No Spec Work - Rewarding Creativity Properly

It even surprised me.

Yes, even though I have been pointing out the possibility since July, and was forced by demand to release my study findings before my book was even half finished, I was shocked when I heard the news as well.

You see, I was sure we were at least a year off from this glorious day.

The News

Yahoo has had a little facelift, which you’ve probably read about by now. The real news is more important for your site - the “My Yahoo!” page looks different too.

On September 28, 2004, surfers who logged in to their personalized Yahoo area saw an announcement explaining the RSS and Atom files that show updated information to a website as content feeds, effectively pushing news feeds into the mainstream.

The new look to this section of Yahoo was presented as a full page ad to every single account holder upon first log in that day, and even now, there remains a notice posted.

When I logged into my page in the “My Yahoo!” section, I saw a big difference in the number of feeds left to choose from, as well as in the way they were presented.

Currently, the RSS module boasts “150,000 sources”. If your site isn’t one of them, its crucial that you act now. If you have one and you’re not getting the results you’d like from your set-up, there are small changes you can implement that will make a huge difference in your listing.

Best results aren’t as easy as submitting your feed now, but you’re still within the window of opportunity - if you do it properly.

What the News Could Mean For Your Site If You Act Now

One of my clients recently called this “the back door into Yahoo”. Whether that statement is accurate as far as getting included, or receiving an increase in rankings within Yahoo’s search engine via your feed, depends on your site, and whether you create your feed correctly.

If you could use a daily stream of traffic from even a small portion of Yahoo’s estimated 20 million users, this could be your final wake-up call. You’ll want to learn how to create a feed that gets well listed immediately.

Currently, the RSS module boasts “150,000 sources”. Yahoo will still need hundreds, perhaps thousands more, even if it only intends to list the “creme de la creme” of the submissions it gets. Being in that group is as easy as submitting your feed.

Being at the top of the list isn’t. However, you’re still within the window of opportunity if you take the time to learn how to do this properly. You can get free details on how to do that at helpmerss.com .

“My Yahoo!” RSS Headline module Coming Out of Beta?

If I had to guess, I’d say all signs point to yes. When that happens, Yahoo’s RSS/Atom directory will likely contain only those who added their feeds early. New feeds seeking to be included will probably face stricter standards.

If you don’t have one yet don’t worry, because it’s never been easier to make one. If you can cut and paste, there are tools all over the Net that will show you how- some will even generate the file for you.

However, there are still certain guidelines you need to follow with your feed to get a good result out of Yahoo - it’s not as simple as adding your feed now that there are more competing listings.

Yahoo is still accepting new sources for RSS feeds. Readers of my last book state that they are getting excellent results following my instructions, though initial inclusion no longer occurs at the same rate. Plenty of markets have few feeds available, or none at all. Your site could fill that void.

That means you still have a chance at a first page ranking. The traffic I get on a daily basis from My Yahoo readers alone sounds like I just like to brag.

And I do, but that’s hardly the point.

The point is, there’s no place you can even go to buy the caliber of exposure to the quality of audience that reads feeds. The typical audience that accesses information by feed are also blog readers. A study this summer estimated that the 69.3% of blog readers are aged 29-50, and that 40% of this audience are people who have household incomes greater than $90,000.

The type of surfer that would subscribe to your feed has pre-qualified themselves as a lead, with a certain level of understanding and interest in your topic, often on a professional level. And if you don’t spend every post hitting them over the head with your sales pitch, they can be both loyal and interactive.

(If you do, they’ll unsubscribe from your feed faster than you can spell s-p-a-m.)

And if you’re in the business of providing information you can use, in a way that shows how you can solve their problem, it’s like preaching to the converted. If your product solves their problem, and you show that you deserve the trust of this subscriber, you’ll also find the route to a sale an increasingly downward slope.

The bottom line - this is the power surfer’s favorite toy. And if your content appeals to them, you need to learn how to play.

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Learn how Tinu saw a 75% increase in both traffic and sales from feeds at http://freetraffictip.com/rssbook . For free reprint rights to her articles (and a potential $500 bribe) send a blank email to moneyarticles@freetraffictip.com .

Violence is on the increase all over the world. Whenever a city reaches a population of one million people crime and particularly violent crime explodes. How adept are you at avoiding becoming a victim?

Below are ten topics. For each topic you will find four descriptions. Choose the description that best describes your attitude. If no description fits your lifestyle precisely just choose the closest one. Make a note of your answer A, B, C or D on a piece of paper so you can refer to it at the end of this article. Remember to be honest with your self-appraisal, otherwise this test will be meaningless for you.

Topic 1 - AWARENESS: - How aware are you of your surroundings?
A - sometimes
B - often
C - rarely
D - always

Topic 2 - WALKING: - Describe the general manner with which you walk.
A - normal gait
B - slowly or with frequent rests
C - dawdle along
D - rapidly with purpose

Topic 3 - FITNESS: - Describe your general fitness.
A - fit with a strong athletic appearance
B - overweight with little athletic ability
C - average fitness with normal appearance
D - infirm - require use of a cane, frame or wheelchair

Topic 4 - SELF DEFENSE: - Rate your understanding, knowledge or ability in self defense.

A - have no knowledge at all about self defense
B - have attended at least one self defense seminar that required some practical training
C - have trained for at least six months in a martial art (eg karate, kick boxing, boxing, aikido, ju jutsu)
D - have read some articles on self defense or a book on it

Topic 5 - ALCOHOL & DRUGS: - What is your attitude towards alcohol and drugs.
A - drink a lot and regularly take drugs
B - alcohol and mind-altering drugs are a way of life
C - rarely consume alcohol and never take mind-altering drugs
D - drink moderately and occasionally dabble in drugs

Topic 6 - ENVIRONMENT: - Choose your normal evening environment.
A - go out a bit - mostly to restaurants, movies and friends’ homes
B - party person - go out frequently
C - go out occasionally but normally stay home

D - party animal - consider night clubs, bars and saloons the place to be

Topic 7 - SITUATIONS: - What is your normal interaction with others on a daily basis?
A - I make rude and offensive comments and gestures when others deserve it
B - I can’t help myself - I often involve myself in the business of others
C - I just mind my own business
D - I will intervene if I feel a situation warrants it

Topic 8 - TRANSPORT: - What is your normal mode of transport?
A - usually it is my private vehicle
B - I usually catch a train
C - I normally catch a bus
D - taxi is my usual transport

Topic 9 - MONEY: - How much money do you normally carry?

A - only plastic cards and a small amount of cash
B - more than $500 on most occasions
C - up to $100 usually
D - several hundred dollars

Topic 10 - DRIVING: - Choose your normal driving attitude.
A - I always drive safely and show courtesy and patience to other road users
B - Some people just deserve the “fingers up” or a blast of the horn
C - I speed a little, am somewhat impatient and like to toot my horn
D - I regularly chastise others for their stupid mistakes

YOUR SCORECARD:

Mark your answers below and tally up the numbers to give a score.

Topic 1 - A = 7, B = 15, C = 0, D = 20.
Topic 2 - A = 6, B = 3, C = 1, D = 8.
Topic 3 - A = 10, B = 2, C = 6, D = 1.
Topic 4 - A = 1, B = 4, C = 6, D = 2.
Topic 5 - A = 2, B = 0, C = 15, D = 8.
Topic 6 - A = 8, B = 4, C = 10, D = 0.
Topic 7 - A = 0, B = 2, C = 12, D = 10.
Topic 8 - A = 8, B = 1, C = 2, D = 6.
Topic 9 - A = 4, B = 1, C = 3, D = 2.
Topic 10 - A = 7, B = 0, C = 5, D = 2.

Now check your score with the RESULTS TABLE below:

RESULTS TABLE:

85 to 100 - you have an excellent expectation of not becoming a victim.
75 to 84 - your chance of not becoming a victim is very good.

60 to 74 - you have a moderate chance of becoming a victim.
40 to 59 - your chances of becoming a victim are fairly high.
20 to 39 - you need take a look at your lifestyle and improve your personal safety.
5 to 19 - you definitely need to make some radical lifestyle changes NOW.

To learn more about self-defense you can visit the Motivation and Self Esteem website. Go to the “Zen Garden” page, scroll down and click on the articles in “Self-Defense Corner.”

This article comes with reprint rights providing no changes are made and the resource box below accompanies it.

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary’s email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his
Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his “Zenspirational Thoughts” plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book “The Power of Choice.”

In this digital age, your company’s web site is your electronic business card. A strong domain name is the key to your Internet presence. It should be recognizable and relate to your business name, brand, product, and/or activities. Make sure it fits on a business card and is easy to remember whether seen in print or mentioned over the phone.

Use the name people know you by. Don’t abbreviate, unless the abbreviation is your company’s trademark. Ask your co-workers, your customers, your friends, and your family what domain name they’d expect your company to have.

Don’t forget to include your domain name in your site’s logo. And put your domain name on all company promotional materials such as business cards and stationary.

Length Matters

Conventional wisdom states that a good domain name is easy for customers to remember, easy to spell, and short. That said, it’s increasingly difficult to secure short domain names among top level domain names such as .com, .net and ,org. In these cases (and you have 67 characters to choose from), it’s preferable to choose a meaningful statement such as Lawreferralservice.com” or Hotelreservationservice.com,” rather than lrs.com or hrs.com

Give a Good Impression

We all know that first impressions can be crucial, so choose your domain name carefully. Domain names often come without spaces, so pay careful attention to the total package. For example, PatternsExchange can look like patternsexchange.

Select Alternate Names

If your first domain name choice is not available, you can check the “whois” information box for the domain name, contact the person listed, and see if they’re willing to sell it. If they want to sell, they will likely charge more than the $24.95 registration fee. An easier alternative is to register a variation of your first choice.

For example, if your company name is Mrs Smith’s Cookies, but mrssmithscookies.com and the more obvious cookies.com are registered, try adding a small letter such as “e” to indicate that it’s an online business. Or add the word online. Or add your location to attract local customers:

ecookies.com

Cookiesonline.com

CookiesNewYork.com

Alternatively, try registering a local domain name:

mrsmithscookies.ca

mrsmithscookies.us

Use a little creativity, and you may find your alternative beats your original choice. Once you’ve got a list of alternatives for your online business, test them with your friends and colleagues to see which ones they like best. Make sure these names can be easily pronounced and spelled by your test audience. Then, rank them in order of popularity.

Consider Spelling Mistakes

Consider mistakes people will make when typing your web site address and how your domain name sounds when you have to read it over the phone to a customer. Explaining special characters, abbreviations, and spelling is awkward and doesn’t make good business sense. Will customers accidentally make spelling mistakes? Will they use the plural form of a word instead of the singular form, or visa versa? Make a list of possible mistakes, and register additional domain names that incorporate these mistakes.

Register Multiple Versions of Your Name

Register all possible domain name variations related to your company name. If your company’s name is hard to spell, register common misspellings. Register every domain people might use to find your company. It only costs $24.95 a year to register each domain name, and that’s a small expense to keep a customer.

Take this example: Before America Online acquired Time Warner for $178 billion, it registered at least 21 domain names that might be useful to the new company, named AOL Time Warner, from AOLTW.com to AmericaOnlineTimeWarner.com. Alternatively, web sites exist that capitalize on misspellings using them as advertising vehicles and diverting customers from your site.

Register Product Names

When users search the Internet for a particular product or service they often search by product or service, rather than business name. To increase the chances of having your site found, register extra domain names that relate to your core business or products. If you owned the hypothetical company name of Widgets & Widgets co. but you sold an array of household products, you could register generic domain names relating to all aspects of household goods. You may be too late to snap up obvious domain names such as detergent.com or vacuum.com, but a little creative thinking into alternatives can be lucrative. These alternative domains can be easily linked to your main web site.

Avoid Trademarked Names

Ensure someone else has not trademarked the name you register. You cannot register names already registered as copyright (for example, McDonalds). Like company names, domain names are unique and cannot be duplicated. Avoid registering domain names that are similar to your competition or to famous trademarks. Businesses have lost their rights to registered domain names due to conflicts with existing trademarks for off-line companies.

Register Locally

If your company is located in Canada, you can register a .ca domain name even if your business activity includes export trade. If you have an international presence, a top-level domain such as .com, .net , or .org is more suitable. Many businesses choose to register all three, and we suggest doing so. All three addresses can “point” to the same e-mail account and web site.

Conversely, you might open a virtual office in another country. For example, bread.com could also register bread.ca, which may “point” towards the same site, attracting a larger audience. Don’t forget to check to see if a local presence is required in the country you wish to register.

Use a metaphor

If your .dot com businesses does not have a name, the world is your oyster. One Internet incubation company decided on the metaphor campsix, referring to the final basecamp on the Everest climb rather than a straight description of services. The name reflected the difficulty and challenges of building an Internet company to the scaling of Everest. Bear in mind that if your web site is the primary tool for business, the company name must be the company URL.

GPS, or Global Positioning System, is the latest thing in keeping from getting lost when trekking out to visit your Aunt Louise. Years ago you had to rely on landmarks, your handy compass or the guy at the corner gas station, assuming he knew where everything was. Today for about a hundred bucks you can get a little gadget that will tell you exactly where you are, any place on Earth. By using some basic mathematical calculations and a rather complex system, you can be in the middle of the desert, lost as can be, push a button and have your GPS tell you exactly where you are so that you can hopefully find your way back home.

So what exactly is GPS and how does it work?

GPS is actually a very complex and expensive system but the fundamental concepts of the system are very simple.

The GPS system is a group of 27 Earth orbiting satellites. Twenty-four of them are in operation and 3 are backups in case one fails. The system was originally created for the US military but was eventually opened up to everyone else.

Each one of these satellites, weighing in at about 4,000 pounds, circles the Earth at about 12,000 miles per hour and makes 2 complete rotations everyday. The orbits are arranged so that at any one point in the day 4 of these satellites are visible from any place on Earth.

The complimenting receiver that was created to receive signals from these satellites has the job of locating 4 or more of these satellites, figure out the distance to each and from that information determine where on the planet the receiver itself is located. It then transmits this location back to the person who happens to be in possession of the receiver. The operation is based on a simple mathematical principal called trilateration. To simply explain how this works, let’s say someone tells you that you are 10 miles from Newark, NJ, another person tells you that you are 15 miles from Maplewood, NJ and a third person tells you that you are 20 miles from Woodbridge, NJ. By taking those three facts you can figure out exactly where you are because each radius of each distance when linked together will intersect at only one point. That point is where you are located.

In order to actually do the calculation from space the GPS receiver needs to know 2 things. The location of at least 3 satellites above you and the distance between you and each of those satellites. The reason that only 3 satellites or spheres are needed is because the Earth itself can act as a fourth sphere. The GPS receiver itself works by radio waves which are a kind of electromagnetic energy and travel at the speed of light The receiver can actually figure out how far the signal has travelled by timing how long it took for the signal to arrive from each of the satellites.

In the next article on GPS we’ll go over exactly how this system works to measure distance.

——————————————————-
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Global Positioning Systems
——————————————————-

Okay, so we all know that you can change the ringtone on your mobile phone by purchasing a ringtone online. In fact, there are an endless number of web sites that will sell you a ringtone or wallpaper (prices vary from $.99 to $2.99 and in most cases will put the charge on your cell phone bill). One thing I have found however is that although I can choose from hundreds of ringtone web sites, most of them are selling the same array of ringtones. So, in my quest to make my mobile phone, and hence, my ringtone unique, I have found myself limited to the same assortment of 100 or so [decent] ringtones.

Alas - clever software companies have now developed software that will allow you to make your own ringtones - from your own collection of CDs or MP3s. One such software product is Ringtone Media Studio, developed by Avanquest Software. Ringtone Media Studio actually includes three different studios; the Audio Studio for the creation of ringtones and the Image and Video studios to create mobile wallpapers and videos. Taking the unique-factor one step further, the Audio studio also includes a mixer so you can custom-arrange your ringtone and create something completely unique. With the advent of software such as Ringtone Media Studio, custom mixing of ringtones has become so popular that the term “Ringtone DJ” has been coined. So, has the creation of custom ringtones become an art form? I say most definitely-especially for those creative types; as ringtone creation can be seen as an off-shoot of the art of record spinning. Even for those not-so-creative types, creating ringtones is easy and somewhat addicting (I spent over 3 hours creating ringtones from the 5000+ piece Online Media Library which is included with Ringtone Media Studio). So now that music fans can create their own ringtones from their CDs and MP3 collections, what does this mean to the Music Industry - which today views ringtones as salvation from their slump in sales?

Ringtones to the music industry mean gravy - certainly another revenue stream from which they can joyfully tap. But if users can buy ringtone creation software such as Ringtone Media Studio for $19.99, why spend $1.99 or more (according to the Atlantic Record’s website, ringtones are $1.99 and up) on just one? Users of course need to buy the song - heck, they might even buy the whole CD - before a ringtone can be made, so couldn’t it be possible that ringtone creation software could actually increase music sales? I would think that consumers would actually be more compelled to purchase a CD if they had more than one use for it. In fact, rather than just buying a CD and leaving it in their CD player for weeks, consumers can now transfer it to their PC, transfer it to their iPOD and now even make ringtones. Cool! Perhaps the music industry should embrace the ringtone creation software - rather than fight it - as being predicted by some. Time will certainly tell. In the meantime, consumers are certainly the winner today, with such a wide variety of ways to personalize their phones and ringtones.

Ringtone Media Studio is a product from software developer Avanquest Software. A trial version of the software can be found at http://www.ringtonemediastudio.com.

The most popular and probably the best type of poker game for a novice to try his hand at is texas hold em poker. In a matter of minutes, anyone can learn the rules, which usually begins with the two players to the left of the dealer placing blind bets. Two face down cards are then dealt to each player. A round of betting ensues, this time beginning with the person to the left of the first two people who placed the blinds in the beginning. Players can choose to check, raise, or fold when the turn to bet comes to them.

Afterwards, the dealer places three cards face up on the table. Called a flop, players can use these cards with the two that they already have to form their hands. Following this is another round of betting, after which the dealer places another card, known as the turn card, face up on the table. This card can be used to create a five card hand, if it improves the hand they already hold. The players place their bets, and the dealer places a final card on the table. Known as the river card, players can now use this as well as the other four on the table and the two that they have to create their final poker hands.

After one last round of betting, the players still in the game reveal their cards this is called the showdown. With a few rounds of practice, anyone can master the rules. However, mastering the game of poker itself is another story. Not merely an exercise in luck, texas hold em, despite its simplicity involves both brains and practice, thereby, continually challenging those who play it.

Texas hold em poker has become increasingly popular as a growing number of online sites attract people to play from the comfort of their homes. More and more people are starting to play the game competitively, brushing up on their skills and strategies, often in the hopes of earning some extra money. Many also participate in online texas hold em tournaments where the cash prizes can be very high.

Numerous sites and other resources have also sprung up to help people perfect their game, offering winning tips and proven strategies, as well as directing them towards the top sites at which to play. Organizations that bring together players are also gaining prominence. Television shows, such as “Celebrity Poker” on the Bravo network, where celebrities compete with each other playing texas hold em has proven to be a ratings success. This too has helped to raise the profile of a game once relegated to the casinos or to weekly male bonding activities. A broader, more diverse range of people are getting involved, from Ivy League college students to stay at home moms, many from the comfort of their homes as they log into the thousands of online sites. Sales of poker paraphernalia have seen a rise as well, as people are either taking the game much more seriously than they once used to or they are discovering it for the first time. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether this resurgence of texas hold em is merely a passing fad or one that will prove to have strong staying power.

Search for home poker games and a home poker tourney by visiting www.localpokersearch.com/ today.

One of the most prevalent health problem in many countries around the world is depression. Indeed, researchers have concluded that a majority of people will experiencing clinical depression at some point during their lifetimes. As a result, all people should at least have a basic awareness of what different depression treatment regimens are available in the 21st. Indeed, when it comes to depression treatment, there are a number of different options available to people afflicted with this possibly debilitating disease.

If a person is suffering from a mild, isolated case of depression, an effective depression treatment program may include more sleep, an improved diet and increased exercise. In some instances, a combination of these recourses does result in an effective depression treatment regimen.

Many people find themselves suffering through a more serious bout of depression. In such instances, a depression treatment program must include professional assistance. When consulting with a qualified health care professional, a depression treatment program that includes therapy and medication or medications is likely to be recommended.

When it comes to a depression treatment program, medications are helpful to aid in the reduction of the symptoms that commonly are associated with a depressive illness. With that said, in most cases, it is important that a depression treatment program include therapy. Therapy is an important element of a depression treatment program in many cases to assist the afflicted patient with discovering the root causes of the depressive illness with which he or she is afflicted.

In some instances, a depressive illness is so serious that a depression treatment program includes inpatient hospitalization. In most instances, a person who is hospitalized for a depressive illness will only be confined for a short period of time — for a matter of days. The goal of hospitalization as a depression treatment regimen in the 21st century is patient stabilization. The long term treatment will be conducted on an outpatient basis. Long gone are the days (in most cases) in which stabilization and intensive treatment occurs while a patient is involved in an inpatient depression treatment program.

In recent years, many mental health care professionals have again begun to advocate the use of EST (electro-shock therapy) for patients who have a more profound depressive illness. For some period of time in the 1970s and 1980s, EST as a depression treatment option was frowned upon by a wide sector of the mental health care professional community. However, in recent years, the techniques associated with EST have been refined and many doctors have come to see beneficial results in their patients who are subjected to a depression treatment regimen that includes EST. But, again, EST is utilized as a depression treatment option in only a limited number of cases in which the depression of a particular patient is severe and unabated over an extended period of time. As with depression treatment programs that include medication, patients who receive EST also participate in a course of therapy to try and discover the root causes of the depressive illness.

More information on Depression Treatment

In 2002, a new top level domain extension called .info became available for people to register with no restrictions. This new domain option opened a whole new avenue for individuals who lost out in the .com registration process and had their desired name already taken by someone else. According to a press release issued by the Afilias, an organization that provides global registry services for the .info extension, .info has recently surpassed 1,000,000 registrations since it’s inception just over a year ago. The movement of the .info domain into the mainstream has been illustrated by companies using the extension for ad campaigns and by individuals using the domain for personal use. These individuals, often looking for a more fitting .com alternative, are also using the easy-to-remember .info names.

A more than fitting illustration of the .info creative versatility is Jeremy Robinson, who is using a .info domain name to break into the acting industry and one day fulfill his dream of acting on Broadway. As an actor, Jeremy has made numerous acting appearances in theater including West Side Story, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Godspell, and Fiddler on the Roof. He has firsthand experience knowing that a .info domain name has the power to be an effective marketing tool when used in the right way.

I asked Jeremy Robinson a few questions about his new .info domain name. Here is what he had to say:

Shaun Cronrath: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Jeremy Robinson: I have many years experience in the acting industry mostly involving theatre. I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from The Hartt School, a music conservatory in Hartford Connecticut . I am currently living in the New York City area to pursue my acting career, and I guess you’d call me a starving artist, going back and forth to auditions, waiting for that “big break”. I aspire to be on Broadway one day so I can experience my passion for acting.

Shaun Cronrath: Can you tell us about your domain name?

Jeremy Robinson: My domain name is JeremyRobinson.info. I use my .info domain name on my resume and as an electronic portfolio so agency’s and casting departments can contact me, learn about my acting talent, and view my headshots. JeremyRobinson.info enables me to give 24/7 access to casting departments who are looking for the acting talent and image that I possess.

Shaun Cronrath: How did you think of this idea?

Jeremy Robinson: I didn’t really think of using a domain name and web site as a way to promote my acting career until I came across DomainPurpose.com. They gave me the idea to use a domain name as a tool to further my acting career. DomainPurpose.com inspired me to put my passion for acting on the Internet in the form of a web site and share my talents with an online audience.

Shaun Cronrath: Can you share with us any obstacles you overcame while registering your domain?

Jeremy Robinson: Being that .com is the most popular and most known domain name extension, I originally wanted to register JeremyRobinson.com, but it wasn’t available. When my first domain search returned the disappointing news, I had to figure a way to keep my full name and brand intact. After learning more about what .info had to offer, I chose the best alternative to .com and registered a .info domain.

Shaun Cronrath: When did you realize that promoting your acting career via a .info domain could turn into a successful marketing tool?

Jeremy Robinson: I realized that using a .info domain would be an effective marketing tool when I started to understand the meaning behind the domain extension. I didn’t want casting departments and other people to think I was trying to sell myself to them, so using .info gives the impression I’m looking to give. So now when I give my web address out to casting departments they know that JeremyRobinson.info is the place to go to find out more information about me and my acting talents.

Shaun Cronrath: As a successful .info domain name owner, do you have any words of advice for others who are thinking about using a .info domain name as a marketing tool to help promote themselves?

Jeremy Robinson: A .info domain name is the perfect domain extension for people who want to find information about you and what you have to offer. Don’t get discouraged if your .com name is already registered. Instead of being discouraged, rework your domain strategy by using the next best thing, a .info domain! It worked for me!

Shaun Cronrath is the President & CEO of DomainPurpose.com, a domain name registration company offering all the major domain extensions –.com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .name, .ca, .us, .cn, .eu, .de, .pro and more.

The most immediate benefit of VoIP for most businesses is savings on long distance charges. Companies equipped for VoIP can place long-distance calls over the Internet rather than the PSTN and avoid paying long distance charges. Since most companies already pay for broadband Internet connections, the only additional requirement is the equipment that connects telephones to the IP network.

The so called “VoIP revolution” in telecommunications can benefit many consumers. The group who stands to gain the most….if they’re smart…are small businesses.

In addition to the cost savings, bringing voice and data together on one network opens the door to new services. Advanced conferencing, unified e-mail and voicemail messaging and dialing calls by selecting from a computer contact list are just a few of the new service possibilities.

The benefits of VoIP can go beyond free long distance calling and new services. Because VoIP integrates voice calling with the IP network, small businesses of the future will only need one network to operate, rather than separate telephone and computer networks. A single integrated network is cheaper to install and maintain, and there would only be one network service bill to pay. We recommend Packet8 service for small businesses of today…..and tomorrow.

But fully converged networks are a long way off for most small companies. Today, traditional PSTN telephony is still crucial for the vast majority of small businesses. Since most of the telephone calls for the majority of small businesses come from local callers using the traditional telephone network, small businesses need to maintain their traditional PSTN links. For those small business where VoIP doesn’t make sense yet we recommend using a “Best Rate Calculator” to optimize your PSTN usage and cost effectiveness.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications….including Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, and insights.

During the design phase of some metal work projects you will be faced with the question of how you should tackle a project, some projects have a fine line between the decision of whether you should fabricate from steel or sheet metal, or to cast metal in a sand mould.

It is possible that you already may have had a project where you cannot decide between making a complex pattern to sand cast the project. Or to leave the foundry equipment in the corner, and attempt to fabricate the component from steel or sheet metal.

Now, once you learn the tricks and techniques of sand casting, you are
normally hell-bent on casting everything in sight. But have you ever thought that the one off part or project you are about to embark on may be produced much quicker through fabrication, than it is to make up a new pattern, then go through the entire foundry processes of: Making of patterns, Making Sand Moulds - Charge & melt a crucible of metal, and then pour the molten metal.

There’s often been times in the workshop where the latter, (to fabricate)
has been the most economical, and the quickest way to produce an item in steel, instead of cast aluminium or bronze. One of the major problems with most hobby casters, is the lack of machine tools & equipment to carry out proper fabrication operations.

Now, there’s no need to feel as though you are an inadequate metal
worker just because you do not possess general workshop fabrication
skills or equipment, because you may never have had the opportunity to learn them, but with a little guidance and proper instruction, it is not that
hard to learn how to operate the following machines.

Bench or Pedestal Drill: Equipped with drill table vice, plus a good set of high-speed steel drills.

Collection Of General Workshop Tools: The usual workshop hand tools, engineers hammer, hacksaw, various grades of files, center punches, engineers rulers, vernier callipers, etc, etc.

Welding Equipment: Oxy Welding Outfit, ideal for light sheet metal fabrication and brazing or bronze welding, an electric arc welder ranging between 150 to 200 amps.

Bench Grinder: Bench grinders are designed to accept various other pieces of equipment such as belt linishing tool, drill grinding and sharpening jigs,

Hand Held Angle Grinders: These great workshop tools come in 4″, 6″, 9″ size, handy for finishing the edges of metal, cleaning up weld beads or cutting light sheet metal, various resinoid discs can be mounted on the grinder, Last but no least, is the bench lathe, probably luxury item to a lot of home workshop people but worth its; weight in gold if you can afford to buy one.

Screw Cutting Bench Lathe: Keep a look out for a good econd-hand lathe from dealers or private sales. A lathe will pay for itself many times over in a very short time.

If you are really serious about building your own gear, or fabricating
special tooling etc, then why not use the vast resources offered by
the technical colleges right in your own community.

Your taxes help to equip these institutions so why not reap some
benefits from your community contributions.

Enrol in some night classes; to learn welding, machining or whatever
it is that takes your fancy, there are hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of gear sitting idle in many of these colleges, so make some
Inquiries, enrol, and get to use some of the gear bought, and installed
by you’re hard earned taxes.

Col Croucher.

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Article by Col Croucher of http://www.myhomefoundry.com - the definitive source
for hobby metal casters of all ages. While at the web site you can
download a free ebook to learn about, & understand hobby metal craft.