May 2008
Monthly Archive
How to Use Picture Frames to Decorate an Interior Space
We all have seen paintings being used in our home interiors.
They play a major role when it comes to decorating an interior
space.
There are basically two types of frames, first are the photographs
captured using a camera and others are hand drawn sketches or
paintings. There are two major aspects to a picture frame, the
frame itself and the subject of the picture.
When it comes to the subject of the picture a vast majority
and almost infinite subjects are available to choose from. Photos
or hand drawn pictures of birds, animals, natural beauty, people,
portraits, birds, scenery, architecture, cityscapes, mountains,
oceans and sea, geometric shapes, non-geometric shapes, abstract
shapes, strokes, flowers, interiors, vehicles, and a whole lot
more…can be “framed” to form a beautiful picture frame.
When it comes to choosing the exact subject of the picture frame,
one must recognize the surroundings of the interior space, location
where the picture frame is going to appear, the quality and
dimensions of the wall surface where the picture frame will
appear. It is always not true that the picture will be put on
the wall. Sometimes small frames standing on the table can greatly
add the liveliness of a room.
It is important to consider that we are going to use the painting as a
“filler” on the wall. The space on the wall, which is empty, gets
filled up with interesting array of colors present in the picture.
Colors attract the attention of the visitor and creates moods in his/her
mind.
Let’s see an example of how a picture frame creates moods in our mind.
Here I use 4 photographs of kittens and frame them to for picture
frames to use on an empty wall in my bedroom. I locate these
frames such that I see them prominently when I enter the bedroom.
The real life photos of kittens instantly create a soothing and
compassionate feelings in me which are in tune with how I feel in my
bedroom sleeping on my bed.
On the other hand if I use a photo of the “Ford Mustang” , my
feelings would be more of a alert nature because of the various
memories attached to it previously. On the other hand if I use
the Ford Mustang photo in my study room, that would greatly help
to warm up the atmosphere.
That’s why subjects that create a soothing mindset such as natural
beauty, photos/portraits of children, etc.. can be used where the
human activity is of low nature such as bedrooms, bathrooms, etc..
There is one more element that can affect the choice of a picture
frame in an interior space. The “design theme” of a space must
be given importance while selecting the picture. If the interior
design theme is of oriental nature, then picture with more use
of colors will look good. This is because in an oriental design
style more emphasis is given on “decorative elements” such as
drapes, cornices, tiny plaster treatments, window and door frames,
decorations in brass, etc..
To enhance the continuity of this theme on the empty wall surface
a painting with more detailed subject should be used. Picture of
natural scenery is best suited for this, because “nature” is full
of variety of colors and their shades, that can greatly enhance the
beauty of the space.
A little creative thinking can add some more interest to the
picture. For example what if I totally remove the frame which holds the
picture intact and “press” the picture between two glass plates.
Only metallic clamps at the four corners can be used to hold the
glass plates together. Artificial light used in the room will then
cast a shadow of the picture on the wall behind and can add “depth”
to the picture surface.
Picture frames with the ability to replace the picture is a good
starting point. This give s to control to test what’s good and
impressive in your room. This article was just a starting point
to ignite the imagination in your mind. I hope it has helped you
and you have enjoyed the text.
Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya
Shrinivas Vaidya is the webmaster of Bedroom-Design-And-Decorating-Ideas.com. Visit today to find some great concept level design tips for bedroom sets.
Are you Starving for Success?
This is something I learned from a guy in Louisiana. I worked with him in a different business way back when…
I learned a ton from this guy whether he knew it or not…it’s too bad he is not successful in business yet, because he really has some good insight.
I brought it up that you need to want success…want a business that will earn you profits.
We spoke of hobbies, and how we need to treat our business like a business! and how a hobby never pays the bills, they only cost money.
SO WHAT’S THE SECRET?
It all comes back to having that “dream” or a reason why. But it’s more than that…
It’s hunger; you need to be hungry. Be starving for success. You know when you can’t focus on anything else except that need to eat? You start getting the shakes and you need it. Now bring that feeling and transfer it to your business.
So you need to be hungry. And the insight that this young guy had was a one liner, and picture this in a Louisiana accent; “well there are times you could eat…but you are not necessarily ‘hungry’.” well how huge is that?!?
I say it all the time, that I learn from you guys as much as you learn from me! That was one of those AHA moments.
Of course, we could all eat a little bit of success, but are we hungry?
So, now every time I look at my business and think to myself “it’s just not growing as fast as I want” (which, if you are like me, is never fast enough). I need to ask, “am I still hungry?” And every single time I can answer no. I have become comfortable where I am at.
This brings me to another quote. “Success is found outside our comfort zone.” Think about that! If you want to be better than you are now, you need to look beyond yourself and expand. Whether it be physically, mentally, spiritually or financially. You need to stretch yourself beyond where you are now.
So if you are having a tough time getting into action; you look at yourself in the mirror and ask if you just need a bite of success, or if you want the 5 course meal!
So this week:
-Get hungry!
-Dream big!
-Develop your WHY!
-Be starving for success!
To our success,
Jay Kanik
www.cashcanoe.com
118 Telephone Numbers
If someone analyze closely at www.118.com you could see simply how very well 118 118 have finished & what 118 118 have amassed in such a short period of time. 118118.com is not the first directory enquiries service offering that you yourself can use, the new competition is immense. From 2002 the United Kingdom directory enquiries markets opened up to competitors by phasing away from the monopoly that was 192 and renewing it by a variety of varying 6 digit number that are 118118. A a huge number of different telephone number enquiries businesses have grasped the chance to win a share of a potentially profitable market, spending vast amounts of pounds on an advertising campaign that is going to come no where near to being as successful as the business of 118 118.
The 118 118 business telephone number is the greatest telephone number enquiry service in the United Kingdom. Every day and week 118 118 place lots of its service users through to people, locations and firms 118.com were in need of, because of this www.118.com is currently the most often called telephone numbers of the Great Britain 118.com can be used to find information on businesses, train times and cinema times, you can also find telephone numbers at their site.
Reports nowdays inform that the UK’s directories Enquiries industry is the largest in the EU. They sell a range of functions inc. the vital that is the telephone number enquiries telephone number service & then other additional extras such as cinema listings and locations, train schedules and train and tube locations.
The 118118 telephone number stays as the only UK 118 business to provide a wholly free telephone directory company targeted at customers from across all the major landline networks. From the 18th March 2008, 118118 business is excited to state its business adjustments. currently 0800118FREE this service is not charged by BT and major fixed networks. Costs by mobile phone networks vary. 118811 is these days 40 pence per minute and www.118.com is 69 p per call, 25 p per minute, which is a huge improvement when you regard it used to be greater than a pound.
Web Of Marketing30 May 2008 02:20 pm
Design Your Business Cards So They Help You Continue “Selling” To Your Prospects After You Leave
Why Are YOU “Really” In Business?
“I wanted to be an editor or a journalist, I wasn’t really interested in being an entrepreneur, but I soon found I had to become an entrepreneur in order to keep my magazine going” - Richard Branson
If you are a true entrepreneur, you will know that to succeed, it helps that you enter a line of business that you naturally enjoy, and would gladly do even if you did not get paid(as tends to happen during start up). The truth however is that you are(I hope) in business to make money in a manner that is profitable - which will in turn enable you stay in THAT business you enjoy, for the long term. To achieve the foregoing purpose, you will need to do cost-effective and results-focused business marketing. One very important - but I believe grossly underutilised tool - for doing that is the Business Card.
I discuss in this article how you as a business owner, can better design your own business cards, to significantly improve your ability to market yourself to those who really need your services and/or products.
Marketing is about creating an impression - a positive impression - in the mind of your intended customer - that YOU or YOUR BUSINESS are more capable of meeting his/her perceived need or want than any others. The more successful you are in creating this impression about yourself/business in the mind of your target audience, the greater the chances that they will choose you over others who may offer the same products and/or services you do. This in effect means, you will be better able to achieve your major business goal of making MORE money, MORE profitably.
This Article Is Meant MAINLY For Non-Employees
Just before I continue, I wish to make the following clarification. The ideas I offer here are mainly for use by self-employed individuals (independent contractors, consultants, entrepreneurs/business owners) - i.e. people who are their own bosses and therefore take decisions that affect how their company is perceived or operates.
For those who work as employees in companies, it is likely that decisions about the type and design of business cards used will be taken with considerations relevant to the company’s preferred mode of operation and business vision. I will therefore only say that persons who fall into this latter category, if they find what I say here of potential usefulness to their organisation(e.g. sales/marketing personnel) explore the possibility of bringing it to the attention of appropriate decision makers for consideration.
Is There A Rule Book For Business Card Design?
I am not aware of any rule book that actually spells out what information or details should or should not be on a business card: But if you know of any, I would appreciate your sending me a note about where to find it.
It appears instead, that most people seem to have come to some tacit agreement on the most relevant pieces of information and features to adorn their cards with. Or maybe they just adopted what they found others doing when they entered into business for themselves. Either way, the point I’m making is that I believe each person needs to try and design a business card that works for him/her.
What Does The Conventional Business Card “Say”?
What I would call the conventional business card typically contains information that “says” the following(in addition to some graphics such as a logo, or artistic effects for aestetic appeal):
1. Who you are: Your name/title/business name, and possible qualifications that lend credence to your claims.
2. Contact Info: Phone numbers, postal/physical address, web URL/email(you do have these don’t you?).
3. A Tag Line: Punchy phrase about your biz. BUT will these help achieve your purpose?
But the question could be asked: Does the conventionally designed business card work as well as it could be made to? I say NO. I say NO. In fact, after thinking about this issue, I have come to the conclusion that one word best describes the conventional business card - and that’s “Passive”. It’s contents are not designed to be response-generating or action-inducing. I however believe one can adopt a card design that is more “Active” — hence my efforts at finding an alternative that works, which eventually led to this article being written.
I have always been a bit of a non-conformist - with a penchant for “playing devil’s advocate”, “rocking the boat”, “stirring things up” etc in a bid to challenge others to re-evaluate accepted norms for possible refinement - or total replacement.
If I find that the status quo does not offer me what I consider optimal returns towards achievement of a set goal(s), I immediately begin exploring alternative options to adopt, till I find something that gives me the results I want.
Based on the above, the question, for me - as a performance enhancement advocate - on the issue of business cards and how to get the most value from them is: What information do business persons NEED to put on their business cards, to help them MORE successfully achieve their intended purpose for handing such cards out to prospects ?
By the way, with a few possible exceptions, I assume here that the reader - like most people who give out business cards - does so because s/he expects that the cards will further impress(or remind) the recipients to make contact at a later date in relation to the product or service discussed. In my view the business cards many business persons give out are not properly equipped to achieve the full marketing impact potential they possess. Business cards, I believe, can be designed to play a more active - even though silent - role in the marketing and/or selling process.
Think about it this way. Someone you speak with about your work could say “Can I have your card?”, possibly because your conversation is interesting enough to them, that they want to be able to contact you at a later date to take it further. However, whether or not you do end up closing a sale with that person could depend on what your card “says”(if at all it has anything to say) to him/her AFTER you’ve parted ways.
Now, if s/he runs into ANOTHER person who “appears” to offer something similar to what you told him/her you could, s/he might just give that OTHER person the job. But if your card is THE type that “tells”(or reminds) her about specific unique benefits you provide that the OTHER person may not be able to match, s/he is likely to tell the other seller “NO”, and come back to you. I say the foregoing here on the assumption that you do actually have a Unique Selling Proposition(USP).
In essence, my argument is that business owners can do a little more thinking to MAKE MORE OBVIOUS, the TANGIBLE BENEFITS they offer, which prospective - and existing - clients would find attractive, and therefore be willing to take ACTION to get. The business owners can then highlight those benefits in form of keywords and phrases on their business cards. Such business cards would subsequently have a greater marketing “impact” on those who receive them, increasing the chances of the prospects making contact at a later date.
A Comparative Analysis Of Two Similar Restaurants With Different “Sales Pitches”
Let’s do a little comparative analysis. Say it’s 12.30pm and you are driving on a major highway to the next city to do a presentation scheduled for 2.00pm. If you keep driving at the same speed, you estimate you should get into the city in another thirty minutes, leaving you just enough time to check into “Clear View International Hotel”, take a shower, change clothes and move into the conference hall on the ground hall of the hotel where the presentation will hold. But you are feeling a bit thirsty and hungry, and worry that there might not be enough time to quickly order something to eat at the hotel(Please bear with me: for some reason, I could not think up a better “excuse” :-)).
Suddenly you get to a junction and notice road signs for two different fast food outlets poisitioned next to each other. For the purpose of this example, we assume that both places actually offer equally quick services and more or less the same variety of foods and drinks. The difference is in the way they describe - on their road signs - what they offer the prospect(traveller), who needs to make up his/her mind.
One sign says “Quik-Caterers! Get Our Quik Travel Meals & Drinks Pack. Wait Max 15 Mins - Or We Pay!“. The other says “Welcome To Jazzy Jaff’s Fast Foods Restaurant And Bar“.
You will agree with me that if many travellers - who are in a hurry - had to decide which fast food restaurant to stop at, they would pick “Quik Caterers” - not because the name sounds better, or more appropriate, but most likely because their road sign offers MORE information - using catchy keywords/phrases - about TANGIBLE BENEFITS the prospective customers can relate to.
Customers are likely to PERCEIVE that “Quik-Catering” is more capable of meeting their NEEDS than “Jazzy Jaff’s”. Now, imagine the information said to be on the road signs(or some of it) is used on business cards given out by the respective owners of the two restaurants. Chances are that Quik-Catering MD’s business card would raise more eyebrows, and probably result in one or two additional queries or comments to him/her(regarding the service described) - creating “openings” for sales conversations to take place.
Look at it this way: Wouldn’t you be curious to know(and test?) if Quick-Catering could really deliver on its Wait Max 15 Mins - Or We Pay! promise? It’s an attractive - though unusual - offer, but if Quik-Catering only put it on flyers placed on the drinks counter in the restaurant(and not on the road sign or on business cards), less people would get to know about it and stop over.
What Does Your Business Card “Need To Say”?
A business card that keeps “selling” you to your prospect long after you’re gone, needs to say what you do in a way that makes those fitting your customer/client profile more likely to realize they actually NEED your product(s) and/or service(s).
You can design your business cards such that they cut down the amount of “work” you need to do to generate potentially valuable sales leads. This is particularly important because many times we come across people who qualify to be our “perfect customers or clients” in first time meeting situations that do not permit lengthy discussions or interactions. So, often times we end up using an elevator speech, answering one or two questions that arise from it, then exchanging business cards.
Some days later, the executive you gave your card to(and who at the same event went on to receive not less than four additional ones from “others like you”), sits in his/her office staring at your card. Among other things, s/he may struggle to recall where/when during that cocktail dinner s/he met you, and what again it was you said you could do for him/her that sounded so good!
This kind of dilemma faces many people who receive the conventional cards I earlier described. Of course s/he sees on the card that you are a CPA, or Certified Coach etc. What s/he does not see on THAT type of card is something(keywords, phrase etc) to help him/her see or recall the “slant” in your offering that sets you apart from others who may offer anything like you do. The result? S/he puts the card back in the desk drawer(or worse: the round filing cabinet - aka “Waste Paper Bin”) and (probably) forgets it. Why? Because s/he cannot find a compelling enough reason to take the relationship further by giving you a call.
Think back to the two fast food restaurant signs comparison I did earlier and imagine you are a decision maker for a large company that’s trying to choose a caterer to supply snacks to be served at their Annual General Meeting. Looking at the business cards given to you by the MD of Quik-Catering and that of Jazzy Jaff’s, all other factors being fairly constant, you are likely to get the “impression” that Quik-Catering will be able to meet your needs more readily, because they sound (from what they say on their road signs and business cards) that they’re already thinking along the lines of proving the value YOU seek.
What It Could Look Like: A business card that “sells” you looks different from any your prospect has seen, and creates a lasting impression that sets you apart from the crowd. You can print your information on the front - and leave the back blank, or print on both sides. From testing various designs, I have found that it is useful to leave some blank space on the back for writing answers to “Date We Met?”, “Where We Met?”, “Notes/Comments” etc prompts that are printed on it.
Actually Jeffery Meyer(http://www.succeedinginbusiness.com) suggests that you write answers to the earlier listed prompts on the back of cards you get from others - so YOU can remember them, and what they are about. I have taken it a step further and designed cards that let me, “the giver”, write that information on the back of cards(which I take with me, as Meyer advises, to important meetings/events) I’m giving out, so as to “help” my prospects remember ME.
Click here to view a web page showing images of sample business card designs that incorporate the features I have discussed in this article(I also offer a FREE downloadable copy of the Corel Draw template I used to create them). Incidentally, my business cards have sort of “evolved” over time as I played around with the ideas I had - until I settled for a particular design/layout. You may also find it useful to let your creativity loose so as to arrive at the best design for your work.
A Business Card That Works Will Help You Market More Effectively & Efficiently
Jeffery Meyer once wrote that to avoid the “feast-famine” syndrome that can plague a business which fails to ensure steady inflow of new work, one must continually search for new customers - and “weed out” hopeless prospects who cost you marketing effort, time and expense, but give you no jobs. For instance, he advises that you take the repeated non-return of your phone calls by a prospect as a sign that s/he does not feel a compelling need for your product or service. Instead, divert that marketing energy and expense towards recruiting NEW prospects.
I believe a business card with the right balance of USP information and aesthetic appeal, can help a business owner use his/her business marketing time/effort more effectively and efficiently. This is because s/he will be able to use the card to create opportunities for discussions about useful benefits of the products and services s/he sells, in a way that will impress a prospective client or customer who happens to be looking for such returns.
It is true that “buyers” tend to be undecided when considering a purchase, but when the “seller” points out the USP s/he offers, AND IF they coincide with the buyer’s felt needs, the buyer can become quite “sure” of what s/he wants, to the point that other “sellers” would be unable to influence him/her. Think about some products or services that many people use year in and year out(inspite of the presence of many competing brands), and you will find that they do so because certain needs they consider important are being met through the continued use of those products and services.
Designing your business card the way I describe is more likely to result in the card continuing to “sell” you to a prospect, even after you’ve parted ways with him/her. The card - each time s/he looks at it - will through its contents remind him/her that you offer THAT unique benefit s/he wants or needs. Of course not everyone you give your card to, will call you back to give you work! Life itself is about percentages. So, what I am saying is that a higher percentage of those you give out your cards to, are likely to get a better understanding of what you can do for them(or for someone they know), and so call(or recommend you). You’ll consequently get more sales leads, and/or opportunities to close more sales.
Your Cards Cost Money - Aim To Get A Return On Your Investment In Each!
Print Them Cost-Effectively: I believe most individuals who work for themselves might find it more useful to design and print their own business cards in the quantities they require them. Due to the unpredictability of business generally, one or more bits of information on the card you use may change in a way that will make it necessary for you to re-print another set. If you already have thousands of cards printed, and suddenly discover a need to re-print, all the money spent producing the obsolete set would effectively go down the drain.
You can avoid this. If you have a template setup in Corel Draw to print ten standard size business cards on an A4 sized embossed card paper, for instance(and have used colors economically in the design) your home/office printer should be able to generate a set of cards for your use over a few weeks at a time. As your business operations grow, and you become more certain for the long term about the information you have to put on the cards, you may be able to more safely produce larger quantities of cards.
Think Before Giving Them Out: Considering that you would want the cards you give out to have a pleasing appearance, that complements the USP information printed on them, one expects they will not be “cheap” to produce. That’s why you may want to make sure every one you give out counts.
If you can form the habit of thinking of your business card units in monetary terms(each of mine costs approximately $1.43 US Dollars equivalent), it might help you decide whether or not to put it in an envelope to just about anyone you’re mailing something to, even when you don’t know who they are or what they do. That would be like shooting in the dark - only this time you would be doing so, with MONEY!
If I send out twenty five letters in envelopes to different prospects for instance, and put a card in each, I know it implies I have spent at least $35.75 US Dollars(aside from the cost of envelopes, paper, stamps etc).
Business marketing yields better results when properly targetted at the right audience. You could for instance staple your business cards, to letters you are sending out to CEOs of certain organisations you hope will find your products and services potentially useful. Every time I want to give out a card, I ask myself: Am I sure this is going to help me get increased marketing exposure for my work, that could lead to more business? You might want to ask yourself a similar question periodically.
ONE LAST THING: Read Michel Fortin’s Ten Commandments E-book
What I have proposed in this article will require anyone who wishes to try out my ideas to re-visit his/her business concepts and philosophies with a view to distilling the “value” s/he is truly capable of delivering to customers. To do this successfully, I want to seriously suggest you download and READ Michel Fortin’s “Ten Commandments of Power Positioning” e-book.
Visit his website at http://www.successdoctor.com and learn how you can get a copy of his excellent e-book(I got mine about 4 years ago). It offers many very practical and tested ideas about how you can market yourself or business more effectively to customers, so that they see you as their preferred provider of your product and/or service range.
To accurately define keywords and phrases that best capture the VALUE you can deliver to your customers, the “Divide and Conquer” concept described by Fortin in his e-book, when properly applied, will help you arrive at the most appropriate ones. Fortin also provides practical real-world relevant tips for crafting YOUR OWN tag lines and elevator speeches; developing press kits etc.
Read that e-book(I actually printed mine out and had it sprial bound) from first to last page as many times as you need to fully understand it, and try applying what you learn to your business through the exercises suggested. By the time you are done, you will know what to say about your business(and also HOW to say it) in your speech, and on any of your business marketing media such as business cards, signs, flyers, letterheads, website etc.
Question: How will you judge whether it’s working or not?
Answer: (1). If more prospects make contact with you as a result of your re-vamped business marketing - which incorporates your re-designed business cards - THAT will be evidence that it’s working. (2). When your newly acquired clients/customers continue to patronise you and DO NOT express any regrets for doing so(by way of product returns or unwillingness to give referrals/repeat business), THAT would reasonably suggest they are satisfied you deliver the value you “promise”.
Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist - Tayo Solagbade - works as a Multipreneur, helping individuals/businesses develop and implement strategies to achieve their goals, faster and more profitably. Download your copy of his 25 Articles Ebook from http://www.lulu.com/content/268555. You get full reprint rights for each article.
Visit Tayo’s Creative Business Solutions(CB Solutions) mini-site - http://www.cbsolutions.v27.net - to learn how you can get affordable Freelance Writing, Rapid Website Design/CGI Automation, Website Marketing Strategy Development and Custom MS Excel VB Spreadsheet Automation Services.
Better Management30 May 2008 11:16 am
Business Plans For Franchises
A sound business plan is vital to the survival and health of your business. It is your roadmap and guide for growing the company. Without this plan, you are left guessing, and you cannot sift through the tons of tasks that need to done to set your priorities straight.
A business plan articulates where you want to lead your company, what support and programs you need to achieve your vision and goals. The plan lays out your strategies, the potential problems that you foresee and your organizational structure. It also presents the financial resources you need and how you intend to use them.
It is a document that you always go back to and measure your performance and achievements against. A business plan is also used when you have to borrow from a bank. Usually, traditional financial institutions require that you present them with a concrete plan to prove just how serious you are about growing your business. This document also comes in handy when you are attracting investors and partners. Through this document, you can fully describe the nature of your business, your strengths and your areas of growth.
Any business school d prescribes a standard format for presenting a business plan. It has basically three major parts: the business concept, the marketplace section and the financial section. It also has seven key components: executive summary, business description, market strategies, competitive analysis, design and development plan, operations and management plan and the financial factors.
The business concept tackles your business environment- your organizational structure, your flagship products and services and your growth strategy. The marketplace section profiles your target market- identifying them and analyzing their buying routine and what could attract them away from your competitor. The financial section, prepared with your accountant or financial adviser, describes your financial status- income and cash flow. It also presents certain financial scenarios. You may also use a spreadsheet program.
Business Franchises provides detailed information on Business Franchises, Small Business Franchises, Business Plans For Franchises, Financial Business Franchises and more. Business Franchises is affiliated with Offshore High Risk Merchant Accounts.
Health30 May 2008 09:46 am
White Contact Lenses
Contact lenses come in a variety of colors and effects these days. These include basic white contact lenses. Courtesy of the fact that many of these lenses are now created for cosmetic purposes, with a power of 0.00, basic white contact lenses can be made available for all, not just those with poor eyesight.
One must wonder of course, how basic white contact lenses could affect poor vision, and the answer is that they couldn’t of course.
However, at a party, the effect of pure white in one’s eyes could be very striking, if not a little bit scary …..
In a dramatic sense, theatrical contact lenses are used to help portray specific characters, or idiosyncrasies that these characters may possess. If a character were blind, then having basic white contact lenses could have a significant effect on the portrayal of that character. Having said that, basic white contact lenses will have a ‘pupil hole’ which would show up as a black dot in the eye. Without this hole, you wouldn’t be able to see anything of course.
Taking this theme a bit further, it is possible to get other color lenses which give an ‘all out’ effect. By this I mean which are made of a solid color, with only the pupil hole showing. These solid color lenses are available in colors such as silver, black, red, yellow and violet. Again the effects of these types of lenses would be considered theatrical in nature, or perhaps used to add an effect for a night out.
Charlie Cory is the owner of a web site dedicated to special effects contact lenses.
http://www.fx-eyes.com
Networking Terms: Educating Your Clients
It is very important to educate your small business prospects and clients on key small business networking terms and buzzwords. After all, in order to “win them over”, you need to be speaking the same language. In fact, you may even want to prepare a “cheat sheet”, based on the below definitions, to help you in your prospect and client pre-sales activities.
If you’d like to order a license to reproduce these networking terms for client sales literature, please contact questions@ComputerConsulting101.com and put “Licensing Your LAN Buzzwords” in the subject line.
• NIC (Network Interface Card) - a printed circuit board, adapter card or the underlying supporting chipset that snaps into the motherboard of a desktop PC, notebook or server and transmits and receives packets on a network; used to connect to networks including a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or a broadband network for high-speed cable modem or DSL-based Internet access or other dedicated Internet access service; most common NIC used by small businesses is the 10/100Mbps Ethernet adapter.
• NOS (Network Operating System) - an OS designed for communications between networked computer systems; popular NOS’s include Apple Mac OS, Linux, Microsoft Windows NT/2000 and Novell NetWare.
• Peer-to-Peer Network - an inexpensive alternative to a client/server network in which a PC doubles as both a workstation (used by an end user) and a server (from which resources are shared); although virtually any OS can be configured for peer-to-peer networking, peer-to-peer networks are often assembled from Microsoft’s least expensive consumer OS’s, such as Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Me and Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.
• RAID (redundant array of independent disks) is technology generally used to increase a server’s reliability — by simultaneously writing data to multiple hard drives. While many people also use RAID to improve server performance, RAID eliminates a single point of hard drive failure. Years ago, you could only get the benefits of RAID through SCSI-based hard drives. Today, IDE hard drives can also enjoy entry-level RAID fault tolerance benefits.
• SCSI (small computer systems interface) is a high-end interface for connecting both internal and external computer peripheral devices. Years ago, only SCSI-based storage devices were used in most servers.
• Server - any computing device or peripheral on a network designed to provide shared services and resources to network users; primarily characterized by multi-user usage, as compared to a desktop or notebook PC; common servers include the file, printer, e-mail messaging and collaboration, Web, proxy and database server.
• Wireless Ethernet - set of standards and in-progress standards that allow Ethernet networks to run without physical cabling and utilize radio waves for transmission.
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Betting Halls & Promotional Free Casino Cash Bonus Offers - in a Nutshell
The inconvenience of physically going to a betting hall should suffice to forget about it unless one must go there. It’s not required to leave home to go for online card-playing for you will do everything from your own home provided you possess a PC plus, obviously, a working internet connection. But, before you’re getting all excited, there’s more than a few pointers that you really should be advised of regarding online card-playing, particularly so if you happen to be a rookie in this realm.
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The very first thing that your clever Web risk taker would hunt for is an online card-playing webpage of the sort which can offer top winnings. Make certain the online card-playing webpage is partnered with a reputable, secure auditor in order to evaluate the actual wagers’ payout percentage in a verifiable manner. Always make sure that the virtual video poker etc webpage is licensed verifiably, e. g. by checking out the government operating permit as featured on the casino site pages. If you cannot find any government operating permit on any given virtual video poker etc webpage, don’t endeavor to risk a game with this website.
Another bit of advice is to place your bets first with minute amounts in lieu of exhaust big money straight off. First of all, check the status of this specific virtual video poker etc setup rather than going for any severe risk- particularly so in regards to money! Our last notable guideline regarding virtual roulette. It can obviously only be always to bear in mind that online casino wagering should merely be concerned with recreation and less about money. Wagering in an online casino isn’t a profession, but, instead, a hobby that is intended to make you lighthearted and your life delectable. Then, having gone with the above guidelines, set out and cede to the wonders of virtual video poker etc. 
Travel Tips + More29 May 2008 02:46 pm
Take A Trip To the Unbelievable Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is located to the south-west of the Capital, on the edge of the River Thames, surrounded by woodland & remarkable private grounds. Hampton Court Palace, King Henry 8ths amazing riverside dwelling is placed in well over five-hundred acres of plants and grounds. Visit Hampton Court Palace and enjoy the most famous hedge maze in the world.
Evoking the vibe of more than four hundred & fifty years of folklore, uniformed actors can be spotted inside Henry eights & King William 3rds stunning own estates. The pictures, sounds & aromas of the blossoming Tudor kitchens where royal feasts were prepared for Henry?s court of over five-hundred guests can also be viewed.
Hampton Court Palace has been divided into six distinct routes or expeditions. The Maze at Hampton Court Palace that is situated on the River Thames to the west of London City is maybe the most famous hedge maze on this globe.
Hampton Court palace has sordid legacy & is allegedly possessed by lots of ghouls, including 2 of Henry 8s wives and a nurse to his offspring. Hampton Court Palace stewards and personnel will be near by to show people to their elected state room for a champagne & canap?s welcome. Costumed workers will broadcast the evening meal & guests will be asked to find their seating for a fantastic 2 course meal with top quality fine red and white wines.
Hampton Court Palace has over sixty acres of official private gardens in addition to the 600 acres of royal wooded areas. The royal private gardens date back to the sixteenth Century, when the original Privy Garden was laid out between fifteen-thirty and fifteen thirty-eight for King Henry the eighth.
Finance29 May 2008 12:03 am
Planning For Every Expense
Making a budget for a home business start-up is more of an art than it is a science. No matter how exactly you think you’ve pinned down all your expenses, it’s guaranteed that more will appear that you either didn’t think of or just couldn’t have predicted. That’s why you need to make sure that you always plan for every possible expense.
Things Break.
Remember that any equipment you buy can go wrong, no matter how expensive or high-quality it was (this is especially true of anything IT-related!) When things break, you probably won’t need to buy a new one, but you’ll at least have to wait for the manufacturer to replace what broke. This can lead to days of lost or less-efficient business, and cost you money. Budget for equipment failures.
People are Unpredictable.
When you hire staff, you have no way of knowing that they aren’t going to let you down. You might have worked out that it takes $200 to train one new staff member, but what do you do when that newly-trained staff member quits and moves to France after three weeks at the job? You’ve got no choice but to train someone else and take the loss. Budget for staff turnover.
The World is Against You.
Or at least it can sometimes feel that way. Just when you’ve got everything perfect, someone sets up a little construction site next door, and drives your business away. Or maybe it rains for a few weeks, meaning that there’s just no demand for your bouncy castle hire business. Whatever, you need to budget for times when you’ve got no customers - and make sure you have something else to be getting on with in the meantime.
Customers are Out to Get You.
‘The customer is always right’, right? Well, yes, but their ‘rightness’ can sure cost you a lot of money. You have to be prepared to take huge losses to pay off complaining customers. Remember that one unhappy customer can undo hundreds of dollars worth of marketing efforts - once you make a customer unhappy, your options are to take a loss fixing the situation or to take an even bigger loss when they tell everyone how you didn’t. The only way to avoid this expense is to please all of the people all of the time, which just isn’t possible. Budget for unhappy customers.
Competitors Kick You When You’re Down.
If one of your competitors spots a good opportunity to take some business from you, they won’t hesitate. You need to have a ‘war chest’ ready to make aggressive offers and marketing efforts, and be prepared to get into a full-scale price and advertising war with the competition. It’s massively frustrating to be in a position where your rivals are getting all your business simply because you already used up your marketing money for this month. Budget for war.
Double Your Budget.
Whatever happens, remember that under-budgeting is the worst mistake you can make. It’s known as ‘under-capitalisation’, and is generally thought of as one of the quickest ways to kill a business - anyone who might be willing to give you finance will just think you’re a fool if you’ve under-capitalised your business, and might even refuse to lend to you.
Most home businesses budget only a few thousand dollars for their expenses (if they even make a budget), thinking that they already have everything they need. People don’t realise how quickly little costs like having some business cards made or getting your suit dry-cleaned start to add up. This doesn’t apply for other kinds of business, but if you’re like 99% of home business starters, you really ought to double your budget. If you doubt me, start adding up all your ‘little’ expenses over a year, and see what happens.
Budgeting for every expense in your initial plans shows that you’re not the kind of person who thinks that everything’s going to go right for them just because they’re so great - instead, you’re a practical businessperson who knows that anything that could go wrong probably will, and you plan to make a profit anyway. There is a difference, after all, between arrogance and cool-headed determination, and it’s one that the people with the money want to see.
James Calvin will show you how to market your product to the World using the only REAL techniques that make the Internet pay off. Go to www.MillionaireMarketingManual.com NOW. You may freely distribute or publish the above article as long as this bio and an active hyperlink are accompanied with it.
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