Business Knowledge

Contract Cleaners A Guide For Businesses Part 4
Monday, December 15, 2008

Writen by David Andrew Smith

In this the fourth and final part of articles about how to obtain the best service from your contract cleaner I look at the remaining three questions. These three can to some degree all be grouped and considered together.

• Are your staff fully trained in appropriate Health and Safety practices? Can this be verified?
• Can your staff speak and understand English?
• Will your staff be able to understand written instructions?

In part 1 of this series I referred to the survey of the top 150 UK wide cleaning firms and I shall do so again. From this survey it transpired that over 60% of the people employed as cleaners by these firms were of non-UK origin and of these 68% could not speak or understand English to a satisfactory level. The remaining 38% of cleaners were British born but unfortunately a massive 72% of these were considered illiterate.

What these figures indicate is that a sizeable percentage of the cleaning workforce cannot read or write English and a large proportion cannot speak it either. Consequently when firms claim they give health and safety training and all their cleaners are up to date with the COSSH regulations you must take this with a very large pinch of salt. If you have ever read the COSSH regulations or a safety data sheet for a cleaning chemical then you will appreciate that to actually understand them you have to have acquired quite a high level of education.

On a far simpler level it may be that on occasions you wish to communicate with the cleaners about some point or another. So you leave a little note. The following day you question as to why your note was ignored!

Very little more needs to be explained about this. The figures and the possible consequences leading from them should speak for themselves

If you follow these simple guidelines when next putting your cleaning out to tender then you should gain a firm who will provide you with excellent cleaning at a fair price but probably not the cheapest. You pay your money and make your choice.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

The Softer Benefits Of Corporate Giving
Sunday, December 14, 2008

Writen by R.L. Fielding

Have a favorite charity or non-profit community cause to which you contribute time and resources? Chances are your company will be interested in supporting it, too.

According to the Giving USA 2004 study released by the Giving USA Foundation in the summer of 2004, American individuals, estates, foundations, and corporations gave an estimated $240.72 billion to charitable causes in 2003. In the US, during the five years spanning 1998-2002, corporations contributed $55 billion, (5%) of the total $1135 billion. Corporations also gave through foundations, which contributed an addition $121 billion (11%) of the five year total.

People tend to be aware that there are financial benefits to corporations for donating to charities and that corporations want to be good, forward-acting citizens. What people—and many organizations—don't realize yet is that there are still other motivators and benefits for corporate giving. The fact is, increasing numbers corporations are extending the benefits of their corporate giving activities by leveraging them as team building programs and employee support initiatives that increase even further the benefits these activities bring to the company itself.

For example, according to Marjorie Polycarpe in a December 2003 article Re-Examining Workplace Giving Programs (http://www.onphilanthropy.com/bestpract/bp2003-12-31.html), she quotes the manager of the employee giving campaign at American Express, Angela Woods, who discussed how her company involved employees early on in their planning process for corporate giving activities to help guide their choices for charities. Getting employee input helped American Express identify the causes and charities that were most important to their employees.

This approach helps organizations communicate to their employees that they respect and support their employees' donations of personal time and resources. It also helps companies demonstrate that support, by forming foundations, by contributing cash, in-kind gifts, and/or matching programs, and by encouraging other employees to get involved in particular causes and facilitating their involvement.

When companies form foundations, they establish organizations focused on giving to a particular cause or which is authorized to contribute to approved organizations.

Companies can also contribute cash gifts directly to charitable organizations.

When companies donate non-cash resources, these are called in-kind gifts. In-kind gifts can be products that the company produces, moved out of its inventory, or they can be can be other items that the charity can use, such as furniture, computers, food, etc. When companies contribute the services for which they normally charge clients, for example, marketing or legal services, these in-kind gifts are called pro bono donations.

To help support charities that their employees contribute to or to encourage employees to contribute to charities already supported by the organization, companies can enable donations to come directly from the employee's payroll check. Frequently when such systems are in place, they are part of a company matching program which has the company match, or exceed by some percentage, cash donations made by the employee. So, for example, if an employee contributes $50 per pay period to an authorized charity, the company would contribute $100 per pay period in a 2:1 program. The company would be contributing in a similar manner for all of the other employees in the program.

Companies are finding that this sort of support, in addition to public recognition and praise of employees who donate their time and personal resources to various causes, helps them communicate to employees that they are valued as individuals. It also provides a forum through which the company can show appreciation to the employee for the benefits it receives through the positive association with the employee.

According to Kurt Rechner, President and Chief Operating Officer of Tejas Securities Group, Inc., "Tejas Securities contributes regularly to charities as a way to give back to our community and to show support for our employees and the companies with which we do business. For example, we've made contributions to the Children's Medical Center Foundation of Austin, the Austin Film Society, and Meals on Wheels, each of which provides wonderful benefits to the people in and around our home-base of Austin, Texas. In addition, we recently learned about the great work being done by Big Brothers of Massachusetts, and we made contributions to that organization as well. I think it's important for companies to openly communicate with their employees and business partners about their corporate giving activities. By sharing information, the employees feel valued, the organization learns about good organizations that need its support—and it creates a win: win all the way around."

Companies frequently find themselves contributing around themes. Some, for example, find their employees tend to want to support health-related causes, such as Breast Cancer Research or Alzheimer's research or other causes that may have affected families and friends. Other organizations find their employees gravitate towards education-related initiatives, such as the TJ Ford Foundation and Reading Is Fundamental. And many organizations find themselves contributing to organizations that help support children, especially organizations that provide esteem-building like Big Brothers/Big Sisters and those helping children with special needs, such as Special Olympics and Make a Wish Foundation.

With good causes being a good rallying point for boosting morale, many organizations use their corporate giving programs as team building tools to help unite their workers around a common charitable cause. They find that uniting workers for an outside cause helps reinforce their ability to work together for the companies' good as well.

So if you're an employee who is active in a charity, consider extending the value of your contributions by getting your employer involved. And if you're an employer who wants to expand the benefits of your contributions program, explore ways to involve your employees, too. The non-profits you support will thank you.

For additional resources on corporate giving and other types of philanthropy visit:

www.onphilanthropy.com
www.aafrc.org
www.minnesotagiving.org

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Question Should I Offer International Shipping On Ebay And Amazon
Saturday, December 13, 2008

Writen by Steve Weber

QUESTION: I've been selling on eBay and Amazon for about a year. I don't offer international shipping, but I'm considering it. What are the pros and cons?

ANSWER: On the plus side, offering international shipping will get you some additional sales and more volume -- perhaps another 7 percent, depending on your stock. Hard-to-find items attract overseas buyers, so it's smart to offer "international shipping" for your higher-priced items.

But there are so many drawbacks to international shipping, I've eliminated it on all but my most expensive listings in the past year.

Overseas shipping sucks up a lot of your time. You must complete customs forms and deal with the inevitable confused overseas buyers. These customers require lots more hand-holding -- e-mailing back and forth, repeatedly clarifying the shipping terms, etc. Sometimes overseas buyers don't use English well, so communicating is a challenge.

On the other hand, international customers buy a good percentage of higher-end, scarce titles that they're unable to find locally. So on those high-margin sales, I'm willing to put up with the occasional hassle.

If you're still building your feedback record and need the cashflow, international shipping is a good option. I never worry about insuring overseas shipments worth less than $75. But if you're sending a super-expensive item, insurance is worth the peace of mind. However, Postal insurance isn't available for Global Priority packages. You'll need to ship the book via regular airmail to insure it, so that will be considerably more expensive.

Also, there are a few countries where the Postal Service doesn't send Global Priority mail, including Italy, Greece, Saudi Arabia and some others. So you'll need to send those via regular airmail, but fortunately Canada and Western Europe will account for most of your international sales.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Nursing Resumes
Friday, December 12, 2008

Writen by Dennis Driscoll

What to Include in Nursing Resumes

Nursing resumes are slightly different from every other resume that you would send out. Being that nursing is a specialized profession, you need to remember a few things when putting together your first resume. Nursing resumes can be difficult to write because they will not include the same information as a standard resume trying to secure an office position. Read through the tips below before you start sending out your resume to potential employers.

First off, remember that nursing resumes will not include all past work experience. When applying for an office job, you usually show all of your past work experience, no matter how irrelevant it may sound. But remember that nursing is a specialized profession. You want to make sure that you put down your experience relative to nursing and downplay the rest of your work experience. This is not to say that you cannot include other work experience on nursing resumes, just be sure to not let those jobs overshadow your nursing experience.

Remember to include all nursing related experience on your resume. Anything that pertains to nursing, or caring for people should be highlighted on your resume so that it stands head and shoulders above the rest. This can include any volunteer work that you may have completed, or any nursing work that you did while in college. Nursing resumes often include information about the rotations that you did while completing your degree. This shows that you have experience in the field and are capable of working full time.

Nursing resumes should always include your educational achievements as well. Be proud of what you accomplished. If you were elected into the National Honors Society for nursing majors be sure to include this information. If you had a high GPA, include that also.

Nursing resumes may be difficult to write, but if you follow the tips above you will be able to put together an intriguing package for hiring managers. Sample nursing resumes can also be found on numerous online sites.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Yes You Can Make A Good Living On The Internet With The Right Information
Thursday, December 11, 2008

Writen by Gregg Hall

There are many opportunities to make money via the Internet, but it is very important to know which ones are legitimate, and which ones are illegal. When you decide to learn how to make money online, be prepared for some long hours investigating and studying the many opportunities to find the right, legitimate fit for you.

Internet opportunities range from selling on Ebay, offering health products, website editing, etc. The point is, you need to find something that interests you and that you can do well. Perhaps you already own your own business, and you wish to generate more income by reaching more customers online. You can reach millions of people on the Internet through the proper use of a website.

Some Internet money making opportunities sound simply ridiculous and too good to be true. I'm sure you have come across some of these in your email, and I can assure you that ninety-nine percent of those offers are bogus. In order to find good sources of information about making money online, you really need put some effort into your research.

Start off by finding out what people want and need. Perhaps you won't have to actually sell a product, but if you find something popular, take advantage of it! Or you may have a different way to make money by providing a service, or by providing information.

Check out search engines like adwords.com or overture.com to look for keywords indicating what most people are looking for. Once you find something and have decided what you want to sell, the next step is to create a domain name. Domain names need to be catchy and easy to remember; keep in mind though, that most of the really simplistic domain names have already been taken, so be creative. Registering your new domain name is fairly inexpensive, usually only about ten dollars a year.

The next steps are fairly straight forward. You have your money making idea, you've got your domain name, so now you simply need to create your website, find a hosting service for it, and make your product available for viewing on the internet. If you have never created a website before, get some assistance from a friend or from a professional.

There are many self help books that show how it's done, and you will be surprised at how simple and inexpensive it can be. When creating your website, make sure it is easy to navigate and that it doesn't take too long to load! Most people make the mistake of creating flashy websites that take forever to show up on the screen. Remember, potential viewers of your website are only willing to wait for a few seconds for your site to appear. After that, they move on.

Once you have your website created and viewable, the challenge is to get it viewed by as many people as possible. There are many ways to do this, and most internet entrepreneurs use professional website marketing services. However you decide to do it, use your best judgment, have fun, and good luck!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Do It And Do It Online
Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Writen by Stephen Kaye

I believe that learning to use The Internet is a vital option in today's world.

Not only do I believe that its use should be taught in all schools, but also that it should be taught in-house in every company in every country in the world. I believe that it is a vital tool for the elderly, the housebound, the frail, the sick, and the disabled. It is quite probably, in my opinion, the key 'life' tool' which should be taught and made available to every living soul today. That's how important I feel it is.

There is practically no information which cannot be accessed via The Internet. There is practically no question which cannot be posed, resolved, answered or explained by using The Internet. There are so many variables, so many permutations of every aspect of life which are available for all on The Internet.

Business can be started in the minimum of time on The Internet. Businesses can be wildly successful on The Internet. (Of course, businesses can also fail – but that's life). Friends can be made, relationships developed, old friends located and family sought out.

The Internet can be used for fun, for games, for business, for all types of communication, for shopping, for selling, or just for looking. It is there for one and all for every purpose under the sun and moon. And it's there for you to use, as you will.

No-one should miss out on today's Internet opportunities. In the words of Microsoft: 'Where DO you want to go today?' Because with The Internet, you can go anywhere, learn anything, and achieve great wonders.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Egov Strategies To Reduce Government Costs
Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Writen by Lance Winslow

Turning basic jobs of government over to web based solutions when possible and where applicable is a good strategy to reduce costs. By implementing a hiring freeze in many areas of government and using attrition methodology to cut down the incredible payroll costs of the government, we can begin to slow the ever increasing "Blob" or "Bureaucratic Goo" clogging the nation, wasting tax payers dollars and costing our citizenry in promised benefits for their participation in the system, for which they receive so little.

E-Gov has gotten a bad rap from the media, GAO and pundits of the old slow wasteful bureaucracy of which many seem to have a vested interest in, probably since they created it. If you look at the current trend with let's say Wal*Marts online strategy you see a trend, this year it is up some 115% over last year. Wal*Mart of course being the only business in the world, which has more employees than the Federal Government and because of it's size shows that things take time. Wal*Mart is number two second only to Amazon.com in online sales as of this date. They will pass Amazon.com in approximately 13.3 months. So how did they do it? They did it thru strong adherence to their strategic plan and good promotion. E-Gov needs a PR Consultant Big time.

http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/28113-1.html

We must reduce the time it takes to get things done, filed and the wasteful time to the citizen and business for approvals, permits and receiving of vital and important information. The Internet is completely set up for this. It is made for efficiency. Government on the other hand is inherently inefficient, this is not good or bad, but it is a reality. By increasing the ability of citizens and businesses to interact with our government the entire system gains efficiency and when this can be duplicated in all agencies and departments, the economies to scale and the productivity, which will be achieved and the compounding effect will be a whirlwind and breath of fresh air.

With the digital divide now being all but completely conquered under the Leadership of the Bush Administration we have a unique opportunity to take the E-Gov plan to the step. Such a system saves time and helps the citizen know what they are paying for and it's purpose. It saves trees and paper and its all good. I propose hiring Peggy Noonan to put together a team to:

A.) PR the ever living crap out of E-Gov in all Media

B.) Put together a bombardment plan to keep this topic hot.

C.) Promote this new ability in the schools and Colleges

D.) Review all the government websites, survey users, recommendations.

E.) Start today.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Researching On The World Wide Web 7 Resources For The Wellrounded Researcher
Monday, December 8, 2008

Writen by Trish Anderson

Surfing the web is great! Loads of fun and all sorts of information only a key or quick hotlink away. The downfall is that it is way too easy to be distracted or lost. If you've found yourself wandering around websites that sound like they might have the information you're after, but inevitably don't or your search keywords bring in thousands of hits, then you need a few tips in how to shorten your path to knowledge.

1. Define your search parameters

Firstly, know what it is you're after and be aware of a variety of specific keywords that will lead you to the right websites, and a few thousand less hits. Variety is wonderful, but after hours of reading through the wrong websites your eyes and head will be feeling the pain. The more specific you are the more specific your search will be, which leads me to…

2. Search engines

Most people around the world have heard of Google. The name has, in a very short time, become synonymous with searching for just about anything. The theory is that you can "google" anything and you'll find what you need, and I agree that the Google search engine is far and away one of the best available. Google provide easy to use sections on website searching, image searches, groups, news and more. Click on the "More" link and you'll be lead to a page with more specific search engines.

Other good search engines that I regularly use include Teoma, About, and Dogpile. I usually find what I want on at least one of these. Dogpile is a metasearch engine meaning that it will give you results found in the top search engines. I still like to do individual searches across a variety of search engines as the results are more rounded and less is likely to be missed. However, it depends on the difficulty or the obscurity of the topic I'm researching.

There are hundreds of search engines. Google them and you'll find a list long enough to keep you happy for hours.

3. Newspaper Articles, Press Releases and Journals

Newspaper articles can lead to people, institutions, and sources of information while providing the reader with background and current information on a topic. A general search in online newspapers from a relevant locality is always worthwhile. If your topic isn't connected to a particular locality then hit the major news sources from a variety of countries. You can find these sources via search engines, but some of the main ones are Reuters, NY Times and CNN. In Australia, try Fairfax and ABC, in Britain try the BBC. Each news source, in each country, will provide a differing slant on the news they cover. The Refdesk site provides quick links to most of the major news sources as well as many other handy links. Test it out for yourself!

There are more newspapers on the web than there are search engines and each provide their own internal article and image search. Become familiar with them. Find out which sites charge to read their articles [usually a nominal amount] and which are free. Subscribe to some or subscribe for notification of articles on particular topics. Some search engines will also email you notification when articles on your particular topic appear on the web. Keep that information wheel rolling!

As with the article notification services, there are also ways to have press releases emailed to you. How easy is that? Check your email box every morning to read the newsfeeds sent to you according to your profile, and for free. Once again, go back to your trusty search engine and type in "press releases" and you're sure to find enough to suit your needs. I use PRWeb and Emedia newswire, and have picked up quite a few ideas and background info on research topics.

4. General Interest Websites

These websites are mixed in with all the "expert" websites and should never be disregarded. A lot of web authors put many hours of their own research time into providing the best information they can on their pet topics. They will also provide lists of links back to their sources and to other websites, both general and expert. Look for websites that cite their sources, avoid wild claims, and aren't necessarily trying to sell you something. Before quoting or basing your work on any information, always find reliable support material.

5. Ezines, Discussion Forums and Mailing Lists

I'm pretty sure there's an ezine, forum or mailing list out there for every topic under the sun. Do a specific search on your topic, and include the communication form you are interested in. For a well-rounded search, look at a variety of forms - many are connected - and you'll have almost instant contact with others interested in the same area as you. If nothing comes up then broaden your search to include the subject your topic resides in. The people in these groups want to help each other. They want to pass on information, help you to find what you're looking for and talk, talk, talk. Always take note of any etiquette rules posted and jump right in with an introduction. The more friendly and forthcoming you are the more help or contact you should receive.

Remember, that everything written in these communications is subject to copyright and often presumed privacy. Ask permission before you use anyone else's work and never abuse the rules of the group or you'll find yourself out in the cold.

6. Museums

Some museum websites are definitely more user-friendly than others, but generally the level of interactivity is rising. You can search archives, find links and resources, contact them with questions, preview exhibitions, and read the latest news on discoveries, events and what's coming soon. Museums may be topic specific, such as an Aviation Museum or much broader in their scope, such as the British Museum or the Australian Museum. Look for large and small museums alike and be prepared to ask questions on their exhibitions. Curators want to talk about the pieces they have on display and the history behind the artefacts. They are experts in their field and a valuable source of information in their own right.

7. Universities and Libraries

To find academic papers, go to the universities. University websites regularly publish their studies and provide contacts for finding out more. If you know your topic well then you should be able to find the department of study relating to your needs or simply do a search on your topic using their internal search engine. Not sure which university to visit? Many academic papers are published on the web through external publishing companies. These papers link back to the universities. You might like to start with Questia.com or Google Scholar [in the "more" section].

Libraries will get you book titles, authors, date of publication, and a brief summary of contents. If you actually go to the library to borrow some books, you'll also have access to the information and just as importantly the bibliography. Books can be "ordered" online and, through library networks, sent to your closest library. In most cases, you'll still have to go pick the book up, but you can't sit at your computer all the time anyway.

Warnings

Treat everything you read on the web as tertiary information, hearsay that requires support from other sources before it can be considered as accurate, reliable information. One source is never enough, always find more and be prepared to end up with conflicting reports.

Bookmark all the worthwhile sites you visit and back-up your list to a disk in case of computer failure. Keep your list of favourite websites in easy-to-find order and delete any urls that become obsolete. Housekeeping is a good habit that will save you time later on.

Copy urls into a wordprocessing document for later use in bibliographies and resource list, and index them accordingly.

Back up everything you do on the computer to an external disk. You don't want to be almost finished a project to have your computer pack it in and all your hard work lost.

One final point to remember, the World Wide Web is not the "be all" of world knowledge. Telephone calls, trips to libraries and archive centres are still a necessary part of any good researcher's arsenal. It's just that now, we have access to more libraries and centre's of information and email to smooth our trail and ease our weary feet.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

An Overview Of Raincoat Production
Sunday, December 7, 2008

Writen by Gaurav Doshi

Charles Macintosh was the man behind origination of raincoats. In 1836, he came up with the method of mixing rubber with fabric which was used for making raincoats. The raincoats were thus named after him and were called Mackintoshes in U.K.

The raincoat made during early 20th century were heavy in weight, but by 1940 the lightweight fabrics were been used to manufacture raincoats. Vinyl fabric was used, as this fabric was waterproof in nature and lightweight also. Continuous experiments were done in order to make raincoats of such fabric that could be machine washed, completely waterproof, low maintenance and light in weight. After 1970's there was a boom in rainwear industry as raincoats with varied designs, colors, patterns and fabrics were being made.

Materials used

Today's raincoat comes in various artificial and natural fabric blends. Especially microfibres and plastic coated fibres are used more. The raincoats which are made up of closely knitted fabrics are the best as they are more waterproof.

Raincoats have distinguishable quality of not allowing water to pass through them i.e. nil absorption of water thus keeping the weaver dry during rainy season. However now-a-days raincoat that could be worn all year round is also available in the market. Such raincoats consist of lining that could be removed whenever required. There are two types of fabrics used for raincoats- repellent type and absorbent type. Many styles of raincoats are available in the market like ponchos, waxed jackets, mackintoshes, trench-coats and anoraks. Trench-coats are unisex style of raincoats, cotton and polyester materials are used to manufacture them.

Apart from vinyl, cotton and polyester other types of fabrics used for making raincoats are nylon, wool, wool gabardine and microfibres. They could be used in a blended form also. The chemicals used for waterproofing purposes are paraffin emulsions, salts of zirconium and aluminium (for cheap cotton and woolen fabrics), methyl siloxanes( for synthetic fabrics), resin (for cotton, wool and nylon), wax (for linen and cotton), etc.

We could find a large variety in raincoats available in markets. They are found in various colors, cuts, lengths, fabrics and styles for people of every age and sexes. The designing done with the aid of computers in modern days, offers variety of designs in rainwear. For gents raincoats in the form of shirt and trousers are also available and for women raincoats in the form of skirt and jacket are found in the market. It is just an example of the many innovations in this industry, the latest is of disposable raincoats.

Manufacturing Process

The raincoats are machine-made garments. Generally, they are manufactured by using computerized manufacturing system. Here machines are controlled and governed by the computers. The first and foremost procedure in making raincoat is waterproofing of the fabric. In first step the fabrics to be used goes in between through many rollers, then are dipped into a big container filled with chemicals that would make the fabric waterproof. When the fabrics have soaked the chemicals properly they are removed from the container and further are passed through heating procedure, which makes the absorption even. Thereafter again fabrics are passed via many rollers. They are then cooled down which makes the waterproofing chemicals to permanently stick to the fabric. This yarn of treated fabrics is again rolled into bolts and is passed on to manufacturers.

The raw materials for making the raincoats are cut down into appropriate patterns of different sizes to be made with the cutter that is either electrical or computer operated. Thereafter the lining is placed inside the desired stitched part like collars, caps, pockets, etc, and then passed through fusing machine, which uses heat to put the lining properly into the fabric. Later, different parts of the raincoats are sewn together by the industrial sewing machines. The button holes (if needed) are made on the raincoats and buttons are sewed, this process is done through automatic machines. Quality inspection of the final product is handled by quality control inspector to ensure raincoats without any defects. Finally after inspection tags are attached by the worker on the raincoats and are packed in poly-bags using automatic bagger machines.

Conclusion

Thus raincoats are something which protects ourselves from many other climatic conditions other than rain. Many types of raincoats are made for different weather conditions using different fabrics and chemicals. They can be used for protection against snow falling, windcheater, for sailors and also against cold temperature.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Putting You Into Your Business Website
Saturday, December 6, 2008

Writen by Nic Sim

Many businesses don't know how to communicate online. You can see the boring stuff they spew on their websites. Every business speaks of the same thing - how they provide the best customer service, how they produce top quality products, and it goes on and on. It doesn't communicate a thing and worst of all, they don't even stand out from the competition!

When your business website represents YOU, it doesn't hurt to show a bit of personality. One way to inject more personality into your business website is to reveal yourself. When your prospects and customers view your website, you want them to know you. When they like and trust you, it is likelier they will do business with you.

Why? Because we're people and we want to do business with people we like and trust. Not some face-less entities without a name!

If you're planning to re-write or re-do the content for your website, here are some questions to help you communicate your personality.

What is your business about?
Tell us what your business does for us. Why should we buy what you're selling or offering? What unique product or service are you offering? Why is it unique?

Where is your business located?
It is the World Wide Web and businesses can be located anywhere. Provide your business location such as town/city, state and country. Do not abbreviate and assume everyone knows what it stands for. For business credibility reasons, use a proper address instead of a P.O. Box address. We used a P.O.Box back in the early days but learnt the hard way that it was clearly disadvantageous. P.O.Boxes look suspicious, like you have something to hide, even when you're a legitimate business. Plus courier services don't deliver to P.O. Boxes!

Who are your customers?
This gives the web user an idea of what industry or business your customers are from. If you are lucky, you would have a couple of famous customers to write about and this helps you establish your credibility and trustworthiness.

How long have you been in business?
If you have just started your business, tell it like it is. If you have been around long enough, tell us too.

What is your business philosophy?
Here you can add your own 'voice' or personality. Why did you start the business? If you have a story, tell your story. People adore stories!

Who are the founders or the people behind the company?
Many websites hide their founders too well. Whatever for? If you are a genuine business, you should be proud to be associated with your business. So go ahead, describe your CEO or founders. Tell us what they did before, their range of experiences, their qualifications and perhaps, a little history about how the business was founded.

When you have answered the above questions, you are ready to write your website content.

Finally, when you write, keep your writing jargon-free. If in doubt, use the simpler word. The key is to make your content understandable for all levels of website visitors and allow YOU to shine through!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Designing Custom Binders
Friday, December 5, 2008

Writen by John Francis

Binders are an office staple. Custom binders offer an alternative to the bland styles of basic binders. They also offer a way to add an extra kick to any marketing plan. A custom binder gives a sense of pride and professionalism to any plain binder and add a kick to a presentation. The advanatges of binders are only amplified by cutsomizing them.

Binders can be bought in bulk them customized to fit any situation. That way binders are bought cheap and the customizing is only done to the binders that need it. One set of binders can serve many purposes when used in this manner, from office needs to a special client presentation. No wasted money and a variety in choices of customization.

Custom binders are just one detail that can really shine in a clients eyes. Custom binders show time was spent preparing the information and that thoguht was given to the overall presetnation. They also show the client that they were considered important and deserved a special presentation style. Custom folders make the first impression on a client a good one.

Customizing a binder is not all about adding logos or designs either. Customizing a binder can include all aspects from the cover to the riungs. The covers can be thin polyethylene or more complex vinyl. Vinyl covers offer much flexibility. They are made from cardboard that is covered in a strong, durable vinyl. Pockets and business card slots can be added to vinyl binders. Polyethylebe binders are less expensive and can still have logos or words printed on them. Custom binders can be a variety of sizes with different ring styles, as well. The size of the binder and rings largely depend upon what is to be put in the binder. The styles of rings also are dictated by the use of the binder. For a binder that needs to be easily accessible and allow for a person to flip through the pages easy, the typical "O" ring would work best. On the other hand binders that are to hold important documents would be best suited with square rings as they do not curve the paper inside.

Custom binders are a great way for a buisness to make a good impression. They put forth a sense of class and reflect well upon the business. The many ways to customize a binder allow for them to be suited exactly to the needs of the business.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Creating A Custom 404 Error Page
Thursday, December 4, 2008

Writen by Bruce Hearder

Every web surfer has encountered the dreaded 404 page not found error message. The generic error page is horrible to look at and it does not encourage web visitors to explore more of your site.

Imagine being able to setup a custom error message page that looked good, told the visitor what had gone wrong and then suggested some alternative links to other locations on your site, such as the home page, sitemap or even a search page.

If the visitor wanted to, they could then visit other parts of your site.

It is very easy to setup a custom 404 error page (The 404 error is the error number returned when a page or directory is not found on your site).

The easiest way to redirect visitors that encounter a 404 is to either send them to your sites home page or to your sitemap page

We do this by placing a one line of code in your websites .htaccess file

ErrorDocument 404 /sitemap.html

This would redirect all 404 error messages to the sitemap page.

The path to the page you want to display, must already exist on your web server, otherwise the web server will tie itself up in a never ending loop. The full path to the error page must be specified and it must be relative to the root path of that account (remember, placing a / at the front of a file name or directory specifies that it's relative to the root directory).

To make a custom error page, simply create a page using your favorite webpage editor such as MS FrontPage or DreamWeaver. The page can contain anything you wish, such as images, links etc. Save the file as something easy to remember (such as 404errors.html)

I would then suggest you make a directory directly off your /public_html/ folder and call it "error" and place your error files in here.

This would now mean that your .htaccess command line would now look like: ErrorDocument 404 /error/404errors.html

Now whenever a 404 error was generated on your site, your custom error page will be displayed, and keep your web visitors happy.

In the upcoming article, I will expand on this idea, and show you how to you can receive an email notification that a 404 error has occurred on your site. It will tell you what caused the error, and the offending page. Allowing you to try and fix all broken links leading to your site.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Decembers Marketing Magic For New Year Success
Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Writen by Diana Ennen

Can you believe it's almost Christmas? The holidays are here and then the start of a new year will be upon us. Now is a perfect time to reflect on your business and see if it is all that it can be. Is it running at full speed and do you have all the clients that you need?

If not, it's time to get those engines moving and start into action before the New Year begins. I know, it's the holidays and there's a lot's going on. But also it's the perfect opportunity to connect with your clients and get a head start on potential work for next year. You will find that communication is so much easier when you can utilize holiday greetings, holiday goodies, and holiday presents! Holiday gifts and candy will ease the way to a "Hi, how have you been? Send me more business!" Or for those new potential clients, "Hi, how are you—You need ME!!"

First, reconnect with ALL your clients and let them know how you appreciate them and perhaps how you can help them with other needs they may not even know you offer. Send a personalized holiday card or greeting. For local clients stop by their office and drop off presents, popcorn tins for the staff and/or their favorite coffee for their afternoon pick-me-up. For potential new clients, drop off a Holiday cup full of wrapped candy with your business card or perhaps get your business name printed on the candy bar such as those found at http://www.FUNtasticLettersandWraps.com

Oh yes and for any of those Virtual Assistants out there, don't forget to stop by any small post offices or UPS shops and offer to put your business cards there. Many of these places will add your business card holders directly to the counter. Think how much traffic is going through these places shipping out those presents and what great exposure that can be!! And the best news is that they usually do allow business cards with a business card holder. Just think about it, people waiting impatiently in line, pick up your card and BINGO—New Client!

Other tips include:

* Read and research new things. So many great promotions are going on now with the holidays and New Year coming. Look to them and see what's out there and how you can apply it to your business. Take advantage of the teleclasses and seminars that are offered by the pros. Yes, they are going to try and sell you something, but by golly the information you receive will be worth it and you don't have to buy!

* Join Associations: Join the association that you've heard about by so many but haven't made the commitment yet. Start the New Year with a firm commitment to attend at least one engagement a month or more. See what a difference it can make in your business by talking with pros in your industry or networking with businesses, who might utilize your services or products.

* Get moving online. Go to the message boards and chats and network. Meet people and introduce you and your business. Offer tips and suggestions and actively be a part of the forum. I've been in business since 1985 so this year I will be celebrating 20 years in business. I owe a lot of my success to being active on the boards and letting people get to know me and trust me.

* Your Website. Now it can all go to waste if they these potential clients get to your website and see a unprofessional, poorly built, error-ridden, mess of a site. Take a look at your website and see if it is the best that it can be. I constantly update mine at www.virtualwordpublishing.com to try and provide tips and suggestions for those starting a virtual assisting or word processing business. I know the importance of changing it frequently, so people will come back to see what's new.

Look to the overall appearance, the professionalism of your wording, the explanations explaining the benefits you provide, etc. In fact, everything in your site needs to convince a client to work with you. Now ask yourself, does it do that? Is this something I can be proud of? Too often we throw together a website, just to have it done. Remember this can often be a client's first impression of you. Is it selling you well?

So this year as others are shopping and preparing for the holidays, you can instead be preparing your business for the New Year. What a gift that would be for YOU—to start your business off with a bang and lots of new clients you secured in your December efforts.

December is a great time to reflect back on the year and plan for the next. Why not plan to make next year, your best one ever! Good Luck and Happy Marketing! -- Diana

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Battle Of Yahoo Msn And Google Over Video Content
Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Writen by Razib Ahmed

Until five years ago, most people even in the most developed countries could not imagine of downloading a movie by Internet because of the slow speed of their net. This has changed a lot in the last 5 years as broadband internet is becoming more and more common to various parts of the world. Broadband high speed internet is not only available now but also it is very cheap in many countries. So, the users are hungry for new contents and noting can be more attractive than videos. To catch this market Google, Yahoo and MSN have introduced video facilities for the users. Many kinds of videos are available. Not all the videos are free to download but still the collection of free download is huge.

http://video.google.com/ is the website of Google Video. It has hundreds of video files and to enjoy the video files a user needs a Google Video Player which can be downloaded from the website at free of charge. If a user does not have high speed internet connection then it will take a long time to download a small video file. One of the best advantages of Google Video is that any user can upload his/her own file and then sell it or give it for free. This option has made Google Video very attractive to everyone. Now everyone whose hobby is doing video can become a seller in this market. Google is the number one search engine and searching video with Google is really fun. In Google Video player there is an option for searching video which is really very powerful. Quality of video in Google Video is moderate mainly because this way Google can reach to maximum number of users. If they give only high quality video then the size of file will become too big and many users will not be able to enjoy this facility. One of the best features of Google Video is the diversity of the videos available for downloading. For example, there is one video file of 1896- more than 110 years old. This file is indeed one of the earliest moving images in the world. Another nice feature of Google Video player is that first it downloads the video totally and then shows it. This way, the users don't feel annoyed as they can enjoy uninterrupted video.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

Merchant Credit Card Accounts
Monday, December 1, 2008

Writen by Kent Pinkerton

A business needs a merchant credit card account to accept credit card payments from customers. These companies accept credit card payments through a combination of software and hardware and are usually referred to as credit card merchant accounts. There are two types of merchant credit card accounts. One is the physical credit card merchant account and the other is the web credit card merchant account. By and large higher rates are paid by businesses with web credit card merchant accounts.

As a business owner, it would be prudent on your part to open up a merchant credit card account since so many people tend to pay by credit cards. There have been many studies that show the direct correlation between credit cards and sales volume. It is argued that your sales can increase up to a staggering 40 per cent if you start to accept credit cards.

Therefore, merchant credit cards accounts are simply the best financial step for a business owner. Customers are known to spend more, at time as much as 2 1/2 times more, when they can shop with easy and convenience of credit cards added with the security network. This can also lead to an increase in impulse buying.

A small business owner can best utilize this system of accepting payment. He can increase the efficiency by processing more orders in less time without hiring any additional staff and reap the benefits of increased sales. For online orders, an owner basically opens the email sent by the customer, finds the order and payment processed, and only has to fill in the details for the order and ship the merchandise.

Online credit card merchant accounts do have particular necessities because the business owner can't see the credit card and credit card companies use particular risk factors to evaluate the purchase payment information. On the other hand, during a point-of-sale transaction, processing is completed within seconds.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 10:00 PM, ,

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