free stuff and tips for you

How to Read Food Labels

2011-11-03T10:40:00.000+07:00

Do not buy food before you read the food labels !
You cannot measure every morsel that passes your lips, but it is a good idea to measure most foods and beverages until you get a feel for portion sizes.

It is a supersized world out there, and most people are surprised to find that their idea of a single serving is actually two or three.

If you are into bells and whistles, there are food scales that are preprogrammed with nutritional information, as well as scales that will keep a running total of your daily food and nutrient intake for you. The only tools you really need, however, are a simple and inexpensive gram scale, dry and liquid measuring cups, and idea on reading food labels.

Among all of the mentioned tools, reading food labels seem to be the most effective way of determining the right kind of food to be bought in the supermarket. It lets you make sensible food selections. Through the “Nutrition Facts” section in a particular item in the grocery, you can identify the amount of serving sizes provided in that product.

With food labels, you can clearly understand the amount and kinds of nutrients that are provided in the item. Usually, it contains the information on saturated fat, sodium, total fat, fiber, and cholesterol amount “per serving.”

However, understanding and reading these food labels can be very perplexing. A typical consumer would definitely ask what those numbers mean and how it will affect her diet intake if ever she will religiously follow the serving guide as stipulated on the food label.

To further have a clear and more comprehensive understanding of the items stated in the food label, here is a list of things that you need to know:

1. Serving size

This is the primary item you will see in a food label.

The amount of servings stated in the food label refers to the quantity of food people usually consume. However, this does not necessarily mean that it reflects your very own amount of food intake.

Moreover, serving size determines the amount of nutrients that enters the body. This means that if you will follow strictly what the serving size is, you will obtain the same amount of nutrients according to the serving size that was given in the label.

For instance, if the serving size says one serving size is equal to 54 grams, that would mean you have to measure 54 grams and eat that and you have just eaten one serving. So to speak, the amount of nutrients stated in the food label is the same amount that has entered your body considering the fact that you have just eaten 54 grams.

However, if you have eaten everything, and the food label says that each pack is equivalent to 4 servings, you have to calculate the amount of nutrients that have entered your body. This means that if the food label says 250 calories per serving that means you have to multiply it to four to get the total amount of calories you have taken.

2. Nutrients

This refers to the list of available nutrients in a particular item. It is also where the nutritional claims of the product based on the recommended daily dietary allowance are stated. Usually, the nutritional amounts are based on both the 2,500-calorie diets and the 2,000 recommended dietary allowances.

In order to understand the numeric value of each item, you should know that the “% daily value” that the food label indicates is actually based on how a particular food corresponds to the recommended daily dietary allowance for a 2,000 calorie.

If in the event that you have purchased an item that has a dietary allowance different from the 2,000-calorie diet, you just have to divide the stipulated amount by 2,000 and you will be able to identify the “%daily value” for the nutrients.

3. Ingredients

This refers to the list of the ingredients that were used to manufacture the product. The listing is usually arranged from the main ingredients that have the greater amount by weight up to the smallest quantity. This simply means that the actual quantity of the food includes the biggest quantity of the main ingredient or the first item and the minimum amount of the very last ingredient.

4. Label claim

This refers to the kinds of nutritional claims of a particular food item. For instance, if an item says it is sodium-free, it has less than 5 milligrams per serving or a low fat item actually contains 3 grams of fat or less.

Indeed, reading food labels can be very tedious and confusing. Nevertheless, once you get the hang of it, it would be easier for you to watch your diet because you can already control the amount of food that you take.

11 Quick Tips to Improve Your Metabolism

2011-11-03T10:32:00.001+07:00

There are a lot of people who would give a lot to increase their metabolism. Having a high level of metabolism enables one to maintain burn fat and lose weight fast with the least amount of activity. Metabolism is the rate by which the body produces and consumes energy and calories to support life.

There are several factors that affect the metabolism of a person, such as the amount of muscle tissue, the frequency of the meals one consumes, genetics, stress levels, personal diet and activity levels. Metabolism slows done due to the following: loss of muscle because of not enough physical activity, the tendency of the body to cannibalize its own tissue because there is not enough food energy to sustain it, and the decrease of physical activity that comes naturally with old age.

Here are several ways to fire up one's metabolism:

1. Build up on lean, mean body mass. It is only natural that metabolism decreases along with age, but it is possible to counter the effects. The amount of muscle a person has is a very strong determinant in the ability to burn calories and shed fat. So it goes without saying that exercise is essential. Build strength and resistance by working out at least twice a week, preferably with weights. Do easy exercises in between workouts. Simple tasks such as walking the dog and using the stairs in place of the elevator can already take off calories. The key is to match the amount of eating to the amount of activity one has. Here are some guidelines in getting the right exercise:

For strength training

-Increase the amount of repetitions of a particular exercise.
-Add the level of resistance
-Utilize advance exercise techniques if possible

For cardiovascular training

-Insert intervals between exercises
-Perform cross-training and combine the exercises
-Add up on resistance and speed

2. Eat breakfast. A lot of people are ignoring the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Surprisingly, the ones who eat breakfast are thinner than the ones who do not. Metabolism can slow down considerably if breakfast is taken during mid-morning or if one waits until the afternoon to eat.

3. Avoid sugar. Sugar enables the body to store fat. It is recommended that a person consumes food that helps sustain an even level of blood-sugar. Additionally, progressive execerise 2-3 times a week should be in order to stabilize blood sugar.

4. Eat spicy foods. Hot cuisine with peppers can increase metabolism.

5. Sleep more. According to research, it is riskier for people who do not get enough sleep to gain weight. Also, muscles are regenerated during the last couple of hours of slumber.

6. Increase water intake. Water flushes out toxins that are produced whenever the body burns fat. Majority of bodily functions involves water, and lack of water causes the body system's operations to decrease its speed, and produces unneeded stress as a result.

7. Eat smaller meals. It is advisable to consume 4 to 6 small meals that are timed 2 to 3 hours apart.

8. Never skip meals. People tend to skip meals in order to lose weight, which is a big mistake since it slows down metabolism.

9. Plan meals in detail. Always prepare the right amount of food to be consumed at the designated intervals. Do not commit the mistake of eating meals in sporadic patterns.

9. Ditch the stress! Stress, be it physical or emotional, triggers the release of a steroid called cortisol, which decreases metabolism. Also, people tend to eat excessively when stressed.

10. Guzzle up on green tea. It can be used as a substitute for coffee. Tea has the ability to stimulate metabolism, and unlike coffee, it has no undesirable side effects when too much is consumed.

11. Include more energy foods in the diet, such as fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.

Achieving the desired body weight is never impossible if one has the determination and patience needed to stabilize the metabolism level, which plays an important role in weight loss. A person needs to realize that eating right and working out is not just a passing fancy, but a way of life.

How to sell books by mail

2011-08-18T20:40:00.001+07:00

Now that you have written that attractive report, how are you going to sell it? Perhaps you have already tried by placing a carefully written classified or maybe a large display ad, then waited for the postman to pile the flood of orders in your box. What happened? The odds are 100 to 1 that you came up with a couple of orders for all the time and effort. Why? You see continuous ads, small ones and full page $4,000 ads in newspapers, and magazines offering books and information. Many of them are repeated over and over again by the same advertiser. You know that they are making it or they could not continue to advertise month after month. How are they making it when you don't seem to have any luck?

By examining the operations of these successful people we find that they use several simple and easy methods to produce excessive profits in the Mail Order Book Selling Business. When you know these methods and put them to work for yourself you will find that you too have the opportunity to make big money in this
business.

To start yourself on the road to success in writing your own books and reports then selling them...Anytime and every time you think of an idea or book title, write it down immediately. Regardless of how idiotic it may appear to you at first, it could be the ingredient you need to start you on the way to a fortune. File your notes and look them over periodically. You put yourself in a position whereby you have a good chance to come up with an idea or a title that will be a real money-making "Blockbuster."

If you are writings are about your own experiences on an inspirational or how-to subject, consider writing the book as well as the ads that sell it, in the "first person". This gives the reader the feeling he is getting personal communication and is not just a number in a computer.

Many in Mail Order business, including ourselves, have indicated that it is not a good policy and often a waste of time and money to advertise in a general daily or weekly newspaper. This is true under ordinary circumstances, but we find that when you have a real "strong" title it pays to place conservative "test" ads in
the newspaper in order to learn the results quickly. However one must keep extensive records in order to compare results and determine if they may have a winner.

When tests indicate you have a winner, all that is left too do is expand the advertising in the proper media and fill orders. It is advisable to structure the price of your book so an offer will stand an advertising expense of at least one-half of the selling price. You need to spend this much for advertising in order to be successful.

A 100% guarantee is a must in the book selling business. Not everyone who purchases your book, regardless oh how "great" it is, is going to benefit from it. There are always a few who will want their money back. You must have a unique guarantee which reassures them they haven't spent their money until they are satisfied. This can be done in many different ways, such as holding their checks for 30 days or longer before depositing them.

For the author/self-publisher, selling by mail is really the only way to go. The production costs are low because the value is in the information, not necessary in the number of pages written. Mail Order is one of the finest businesses ever for the little guy who wants the opportunity to try for the big "bucks"! All you have to do is test with just small expenditure, correct your mistakes and let the business expand itself!

Action pictures used in your ads get fabulous results if handledn right. Especially productive are ideas showing your product in action. Search out the drawings and pictures used in better ads that run month after month to learn what effective copywriting is all about, then use the same ideas for your comparative publication.

If you are able to write a "self improvement' book or handbook with very valuable information and at the same time make it lively, witty and interesting, you could have the makings of a million dollar winner. After your first tests prove reasonable, determine if a more reasonable price structure will produce better net profit through appealing to a large audience. When you find it hitting real good, promote it in every way possible. Send out several hundred copies to book reviewers to get write-ups in as many publications as possible. Learn to deal with the many small booksellers and bookstores, or cooperate with some
large distributors to get the books out through their normal channels.

As you grow and progress, build up and maintain your name lists. Make them available to other firms who wish to make offers to proven buyers.

When you find the right combination (title, body and ad), a lot of money can be made in a short time and it is a great thrill to write and ad, test it, and see the money pouring in from your own creative ability.

The large publishing companies use a shotgun approach, publishing many titles when profiting from the few successful ones. They can't begin to market effectively all the many books on their list and try to sell your book through them is generally futile. Do it yourself and control the entire operation. If it doesn't go you can cut if off before heavy promotional expenditures bury you. You remain flexible and diversified when you are your own publisher.

Run some small classified advertisements in the Wall Street Journal and other good publications, to get inquires. When enough books are sold to more than cover the cost of the ads and mailings, slowly, as the profits build up, run more and larger ad. As sells prove your publications to be winners, you can run
full pages ads in national magazines, inviting direct orders with a coupon included in the ads.

Remember, as you sit down to write, the information should be about something in which you are knowledgeable and interested, or something you have throughly reasearched. It must have some value
for the readers and they should benefit by having read it. If it is not helpful to the reader and the benefits are not there, sells cannot be sustained.

In summary, your book must fill a genuine need; the price structure must be correct, there has to be a large or mass market for the information in your book, your advertising must be believeable, you must offer a strong guarantee, you must test throughly before investing substantial amounts to promote and
sell the book.

How to get big dollars in your mailbox every day

2011-08-18T20:32:00.002+07:00

No other business venture seems so inviting, or attracts so many people than that of selling via mail order. On the surface, it appears to be an easier and faster way to become rich than almost any other method of doing business. All the people in the world are your potential customers; you work from the privacy and comfort of your own home; you set your own working hours; and you answer to no one but yourself.

Ideally, you should have a product of your own--something you can produce at very low cost, and sell at top price. If you are buying something, advertising and reselling it, in order to realize a profit, you have to mark it up at least 500%. This is not an unreasonable mark-up for mail order sales.

Your product has to have mass appeal, and it has to be something not readily available to your prospective customers except through you. The product should be such that you "carry an inventory" without worry of spoilage, aging or other damage. Itshould be something you can send through the mail--deliver to your customer--for next to nothing in relation to your selling price.

The best money-making product of all is a "How-TO" report such as this one. You don't have to be a literary genius, or even an experienced writer to write one of these reports. In fact, the easiest way is to buy a set of these reports--read them each over, set it aside and write a similar one with more elaboration or from a different point of view. Give your report a commercially appealing title, set a price for it, advertise it
widely in a number of nationally circulated mail order publications, and you could have something that will continue to bring in money for you for many years to come.

The absolute best money-maker of them all is a report you've found a great need for, researched thoroughly, and written from scratch. Discovering these needs is not that difficult a task.

If you don't have the time to write and market one of these reports, or just cannot produce one for whatever reason, the next thing is to purchase a set of these reports with reproduction rights. Here, you can have a number, reprinted for as little as one or two cents each, and sell them for one to five dollars each. The only problem with that approach is that after a year, nearly everyone in mail order will have a copy of these reports, and will be trying just as hard as you are to sell them.

Now, if you have bought the reproduction rights to the reports, you simply rewrite them, put new titles on them, make up a new advertising circular, and send them out as new reports each year. There are a number of mail order self-help reports that have been making the rounds for the past 25 years in just this manner.

Just because you haven't got the time or the tools to write one of these reports is no reason for not producing one. If you have an idea or the background material, and the confidence that sucha report will sell--get in touch with someone who specializes in this kind of writing.., and have them put the finished product together for you. Generally, the fees will run to $100 per page. But this is an "incidental fee" indeed, if you come up with something that has the potential of bringing in several thousand dollars per year for the next ten years or so. Remember, once you have it together and written, you just continue making copies of your original and filling prepaid cash orders for as long as you wish to stay in business.

You should also have advertising circulars, a catalog or a"follow-up" offer for every order you get. Many people make the mistake of "sending their whole store" in response to every inquiry. When you receive an inquiry to your advertising, you should have a prepared sales letter describing the item you're
advertising, and perhaps a circular listing in catalog style some of the other products that tie in with the product of your sales letter. This is known as the "Featured Selection Plus Alternates" approach.

When you receive an order for the product you've been advertising or featuring in your direct mail efforts, include one of your product catalogs in the package with the customer's order. The most effective practice is to include an advertising circular or brochure of a leader item or special-of-the-month, and your catalog. The main thing NOT to do is include more than a coupleof separate "featured selection" circulars. Keep your eyes on how the big mail order houses do it, and duplicate their operating plan within your own means.

The important point to remember here is to be sure to include something different--something new--something your customer has not seen or been offered a chance to buy--with each contact you make with him. Once you've broken the ice and got him spending money with you, continue showing him products of a related nature that should stimulate his appetite for greater success. For sure, he'll never be more in mood to buy from you than when he receives something he has ordered. So every time you fill and send out an order to a buyer, include an opportunity for him to buy even more from you.

You can make a very comfortable income, but you'll never get rich so long as you're having your orders dropshipped for you. Having a connection with a prime source that will dropship orders for you is one of the surest and best ways to "learn" the business of selling by mail--but if you really want to make it big, you'll use dropshipping sources for learning, and to back up your primary product with follow-up offers. If you don't have a primary product of your own, the next best thing is to buy in quantity lots at wholesale prices. A word of caution here, though: do not buy a quantity supply of anything until you've seen a sample of the product and thoroughly tested the saleability of that product.

Too often, the beginner is sold a quantity of a certain product at so-called wholesale prices, only to find that after he had spent his capital he either doesn't want to put forth the effort and time to sell that particular product, or that he can't "give it away," let alone sell it. Suppliers who operate for your orders, generally derive most of their income from the sale of these initial "required" inventories. Always investigate and check out the saleability before you buy anything more than just a single sample.

Selling your reports depends on your advertising. You have to get the word out that you have "money-making information" available for sale. Start out small by using short classified type ads. Look at how the established mail order report sellers are doing it, and copy their methods. Do not copy their ads--instead, use them as idea stimulators for your own original copy. Place an ad in one of the largest circulation publications you can find, then use the money that comes in from the first ad to place similar ads in three or four other publications.

One of the insider secrets of the mail order business is in multiplying your advertising exposure. This means simply that you start with an ad in one publication, and from there, expand your exposure by advertising in more publications. Be patient, and wait for the returns from your current ads, then use that money to increase the number of people who will have a chance to see your ad. It's as simple as that, and it works every time. Try it and see for yourself.

All of this means as you are getting started with a new mail order business, you have to reinvest all your business income back into the business. To do otherwise is a straight line to business failure.

What do you want , cellphone or PDA ?

2010-07-05T13:28:00.001+07:00

The term cell phone is becoming nondescriptive of today's portable devices. The units available lately do more than just make and receive phone calls. With the ever decreasing price of electronics, things such as cameras, GPS, calendars, and contact managers have become available even on the cheapest of models. There is such a fine line between the function of a cell phone and a Personal Digital Assistant, that maybe the term "cell phone" will fall by the wayside!

How to choose a cell phone? First of all, any communication outside the device will have to be paid for. Cell phone plans are a whole different topic. But, it is partlly related because some of the functions of these cell phones or PDAs require communication with the internet or other online service. Primarily, you want a device to talk on. A good place to start shopping is the many forums that are related to differeent models. Enter terms like "cell phone review" or "cell phone forum". Many times there are subforums related exclusively to a certain brand or model. If you browse through these forums, you will find many dislikes and likes of many different models. Although consider this- many people post their negative experiences far more than their postive ones in forums. So, keep that in mind that there are no perfect electronic devices. Notice features discussed such as holdability (is the device TOO small or big), sound clarity, reception, how easy to use the menus system of the cell phone. These are key factors. Your device might open your garage door for you. But if you despise using it all day becasue it is uncomfortable to hold or has bad reception, then do not go for it.

Once you have a list of a few models, consider the other functions of the cell phones and what you really need. DO you NEED a camera? Many are just toys. Some models today actually have 1.3 megapixel cameras in them- just like the first digital cameras. How about ringtone quality? Is that important? Some are just "FM synthesized" and give you your typical blleps and bloops arranged into a song. Other have full polyphonic instrumentsplaying the tones. Others play a section of a real song. Do you drive a lot? Some phones have what is called Bluetooth. This is a wireless protocall for connecting to other dvices that are close by. It is excellent for using in your car that has a Bluetooth receiver in it- you can have a handsfree setup with no wwires! Some cars are coming with this function already, but there are kits to add it to any car. Most exciting is the ability to accept memory cards and store MP3s and even movies! The screens are small, but with amazing quailty! Notice, these are just options that enhance the user experience- but sound quailty of the voice and reception far outweigh these options.

Do you have data needs? Some devices have either a Palm Pilot or Windows CE computer in them. These are great if you use these types of devices and want to carry one device. Maybe you are carrying a laptop soley for using somelike like the ACT! Contact manager. Well there is a Palm version of that so you can take all you ACT! data with you, without ther laptop. Maybe you need to be up to date on the latest news? These devices typically also have a small web browser in them, so you can connect to the internet. Granted, you cant get the same webcontent a real computer could due to the screen size, but you can still get the information you need, send an email, receive email, etc. The downside is the size and the cost. They typically are twice the size of a nice compact phone, and sell in the $350+ area. Also, keep in mind that these data services cost extra money. So, if you need these functins, you might start your quest by lookin for cell phone companies that have better priced, or unlimited online service along with your cell minutes. Then you might have to chose a phone from that company's linup.

If you spend the time thinking about what you need and attack the project the right way, you will end up with something you will wonder how you ever lived without. Today's cell phones and PDAs have become integrated heavily into or society. Enjoy your cell phone and use it responsibly! Some states have laws that you cannot hold a cell phone in your hand while driving, so you might want to consider the Bluetooth option or a car kit. Remember, turn your ringer down in the movies or other quiet public place!

How to Start Your Own Small Business

2010-06-21T22:22:00.001+07:00

Opening your own business can be a real big gamble. If you do not do your research well, you will wind up like most small businesses, and that is out of business in less then 6 months.

The most important thing to remember when opening up new business is the location. When doing your research for your new business you want to make sure you are the only business of your time in the area. If you are opening a video store you do not want to open near another video store. Remember if you are exclusive to the area, you will automatically get the business of those living in that area.

The next most important thing about opening a small business is you supplier. Do not have just one place to get supplies from, you should have several. By having more then one you can assure yourself that you are getting the lowest prices from them. And if they know about each other they will try to outdo each other to get your business.

Make sure that the products or services that you will be offering are desired, do not just decide to open up a store with out doing any market research is like playing craps, dangerous unless you really know what you are doing.

Advertising is important. Remember just like a casino you are trying to make money and not lose it. By spending some money on advertising you will increase your sales from your opening day. It is best to have a professional help you with your advertising rather then dong it yourself, there is no point in spending money on advertising if no one in your target demographic is going to see it. An example of this would be like using facial expressions to bluff in a poker game against blind players.

When picking your stock it is sometime better to have a better selection of items and maybe not so many of each item, this way you can see which items sell best and order more of those more popular items, and less of the less desired ones.

In business you should not try to open a business unless you already have experience running a related business. You may think you know how to, but to do it correctly you really need experience, after all if you were in a casino and looking to play poker you would not want a roulette dealer who is trying to figure out the rules as he goes would you? Chances are you would want an experienced poker dealer.

Depending on the type of business you are opening try keep your staff as small as possible, and if it is possible try to get friends and family to help you out. This will allow you to keep your costs low until you can really get a good idea of if you are making money or not. Once you are making money you can go out and hire people.

How to Zoom In on any screen on iPhone 3G

2010-06-08T10:01:00.004+07:00

Got troubles reading the text under an icon on your iPhone 3G? Using an application that will not permit you to zoom in on some details?
Don't worry about it, there's a simple solution built right into your iPhone that i have apply to. Just follow these instructions to switch on additional gestures that will allow you to zooming in on any screen.

For the first time, turn on zoom feature:

1. Go to Settings ---> General-- -> Accessibility ---> Zoom
2. Zoom ---> On

Zoom will enlarges the entire screen using three-finger gestures. The gestures now activated are:

1. Double-tap with three fingers to zoom in.
2. Drag three fingers while zoomed to move around the screen.
3. Double-tap and drag three fingers up or down to change the zoom level.

That' all.
Note: it won't work on Previous iPhone series !

How to generate traffic using twitter

2010-06-02T12:51:00.001+07:00

Web site traffic isn't just about massive numbers of site visitors; good quality is also a key element.

Twitter is a terrific way to create significant numbers of site visitors for a site, however unless you control it the right way, then you definitely will discover that this kind of site visitors is practically useless for converting. It is estimated that about 1/3rd of the customers that you follow will follow you back again, so, to put it differently for each 1000 people you follow, assume about 300 to follow you back again. Twitter also cap the quantity of people you can follow at two thousand, at the very least to begin with. After that, you can only follow 10% more than you have followers. So, once again by case in point, if you have 2000 followers then you can follow, no more than 2200 other Twitterers. One way around these limits, not surprisingly, would be to run more than a single Twitter accounts. This really is also a superb concept due to the fact you can make your accounts search term focused, and therefore attempt and catch the attention of a lot more targetted followers.

There are some things to do if you would like people to follow you back.

Attempt to select a Twitter title that reflects your search term focus or product brand. For example, if you're planning to become Twittering about marketing and advertising on Twitter then call youself something for instance TwitterMarketingGod - you get the idea. By deciding upon a related title you allow individuals the best idea exactly what you're about immediately off the bat, so select it prudently.

Twitter-related resources are legion, as we have now described. You'll find so numerous resources that you'll find plenty of great Twitter resources. You will need resources for Twitter account mining and following. The one particular many use is Twollo. Different related plan with their own strengths and weaknesses are Social Oomph, (which was one time referred to as Tweet Later and contains other capabilities), Mr. Tweet and Tweet Added.

Along with automatic methods for following folks, there are lots of services that let you set and forget ones Tweets. I'd generally advise employing with care as you won't want to come across as a spammer - absolutely nothing is likely to make people head faraway from you speedier than this I'm afraid. Nevertheless, if tools like Twuffer and SocialOomph are employed the right way, then, once more, they may be great timesavers.

Productivity applications include apps with the ability to "Tweet" money, streamline and filter your followers to weed out the spam merchants, modify your Tweets according to current requirements, run a Tweet calendar, and many more.

The question is not how to generate traffic with Twitter. The actual problem is going to be in discerning what to do with all of the traffic you have produced.
Writter: Traffic Ultimatum

5 Myths about Search Engine Optimation (SEO)

2009-10-17T11:19:00.002+07:00

5 Myths about Search Engine Optimation (SEO) are :

The search results are dependent on your page rank. It is thought that the ranking of a page in a list is a direct function of the page rank. Many people think that the higher the page rank, the higher your page will appear in the listing. This holds completely untrue. This also has generated many complaints by the people who saw a site with a lower page rank above them. Actually page rank remains a dominant factor, but it is not everything.
The engine tool bar shows your actual page rank. This myth became widespread in no time and generated a lot of excitement. The truth of the matter is that it only shows an approximate ranking.
The value of page rank is a function of incoming links on your page. The page rank does depend on the number of links but it does not depend only on the number of the links. It also depends upon the value associated to each of your link. It checks the content and display of each of the link and then the page rank is calculated.
Being listed in other directories gives you a bonus on the page rank. Some search engines work on collaboration with each other. For example yahoo and Google have a good working relationship. But the separate directories they maintain are for their own use. They do not use each others directories to calculate page ranks of their sites.
Meta tags are used to rank the site. Long gone are the days when Meta tags were used for site rating. Now the algorithms are advanced and so efficient. Now many sites do not have to use it even for the purpose of search.

So now that you can separate the reality from the myth, use it for your benefit. Employ good SEO techniques and improve your site
Thanks to Thomas Bjorn for this article.

Back to basics on How to Increase Website Traffic

2009-10-03T04:12:00.005+07:00

In common terms Website Traffic is the number of visitors coming to a website from all sources over a given period of time. This is one of the basic parameters for judging the success of a website.

If we do a simple mathematics - more visitors would mean more conversions, however this may or may not hold true if sufficient attention is not given to basics, which we simply tend to ignore.

Parts that need to be kept in mind :

Focused Content: Your content has to be focused. The content should be tailored for different set of visitors – to the point that you even think about how your company profile will be presented to respective segments. The quality of writing has to be top-notch business grade.

Title & Description tags: When a visitor searches for keywords on a Search Engine, results are essentially a fight of the title and description. This is where you leave the first impression. The user will be more inclined towards a compelling title as he would perceive your website to better than others.

Offer Original & Quality information on your website: This is the best way to attract traffic to your website. Offer original & unique information which visitors cannot find anywhere else. This will also help in branding your business image as Industry experts & will also get you good quality one-way links.

Give Freebies: Who doesn’t like freebies? Offer your visitors free e-books, free Cd’s, free whitepapers, free consultation, free webinars etc. People love these and will keep coming back for more. This will not only increase new and repeat traffic but also help in link building.

Social Media: Use Social Media websites like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin to share information with your targeted audience. Share your writings & researches, participate in discussions, and help others by solving their problems. This will propel people to visit your website more often and look for desired information.

Advertisements: There are many free/ paid ways to advertise your business online. Classified Ads is free and is one of the ways to place business related ads which help in driving traffic. You can also benefit from Paid methods like Google Adwords programs which are more targeted and help in bringing visitors based on demographics, location and preferences. However you need to decide on a budget for these and then plan accordingly.

Update website regularly: Keep updating your site by adding new, relevant and helpful content to your site. Search engines also give preference to sites with new and relevant content.

Blog: Using unique and effective writing strategies is one of the best ways to boost website traffic. Create a blog that supports your website and make sure that your blog navigation flow your visitors to your website with ease. Also include your product/services links within your blog posts so that the visitors who read your blog can easily navigate to your website.

thanks to Neil Paige for the article

A Handy Guide To Getting Fast Loans

2009-07-23T12:10:00.006+07:00

It is easy to get a fast loan. What is not very easy is dealing with the fallback from when you default in payment. Some of these loaners can become very mean very fast. You want to make sure that your payback is in order before you borrow in the first place.

Coming to realization that you might need a fast loan is the first step to getting it. The second step is actually taking the decision to go get it. The third step is when you start looking around for one, and the fourth is the hardest – contacting the loaner. From then on, it's out of your hands.

You don’t just walk into a fast cash advance or payday loan center and walk out with the funds in your hands. Not a chance. They scrutinize you first. It does not take a lot of time: within minutes they can have your home address, your job description, and your credit history. You might not get the loan if they are not satisfied with what you have given them.

Although your need must be quite pressing, you still want to exercise some caution before you borrow from just anyone. There are loan sharks everywhere you turn. They are the ones who borrow you money without the intention of ever letting you pay it all back. In the manner, they are able to prey on your need and then keep you indebted to them forever.

To qualify for a fast loan, you need to have a valid and running bank account. Lenders prefer it when your account is a checking account. Then they like it also when you pay ahead with a check. As long as you can do this, they will give you fast loans.

There is no better way to secure a fast loan than online. With a good search engine, you could have as many as a thousand online fast loan firms at your disposal. Perhaps the biggest issue you would have then would be choosing which you should settle for. Also, you should be very careful not to fall into the trap of scammers online. Yes, there are lots of them posing as fast loan companies online.

You might need urgently to repair your car, perhaps after an accident. You don’t get paid for a few weeks yet, so what you need is that fast loan. Well, good enough, you have access to the internet; you can do it all online. Within minutes and without ever leaving the comfort of your office, you can have it all done.

It pays to be cautious, especially when reaching for a fast loan. Whether online or in person, you want the best interest rates you can get, plus, you don't want the conditions to be too stringent. If you can work this out, you are in good shape. If you cannot, you should try another fast loan company.

Thanks to ChristyJonpns for this article

Free pdf reader from foxit software

2009-05-19T08:49:00.004+07:00

Why buy pdf reader if you can get free ?
Surely, we can get pdf reader(or viewer) for free. This software called Foxit Reader, a small and fastest pdf reader, incredible small size, breezing-fast launch speed and rich feature set. The latest version Foxit Reader 3.0 has been released with rich features such as multimedia design and Foxit OnDemand Content Management.

You should try this software highly recomended, you can download the latest version here. Note, this software for window only
For more information about the software visit Foxitsoftware

Keyboard shift button multi function

2009-05-18T07:45:00.000+07:00

Here are some tips about SHIFT button on your keyboard (Windows OS only), for me these tips is very helpful.

Hold down SHIFT when inserting flash disk to your PC ot Laptop, this action prevent autorun virus from flash disk.
Hold down SHIFT when deleting file, so the file you are deleted will not be on the recycle bin, lost immediately.
Hold down SHIFT when booting, this action make booting faster.
Hold down SHIFT repeated until you heard beep, this action will perform StickyKeys.

Download movie from Youtube instanly using Javascript

2009-05-18T07:26:00.003+07:00

There are many ways to downlad video files in Youtube. You can use software such as Youtube downloader or Xilisoft Download YouTube Video. The other ways is using plugin or add-ons on your browser, even you can download via url (i.e keepvid.com or youtubecather.com). But the simple and fastest way is using java sript.
Here is the script I apply to download from youtube :

"javascript:b=fullscreenUrl;g=b.indexOf("t=");d=b. indexOf("&hl");h=b.substring(g,d);link="http://www.youtube.com/get_video?video_id=" + pageVideoId + "&" + h;location=(link);void(0)"

Simply copy paste the script above (without quote) to the addres bar in youtube where you want to download the video. For example :

Let's say you want to donload jimi hendrix hey joe teeth solo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWh-lVC5Q_o
Delete the address bar and copy paste the script to the address bar and press enter
You will be prompted to save the video to your hardisk

These tips was tested on Firefox 3.0, Opera and Cometbird 3.0 browser