How To Boost Your Alexa Ranking In One Easy Step

Make More Money From Text Links

It’s well known that many text link brokers, such as Text-Link-Ads.com (aff), factor in AlexaRank when determining the price to charge advertisers for links on your site or blog. The higher you raise your AlexaRank the more you potentially can earn, and this reason alone is enough to pay attention to methods to increase your AlexaRank.

An AlexaRank Experiment

AlexaRank is calculated using the Alexa Toolbar. Alexa takes the browsing data from the millions of people using the Toolbar and calculates the traffic ranking of each site. As Alexa states, while low traffic sites are harder to gauge accurately, once a site reaches a 100,000 or less ranking the accuracy of the measure increases. Hence if you can top a 10,000 AlexaRank, or even 1000, the credibility of that ranking is increased.
As Blaine Moore pointed out in a comment made to my previous AlexaRank article, it is easy to – as he put it – “game” the AlexaRank if you have a tool that checks AlexaRank installed on your computer, and that doesn’t have to be just the toolbar, it can be for a FireFox extension like SearchStatus, which I recently installed on my browser. These tools send data to Alexa, and when Alexa receives any data about your surfing habits it will raise the traffic rankings for the sites you provide data for – and if you visit your own sites often you can raise your ranking.
I can’t verify that installing any AlexaRank checking tool will help your own site’s AlexaRank and to be honest after I installed SearchStatus I did not notice any significant change in my AlexaRank at my blogs. It wasn’t until I conducted a different experiment that I noticed more verifiable proof of a technique to increase your site’s AlexaRank.

How I Increased My AlexaRank By More Than 25%

Here’s how my logic went – I figured the toolbar and other AlexaRank checking tools tell Alexa my browsing habits, which is fine, but I’m only one person visiting my blogs (albeit I do it many times each day). What I really want is a way to tell Alexa about every person who visits my blogs, not just me. In order to do this, the Alexa reporting tool needs to be on my blog and downloaded by every person who visits my site each time they visit.
The obvious answer was to install an Alexa Site Widget on each of my blogs. The widget looks like this:
If you click it you will be taken to my current Alexa traffic ranking data. You can also find the live widget in the sidebar of all my blogs.
After installing this widget on to my blogs, within the next few days my rankings increased at least 25%. This blog, Entrepreneurs-Journey.com, was sitting around the 19,000 AlexaRank mark and within seven days had dropped to just above 15,000 as I type this. Prior to this gain my AlexaRank increases had been slow and steady, but never as significant as this in a short period of time, unless of course I earned a traffic spike from some other site(s) linking to me.
I noticed similar results at SmallBusinessBranding.com and the BlogTrafficSchool.com Blog too, which makes me almost 100% certain that installing the Alexa site widget will increase your AlexaRank.
This makes complete sense, as my thinking above explains. If every visitor to your blog downloads the Alexa site widget when they visit your site, then Alexa has data on every visitor you have, at least every web reader, I don’t think RSS readers count since they never download the widget unless they go to your site. You might call this “gaming” your AlexaRank, but in this case I don’t think that’s an apt description – installing the site widget in fact helps to give Alexa enough data to provide your true AlexaRank, as opposed to what it thinks it should be based on the data it has from it’s toolbar users.
If you sell advertising from your blog or website then you should care about your AlexaRank. If that is the case then installing the Alexa site widget is a must. It takes only a few seconds and could significantly improve your current AlexaRank.
Click here to get instructions on installing the Alexa site widget.
If any other bloggers or webmasters out there notice an increase in their AlexaRank after following my instructions and installing a site widget I’d love to hear about it. While I’m confident my results at three different blogs is good enough proof, it doesn’t hurt to have more examples to back up the hypothesis. Please leave a comment and tell me how your AlexaRank improves.

Leather Harmonica Cases Make Carrying Harps Safe and Convenient

Although harmonics are traditionally associated with the blues and folk music, harps have long been played in music genres as varied as classical, rock, and even hip hop. The harmonica is the musical instrument for choice for many people both because of its portability and because you don't have to learn to read music in order to learn to play the harp.

For players who like to carry their harmonicas with them, there are a variety of leather harmonica cases that serve to protect harps in style. Here are some of the most popular:

Harmonica Holster with Loop: Perfect for carrying in your pocket or in your luggage, the harmonica holster is backed with a leather loop for sliding onto your belt. These leather harmonica cases come in two sizes, and are made to carry either a 10-hole diatonic harp or a 12-hole chromatic harmonica. You can even attach multiple holsters to your belt if you want to carry more than one harmonica.

Multi-Slot Leather Harmonica Cases: If you want to carry several of your favorite 10-hole diatonic harps, a multi-slot case will fit your needs perfectly. These types of cases come in several different sizes, to hold varying numbers of harmonicas. A four-slot case will hold four harps, a six-slot will hold six harmonicas, and a twelve-slot will hold twelve harps. A unique feature of some multi-slot harmonica cases, like those made by Buckeye Leather or Pullman, is that you can wet the pouches in order to custom fit the case to your favorite 10-hole diatonic harps. They also feature a leather flap so that your harmonicas are completely covered. <

Harmonica Waist Wraps: A harmonica waist wrap has two major advantages: you can slide your own pants belt through the slots at either end, making it a "one size fits all" leather harmonica case, and it's open so you can easily access your harps. A waist wrap typically holds six harmonicas.

Harmonica Belts: If you don't normally wear a belt, but want your harmonicas within easy reach, these leather harmonica belts offer the best of both worlds. Lined with Velcro, the ends are easy to adjust, as well as to put on and take off. Harmonica belts are typically offered in three sizes, and fit waists from 28 inches to 44 inches.

Combination Straps: If you play a stringed instrument as well as the harp, combination straps are perfect. Typically, these are adjustable leather guitar straps, banjo straps, and mandolin straps that have four pockets for harmonicas.

Briefcases: Although harmonica briefcases aren't typically made from leather, they do come in handy for professional harp players who need to transport a dozen or so of their harmonicas to gigs.

The best leather harmonica cases are made from leather tanned in the U.S. and then cut, formed, and buffed by hand. Over time, the leather softens and almost becomes an extension of your harp - or at least a comfortable home for those times when you're not playing it.

Blogging And Adsense - The Perfect Profit Partnership

At present we hear more often that adsense is used as an effective tool to display contextually relevant advertisements of a company or product on the website. If a visitor clicks on the advertisement to check it out the advertisement poster earns a percentage of revenue. Many webmasters are increasingly used the Google Adsense model as it is very effective and popular. Blogging is very good for Adsense profits. Let's see in the next few paragraphs how blogging is used for increasing adsense profits.

You should use only niche blog sites that tend to generate more revenue through adsense. You may choose a niche site where sufficient number of advertisements is available to post. In case of items that don't sell for a high price and so it is not viable to advertise on the sites as the advertisement costs are particularly high. You can use keyword tools like overture to find out the most common keywords and also how much is paid per keyword. The key here is to get your site ranked well on the search engines.

It should be very much remembered that if the advertisements are more related to the website's content then your site has better chances of making it to the top of the search engines. You can also place the Adsense code in your website template to make maintenance of your websites easier. Along with blogging you can also choose use channels which will tell you which sites of yours are making more money in comparison to other sites. You should at least wait for a week after you post your advertisement on the website to see its effectiveness. You can configure web traffic from week to week to see which ad format works the best for you.

Another very effective thing to do is to integrate advertisements into the website. You can include the advertisement without any border so that the advertisement can be found by Google easily. You should post not more than 3 advertisements on each web page. You should be able to serve the most expensive ads at all times. You should also never make your advertisements scrollable. You will never see any scrollable advertisements on any website. The highest paid advertisements are normally posted on hotspots.

Along with blogging you can paste advertisements of the following sizes like 336 x 280 rectangle, the 300 x250 rectangle and the 160 x 600. Depending on the type of web browser and website the advertisements may appear in different sizes. You should experiment and track the results for each website.

Hence we see that blogging along with adsense works best for making your website more searchable by people and increase your revenues in the end. Blogging is used to post one way links to your website. You can use softwares like BlogSolution that can automatically post more than thousands of one way links to websites. You can also save your list of links to be used again in the future.

Starting A Mail Order Home Based Business

Many people these days are trying out the mail order home based businesses; they can have any number of reasons for this. One could be a single mother trying to gain some extras income, one could be a student who does not have the means to travel distances for part time employment. Whatever the reason, there seems to be a growing trend in this field. It must be noted however; this is not the business for everyone. This type of business can take a great deal of patience and dedication to make it successful. From stuffing envelopes to making jewelry the list of mail order home businesses is virtually endless.

If for example you have decided to go with stuffing envelopes, you will receive the material and the mailing addresses. Then you will take the time to set up, stuff the envelopes the way the supplier wishes, label the envelopes with the appropriate address and take them to be mailed. Once you have done this, you will call and ask for more work. The idea may be great that you get to sit at home and make some spare money, what is not stated however is just how much stuffing you need to do. Many people become very discouraged over the first month of the endeavor, as they find that they are really not making very much money in comparison to the time they are involving in it. Sometimes you can make as little as 3 to 7 cents an envelope, when you do the math you can see that this could be a very long week just to make any good money.

If you elect to try out the jewelry-making endeavor, and get all your supplies sent to you in bulk, you must make sure you are not responsible for the shipping of the materials to you. This is not financially acceptable to many people, why should you have to pay for the products to be shipped your way and then shipped out once completed? This is another tricky business as many people can have trouble assembling things to begin with, let alone something so tiny as a pair of earrings. If you have trouble doing small tasks very multiple chores all day long, again it may be a good idea to reconsider this type of work. This is not in any way meant to condemn or impede the business itself, this is just a reminder that it can be a lot of work and some people may not see the benefits of working from home in this fashion if the pay is very minimal.

It can however, be a great project for someone with time and patience to get this off the ground, or can employ others to assist them at a small cost.

How to Become a Successful Mystery Shopper

Mystery shopping is otherwise known as undercover or secret shopping. Mystery shopping is a business activity aimed to improve customer satisfaction. To carry out the process a mystery shopper is engaged by the business owner to find out how the mystery shopper is getting treated or gets products and services in the business unit. The feed back from the mystery shopper is got in the form of a report to improve the services or treatment. The mystery shopper too benefits either as he gets products or services free of cost for conducting such an inspection. Internet is a place where such kinds of jobs are abundant in nature. The nice thing about this job is that anyone can become a mystery shopper or can be hired as mystery shopper. Mystery shopping is not limited to only buying products, it can involve getting a new haircut, or gambling, or traveling to a place, or dinning in a restaurant or even finding out the customer service offered at a work place. The next best thing about mystery shopping is that the companies do not charge any kind of registration fees.

Tips on becoming a successful mystery shopper:

Since there is no fee involved for registration, a person can register with many mystery shopping companies, so that he gets a fair chance to mystery shopping. The manuals, training and instruction are all free of cost. This will enable find out the difference between genuine mystery shopping company and a fake one.

When the person gets his first assignment, it has to be utilized in such a way that the person gets more and more assignments from the company. The success in getting mystery shopping assignments lies on the acceptance of the assignment within short notice, complete it within the time limit and submit the feedback or report in a professional way.

Even though mystery shopping may seem to be a fun filled activity, it calls for a professional approach to the whole activity. Commitment to the job is very essential. If the commitment cannot be met within the time frame, rescheduling or extension can be requested.

A genuine mystery shopping company or agency will reimburse the money spent on shopping and also for the service provided by the mystery shopper. Even though experience provides enough earnings, many mystery shoppers do this as a part time work and consider it as a secondary source of earning.

It is also a good idea to apply with scheduling companies as they work with many mystery shopping companies. The scheduling companies normally provide a challenging task and more earning for doing so, than the original company.

A great tip is to become an ace mystery shopper. This can be achieved by developing a good relationship with a particular company and perform the jobs with utmost care and perfection. To become an ace mystery shopper may take time and it is only worth doing with reputed companies. The mystery shopper should keep his eyes always open and do the best job.

If the person gets certified through the mystery shopping providers association, he has a better chance of getting hired than others. Attending seminars on this field will also enhance the chance of developing good contacts with mystery shopping schedules, who will provide jobs in turn.

Laptop Screen Inverter

The small piece of circuit board, which is usually located underneath the plastic shell of your laptop's screen casing, is probably the cause of one of the most common problems related to screen failure and, more specifically, dimness, or darkness to the screen itself.

The main purpose of the inverter is basically to give power to the backlight. The way it works is simple, it takes power from the laptop itself by a small inverter lead that runs from the motherboard of the laptop, sometimes it is a direct lead on it's own, other times this lead can be connected into the inverter through the LCD cable (the lead that runs from the motherboard to the back of the screen itself), giving the screen its visual display.

At one end of the inverter, usually the left end, the lead that gives it power is plugged into a small white socket and from the other end, usually the right side, the backlight lead from the screen is plugged into another white socket. The backlight is a very small, thin, long, very delicate light bulb that runs along the very bottom or sometimes the side of the screen.

The problems related to the inverter is dimness or darkness to the screen in most cases or flickering of the backlight. Sometimes it can stop the screen form working at all but not usually. A common fault with laptop screens is a dark or dim screen, generally it is assumed that it is the backlight that is at fault, sometimes this may be correct, however more often or not it is simply the inverter not working, or not giving the backlight the power it needs. The inverter is usually cheaper to replace than the backlight, as the backlight is very fragile and can be easily broken. On some occasions a repair of the inverter is possible, although usually labour charges on fixing the inverter can sometimes lead up to being more expensive than simply replacing it.

When it comes to purchasing an inverter most companies will require the part number which is usually printed on a bar code on the outside of the inverter but sometimes you may need to look carefully to find it. If your lucky then you may get away with just stating what your laptop make and model is, for example 'I have an IBM Thinkpad T22 and I need an inverter', we try our hardest to locate the inverter with just these details, however sometimes you will need to provide the part number; here is an example of a part number from the inverter for an IBM Thinkpad T22, (10L1402). This inverter is also compatible with the IBM T21, and T20 all three laptops as a whole are basically the same apart from the processor.

What "The Secret" Did Not Teach You About Manifesting

Like most people you may have seen the secret movie and you may have gone to work at trying to manifest the things you desire. However despite all of your very best intentions you still have not been able to manifest the sort of things that you want.

Sure you may have seen some results but the really big things, the things which are closes to your heart have yet to come.

There is a real secret to manifesting what you want. This secret to manifesting is way bigger than the law of attraction, way bigger than speaking mindless affirmations and even grander than visualization.

Even the teachers of the secret do not tell you the entire story of manifesting. And, that is understandable. Think of entering grade school for the very first time and before you have learned basic arithmetic your teachers are plowing ahead to teach you calculus.

If you were taught calculus before you learned the basics then you may never learn math at all. As a matter of fact you may even grown to hate math entirely.

The same is true of manifesting and the law of attraction. These teachings have been around for quite sometime and they are certainly not a secret. The teachings were studied by people who took the time to learn and understand each and every step.

Most people these days don't want to take the time to learn each detail. Most people would rather scan the net for tid bits of information and try to put it tighter, then they become very frustrated when they do not see the results they expect.

What the secret teachers did not tell you cannot be found plastered on the internet. The secret to true success with anything requires that you have a huge appetite and a burning desire to understand and master it fully and deeply.

True manifesting has many delicious secrets but you must have the desire to understand it fully and go beyond the very basics.

Have you noticed one thing about very successful people? They never stop learning. They always have the burning desire to go beyond their regular understanding to the peek and they will do just about anything to master whatever it is they truly desire.

Storing Your Coffee - Should you freeze your coffee?

There are many different suggested ways to store coffee in order to maintain freshness. One of the suggested methods is to put your ground coffee or coffee beans in the freezer. Is storing coffee in the freezer a good way to maintain freshness? Let's look at the pros and cons.

Freezing has been used for centuries as a way to extend the life of many foods. A diverse selection of foods can be frozen. Bread, meat, fruits, vegetables and even butter can be successfully stored in your freezer. Freezing even maintains many of the vitamins and nutritional value of a wide variety of foods. Coffee, however, isn't as likely a candidate for storage in the freezer.

Coffee has four main enemies against freshness: air, heat, light and moisture. At first, freezing doesn't seem to contain many of the offending enemies. However, appearances can be deceiving.

Coffee beans have been roasted in order to enhance flavor. The beans are also porous. Unfortunately a freezer can contain many other foods which have odors. The porous beans can absorb the flavors of many other frozen foods. Flavored coffees can be pleasant, but no one wants to drink seafood or garlic flavored coffee.

Moisture can also be absorbed by the coffee beans. Moisture can cause deterioration and loss of flavor. The more often you take coffee out of the freezer and put it back in, the more moisture absorption takes place into the bean. If you absolutely need to freeze some coffee because you have a large excess you'd like to keep, only freeze it once. The more you take it in and out of the freezer, the more damage you do.

Freezing also breaks down the oils in the beans. The oils contribute to the flavor of the coffee. Breaking down the oils means taking away flavor, and let's face it, a large part of a good cup of coffee is the flavor.

When it comes down to it, freezing is not the best way to store your coffee. Keep coffee stored in a cool, dry, airtight container away from light. Freezing coffee is possible, and is best if you only freeze it once. The resulting loss of flavor and quality from repetitive freezing makes it a method of storage to stay away from. Your best bet is to purchase only enough beans or ground coffee to supply you for 1-2 weeks. Enjoy the coffee at its freshest!

Cooking: 3 Ways To Bring Summer Dishes To The Table Year Round

When it comes to summer foods, most people want to look forward to it. Summer food cooking does not have to be limited to the summer months, though. Even during the fall and winter, you can get out that grill and make some great dishes that will feel good and remind you of warmer days of relaxing. Here are three ways to easily bring the memories of summer to the table.

1.Use your grill year round. It's that simple. Your favorite ribs and your tasty steaks can be cooked on your grill during all months of the year. If you have a porch or a garage, then you can have your grill. Use caution, of course, to make sure that nothing bad happens, but there is no law that says the grill is only for cooking during the summer months.

2.Grill indoors. One of the best tools that you can have in your kitchen is a grill pan. These have little ridges on them to create those grill marks that are so important. To spice up any meal, use one. A great treat is to make cut up veggies on these pans. Simply cut the veggies rather big. Use a bit of extra virgin olive oil on them to keep them from sticking and you have an amazing summer side dish. Do this with squashes, peppers, onions…just about anything.

3.Add some heat! To make sure that the summer heat comes through, ad some heat to virtually any dish. If you like spices, then you know your heat levels. But, if you haven't had a lot of heat in your food before, start with a milder hot pepper or spice and work your way up. Consider cayenne, for example. Adding pablano chiles to any meal will bring the heat up and remind you of summer months.

Cooking for summer doesn't have to be just in the summer months. With so many supermarkets providing high quality produce all year round, there is no reason not to have the best of the best when it comes to summer meals.

The Threat of Spam and Basic Preventative Measures

Everyone who uses the internet has more than likely been targets of spam at one time or another. At first they are easy to dismiss for internet experienced persons, however for the inexperienced user of the internet, the messages contained can sometimes be intimidating and in some instances lead to trouble (I will come onto a personal example later).

Spam can take several forms; email and search engine spam are just two, but the one we will concentrate on in this article, and also the one you will, and have most likely encountered, is via email.

Spam is defined as unsolicited bulk mail, much of which is caught in your "bulk" or "trash" folder found in your email service provider control panel. You have probably often seen a mass of these types of emails in you bulk folders when checking for email that you actually have consented to receive, as many emails are caught by spam filters even though they should not. The majority of spam you may receive will be of a sexual or gambling nature, however over the past few months I have noticed an ever-increasing number of scam emails asking for sensitive information, claiming to be someone they are not.

Paypal and eBay scams are a prime example of these types of emails known as "phishing scam emails". The email will be along the lines of:

"We have noticed an irregularity in your account details and require you to update them immediately. Failure to do so will result in the permanent closure of your account"

You can see how these emails can be pretty alarming to an inexperienced internet user who may only occasionally use the internet to sell or buy items on eBay for example. Some of the emails will look very convincing, and will use the images and symbols of the respective company, however be very cautious and take heed to the following important point:

If you are unsure of the legitimacy of the email, do not follow any link contained within the email to an external website. Instead, type the website address that you know is correct into your browser directly, so that you are safe in the knowledge that you are not using a fraudulent website.

Failure to do this may result in your account being hijacked by the scammer; it's as easy as this. You follow the link in the email to a website claiming to be, and also looking very much like one where you have an account. The website will ask you to input your username and password to access your account and voila, you will have now sent this information to the scammer, allowing them access to your account containing sensitive information about you.

Another type of email scam that has been very popular is where you are notified to be the very lucky winner of a lottery, even though you have never entered the lottery in the location claiming your success! This is where the example of a personal experience comes in. Many people reading this will be thinking "I'll never fall for one of these scams", however the unfortunate reality is that many people will do so. An elderly relative of mine received one of these lottery scams from Spain, and then insisted on following up with the email scam, even though they had never even entered the lottery draw. The only stumbling block was that the bank account details required, needed to be sent by fax, which she couldn't do, and despite the frustration that this caused I of course refused to help send it.

There are measures that you can take to help avoid being targeted by spammers; a few have been mentioned here. However, in addition never reply to a scam email as it will notify them that the email address is live and also that you have read the email, leading to further spam.

Of course there are many other threats from spam that are not discussed here, such as viruses and trojans being sent via email attachments. More details on spam can be found here: www.spam-blocker-online.com.

How To Choose The Right Web Site Builder For Your Web Design Needs

Web site builders are a relatively new addition to the web hosting company's mix of products and services. Website builders have been introduced mainly to service the majority who don't know how to program in HTML or any other programming knowledge but still want to control and flexibility that comes from creating and maintain your own website. Using a good web site builder can make your life much easier.

How can you find a web site builder that meets your needs? First, you have to know what you really need. What are you planning to do with your website? If it is just simple stuff like putting up a personal website and throwing a few pictures up for friends and family to see, you won't need too much. It is a safe bet that pretty much any web site builder will work for you. If on the other hand, you plan on making sales from your website and doing some serious business and traffic from it, you'll want to be sure that the site builder you choose will be up to the challenge.

Look for a free trial or a free demo you can use to test out the functionality of the site builder. Most companies will let you take their website builder for a spin before you buy. Having the chance to work with the web site builder before you commit to it can make a big difference as to your comfort level before you buy. You'll get a chance to put the site builder through its paces and decide whether it meets your needs.

Are you locked in to their templates or can you build your own from scratch? Many web site builders out there will force you to use their templates and not allow you to make any significant changes to the template. If you can't find a template from their selection that you like, you'll simply have to deal with it. Know though, that there are some site builders out there that will allow you to strip the template right down to bare bones and build your own custom graphics, headers and footers to create almost any kind of look you want while retaining the easy to use aspect of the site builder.

What else do you get with the web site builder besides a template and some easy to edit text? Do they offer a free domain name? Do they give you enough disk space to host lots of images and pages? How many pages do they let you create? How many sites can you create with their web site builder? If there is a limit, what does it cost to raise the limit on any of these options? Knowing the answers to these and other important questions will allow you to compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges. Two companies may seem to offer the same price point and the same features but you will often find major differences in pricing between the two of them to accomplish what you need.

Do your research and you will be well on your way to a web site builder that meets your needs and gives you quality, professional results at a reasonable price.

Online Games - Learn Why This World Is So Addictive

Video games are quite popular among the people of all ages from past 2-3 decades. With the purchase of the personal computers, computer gaming is a common feature that has developed craze among the crowd. Computer gaming includes all kinds of games. We have lots of variety in these games right from the slow games like chess, cards etc. that require careful steps to be followed for continuing the game, to the games that involves the speed like racing games with motorbikes and cars. These are some of the games commonly liked by the people of all age groups.

Unfortunately, most of these games require more than one person. If you have ever played Checkers on your own, you will agree that it can get boring after just a few moves. However, these days, it is tough to always get people to play with you. After all, everybody has their own lives to lead. Everybody has his own share of tensions.

What do you do if you have no one to give you company in playing a game of your choice? You rejoice because you have your computer to play with. Thanks to the rise of video and computer games, we no longer have to sit at home and mope because our football buddies decided they had better things to do. In the worst case, all that one has to do is switch on the computer and turn to a whole host of games.

Everybody loves a good game to get rid of the stresses of the day. After a long day of work, a good game of Scrabble can be a lot of fun, as can a game of Monopoly. If one is not keen to rack one's brains too much, one can also go work up some sweat by playing a game of squash or tennis on the lawn

The latest craze among the crowd is for the online games. These online games allow you to play different kinds of games on the computer. This is an option that allows two people to play the same game simultaneously while sitting at the different computer systems at different places. One can easily enjoy these games by installing these games from the internet. The process of installation is quite easy and even very casual that even a small kid can follow. What we need to do is to follow the guidelines provided in the installation guides attached with the games files.

Among the famous online games we even have the various puzzles and the arcade games; these games are quite popular among the kids. Apart from downloading the games from the internet, we can even go for the installation of the games by the compact discs of various games. Even the various play stations and the retail stores involved in providing the online games lets us download the files to enjoy the online games.

The Internet provides the game lover with access to all kinds of free online games. There are games based on movies and popular cartoon series. There are games that involve speed and violence. And there are games that involve thinking hard and strategizing. There really seems to be something for everybody.

6 Easy Steps to Separating Your Personal Life from Your Business

If you work from home, chances are you already know that you're really pulling "double duty". You probably work on your business while doing the laundry, corralling the kids, or fixing dinner... and let's not forget all the phone calls from family and friends expecting you to run errands or just "go out" for an afternoon of fun.

One of the hardest parts of running a home business is separating your work from your family and social life. Here are six proven ways to keep your home life running smoothly while keeping your business on track.

1. First, create a work schedule and stick with it. It may be tempting to answer personal calls during the day or take business calls after-hours, but doing this actually shows that you're expendable – not dependable – and people will take for granted that you'll "always be there" for any little things that come up. Even though family comes first, stay true to your business hours and resist the urge to chat with friends or pick up groceries during working hours.

2. Your friends may consider "working from home" an invitation to chat during the day or just go out for coffee or shopping for an afternoon. Make it clear that your business hours are just that – for business. Leave personal calls for after-hours, and you'll find that your friends will gradually accept your schedule without feeling slighted.

3. Just because you have to set up a work schedule, doesn't mean that you have to keep the same hours as everyone else. One of the benefits of working for yourself is setting your own hours to fit your most productive times. Whether you're an early bird or a night owl, you'll find that you'll get much more done when you're attuned to your body's own natural rhythms. Some people work in the morning, take a break in the afternoon when the kids are home from school, and work again in the evening. Schedule your work time when you feel the most productive and you'll find that things get done easier, faster and better than when you were dragging along during those same rigid work hours that everyone else has.

4. If getting after-hours business calls or work day personal calls is a problem, it helps to have a separate business phone line, or at least an answering machine or voice mail, to take the incoming calls. This also gives your business a more professional appearance to clients than if you and your family make and receive calls from the same phone line.

5. If at all possible, try to separate your "home office" from the rest of your home. If you don't have the luxury of a separate room, a room partition or screen can be just as helpful. This also serves as a visual cue to family that you're working and shouldn't be bothered.

6. Dress and act professionally while working. Some people find it helpful to dress in casual business attire during their working hours. This reinforces that just because you're working from home doesn't make you any less of a professional. Answer the phone with your name, or business name, and keep your children off the phone during business hours. Also, spend money investing in the tools you need to do your job right. A cell phone, fax machine or even a budget computer can help turn your home office into a true workspace.

If you follow all of these tips and stick with them, chances are you'll find a routine that not only makes you feel productive and active in your business, but also projects the message that you mean business – literally!

Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Best

How to choose a right PDA

There are a few questions before buying a new PDA. You should consider them carefully and choose a right product as there are too many products in the market.

Question 1
Budget?
How much you are willing to spend will also be an important question. The more you spend, the more that your PDA will act like a laptop. That is not to say that if you spend little, that you cannot get much. The $99 PalmOne Zire 22 is capable as a replacement to the paper planner, as well as has the ability to play MP3s and carry large reference materials via the SD (secure digital) memory card slot.

As a general rule, spending $100 will get you a basic PDA; up to $200 can get you a PDA with a camera, MP3 player, or included document editing abilities; up to $350 will net you a midrange PDA that can have wireless connectivity (wifi or Bluetooth) along with cameras, MP3 players, and full document editing; over $400 will get you enhanced screens (higher resolutions than lower models), dual wireless capabilities on some models, more included software, and much more memory (up to 128MB internally on some models) than lower priced models.

Question 2
What to do with the PDA?
When looking to purchase a PDA, you will want to figure out what you want to do with the PDA. Most people look at PDAs first because they help you to organize your calendar, tasks, and phone numbers. All PDAs do this well, and so other tasks should be looked at such as: carrying large references, mobile email and Internet, gaming, music play, or one that does all those things well. Once you have figured out what you will do with it, you should analyze your budget.


Question 3
Need it as a mobile phone?
Some people do not like the idea of carrying around a PDA and a mobile phone. They may like the functionality of a PDA, just in the form of a phone; or, the functionality of a phone in the form of a PDA. If you need to access the internet and would find getting email on the go as making things easier, then a smartphone or wireless PDA would work best for you. Many mobile phone companies offer smartphones with a discount if you get a contract with it.

Question 4
need a keyboard built in?
When purchasing a PDA, deciding how one wants to input data is very important. Though all PDAs have some form of handwriting recognition and a virtual keyboard, if you plan on sending a lot of email or editing documents, then you may want to look at the PalmOne Tungsten C, Treo 600, etc..(included accessory).

All PDAs can also accept input from keyboard attachments.



Question 5
battery life?
Acceptable battery life is anything in over four hours of continuous usage. That will translate to 3-5 days of intermittent usage. Many PDA models will do this and better.

There are different factors that go into getting the most out of your battery, such as: the screen resolution (the higher the resolution, the more power that is needed to keep the screen on); how bright you keep the screen; are you using the multimedia functions (they drain the battery faster); are you using wireless technologies (bluetooth uses battery power at a lower rate than wifi, though both drain the battery more than not using them). How you will be using the PDA you choose will determine how much of the battery that you will be using. Some Windows Mobile PDAs use removable batteries. You could use one battery while charging the other.

Question 6
Does your business support using a PDA with a camera?
These days, data security is very important within many organizations. If you are looking to purchase a PDA to use within a work setting, make sure that your organization authorizes its use, especially if the PDA you want has a camera. Many government agencies, and some health clubs, do not allow you to carry devices with cameras on them. Make sure that you do clear it with the IT and senior personnel of your organization.

Hoping these few questions can help you choosing a right PDA

Play That Playstation

Playstation, the obsession of the younger generation in its earlier form was originally conceived back in 1988 when Sony and nintendo had a joint venture project to develop a super disc that was to be marketed as the nintendo game. Parting their ways the disk was never released. Sony later on released a modified version of the disc in 1991 as a part of their new game console The playstation. The playstation was first launched in Japan in 1994 and later on in the United States of America in 1995. Ever since the play station is the most popular video game the world over. In the earlier version of play station besides being able to play the games they could also read audio CDs with computer and Video information. The version released in 1994 played only CDROM based games and there began the success story of the playstation. The brand continues to be the undisputed leader in the market for the past 5 years of course nintendo64 and sega dreamcast are trying to breathe below its neck.

As the games of the play station x are CD rom based the size has a restriction of 650 MB which is more than sufficient for any type of game. There is no provision to save the personal information once the power is switched off however the facility is provided by means of flash memory cards. One has to be very careful with game CDs of play station though they are distinct and are very susceptible to scratches that makes the CD unusable like the normal audio CDs. The games available for the play station cover a wide range and the price range from USD10 to USD50.No wonder the play station has emerged as the hot favorite of many who are looking forward for new and exciting games.

With new technology the updated playstation versions possess far more capability for storage capacity, graphics control, and interactive ability. The playstation has evolved to meet its counterpart technology in the up and rising microsoft and Nintendo systems.

3 Easy to Cook Chicken Recipes for a Lovely Treat

We all love spicy chicken; except if you are allergic or you just can't love spicy food. Being a chicken lover myself, I have collected 3 hot n' spicy recipes for you to try out in your chicken today or anytime you would like to treat yourself for a deelicious meal; they make good family specials as well! Although they have similar names, they are very different. Perhaps their origins differ.

Hot N' Spicy Chicken Recipe #1. Spicy Chicken Wings

- 1 lg. can Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. oregano
- 4 tbsp. parsley
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 stick margarine
- 4-5 lbs. chicken wings

Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Melt margarine in small pan. Cut up chicken wings. Discard tips. Mix all dry ingredients in bowl. Dunk chicken wings in margarine and roll in cheese mixture. Place on cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour. Serve warm.

#2. Hot Chicken Wings

Chicken wings
1/2 stick margarine
1 bottle Durkee hot sauce
2 tbsp. honey
10 shakes Tabasco
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Deep fry wings for 20 minutes. Drain and dip and let set in sauce. Take out to dry and then serve.

#3. Hot-N-Spicy Chicken Wings

5 lbs. bag chicken wings (drumettes)
12 fl. oz. Louisiana Pre Crystal Hot Sauce
1-2 sticks butter

Fry chicken wings until golden brown and drain on paper towel. Mix hot sauce and melted butter and pour into deep pan or crock pot. Add chicken wings to sauce and heat thoroughly.

Basic Steps for Home Business Success

When you make the decision to earn income from the internet you will need to go through a set up process to be ready for your home business.

Following are the basic steps in setting up for home business success.

1. Attitude

The key to your home business success is your attitude.

Treat your home business like a business.

This is critical whether you are working part-time or full-time. One of my colleagues is a mother who works from home around her family. She has always put her family first whilst at the same time developing her home business. She says, "I work part-time, but I have a full-time attitude."

Put another way, "If you have a hobby attitude you will have a hobby income, if you have a home business attitude you will have a home business income."

You can be successful working part-time and you can be successful working full-time but it is highly unlikely that you will be successful working in your "spare time".

2. Working Environment

A space that you can call your own, free from distractions for your scheduled time.

A comfortable chair and organized desk.
Stationery supplies as required. For example:

- pens
- highlighters
- stapler
- hole punch
- sticky tape
- note book(s)
- a simple filing system
- ring binders
- manilla folders

Consider the value of a broadband connection. Your time is valuable and a broadband connection can allow you to get more done in a given time frame.

3. Schedule

Develop a schedule that works for you, your family (or "significant others") and your home business. When you allot a block of time for work then use that time for work. Equally important is to schedule time for your other commitments - family time, self education ( reading, listening and viewing), "health time" (exercise, cooking and eating), and leisure time. During these other times don't work. After all if one of the reasons to work from home is to spend more time with your family then you don't want your working at home time to consume your family time.

You are working for yourself and your schedule (by your choice) is your "boss". When you have people calling you or dropping around unexpectedly or maybe out-of-town visitors may want to catch up with you then you need to make a choice. Are you committed to your own home business success? What will be your choice in these situations? Only you can decide what is important to you.

In a family environment you may need to negotiate with your partner and children to have your home business time agreed upon, during which you will not be interrupted. Put this schedule prominently somewhere so all family members are aware of your work schedule.

4. Describe Your Home Business

Be able to describe your home business concisely; a powerful one or two sentence description that someone can repeat in describing your home business to others. A unique and memorable tag line can also be invaluable for promoting your home business.

5. Know Your Product or Service

Once you have selected your product or service to sell, it may or may not be something that you use yourself but you need to know your product intimately. If you are selling ebooks then know the content and its value. If you are selling software then use it know it "inside out". You will develop a reputation of providing quality information and because of your product knowledge you can become the preferred supplier.

It is not practical to use certain products (for example a woman may choose to sell man's shoes or vice versa) in which case the seller won't be a product user, however the seller can still know the benefits and features of the product intimately.

6. Administration

Use good record keeping practices.

This may involve a consultation with a tax advisor who can let you know about the optimal way to set up your financial records and what records need to be kept. Your advisor will also recommend record keeping systems and you can find out what software may simplify this aspect of your home business. Additionally your obtain advice on the best arrangement for your bank accounts. You will most likely be advised to have a separate bank account.

You will also need to keep track of your various logins, usernames and passwords. A very handy little software tool for this is Treepad available as either the free Lite version (without password protection) or the commercial Plus or Biz versions. http://www.treepad.com

There are other useful tools for this also from a simple paper notebook to free and commercial password keepers. One popular solution is Roboform that will remember your login details and can automatically fill out your login and other registration forms. http://www.roboform.com

7. Computer Protection

Your computer is the lifeline to your home business dealings and must be protected including the data that is stored.

You need a virus scanner, personal firewall, anti-spyware and anti-adware and preferably an email scanner with the ability to delete suspect of spam email from the server before it is downloaded to your computer.

Some suggestions are:

AVG Anti-Virus: http://www.grisoft.com
Spybot S&D: http://www.safer-networking.org
Microsoft Anti-Spyware:
www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Adaware: http://www.lavasoft.com/
Mailwasher Email Scanner: http://www.mailwasher.net

8. A Domain Name

You will most likely need a domain name for your home business and one cost effective registrar is GoDaddy, http://www.godaddy.com.

9. Payment Processing

You will need a way to process credit cards; that may be using services such as:
- PayPal https://www.paypal.com
- Storm Pay http://www.stormpay.com
- 2 Checkout http://www.2checkout.com
- Clickbank http://www.clickbank.com or others.

This is the most economical way to get started. Once your home business picks up you may need to look into your own merchant account for credit card transactions.

Consideration may also be given to other forms of online currency such as eGold http://www.egold.com

10. Email accounts

Once you have your own domain you can use an associated email account. This can further assist in the promotion of your home business and promotes a more professional business image.

As a final comment on continuing in your internet home business, conduct your home business ethically, provide extraordinary service and be proud to put your name to the products or services that you are selling and you will be on track to developing a sustainable long term internet home business.

The Heartbreak Kid

The Farrelly Brothers have done it again with (http://www.heartbreakkidmovie.com)'Heartbreak Kid'! These talented brothers are a writer-director team who have become icons in comedy circles. 'Heartbreak Kid' is another great movie that will be an instant hit to add to their list of classics. We all remember their previous movies: 'There's Something About Mary', 'Dumb and Dumber', 'Shallow Hal', 'Kingpin' and 'Stuck on You'. These are the movies you want to watch over and over again, memorizing every line! 'Heartbreak Kid' has all the ingredients to become the next comedy classic – Ben Stiller's timing and quirkiness, physical mishaps (watch the hilarious trailer!) and a love triangle gone awry. Look for this movie in theaters in October 2007.


If you haven't seen their movies before, be prepared for the irreverent since they often feature characters with mental and physical challenges. Lest you think they make fun of such folks, those with disabilities always emerge as heroes, while anyone belittling them definitely draws the short straw. The Farrellys also rely on zaniness, bathroom humor, and cameos by sports legends, earning this picture an R rating for strong sexual content, crude humor and language.


Dreamworks Pictures will release the "Heartbreak Kid", a Radar Pictures and Davis Entertainment Company Production written and directed by (http://www.heartbreakkidmovie.com)Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly. Co-writers include Scot Armstrong, Leslie Dixon, and Kevin Barnett and the story is based on a short story called "A Change of Plan" by Bruce Jay Friedman. Marc S. Fischer, John Davis, and Joe Rosenberg executive produced while Ted Field and Bradley Thomas produced the picture. Among the cast members are the irrepressible (http://www.heartbreakkidmovie.com)Ben Stiller, who once again lands in hot water; (http://www.heartbreakkidmovie.com) Michelle Monaghan and Malin Akerman as his polar opposite love interests; Ben's dad the funny and ageless Jerry Stiller; and the great Rob Corddry, along with numerous talented others. To watch the theatrical trailer visit http://www.heartbreakkidmovie.com. For more information on contributors to this project, including cast see http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809769000/details.


"Heartbreak Kid" Plot


The new film is loosely based on a 1972 offering with the same title. In the new "Heartbreak Kid" the delightful Ben Stiller in the perfect underdog role (Eddie) meets a woman that couldn't possibly fall for him…or could she? Lila is gorgeous, outgoing, sexy, and blonde and marries him after a week of dating. Poor Eddie figures he'll never get another chance like this, so away they go to Mexico for the perfect, tropical honeymoon. Unfortunately this is where Lila's true nature comes out, leading Eddie to realize he's made a dreadful mistake. It turns out that Lila is both horrible and loony. No one plays the duped nice-guy better than Stiller and this laugh-out-loud performance is no exception.


In the meantime, lovable and confused Eddie meets Miranda and knows that "she's the one". Trying to hide his marriage, court Miranda, and not make it look like a juggling act keep our "Heartbreak Kid" hilariously busy for the rest of the movie.


If you love great entertainment, don't miss the "Heartbreak Kid".

Swiss Watches Wholesale-What a Deal

Buying Swiss watches wholesale seems like a joke because Swiss watches are of great quality and as a result carry a high price tag. However, this is not a joke and while these watches are high quality you can buy Swiss watches wholesale and have a great timepiece at an unbelievable price. You of course want to know when, where, and how you can take advantage of Swiss watches wholesale prices because you like a quality watch and really enjoy spending a small amount of money on something of such high quality.

So, to answer your questions about when, where and how to buy Swiss watches wholesale. First, you can buy Swiss watches wholesale right now from your computer and you can buy them at www.watchcloseouts.net. How you buy Swiss watches wholesale is simply picking the watch or watches you like the most and then checkout with a credit card and simply wait for the Swiss watches wholesale to arrive in your mailbox. It truly is as simple as that to buy Swiss watches wholesale, who would have guessed?

Don't delay any longer because you have lived too long without the watch of your dreams and now you can make that dream a reality by purchasing Swiss watches wholesale. One for you, and the rest you can give as gifts to your family and friends. Everyone will appreciate their watch, but nobody will guess you bought the Swiss watches wholesale! Go ahead and check out the website today and within a week you can have Swiss watches wholesale for you and all you know.

Top Network Marketing Company -is it a serious business?

To truly know what network marketing really is you must know exactly was it isn't first. Actually there is nothing illegal or dishonest about network marketing and it is not a pyramid scheme. A pyramid is a program that has people invest large sums of money in the hope that others will too and the money will somehow get back to them and they will get rich. This is just a game played with money that has no real sales value. The products that are so-called being invested in are just the tools to hide the money game. A pyramid scheme is based on taking advantage of people and is very much illegal. For one person to actually make money in this scheme someone else has to lose it. The whole premise is built on a lie and in no way going to make one rich.

Network marketing on the other hand is very much legal and has great potential for those who work hard at it. There are real products or real value to be used to make money. The prices are not in the thousands either. Products are bought based on need and desire, not necessity. There are many people who make really good money in network marketing but it takes a lot of effort and work. One must build an entire organization from scratch based on the legitimate products offered. You will be encouraged to help others succeed so you too can win. It is a form of retailing where you either sell the products from your company to others or sponsor other people who will be using the products for their own use or selling them. In no way are you taking advantage of others in network marketing. Everyone can make money with enough effort. You will not make it rich over night no matter what anyone promises you. But you can live well with enough effort. You will need to follow a specific business dynamic to accomplish this.

Network marketing is a very serious business for highly determined people. The system has been proven and the design, creation, and expense that the corporate team has laid out are what you will follow like a road map to your own success. The big key in network marketing is that it is all about leverage. You work hard to get other people sponsored so you can make a percent off their work as well as your own. The most successful people who build a network do it in a very organized way. They dedicate themselves to it for a designated amount of hours per week to build it slowly over time. Then they sponsor others and train them on the company's product and how to sponsor others. By helping your people get their own sponsors you in essence duplicating yourself. This can lead to getting hundreds and even thousands of people into your network over time. You use your time to train others to be successful and earn income from their efforts.

With network marketing you do not need huge capital requirements and no area restrictions geographically. There are no required quotas you have to sell or purchase or specific educational background needed. All you need to have is drive and time. There is no high cost overhead and you can even qualify for many tax breaks for having the home-based business

The Differences between a Soft, Hard and Transmit Phone Tap

The phone tap is one of the more common types of surveillance activities. The military, government agencies, and police use phone taps to listen to conversations. Additionally, there are private investigators and amateur spies who each use some sort of phone tap to obtain information. It is even possible for regular people to participate in phone tapping, if they have the right equipment. This can be helpful in amassing evidence in divorce cases that my include allegations of infidelity or in instances of feeling threatened by someone else.

In order to set up an effective phone tap, however, it is important to know what types of taps there are, as well as what each kind of phone tap does. You should carefully consider your situation and your budget, and then choose the type of phone surveillance that works best for you.

Soft. This type of phone tap is becoming more and more prevalent as technology advances. This is because a soft tap uses special listening software. The idea is to tap into the phone system of a company or a home. Even tapping into the software at the phone company (even many land lines are now serviced at the phone company by digital lines) can be done. By modifying the software that acts as the "switchboard and eavesdropper can obtain access to conversations. It is fairly easy to find this sort of phone tap, as long as you have unrestricted access to the system that is affected by the tap.

Hard. The hard phone tap is one where there is actual physical contact with a wire. For instance, a secondary wire is attached to a PBX cable or to a transfer box containing the desired line. A third location receives the signal via a bridge. There is no way for the parties on the line to detect any interference, and it is very difficult to use a bug sweeper to detect a hard phone tap.

Transmit. A transmit phone tap is one that sends information using airwaves. This means that there is no hooking into a line and there is no need to hack into a software system. However, a transmitter gives off a great deal of RF energy. Nearly any person can use a bug sweeper to detect this type of phone tap.

Plasma TV as Part of the Home Theater

There's just something about spending a couple of hours at a theater, and many people are trying to recreate that feeling with home theaters. There's no doubt that both electronic and furnishing industries are meeting the demand, and you'll find a great array of equipment, furniture and "extras" to make your home theater feel as much like a commercial theater as possible.

The plasma TV is no doubt one big step toward creating the ultimate viewing experience. The sharp picture added with the potential for a large, flat screen are important steps, but the benefits of a plasma TV don't stop there. Plasma TVs have an important feature – the ability to sit directly in front of the screen or to either side without losing a good view of the movie. Many of the television options have a very limited viewing range before the picture becomes much less sharp and clear.

Another important aspect of the plasma TV is that the screen can be mounted on a wall, meaning there doesn't need to be an entertainment center or even a shelf where the screen sits. It's all aimed at offering the viewers an experience similar to that of a movie theater.

Remember that setting up the home theater may start with the electronics, but it certainly doesn't end there. You'll find authentic theater furnishing to further your home theater experience. Choose reclining seats, seats with armrests or comfortable recliners.

You'll also find companies that provide everything else you need to make your home theater more like the commercial experience. Want popcorn? Don't just pop a bag of the buttery treat – pop a whole batch in your popcorn popper that looks just like the popper at the theater. Drinks can be distributed the same way!

If you're looking for more practical items, you'll be relieved to know you can even find inexpensive and easy-to-install sound proofing material for walls, floors and ceilings. When you've finished this project, you can cover the floors with carpet and welcome mats just like those in your favorite theater, and hide the sound-proofed walls with authentic theater curtains, made to fit your home theater walls.

Your home theater may very well start with a plasma TV – after all, that's arguably the latest and greatest technology available for your viewing pleasure. But don't think that creating the ultimate home theater experience has to stop there.

A Spiritual Journey Sparked By Katrina's Wake

A pilot and reporter who has risked her life on the battlefield has taken on a new target-the human suffering experienced during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

Author Cholene Espinoza's response to what she saw on a trip to Mississippi after the storm-and what she learned about herself-forms the basis for a book dedicated to rebuilding what Katrina washed away.

The book, "Through The Eye Of The Storm" (Chelsea Green, $14.00), is described as a rallying cry for working Americans who survived the storm and an indictment of the public and commercial sources of assistance that failed them.

Espinoza details what she calls the seemingly insurmountable red tape and what she describes as barriers to assistance for people "who have no means to complain or demand better." She sees her book as a story of loss and recovery, of the ravages of disaster and the healing power of community.

Noted journalist Helen Thomas describes the book as "the inspiring spiritual journey of a courageous woman who is dedicated to great human causes."

Said Thomas, "We can all learn from Cholene Espinoza."

Proceeds from the book will help to build and support a community/education center that will serve the Katrina survivors of Harrison County on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. It will provide young adults with GED, computer and other job training that will provide them with the skill to participate in the recovery of their community. Is will also serve the community as an after-school facility. It's hoped the center will eventually provide health care services.

Currently a United Airlines pilot, Espinoza graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1987. In 1992 she became the second woman selected to fly the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft and was awarded the Air Medal for combat missions over Iraq and the former Yugoslavia. She is also a military correspondent for Talk Radio News Service and lives in New York City.

How And Why Of Giving Away Free Domain Names

Perhaps you already know that it is possible to get a free domain name. However, have you ever wondered how a country can afford to give away its domain names for free? Why would a country just give away its domain names instead of charging for them?

1. Free Domain Names from Dot TK

It is possible to get a free top-level domain name from Dot TK (www.dot.tk).

According to their website, "Dot TK is a joint venture of the Government of Tokelau, it's communication company Teletok and Taloha, Inc., a privately held company. The Government of Tokelau has appointed Taloha, Inc. as the exclusive registration entity."

Of course, for free .tk domains, ownership remains with Dot TK. This means that you can't sell it. As well, there are other restrictions and disadvantages of free .tk domains, including:

-You can register only a maximum of three free domain names;
-You need 25 visitors within a ninety day period;
-You need to have existing web content somewhere so that your dot tk name can be forwarded to it; and
-Dot TK uses frames to show your website. This being the case, you may have issues with navigation (bookmarking or finding specific pages) and search engine friendliness.

For serious business use, you might want to pay the nominal cost for a domain name.

2. Why Do They Offer Free Domain Names?

Still, it is free. Why would they do this when they could make money from the sale of domain names?

According to their website: "Why does Dot TK give away free domain names? We believe that the Internet was supposed to be 'Free'. Meaning no charges, payments or expected return favors."

3. How Can They Afford to Give Away Free Domain Names?

This logically leads us to our next question: How can they afford to give away free domain names?

Dot TK makes money from paid domain names, including some special and trademarked names.

To help support Dot TK, you can optionally have an ad displayed on your website. Thus, they do receive some advertising revenue from this. However, the big money would be in the sponsorship by large corporations.

4. Other Free Top-Level Domain Names

By the way, this is not the only ccTLD (country code Top-Level Domain) that gives away some domain names for free.

As just one example, cg is the ccTLD for the Republic of Congo. Each of its citizens and lawful residents are allowed one free .cg domain name.

5. Free Subdomain Names

Additionally, subdomain names are also available for free. For example, eu.org states on their website that their goal "is to provide free subdomain registration to users or non-profit organizations who cannot afford the outrageous fees demanded by some NICs, especially in Europe."

As well, nr is the ccTLD name for the Republic of Nauru. You can receive a free subdomain name from co.nr. Thus, your domain name could be something like yourcompany.co.nr.

Why do countries give away free domain names? They want their citizens and others to be able to enjoy the benefits of domain name use without cost being an issue. It can also be a promotional method designed to get the word out about their ccTLD.

How can these countries afford to give away free domain names? Advertising revenue and the sale of paid domains are two ways of funding free domain names.

New IRS Scam Hits Email Mailboxes

There is a new wave of email "phishing" that is showing up in email mailboxes this spring, unscrupulous scammers are now targeting the American public with email claiming to be from the IRS.

The ingenious fraudsters' aim is to collect your Social Security number, credit card account information and banking account information. The emails, which look authentic complete with the IRS logo and privacy policy, lure people into providing this information by notifying them of an audit or offering them access to a link to collect their refund. Additionally, the web site that appears bears a striking resemblance to the official IRS web site (even the font type matches) and when people click home, it actually takes them to www.IRS.gov (the real IRS web site).

However, there are some flaws to these thief's attempts to secure people's private and personal information. This is what the public should know: In one of the scam emails in the browser or address bar at the top of the page it reads: http://tzk.kozle.pl and the information that is requested, Social Security number, credit card number, banking information (where the refund goes).

The public needs to know that the IRS generally does not communicate with them via email.

"We do not communicate with taxpayers via email. We may send you a letter, we may call you, but we do not send out email," stated IRS spokeswoman Nancy Mathis.

In recent weeks up to one hundred complaints a day are reported regarding email scams and the IRS has found twelve web sites operated in eighteen different countries committing this type of fraud or other types of IRS related fraud.

If you get an email from the IRS and if you doubt its authenticity, it is best to call the IRS and verify that they did, in fact send the correspondence. Call the IRS at 1-(800) 829-1040 ask confirm if they are trying to contact you. To report a fraudulent or suspicious email claiming to be from the IRS, call the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1 (800) 366-4484. Furthermore, report any cases of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

There's no mystery in the IP address!

The Computer is a very complicated device we use for our every day comfort and the importance of some of its numerical aspects is sometimes neglected. For example: a different number is given to each computer when its user goes online or when it is part of a network. This number is the IP address and knowing about it is like knowing where you live…

What's my IP and what do its numbers stand for?
IP stands for Internet Protocol and the address is formed from 4 numbers separated by periods. The IP address format is a 32 bit numeric one and each number can be from 0 to 255. The IP address consists of two parts: first one represent the network number and it is similar for more than one user (like the number of a street) and second represents the host name which is different for each user (like the house number). To increase the number of available IP addresses within big networks with a lot of users or small networks with few hosts, the address is divided into 4 classes (A, B, C, and D)

Having an IP address it's like having a last name in a network. To identify a computer in a network (LAN-local area network, WAN-wide area network or on the Internet) it has to have an IP address. This number is similar to a phone number or to a zip code. It is unique and without it the device or computer can not be used in a network area. Within an isolated network the computers can be assigned different random IP addresses, but if a private network needs to be connected to the Internet the IP has to be registered so that its uniqueness is verified.


Where do I find my IP address?
Connect to a site that recognizes your IP address and let you see it also. You can visit this site for example: iprelated.com. These IP Lookup sites are very easy to use and very useful for others. An IP address can offer a lot information about the person who logs in on the Internet and engages in a certain activity.
This is how illegal activity is sometimes detected and violations are reported. The IP address says less about the user if it is a dynamic one because it changes every time the user logs in.
Another interesting aspect is that some people who have the information from your IP address are interested in taking you computer over and using its resources. This is not impossible! They can use software that enables them to do this so it is better to hide your IP when you are online.

Who gives me my IP address?
The IP address can be static or dynamic, meaning it can be the same every time you are online or it can change. The IP address is provided by a server through a service called DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

Although things can get pretty complicated when explaining numbers and their significance, this is just a small and easy to understand introduction about the IP address that does not involve technical terms. The importance of these details is very high because starting from these brief explanations one can truly comprehend the necessity and implications of the IP address and of virtual geo location.

Three Ways Meetings Make Your Business Better

1) Effective meetings make money

Effective meetings make a business smart by producing creative strategies, solid plans, and workable solutions. And smart businesses always outperform others. Bad meetings produce nothing, except maybe a decision to call another meeting.

A smart business attracts customers because they know that smart companies provide reliable products and services. Thus, your proposal meetings, sales presentations, and operational effectiveness tell customers what to expect. For example, consider the opposite: how reliable a product would you expect from a company that ran bad meetings?

A profit-driven business must obtain a positive return on every activity that it undertakes. And that includes meetings. Wise leaders design their meetings so that they earn money for the business.

2) Effective meetings save money

Good meetings produce results that people support. And that represents a major operational efficiency because such results cost less to implement. Results (if any) from a bad meeting seldom have everyone's support. Implementation is then hindered by broken commitments, competing activities, and sabotage. In turn, the business wastes huge amounts of money on duplicate efforts and dead-end projects.

Smart companies get full value for money spent. And that includes salaries. In an effective meeting, people are paid to work, not lounge around eating donuts, sipping coffee, and exchanging chitchat.

Employees admire effective leaders. And they want to work for smart companies. Thus, effective meetings reduce employee turnover, which represents significant savings. In contrast, bad meetings bore top performers into quitting.

3) Effective meetings make people powerful

When people work as a team to produce a result, they feel pride and ownership in that result. Thus, they feel inspired by their work. And that translates into greater productivity.

People are attracted to leaders who help them. And good leaders run meetings characterized by achievement. This creates loyalty to the leaders and to the business. In contrast, bad meetings are filled with failure, which causes frustration, resentment, and anger.

Effective meetings work as a success engine in business. The employees use them as a reliable tool to perform their work. As a result, each success motivates to them to work harder.

The Tea Room Business Plan - First Steps And Start Up Basics

Every venture starts with the first steps and a business plan for a quality tea room is no exception. Well thought out first steps, properly implemented, will pay dividends in the business operations of the tea room in later years

First Steps

• Use a "first steps" checklist. (See Checklist Section of this document)

• Focus on selling a great product or service at a fair price.

• Specialize. Specialists outperform non-specialists.

• Train your employees thoroughly in marketing and customer service skills.

• Consider your suppliers as a source of financing.

• Develop a database of prospects.

• Open quietly to work out the bugs before you schedule the grand opening promotion.

• Include the Internet in your marketing plans with an appealing website.

Start up Basics

Choosing your business name

Find a name that will encompass all areas that you are interested in-tea room, tea party catering, gift shop, tea education, etc. You want to leave room for growth and/or change.

Changing a business name after you have used it can be a problem. If you already have stationery, business cards, etc. printed with a name, you have to redo all of it and that can be expensive. If you are on the internet, you have to forward everything to your new site and that can be difficult.

Before you commit funds and resources to promotion, make sure the name you choose is final.

After you name your business, it is time to register your business name.

Registering your business name

It's important to register your business name because if you don't, someone else could register it and you would lose the right to use that name. First, check the web to see if someone else has registered your chosen business name in your state.

You can find your state's Secretary of State office and locate the business name registration area on your state's website.

Most states' Secretary of State websites have a business name search feature and information on registering your chosen business name in your state.

Go to your own state's office of Secretary of State. Go to the registration area to register your business name.

Another good idea is to trademark your business name and logo for national protection. Go to the "trademarks" section U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Obtaining a Business License

Every state has their own regulations for obtaining a business license. All you need to do is call the city clerk's office listed in the government section of your telephone book... There is of course, a fee and paperwork.

Getting Your Resale Tax Number

Since you are going to be selling food, tea, tea accouterments, etc. you need to have a sales tax number or a resale tax number (they are both the same thing.) You can find your state's department of revenue online or in the state government section of your phone book.

This resale tax number allows you to purchase your supplies at wholesale prices. Some suppliers only sell to businesses with resale numbers (this is also referred to as a wholesale number or wholesale license.)

Opening a Business Bank Account

Have a separate account so you do not mix your own personal money with your business money. The IRS requires you to have a clear distinction between your money and your business' money.

You need to keep a record of your income and expenses.

Tea Room Tip: Do not combine business funds with personal funds. This will only result in chaos.

Location

For a tea room, finding a good location is a critical factor. It cannot be overemphasized; the location should accommodate foot traffic and have adequate parking. Visibility and ease of access are two important elements.

Usually premises are leased and lease negotiations with the landlord are important for the success of the tea room.

Tea Room Tip: Remember, in a lease negotiation, EVERYTHING is negotiable. Do not become emotionally attached to any piece of property. There are always other sites available.

Business Organization

Since you are forming a business, you will require a business entity that has its own identity, name logo and other promotional identifiers. The general forms of organization are:

• Sole Proprietorship

• Partnership

• Limited Liability Corporation

• Corporation.

Each organizational form has different features, tax liability and protection for the individual. Check with a qualified legal advisor on the form best for you and the best state fro formation.

Tea Room Tip: Initially avoid including partners or shareholders in your business. Wait until the business is operating profitably (and you may well conclude you don't need the extra help.)

Licenses and Permits

When you start a business you are operating in the community at large and must comply with issues like business permits, licenses and registration of you trade name and logo may be required. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce or the Small Business Administration to determine the permits and other approvals required.

Go to the health department in your city to find out their regulations. You may have to take a course in food handling. You may have to have a grease interceptor or a grease trap.

Tea Room Tip: DO NOT OVERLOOK LICENSE/PERMIT REQUIREMENTS. Failure to comply with local building codes or licensing requirements will delay the opening of your tea room.

Insurance

A tea room will required liability insurance since you are dealing with the public on your premises or may have vehicles associated with the business is a good idea

• Location

• Initial Funding

Projecting financial figures for your tea room is one of the most challenging and critical undertakings of any consulting assignment. This is because initial estimates must be adequate to pay start up expenses and have a reserve for working capital to fund the business.

If you don't provide for enough capital going in going in, you won't have enough capital to run your business let alone maintaining business operations.

Tea Room Tip: Make a conservative forecast of your capital requirements based upon conservative cash flow projections. You will come up with a number that represents capital required. Then double the capital requirements and fund accordingly.

Tea Room Tip: You must be psychologically prepared to undertake the risks and effort associated with starting and running a business. But the benefits are worth the challenge. Proper preparation before you start will pay dividends later.


Tea Room Tip: If you've put all the necessary thought, preparation and research into how your business is going to run, if you have enough money to make it happen and to sustain you through the initial growth phase, if you have invested in some essential training to equip you to run your business for profit, then you should have every reason to believe you are going to be successful.

Initial Funding

All start up ventures require initial funding to pay the start up costs and other required working capital items.
You must have equity capita (money that is not borrowed) as part of the startup funding in order for the tea room venture to get started. This is a must. Equity capital can be combined with a certain amount of bank borrowings to supplement funding.

Tea Room Tip: Do NOT over leverage or over borrow funds as part of your initial funding. Borrowed funds must always be paid back and if you over borrow you will be "undercapitalized" and this can severely reduce your chances of success.

How To Find The Best Slow Downer

Learning how to play guitar can be very difficult for the beginners and for those who don't have such a great ear. However, since recently the music industry includes a useful method for helping those people. Using a slow downer music tool is more and more common among the musicians as these products offer lots of advantages. Not only that a slow downer can help you to learn complex songs that were unapproachable for you before but it can also help to significantly improve your skills as a musician. Besides, you will definitely find this kind of software very easy to use as they have a friendly interface and they include many simple options that can do a lot for you.

You should however search for the proper slow downer for you as you will find that not all of them offer you the same options. As you want to use a tool according to your present skills and needs, you have to search for the slow downer that can offer you the best solution. Maybe the first thing you want to know is how fast you can download a slow downer and what kind of options it includes. In general, these tools have a small size so it will be very easy to download it. When it comes to the options included by the slow downers you will get to use many utilities from a slow down MP3 music to a complete control over the way you listen to the music.

The slow downer is also a great tool for teachers as their students will surely increase their interest once they learn their favorite songs faster than before. Besides, it will be much easier for them to play by ear and they will greatly improve their skills without spending so much time for that. Imagine your students will get to hear played note by note any song they want and this way they will have the possibility to play it while they hear the song. Remember "Anyone can play guitar" from Radiohead? Well, the slow downer can surely get more and more talented people to easily learn how to handle with this instrument.

A great thing when it comes to slow downer is that you can easily create the loop points when you want only with some simple clicks. More than that, you can also benefit from using a speed trainer option, which will allow you not only to listen to the music very slow but also to increase the speed when you think it is necessary.

The best thing to do when you search for the proper slow downer is to first try the free trial. This won't be hard, as many companies that provide such software usually offer this option. By trying more such products you will definitely get to know which one fits your needs best. The only thing that you will have to do is to spend some time near your computer as they are generally distributed on the Internet. Why hesitate to use a slow downer when this can be the fastest way for you to get to greatly play the guitar? Read users reviews and then use a slow downer to understand what they are trying to say.

Convince Skeptics With Easy Vegetarian Recipes

If you are thinking of following vegetarian diet for certain causes - religious belief, health reason, economic reason, animal rights - you will face a barrage of uninformed arguments from skeptical relatives and friends. A common argument about vegetarianism is the difficulty of preparing vegetarian meals. Don't get swayed or discouraged by this argument because there is a lot of choice for vegetarians. A vegetarian diet consists of ordinary everyday foods like grains, vegetables, nuts, and fruits. Legumes and starches like potatoes and rice are also part of the diet. Fish, poultry, and dairy products can also be incorporated depending on what type of vegetarianism you follow. These are all available in your average grocery store. Also, there is a variety of easy vegetarian recipes available in many sources. Books, magazines, newsletters, and even TV shows are veritable sources of healthy vegetarian recipes. You will not miss anything because the choices are limitless.

Vegetarian meals do not deviate much from a regular diet except for the absence of meat. Skeptics argue that this could mean missing out on essential proteins. But this is hardly true nor correct. All healthy vegetarian recipes are well-balanced. They have the required amounts of essential vitamins, minerals, and protein. Examples of protein choices are legumes, nuts, beans, fish, poultry, dairy, and the popular tofu. Calcium, a mineral often associated with milk, is not missed either. Middle Easterners and native Africans are known to have strong teeth and bones but their diets rarely contain dairy or meat. They get their calcium from vegetables and root crops. So there is no reason you couldn't get your calcium requirements from vegetarian foods. In terms of nutrition, a vegetarian diet is even superior to diets with meat. There is less fat and bacteria that enter the body which can cause heart diseases and infections. You can watch meat lover bloat and get fat while maintaining your own healthy body with vegetarianism.

After proclaiming that you are eating healthier with vegetarianism, you'd think that the non-believers will stop bugging you. But no, they're back and possibly bearing the most difficult question for hedonists. They'll ask if you're not depriving yourself of the hearty pleasure and satisfaction only the flavor of meat can give. Fret not because vegetarianism has an answer to that. When vegetarians state that there are easy vegetarian recipes, they don't just mean easy to prepare but also easy on the palate. Contrary to what the skeptics are thinking about vegetarian meals (you know, limp lettuce and carrot sticks), vegetarian meals are flavorful and varied. Recipes range from curries, soups, burgers, steaks, hotdogs, casseroles, pasta, and delicious desserts all made with true vegetarian goodness. In fact, vegetarian meals are more flavorful because they make full use of herbs and natural flavors unlike meats which use a lot of salt.

If your friends and relatives still won't stop bugging you about your vegetarian diet, get a load of healthy vegetarian recipes and cook them a feast. When they see that you didn't even break a sweat preparing the delicious feast, they'll be convinced of the ease of vegetarianism. Give them copies of easy vegetarian recipes and don't be surprised if they'll ask you to go produce-shopping in the following days.