Archive for May, 2009

Meet Your Honest Gal Who Finally Gets Great Expectations

Friday, May 29th, 2009

Firstly, I cannot say I’m pleasantly comfortable living alone and not crack a smile. However, I’m not uncomfortable about it, either. I merely mention it here as a delicious piece of info foreshadowing what I am about to explain in grand style.

A week ago today yours truly was walking the dog, Trisha, pondering about joining Great Expectations Dallas. As of this minute, I type to my readers as a happy member of the matchmaking service. No kidding, I am. Its very comfortable and full of nice people! If you know me at all, you may be wondering, “You totally owe me an explanation.”

Here’s how it went down, I looked at this Great Expectations Dating site and liked what I saw. They’re for quality and professional singles who care enough to know dating doesn’t have to be so frivolous and stupid.

‘Cause I’d never been too big on this silly social phenomenon my friends and my family have christened “dating.” I faced it all the time. Day and night readers pester, “Are you seeing somebody?” and “Just get out there and date him!”

“Ugh, and double ugh.” I reply, smiling ear to ear. “There’s nothing to date!”

“You’re as ridiculous as you are hilarious,” they reply. “How would you know, you haven’t seen Friday Night Magic in a year!”

Thankfully, that’s my friend The One-And-Only (hehe) Patty Feldman. She sets the best ideas directly to my core 99% of the time. Loved ones you can trust to offer perspective. Can’t argue with that, and I thank her for it.

Back to the point of this post. As I browsed from more than three hundred outfits (hah) and desirable, honest singles for my first Great Expectations date, I realized something real. For years, I hadn’t held the greatest of figurative great expectations for dating in the serendipitous path of being alive. Being single isn’t so bad, only if you use the freedom to date. Holding great expectations does wonders for those who believe.

+Christy Rodriguez

AT&T TV Is in Our Town

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

We have had ATT TV service set up for over a week now. An equivalent bundle through any cable provider would be almost double what I am paying ATT’s Television service. I really respect U-Verse providing a practical all-in-one package that keeps from nailing subscribers with a bunch of bs charges. 3 receivers (1 with DVR capabilities) are included in the price.

HD embedded for complimentary for one year – only $10 per year after the promotional point terminates… not poor considering U-Verse provides at least twice the number of ATT TV HD channels that others offer.

Station switching is relatively quick. Almost as fast as analog cable. On Demand (Pay-per-view) content is nice but not as close as the selection provided by other services. I had a party the evening after installation – they wanted to view UFC, but U-Verse wasn’t showing it. When I called, the rep I spoke with had received many similar calls.

Equipment overall works as promoted. Right now, there are only 4 TV streams ready in the local market. I have only run out of streams one time – even after transposing all 42 of my shows tapings from my Comcast box! (You can get some of your DVR’s settings from your private U-Verse AT&T website – decent plus). I do not have high def, thus no need.

Viewing an HD station takes up 2 streams – the leftover flows can only be used for standard definition networks. The word is that, a bump of the amount of TV streams happening for the end of the year. Also, AT&T will be imparting the ability to watch DVR shows from any receiver.

Student Medical Insurance: Everything You Need to Know

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

It is easy to overlook health insurance policies while planning for a college career. Most students are more often than not at an age where health insurance is not the first thing they think of. When you are in your twenties you will usually tend to think that you will live forever so you will never suffer from illness.

Alas, irrespective of how fit an individual might appear, there is no way to predict their continuing good health. An inexpensive medical insurance policy isn’t a luxury, it’s an absolute essential.

For individuals who are lucky enough covered under their parent’s policy, most of them should include a college student until they are 23. For anyone who doesn’t have cover under a parent’s insurance policy, a fundamental part in preparing for school will be getting affordable medical insurance.

What must you look out for in a health insurance policy for college students? What is a deductible? A deductible is basically a yearly payment which must be made before the health benefits are available, very similar to an auto deductible. For example, if the deductible is $500, five hundred dollars must be paid prior to getting any financial benefits from the policy. What is meant by the term co-pay? When you meet your deductible, usually for each trip to the doctor, medicine, or procedure you will be asked to contribute a part of the bill. This is termed co-pay. What is the area of cover? Almost all plans include HMO and PPA. Essentially this means certain specialists might be omitted from your authorized health providers and may not be covered by your medical insurance policy. In general all plans should provide a directory of approved professionals, so consider that when you take out a medical insurance plan for college students. Catastrophic insurance coverage: Limits are frequent in health insurance targeted at college students as far as critical illnesses, the extent of cover provided in virtually all student medical insurance policies is by and large lower than any standard plan. Restrictions: Limitations are standard in college student health insurance. It’s important to read over the policy thoroughly to discover exactly what is and isn’t covered.

Have any medical insurance details secure at all times. Accidents and illnesses are not only impossible to anticipate, but they are in all probability likely to hit when not anticipated. Ensure you’re acquainted with your college medical insurance policy, whether you are covered by your parent’s insurance policyplan or you have taken your own choice of insurance.

To learn more, we recommend you inspect this detailed web site for overseas student health insurance ideas

Freerunner to Offer WiFi to Cafes at a Third of the Market Price

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Surfers in the UK have reason to rejoice, as reports of the launch of a new public Wi-Fi network in the country have been made public. That is because accessing the network will not cost the surfers anything, and they will not even have to buy a meal or a coffee to be able to use it.

The new network, called Freerunner, is actually aimed at offering free access in public areas like schools, libraries, and train stations. The service will also be free of cost for customers in commercial places like fast food joints and cafes, but the cost will be borne by the establishment that is hosting the service. That should be easy though, considering that Freerunner costs only one third of what competing services currently cost.

Geddes, CEO of Freerunner, while commenting on the venture, said that Wi-Fi access was exploding back in 2002 when it was first launched, but gradually the networks started getting locked down and the cost of access escalated. According to him, some of the access points currently cost as much as an entire month’s bill for a residential broadband connection. Click for info on the cheapest broadband.

Freerunner is waiting for funds from NorthStar to arrive, so that it can start on the first leg of the network in the North East of the UK. If it is successful there, the network will spread to the rest of the country soon enough.

Traffic? – Certainly sir how much do you want?

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

What Types of traffic are there?

So you have the best website money can buy you are immensely proud of your finished product but still no-one is buying. Why?

Your final profit is simple to calculate it is a factor of number of visitors * conversion rate * profit per visitor. The third factor, profit per visitor is usually where people focus their resources. It is a known quantity and easy to manipulate by simply charging the right price.

But the killer question is always how much traffic am I getting? And further are they the sort of visitors who will buy my wares?

With that simple statement in mind let’s have a look at the main sources of traffic on the internet today.

Search Engine Traffic

The best because it’s free. The worst because it is easily taken away. SE traffic is risky. It is easily acquired for relatively low competitive keywords with a simple knowledge of search engine optimization best practice.

Each search engine orders websites for any given term according to it’s own proprietary algorithm. This algorithm usually is based upon the various factors detailed in the SEO checklist, however the weighting applied will differ for each.

There are currently 3 major search engines being:- Google, Yahoo and MSN. Google is by far the most popularly used search tool.
For more competitive terms the SEO checklist is still applicable however will require additional effort in the key areas of the same key factors. You can investigate competition via these useful tools.

Directory Listings

These are not the massive source of traffic they once were. Submission to a directory is now more use to substantiate your link popularity, a key factor in search engine positioning. The most popular free and paid directories are included within our directory listings.

Paid Advertising

Once banner advertising reigned supreme, however today it is generally recognised that most website visitors suffer heavily from “banner blindness”. Visitors have seen so many banners over the years that they are now subconsciously tuned out when looking at the website.

Much more effective in today’s market place is the basic text link. Not surprisingly a link which is text only! These form the basis of advertising in many a Pay-Per-Click advertising campaign. Pay Per Click is the notion of paying only for visitors to a website that click on your link. Hence you will only pay for visitors to you website and not each time your banner or text link is displayed.

The two largest PPC engines are Google’s Adwords and Yahoo’s Overture services. PPC allows you to instantly drive traffic to your site without having to weight for your search engine optimization skills to be appreciated by the search engines.

Guaranteed traffic is a term used for relatively cheap traffic, usually purchased in bulk. The traffic is usually generated by a popup or popunder on another site, and in my experience has not proven very effective.

Traffic Exchanges

These tend to fall into 2 general styles. The first, ad exchanges are a reciprocal agreement, usually via a co-operative site to add a piece of code to your page(s) which displays adverts on your site. In return your site will be displayed on other members websites according to the individual co-operatives weighting factors.

The second, traffic exchanges, require you to browse websites presented on a central site. You are awarded points according to how many sites you have browsed and in turn these credits may be spent by promoting your site in the same way to other browsers.
Repeat Vistors

So often overlooked. You have done the hard work in getting a first time visitor to you site now get him to stay and later to return for more. There are various methods for making your site “sticky” these include:- including a newsletter and appropriate sign up form, supplying good content, either written by yourself or sourced from the abundance of free information on the net.

Such simple things as including contact details and appropriate use of autoresponders can make all the difference.

Viral Marketing

A rather flash title for a collection of techniques which are common sense but often forgotten. Such examples include:- writing your own articles, building communities via forums, offering free items/bonuses/competitions, producing your own e-book and issuing press releases.

If you are marketing your own product one of the most successful methods will undoubtedly be starting your own affiliate program and getting others to sell for you.

Competition

Not really a traffic category as such however careful analysis of your competition’s website, traffic, links and ad placement can all be obtained if you are diligent. This market intelligence will in turn lead to further opportunities to drive visitors to your site.

After a while it all becomes just good fun!

Paul is the resident expert at Affiliate Marketing City, at Affiliate Marketing City , a site dedicated to the automation of website optimisation and marketing.

More useful articles, tips and tools are available at www.affiliate-marketing-city.com/

2006 Brain Wave Research Trends

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

In 2005 brain wave research made huge strides thank in part to past years from research in fMRI, sleep research at Stanford and BioTech chemical research around the globe. Scientists also are getting closer to linking man with machine or to the point of realizing the dream of add-on memory or a future plug and play device hard drive hat to supplement your brains knowledge and education. One experiment allowed a monkey to move an object on a computer screen by simply thinking about it. The reward of course the proverbial “free banana” and this experiment was also done with a disabled child allowing him to communicate via computer.

In 2006 we will see a merging of all these technologies. Some Canadian Researchers are about ready to announce that they have discovered a way in which people can access secured doors, bank accounts and other secured privacy areas of importance by using their unique brain waves. We will see airport security systems, which pick up hostile intention brain waves and cause a level II screening of those travelers, a few more questions to answer, while still watching their brain waves. Investigators and military interrogators will begin to use controversial systems to detect lies in brain waves. Many citizens worried about privacy will object to these new technologies and science, but never the less we will see all of this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - EzineArticles Expert Author

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Free Article Directory in Australia

Monday, May 25th, 2009

One of the most weighty facets of any web campaign is how do I succeed in the major search engines, e.g Google and Yahoo. How do I make my site to rank well in Google?

One of the most strategic aspects in doing competing in the search engines (assuming the fundamental principles like outstanding content are already in place) is developing links aimed at your website. You can garner this a couple of different ways, some viewed positively by the serps and some not so happily.

A honest ways, that the search engine engineers think is very well is link building with articles.

Basically this involves writing a great article, preferably about something from your niche, and then publishing it to a free article directory.

You really shouldn’t lowball the importance of link building. If there is one signal that takes precedence to the search engines, generally, it is links. Fine, there are alot of other signals, such as the domain name, but you are deluding yourself if you conceive you are going to be listed well, and easily heard, if you do not stimulate any links.

Building links with articles is easy. It is something the search engines say is okay. And, it adds value to the web, by providing valuable content that might be interesting or useful to users. The real question is what are you waiting for?

Professional Therapy Can Improve Hundreds of Conditions for Great Results

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

Sometimes people think that they can easily work out their own mind problems with a little outstanding advisement from a wife. I have to admit, all that can often sometimes work and you can often feel hugely better. In spite of this, there are some issues like depression that require professional help from a therapist. The super thing about this city is it has the best Tarot Readings from Anne Jirsch. Hypnotherapy in London can help you with mind conditions.

A therapist has been trained to help you frequently work through your conditions either using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, hypnosis or a talking therapy. One of the most famous therapists on television at this time is Tad James. He has been beloved in Britain for a many number of years, he has about 8 books out and they are forever in the top 10 top sellers list in Play.com.

The most fantastic therapy known to man is Neuro Linguistic Programming, it was created back in 1980 and is known as the quick intervention technique. The techniques have been made publicised by Richard Bandler. The ethos of the therapy is that the human brain comes in two sections, the subconscious and conscious. The unconscious brain is similar to a sponge and it may soak up therapy suggestions comparatively easily for excellent results. NLP takes quick intervention and can sometimes use hypnotherapy to gain access to your subconscious mind for a behavioural change to occur.

How to Expand Your Horizons with Audio-Books

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Click here and surf to this truly inspiring prime resource for www.audiofrombooks.com infos.

A busy lifestyle makes it difficult to get around to reading all the titles you would like to. Lengthy journeys to work and day to day tasks might eat up sizable portions of day everyday. Your favorite hobbies take a back seat to earning a living, getting the kids, or household chores. If you’re an avid reading lover who is finding it difficult to find any time, your commute may be an opportunity for catching up. With user friendly media files, you can relish Let Me Tell You A Story by Red Auerbach and John Feinstein available from Download Audio Book Online, or audiobooks brought to life by Hillary Rodham Clinton without ever lifting a book. Nowadays multi-tasking is necessary. Audible books such as Pimsleur Thai I Part 1 by Dr. Paul Pimsleur available from Download Audio Book Online occupy the dead moments in life, whether it’s waiting time at the physician’s office or driving the kids to soccer practise. Audible books are now available to download as mp3 files these titles include Pimsleur Spanish I Part 1 by Pimsleur, so make use of your mp3 player and get ready to discover a bestseller or a fantastic novel, for example audiobooks by Joesph Lidster without carrying cumbersome books with you.

Audio-books provide a large number of advantages such as the opportunity to rent or buy instructional books and enjoy them at your leisure. Interested in studying German? Try an audio-book! It’s easy to review the very latest business practises, or you can enjoy studying the most original beliefs in religious belief.

An enormous choice of literary genres and titles are accessible. Whether you enjoy natural history, or you are mad over science fiction and fantasy or even if your interested in health and fitness, most can be downloaded at once. Many options are open; you can take a subscription to a plan and hire titles or make a purchase. Reading fans will always seek out a time to enjoy a book, even so audio books offer a great alternative for active people. A narrator can enhance the enjoyment of many stories. Reading a novel is not quite the same experience as savoring audio books told by Edgar Rice Burroughs, with the all the niceties of an real rendition. Your enjoyment of the story will be increased by listening to audio titles such as Su Mejor Vida Ahora by Joel Osteen and often go far beyond the written word. So the next time whenever you are thinking of buying the hard copy of a book you might never find time to read, think of audio-books as a better option.

ADD / ADHD Children : Being Your Child's Best Friend

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Do you live with an ADD / ADHD child? If so– my hat is off to you! ADD / ADHD children are brilliant, full of energy, smart as a whip (as grandma says), and tons of work. They are also the rising sun and the setting star: meaning much of life revolves around them in one way or another. One tactic you might employ is to: be your child’s best friend.

Hear me out just a bit. I am not promoting parents in “jammies” all day– everyday, messy homes filled with increasing whirlwind clutter that no-one attends to, nor hot dogs and pizza nightly just to avoid more arguing with an ADD / ADHD child. I am suggesting the reminder we all need with these special needs children: keep perspective.

And yes– try thinking along the lines of being best friends with your child.

Best friends are people who look out for the best interest of another.

Best friends have a special tolerance for each other.

Best friends set aside time to truly know each other and how each other thinks and feels.

Best friends stand up for one-another, for their rights, their feelings, their health, and their needs.

Best friends look forward to more time together.

Best friends cherish each other dearly.

Best friends also speak the truth and help guide each other along the journey of life together.

Here are more simple reminders that we easily forget when caught up in our daily grind. I hope they will help from time to time with your ADD / ADHD parenting:

  • Remember to keep the rules– but not TOO many rules all at once… all the time!
  • Schedule FUN
  • Stop being organized now and then to ad-lib and make delight shine for you both again!
  • Yes– even with medicated kids some days are suddenly going to be worse than others.
  • This is physiological– remember?
  • You are the expert in his/her eyes. Provide correction and consequences accordingly.
  • Use notebooks, or better yet email, to communicate with the teacher daily.
  • It is no fun for the ADD / ADHD child to be “wrong” or in trouble so much of the day– catch him/her being good!!
  • With young ADD / ADHD children try picture charts on the wall for daily routines to follow.
  • Your child needs extra reminders, extra chances, extra love, and extra encouragement (so do you!!)
  • Read The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell.
  • Know the educational rights in your school district and utilize each and every one of them :-)
  • Be patient with the child, your mate, and especially yourself.
  • Tenderness and politeness goes a long way with these precious ones.
  • These kids love to be helpful– utilize it, just don’t seek perfection :-)

    and finally:

  • * DON’T go It ALONE! Enlist the help of extended family, friends, neighbors, associates, playmate families, medical professionals, and perhaps a coach for sanity.

Two myths that existed when I was a child:

  • The first was that the parents were always right and had all the answers.
  • The second one was that “You can have it all, baby”.

Well, as a parent– I know the first is NOT true. And as a working mom– the second is out the door as well (or at least the romanticized fantasy version of it is).

  • You are a parent– do your best.
  • Learn every day.
  • Ask for forgiveness.
  • And cherish this relationship.

You can design your life– You are a parent, and an individual.You have to pick and choose which elements will be incorporated within it, and, how you want it to run.

Your child needs love, fun, consideration, truth, honesty, openness, and the gentle/firm guidance that best friend’s can give without damaging or straining the relationship. You already have so many different hats to wear all day for your various roles. Being your child’s best friend might simplify some of that. Give it a try.

Enjoy these years and enjoy your ADD / ADHD child !!!!

Until next time— all the best,

Kate

Kate Hufstetler is a well established business & personal coach who has helped many individuals like yourself to beat “the blues” and gain control over their lives. Through personal and business mentorship, she could help you!Visit more of Kate’s articles here: http://www.comedreamwithme.com &http://mindpower.smartads.info

Kate@comedreamwithme.com