Blood Clots/Sttroke Indicater

B lood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue

I will continue to forward this every time it comes around!

STROKE: Remember the 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.

My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree.
If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously..

Please read: STROKE IDENTIFICATION: During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this... A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e.. It is sunny out today.)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.
I have done my part. Will you?

How To Protect Your Home While Away

How To Protect Your Home While Away

Be sure to lock before you leave, and let a neighbor have a key. When leaving your home, practice the following advice - it could pay big, big dividends.

GOING TO THE MARKET OR OUT TO DINNER?
A residence which presents a 'lived-in' appearance is a deterrent to burglars. Never leave notes that can inform a burglar that your house is unoccupied. Make certain all windows and doors are secured before departing. An empty garage advertises your absence, so close the doors.
When going out at night, leave one or more interior lights on and perhaps have a radio playing (TV sets should not be left unattended). Timers may be purchased that will turn lights on and off during your absence.
Do not leave door keys under flower pots or doormats, inside an unlocked mailbox, over the doorway, or in other obvious places.

WHEN PLANNING VACATIONS OR PROLONGED ABSENCES
Discontinue milk, newspaper, and other deliveries by phone or in person ahead of time. Do not leave notes.
Arrange for lawn care and have someone remove advertising circulars and other debris regularly. On the other hand, several toys scattered about will create an impression of occupancy.
Notify the post office to forward your mail or have a trustworthy person pick it up daily. Apartment house tenants should also heed this hint since stuffed mail receptacles are a give-away when no one is home.
Inform neighbors of your absence so they can be extra alert for suspicious persons. Leave a key with them so your place may be periodically inspected. Ask them to vary the positions of your shades and blinds.
When you leave, do not publicize your plans. Some burglars specialize in reading newspaper accounts of other people’s vacation activities.
If you find a door or window has been forced or broken while you were away, DO NOT ENTER. The criminal may still be inside. Use a neighbor’s phone immediately to summon police.
Do not touch anything or clean up if a crime has occurred. Preserve the scene until police inspect for evidence.

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO:
1. Lock before you leave.
2. Trust a neighbor with a key.
3. Be a concerned neighbor - yourself.

How To Protect Cars, Bicycles, Motorcycles...

How To Protect Cars, Bicycles, Motorcycles...

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CAR
Always lock your car doors. Be certain all windows are completely closed. When driving, keep all doors locked. It is best to park in attended lots. If you must leave a key with the attendant, leave only the ignition key. In all cases lock your car. At night, park only in well-lighted areas.
If you have a garage, the single lock on the door is inadequate to keep intruders from prying up the opposite side and crawling in. One of three methods may be used to secure the door: (1) Add another bolt and padlock on the opposite side, or (2) Install a pair of cane bolts to the inside - only operable from the inside, or (3) Add a top center hasp. Any person of average height can operate this locking device. The hasp must be of hardened steel and installed with carriage bolts through the door or gate. Use large washers on the inside. After the nuts are secured, deface the treads of the bolt ends with a hammer to keep the nuts from being removed.
In every case, use a minimum standard exterior padlock. Don’t hide a key outside. Most hiding places are obvious to the burglar.
Never leave a padlock unlocked. This is an invitation to have the padlock removed so that a key can be made, and the lock returned to its position. Later, the burglar returns when no one is home and enters at his leisure, using 'his' key.

HOW TO PROTECT BICYCLES
You don’t leave your car unlocked, so treat your bicycle the same way. Use an approved chain and padlock whenever you are not on the seat! Lock it to the garage - with a 3/8' x 6' eye screw fastened to a stud. The eye screw should be at least 3 feet above the floor, because this makes using a pry bar much more difficult.
Whenever you lock your bike in a public place, chain it to a secure rack or stanchion through the frame and a wheel. Keep the chain as high above the ground as the bike will allow. This reduces the leverage for a pry bar or bolt cutter attack.
MINIMUM STANDARD FOR APPROVED CHAIN
Must be at least 5/16' hardened steel alloy. Links must be of continuous welded construction. Lighter chain, or chain with open links simply will not withstand bolt cutting attacks. Don’t GIVE your bicycle away! Using anything less will invite its theft.

HOW TO PROTECT MOTORCYCLES
These expensive bikes require additional security measures. They must be secured with a mated 3/8' hardened steel alloy chain and a padlock of equal strength. Sheathed cable has not proven to be a satisfactory deterrent to theft.

LIGHTING
Good exterior lighting is important, particularly when the yard area is obscured by high, non-removable shrubbery. The best possible location for outside lights is under the eaves. This makes ground-level assault more difficult. You may buy an inexpensive timer or photo-electric cell which will automatically turn the lights on at dusk and turn them off at dawn.

10 Ways To Survive An Economic Meltdown

10 Ways To Survive An Economic Meltdown
by John S

1) Talk About It
It is easy just to bottle your emotions up and think your financial problems will blow with the wind. Don't let this eat at you, talk it over with your loved ones or family and work out some strategies on how you can resolve some of your problems.
You will be surprised at how much this will help both strategically and psychologically. The big mistake people make is to stay quiet about these things hoping they will just go away. It can cost your marriage or relationship in the end. So learn to become a better communicator.

2) Create A Household Budget
Many families fail to do this, and wonder why they end up in serious trouble down the track. Each month work out your budget and credit card statements. Workout how much money is coming in and where all the money in the last month went.
After putting pen to paper you will be surprised at your findings. You will be able to note small changes equal's big savings in the grands scheme of things.

3) Pay Off Your Debts
As the credit crisis continues to add pressure to many families you need to realize that any debt over your head is going to eat away at you both mentally and financially speaking.
If you have a good amount of cash in your savings, use it to pay off large debts that you own. (Credit cards, bills, loans, etc) Remember the more you pay now, the less you have to pay as the years wear on. Paying off your larger debts first is very wise.

4) Throw Out Those Credit Cards
This is part of the problem to what has been going on for so long. People living off credit. In other words people paying for things with money they don't have in the first place.
If this sounds like you, grab the scissors and hack away at your cards and throw them out. It will stop the urge to pay for things without cash.

5) Choose A Good Credit Card
If you are a person that likes to have a credit card in case of an emergency or for online purchases, investigate all your options before you obtain one.
Many people get caught out on the interest free option plans. There are many hidden catches and fees these companies wont reveal to you, so be wary of this.

6) No Credit Cards, Use Debit Cards
These work just like a credit card only you have to go out and put money on credit first to use later on. It means you always know the limits you have or how much you can spend.
This will keep you more in control when it comes to making purchases both online or offline. Many people in the past refrained for using these, as there were many restrictions and options. Today you will find that they are accepted worldwide and have almost no restrictions attached.

7) Negotiate A Better Mortgage Rate
Yes! This is not some strange myth. If you are a valued customer at your bank, and have a good relationship with your manager, then you have every right in the world to sit down with them and negotiate a better deal.
Ever heard the saying, 'If you don't ask, then you don't get!' Any lower fees, or rates you are going to get will be money in your pocket and not theirs. So make every effort to organize an appointment with your manager and see what you both can come up with.

8) Passes On Interest Rate Falls
You must realize that if interest rates fall these are not automatically passed on to your loans, and in this case you have to ask for it. Keep a constant watch on the rate moments and act accordingly.

9) Make Use Of High Monthly Repayments
Keep your monthly payments on your mortgage and loans to the highest level when interest rates are falling. You will then pay off your debts a lot faster than normal. You will also use the rates to your advantage.
The quicker you pay off your loans, the less money you will lose when the entire loan is payed off.

10) Get Fixed Term Home Loans If Possible
After recent rate cuts there are some people on higher fixed rates home loans, which were agreed upon before the credit crisis. It is worthwhile thinking about getting out of these fixed percentage loans, but with this comes with a warning. The banks will charge you some sort of 'break free' fee but this will depend on when you signed up for you loan and how much is left.

How to Keep Your Business Writing Clear And Up To Date

How to Keep Your Business Writing Clear And Up To Date
by Mary Ann Gauthier

Most of us are busier than ever these days. We don’t have time to decipher the memos, e-mails, and other business messages we receive. We need to understand them the first time we read them. And we need to write them clearly so that our audience isn’t forced to labor over their meaning.Years ago, old fashioned business messages were often filled with redundancies and stilted wording, for example, “Upon procurement of the supplies, your request will be scrutinized and taken under consideration in a timely fashion.”Today, the most effective business messages are clear, concise, and easy to comprehend.We write pretty much the way we speak, in Plain English, which most eighth and ninth graders can readily understand.Here are eight things you can do to keep your business writing clear and up to date:

1.Use every day words you and your audience understand. You need to impress your audience with clarity, not with words they have to look up in the dictionary. Write “old,” rather than “antiquated”; “certain,” rather than “unequivocal,”; “read,” rather than “peruse.”

2.Omit, tighten or trim old-fashioned phrases. Rather than writing, “This is to inform you,” simply write your message. Use “because,” rather than “owing to the fact that”; write “I’ve just learned,” rather than, “It has come to my attention.”

3.Write the way you speak with the appropriate level of formality. Use a conversational but professional tone. Obviously, you wouldn’t write the too familiar, “Hey Dude, How’s it goin’?” as a greeting for a business e-mail. You might write the words, “Hi Chris,” “Hello Jane,” or “Dear Mr. Johnson,” depending on how well you know the recipient. As you compose the rest of your message, ask yourself if you would use the words you’re writing when you’re speaking to someone in polite conversation.

4.Avoid the passive voice--most of the time. The passive voice is indirect, wordy, and awkward. “The report was worked on by the team,” is written in the passive voice. Why not write, “The team worked on the report”? It’s stronger and to the point.A few words of caution--You might also use the passive voice when you want to be diplomatic and nonaccusatory: "The fax machine is broken," rather than, "You broke the fax machine."

5.Write concise sentences and paragraphs, but don’t overdo it. A string of short sentences may sound choppy, and paragraphs that are too short may lack substance. Keep your audience in mind as you write only the words you need to make your meaning clear and focused. Sprinkle in transitions, such as “therefore,” “also,” and “however,” to make your sentences flow smoothly.

6.Don’t use clichés. Clichés tell your audience that you didn’t make the effort to express yourself in your own unique way. Furthermore, if you’re writing for aninternational audience, clichés such as, “call the shots,” or “fall through thecracks,” may be meaningless.

7.Use jargon with care, only when it’s appropriate for your audience. Jargon islanguage used by members of a profession or followers of a hobby. “Brasstacks,” “gravy plane,” and “TPN” are examples of jargon used in the finance,av iation, and nursing professions, respectively. Jargon is like shop talk, so be sure to limit its use to the specific group you’re addressing.

8.Always proofread your messages. It’s tempting to press “send” on an e-mailwithout looking it over. Check all your messages for correct grammar and properpunctuation. Even a forgotten comma can cause confusion: “After typing thesecretary went home.” Did someone type the secretary? Or did the secretary gohome after she finished typing? Your audience shouldn’t have to ask either question.

Business Joint Ventures On The Net!

Business Joint Ventures On The Net!
By: Benjamin Scott

The term business joint ventures refer to two independent companies or more who agree to establish a new company. These companies legally commit themselves to contribute equity for the new company, as well as share their technology and skills. In return, they share both profits or losses and control over this organization. A joint venture can be executed for a limited period or a continuos period.

Business joint ventures have become the latest and most viable business model for many online companies because of the following reasons: Globalization has opened a world of possibilities, where different languages and cultures are no longer barriers. Today international travel has become the norm.

The other reason is the internet. The net has leveled the playing field. It has also made the use of technology have the winning business edge. These companies see business joint ventures as the next logical direction their organizations must take, if they are to remain competitive and profitable.

Do you own a profitable online business? Are you wondering what's next? Consider then, the many benefits a business joint venture can provide you.

- First, with a business joint venture, you'll gain access to other markets. This will then open additional or bigger streams of profits for you.

- Second - Think of the synergies you create in the business joint venture. All of the partners benefit from the exchanges of information, such as access to modern managerial practices and the brain power of your manpower.
However, you must be diligent in picking the right partners. It has to be a win-win situation for all of you. Choose partners who complement your strengths. Partners who'll share resources you do not have and can benefit from.

- Third - Diversification, which means that by agreeing to a business joint venture, you'll be spreading the costs and risks thereby minimizing negative impacts.

- Fourth - By entering a business joint venture, you'll get better access to financial resources.

- Fifth - By establishing a business joint venture, the partners stave off competition from other companies, and strengthen their position in the industry. How are business joint ventures created? Typically, forging of joint ventures agreements are determined by the following factors. The nature and the size of the planned enterprise. The length of commitment - will it be for a specific period? Or have the life of a corporation? Another factor, concerns the identities of the participants and regions in which their business operates. Lastly, the commercial and financial goals of all the participants and the method in which this shall settled.

Are there any negatives in establishing a business joint venture? As long as all the terms and conditions of the venture are carefully set out, there is no reason for it to fail.

A business joint venture provides you all the benefits of joining forces with other companies. Yet, you retain full control over your company. The best of both worlds can be found in a business joint venture.

You CAN Make Money While You Sleep!

True or False: You CAN Make Money While You Sleep!
By: Diane Hughes
It's a crying shame really. So many people have tried to follow the Internet dream. They've heard the stories of others who quit their day jobs, wake up whenever they choose, take leisurely lunches with friends, shop for hours on end without one worry about how to pay for their purchases, buy new cars and pay cash for them, and make money hand over fist while they sleep. Naturally, these people would drool over the thought of being able to do the same for themselves.

However, as the landslide of people all across the globe began to flock to the 'Net much like they did to California in the gold-rush days, they find that making money while you sleep might be a myth. They wonder if they've just been led astray by wicked, evil people with nothing better to do than make fools out of innocent, hardworking folks.

What is the answer? Can you make money online? CAN you make money while you sleep? I don't mean an extra $200 a month to pay for groceries, but a real living. If so, how do you go about it?

It's True! I'm Doing It Myself!First of all, it's not a myth. I can honestly tell you that I am making a full-time living online. And yes, there have been many mornings where I've awakened, turned on my computer, and found notifications of sales that occurred during the night. I AM making money while I sleep, and you can, too.

Let me tell you what I think probably happened to generate this long-standing myth.
The early Internet pioneers discovered ways to make automated income. They realized this was a wonderful thing and began to spread the news to everyone they knew. Then, however, those unscrupulous types (you know... the jerks) saw this as an easy way to make a fast buck. They began preaching that making automated income online was as easy as pouring yourself a glass of water. In essence, they told half the story. As more and more people tried to make a living online and failed, the promise of making money while you sleep became fiction instead of fact.

So How Do You Do It?What's the real truth? How can you make a full-time living online just like me? There are several ways. Let me give you the unvarnished gospel when it comes to online business. You may not like what you hear, but it is fact, not fluff.

ACTION STEP 1Plan, Plan, Plan - It won't happen overnight. Nothing good ever does. In the beginning, you're going to create a plan then be ready to work that plan. You often hear about throwing up a website and making money while you sleep. Technically, yes, that's all there is to it. But... how does that site get up on the 'Net?

You have to create your site or have someone else create it. That means you have to take the time to learn professional website development (PLEASE, don't create some junky, homemade-looking site!), or you have to pay someone who already knows how to create websites. And what will you have on your site? Your own products? (Having your own e-products is highly recommended.) Someone else's products? You'll need to decide before your site is created.

How will people pay for the products they buy from your site? Do you have a merchant account? Will you become an affiliate for someone else so you don't need a payment system?
Will you go for high search engine rankings or rely on word-of-mouth, PPC ads, and other types of paid advertising? If you want good search engine optimization, you'll have to plan for that upfront. Again, you'll have to take time to learn how to do it or pay someone else who already knows how.

Before you take one more step toward launching your own Web business, find the answers to the questions above.

ACTION STEP 2Be Ready to Work - Once your site is ready to launch, how will people find you? How, exactly, will you drive qualified visitors to your site? Will you use organic (free) search engine listings? Will you use Pay-Per-Click search engine ads? Will you buy ezine ads? Do you have other means for getting customers to visit your site? People won't just come out of the blue, you'll have to bring them to your site somehow.
listings, you'll have about a 4-week to 4-month wait before seeing your new site listed. What will you do in the meantime to drum up business?

ACTION STEP 3How Will You Keep It Going? - Prosperous businesses are continually growing to keep up with customer demands. How will you keep your online business moving forward? Will you do research into what consumers want? Will you guess? Will you just follow the crowd?
You'll want to have some method for gauging customer responses so you can know what your site visitors want and how to provide it for them.

One such way is to use Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com). You can create online surveys in order to keep up with the needs/wants of your site visitors.
ACTION STEP 4Service Is Key! - In order to make it in the long run, you simply must provide exceptional customer service to your clients. Those who lie, steal, cheat, or hide are destined to fail.

Understand this: Your success depends on your customers' success. If they aren't happy, you won't be in business long. Make every effort to treat them as the kings and queens they are.
See? The people who turned the "make money while you sleep" fact into fiction did so because they skipped all the important information. Now that you know what to expect, you can see that it is most definitely possible to make a full-time living online. It is even possible to make money while you sleep. However, you must have a plan, be ready to work, look for ways to keep your business growing, and treat your customers as true V.I.P.s.

When you do, you'll have all the tools you need to develop a long-standing business that - with time - will produce for you.

Adsense - The Powerful Passive Income Generator!

Adsense - The Powerful Passive Income Generator!
By: Matt Bacak

Webmasters have a revolutionary new method of collecting income from their websites.
Whereas in the past advertising revenue was reserved for those sites with large a coming and going of visitors, now even teenagers are making a quick buck with their online hobby blogs. People place adsense on their online family photo albums, their blogs and their business sites. The minimum you would get, even with a small amount of traffic, is for adsense to pay for your hosting costs.

Adsense revolutionized the world of paid advertising; banner advertising is based on the number of visitors you attract to your site, so the number of "banner impressions" dictate the revenue you receive. Google Adsense is quite different; it is the number of visitors that actually click on the advertising that determine how much you earn.

There is also a great disparity between payouts; because advertisers bid up the price for certain keywords, some ads pay more than others. As such, a site with few visitors but expensive keywords in their google ads can potentially still pull in a hefty payout.

Google really has taken the web by storm; attracted to passive income, more and more people are seriously capitalizing on their Google adsense advertising. Some of the highest earners manage to attract enough visitors to make a four figure monthly income, just from using adsense alone! This is not one of those get-rich-quick schemes and Google's adsense success is largely thanks to the fact that Google already enjoyed a fantastic reputation before introducing the program. They are a publicly traded company with physical headquarters. This, and the fact that anyone can apply to use adsense for free, has caused millions of people to sign up. For google it was a smart move, because now they extend their presence to countless websites and generate millions of dollars in advertising revenue. People were never reluctant to sign up, because the program is free. Google benefits by more people using adsense, so offering it for free was the best thing they could do.

One of the driving forced behind the program are its relevance to each and every page on a website; the program picks up keywords appearing in the website copy and automatically displays relevant ads. This increases the chances of people clicking through, and the webmaster collecting more revenue.

People are leveraging their income by operating several websites and attempting to attract as many targeted visitors as possible; in many instances we can observe that people work hard at a site, then once it is established they can largely leave it alone, yet still collect significant checks.
A major concern for entrepreneurs was the danger of a competitors ads showing up on their site; thanks to the adsense feature where it only displays relevant advertising. However this problem was solved by offering webmasters the option of filtering out unwanted ads. They can submit the URL of the competing site in their account, and any ads from the website will be blocked.
Google recently came out with a new feature: small targeted keywords based on the site's content are displayed; then as people click on those, a page opens showing a variety of pay-per-click ads based on that keyword. This gives webmasters the chance of displaying more advertising in less space.

Adsense also adds creditability to your website; the more focused the content, the better the ads will be and this encourages people to built high quality websites. These make the net a better place and generally provide a free service; site owners can afford to share their expertise or passions because they can receive indirect revenue's. The visitor does not pay for the information; instead the advertisers do, making the website's existence possible in the first place.

It is no surprise Google adsense is the most widely used form of advertising; they have created a program that is beneficial to both advertisers and users with their "no click no pay" mechanism, or more popularly called "pay-per-click". Advertisers do not pay for ads that are not drawing visitors, and website owners are paid more for each click than they would if the system were based on the number of people viewing the ads, instead of clicking on them.
All in all Google adsense has developed itself into a powerful tool, used by large corporations and the kid next door. They have truly revolutionized how the web thinks about advertising and made the process more profitable for site owners, while less costly for advertisers.

How To Choose An Internet Marketing Niche And Quickly Dominate It

How To Choose An Internet Marketing Niche And Quickly Dominate It
By: Rick Miller

In a recent interview with Tellman Knudson for the List Crusade program, Shawn Casey revealed how to choose an Internet Marketing niche and crush your competition.
(Note: To access Shawn Casey's complete audio interview for free, see end of article)
Shawn's background as an attorney, author, publisher, company owner, corporate executive, public speaker, and teacher makes him uniquely qualified to show you how to be a success in Internet Marketing. Shawn is recognized one of the leading financial experts in the world. He is credited with making and saving thousands of people millions of dollars because of the valuable information he provides.

Listen closely to what Shawn has to say:
"Let's say you know something about rose gardening. You love rose gardening. You're probably an expert at it, even though you don't realize it, because this is your passion.
Your marketplace would be other people that are interested in rose gardening. You can create a report, audio, video... something that is valuable information about rose gardening... maybe how to prune them...how to do something. I don't know much about rose gardening, so I don't specifically know what that would be.

Then you go find the people who have traffic with people coming in looking to buy roses, information about how to care for their roses, what roses to plant, where to plant them, how to trim them, how to cut them, and all that cool stuff that people do.

You then go to those people who are driving in traffic and acquiring subscribers. You say to them, 'Listen, I've got this information that is of value to your visitors. So when you offer it to them, Mr. Rose Grower, you're going to be a good guy. You're giving them free information that they'd otherwise have to go down to the garden store or Home Depot and give money for. You're giving it away free. That's going to help you out and help your creditability, make your customers like you better, make you seem like a nice guy, and help you build your list.'
In turn, you get a little good will, good karma, some subscribers, and potentially customers. Obviously, you don't need to tell them this. This is just something for them to figure out. They're distributing your product that leads them back to your website so that they might buy from you. This doesn't hurt them at all because you're not competing with them directly.
Using this method, we piggyback on that related market because we provide the information, while they provide the product."

In the List Crusade interview, Shawn also revealed:
- How to ethically cheat building your list fast and cheap by leveraging your resources
- Two steps to quickly become the acknowledged expert in any niche
- Is banner advertising dead?
- Get paid to build your list for free
What is the one secret way to test your website for less than $30? As you read Shawn's secrets of how to quickly achieve success in any niche, you begin to realize the tremendous potential and knowledge you already possess. So the only question is, will you take the next step and take action today?

Internet Gaming Tips for Newbies

Internet Gaming Tips for Newbies
By: Paul Wilson

Internet games use the cyber world technology for playing. Games are extremely popular and constantly evolving. There are:
- Games played using e-mail.
- Games played on a browser window by using a web address.
- Games played using Internet Relay Chat, Telenet, MUD client, or a Web based forum.
- Games that are graphic need stand-alone software that permits players to play with or against one another using an Internet connection.

The first game, MUD, was developed in 1978, and the market has burgeoned since then.To play, one needs:
A reliable Internet connection.
A personal computer or game console.
Selected software required by specific games.
One can play simple board games like scrabble, or bingo, or games like poker, mahjong, and pool. Another popular category is simulation games-these imitate real-life situations and cover aspects like combat, city planning, strategies, as well as flight simulation. For serious gaming the computer performance must be optimized. This can be done by:
Running the disk defragmenter and organizing the computer files. This should ideally be done once a month at least.

Correct folder and file errors by using scandisk---use once a week and the computer will give trouble free performance.
Clean your hard drives-get rid of Internet files, temporary files, as well as files in the trash/recycle bin. Clear the cache and uninstall programs that are not in everyday use.
Update the operating system software. Download any new security patches. Keep video drivers updated.

Clear space on the hard drive---store files on a back up system.
Clear any spyware you have inherited from websites.
Minimize number of programs running-when playing a graphic intensive game if there are too many programs running simultaneously the graphics will become choppy and game will be slow.
Delete add on game files-wall papers and other paraphernalia will just clutter the computer.
Run an anti-virus program regularly but disable it when you are loading/playing games. Antivirus programs slow down games.

Always shut down the computer properly.
The Internet allows gamers to compete with people across oceans, on the other side of the world and anywhere in the universe. Some use PCs while others use consoles. What you use is a personal choice and depends on issues like costs and so on.Before you buy a game you must:
Consider "system requirements" - some games can run on systems that are not exact others need specific hardware.
Find out if the game is single player or multi-player. Many games need the Internet-and, the broadband connection is more efficient than the dial-up connection. Many like Xbox Live only work on a broadband connection.
Find out if the game can be played using a mouse/keyboard or whether it will need a full-featured joy stick.

Be wise and try a demo before making an actual purchase. Playing a demo benefits the player as well as game developer. Many online games offer free trial periods - beta testing is a great opportunity to find out if the game suits your taste as well as pockets.Do your research thoroughly-usually there are several games competing for players within a genre. Read game reviews before taking the final step.

Need more information at www.articlegeek.com

Broadband Bullfight Heats Up

Broadband Bullfight Heats Up
By: Bronwen Roberts

Competition is (slowly) bringing down bandwidth costs in South AfricaRecently South African cyberspace was given an area code (O87), the country's first report on wireless broadband offerings was released and the cheapest asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) connection was announced.

The suffix 087 was allocated for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) numbers by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), effectively allowing calls routed through the Internet to connect with the traditional tele-coms infrastructure. It would allow users to dial a 087 number much like a cellphone number and connect to someone who also uses a VoIP system instead of Telkom or a cellular network. The call would be routed through a data system, but be answered using a normal telephone or computer, depending on how it is set up by the service provider. However, like most other telecoms issues, it is already contentious, with one service provider, Storm, saying Telkom believes it is illegal for Storm to provide voice services and to interconnect with it. Telkom spokesperson Lulu Let-lape explains, "According to Section 14 of the Telecommunications Act, value-added network services (Vans) providers are not permitted to carry voice until the communications minister gazettes a change. According to Telkom, that hasn't changed, that Act still stands". Ironically, the 087 number range was used for the notorious value-added lines 11 years ago which featured mostly sex chatlines. It is common knowledge that Telkom suffered huge losses when subscribers refused to pay or operators defrauded them by skipping payment. "Telkom lost a lot of money in the past; could lose a lot of money in the future," says Storm's business development director David Gale. He went on to say that Internet service providers (ISP) and other telecoms providers could form their own interconnect arrangement, and added that the upcoming Convergence Bill would make a challenge to Telkom unnecessary.

There is an effort to lessen the cost of bringing bandwidth into the country even as more complaints emerge about the price of telecoms in South Africa. Globally, the much-publicised purchase of Internet calling service Skype by eBay for about $4-billion was concluded; while BSkyB, the United Kingdom's largest pay-television group was revealed to be interested in entering the broadband market by acquiring ISP Easynet and offering so-called triple-play services, combining voice calls, broadband Internet access and paid-for television.
Meanwhile, M-Web, which is the largest consumer ISP, announced the lowest monthly ADSL package, but one has to use Telkom's entry level 192kps connection and M-Web's monthly fee, which is the same cost as a normal dial-up.

Broadband access and cost has grown into arguably the most contentious issue after Telkom's call prices and the need to allow access to the "local loop". This is the so-called 'last mile" that connects subscribers to the exchange. The largest portion of the monthly cost is a second rental fee Telkom charges for the ADSL line. Icasa slammed these fees as "exorbitant" after hearings earlier this year into the cost of Telkom's broadband access; following a complaint by the MyADSL.co.za website. The website has emerged as one of Telkom's greatest critics as it is a forum for broadband users, many of whom are disgruntled about the service that Telkom is offering.

While most criticism has been about the cost of doing business and how it retards the country's economic growth the NGO, Sangonet pointed out that it hindered development goals too. "The high cost of access limits the use of the Internet as a civil society tool and stunts the growth of a culture to use technology as an information tool," Sangonet deputy director Fazila Farouk told ITWeb. She told the information technology website that the 'about' 100 000 civil-society organisations in South Africa - most of which are community based - could use the Internet as a tool for fund-raising, advocacy and working with other constituencies to share information and coordinate development priorities, but cannot do so effectively on dial-up.

Meanwhile, the first wireless broadband report, released by Johannesburg University's department of business information technology and the MyADSL website, found that Sentech's MyWireless was the best on offer. Comparing price, speed, reliability, and support through lab and user testing, the report was a comparative analysis of the wireless alternatives to Telkom's ADSL. MyWireless scored 87%; Vodacom's 3G came second with 81%; WBS's iBurst third with 80%; and MTN's 3G was last with 78%. Ironically, MyWireless has received the worst publicity and there have been complaints of bad service and poor speeds.

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Competition is Essential

Competition is Essential
By: Bronwen Roberts
Competition, deregulation, and intervention are all crucial to South Africa's road to a true broadband infrastructure.As of this year, SA had some 67,000 ADSL subscribers. This represents about 0.4% of the worldwide total, and supports the statement that SA remains, and will remain, way behind the rest of the world for a long time to come.

Broadband penetration in households varies globally, with Korea being the world leader with a penetration of 68%, the USA having 28%, and the UK 16%. SA shamefully has a broadband household penetration of 0.3%. The question posed here is why South Africa is so far behind... The answer lies not, in the unavailability of the technology, but simply in the pricing. Many people think that Telkom's ADSL solution is one-step closer to a true broadband solution in this country. However, many industry specialists disagree.

"Telkom's ADSL offerings are great; however they just cost too much, and are not viable solutions for many home users," says Dave Gale, business development manager at Storm. "South Africa's broadband costs may be the butt of global jokes, but to local users, especially individuals, schools, small businesses and current ADSL users, the affordability factor just makes one's blood boil", says Michelle Branco; product-marketing manager at Internet Solutions. South African BroadbandAccording to Elia Tsouros, an executive at UUNET, the broadband penetration in SA is abysmal compared to that of other countries. One contributing factor is Telkom's pricing structure, and, the fact that SA is so large, and has such a distributed population. The ramifications are vast - a slowing down of broadband uptake; a barrier for educational institutions; limitation for learners to gain access to the Internet; poor response times for researchers; limited business and marketing opportunities and the list goes on.
The absence of a wholesale facilities leasing regime for ADSL in South Africa makes it difficult for ISPs to get a significant portion of the ADSL revenue. ISPs are not entitled to ADSL line rentals at wholesale prices, and thus subscribers have to rent the line directly from the incumbent, Telkom.

This then further negates the opportunity for ISPs to bundle value-added offerings, such as video and voice services with the ADSL line. Coupled with the high cost of line rentals is that of international bandwidth. Telkom international bandwidth charges on the SAT-3 cable are very high, and it is common knowledge that even though both Telkom and British Telecoms purchase their bandwidth from the same supplier; Telkom marks up its costs by 80%, and British Telecoms by only 20%.

Roman Hogh, product development manager at M-Web Business, says that Icasa should have the power to audit how much Telkom charges for the cable. Solutions On the HorizonAt present in SA, broadband is still deemed by the majority as ADSL, even though there are other wireless solutions available in the market, such as Sentech's My Wireless, Wireless Business Solution's (WBS) iBurst, and cellular solutions like 3G, Edge and GPRS. All of the industry players say that in order to get this country on the road to true broadband, we need competition. According to Gale, just having a second network operator will not cut it. "When the SNO comes into play it will be piggybacking on Telkom's infrastructure for the first couple of months, so it will not help much in terms of increasing our amount of broadband." According to Tsouros, the SNO will be able to use up to 15% of Telkom's current infrastructure. Gale does however say that the SNO will be competing with Telkom over customers - the result being a price war. Fusion Reactor director, Grant Jackson, says that the fact that Telkom is the only company that can self-provision is putting a dampener on the road to true broadband. "Should ISPs be able to self-provision there will be much more competition," he says. He goes on to say the ISPs have to deal with Telkom whether they like it or not, and at the end of the day, although they are adding some sort of value-added services to the client, the base solution costs are dependent on Telkom. What are the alternatives?Unfortunately, we do not have a choice when it comes to wired broadband solutions. However, we do have a few alternatives when it comes to the wireless space. Sue Richardson, Gartner analyst, comments, "In European countries that already have strong fixed-line broadband solutions, wireless technologies such as WiMax complement the fixed-line solutions. In SA these wireless solutions could be seen as an alternative."

She went on to say; SA's geographic situation is unique. "Fixed lines are currently not available in many parts of SA, and a solution such as WiMax means that people living in these areas will have some sort of Internet connectivity".
Chris Norton, country manager for Citrix, believes that wireless broadband makes more sense than a wired solution. "A wired solution is point to point," he says. "In other words a user has to be sitting in his or her office in order to make use of the broadband solution. However, more and more employees are adopting the 'mobile office route'. Corporates are still a little skeptical, when it comes to users working out of the office - especially when it comes to security. However, in the near future, more and more corporates will be adopting the wireless route. Wireless solutions could definitely be an alternative to fixed-line solutions in South Africa." He continued to say, "Presently, if we take a technology such as WBS's iBurst; it is advertised that it has a transfer rate of 1Mb. This sounds quite a lot. However, what people do not realise is... this is just a burst speed (or the maximum transfer speed a user will get) but they will not have this all of the time."

Norton believes that 3G is the broadband solution of the future. "If you think about it, the infrastructure is already in place, and, although 3G coverage is still rather limited; mobile players are the ones with the money; and because of this, 3G will evolve the quickest.

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Make A Fortune With Radio Commercials

Make A Fortune With Radio Commercials

When you think of mail order, you probably think in terms of advertising in the magazines and newspapers, possibly even direct mail. These are the standard and accepted advertising forms of getting orders by mail.

But there is another way. Whether it can be a better way for you will depend on what you are selling and who your prospective customers are. The alternative advertising medium is RADIO. Think about this for a moment. When you run your ad in a magazine, chances are it is somewhat specialized and read by only certain types of people. Even if a particular magazine boasts a circulation of a million readers, only a very small percentage of them will ever see your ad (unless it is a very large or full page) and even fewer people will respond to it.

Magazine advertising is a consumer-active medium which means that readers are forced to use their time and energy to read your ad in an effort to find out what you have to offer. Radio, on the other hand, is a PASSIVE medium. Listeners are not required to do anything. They are already listening to their favorite music, news or talk show, and they do not have to exert any effort to receive your message.

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MEDIA

MEDIA
From an economic standpoint, media isthe most important stage in your infomercial project because it involves the largest chunk of your budget. How you buy your TV airtime dictates the profitablity of your diect response campaign. If you buy wisely, you can make a fortune. Buy poorly, and you can lose a fortune.
Our discussion of media buying will be based on half-hour infomercials. Unless specified otherwise, figures, stats, and examples used in this chapter will be for half-hour, sales generation infomercials.
Besides actual media buying, product fulfillment and other activities generally associated withthe media stage of your infomercial campaign will be considered.
STATE OF TELEVISION
When the American TV viewing market was being served by only three or four stations - ABC, CBS, NBC, and in some cities, an independent station - behavioural and social patterns were mainstream and demographic diversity was not an issue. Viewing patterns were, therefore, quite similar everywhere. Back then, media buying was relatively easy.
Now the reverse is true. With cable service, satellite programming, low- power and full-power broadcasting, the route to today’s TV audiences is more complicated and difficult to follow. Today, the U.S. TV viewing public is divided into over 200 markets, each with 20 to 30 channels to choose from.
Fortunately, television retailing pioneers have paved part of the way for us, making it possible to identify certain media-buying styles that work well for infomercials.
For example, those who cultivated DRTV have proven to us that buying late- night TV time is cost effective. Since latenight airtime costs less, it delivers one of the lowest cost per order, or CPO, figures obtained, enabling marketers to break even with fewer orders.
There are three types of commercial TV stations, distinguished by how their programming is delivered to the public.
BROADCAST
These TV stations use the airwaves to transmit their programs over a specific geographic area. By design, all broadcast stations are local, to the extent the power of their antennas transmit their signals to TV viewers. Some broad- cast TV channels are also carried by the local cable service in the station’s primarily broadcast area.
Based on their transmitting power, there are two tyoes of broadcast TV stations: (1) low power, usually operating on UHF frequencies, and (2) full power, those you usually get as channels 2 through 13 if you don’t have cable. These depend on your antenna to pick up the TV signals.
Based on how they are owned, managed, or operated, TV stations can be either independent or network affiliates - more often called network channels.
The four recognized broadcast TV networks in the U.S. are ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX. It is difficult, if not impossible to acquire TV airtime on any of these networks. With the possible exception of Ross Perot’s half-hour paid announcements during his ’92 presidential election bid, no half-hour paid programs are aired on the broadcast network level. On a local level, however, network affiliates have different policies regarding paid programming.
CABLE
These are TV stations whose programming is delivered exclusively through a cable system, meaning homes without cable service have no way of watching thses channels. Since these stations send their signals to different cable service companies across the country, they are also referred to as networks. The extent ofthe coverage of any cable network depends entirely on the number of local cable service companies carrying its programming.
The following are the 10 most widely distributed basic cable networks. Figures are as of March, 1993, represented in total million households.
Cable News Network CNN 66 Cable News & Business CNBC 65 USA Network USA 65 Video Hits VH1 64 Nickelodeon NIK 63 Lifetime LIFE 61 Headline News HLN 61 Entertainment Sports ESPN 61 Discovery DSC 61 Music Television MTV 61
SUPERSTATIONS
A superstation is a local broadcast station whose programming is being received by cable markets outside its primary broadcast area. Without the cable aspect of their coverage, they are nothing more that local broadcast TV stations. Without the broadcast aspect of their coverage, they are strictly a cable channel.
Superstations are either regional or national in their coverage.
A regional superstation has its programming carried by cable companies within the same state or region where the superstation operates. Examples include WPIX in Florida and KTVT in Texas.
A national superstation has its programming carried by cable companies in more than one state. The three major national superstations are TNT, WOR, and WGN.
Georgia-based TNT, part of the Turner Broadcasting Group, is know for programming dominated by its extensive collection of old movies. TBS also has strcit guidelines on direct response programming and rarely accepts paid programs. WOR and WGN have a more enterprising position with regards to their airtime. They have extensive market coverage and their rates are extremely competitive.
SUPERSTATIONS SUBSCRIBERS
WWOR 35 million WWGN 42 million WPIX 12 million KTVT 4 million
TOP TV MARKETS
Television, both broadcast and cable, reaches over 93 million homes in over 200 major U.S. markets. 63 million have cable service. The 10 largest TV markets in the U.S., with a total of 26.6 million homes (28% of all viewing homes), are:
TV MARKET TV HH %HOMES W/CABLE
New York 7.0 58 Los Angeles 5.0 57 Chicago 3.1 77 Philadelphia 2.7 70 San Francisco 2.2 64 Boston 2.1 71 Washington, D.C. 1.7 57 Dallas-Ft. Worth 1.7 47 Detroit 1.7 59 Houston 1.5 50

HOW TO MAKE MONEY PRODUCING CABLE TV SPOTS

HOW TO MAKE MONEY PRODUCING CABLE TV SPOTS
If you have cable, you’ve no doubt seen local advertising on most of the channels. There are three ways a local business could produce a commercial. One, they could do it themselves (and we all know what that looks like); two, they could have the local cable business do it for them (which can also look quite amateurish); or they can have an outside individual do the production. This is where you come in.
If your video skills are top-notch, you can produce excellent commercials for local businesses at agreeable prices. If you have marketing skills, so much the better, but it’s not an absolute requirement. As long as you can clearly answer the '4 W' questions (who, what, where and why), your commercial will be good.
The only drawback to this business is that you should use 3/4 inch broadcast format video, which is incompatible with a home videocamera. A camera for this type of videotape usually costs around $3000, less if it’s used. There is a way around this expense, though.
Most cable stations have what is called a 'public access' channel. This channel is designed so that individuals and groups from the community can produce their own shows, to be aired on the channel. Contact your local cable company and find out if they have such a channel.
You should be able to rent time on their equipment. This is a real boon when it comes to editing a tape, as they will have the equipment necessary to make your tape look professional. They usually offer short courses on using the equipment, too.
Market your services directly to the small businesses in your area. Good prospects are auto dealerships, restaurants, retailers such as video, book, and computer dealers, and, in election years, local political candidates (hope they get elected - you can expect a return customer!). Your quality production, coupled with a reasonable price, should entice prospects to become customers.
Most commercials will be either thirty-seconds or one minute, and will be shot on location at the customer’s facilities. If they provide the copy for the commercial, you only have to direct the commercial. Run through the script with whomever will be reading it, to make sure that it will fit the time without sounding rushed.
You want to aim for a relaxed, natural sound (unless, of course, you’re working with your local crazy car dealer, in which case they may want an auctioneer sound!). Above all, make sure the script tells who the advertiser is, what they do, where they are, and why people should give them their business. This is what the customer needs to hear.
Likewise, make sure your customer is happy with the result. After shooting the video, edit it (you should be able to ask someone at the cable company to help you), then review it with your customer. As long as you’ve presented the advertiser in a good light, you’ll be in good shape.
The first few times you produce a commercial, you may feel like you’re flying by the seat of your pants. Just relax, use good common sense, and always remember that the job of the commercial is to convince the skeptical customer to spend his or her hard earned money with your client.
You should expect to spend a few hours during the shoot, to get enough takes for editing. Get four or five good takes. That way, any bad parts that you find when reviewing your taping can be replaced with a good take.
A 30-second or 1-minute spot can be shot and edited in one day. The first one or two may take a bit longer, but that’s okay. It’s better to take your time when learning the ropes, rather than rush through and end up with substandard results.
Because your overhead will be low (if renting equipment, instead of purchasing), you should be able to undercut your competition. In a decent size city, you can expect to charge between $500 and $1,000. Longer commercials are more negotiable, depending upon whether or not you will be asked to write the script. The half-hour long 'infomercials' have become a bonanza for many advertisers, and they are a goal you can work up to, as your skills grow.
Watch commercials and listen to them. Keep mental notes about how the advertiser is presented, what message the commercial gives, and if you feel the commercial is successful. Incorporate the best elements of the commercials you see into your own shoots!

A NEW MARKETING DIRECTION

A NEW MARKETING DIRECTION
Like the picture filled catalogues that first invaded our homes during the early days of mail order, infomercials now serve as standard fare on our televiewing menus.
In fact, references to 'those latenight things on TV' are no longer accurate, because infomercials now air and make money during daytime and mid-day hours as well as latenight, selling every conceivable product, from Ginsu knives to Body by Jake.
Direct response television is faster and more effective than conventional mail order in marketing products direct to the end users for several reasons:
1. It’s audio visual. Direct response television presents your sales message with both sound and pictures.
2. It’s instantaneous. You can monitor your sales results seconds after your message is delivered.
3. It’s cost-effective. Airing you infomercial may cost less than a conventional mail order campaign. Example: You can buy a half hour of airtime at WNEU and reach over 200,000 homes in Pittsburgh for around $200. With conventional mail order marketing, $200 will only buy 689 first class stamps. Add to that the cost of mailing lists, production, and printing of your mailing piece.
The future of marketing isin the consumer’s own living room, in the TV set, where a new, more convenient way of shopping is taking shape.
For the advertiser, the reasons for using infomercials and DRTV are obvious. Producing a half-hour infomercial is a lot cheaper than opening a new store in the mall. And for a month’s rent, an infomercial can be aired on cable stations that reach 60 million homes nationwide.
it is inexcusable for an entrepreneur to ignore infomercials and DRTV spots as integral parts of his marketing mix. At the same time, if you’re looking for a new frontier with exceptional growth potential, DRTV is an exciting new territory with no boundaries - a territory that has all the ingredients for success you’ll ever need.