, or taking the time to consider the best ways of going about it.

If you are planning to start a business blog, ask yourself these questions before you take the final plunge.

1. Do you really need a blog?

Writing and maintaining a blog takes a certain degree of commitment, as well as a passion (or at least a liking) for stringing words into a decent sentence. If you don't enjoy writing that much, you could always create an audio or video blog.

But would your business objectives really be served by starting a blog? Or could other methods of online marketing - like SEO, ezine advertising or newsletter publishing work just as well, if not better?

2. Whom do you want to reach with your blog?

The first step to reaching your audience is understanding where they go to find information about your products.

If your audience largely consists of people who live in your town or use products that they search for in the newspapers, offline advertising might be more suited to your purpose.

If however, your target audience belongs to one or more of these segments, a blog might be just the thing to boost your business.

- Internet users

Does your target audience really use the internet? If not, then starting a blog (or any online activity, for that matter) will just be a huge waste of time and effort.

- Blog readers

Does your target audience read blogs? Or do they prefer to get their information in their inbox? If the latter is true, then an email newsletter might be a better option than a blog.

- Search engine users

A blog is an excellent way to boost your search engine rankings and get listed for a lot of your target keywords. If you know that your audience uses search engines to find information, a blog will increase your chances of getting their attention.

3. What do you want to achieve with your blog?

There are a lot of things that a blog can do for your business. Blogs can help you -

- Increase your visibility and search engine rankings

- Brand yourself, your products, your services, your company

- Build a community and network with people who have similar interests

- Expand your reach to those outside your current sphere of influence

- Establish your credibility as an expert or thought-leader in your field

- Put a human face on your business

- Reach out to potential customers and stakeholders

Deciding exactly what you want to achieve with your blog can help you get focused, so that you can spend your time and effort in activities that help, not hinder your business objectives.

4. How much time can you spend on your blog?

Serious business bloggers not only spend time writing their own blogs, but also spend a great deal of time reading up on current events and browsing other blogs in their field for information.

If you are prepared to put in the time and effort required to do that sort of research, your blog will serve as a good branding tool for your business.

If not, you should either hire someone to do the research or seriously rethink your decision to start a blog.

5. What blogging platform will serve your needs best?

Deciding your blogging platform is an important step that you should take only after becoming familiar with the features and benefits of each option.

The reason it is so crucial is because it can be extremely difficult to migrate an established blog to a new platform once you have started it. Moving your blog can result in you losing your data, search engine listings and readers, so don't take this decision lightly.

Decide which platform will best meet your marketing objectives, time constraints and personal preferences before you make your first post.

According to T.L. Pakii Pierce who writes at "How to Blog for Fun & Profits!" http://blogforfunandprofit.blogware.com, if you are short of time, and want to spend more time writing, then a hosted solution like Blogger, Blogware, Squarespace or Typepad might serve your purpose better.

This might also prove a better option if you want to get started as soon as possible, are new to the internet, or are unfamiliar with scripts or code.

If, on the other hand, you're a control freak (like me) and don't mind spending some time and effort to customize your blog, then a server-installed software, like Wordpress, b2Evolution or Movable Type might be just right for you.

If you don't want to install the scripts yourself, choose a hosting solution with Fantastico, which comes with a one-click install of a number of blogging software.

6. How do you plan to promote your blog?

Why is it good to know this before you start your blog? Because it will help you decide where best to invest your time and effort when you need to build traffic to your blog.

You'll learn more about the methods to promote your blog when you subscribe to the email course below. Some of these tasks can be outsourced, while others you would have to do yourself.

Decide what you want to take on and look out for service providers to handle the other functions so you can start building traffic to your blog as soon as possible.

7. How will you assess the success of your blog?

To determine how successful your blog is in boosting your profile or profits you will have to measure your blog traffic and track sales or leads that have come through it.

Planning this in advance will help you take more informed decisions about your blogging metrics, choice of blogging platform and degree of customization you require on your blog.

Understand that blogging is not for everyone. It's just another form of communication.

Don't get so hung up on the technology that you end up ignoring more appropriate ways of communicating your message.

Some things may be easier to communicate face to face, in a conference room, or even through the good old telephone.

But if you asked yourself all the questions above and decided that blogging meets all your objectives, then a blog may be just what the doctor ordered for your business.

Making Money With Your Blog

2007-12-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

I’m sure you’ve heard before that it’s a possibility to make money with your blog and you may be wondering how this is possible. And were they really meant for making money or just for journaling your personal thoughts? I’m not sure what they were intended for but they are great ways to make money.

I have a personal blog which is just my own private little place to go online and jot down my thoughts, but I also have my business blogs.

Back In The Beginning

Now to be honest with you in the beginning of my blogging experience I really wasn't sure what I should do with my blog. I knew I wanted to make money with it, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know what I could do to not only be a value to others so they would come back to my blog, but that I would still enjoy writing it.

So it was really important to me that I find a topic in which I would be excited about, and have enough to offer so that I could blog every week or so. After starting a blog that was meant to just be an add on to my business at MommysPlace.net and struggling with the direction of that blog, I came across one of Alice Seba’s blogs. Which she used to write about her experience through a traffic product.

Every couple of weeks or so she would update her progress through this course. She would tell us all about her successes with this product and how great it was for her business. And it made me think of how I could do something similar.

Product/Service Focused Blog

This is when the light bulb moment went off in my head. This is when I realized what I should have been doing all along. I have been a member of a exclusive coaching program for mothers in business.

Since joining this program my business has seen great success. My income has increased more then five times what it was before I joined and my traffic has increased even more then that.

I enjoy and believe in this coaching program and it happens to have an affiliate program. I often got email from other work at home mothers who wanted to know my thoughts on this program.

Taking a cue from Alice’s blog I decided to start my own such blog. And named it http://MomMastermindsJourney.blogspot.com - okay, not a catchy title, but I'm no good with picking names

I used this blog for the purpose of documenting my successes with my business. My projects, new content added to my website, keyword phrases I was ranking for…etc. Basically anything that had to do with my business, that was directly or indirectly because of my joining Mom Masterminds, I jotted down.

Not only was this the best move I could have made for my promoting this affiliate link it also served as a great way to really see for myself the successes my business was achieving and also to keep me on track.

This is one way you could make money with a blog. There are other ways you could make money with a blog if you don’t want to devote a blog to one service or product you’re promoting.

Side Kick Blog

For instance, my blog at http://www.mommyworkingvirtually.com is a side kick to MommysPlace.net and my forums. This is a blog in which I update my members on additions to the website, newsletter and forums. Updating any important telecommuting or business news and can promote my adsense and any other affiliate programs.

So this blog serves more then one purpose. My main goal with this blog is to get traffic to certain sections of my website. I have a large website and it’s not always easy for people to find my information. So this is a great way for me to keep certain new pages or sections of my website in the public eye and get traffic to those pages. It also serves as a way to make money with adsense and affiliate programs. And lastly it gives exposure to my forum and my newsletter.

There can be many ways and many topics in which you can make money and gain exposure to other businesses you may have or can help in creating you as an expert in a certain field.

Just take the time to really think about what you could be writing about and then how you can make money with that as well. You can take a look at others blogs to get an idea and see what other people are looking for.

Making Money With Your Blog - Resources:

Blogs to Riches- is an ebook that details ways you can make your blog profitable. And the really cool thing with this is if you list the publishers link on your blog for 45 days he will give you this ebook for free! If you don't want to wait that long you can also purchase it for a low price. Read more about Blogs to Riches - www.blogstoriches.com

Increasing Adsense - is an ebook about how to increase your adsense revenue. This ebook isn't specifically geared towards blogs, but the information you will learn you can use with your blogs. (As well as websites and forums...anywhere you have adsense.) www.adsense-secrets.com

* Don't know what adsense is? Go to www.google.com/adsense to learn more.

Ready To Blog?

Are you ready to take the leap into a blog? If so, it’s really very easy to set up a blog. The one resource I have used for all my blogs has been blogger.com. This is free, easy, and fun. There are many templates to chose from and you can customize yours if you would like.

I have used the general template for my mom masterminds blog and I have customized my http://www.mommysworkingvirtually.com blog with different colors and fonts then what it came with. I also have that hosted on my own domain, but you certainly don’t have to do that.

Submit Your Blog

After you create your blog you will want to submit it to blog directories to help get your blog out in front of the public. Some of the directories you can try are:

BlogWise - http://www.blogwise.com
Blog Search Engine - http://www.blogsearchengine.com
Blog Hub - http://www.bloghub.com
Blog Daisey - http://www.blogdaisey.com
Get Blogs - http://www.getblogs.com
Is Blogs - http://www.lsblogs.com

Feeds

Next, you need to add feeds to your blog. What is a feed? Good question. I don’t know the exact way to describe a feed nor do I have a lot of valuable information on this subject.

This is still very new to me, but I can tell you briefly what a feed does. You add a little graphic to your blog. It can be for someone's yahoo page, msn page and other ways.

When they click on that they can add your blog to their personal yahoo page. Then every time you add a new post they are alerted on their yahoo page that you have posted AND it even shows the topic of the post and how long ago it was posted.

This is one of the best resources I’ve found in keeping people coming back to your blog. They can subscribe to it so easily and they will be automatically updated whenever you have posted. It’s pretty easy to add an RSS feed to your blog. The resource I personally use is at www.feedburner.com

Watch Out Blogging World - Here I Come!

Now, see how simple this really can be? You can make money with a blog, gain exposure for another business or websites, can create yourself as an expert on a certain topic, can create a blog for free, get it listed for free and start an RSS feed for free! Now get out there and start blogging.

Search Engine Optimization For Blogs

2007-12-05T06:20:00.000-08:00

Blogging software is really a simple Content Management System (CMS) that easily adds new pages and integrates them into your site's navigational structure and linkage.

Blogs and blog posts are naturally search engine friendly because they are text-rich, link-rich, frequently-updated webpages that use stylesheets or CSS, and have very little extraneous HTML.

Optimizing a blog is very similar to optimizing a website, and optimizing a blog post similar to optimizing a web page. But depending on the blogging service or software you use, the results may look somewhat different.

If you follow some simple rules for search engine optimization, your blog can rank much higher than static website pages in the search engine results pages.

Here are the most important rules to follow to get your posts listed for keywords of your choice.

1. Use your primary keyword in your blog domain

Whether you purchase a separate domain (recommended) for your blog, or host it on a blogging service or a subdomain of your own site, try to ensure that your URL contains the primary keyword you want to optimize for.

For example, if you want your blog to get found for the keyword "rss" get a domain with the keyword "rss", or use the keyword in a subdomain as in http://ebizwhiz-publishing.com/rssnews/

Getting a domain name with your own name might make for good branding, especially if yours is a personal blog.

But if you're doing it for business and want the targeted traffic to flow your way, keywords in the domain or subdomain are a move in the right direction.

2. Use your primary key phrase in your blog header tags and the title of your posts

If your primary key phrase is "business blogging" make sure that the word business, or blogging, or both, appear in your blog headers (the H1 or H2 tags) as well as the title of each of your posts.

Most blogging software will take the keywords in your post title and put them into the file name of the permalink posts it creates.

For example, if you have a blog on Blogger and title your post "Search Engine Optimization For Blogs", Blogger will automatically create a page with your post and name the file "search-engine-optimization-for-blogs.html" or something similar.

With other server-side software like Wordpress and Movable Type, you may require the mod_rewrite command to save the title of your entries as a permalink.

3. Use your secondary keywords in the body of your post

If you want to get listed for secondary keywords use them infrequently in the body of your post and pepper your blog titles or links with them appropriately.

Don't overdo this or your posts will end up sounding unnatural and spammy to readers.

4. Use your keywords in the anchor text of links

Keyword in links have more importance than simple text.

Use your primary and secondary keywords in the anchor text of links when linking to other blog posts or to other pages on your main site.

Link keywords where they naturally appear in the body text, but again, don't overdo it, or you'll end up with spammy looking pages.

5. Make sure search engines can spider your blog easily

Set up your blog so that the side navigation bar is present on all pages.

Make sure your archives and previous posts are accessible from all pages of your blog so they get spidered easily.

6. Get backlinks from other blogs or websites

Links pointing to your blog or posts are essential to build pagerank and make your blog rank higher in the search engine listings.

I've seen many people recommend Blogrolling as one method of building links to your blog.

BlogRolling is a one-stop linklist manager for your blog or journal.
http://www.blogrolling.com

But all this service actually does is give you a bit of javascript code that "calls" the links.

As far as search engine rankings go, this method of linking is of little use, because spiders can't read external javascript code.

Instead I recommend that you focus your linking efforts on the methods here.

* Submitting to Blog Search Engines and Directories:

Submitting your blog and RSS feed to blog search engines and directories is essential for getting high-quality links back to your blog. Here is the best list I've found of places to submit your feed or blog.

Best Blog Directory And RSS Submission Sites
http://www.masternewmedia.org/rss/top55/

* Link Exchanges:

Many similarly-themed blogs are often willing to exchange links with other blogs and form richly interlinked networks or communities. Link exchanges with other blogs are easy to implement with most blogging software.

* Trackbacks:

You can also get links back to your blog using trackbacks. One of the disadvantages of using Blogger is that it does not automatically create trackback urls that others can use to link back to your posts.

Haloscan is a free service that will automatically add comments and trackbacks to your Blogger blog.
http://www.haloscan.com

But if trackbacks are an important component of your linking strategy, I would advise using another software or system that adds this feature automatically.

* Comments:

You can also get back links to your blog by posting legitimate comments in response to posts on other blogs.

7. Update frequently

There's no better food for search engine spiders than fresh content.

Post and update your blog frequently using all the rules outlined above and there's no reason why your blog will not get you top rankings in a short period of time.

8. Stay put

Once you create your blog, try to stick to the same domain and blog host or system for as long as you continue to publish.

You could end up losing a lot of your traffic, your readers and all your search engine listings if you decide to move.

For more ways of building traffic to your blog, read the article "How To Build Traffic To Your Blog."
http://www.blog-maniac.com/build-blog-traffic.htm

Small Business: To Blog or Not To Blog

2007-12-05T06:19:00.000-08:00

A weblog, or "blog" started out as a personal journal on the Web. They have evolved far beyond that initial concept. Now, weblogs cover as many different topics as there are people writing them. Some blogs are highly influential and have readership which exceeds most traditional newspapers, while others are mainly intended as personal journals to be shared with only family and friends. So, should you consider blogging?

The power of weblogs is that they allow millions of people to easily publish their ideas, and millions more to comment on them. Increasingly people write, read and comment on blogs. Many people mistakenly believe that blogs are only personal diaries. More and more, blogs are being used by businesses to attract customers. Since blogs now come in all flavors, let’s look at the basics of blogging.

A blogger is someone who writes a blog. The “Blogosphere” is a word used to describe the online community of bloggers and their writings.
A blog differs from a website only because it is a website that is updated frequently, most often displaying its material in journal-like entries. An entry, a post, or a posting, are the terms often used to refer to a specific article or commentary written by the blogger on his or her blog. Many weblogs allow readers to write a reaction to what was written in the blog entry. These comments can often be found directly following the blog entry.

For millions of people, blogging is a hobby. For some, like journalists, writers, business leaders and political leaders, writing blogs enhances their professional careers. A blog gives the voice a broader audience and allows more direct and interactive contact with the readers. Some bloggers have readership numbers approaching that of big media and are able to earn income from their blogs. But potential profit should not be the primary motivation for blogging.

Why should a blog be part of your business’ marketing strategy? The blogging movement is picking up speed, particularly for businesses. Blogging is one arena where the size of your company won’t matter. A blog is NOT the place to promote your product or company. It is a place to promote your ideas, provide tips, and express yourself in the hopes of building an audience. That audience may , in turn, become customers.

There are two key concepts to keep in mind when deciding whether you will launch a blog or not; providing quality content and blogging regularly. These are critical to creating an audience for your blog.

A successful blog is written with a distinct audience in mind. In this way, you can provide content that is unique to your audience’s issues, needs, or desires. If you create content they like and wish to return to read, you will produce quality content. Successful bloggers have a focused topic and a unique personality.

Both your topic and unique style will cause your audience to return to your blog. When they return, it is critical to stay true to your audience and tone of your blog. If people are reading your blog, it’s because they like your topic and tone. Try not to stray from your typical topics and style too much. This will give your readers a reason to link back to your blog on an ongoing basis. But your content and tone are just one element to consider. Also critical to your ongoing blogging success is how frequently you update your blog.

If you don't update your blog often enough, blog readers will move on to other blogs. There are too many blogs out there competing for your reader’s attention. Blog readers will go where the content is.

Successful blogging takes a commitment of your time. When you begin blogging and wish to capture an audience, you should be prepared to blog every day. In this way, you can develop an audience who counts on you to help them begin or end their day. This means you should also try to post at the same time each day. Your readers will get accustomed to your schedule and check your blog at the appropriate time. The time of day is not as crucial as the consistency in your posting.

So, is a blog right for you? You tell me. Do you have a distinct topic in mind? Do you have a strong opinion or passion for the topic? Do you know what audience you are writing for? Do you have the time to commit to regular postings on your blog? If so, see you in the blogosphere!

How To Bost Traffic To Your Blog: SEO for Bloggers

2007-12-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

Let search engine index your blog and let people come to your fresh blog. Though you're in World Wide Web, nobody knows you're there. You need to pull kindly those who are potentially waiting for you but don't know where your are. This objective is related to generally known as search engine optimization (SEO). It's too broad to address all. But the most important things will I talk about. Though they're not all but more than enough will be covered. They are about...

How to use keywords as a SEO technique

What to consider when you choose blog templates

How to construct your blog search engine friendly

Ping your blog

How to use keywords as a SEO technique?

As long as SEO is concerned, the keyword comes at front line. You have to find the target keyword/keywords or niche keywords.

What to do with the keyword/keywords? Please read on.....

Enter keywords in your blog name: If you named your blog for example, "Ryen's blog", it's not a good idea in the view of SEO. Instead name your blog something like "keyword blog". You need to substitute "keyword" with your "target keyword", for example "mountain bike blog", if your blog is about mountain bike.

Enter keywords of your post in title tag: Actually most of bloggers don't need to concern about "title tag" because most of blog hosting applications such as blogger, typepad, wordpress, movable type, drupal, etc... care this for you. But you have to use the keyword in your title and then they will include it in the title tag for you.

Enter keywords in meta description tag, if possible: This may be difficult for most of bloggers because most of blog hosting system don't support this. If this is your case, don't bother with this. To make it possible is almost impossible for the people like me who are not techie at all. But don't worry there is other solution: care your first sentence of the first paragraph.

Enter keywords in the first sentence: Nowadays many SEO experts say that most of search engines don't look meta description tag. Instead they look for the few words in the first sentence. So care your first sentence to include the keywords, make it fit to describe your whole post and attractive.

Repeat your keywords in your post: With this an English grammar teacher may not be happy. But as long as SEO is concerned, it's necessary: frankly to say, you have to. General rule says the keyword density should be about 2-3% of whole words in your post.

You may complain "heck, how do I know keyword density." Well, you don't need to count it manually. There is a free tool to check the keyword density. And actually I don't even check it all the time. I just keep in mind 2-3% and check only for some posts that I think worth checking. Having this in mind, the free tool is here. Type the URL of your post, keyword and click "analyze" button. It'll return you the keyword density of your post. If the keyword density is too low, consider repeat the keyword more but don't repeat too much (more than 3%)

Use your keyword in your blog domain: This improves the ranking of your blog and hence more traffic come to you. If your blog is about "anniversary gift", for example, include it in your domain name so that your blog domain looks like "anniversary-gift.yourhost.com"

Use your keyword in the link title: Many blogger don't know about this!

Which one do you think better, "anniversary gift" or "anniversary-gift.your host.com" as your link title? The former is better. The reason? Because search engines value more. So keep in mind that whenever you get link try to enter your keywords in the link title.

Enter keywords in your file name: When you save your blog, use your keyword.

Which one is better, "mypost98.html" or "anniversary-gift-how-to-choose.html"? This time the latter is better because it includes keywords and hence get better chance to be listed in high rank in search engine.

Enter keyword in alt tag: If you use images in your post, don't forget to put your keyword in alt tag. A 2 cent-tip related to this is that if your Google Adsense doesn't seem to show matching ads with your content, check your alt tag. Maybe it's because you put unrelated words in alt tag.

What to consider when you choose blog templates?

Certainly there is a search engine friendly blog templates. To know whether your blog template is search engine friendly designed, go to Crawler simulation (It's free.) Enter your blog URL and then it'll show you how it looks like when a search engine spider visits your blog site. If you see a lot of html code or java scripts before you see main content, it means your blog is not well designed in the point of search engine optimization. There is a way to hide unnecessary code from spiders, using CSS or div class "hide". Try to make your title tag immediately after head tag and to show up your body content as near to head tag as possible.

How to construct your blog search engine friendly?

Make your blog site structure as simple as possible. This may not be a big issue for bloggers because unless a blogger can design her/his blog system, they have to use a default system. What I mean by this is that most of blog system make permalink be for example, "www.blogcom.com/user/archive/year/month/date/apost.html". See how far the final "apost.html" is from root. It's 5 step further. This is not so good in terms of search engine optimization. You can reduce those steps but you only can do so one or two step because database recognition is concerned behind this story. So the bottom line is that try to make your blog simple but if it's not possible, focus on writing good content. I observed many top bloggers have a bit complicated permalink system yet have lots of traffic.

But if you can make your blog structure simpler without problem, please do so because it is much better for the reader and search engine as well.

Ping your blog

Do you ping? Many pongs will come,then. :-) This may not be an issue if you're using Movable Type, WordPress, Typepad, or Drupal 4.6.0. But consider pinging to Ping-o-Matic!, if your system is not configured to do so. Because it pings to most of important blog search engines and directories in one spot. If your blog application doesn't support to ping automatically to "Ping-o-Matic!", you can do so manually by visiting Ping-o-Matic! Once you type your blog name, blog URL, check where to ping and click "submit ping" button, and don't forget to bookmark. It gives you a convenience because you don't need to type blog name, URL and check where to ping again.

By pinging you make search engine spider crawl you more frequently and make your reader notified faster.

So far you have the most important SEO techniques for your blog. Say, how to use your keywords and where to enter, search engine friendly blog template design, structure and finally ping to "Ping-o-Matic!"
But one thing is missing!

13 Steps to Successful Blogging

2007-12-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

Blogs can be a very marketable and very profitable tool if used correctly. Profiting from blogs is just a matter of grabbing the attention of an audience and not doing any actual salesmen selling. In this article you will learn the 13 most essential steps to successful blogging.

1) Where to start?

You should begin your blog with a free blog hosting service such as Journal Home or Blogger. Starting with a free blog hosting service allows you to begin blogging instantly without having any advance knowledge of scripts, hosting, or programming. It allows you to focus on your content and not the internal maintenance of the blog. The best benefit of starting with a free service is, in the case your blog doesn't become successful you do not lose any money or are you left holding the bill. The great thing about a blog is that they are organized in chronological order, your latest entry is displayed first. When your blog traffic grows greatly and you are ready to upgrade to your own domain then you can simply make your last blog entry the announcement of your "move". Simply add a last entry stating that your blog has "moved" and type the new blog URL address. Which directs visitors to your new blog site, keeping your following, without a major inconvenience to anyone. Upgrade as you need to...but only when you need to!

2) Niche

A niche is a targeted product, service, or topic. You should first decide on a product, service, or topic which interest you. Choose an area which you can enthusiastically write about on a daily basis. You can use keyword research services like Google Zeitgeist or Yahoo! Buzz Index to find popular searched topics. It does NOT matter if your topic is popular as long as there is a audience for your topic and the topic is precisely focused then your blog should be successful. Anything can be considered a niche as long as it has a target audience no matter how large or how small the audience is. A blog about your cat can be a niche or a blog about the species of the cat family can be a larger niche market, if there are people who are interested in hearing about your cat or the species of the cat family...you can even choose to build your audience for a market which an audience does not exist, but first you must build your blog.

3) Update Daily (nothing less)

This step is a must and not a suggestion. Updating your blog daily not only keeps your blog more interesting to readers, but it also gives your blog fresh content on a day to day making it more appealing to search engines. Not updating your blog on an occasional holiday or one day here and there is understandable to most, but missing days at a time or weeks is unacceptable and will most likely result in your blog being unsuccessful. To keep your blog traffic and retain your visitors interest it is a must to update your blog daily with multiple entries. You should try to update your blog everyday with at least 3 or more daily entries. The best way to accomplish this is to set aside 1-2 hours a day for tending to your blog and adding new entries. It may even be wise to schedule a set time which you dedicate to your blog each day. Give yourself work hours and treat your blog as a job, what happens if you don't come to work for days or weeks...you lose money or worse you get fired! Same applies here...if you don't update your blog for days or weeks you'll lose visitors.

4) Traffic

It's no secret. You must have traffic to profit from blogs. There are numerous ways to build traffic. Paid advertising, free advertising, viral marketing, search engine marketing, RSS/XML feeds, and word-of-mouth. You should always use your blog URL address in the signature of your email, forum discussions, message boards, or any other communication media. You should submit your blog URL address to search engines and blog directories. You should submit your RSS/XML URL feed to blog ping services like Technorati, Ping-O-Matic, and Blogdigger. You should confidently share your blog with family, friends, co-workers, associates, and business professionals when it relates. Many blogs can be considered as a collection of articles, for this purpose you should submit your blog entries (those that are valuable and lengthy articles) to content syndicators like GoArticles.com or ArticleCity.com. Once submitted your articles can be picked up and published by others. The trick is to make sure you include your Blog URL address in the "About the Author" passage. What this does is create link popularity and backlinks for your blog, when someone picks up your article from the syndication then publish the article on their website the "About the Author" passage is included with each publication and the link you included is followed, crawled, and indexed by search engines. Imagine if your article is popular enough or controversial enough to produce 10,000 publications across the web. The search engines is bound to find your site in no time with that many publications and credit you a authority on the topic, in return increasing your rank on search engines. The small effort of writing a well written article is rewarding. You should try to write at least 1 full length article every week for syndication and submit your article to at least 10 article syndicators.

5) Track Your Blog

How do you know if your blog has traffic? Just because no one is leaving comments doesn't mean your blog isn't growing. Many visitors do not leave comments but they are returning visitors. I know it sounds crazy but with blogs people are more interested in what "you" have to say! Many visitors do not comment their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd time. Some do not comment at all, but are active daily visitors.

Tracking your blog does not have to be overly sophisticated usually a simple free page counter like StatCounter.com or Active Meter will do the trick. Install (copy/paste) the code into the html of your blog template and start tracking your visitors. Its better to use a service which gives you advanced traffic analysis, such as keyword tracking information, referral information, and search engine information. Visitors, returning visitors, and unique visitors should be standard for any page counter service you choose.

6) Listen to Your Audience

When using the proper page counter you should begin to see how others are finding your blog and if through search engines then which keywords are being used to find your blog. If constantly your blog is being found by 1 or more keywords then focus your blog around those keywords to make it even more powerful. When writing entry titles and entries use the keywords as often as possible while keeping the blog legible and interesting.

7) Multiple blogs

Use multiple blogging accounts to attract more people. This means you should have a blog with JournalHome.com, Blogger.com, LiveJournal.com, Blog-City.com, tBlogs.com, etc. The more blog accounts the better. You can copy/paste from 1 blog to all others. Having different blog accounts is like having a publication in different newspapers. This enables you to attract more visitors and this also increases the chance that 1 of your blogs will be in the search engine results for your focused keywords.

8) Short & Concise

Aside from the lengthy article a week for syndication and publication your blog entries should be short & concise (if you can help it). Sometimes there are exceptions to the rule and you have no choice but to blog lengthy entries, but try to avoid this as much as possible. You do not want your blog entries to become hours of reading. Visitors like to easily find information and skim through your entries. It is good to be detailed and provide useful information, but do not include useless information or run away sentences that veer away from your topic.

9) Digital Art

Try to include non-advertising graphics, pictures, photos, and art in your blog entries. Not too much. Once a week is fine. Graphics can sometimes bring your blog to life. Of course, the content of the blog is the most important aspect and you do not want to overshadow your content with graphics, but displaying graphics can add a bit of spice to the blog. Be choosy about your graphics and make sure they fit your entry topic. You should add content with the graphic, at least a caption. Original graphics, photos, pictures, and art is recommended.

10) Keep it Personal

A blog is most successful when it is kept personal. Try to include personal experiences which relates to the topic of your blog entry. Stay away from the business style of writing. Write with a more personal style and use first-person narratives. Do not write any of your entries as sales letters, instead share product reviews and personal endeavors.

11) Interact With Your Visitors

You now have the traffic you deserve. You should begin interacting with your visitors. Create a regular theme such as: "Monday Money Tip" or "Picture of the Week" which entices your readers to look forward to each week.

Give your readers advance notice about a product, service, or topic which you are going to review and then talk about later. If the President was scheduled to give a speech then in your blog you should state that you "will discuss the speech and give your opinion after the speech airs. Comments will be appreciated".

Try your best to find exclusive information that not many have. Do not disclose any confidential or secret information which is deemed illegal or can potentially get you into trouble, but try to get the scoop before everyone else does. Such as: If your blog was about Paris Hilton (the socialite) and you had a blog entry about "Paris Hilton Getting Married" then it would be interesting to your readers if you had a actual picture of Paris Hilton engagement ring. Give your best effort to dig and search the internet for exclusive information and you will possibly come up with something useful. Your readers will appreciate this and they show their appreciation through word-of-mouth referrals. Imagine how many readers will tell their friends, family, and others about information they only can find at your blog.

12) Make Money

Once your blog has gained some real momentum and your blog traffic is increasing then it is time to start thinking about turning your traffic into profit. You should use contextual advertising, like Google Adsense or Chitika. Contextual advertising is usually text links which use the content of your blog to publish targeted ads on your blog. The payout is usually based on a pay-per-click model, meaning for ever click an ad receives you are paid a small percentage of the profits. In addition to contextual advertising it is good to also use graphical advertising such as: BlogAds.com, Amazon.com, MammaMedia, or General Sponsored Advertising.

13) You're a Professional

You're a professional now! What are you still doing with that free blog hosting service? It is time to upgrade to a domain hosted solution. You need to get a web host and choose a domain name for your blog then check its availability. Select the blogging software you wish to use, such as: Squarespace.com, WordPress.org, MovableType.org, etc. When you have your new blog domain setup and ready for traffic then it is time for you to announce your move on all your previous blog accounts. Your last entry to the blog should be a "move" announcement. The title should be "Moved" and the blog entry should state something like "Old Blog has been moved to New Blog please follow and bookmark this link for future reference: http://www.YourNewBlogDomainName.com". This way all returning visitors and new readers should not have any problem finding your new blog domain.

At the level of a professional blogger you may want to team up with 1 or more other bloggers. This will create a more interesting and more powerful blog. The old saying "two heads is better than one", more authors mean more advertising and exposure because each author will have a vested interest in the blog. The idea of a team blog is to make it profitable and rewarding for all authors, while continuing to target the blog topic and keeping the blog interesting for visitors.

Following these blogging techniques should make your blogging experience much more rewarding. There is no guarantee that your blog will become popular or a household name, but the effort should at least put you one step closer. Making money online is not an overnight experience like many may think, but making money online is definitely a foreseeable possibility. As well, growing popularity on the web is not an overnight experience, but through time, dedication, and persistence you will be rewarded with all the royalties of blogging.

Writing Good Blogs

2007-12-05T06:13:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of blogs out there on the Web, most of which don't entice one to go back regularly to read updates. What is missing from these on-line journals that would essentially make them 'good' blogs? Well, the answers in life usually come down to simplicities. So let's look at the problem like we were children. Children don't complicate life with miscellaneous information, and when they speak they tell you straight to the point exactly how they feel and think about a subject. First of all, we should ask the questions," Why do blogs exist? And what are they here for?" Well, in an ideal world 'good' blogs would help people connect, sharing knowledge and feelings about issues in life. As they are journals written by individuals we would hope that they'd be readable and open to comment by all other people, not just a select group of friends. The key is speaking in a way that is understandable by the masses, get rid of acronyms and local slang that only few will comprehend. Keep the sentences grammatically simple and generally short and concise. Try to write in your blog as often as possible because if people enjoy reading your thoughts and ideas they'll want to communicate or at least be filled in regularly on 'your world'. Ask questions, comment on other blogs of similar content, start communities with others you've never met, based on your interests. Keep focused; if your blog is about thoughts on war and peace, keep your thoughts on the latest movie and how hungry you are for somewhere else. The idea is to incite intelligent communication so that in time our collective stockpile of knowledge and wisdom will gradually grow like a tree in fertile soil. I think of most importance is the fact that you want this journal to be 'good' reading. Of course we all have ideas about what genres and styles we like, but writing from your heart and soul is imperative for the connection with others that you're looking for. Share yourself; don't hide behind walls of fear of ridicule and judgment. In real life relationships trust, respect, intimacy, and unity are all necessary for a bond to form. It's the same in the 'virtual' world; people want to hear from real people-not just one-sided, highly opinionated arguments from egos that don't want to hear the 'other side of the coin'. Now, in my last article I really tore apart most writers out there, and here I'm giving some pretty complex ideas on how to fix the problem of 'bad' writing. In my next article I'll attempt to go back to the simple basics of how to write for beginners. I hope I haven't come across as too judgmental, I just truly believe the 'blog world' could become a real asset to humanity, and at the moment it's missing the mark. Ideas about sentence structure, grammar, paragraphing, using a thesaurus (varying terms used so as not to sound repetitive), whether or not your blog is suitable for a personal or professional approach, are all important to creating a simple and enjoyable read for the blogging visitor. If you are a beginner, please check out my next article on the basics.

Free 3D Action Games 2

2007-12-05T05:09:00.000-08:00

Galaxy Conqueror 1.1

A spaceshooter programed in C++ with Allegro Features: 14 Levels 4 Boss 5 ships 8 weapons 4 superweapons excellent sound from DoubleT

File size 10000K

A spaceshooter programed in C++ with Allegro
Features:
14 Levels
4 Boss
5 ships
8 weapons
4 superweapons
excellent sound from DoubleT

Visit homepage of Galaxy Conqueror

Download Galaxy Conqueror 1.1

Xiiris Arcade Demo - Your Daily Space Shooter Dose The Awakening

Xiiris is an arcade style open source space shooter game. Source will be released in conjuction with the release of the actual game. There are rumours about commitment to multiplayer expansion if the arcade version is a success. Shh..

File size 30000K

Xiiris is an arcade style open source space shooter game. Source will be released in conjuction with the release of the actual game. There are rumours about commitment to multiplayer expansion if the arcade version is a success. Shh..

Xiiris engine is being built on top of RetinaX, a managed DirectX game engine library that is being developed along with the game. RetinaX features scene graph based rendering, 3d sound support and ui framework.

Xiiris runs on Windows (i386) machines and requires 3d hardware acceleration card with DirectX support. We have not yet figured out the minimum requirements.

Visit homepage of Xiiris Arcade Demo - Your Daily Space Shooter Dose

Download Xiiris Arcade Demo - Your Daily Space Shooter Dose The Awakening

Sudoku Training Software 1.1

The Sudoku program generates puzzles every level witch can be printed or can be solved on the computer.

File size 1077K

The Sudoku program generates puzzles every level witch can be printed or can be solved on the computer. New puzzles are generated in a few seconds. This program also offers the unique feature of learning the player on how to solve more challenging puzzles. The program can give a hint on what technique to use so you actually will become a better player.

The program has ten predifined levels that are based on puzzles you find in newspapers and puzzle books. It is even possible to generate puzzles on a custom level.

Visit homepage of Sudoku Training Software

Download Sudoku Training Software 1.1

Abashera revamped 2.01

Abashera revamped is an addictive 3D first person IQ adventure maze game made by the visionary artist Max Magnus Norman.

File size 22000K

Abashera revamped is an addictive 3D first person IQ adventure maze game made by the visionary artist Max Magnus Norman.

There are no guns, no weapons, no tedious bosses. You must rely on your intelligence to survive. There's no linear plot, you choose from session to session which mazes you shall explore. The missions vary: Kill all beasts, kill no beasts, find the Holy Grail or find the Ark of the Covenant, pick a certain number of diamonds, mushrooms, flowers, strawgoats or eggs, etc. The mazes are populated with a number of more or less smart critters such as: Commie Dogs and Capitalist Dogs, The One Who Sees, Blocker Frogs, Monobites, the deadly The One Who Hears and many more. You will have to be a real Theseus, study the monster's behaviour in order to outsmart them and survive.
The in-game music is popcornish electro pop MP3 music. Four full length tracks are included, one with lyrics.

Visit homepage of Abashera revamped

Download Abashera revamped 2.01

No Holds Barred Fighting simulator 0.96

Ultimate fighting simulation

File size 4500K

NHB Fighting is MMA (mixed martial arts) textual Flash sim for Windows.
All you need to do is pick two fighters (or more in tournament mode) and read play-by-play. You can simulate matches under PRIDE, UFC and K-1 rules, and we´ll add more.

Currently there are more than 400 fighters in our database, and you can edit their ratings, as well as create new fighters.

Visit homepage of No Holds Barred Fighting simulator

Download No Holds Barred Fighting simulator 0.96

Spaced Out 2 1.0

Spaced Out 2 is now an awesome single-player or multiplayer online spaceship battle game! Great graphics, cool music, many weapons, ship enhancements, mayhem galore!

File size 23655K

Spaced Out 2 is now an awesome single-player or multiplayer online spaceship battle game! Great graphics, cool music, many weapons, ship enhancements, mayhem galore! Fight six bots using pre-designed ships in the single player mode or trick out your fighter when you host or join an internet game.

Visit homepage of Spaced Out 2

Download Spaced Out 2 1.0

Poker.com - play for fun or real 2.4

With the official launch of it's brand new poker software and website in May 2005, Poker.com aims to provide the best poker experience and information available on the internet.

File size 1000K

With the official launch of it's brand new poker software and website in May 2005, Poker.com aims to provide the best poker experience and information available on the internet.

Our software currently offers Texas Holdem and Omaha poker and there are plans to incorporate many more poker games and features such as video poker, stud poker, and other poker variants.

Poker.com will kick start it's launch with the biggest available daily freeroll tournaments on the internet, when we give away over $5000 per day in guaranteed tournaments.

Poker.com support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have any questions no matter how big or small, the customer support team is always waiting to help you.

Visit homepage of Poker.com - play for fun or real

Download Poker.com - play for fun or real 2.4

Tertullian's Tomb Demo 1.0

Tertullian's Tomb is a PC, science fiction, first person shooter game. In 2060, in Skull Island on the planet Zephrany, your mission is to collect the energy and relics of the deceased that have been stolen by the Xeonites.

File size 46,599K

Tertullian's Tomb is a Windows based game available for the PC. The science fiction, first person shooter game takes place in Skull Island on the planet Zephrany. In 211 A.D., on the planet Earth, St. Tertullian wrote about honoring the dead. In 2060, on the planet Zephrany, your mission is to collect the energy and relics of the deceased that have been stolen by the Xeonites. Battle the ghosts and goblins of this planet in an easy, get-in and-have-fun game for all ages.

Visit homepage of Tertullian's Tomb Demo

Download Tertullian's Tomb Demo 1.0

Machines of Destruction 1.0

This is a cool car fighting game with loads of upgrades and weapons for your car. Cool graphics and music. Well worth downloading! This Game is Freeware and screened for maximum quality by Illusion Software!

File size 16138K

This is a cool car fighting game with loads of upgrades and weapons for your car. Cool graphics and music. Well worth downloading!

This Game is Freeware and screened for maximum quality by Illusion Software!
Feel free to distribute this Game on your own website.

Visit homepage of Machines of Destruction

Download Machines of Destruction 1.0

Doing Marilyn Monroe

2007-11-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

Professir X and Starr doing Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe Diamonds are a girls best friend

Windy Marilyn Monroe

Free Chat Tools

2007-11-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

Remote Administrator Control Client 3.3.1

With RAC (Remote Administrator Control) you can work without any limits on a remote computer with operation system Windows, as if working on your local computer.

File size 3782K

With Remote Administrator Control you can work
without any limits on a remote computer
with operation system Windows,
as if working on your local computer.
You can connect through Internet/Intranet
network with the TCP/IP protocol.

The connection can be done through the integrated
HTTP tunnel if your work computer is limited to viewing
internet sites only, so that you could remotely control
your home computer from work and the other way around.

Supported Remote Services: Full Control, Viewing Only, File Transfer,
Command Prompt, Process Control, Recording, Chat, Sending Message,
Computer Shutdown, Switching the Computer on Remotely Using
the WOL (Wake on LAN) Feature, Remote Installation
and Uninstallation of RAC Server, Redirect, HTTP tunnel and Tools.

The RAC is made of RAC Client and RAC Server (remote computer).

The RAC Client (this) displays all the activity that is being
done on the remote computer, and you can fully control
the remote computer with your keyboard and mouse or only view.
For remote computer control there are some displays
modes available: full screen, 15-200% display.
During the time of controlling the remote computer you may
record all your activities to video files.
The data transfer between the client and server is secure,
all data frames are encoded.
Using the RAC Client is free (freeware).

The RAC Server runs on the remote computer, waiting
for requests from client.
You can connect more users to the server.
The server can run as a system service under the Windows
to enable remote log on to system
and support Fast User Switching.
RAC Server is shareware you can test the fully functional
version during the 30-day trial period.
After the trial period expires you may use without any charge
the redirect service and HTTP tunnel server
with the possibility of tunneling TCP or UDP ports.

Visit homepage of Remote Administrator Control Client

Download Remote Administrator Control Client 3.3.1

Free Flash Chat 1.02

Flash Chat fresh your online chatting expericen with rich features & functions.

File size 11157K

The flash chat is a new mode of chat software which is different from text one. Full of various flashes and funny animation, the flash chat offers an interesting feel of communication online. Based on Flash Media Server and Red5, FlashPioneer Flash Chat supports many systems, which brings convenience to users and saves them a lot of money of global setting. And Flash Chat itself costs less while works excellently. Every web site may also customize a flash chat matching all the needs and we professional team will do the best for your satisfaction.With exordinary features below:
Real-time Doodle function makes chat here more funny. Users can draw something on the board, and the drawing could be seen by all the users in the same chat room once it happens. Each room has its own drawing board.
There are various funny smiley and animations in our flash chat. They make your communication much more interesting and enjoyable than just words on the screen. Besides, our flash chat offers your many different backgrounds for you to enjoy. You will find one go perfect with your mood or the topic. Just enjoy!
Skin Change and Customization : Various interface styles are available for you to select. You can change the Chat skin as you like whenever needed. If you want a special one fitting to your web site, it is also supported that you design and custom the skin by yourself. Or you can ask us to do it for you as required.
It can be only defined by exterior that which interface style can be used. Once you change the skin, it will be seen immediately by the your users entering later.
Multi-language Interface: Automatically detect users' language system and load language package to carry out Multilanguage function. Users can decide what language to display on the Flash client by transferring exterior parameter to Flash SWF. All the interface language information will be preserved in the exterior XML file. Also users can add language package by dint of help file.

Visit homepage of Free Flash Chat

Download Free Flash Chat 1.02

Yahoo! Messenger Archive Decoder 1.1

Yahoo! Messenger Archive Decoder is the quiet way to view the YIM chats of others whom use your PC. This program turns chat archiving on for ALL users without any passwords. You can then easily view archives for all users within the YMAD interface.

File size 398K

Are you worried what your spouse, child or employee is chatting about? Our free program will uncover the truth with extreme ease by secretly turning Archiving on for ALL users - no passwords needed! The program then allows you to read Yahoo's archive (.dat) files, enabling you to see every conversation which takes place on your computer!

This software works with ANY version of Yahoo! Instant Messenger! Its never been easier to monitor YIM chats! Works with any language. Don't want anyone to know about the program? Once archiving has been turned on, you can remove the program. Then just run the program again when you are ready to decode (view) messages!

Visit homepage of Yahoo! Messenger Archive Decoder

Download Yahoo! Messenger Archive Decoder 1.1

ICQ 5.1

ICQ, the classic Instant Messaging service, has launched its newest version, ICQ 5.1. The one stop service for all your communication needs.

File size 6159K

ICQ, the classic Instant Messaging service, has launched its newest version, ICQ 5.1. The one stop service for all your communication needs.

The ICQ 5.1 version includes all of the essential communication features such as messaging with the ability to save your chat history, file transfer, sending SMS messages (in selected countries), Voice & Video chats, and an extensive directory search for meeting new people. It also provides the ability to add and communicate with AOL and AIM users. In addition, ICQ has recently introduced ICQ Phone, a new, low-rate way to make PC to Phone calls. ICQ Phone joins the multimedia feature set that includes ICQ Push-to-Talk, the ""walkie-talkie "" like service.

ICQ also includes Xtraz which allow you to send personalized greeting cards, apply custom icons to your buddies, play online games, and customize your shortcuts panel for one-click access to all your favorite features. The ICQ Xtraz platform enables ICQ to present users with a selection of new services as they are created, without the need for you to download a new client. ICQ Xtraz also supports the creation of new ICQ features that can be built separately from the core ICQ client and then delivered and automatically updated over time. The new interface is clean and intuitive, so you can start chatting quickly and easily.

Users now have more options to customize ICQ 5.1's newly designed interface. ICQ tZers allow users to send short flash animations to their Contact List friends as well as newly designed boyz and girlz skins and emoticons to add more personality to their messages.

Visit homepage of ICQ

Download ICQ 5.1

Gizmoz Talking Headz 1.547

Gizmoz Talking Headz (Beta) is a fun and innovative Plug-in for all the leading Instant Messengers. Now for the first time you can communicate by cool 3D Talking Headz, which are animated by emotions, text to speech or by your very own voice.

File size 9607K

Gizmoz Talking Headz (Beta) is an extremely humoristic innovative Plug-in for all the leading Instant Messengers. Gizmoz is all about self-expression. Gizmoz adds an eye-popping new twist to your social networking and personal messaging experience with fascinating, highly emotive animated headz that speak in your own voice, or text messages.

Our service offers you the opportunity to express yourself by creating your very own hilarious Talking Headz Gagz right here on Gizmoz.com as well as share them with your friends! It's easy to do, and we promise you lots of laughs!

Gizmoz IM client to spice up your Instant Messaging while chatting with friends on your preferred instant messaging service. (We support all the leading IM services: Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, ICQ, MSN Messenger and Google Talk).

Put simply, Gizmoz Talking Headz enables a New Kind of User Experience!
We have designed the service to empower you with a fun, personal and emotionally engaging online social presence.

Use Gizmoz Talking Headz as your new expressive visual identity for your on-line social networking and communication.

Visit homepage of Gizmoz Talking Headz

Download Gizmoz Talking Headz 1.547

What is google talk ?

2007-11-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

The advent of Internet has affected lives of almost the entire world and websites, e-mails and chating on net none need any introduction even for young kids. There is an outpour of websites throughout the Internet all offering numerous services to attract the potential visitors online. The question actually matters is what’s the foolproof way to keep visitors glued to a particular site and not jump to other numerous sites that are upcoming each new day. What makes one of the web pages much more popular than the other when both are based on almost similar theme. The answer lies in the way of presenting the information and the simplicity with which the users can avail services offered.

One site that has proved to rise at a highest pace in the web world in a shortest span of time is unarguably the google. It’s been a hot favorite amongst the search engines on web and the one that is most preferred by web users. It’s simple design targeting only the specific service that it intends to provide and a very efficient scripting language behind the scene has won a top position among the most popular sites in the web world. Google the name actually does not require any introduction it’s already headed on top of the list for advertisers and regular or casual visitors on net.

Some time back the Google team started the service of e-mail even that caught the fancy of online visitors in a very short time. It offers its users with lots of free space on Internet around more than 2000 MB and still amount of space is increasing each day. One more aspect that makes it different from its counterparts is membership-acquiring process, which is possible only through invitation by anyone already using Google.

Next, good news is that the Google team is shortly coming up with its new venture for offering instant messaging services for its users. Just as the earlier performances by Google this too promises to be a messaging service with a difference. It definitely would offer newer facilities and opportunities for its visitors something quite better than what the existing chatting services offer. The facility would be readily available for existing users of gmail account and others can also avail this opportunity to create a gmail account and register themselves at the Google site.

Just as e-mail has been popular around the globe similarly the instant messaging system captured the hearts of frequent visitors on web. A client “Gaim” in required to be installed on the computer that wants to use the Google instant messaging services. This client program is capable of performing various tasks required by its users. Apart from the new registrations pouring in by the advent of Google talk current gmail members would also be more than happy as now they would not need two id’s on their computer one for e-mails and the other for instant messages. Google talk makes it easy for all its members to manage their entire Internet requirements at one single place i.e. the Google site and to add flavor to already existing recipe is the news that all of this is free

Creating Online Communities

2007-11-30T08:49:00.000-08:00

Looking for somewhere online to meet new people, discuss hobbies, plan events, or just have fun chatting? Online forums have been around for some time on the internet and often free and easy to setup. Forums are basically online discussion web sites where people share information and chat grouped around a set of topics. One example might be a local photography club. You could setup topics around types of cameras, locations for shooting, local events and meetings, printing tips, etc. Often there are administrators and moderators that help to keep the discussion orderly and on topic.

Some items to consider when starting an online forum include…

Cost – Often you can find them for free. There will probably be some advertising on the site, but don’t most sites now a days?

Features – Does the forum support avatars, private messages, user levels, themes, etc.

Security – Is it possible to create forums that only register users can post in? Helps to avoid those spammers.

I cannot stress the last one enough. You should be completely able to control who is in your forums. One bad apple spoils the bunch. On that same note, it is common for a forums to have moderators. These are people that help enforce the rules in the forum. Make sure your choose your help wisely. When it comes to administrators, there should only ever be one. Administrators have the keys to the city and can set your forum ablaze.

Finally to make a forum a success you need to attract people to it to join. Obviously if it is for a church or some other established group, this is relatively easy. Tell your friends, family, club members. If you are starting from scratch, do the same. Tell people, show people, invite people. Check to see if your forum site is listed in search engines like google. Once you get past that initial setup and recruitment your will soon be on your way to having a forum that you and your friends can enjoy.

Internet Chat Rooms: Are We Missign the Point?

2007-11-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

In my short life, after years of talking too much, I’ve come to realize that if one is always speaking, one never listens. If you never listen to others, well, you’re limiting your access to a lot of knowledge and information. Recently, after much deliberation I thought I’d check out what the world of Chat Rooms is like. People talk to each other by text, voice, and web cam. This is a really big phenomenon; I wanted to see what all the fuss is about.

I expect there are many chat rooms where people with similar interests get to know each other, and share their perspectives on various aspects of life. These are great, much cheaper than telephones, and multiple, random people can chat to one another simultaneously.

But I speak the truth, and my preconceived ideas about mindless gossip from jaded humans were sadly affirmed as I arbitrarily checked chat rooms that supposedly discussed important subjects. It seems some people are just very bored, and want to be cool and swear on-line, insulting others, and giving this area of information technology a bad name. I think a lot of people are using the rooms solely for personal conversation that contextually no one else can understand.

I went to a chat room about religion, and then to one about tattoos and it seemed like the same people were talking. Most of the conversation didn’t even touch the supposed subject matter. It was definitely a disenchanting experience but hopefully with more research I hope to come across some serious rooms where the true intent of the creators has come to fruition.

I guess it’s good that bored people in our technological society have others to talk to. It means depressed adolescents may feel more connected to others and not so alone in the world, maybe even having a positive effect on a possibly suicidal youth. But, I do feel this nonsensical chitchat is a sign of our next generation’s apathetic view of present reality in our postmodern culture. When reading the text from a supposedly religious discussion, and hearing graphic use of derogatory terminology, I really have to wonder about the present spiritual beliefs of my culture.

I’m a true believer of the concept that technology is here to further the consciousness of humanity. Computers and the Internet can help bring all of us in the world together, thus evolving our society to the next level. After looking at chat rooms, I feel there is a need to integrate more wisdom and compassion into our ‘new world’ generation. Having the technology is great, but it is only one half of the equation. To make the Internet work properly, I think we need to instill the same faith we have in science, into a faith that encompasses the actual creators of the information and communication tools-humanity itself. We seem to realize that we can invent many great things, but it looks like we’re missing out on the great truth: that we ourselves are part of, and made of something great in itself: Life. (Existence!)

Free dating tools software 2

2007-11-30T08:06:00.000-08:00

AzDGDatingLite 2.1.4

Free dating script working on PHP and MySQL. Multilanguage, Multitemplate, 35 registration fields, 3 photos, quick/simple search, feedback with webmaster, Admin maillist, Photo of the day, who is online, statistics, and more...

File size 794K

Free dating script working on PHP and MySQL. Multilanguage, Multitemplate, 35 registration fields, 3 photos, quick/simple search, feedback with webmaster, Admin maillist, Photo of the day, who is online, statistics, Very customizable (Can add new genders (man, woman, couple), categories (seeking for and more), securely working on sessions (temporary cookies) and more...

Visit homepage of AzDGDatingLite

Download AzDGDatingLite 2.1.4

The Social Entertainment Network 2.64

Like a virtual cocktail party that always draws a great crowd, SEN gives you the opportunity to meet members in real time, for friendship, romance or to make new professional contacts. SEN is also a great way for couples to meet other couples.

File size 4695K

The Social Entertainment Network ™ (SEN)

*** SEN is a social club!
A great way to meet new people for friendship, romance, contacts, or just to chat to pass the time. Like a virtual cocktail party that always draws a great crowd, SEN gives you the opportunity to interact with other members in real time, using your computer.

*** SEN is a fast, fun and safe way to meet new people
Download free software and in minutes you can browse pictures, profiles and personals of other members. SEN has powerful features for social networking and online dating. Talk to anyone you think looks interesting with the best chat and IM anywhere!

*** Parties and events!
Meet other SEN members at events in venues near you. See pictures of past events on our web site! Subscribe to the party list on www.SEN.us to get VIP invitations to SEN events!

*** Are you married or have a significant other?
SEN isn't just for online dating. SEN is a great way for couples to meet other couples with similar interests. Meet others with children the same age as your own, or people who want to go out but not to a meat market.

*** Fast match making engine
Browse member pictures, see who is on and jump into a conversation instantly. You can hang out in a group using SEN Venue rooms, or have some fun with the built in match making software.

*** Make professional contacts!
SEN has a built in contact notepad so you can keep notes about anyone you meet. A single click on a person's name in your contact list brings up your personal notepad and conversation history!

*** SEN is currently free and will remain so for some time.

SEN is a software utility designed to address some of the difficulties
people have finding opporunities to socialize while living a
busy lifestyle.

For more information, screen shots, or to download the software, please visit http://www.SocialNetwork.com

Thank you!

The SEN Programming Team

Visit homepage of The Social Entertainment Network

Download The Social Entertainment Network 2.64

Free dating tools software

2007-11-30T07:31:00.000-08:00

Free Online Dating 1.0.0

Free Online Dating is a free online dating service. No subscription fees.

File size 2907K

Free Online Dating is a free online dating service. No subscription fees and lifetime membership with text and audio video chat features. Free Online Dating is a human edited profiles repository where participating members evaluate profiles thereby making Free Online Dating a social network of live dating personals. Easy to install and free to use. Free Online Dating makes online adult dating easy and fun. Download now and join Free Online Dating to meet your soulmate. Free Online Dating works on windows XP/2000 and windows 2003. Free Online Dating can import your yahoo and aol contacts and supports messaging to Yahoo and AIM messengers. Free Online Dating can be used to call online contacts using VOIP.

Visit homepage of Free Online Dating

Download Free Online Dating 1.0.0

ASPnetDating Lite 2.0

Enjoy the freedom to develop your online dating site with easy to use features and functionality. Regardless of your skill level, ASPnetDating allows you to use only the tools that you need to create the ideal online dating experience.

File size 1404K

If you are looking for an easy to use yet extremely powerful solution to create successful dating sites for yourself or for others, then ASPnetDating may be just what you are looking for. Our team offers flexible solutions including web site design, dating site installations and custom dating site development options – everything you need to get your business moving down the path to online success.

Enjoy the freedom to develop your online dating site with easy to use features and functionality. Regardless of your skill level, ASPnetDating allows you to use only the tools that you need to create the ideal online dating experience.

Visit homepage of ASPnetDating Lite

Download ASPnetDating Lite 2.0

Free Dating Software by FreeScape 7.1

Dating Software Free, PHP/MySQL.

File size 2000K

We will install our free dating software on your site FREE!

If you are a well funded company you can take a look at our free dating software, if you like what you see we can install our Enterprise Edition for your site. Even if you have millions to spend you will need months to work out the bugs, we already did that!

Visit homepage of Free Dating Software by FreeScape

Download Free Dating Software by FreeScape 7.1

Jhoos free online dating service 1.0.0

Jhoos is a free online dating service. No subscription fees and lifetime membership with text and audio video chat features. Jhoos is a human edited profiles repository where participating members evaluate profiles

File size 3343K

Jhoos is a free online dating service. No subscription fees and lifetime membership with text and audio video chat features. Jhoos is a human edited profiles repository where participating members evaluate profiles thereby making Jhoos a social network of live dating personals. Easy to install and free to use. Jhoos makes online adult dating easy and fun. Download now and join Jhoos to meet your soulmate. Jhoos works on windows XP/2000 and windows 2003. Jhoos can import your yahoo and aol contacts and supports messaging to Yahoo and AIM messengers. Jhoos can be used to call online contacts using VOIP.

Visit homepage of Jhoos free online dating service

Download Jhoos free online dating service 1.0.0

World Dating Partners 2.1

Create your own dating site, easy to manage for professionals and amateurs. With all of the exciting utilities needed to encourage members to join and to stay within our strong community, our complex and unique matching systems make us techni

File size 1321K

World Dating Partners is the only Dating service provider to produce a full range of professional online dating services. Available to anyone, independent of status for both large and small customers alike. Starting from an easy to set-up highly effective pre-designed system, to individually branded or fully independent enterprise systems, with the flexibility to produce exactly what the you and your customer are looking for. WDP Offers its systems for free on a shared revenue basis with recurring payments, with 4 merchant services, covering 14 Credit and debit cards, makes us the most powerful solution with the highest rewards. Our advanced filtering system is highly effective with niche markets and our multi-language translations, mean that anyone can produce any specific market in any language, along with our worldwide database of over 4 million means that this gives you the power to convert.

Visit homepage of World Dating Partners

Download World Dating Partners 2.1

Homosexual Dating - Truth and Connection

2007-11-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

Homosexual dating has become much more widespread and accepted in Western culture, allowing both gays and lesbians the chance to reach out to one another beyond that of closed doors. Now there are many ways you can have a rewarding homosexual dating experience, so don’t be afraid to get out there and explore all of the potential relationships you can create at a wonderful same-sex communities.

Homosexuality is a form of love that needs not to be judged or explained, because it is just another example of how when you love someone it doesn’t matter what colour their skin is, how old they are, or even what sex they are. True love knows no boundaries, has no discriminations and only wishes to be shared with another who returns the same emotions.

Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with this idea of love, and due to this fact, many homosexuals, regardless if they are male or female, are made to feel alienated, which can often lead to feelings of depression or loneliness. There is no reason why you should let these feelings overcome you, or let other opinions of those you care about, such as family members or friends, negatively influence your life when it comes to finding love, relationships, and homosexual dating.

Homosexual dating is about finding someone who feels the same way you do, enjoys spending time with you, treats you with respect and makes you feel like an equal. It is about being apart of a relationship with mutual understanding, which has the potential to forge a strong connection between both you and your partner.

Like any dating experience, there will be certain setbacks and struggles that you may face during homosexual dating. This is only natural, simply because in order for you to connect with someone, it is important that you feel comfortable with them.

As a gay or lesbian, you should not feel that you need to grab any opportunity that comes your way. There is no harm in starting as friends and working slowly into the relationship to discover how much you have in common. As long as you are honest with your feelings, you should have no problem finding a partner.

Homosexual dating is how you can establish an amazing connection with someone who understands you, and loves you for who you are with no questions asked. Even though you will meet some people who are destined to give you a hard time with your sexual preference, all you can do is trust your own judgments, be true to yourself, and give your love and time to those who deserve it.

When it comes to Multicultural Dating The Most Important Ingredient is Love

2007-11-29T13:02:00.000-08:00

Have you been only dating people from your own ethnic background, to find that no matter what you try, there just seems to be no spark or real passion occurring in the relationship? Are you just about ready to give up on finding a soul mate? Well before you lose all hope in the dating world, you may want to try exploring dating someone who comes from a different culture than you. Who knows, you may just discover that a multicultural relationship is what you need to discover that special spark you've been searching for.

One of the best ways that you can explore your dating options, without having to worry about pressures from friends or family, is to join an online dating community, such as Love Empire, which is designed to bring you close to those who share the same interests as you, regardless if they are black, white, Eurasian and so on.

Love Empire allows you the chance to really explore the beauty of the multicultural dating world with no strings attached, and no outside judgments interfering with your choices. In this online dating community the only opinion that matters when it comes to dating is your own. Therefore, listen to you heart, trust your feelings and use your common sense to decide what's best for you. Besides, the whole point to dating is to have fun, and to enjoy the company of the person you choose to be with.

There is true potential in being apart of a multicultural relationship in today's society, as these relations have really become a more common and accepted part of Western culture. Because of this, blacks, whites, Eurasians and other ethnic groups have more reason to mix together than any other time in history. For instance, it has been estimated that in Britain alone, over 30 percent of black men are either living with or are married to white women, and over 20 percent of black women are living with or married to white men. When you stop to think about that, it's truly beautiful to know that something such as multicultural relationships has grown from a small minority and become common and socially recognized.

Don't be afraid to believe in love and companionship, no matter what others may think of your interracial dating. Remember, the most important ingredient to any relationship is love. No force on this Earth is greater than that of love, and once you find it gender, age, race, and religion are nothing more than small details that add to the beauty of the individual you love.

10 Reasons to Use Online Dating Sites

2007-11-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

There are many more reasons than just ten that I would like to mention, but in this article I have focussed on the primary ten reasons why I believe on-line dating is here to stay. It is now understood that the industry has even further to grow as more and more service suppliers in this segment realize the many niches yet to be serviced and explored. If you are concerned about your time, privacy or safety, while using On-line Dating, then this is a 'must read'.
1.Most people are pretty busy these days. You can imagine how many times you would have to go out and socialize before finding the right partner. Then consider how much you end up spending week after week. You may meet the right person the first time you go out, but you and I know that this is highly unlikely. This procedure more often than not ends up in a lot of wasted time and a lot of wasted money too. However, dating sites(in general) cost nothing to register and or search.
2.Dating sites (the good ones) are in the main, free to join. Only costing you money when you have linked up with someone and intend on meeting with them or communicating further. This is a great feature because it means you will be aware of the basic geography, the hobbies, nuances, hobbies, and other interests before you meet. This is so much less time consuming than dating different people over and over before you find that 'right' person or even just the essential pieces of information.
3.From time to time you can also place advertisements on these sites which stimulates response and gives you a wider field to choose from.
4.You can remain anonymous (recommended) and protect your identity until you're ready and comfortable enough to disclose who you reallly are. If you decide the other person is not for you, you can easily and tactfully end communication without any animosity or even further contact.
5.Some people moving to a new location like to establish relationships and friend before they arrive at their new abode, allowing settling in to be that much easier. This is very often relevant to single parents. There are sites out there that are specific to single parents dating which make the job of meeting that much easier.
6.You may be having difficulty meeting people of the same faith or religion. In this case, there are niche dating sites that service this need in almost every major religion or faith.
7.Equally important is the need to service alternative dating requirements for those who seek pursuits outside the mainstream world of dating. There are many sites to choose from in this category to a point where choosing a good alternative dating service can become confusing and almost frustrating. Look for a Dating Site Review Service to assist you with this. Most of these service sites will have carried out some reviews in addition to weeding out the good from the not so good. If you don't find a particular site on a dating site review service it usually means the owners were uncomfortable with the site and will not include it in their pages or they haven't got around to reviewing it as yet - If the latter is the case, send them an email asking them to review that particular site. Most will follow through and you will find a review in as little as a few days in some cases. If it does not turn up on their pages, there could be something wrong with it.
8.Adult dating also falls into the above category due to its large following. Fortunately, the same solution applies. Just find a dating site review service that has done the 'hard yards' on your behalf and click away. The good review sites are free and will guide you to the better service suppliers.
9.On the subject of Dating Site Review Services, some of them supply newsletters which keep you informed and up to date on new services, promotions (ie.Romance Tours, Dating Events and Speed Dating etc.) and of course other exciting freebies. It is always worth subscribing because you can always unsubscribe if you want to. Just make sure they mention that in their 'sign up box'. Some independent sites have their own newsletters but common sense tells you that you are more likely to receive a more diverse range of information and promotions from the Dating Site Review Service than from just one independent dating site. This occurs because they will screen a whole swag of offers from a host of sites rather than just one before they onsend them to you.
10.Another cool free service from responsible dating sites and review services are the articles which frequently guide you in the right direction with dating trends and tips for successful dating and romance.
I hope this article has opened you eyes to just a few of the many benefits and features that can be obtained when using dating sites to help you.
Enjoy!

If You Really Need A Dating Quiz, Maybe You Shouldn't Be Dating

2007-11-29T12:59:00.002-08:00

Q. My boyfriend failed a dating quiz. Should I dump him?

A. If you're the type that hates to be dumped, then you should dump him before he finds out that you even asked this question. If you put so much value on a dating quiz that you're willing to break off a relationship because someone "failed" it, then maybe you're not ready for dating yet.

You see, a dating quiz is written for entertainment purposes only. I'm not trying to be sexist here, but they are usually written for girls and young woman, and they are designed to prey upon your natural insecurities. They are biased towards some unrealistic viewpoint of what the perfect partner is and the perfect partner doesn't exist.

I remember a dating quiz that asked if my girlfriend reached over to unlock the driver's door after I let her into the passenger door. If I answered "Yes" then she would make a perfect wife. If I answered "No" then I should run away!

Come on, get real. If that's all it took to be a perfect wife there would never be any divorces.

My point, at the risk of repeating myself, is that a dating quiz shouldn't be taken seriously. In fact, there is a good chance that they shouldn't be taken at all. Your common sense knows whether or not you are dating someone who is good or bad for you. You don't need some overworked writer, working against a deadline to fill up some white space in a magazine, or on a web site, to tell you whether or not you should dump someone on the basis of your answers to a dating quiz. Not if you're anyone who is worth dating, that is.

Dating Online - The new way to meet people

2007-11-29T12:59:00.001-08:00

A lot has changed since the days of matchmaking and escorted evenings out. Dating in the 21st century has taken many turns, among these the emerging popularity of meeting partners online.

Online dating has many benefits. The shy dater can open up and get to know a person without having to deal with first-date jitters that often come from fear of the unknown. By the time he or she meets the potential paramour, they have already established a comfort level that allows the date to flow much more smoothly.

At the other end of the spectrum, social butterflies love online dating because of the number of fish in the sea. With so many people to choose from, booking several dates in a short amount of time is easy. Online dating allows you to be discreet, and it also enables you to be choosy. You choose partners based on common interests gleaned from dating profiles. This is an attractive alternative to approaching a potential mate in a bar going on looks alone.

As the online dating community has grown, so too have the number of vendors willing to help you promote yourself. Professional writers and photographers offer services to assist you with your dating profile. They hawk services to help you attract more hits to your online profile, which obviously helps lead to more dating options.

Dating websites vary. Some require a fee to enjoy certain benefits, such as the ability to post a picture or short video. Other dating sites offer free private e-mail accounts and access to thousands of profiles without paying a dime. When engaging in online dating, however, it is important to exercise caution.

Remember that anyone with Internet access has access to these sites. It is virtually impossible for dating sites to weed out the bad seeds; the online dater must take care in setting up dates with strangers. When first meeting face-to-face, choose a public place. Don't divulge too much information until you have a good idea of the person's character. Be careful not to tell too much too soon. With a responsible attitude and an open mind, online dating can be fun, safe, and exciting.

Dating Advice: Love Shouldn't Hurt

2007-11-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

"Because when pain has been intertwined with love and closeness, it's very difficult to believe that love and closeness can be experienced without pain." -Gloria Steinem, "Revolution from Within."

If you tend to attract men who disappoint you (by cheating on you, not showing up when they say they will, or just refusing to get off the couch), you may be confusing love with pain.

So many of us have been brought up to believe that pain is normal, even expected, in a love relationship. Without it, the relationship seems flat, boring. We crave drama. (Why is it that so many women have great sex after a fight with a significant other?)

A happy, loving relationship eludes us because we don't recognize it when we see it, or because we simply believe it's not possible (News Flash: According to a recent Today Show, all men lie. All of them! I wasn't aware that men have a monopoly on lying or other bad behavior. I know some women who are breathtaking liars. Don't you?).

According to the media, men are incapable of remembering birthdays, being monogamous, getting through a weekend unless they're transfixed before a marathon of football games. Women internalize these messages: That's the way men are. That's the way life is. Get over it.

And while the media is happy to sell us the myth of the unattainable happy relationship, some of us have come to believe in it because of our own experiences.

Some of us:

(a) Had parents who treated each other indifferently, (b) had parents who outright hated each other, (c) had fathers who ignored us as children, (d) had a parent who suffered from alcoholism, (e) had mothers who would rather have been doing something else, or (f) had a parent who suffered from a mental illness.

And so, we learned to associate love with pain. It's all we knew.

Others among us grew up in perfectly happy homes with parents who loved each other and delighted in us, but we still managed to:

(a) Internalize negative messages we heard from our friends' parents who were unhappily married, or

(b) Internalize negative messages we saw elsewhere (I know a woman who, during her impressionable teenage years, babysat for a couple who gave each other the silent treatment and expected her to relay messages. She also babysat for another family, where the father once came home early and started reading a porn magazine!).

As a result of this programming, we set low bars for the behavior we'll accept from boyfriends or husbands. Hey, it's better than being alone, right?

Wrong.

If you're putting up with substandard behavior from men, make decision to stop. Refuse to date anybody until you attract a man who makes your happiness a priority. Trust me; such a man will come into your life and stay there.

Treat him as you have come to expect him to treat you, which means with affection, respect, and consideration. Does this sound boring to you? If it does, please examine your feelings about relationships and see if they haven't determined the kind of men you attract.

You see, once you stop dating men who disappoint you but excite you, you can make room for a guy who loves you the way you deserve to be loved--and who excites you. Love and excitement are important, but if they're accompanied by pain, something's wrong. You'll never be truly happy with a guy who lets you down.

Ask yourself, "Where did I ever get the idea that love has to hurt?"

Give yourself time to come up with the answers. Take stock of whether your relationship is worth saving. If you speak up, will it make a difference? If not, are you willing to make room for a man who will love you and make you laugh instead of cry for a change?

"Because when pain has been intertwined with love and closeness, it's very difficult to believe that love and closeness can be experienced without pain." -Gloria Steinem, "Revolution from Within."

If you tend to attract men who disappoint you (by cheating on you, not showing up when they say they will, or just refusing to get off the couch), you may be confusing love with pain.

So many of us have been brought up to believe that pain is normal, even expected, in a love relationship. Without it, the relationship seems flat, boring. We crave drama. (Why is it that so many women have great sex after a fight with a significant other?)

A happy, loving relationship eludes us because we don't recognize it when we see it, or because we simply believe it's not possible (News Flash: According to a recent Today Show, all men lie. All of them! I wasn't aware that men have a monopoly on lying or other bad behavior. I know some women who are breathtaking liars. Don't you?).

According to the media, men are incapable of remembering birthdays, being monogamous, getting through a weekend unless they're transfixed before a marathon of football games. Women internalize these messages: That's the way men are. That's the way life is. Get over it.

And while the media is happy to sell us the myth of the unattainable happy relationship, some of us have come to believe in it because of our own experiences.

Some of us:

(a) Had parents who treated each other indifferently, (b) had parents who outright hated each other, (c) had fathers who ignored us as children, (d) had a parent who suffered from alcoholism, (e) had mothers who would rather have been doing something else, or (f) had a parent who suffered from a mental illness.

And so, we learned to associate love with pain. It's all we knew.

Others among us grew up in perfectly happy homes with parents who loved each other and delighted in us, but we still managed to:

(a) Internalize negative messages we heard from our friends' parents who were unhappily married, or

(b) Internalize negative messages we saw elsewhere (I know a woman who, during her impressionable teenage years, babysat for a couple who gave each other the silent treatment and expected her to relay messages. She also babysat for another family, where the father once came home early and started reading a porn magazine!).

As a result of this programming, we set low bars for the behavior we'll accept from boyfriends or husbands. Hey, it's better than being alone, right?

Wrong.

If you're putting up with substandard behavior from men, make decision to stop. Refuse to date anybody until you attract a man who makes your happiness a priority. Trust me; such a man will come into your life and stay there.

Treat him as you have come to expect him to treat you, which means with affection, respect, and consideration. Does this sound boring to you? If it does, please examine your feelings about relationships and see if they haven't determined the kind of men you attract.

You see, once you stop dating men who disappoint you but excite you, you can make room for a guy who loves you the way you deserve to be loved--and who excites you. Love and excitement are important, but if they're accompanied by pain, something's wrong. You'll never be truly happy with a guy who lets you down.

Ask yourself, "Where did I ever get the idea that love has to hurt?"

Give yourself time to come up with the answers. Take stock of whether your relationship is worth saving. If you speak up, will it make a difference? If not, are you willing to make room for a man who will love you and make you laugh instead of cry for a change?

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

Cache in the Bank: Understanding Google's Advanced Operators

2007-11-29T12:50:00.001-08:00

If you would like to know when your site was last indexed by Google, you can find out easily by using the Google cache command. By typing “cache:www.logcabinrustics.com” into the Google search engine, I learned that my site was last indexed yesterday. The Google cache also displays the web page at the time of indexing, so you can see the latest version of your page that was indexed by Google.

As some webmasters have learned, the Google cache feature can be particularly handy when a valuable website and its backup have been lost due to computer failures. It may be time-consuming, especially if you have hundreds of pages, but you can actually retrieve the “lost” pages from your site in the form that Google last indexed them. If this doesn’t work, you might also try the Wayback Machine at archive.org.

Forensic experts have also used the Google cache feature to their advantage—to retrieve incriminating evidence from the web. This should be an important reminder to all webmasters not to publish sensitive material online. A later decision not to publish some tantalizing tidbit, and the frantic page-pulling that ensues, may not be enough to erase those ill-said words from the Net.

Webmasters are supposed to be able to block Google from caching their site by using the “no cache” tag. However, many don’t even try this for fear of losing favor in the company's powerful search rankings. Although Google says the “no cache” tags don’t affect web rankings, some webmasters aren’t so sure.

Other Helpful Google Operators

Other helpful search engine operators of particular value to webmasters include:

LINK: The LINK operator, when used in conjunction with your domain name, is supposed to tell you how many links are pointing to your site. The syntax for this command is “link:http://www.thevegetarianexpress.com/. By way of caution, this only shows how many links indexed by Google that are linking to you. A more inclusive option is found at the Marketleap website, where the Link Popularity Tool reports how many links are pointing to your site from other well-traveled search engines as well.

INURL: Google’s INURL operator will restrict your search to one site only. For example, typing “inurl:www.logcabinrustics.com log beds” will bring up the log beds only on the Log Cabin Rustics furniture website. This is a particularly helpful option if you are looking for a specific phrase on one site.

INTITLE: The INTITLE operator is helpful if you are looking for sites with a particular keyword in their title tag. Use this phrase at Google by typing in “intitle:furniture” or whatever other search term you are looking for.

Variations of the above themes include the ALLINURL and ALLINTITLE search operators. These are particularly useful when you are looking for a string of keywords in either a title or site. For example, if you start a query with allinurl:, Google will restrict the results to those with all of the query words in the url. For instance, [allinurl:logcabinrustics.com bunk beds] will return only documents that have both "bunk" and "beds" in the url.

Google operators can be especially helpful in analyzing the web pages of key competitors. To learn more, visit http://www.google.com/help/operators.html.

Google Adwords: Here is why it can explode your business!

2007-11-29T12:41:00.000-08:00

The beauty of Google Adwords set up is its simplicity. Google programmers seem to be a close follower of the maxim taught by Edward Debono when it comes to simplicity. Signing up and getting started is very easy and takes a few minutes to get your campaign rolling.

If you are new to the Google Adwords programme, all you need to do is relax, and go through the simple steps mentioned below to get you started off on one of the most technically advanced advertising plans on the internet:

Step 1: Define the eyeballs:
The first step would be to define the target group for your advertisement. There are multiple fields to select from which help you get the geography and language preference of the audience set up so that your ads are shown only to the relevant audience. This process results in an Ad Group, and you can define multiple Ad Groups for various campaigns.

Step 2: Word your ad:
All Google ads are text based and they are displayed in varying font sizes and color to define order and importance. Once your Ad Group is defined, you need to start putting the advertising message together. This is a bit tricky as you need to get the communication within preset character limits. You can write a headline of up to 25 characters, and a two line message of 95 characters. It might be a good idea to take a look at other Google ads in order to understand the choice of words for the ad. After the descriptions are done, you can enter a display URL.

Once the ad itself is put together, you can select the keywords for which the advert should show up. You need to careful with your selection here as your selection of keywords is going to be the key to success (as well as critical for your billing at Google) of your campaign. You can get a lot of help from the keyword tool which helps you find alternate keywords as well. It is recommended that you start with a few keywords in the first place and then proceed to add keywords as the campaign progresses.

Step 3: Define the commercials:

Here's when we need to start sorting out the preferred currency of billing and display. Google does not allow you to change currency of preference once you have set it so you need to be sure which currency you would like to be billed in.

Google Adwords allows you to set pricing of each click. The system would suggest you a maximum cost per click (CPC) which you can choose or define a CPC which you are willing to spend. The 'Traffic Estimator' allows you to see a hypothetical scenario of the traffic you can expect with each type of CPC you choose along with the cost of campaign. This helps you in choosing the keywords effectively.

The commercial section does have a number of sub steps to follow! You now need to finally define what you would like to spend on the campaign. Google will display your ad only till such time the budget permits and then inform you about the expiry of budget. This feature allows you to stay within a pre-defined budget. Google Adwords also recommends a budget based on your previous selection. You can set your budget based on this recommendation.

Once you have completed setting your preferences on the system, Google Adwords gives you an opportunity to review all the details and then click on the final process of signing up for the service.

Step 4: Signing on the dotted line:
True to the rest of the process, the signing up process is really quite simple. All you need is a valid and frequently accessed email account and set up a password and you are ready to roll.

Getting started on Google Adwords is quite simple as you can see from the above steps. All the best with your online marketing campaign with Google AdWords.

i dare you not to watch 2

2007-11-29T04:38:00.000-08:00

FF7 Advent Children - I dare you AMV

Perfect Bikini Teen Strip

I Dare You Not To Laugh

cute baby eating mango...

scary car

HomoErotic Asian Kids!

How Do You Write Songs?

2007-11-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

There was an interesting post today on a message board that I go to. It was about a guy that just started a new band and he wanted to know if anyone could give him some songwriting tips.

First off, there isn't a wrong way to write songs. But after you've done it for a while, you'll find out that some ways to go about it are easier than others.

This is how I do it.

1. Music and Melody Come First

I never fit a melody to pre-existing lyrics. It’s forced and it doesn’t sound good to me. When you write the words before the melody, you’re trying to force the melody to fit your lyrics. The result is it doesn’t sound natural.

A lot of songwriters start with an idea. It's just easier for me to know what angle I'm coming from. Usually how it happens with me is the music comes first and the melody comes right after that.

Why do I write the melody first before my lyrics?

If I don't know how many notes are in the melody, how do I know how many syllables need to be in my lines? I don’t.

If there’s 8 notes in the first part of the melody and 6 notes in the second part , you’ll have to have 8 syllables in the first line and 6 in the second.

Let’s say you want to put 4 lines in each of your verses, You’ll have 8 syllables in the first and third lines and six in the second and fourth.

Here’s an example:

In the song "I want you to want me" the lead singer for Cheap Trick wrote a four line melody that had six notes in the first three lines and seven in the last line. He knew that there had to be six syllables in the first three lines and seven syllables in the fourth.

I Want You To Want Me

I want you to want me =six syllables

I need you to need me =six syllables

I’d love you to love me =six syllables

I’m begging’ you to beg me =seven syllables

2. Figure Out An Idea To Work From

Ideas are everywhere. You can write about what a friend of yours is going through. You can write about what you're going through.

I keep a journal just for this and make daily installments. I write down everything that I can think of that happened that day. And after a few months of that, I'll go through the journal harvest my ideas.

I treat my journal like the garden it is. Most every song I write comes directly from my journals.

3. Put the idea into one to two sentences

The best way to show you this is to give you an example. Keeping with "I Want You To Want Me", here’s the basic idea:

"I want you to want me as bad as I want you."

You only want one idea for each song. If you have any more, your song is going to last too long. And you're listeners won't be able to keep up.

Believe me, nobody but you will understand them. I know from very bad experience.

4. Write The Lyrics To Fit The Melody

Once you have the idea, you start to explain the idea in the verses with the number of syllables you have in the melody. The chorus is just the overall idea in a summed up fashion.

That’s how I write songs. Music and melody come first. The idea comes after that. Write the idea in a statement form. And then, write the lyrics to fit the melody.

Music For A Better Life

2007-11-29T02:57:00.000-08:00

Would you like to pop in a CD and have a better quality of life, and even self improvement? There are three ways you can use music to accomplish this.

Music For Motivation

Put on energetic music, and even doing housework seems less like work. Using music to motivate yourself or change your mood is an area where you can trust your experience and experimentation. When you find the msic that energizes you, relaxes you, or makes you happy, keep it ready for when you need it.

Music For Intelligence

Music creates neural pathways in your brain that stimulate creativity. Studies show that music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking. In one study, three-year-olds were split into two groups. The first had no special training in, or exposure to music. The second group studied piano and sang daily in chorus.

Eight months later the musical three-year-olds were much better at solving puzzles. They also scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the other group. There's also anectdotal evidence that listening to music, especially from Mozart's era, can help you study and learn better.

Hopefully there will be more research. In the meantime there's no reason not to do your own experimentation. I've heard that Stephen King writes with loud rock music playing, so the benefits of music may be according to your own tastes or brain-organization.

Music For Brainwave Entrainment

Want to listen to some music, and get smarter, or have instant easy meditation? There are products now that "entrain" your brainwaves, in order to put you in a meditative state. Music is embedded with beats and pulses that entrain your brain waves to a specific frequency. Put in the right CD or MP3 for your activity, and you get better brain function. Science? Partly.

Brain wave frequencies vary with mental state. Daydreaming and light meditation take place in the "Alpha" range of frequencies, for example. So if you listen to music containing beats at a frequency of 10 Hz you will generate more brainwaves at a 10 Hz frequency and enter a relaxed Alpha mental state. Do these things really work?

Yes. I've found two products that put me in a peaceful state unlike any other music or meditative practice. Studies will prove the effects (some have already), and disprove the wilder claims. Given my results, however, I wouldn't wait for more research. Many things work long before the scientific proof arrives.

If you are skeptical, you can wait for more evidence of the benefits of brainwave entrainment. Meanwhile, why not try classical music when you study, just to see if it helps? Experiment with music - Mozart isn't dangerous.

The Dark Side of P2P File Sharing

2007-11-29T02:56:00.000-08:00

P2P file sharing programs are free. Period. But there are P2P scam sites out there that want you to pay them instead. P2P scam sites are rogue companies that have set up shop to fleece unsuspecting music downloaders looking for file sharing programs by charging a fee for an otherwise free service.

No P2P file sharing software costs money. Exceptions would be a site asking members to make a monetary donation to help pay for bandwidth, hosting costs, and other administrative costs.

Some P2P file sharing programs offer "pro" versions of their free software. But again, their basic service is free to the public. I want you to fully understand this, because paying a P2P scam site money can not only make your wallet a bit lighter, it can also make your computer vulnerable to dangerous spyware.

That's right. These scam sites are only interested in making money off you. As well as actually taking your money by fooling you into paying them, they'll make money off you by installing spyware on your PC, so that they can get paid by sharing your online habits and personal information with others.

For music download beginners, all of this can be very confusing. Why? Because these scam sites advertise all over the Internet. Search engines return results chockful of these scams alongside the real P2P file sharing programs; their banner ads riddle the Internet landscape; sites are promoting these scams to get their piece of your money.

Most real P2P programs don't advertise much on the Internet. The reason is that they're not money makers. It takes money to advertise, and who has more money--the free P2P file sharing programs or the scam artists? You guessed it. P2P relies on word of mouth. The scam sites rely primarily on advertising.

How Can I Tell a P2P Scam Site?
This is the easy part, if you know what you're looking for. P2P scam sites often use phrases like 100% Legal, which is absolutely untrue. This is a trick they use to prey on people interested in P2P file sharing programs, but who are worried (rightly) about Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lawsuits. Keep in mind that sharing and downloading of copyrighted files is, at this moment, an illegal activity.

Another tactic is to use fake endorsements and recommendations from legitimate companies. Other cons are to use phrases like Direct Downloads!, Get Access Now!, Download Unlimited Free Music!, and other phrases that are promising you things they absolutely CANNOT deliver.

How Does It Work & How are They Doing It?
To be honest, I do not know the ins and outs of P2P scam sites. But I know this: all P2P file sharing programs are free. Think about it a moment. It is because music files are being shared free of charge (without artists receiving royalties) that organizations like the RIAA are mad and suing.

These P2P scam sites are merely taking your money, downloading a little spyware to your PC, then connecting you to one of the real P2P file sharing programs.

This is all convoluted by the nature of P2P, which is a series of servers networking files to one another. Unless you're buying your music MP3 downloads from a legitimate company, either per song/album or through a monthly subscription, you cannot be sure where your music is coming from.

The legal status of P2P file sharing programs is confusing. We know that MP3 files themselves are not illegal. For example, it's legal to possess MP3s, to rip your CDs to your hard drive, and to burn CDs for your personal use. But, by sharing and/or downloading these files, you are breaking copyright laws. To my knowledge, P2P scam sites are not actually breaking any laws. But why pay for something you don't have to?

One of the most common techniques these scam artists use is to set up sites that are misspellings or derivations of popular P2P file sharing programs. KaZaA is probably the most hijacked name being used these days.

Other sites may not actually charge you anything at all, but they'll "give you the software for free" if you give them your email address. This too is a scam. Because once again, they're just sending you along to a proper P2P program, but after collecting your email address, they're selling it to third parties. Don't give these scammers any of your personal information!

If you're on a website you trust, even this website, you may see ads by these scam artists, preaching their lies about 100% blah, blah, blah. For your own security, don't click on the links. They're still scams. (Many independent websites rely on ads to pay the bills. We don't always have full control over what advertisements appear on our sites. Keep in mind that most online advertisements are arranged and distributed by third-party companies who pair up advertisements with appropriate keywords. So a page that discusses "music downloads" is likely to have an ad from a scam site singing their own false praises.)

On this note, there are sites all over the Internet that actually promote P2P scam sites. Why? I have my opinions. First, these scam sites are paying large sums of money to affiliates who promote their sites. For example, a scam site may be charging you $29.95 for their non-service. Well, they're paying affiliates over half (I've seen the pay-out as high as 75%) of that just for getting you, the visitor, to their scam sites.

I Think I've Used One of these Scam Sites. What Do I Do Now?
Stop! Right now, stop using that service. If you've got some type of monthly payment with them, stop paying them. Cancel your "membership," contact your bank or credit card company, and stop paying them immediately! Secondly, your computer has probably have been infected by spyware, and you need to remove it right away. I recommend purchasing spyware-removal software like Pest Patrol because they do the best job at clearing out spyware parasites.

If you've been pulled into a scam site, just rack it up to experience. Their ad copy is very convincing, and you just wanted to "be legal" while downloading. Take heart in knowing that you're not alone. But you're better off now, with this information at your disposal.

In my opinion, this is another reason to consider not using P2P file sharing programs as a means to get your online music. I think that these P2P scam sites will increase in number, and will use more clever tactics to get your money and your information. Until the peer-to-peer communities are regulated in some way, I fear that these types of activities will get worse before they improve.