Instrumental Pointer

Web site designing can today be an expensive proposition for anyone who wants to get his Web site designed professionally. Being a typical service sector industry, it might have little tangible or materials cost, but costs incurred by the firm in terms of manpower and software can be quite high. This cost is in turn passed on to the client.

One must at the very beginning decide on the amount that is to be spent on getting the Web site designed. Only after this is done should one start to choose a Web site designing firm. Thus the affordability analysis should be also taken into consideration while making the final decision.

Since the Chicago area has numerous firms that design Web sites, the cost quoted by firms to a client is competitive more often than not. But again, some firms project themselves as especially cost-efficient or position themselves as specifically low cost Web site designers. When negotiating prices, it is a good idea to find a balance between the quality of the site and the price of the work. A discount is useless if the site is not up to expectations.

Firms like Andrew Lehman Design promote their rates as amazingly affordable. They claim to charge only $600 for designing a 5-page site with 20 images and a wealth of features. For $160 a year and no setup charge, they offer a single-page design program with several features. On top of this, they also offer all Chicago area clients free listings in IllinoisRetail.com, IllinoisOccasionDirectory.com, and other state directories, with color image links to their Web sites.

SYDCON Web Development is another designing firm offering low cost Web development. Like a number of other firms, they offer free consultation to clients.

Regardless of the price of the Web site design you are paying for, it is advisable to look at all possible options before making a decision and choosing a company.

In this article, I will teach you the basics about Meta Tags and their functions. Learning how to create Meta Tags is essential for your companies web site ranking.

What Are Meta Tags?

Meta Tags are a series of sentences created by either you or your web designer in order to let the search engine know what each individual web page in your web site is about. These meta tags are NOT visible to your visitors but are within your code for search engines to read when they visit your site.

Your meta tags will help the search engine determine:

- What your page is about
- Whether your meta tags relate to your content within your page
- The relevance of your content
- Were to rank your site within the search engine.

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT META TAGS!

The key to Meta Tags is to let search engines know what the content within your web page is supposed to be about! Creating meta tags that do not relate to your content will give very negative results and may get your web site banned from search engines.

Ex. Your content is about “Creating Meta Tags”.

You’ll want to include within your content specific information about “Creating Meta Tags”. Once your content is complete, select a few “Key Phrases” and include them within your meta tags. Make an attempt to keep each individual web page about 1 specific topic. This will help your page relevance within search engines.

What do Meta Tags look like and how do I view them?

To view meta tags it s actually quite simple if you know what to look for! There are 3 specific things to look for: 1) Title, 2) Description, 3) Keywords.

Here’s what an example of what meta tags look like… Before you say “Huh?”, I’ll explain everything after the given example.

Ok now… Here’s what you’re looking at…

TIP: You must include the “code” indicated in bold in order for your meta tags to work. So many web sites have meta tags that are never read by search engines because there is a flaw within the meta tags. Don’t forget to include the “closing tags” ( “> ).

Please Note: Each individual search engine looks at your key words differently. No one knows what the search engines are looking for except for the people that program them. Any business claiming that they know what search engines are looking for are trying to sell you false hopes.

How to view a web site meta tags!

Right click on your mouse and select the option “View Source”. This will open another word document to show you the web sites “Code”. Meta Tags are typically near the top of the document.

Martin Lemieux
Smartads – President

Affordable Web Design & Web Site Marketing
www.smartads.info & www.smartads.ca

Martins Weekly Marketing Tips: www.smartads.info/newsletter
Daily Web Marketing Tips: web-marketing.smartads.info
Entrepreneur Help Site: mindpower.smartads.info

Generally, senior executives are very accomplished at their day-to-day activities within their respective industries. However, most are not skilled in what is often the hardest job they’ve ever had – finding a job. Many of these men and women have not had to look for a new position in 10, 15, or even 20 years. The situation is compounded by the fact that our cyclical economy now changes radically every few years, placing once-secure executives in the position of having “the bottom drop from underneath them” at a time when they are ill-prepared to “roll with the punches.” A senior executive may be highly-qualified for a number of desirable positions, but the fact is that s/he simply just doesn’t know how to find them.

While some professionals are naturally outgoing and communicative of their skills and talents, many others are not. Regardless of ability, very few actually look forward to carrying out the universal mandate for the senior executive job seeker: Network!

Most executives get jobs by networking. At senior levels (over $90K), more than 80% of successful transitions occur via networking. Job boards, newspapers, and trade journals account for 3-4%, and recruiters fill 12-15%. Clearly, there is no debate on the efficacy of networking. However, there is great debate on how to do it.

Many see networking as a laborious and time-consuming effort to phone almost anyone they’ve ever known who might offer some semblance of help. Their message? A desperate “I need a job!” Almost without exception (after the usual gratuitous pleasantries) the response is the same – an ambiguous “Let me see what I can do and get back to you,” perhaps concluding with “let’s have lunch sometime.” With repetition, this exercise becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. For the job seeker, it can result in anything from mild discouragement to deep depression.

This “rolodex approach” is not really networking; it’s a thinly-veiled plea for help. The job-seeker is really asking “Can you do the networking necessary for me to find a job?” The invariable answer, no matter how cordially phrased, is “No.” The recipients of such phone calls rarely have open jobs suitable for the caller, and in the unlikely event that they do, refrain from saying anything other than the above-stated “Let me get back to you.”

There are few activities in life that cannot be improved with a plan. Effective networking is a little more strategic than the rolodex approach. A well-developed plan includes:

• An objective “What are the best ways to identify good Senior Project Director jobs in my field?” (Note: the objective did not say available jobs, since most jobs at senior levels are not vacant.) Good networking should not focus on the identification of vacancies, which are few, but on the job seeker’s communication of his/her value to a decision-maker. There may not be a vacancy, but there might be a problem that needs to be solved.

• A sub-objective “Who should I contact to get this information?”

• An enabling objective “Who do I know that can refer me to these people?”

The networking call now becomes a series of calls, all of which are far more specific and actionable by the contact. There is a much greater chance of a positive and helpful response from people when they are asked to do something within their power.

In summary, effective networking is not one big step; it is a series of strategic communications that will eventually put the job seeker in front of the right person.

Started a book and then got bogged down? Like many of my bookcoaching clients do you say, “I have so many other demands, I just can’t get to the book.”

This isn’t procrastination or fear. Most writers get stuck when they don’t know how to move forward, finish, publish and sell their unique, useful book to audiences just waiting for it to come out. Let me share two ways to speed up your process.

One. Take One or More High Level Action Each Day

Another to do, you groan? Not really. If you don’t make your book one of the top three priorities in your life, it won’t finish it.

Get real. How many hours can you give to your book a week?
If not ten, I say you may never get your book out. Clients get so discouraged when they don’t do their fieldwork for our coaching calls, so I came up with one solution of doing one High Level Activity or more each day for five days a week. (HLAs) Go ahead; take the weekend off like I do.

Some HLA steps include:

- Write on a chapter that you have passion for first.

- Write 2-3 pages a day on just one chapter.

- Finish one chapter before you move on.

- Write 3-6 questions you need to answer for your audience for each chapter before you write a word.

- Read a book on how to put a chapter together the fast way

- Write in your organizer each day the specific HLAs you will do

- Contact a book coach who has low-cost teleclasses, small group coaching groups, or writes books on the topic you need help on.

- Write a sample chapter introduction with a hook and thesis to direct your reader to the meat.

-Write compelling copy so your reader will turn all the pages and recommend your book to others.

Sample Organizer Page

Write your intention: I finish this book (name the title) by (name date and year)

Affirm: I stay on track every day with my HLA’s.

Take Action: My HLAs for Wednesday, date, year

1. Contact a cover person for my how to book

2. Answer three questions for chapter 6. For example,

- Can I write print or eBook at the same time?

- What’s the best eBook format for my book’s purpose and me?

- How much will it cost to self- publish? (A lot less than you think)

- Add front and back material to sell more copies

Think of the Payoffs.

The trick is to finish these three HLAs or even one before you go to bed that day. If you finish fully, you’ll feel confident and your guilt will disappear.

Two. Write Fast-Forward, Well-Organized, Easy-to-Read Chapters

Do you try to use past research for your chapters? This is not necessary. All you need to do is answer your reader’s concerns and questions.

Your reader wants your to solve his problem or challenge, whether it be to make more money, save more money, create better relationships, connect with their inner self, or to communicate better.

If you don’t answer these in each chapter, your reader will say “ho hum” or “I’m confused, what’s the point of this chapter? They will put your book down and not recommend it to others.

One common mistake writers make with their books:

They don’t complete one chapter with all its parts including the sizzling hook and introduction, the middle with stories or how tos with engaging headlines, and the ending that inspires the writer to keep going to the next chapter.

When you sidetrack, you get off focus, and that’s also a big challenge for book writers. When you focus, you write so much faster, and with a little professional help, get to market so much sooner. Results? More cash flow so you can market and promote properly.

Judy Cullins ©2005 All Rights Reserved.

Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people’s lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Judy is author of 10 eBooks including Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast, Ten Non-Techie Ways to Market Your Book Online, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Your Targeted Web Traffic, and Power Writing for Web Sites That Sell. She offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, “The BookCoach Says…,” “Business Tip of the Month,” blog Q & A at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 170 free articles.

===============
Email her at Judy@bookcoaching.com.
Phone: 619/466-0622 — Orders: 866/200-9743

1. Give Incentives

Give people an incentive to subscribe to your e-zine. Offer
them a freebie if they subscribe. It could be a free e-book,
free report, free advertising, etc. Make sure the freebie will
attract your target audience.

2. Joint Venture

Joint venture with a similar e-zine. Combine your subscriber
bases together and publish one e-zine. Edit and publish
each issue together. You both will be promoting the e-zine
which means more subscribers.

3. Allow Archiving

Allow your subscribers to archive back issues of your
e-zine on their web site. They may need content for their
web site. If people visit their web site and like your e-zine,
they will subscribe.

4. Form An E-zine Ring

Form an e-zine ring. Team up with 4 to 10 similar e-zines.
All the publishers would agree to list each others e-zine
name and subscribing information in every issue. You could
call this section “Other Free E-zines You Might Enjoy”

5. Ask Subscribers

Ask subscribers to forward your e-zine to close friends,
family, or associates. If they enjoy your e-zine, they will
subscribe. It’s almost like your subscribers are endorsing
your e-zine.

About the author:

Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.

A new, recently published study affirms that in vogue underclothes are the one wish item sure to bring women, young and old to experience themselves as being lovely. As an acknowledged leader in the luxuriant ladies underwear market space, Myla is a well known British enterprise hailing from London, England devoted to permitting women, young and old to feel seductive and vigorous in in vogue lady’s nightwear. Myla’s range of products embraces enticing fishnet stockings, triangle bras conterminous with garter belts, fetching sleepwear including, naturally, unbelievably voluptuous bed room silk satin stiletto shoes.

For the best of breed in sweet bliss the Myla company presents you with the most spicy underclothes made from plush textile fibers which extends to pure silk, chiffon, needlelace including, naturally, mesh lingerie. Intended for coquettish females, young and old it stands to reason that there are balconette bras next to frilled thongs, underwired bras next to corresponding silk thongs and garter not to mention fetching frisky baby-dolls made from chiffon and needlelace. As can be expected, this brag mass of articles presents you with lace basques, silk & lace french knickers, body silks including, naturally, long silk satin halter nighties. So if you are aiming for unlimited enticing glamour, select a venturous quarter cup balconette bra or preformed padded plunge bra and for a counterpart silk & lace french knickers and a garter perfected with stockings. An optimal solution for the boudoir, one can purchase pure structured satin and lattice tulle bodices, frilled thongs, briefs, body lace g-strings and strops.

Should you be looking for unbelievably voluptuous bed room apparatus select silk satin bow tassels, silk stilettos, stockings, silk & lace garters and sensual smelling passion candles. Magnetize and bewitch with feather ticklers, feather fluff and silk tie-ups, silk & satin blindfolds, stimulating scented massage oil, toothsome chocolate body paints or a frisky paddle. For the best of breed unbelievably voluptuous silk satin stiletto shoes, the Myla company presents you with a broad collection of variable speed vibrating toys exclusively designed by a throng of globally celebrated designers. Lingerie devotees can choose from a great range of products which extends to Rachel Wingfield’s organic design variable speed vibrating Sphere, the unbelievably voluptuous platinum bow engraved vibrator by Jimmyjane or Japanese designer Mar-Ruth Oda’s intimate use toy Pebble.

Feel so attractive with luxury lingerie from Myla.

Copyright 2006 Adam Kessler

This isn’t going to be a very pleasant article. People will not like what they are about to read. I’m going to tell you what you need to do to lose weight. You have probably heard it before, but you really don’t want to hear it again. It hasn’t changed from 5 years ago, from 10 years ago, even from 30 years ago. You want to know what it is? Well, here I go. To lose weight, you need to eat right, exercise correctly, and you will lose weight. That is it. Sounds simple right??!! Well, then why do so many people struggle with it? Because it doesn’t happen quickly and it is so hard!!!!

To safely lose weight, you are going to want to lose 1-2 pounds a week. This sounds daunting to people who need to lose 100 – 200 pounds. That means it could take anywhere from a year to 4 years to lose the weight you need. In a “now” society that just isn’t good enough, but it is going to have to suffice. With all our advanced technology, scientists still haven’t come up with that magic pill. They are trying because someone would make a boatload of money, but it hasn’t been done. ACCEPT THAT! There are no shortcuts. It is going to take a lot of hard work, discipline, and support from your family and friends, but it can be done. Here is what to do.

You are going to have to do cardiovascular exercises 5-7 times a week, for roughly 30-45 minutes. That stinks, I know, but you need to do it to burn fat. You also need to do weight training to develop muscle and speed up your metabolism. You need to strength train 2-3 times a week and push yourself. You have to work at an intensity that is going to develop muscle. If you don’t, it is essentially a waste of your time. People always tell me what they do for exercise. When I correct some of their routine, they always say, “Well, something is better than nothing right.” Wrong! If you are going to dedicate the time to exercise, do it right. Otherwise it is no better than sitting in front of your television watching a Jennifer Lopez video. I told you that you weren’t going to like what I was going to write.

Now, what to eat? This isn’t rocket science. Ignore all those fad diets out there. Try this. Get rid of all the crap in your cupboards and don’t pretend you don’t know what it is. Cookies, chips, ice cream, crackers. I don’t care if it says low fat, low calorie, whatever, pitch it. Replace it with fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and whole wheat items (bread, pasta, etc.). No one ever said they gained weight by eating a bag of baby carrots for a late night snack. Eat 4 to 5 times throughout the day. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus healthy snacks in between. This will keep your metabolism up plus give you healthier choices.

If you do all of this, you will lose weight. If you think you are eating healthy and exercising properly, but you haven’t lost weight, then you are DEAD WRONG! It takes some knowledge and discipline, but it will work. You might just have read some misinformation. Follow these guidelines and lose weight. It will take time, it could be rough at times, but it will happen. The transformation you will see will definitely make it all worthwhile.

Adam Kessler is President of Fitness Planning Consultants in Columbus, Ohio. They help athletes get stronger and faster, while working with people who want to lose weight and keep it off. Learn about more weight loss tips at
fitnessplanning.com/weight_loss.htm

Workplace safety is important to all businesses for ethical, legal and financial reasons. Keeping employees safe from injury is the right thing to do, it also keeps a business away from civil litigation and can lower costly compensation claims.

Many larger companies are establishing full-time safety coordinators whose job is solely devoted to safety issues. Smaller companies can assign competent people to dedicate a small portion of time instilling good safety habits in employees.

Here are five good reasons to hold a short monthly safety meeting with a well-defined agenda.

1) Commitment – For workers to take safety issues seriously, the business must take it seriously first. Change flows from the top. Holding a routine meeting to highlight safety policies and concerns will demonstrate the company’s commitment to minimizing hazardous unsafe behavior.

2) Awareness- Employees can’t obey policies they don’t know about. Tackling issues in public with handouts and short tests will enhance workplace knowledge on what is safe and unsafe activity. Many accidents happen because someone is just not paying attention. Elevating employee awareness is the first step to prevention.

3) Teamwork – Cooperation is the key to success. By teaching safety and offering incentives for safe track records, and discipline for unsafe practices, employees will work together to create a safe environment. A corporate culture of safety-mindedness will develop and become second nature. For example, in a retail office environment, when employees take unnecessary risks, others will gently remind them to close unattended file drawers, get a ladder instead of standing on a chair, ask for help when lifting something heavy etc.

4) Training – Do your employees know what to do in case of emergency? If there’s a fire, do they know how to evacuate and where to meet? Are there people assigned to make sure all persons are accounted for after an evacuation? Does everyone understand the procedure when an injury occurs? Training will bring about confident employees who are prepared should an emergency arise.

5) Savings – A safe workplace is a cost effective work place. When office workers are typing properly, repetitive motion claims are reduced. When box clerks are lifting properly, back injuries are less likely. Efforts at producing a safer workplace will pay off in spades with lower workmen’s comp insurance premiums, reduced liability exposure, greater productivity and the expense of hiring new or temporary employees to replace injured ones.

“Safety First”: we’ve all heard it; you can show your employees that you mean it. Invest in their safety by developing safety policies and teaching them what is expected.

Rick David writes for a Merchant Newsletter @
Merchant America. He
also writes a humor column called,
“Don’t Laugh It Could Happen To You” for
http://sandiego.merchantamerica.com.

There are an ever increasing total number of debt management businesses currently giving debt advice. Such businesses claim to provide cost free non committal debt information. What has yet to be determined is are these companies are delivering the best value with regard to the services they offer and the information they provide?

The difficulty is that debt advice companies are actually out to derive a profit. Revenue is generated by referring debtors to alternative businesses or instead by taking setup costs from the companies to whom money is owed. It is therefore difficult to find out how effectively such companies are really helping their clients. The concern is that these debt advice companies may be tempted to give guidance to clients swayed by their own margins rather than providing the best solution for the customer.

Debt counselling businesses are controlled by the government to ensure they are professionally qualified and uphold individual privacy. Unfortunately it is very difficult to properly check or understand a given advisers motives when giving debt management advice. The point in question is, how is it possible for an inspector ascertain whether debt counselling was offered with the best interests of the debtor at heart, or if the kind of information given was influenced by the advisers profit margins?

The truth is the vast majority of debtors fail to fully understand the courses of action possible with reference to debt and debt consolidation generally. If customers did understand these customers would not need the advice of professional debt advisers.

Getting un-biased citezens advice can be difficult. Never the less you would be well advised to shop around for such services. Individuals would be silly to merely go with the first debt adviser that offers them help.

Not so long a go it seemed like laptops for gaming were only obtainable from select brands and they were usually custom made. The notebooks were circulated in low volumes but each one had a large profit margin. Everybody wanted this type of laptop, however it was too pricey. They were basically desktop computer rivals and the highest performing, best laptop computer you could purchase. I think we all got thrilled about them but the vast majority would never buy laptop computers that were so expensive. As the international computer companies distinguish the potential profits in gaming notebooks, the business is evolving.

These are certainly big margin laptops for the large companies and they know it. As the profit margins on mid range laptop computers have gotten so tiny, manufacturing specialized gaming notebooks is one tactic to render a higher gross profit. I am quite confident that people would buy laptop computers if marketed to everybody by these massive companies. I guess smaller system builders are very distressed regarding this. This once premium technology is basically going to be aimed at everyone now. Customers just feel much more at ease making a massive purchase from an established name.

The laptop computers are surprisingly good too. I still anticipate that 2nd tier companies will derive significant encouragement from this fact. In my point of view being able to specify the parts you desire could be a deciding factor. Well versed in the technology, these types of purchasers are really clued up on what specs to check for. The fine point are important for this type of consumer.

For the consumer, this has a lot of positives. It will force prices to slide and make premium technology cheaper for everyone. I say that rather hesitantly however because the laptop computer business is a pretty fast moving place. Technology is constantly getting better and the latest stuff should always be expensive on release. The multinational manufacturers have already entered the gaming laptop computers niche so we will have to be patient and see what occurs I reckon.

Should you be thinking of purchasing a laptop you might want to visit http://www.rizeon.com/gaming_laptops/page.php