All In One Blog

A Sample Test to Test Your Positive Thinking

2012-02-07T20:34:00.000+07:00

To find out how positive you are, answer the following questions as honestly as you can using this scoring system:

Answers Points

Always or almost always 5

Usually 4

Sometimes 3

Rarely 2

Never 1

Put your score in the block on the right:

When something unexpected forces you to change your plans, and you are quick to spot a hidden advantage in this new situation? [ ]

Do you like most of the people you meet? [ ]

When you think about next year, do you tend to think that you will be better off than you are now? [ ]

Do you often stop to admire the things of beauty? [ ]

When someone finds fault with you or with something you have done, can you tell the difference between useful criticism and 'sour grapes', which is better ignored? [ ]

Do you praise your spouse / best friend / lover more often than you criticize him or her? [ ]

Do you believe that the human race will survive well into the twenty first century [ ]

Are you surprised when a friend lets you down? [ ]

Do you think you are happy? [ ]

Do you feel comfortable making yourself the target of your own jokes? [ ]

Do you believe that, overall, your state of mind has had a positive effect on your physical health? []

If you made a list of your 10 favorite people, would name be there on it too? [ ]

When you think back over the past few months, do you tend to remember your success before your setbacks and failures? [ ]

Total Points [ ]

Scoring:

If the sum of all the scores is:

Above 55: Consider yourself a superstar – someone whose optimism is a powerful
healing force.

50 – 55: Excellent. You are a genuine positive thinker

45 – 50: Good. You are a positive thinker, sometimes

40 – 45: Fair. Your positive side and your negative side are about evenly matched

Below 40: You tend to be pessimistic. Think of ways to improve your pessimistic
Approach to life.

readbud.co m

How To Keep Your WordPress Website Safe From Hacker

2011-12-30T21:57:00.000+07:00

A blogger I know was hacked today, and it was pretty scary because I went to the blog and some nasty Malware tried to install on my computer, luckily, my PC is like a fortress and precluded the Rogue Spyware (full of rootkits and Trojans) from downloading, but still I spent some time scanning and making sure I was not infected which was annoying to say the least, I HATE HACKERS!!!

An example of a hacked WordPress Blog

A. Prevent From Hackers

My Personal Computer Security Tools
All free and all work together beautifully to really protect my system from all the harmful crap that is found online.

Spybot Search and Destroy
Avast Anti Virus
Comodo Firewall

Excellent Malware Removal
These detect and remove very difficult infections

MalwareBytes I use the free version to regularly scan for infections.

Hitman Pro 3 Free trial for 30 days, then only $19.95 a month (much cheaper than that useless Norton). Detects and removes rootkits, worms and other very hard to detect infections.

Anyway back to WordPress security…

Hacking of blogs happens all the time, and when it does it’s a total pain in the you know what, and worse yet if the blogger has no backup. So I did some research and made some big security changes to my blog sites and wanted to share with you some of the WordPress security and hacking prevention tools that I found.

1. Backup your Data

You can really sleep good at night and have no worries if you ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR DATA on a regular basis! Whatever may happen to your blog, there is no better security than having a current backup of all posts, pages, plugins. comments and basically the entire blog, just imagine if you lose everything!

There are two easy ways to do this…

1. Use the WordPress Database Backup Plugin, to automatically create backups to your WordPress database on a schedule you choose, re: daily, weekly, monthly…etc and you can choose to have the backup emailed to you, downloaded to your server or downloaded to your PC. I choose email, it’s easy and automated.

I have mine set to daily, some may think this is paranoid, BUT, you never know when you might get hacked or have some loss of data, and since I update my blogs regularly it is much safer to just make sure I always have the most current backup available.

2. Option 2 and one that I do on a regular basis in addition to using the plugin above is to perform a full backup via my hosting cPanel. Every hosting provider should have this and some actually do weekly backups for you, so just check what your host offers. A full backup via cPanel offers a complete backup of all the blogs and sites in your hosting account, hosting home directory, mysql databases and email accounts as well.

2. Lock Out Multiple Login Attempts For Hacking

Login LockDown records the IP address and time stamp of every failed WordPress admin login attempt. If more than a certain number of attempts are detected within a short period of time from the same IP range, then the login function is disabled for all requests from that range. This helps to prevent brute force password discovery that hackers often use.

You can set the number of attempts allowed, lock out time, and other options, really excellent protection.

3. Change Admin User Name

Change Admin User Name – Another useful plugin for WordPress security that bypasses WordPresse’s inability to allow administrators to change their username.

Often times when installing WordPress admin is assigned as the username automatically and hackers know this, so with this plugin you can easily change your username to something much harder to detect, such as:

aKD#@$LJ!#$^JGHQTI2356KJSD#@I$%H@#$I%H@#$THNAKSLD@#

If you have admin as your username you should use this plugin to change it immediately.

4. Passwords That Keep Those Scum Hackers Out

Your passwords should look similar to the above user name example, with a super long string, full of all kinds of characters, caps and small letters and numbers AND passwords should be changed on a regular basis, believe me, it is much easier, faster and much less stresful to change passwords than to recover a hacked blog.

5. Only Download Plugins from Known Sources – Thanks to John Sullivan for reminding us in comments that you should not download plugins from unknown sources, plugins are freeware and shareware, which are notorious for carrying nasty viruses, so just be sure the source where you download the plugin is the actual developers page and not a download from some other site or always go to http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ to get your plugins.

B. Stop Hackers Finding You

1. Remove the Footer Credit – Most WordPress templates will come with a link back to WordPress in the footer saying, “Powered by WordPress”. If you don’t want to get hacked, this absolutely has to go. It is used as a marker by hackers who query search engines to compile lists of WordPress sites. This is known as dorking; implying that people who leave such footprints on their sites are dorks. Removing this will probably stop you from getting hacked as your site will probably not be found once it is removed. If you would like to give credit to WordPress for making a free publishing platform in some other way, you could link to them on your about page.

To remove the footer credit, open up wp-content/{name of the theme you are using}/footer.php and delete the link to WordPress.

2. Remove the Meta Generator Tag – Most WordPress templates will also come with a HTML tag in the head like this:

This has to go too as it gives away what version of WordPress you are using. All a hacker would have to do is look up a hack for your version of WordPress and if you are vulnerable (some vulnerabilities require certain server settings or environments) they will take you down.

To remove the meta generator, open up wp-content/{name of the theme you are using}/header.php and delete the meta generator tag.

3. Remove the Generator Tag in the RSS Feed – WordPress also gives away which version you are using in the RSS feed with a generator tag like this:

<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7</generator>

Again, this gives away the version you are using so is particularly dangerous. RSS feeds are another way in which hackers compile lists of sites which they might be able to attack.
To remove the RSS generator, open up wp-includes/general-template.php and search for the function called the_generator (around line 1858). It will look like this:

function the_generator( $type ) {
echo apply_filters('the_generator', get_the_generator($type), $type) . "\n";
}

and place a hash (#) in front of the word echo, so it looks like this:

function the_generator( $type ) {
#echo apply_filters('the_generator', get_the_generator($type), $type) . "\n";
}

4. Remove Other Footprints – There are a number of other ways that someone might be able to tell that your site runs on WordPress, such as installing it at,

http://domain.tld/wordpress/ and if you have links to specific WordPress files names, such as wp-login.php. The later can easily be found using a search engine, e.g. WordPress Logins

Two file names that are visible on all WordPress installs will be the the wp-content/ directory (where WordPress stores media) and the wp-comments-post.php. You can change the name of the wp-content directory in the WordPress admin under settings > miscellaneous. To change the wp-comments-post.php, you will need to edit your template to use a different URL and forward the new URL to wp-comments-post.php. It is unlikely anyone uses these methods to find WordPress blogs to hack, but they are considerations you can take if you want to be extra careful.
Also make sure you have deleted the licence.txt and readme.html in the root directory.

C. Locking Your Install Down

1. Disabling Indexes – Disabling indexes means that when someone navigates to a directory on your server, it will not give them an output of the folders and files in that directory. This is particularly important as a number of WordPress hacks target vulnerabilities in plugins. So if your wp-content/plugins/ directory is browsable, you are going to be giving away what plugins you are using. This may be used to target sites that use a particular plugin or if you have enemies someone might use it to find a vulnerability specific to one of your plugins. Due to lack of security, many sites have their plugins directory indexed: Plugin directories
If you are using Apache as a web server (the most popular choice) you can disable indexes by adding one line to .htaccess in the root of your WordPress install â€“ that is the main directory with index.php in it. Simply add Options -Indexes anywhere in the .htaccess file. If you ever need to enable indexes in a directory, all you need to do is add Options Indexes to a .htaccess file in that directory. For those who are not using Apache, other options will be available for your sever. Alternatively, if you are partial to botches, you can put an index.html file in all directories you don’t want people to be able to browse. So, when someone loads a directory, they will just be shown the index.html.

2. Blocking Server-side Directories – Blocking directories that contain files that are only needed by your server is an essential aspect of any site’s security. There are a few reasons for this, including:

If your server has a problem with PHP (like if someone removes the Apache PHP module), your server may start outputting PHP files literally
Some text editors will create backup files like, index.phps or index.php~. These can be uploaded to the server, accessed by undesirables; giving away your database credentials. These files can get indexed by search engines for easy targeting.
There are also ways in which someone can detect what platform you are using if the platform uses unique directory names, as WordPress does.

Due to WordPress’ architecture, it is not possible to block all directories that should to be blocked. The main directory to block is wp-includes/. You can do this by adding the following line to .htaccess:

RewriteRule ^(wp-includes)\/.*$ ./ [NC,R=301,L]

To block further directories, separate each directory with a pipe like so:

RewriteRule ^(wp-includes|another-dir)\/.*$ ./ [NC,R=301,L]

3. Hiding the Admin – Securing the administration is important as it is an easy place where your username and password can be yoinked. First of all, you will want to put the admin on an encrypted connection (SSL). If you have cPanel, I believe this can be setup from there. If you do not know how to do this you will need to get someone to do it for you or ask your hosting company. Using a secure connection for your admin is important because without it your login credentials will be banded around the internet as plain text. They will also be stored in your server’s log files as plain text â€“ not good if a malicious individual or a disgruntled server admin gets access to your server.

Renaming the admin directory is also a good idea. By default it is wp-admin/. However, this isn’t an easy job for those who do not have a decent understanding of PHP. Alternatively, you can password protect the directory. This can be done from cPanel.

4. Move the Config Data – As mentioned above, some text editors will make backups of your PHP files which can be opened by anyone, or if you have server problems your PHP files could be output as text. This opens up the problem of someone opening up your wp-config.php file and snafing your database credentials. The best thing to do is:

Copy the contents of wp-config.php
Create a new file in a directory (e.g. wp-includes/conf.php) and paste the contents into it
Require the location of the new config location. This will look something like:

<?php
require_once( ’wp-includes/conf.php’ );
?>

Save the new wp-config.php

It is essential that your new config file is in a directory that you have blocked from outside access using the method in point 6. Otherwise, you will just be telling people where you have moved your config.
A search on Google shows a number of sites with their database credentials ripe for the picking: sitting ducks

5. Database Encoding - In wp-config.php, you are able to select your database encoding. It is advisable to use UTF-8 as other character sets are vulnerable to SQL injection since WordPress doesn’t use multi-byte character escaping.

6. File Permissions – Use the below file permission for optimal file system security:

Directory	Permission
./	755
wp-admin/	755
wp-content/	755
wp-includes/	555

D. WordPress Trojan Horses

1. Themes and Plugins – Last but not least, you can run into serious trouble by installing plugins and using themes without checking them for malicious code. If you don’t know PHP, I’d recommend only installing plugins and themes which are listed in the official WordPress directories as I’d image those are veted for nasties. Although with plugins like pennispress getting into the official directories, it is difficult to know who to trust these days

If Your Blog Has Been Hacked

If your blog has been hacked, don’t panic! Your first call should be to your hosting company, they will be your main resource for clean up, restoration and help. And read the guides below to learn more.

sumber

Make The Money You Need With Candle Fundraisers

2011-12-27T22:55:00.001+07:00

If you're thinking of a fundraiser what could be better than candle fundraisers? This product is as popular as cookies and cakes - maybe more so. Selling candles will make a very successful fundraiser for your cause. Candle fundraisers are welcomed by everyone and are very popular. Depending on the foundation having the fund raiser for or how many supporters you have to work with you, it can bring a generous amount of money for your cause.

If you are working towards a church fundraiser then you will likely have all the help you need form the congregation where you can get your candles very easily by asking each member to make their own candles. Candles are not that hard to make and can be scented and decorated to suit the time of the year. This will prove to be a very profitable way to have a candle fund raiser as your cost will be very little. If you have your candle fundraisers near a holiday, then use that theme of the holiday to decorate your candles. Make sure that each person understands what they are expected to do and how many you will need them to make.

There is another way you can have candle fundraisers and that is by ordering them from a company that does just this, provides candles for fund raiser. They have a set price and you can make your own decision on what you charge for each candle, but this is also an excellent way to have a fund raiser. These candles burn nicely. Some of them are not made with paraffin but made with soy. This allows them to burn cleaner. <

You will find that these candles come in two sizes and with a wide variety of scents. You can contact these companies on the Internet where you'll find a wide array of candles for your fund raiser. The reasons for the candle fundraisers will give you a good idea of how many you need. If you are having candle light service for a certain cause, you will find you need many of these candles. If you are having a sale of candles at a candle fund raiser, then the amount you need might be somewhat less.

Whatever candle fund raiser you decide on, it is sure to be a hit. Everyone loves candles -most especially the scented ones. Candle fundraisers are a sure winner when it comes to fundraisers and will make your fund raiser a very big success that will provide many donations.

Selling candles can be surprisingly effective, if done well.

readbud.com

Five Reasons to Love Macintosh Computers

2011-12-27T22:37:00.000+07:00

If you've never owned an Apple computer, you don't know what you're missing. On the other hand, if you regularly use Macintosh computers, you understand that once you have a Mac, you'll never go back. An Apple Macintosh - whether it's a MacBook, a Mac Pro, or an iMac - takes personal computing to a whole new level. I bought my first iMac in 1998, have upgraded twice, and am still happy as a proverbial clam. Here, then are five reasons to love the Apple Macintosh.

1. Cool elegance. If there's one thing Steve Jobs knows how to do, it's designing electronics that are ultra-cool yet beautifully elegant. Why have a cumbersome big box desktop computer when you can have everything you need in an elegant iMac? Behind that clear, bright 16:10 aspect ratio monitor is the entire computer, including a DVD drive and a 64-bit Intel Core 2 Duo processor. There's even a webcam built into the iMac so you can video chat or video conference whenever the whim strikes.

2. Intuitive functionality. Even though Windows copied the friendly desktop interface from Apple Macintosh, they still haven't been able to get it right. Navigating the Mac's interface is truly intuitive, engaging, and just downright fun. With a mobile computing product like the MacBook, you can take full computing functionality wherever you go. And, wherever you'll go, you'll always be connected, since the MacBook automatically finds nearby wireless networks and gives you nearly instant online access.

3. Digital living. Macintosh computers are designed to embrace the digital lifestyle. MacBooks and iMacs come with iLife, a wonderful array of applications that let you effortlessly share photo albums, record podcasts and songs, and even create and edit movies. You can even publish your creations on the Web with a single click. How cool is that?

4. Bug-free. If you've been wrestling with Vista the past few months (or any other Windows operating system, for that matter), you don't know the meaning of freedom. Macintosh computers' operating systems are bug-free, and as for upgrades, you get to choose when to receive software update notifications, and always have the choice of updating now or in the future. Mac simply isn't intrusive; you get to control technology, instead of having technology control you.

5. Workhorse. Macintosh computers are more than a way to frolic in your spare time. They're also workhorses. For years, graphic artists and publishers have almost exclusively used Macs for work. With the Mac Pro, you can get Adobe Creative Suite 3, a suite of tools specifically designed for creative professionals. Whether you're a web designer, a graphic artist, an art director, or a video professional, Adobe Creative Suite 3 will make your work easier, better, and more fun.

There are those who say that Macintosh computers are limited in that much of the available software is only compatible with PCs. My experience is that my Mac can do anything a PC can do - and do it better. But for those diehards who insist that they can't live without Windows, the next version of Mac OSX, Leopard, will allow you to install Windows XP on the Mac. Right now, you can run Windows in emulation mode...although for the life of me, I don't understand why you would want to!

readbud.com

Get More Money On eBay By Taking Good Photos Of Your Item

2011-12-27T22:24:00.001+07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words. When selling items online on auction sites such as eBay this saying becomes more relevant. A picture is worth money and a lot of money. A good set of pictures can make the difference between an item that is sold and an item that is not sold. It can also make a big difference in the highest bid price received for an item.

It is not enough to just to take a photo of an item. A good photo can raise the value of the item and help sell it. This article provides a few rules to follow in order to take better photos of such items.

The first rule when taking photos of an item is to take more than one photo. Show the item from many angles show it zoomed in and zoomed out in different positions – for example if the item is a car show it with doors closed and with doors open. If it is a DVD show the front cover the back and the disc itself.

The quality of the photos must be as high as possible. Make sure that you have the right lighting. It is always better to take photos during the day time with natural light rather than with flash light. It is also better to take pictures when there is overcast rather than when the skies are clear and the sun light is strong. If the skies are clear try to take the photos either at the beginning or the end of the day. Follow the rules of good photography, use a tripod if long exposure is needed make sure the photo is not overexposed or underexposed and that it is not blurry.

When taking the photo make sure that you stage the right background for the item. Usually you would want to stage a background that is in contrast with the item and that has no details or interesting objects that can steal the viewer's attention. Also make sure that the background is a matte color and that it does not reflect light. For example when taking a photo of a black computer mouse and keyboard use a white or light gray background.

Emphasize the value and the details of the item. Every item has unique features or important details that you would like to draw the viewer's attention to. The best way to do that is to take close-up photos of those details. For example when selling a car that has very low mileage take a close-up photo of its odometer. Another example when selling a known brand product such as shirts or pants take a close-up photo of the tag or the logo to emphasize that the item is genuine.

Take photos that support the textual description of the item. For example when selling a high end brand purse if the description says "perfect stitches" take a close-up photo of the stitches to prove that the description is right.

If your item size is important you can use a known size object in order to help the viewer visualize the item's size. For example when selling a miniature spy camera take one photo of the camera side by side with an object such as a quarter or a matchbox. The viewer will find it much easier to visualize the camera's size when looking at such a photo rather than reading the camera's measurements.

And last but not least remember to keep the photo file size small. When viewing a photo on the user's screen a low resolution is more than enough. In most cases a VGA (640X480) picture is all that it takes and such a photo can be as small as 50Kbytes. It is important to keep this in mind and not be tempted to put high resolution photos that are big. Such big files load very slowly on the viewer's computer. In most cases the viewer will get frustrated and would just skip to the next seller.

readbud.com

Indian Tandoori Cooking

2011-12-27T21:24:00.002+07:00

Traditionally, tandoori dishes are cooked in a tandoor, an oval shaped clay oven with a small fire in the bottom. The heat rises gradually but ultimately reaches a much higher temperature than a barbeque.

A tandoor is normally used to cook naan bread, meats and kebabs (meat or paneer). The bread is stuck to the sides, the kebabs stood vertically and whole chickens rested on a grid over the fire.

For domestic cooking, a tandoor is not really convenient but the meat dishes can be reproduced on a barbeque or in the oven. The bright red appearance of tandoori meats which you may see in Indian restaurants is produced by a food dye which really isn't necessary to enhance the look of your tandoori dishes.

I have a great fondness for tandoori style food. It has flavour, without being "hot" or high in calories or too filling. In fact it's an ideal dish summer or winter, if you fancy something a little different. As a bonus, it doesn't take hours to prepare. Of course you can take all the effort out of it and use a pre-prepared mix, but I think they have less flavour and you can't use them for anything else, whereas if you use the individual spices, you can make other dishes as well.

You can easily make tandoori chicken (whole), tandoori lamb chops (pork would be more unusual, but there's no reason why you shouldn't use it, if you prefer) and lamb tikka (kebabs) but my personal favourite is chicken tikka because it's so quick so here's my own recipe.

This recipe serves two people - multiply it for as many people as you want.

Ingredients

2 Chicken breasts

1 small tub Greek yogurt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ginger powder

½ tsp chilli powder (or to taste)

1 small clove garlic, crushed

salt to taste

1 tbsp lemon juice

Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes and set aside.
Mix the spice powders and garlic into the yogurt. You can use low fat yogurt if you prefer. You can also use fresh ginger or ginger paste from a jar rather than ginger powder but go easy on the quantity as it can be quite over-powering.

At this point you can also mix in the salt and lemon juice but if you do so, don't leave the chicken to marinade for more than about 20 minutes or it will become very dry when cooked. If you want to marinade it for a longer time, add the salt and lemon juice just before you cook the dish or sprinkle on to serve.

Thread the chicken onto skewers and either barbeque or cook under a grill using medium heat until the chicken is slightly browned and cooked through.

For a light meal, serve with salad, pitta or naan bread and lemon wedges or for something more substantial with rice and dahl.

readbud.com

Gift Basket Ideas for the Man in Your Life

2011-12-27T20:59:00.002+07:00

Are you looking for a good gift idea for the man in your life? Are you never quite sure what to get him? Does he have t-shirts and ties you have gotten him hidden in the back of your closet? Even if your man is hard to buy for, there are great ideas out there. If you cannot think of a good gift for your man or are tired of giving him the same old thing, consider a gift basket. Most men have some type of hobby. It might be hunting, fishing, golf, or grilling out. No matter what your man likes to do, chances are you can find a gift basket that will make him happy!

You can purchase gift baskets online, but if you do not have enough time for it to be shipped, you can check your local stores. There may be stores that specifically make gift baskets listed in the phone book. If not, you might contact a local florist as many of them also make gift baskets for special occasions. If you cannot find a local shop and you do not have time to order online, do not panic. Making your own basket is easy enough. You can purchase a basket at any crafts store, use a blanket, apron, or paper to line it and stuff it full of goodies for your man!

Here are a few gift basket ideas:

Grilling Gift Basket - Most men love to grill out. If this describes your man, a grilling basket is a great gift idea. You can fill it with many things but you may want to start with a cute apron. You can go with one that is a cute pattern, like fish, chili peppers, or camouflage. On the other hand, you may be able to find an apron with a cute saying like "Kiss the Chef" or one a little more risqué like "Barbecue Naked - Show Off Your Buns." On top of that, you can place grilling utensils such as a fork, spatula, brush or tongs. You can also throw in your favorite bottle of barbecue sauce and a nice bottle of wine to enjoy when the grilling is done.

Gone Fishing Gift Basket - If your man likes to fish, he will love a customized Gone Fishing gift basket. Not only will he enjoy the items in the basket, but also know that in giving him this, you are also giving him a day of fishing! You can line this basket with paper and pile in all his fishing favorites. One nice item to add would be a portable fishing scale/tape measure so he can see exactly how big his catch is. You can also load the basket with scented bait, a trout blaster hook, lures, a bait dip net, a pair of Titanium Pliers – the possibilities are endless. You might even throw in the new reel he has had his eye on! You can also fill his basket with snacks for your angler like toasted sesame seed crackers, beef jerky, salted peanuts, and Oreo cookies. If you can find some cute fabric with fish on it, use that to make a bow on top of the basket.

NASCAR Gift Basket - NASCAR fans love almost anything NASCAR gift related. You can fill your man's basket with his favorite driver's toy replica cars or a coffee cup with his favorite driver's number and colors. You can add to the basket a hat, t-shirt, bumper stickers, coasters, magnets, or a key chain. Does your man like to play darts? There are even NASCAR darts! If you really want to give him something extra special, order tickets to his favorite NASCAR race ahead of time and hide those in his basket.

Hunting Gift Basket - If your man likes to hunt, many things can be used to fill a gift basket. Look for picture frames of ducks, deer – whatever he likes to hunt. You may be able to find a clay pigeon letter holder, a bullet box he can keep on his desk to store paper clips, or a DVD on how to be a more successful hunter. You can peruse your local hunting goods store to get plenty of good ideas.

No matter what you man likes, he will love a basket filled with goodies of his favorite hobby or sport. He will also love knowing that you took the time to get him something you knew he would really enjoy!

readbud.com

Political Frugality - Book Review

2011-12-26T20:21:00.003+07:00

It is hard to specify exactly what genre Larry Roth's new book can fall into. Political, frugal living, gay rights, taking care of the body and more are covered in Political Frugality – Guerrilla Economics for the Demonized, Devalued and Disenfranchised.

Larry was a high income-earner who gave it up to be a relaxed gardener; he exercises, eats right and lives frugally. This retired professional walks-the-walk, and raises several interesting points of view on society and communities.

Discussions on how we dictate each other's belief system to one another without even realizing what we are doing were definitely thought provoking. Larry also brings to light the unrealistic discrimination that still slides in and out of our daily lives - and we find this normal.

I found the author's ideas on social security just fantastic. When you think about it, where does our money go if we die early and are not married? For that matter, why should the spouse left behind be penalized by receiving only a portion of the mate's coverage?
The true cost of climbing the social ladder is certainly a point well made by Larry and his thoughts on how consumerism is a vote with the wallet is enlightening. He talks about corporations that build items without replaceable parts or limited availability in order to force more consumer spending. According to Larry, it does not have to be like this.

Although Political Frugality begins a little heavy and political for my tastes, just past these first few pages the real life stories will entertain and shock the reader. Larry's nightmare situation with the credit bureau is pretty shocking. This is not another "victim of fraud" story folks, but rather a bureaucratic goof taken to an extreme!

Larry also makes some excellent arguments for the benefits of walking. It can be so much more than frugal and responsible transportation, exercise and meditation – it can actually bond communities. How? I can't tell you here, you'll have to read the book to find out!
So many beliefs and views on issues were similar to my own that I found myself thinking "Exactly!" repeatedly. Larry certainly brings attention to some very ironic and illogical social issues. Folks that read Political Frugality will learn new ideas on how to live in a more socially and fiscally responsible way.

ISBN#: 0962522848
Author: Larry Roth
Illustrated by: Andy Dandino
Publisher: Living Cheap Press

readbud.com

Be Psychic- Tips For Awakening The Psychic In You

2011-12-26T19:53:00.005+07:00

Have your ever had an experience you thought was a coincidence, but a nagging feeling made you feel there was more meaning to it? Those nagging feelings may be the very seeds of your own psychic ability waiting to be cultivated.

Your psychic sense can be compared to the bubbles that surface on a quiet pond. As you quietly stare into a still pond, you will soon notice the movement of the water. When you continue to focus your attention into the small body of water, you will eventually see tiny ripples of water and small bubbles emerge from the depths of the quiet pond. That's exactly the way your sixth sense will respond, when you pay attention to the "psychic bubbles" of insights that surface from the depths of your mind.

How can you develop your psychic ability naturally? Set aside time to do nothing but experience your senses. Absorb everything you observe or feel around you. When an image flashes into your mind or a feeling runs through your body, don't be quick to dismiss it. Instead, allow yourself to savor it as you would a delicious dessert. If it is an image, observe the details of it but also pay attention to the way the image makes you feel. If it's a feeling, try to make it into an image. Imagine it as a sound or a smell.

Try new activities and do old things in new ways. Loosen your focus on goals and try being flexible enough to stimulate your mind by doing something out of the ordinary. Follow your impulses and lean toward the unusual. As you do, you will be exercising your mind to function psychically

Studies show that the brain waves of subjects change when they're introduced to new materials or experiences. A person who is receptive to new experiences, new information, and has been exposed to unusual and varied life experiences, will find it easier to develop the ability. Therefore, act like sponge! Soak up as many experiences as possible to feed your mind the subliminal stimuli necessary to cultivate your psychic ability.

Exercise your extra-sensory mental muscle naturally with these five simple tips:

- Travel as much as possible and observe everything.
- Change your routine by driving a new way to work or in some other way.
- Try an exotic food and savor the experience.
- Talk to someone you think you have nothing in common with.
- Solve a problem by listening to a "hunch" or "gut instinct".

Developing your psychic sense is a natural as learning how to exercise. One is for body fitness and the other is for mental fitness. Both give you the tools to reach your full potential and the ability to create an even better life than you have now. To develop your sixth sense naturally set aside time to accomplish nothing. Instead just experience the moment through your senses and become aware of everything as though you were just born.

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Get The Facts About Wireless Laptops

2011-12-26T19:44:00.002+07:00

Laptops give you unbelievable portability for all of your computing needs, but as the need for communication grows more each day you need a computer that will keep you in touch. There are many options for portable computing. Laptops now come in many different sizes to match your specific needs.

Large or small screens are the biggest factor affecting the size of a laptop. Extra options like media drives and larger batteries will add overall weight to laptops. The current trend for any traveler is to get the smallest computer that will get the job done. Airports have wireless internet access available, so a wireless network or wi-fi card is a good option. Large screens used to be popular but strict travel regulations have caused many people to get smaller screens. This will make the computer easier to deal with at security check points.

Major reasons for the trend in "less is more" with laptop computers, is that they have become simply more of a tool and less of a novelty. Most basic computers are very capable in running any business application and have the necessary options for general use. Basic laptops have also dropped in price dramatically. The options have become the expensive part as competition grows fierce to have the lowest priced computer available. People are now buying computers more frequently with less options because it is more cost effective that buying the newest technology. Fast processors and large hard drives start out very expensive and quickly become standard features on basic laptops. You can keep more up to date by getting a new laptop every two years instead of getting the newest technology and trying to make it last for 4 years. Anyways, most laptops show a performance loss after about two years if the hard drive is not defragmented and formatted. It may not sound cheaper to buy a computer more often, but it also what you buy. Doing a little shopping around and assessing what you really need in a computer can save you the money that you need to buy one more often.

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Why Low Glycemic Foods?

2011-12-26T19:34:00.004+07:00

Some currently popular eating plans like The Perricone Prescription, A Week in the Zone and The Protein Power Lifeplan recommend low glycemic foods.

The theory is that sugar and high glycemic carbs that rapidly convert to sugar trigger a release of insulin to control the level of sugar in the bloodstream. Excess sugar in the bloodstream is inflammatory and causes a cascade of free radical damage.

To explain how dangerous this is, Dr, Perricone points out that diabetics with poorly controlled blood sugar age one third faster than nondiabetics and are prone to kidney failure, blindness, heart attack and stroke.

So insulin comes to the rescue to clear the excess sugar from the bloodstream. And what do you suppose the insulin does with all this sugar? It stores it as fat. And worse yet, until the insulin sweeps up the excess sugar, it runs rampant throughout the body causing glycation and cross-linking of the body's collagen.

The effect is visible on the skin, which becomes leathery and inflexible as we age. Though it can't be seen, the same damage is taking place inside the body where it affects other vital organs including the kidneys, lungs and brain.

So far, so good. Nutritionists have recommended that people cut their consumption of sugar for decades. The surprise when one ranks sugars and carbs by their glycemic index, is that some foods we normally think of as healthy show up as being bad for you.

The glycemic index is a ranking from 1 to 100, with 100 indicating the increase in blood sugar from eating table sugar (or white bread in one scale). Whichever scale is used, the important thing is a rank ordering of a food's effect on blood sugar.

The low glycemic food diets mentioned above have different cut off points. For example, Dr. Perricone's 28-day program prohibits any foods that score above 50 on the glycemic scale. That leaves out such things as bananas, bagels, carrots, corn, potatoes, rice and watermelon.

You can read more about the glycemic index (GI) and view the whole table http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm here. This site is authored by David Mendoza, a freelance medical writer and consultant specializing in diabetes. The site is a gold mine of information.

Mr. Mendoza points out that a food's glycemic index tells you how rapidly a particular carb turns into sugar, but not how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving. In other words, it's not just the quality of the carb, but also the quantity, that counts.
The version of glycemic index on his site (courtesy of Professor Jennie-Brand Miller of the University of Sydney) includes a column called glycemic load (GL) as well as a column of serving size in grams. A glycemic load of 20 or more is considered high; 11 to 19 is medium; and 10 or less is low.

Looking at this bigger picture, some of the "bad" carbs in low-glycemic food diets turn out to be not so bad. A 120g serving of watermelon has a horrible GI of 74 but a very low GL of 4. A medium banana (129g) has a bad GI of 51 but a medium GL of 13. An 80g serving of carrots has a borderline GI of 47 but a low GL of only 3. The same amount of corn has a GI of 47 but a low GL of 7.

On the other hand, some carb foods look bad whether you go by the GI or the GL. A 70g bagel has a high GI (72) as well as a high GL (25). A 150g serving of boiled white rice has a GI of 56 and a GL of 24. A medium baked potato (159g) has a high GI (60) and a marginal GL (18).

If you decide to concentrate on low-glycemic foods, I recommend you focus on a food's glycemic load. Just be careful to adhere to the indicated serving sizes (or adjust the calculation accordingly), GL is a better measure of how much sugar in total is being poured into the bloodstream and the amount of sugar that will be stored as fat.

This article is for informational purposes only. It does not purport to offer medical advice.

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2 "Must Know" Copywriting Secrets that Guarantee Success!

2011-12-26T18:32:00.001+07:00

Copywriters often disagree on whether a short sales piece with lots of white space is better or whether long and detailed is the way to go. The long and short of the debate is this… what type of buyer are you targeting?

There are basically 2 kinds of buyers.

1. The Impulsive Buyer
This is the kind of guy with "places to go and people to see" and not a whole lot of time to do it in. Typically, he'll skim the headlines and subtopics, glance at the photos and captions, and make a snap decision.

2. The Analytical Buyer
This group of buyers believes that the proof is in the details. They'll read everything… including the fine print.

It stands to reason that successful copy will address the needs of both buyers… regardless of length. Let's look at what you need to do to reach both buyers.

How to reach….

The Impulsive Buyer

1. Use attention getting headlines and sub headlines.
2. Capitalize of graphics that enhance your message…
Photos
Captions
Varying fonts and font sizes
Shading
Use Bold Headlines
Highlight with shaded areas or bullets

The Analytic Buyer

1. Use the headlines, sub headlines, and graphics for the impulsive buyer as guides. Add the detailed information the analytic buyer needs under the proper heading, and you've got a winning marketing piece that is guaranteed to be successful

Inside knowledge of how your potential buyers react is the key to getting their attention… and extra income. The fact that the needs of the impulsive buyer and the analytical buyer overlaps is a bonus for you, the copywriter!

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How to add more plays to MySpace

2011-12-26T17:54:00.001+07:00

Ever wondered how to get more plays on MySpace? The fact is fans and friends judge your music based not only on your skills and talent but also on the amount of profile views and song plays a band has. An important factor for a band or artists is the amount of song plays because of MySpace chart ranking.

Song Plays

Increasing MySpace song plays will make your music seem more popular and could increase your mp3 sales or get you a record deal.

The leading benefits of more plays include; increasing your profiles awareness through artist rankings, better MySpace chart positions, fans actually listen to the songs based on plays, and the obvious of potential deals and gigs. Fans will take notice and visit your band profile out of curiosity. This in turn will generate more friend requests. This will also expose you to radio, managers, record labels, industry executives, band promoters, and other musicians. The rumored number of plays an artist needs to increase their profile views and song plays to be 25'000 for major label consideration.

MySpace Charts

Record companies are constantly on MySpace charts looking for artists that are not only talented but also show evidence of popularity within the page. Myspace takes a song plays daily average play count to determine an artist's position in their genre.

How do you climb up the MySpace charts?

Gradual increases are best, not exceeding anywhere from 5000 to 20,000 plays a day. If you take it slow and gradual, this will help you get better positioning on the Myspace Charts. The results will also last longer. You don't want the difference between your profile views and song plays to be so large because you may not be eligible to climb the charts as high as gradual increases. To make it into the Top 10 depends on your genre, most artists receive at least 5-20,000 plays per day to stay up in the charts and really get noticed. This is where fans searching for artists in your genre, will actually discover you. The catch is in order to be in the "Top Artists", you need more song plays. Unsigned or independent artists don't have huge marketing budgets like the signed artists have. Some artists have started using software or hit services to boost the profile hit and play counts on their profiles. While the services charge more, a lower cost solution is increaser software such as Mp3 Song Plays Increaser.

MySpace Video

Until now, MySpace hasn't really focused on engaging users to use their video service. In the last week "Tom" has even posted bulletins about some of his favorite videos. MySpace allows its users to embed video the MySpace videos to third party websites. You can get your MySpace page happening… all these things add up, hopefully, to a successful record. Some have even added a video or showcase to the requirement, because singers also have to be performers. You can also use software to boost the video plays to get a better positioning for your profile.

MySpace Friends

Are you tired of requesting friends or asking people to listen to your music on your MySpace profile? People tend to get curious when they see a high song play count and see song plays increasing. They will click and listen to your music and then convert to friends and fans. It is a must to get your song plays up in relation to your friend count. Users are always looking for that new song!

Increaser Software

It is important to have the right strategies and the correct tools in place. Ever seen those programs or services that claim to increase your profile views and/or plays? There is a piece of little known software that has been used privately among many MySpace artists. I purchase every kind of Myspace software there is to date. I have found the best software to achieve higher song plays and video views to be the Mp3 Song Play increaser found at http://www.mp3songplays.com. It will increase your MySpace profile stats including, song plays, profile views, and video views. The cost is a fraction of the price in comparison to the multi million dollar marketing campaigns the major labels use. In addition, if you're not a band, it will also help with profile view count.

By using this strategy, you will get more MySpace plays. The best promotional times are when you released new music, attempting to impress people you are promoting to, have a lot of friends and few song plays, have a new video released, when you are at the bottom of the charts, or when you are tired of spending all day and night promoting yourself on MySpace.

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Seven Secrets of Writing a Book That Sells

2011-12-26T17:21:00.001+07:00

It's one thing to write a book, it's an entirely different thing to write one that's a saleable, viable, marketable product. Ensuring the success of a book is something even the biggest publishers have never been able to guarantee. Mitigating circumstances, flash trends, and world events will all affect buyer preferences. That said, there are still ways to leverage the sales-factor in your favor and here's how you do it.

1. Know your readers. We're not just talking about whether your readers are male or female. You'll want to know myriad factors about your audience. How old are your readers (age range)? Are readers married, single, or divorced? Where do your readers live (generally)? What do your readers do for a living? What other books/publications do they read? Develop a profile that includes where they shop, what clubs they belong to, etc.

These elements will help you incorporate these aspects into your book *and* help you unearth salient marketing opportunities (i.e., publications and stores).

2. Know your market. What's the market like for your book? Is there a trend out there you're positioning yourself toward? Are you reading all the publications related to this topic/trend? Are there any "holes" out there your book could fill? What's the future for this market/topic? For example, let's say you're a fiction writer looking to publish chick lit. Go to any bookstore and you can't help but spot the cutsie, pink, cartoonish covers. Many thought this trend was dying out, but it has recently seen another surge. What do you know about trends related to your book/topic/audience?

3. Similar books. What else has been published on your topic? Have you read all ten books in your category? If you haven't, you should. You'll want to know everything you can about what's out there and how it's being perceived in the marketplace. It's never a problem having a similar topic. When I published No More Rejections - Get Published Today, I knew there were other books out there on marketing. I read them all--then angled my book differently.

4. Getting and staying current. What's going on in your industry today? What are some hot buttons? What are people looking for? What's next on the horizon for this topic/audience? If you can't seem to gather this information through traditional channels, why not survey your target audience? There are a number of places to run free surveys, Survey Monkey is one of them: http://www.surveymonkey.com

5. Follow the media. What's the media talking about these days? Keep track of media buzz--what they're paying attention to and what they're writing about. Delve beyond the front page of your paper to the second or third page and see what's filling the pages. If you can get your hands on out-of-state papers, do a comparative review. Do you see a trend in coverage? Is there something that seems to be getting more buzz even if it's on page six?

6. Talk, teach, listen. One of the best ways I've found to get in touch with my audience was to teach a class and do speaking engagements. When I was putting together my book, Get Published Today, I found that the classes I taught provided valuable information for creating a great book because they put me directly in touch with my audience!

7. Timing is everything. When do you plan to release your tome? Are you releasing around a holiday or anniversary? Could you take advantage of any upcoming event and/or holiday for your book launch?

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Heart Health with Herbal Cholesterol Supplements

2011-12-26T16:34:00.000+07:00

The body needs cholesterol for digesting dietary fats, making hormones, building cell walls, and other important processes. The bloodstream carries cholesterol in particles called lipoproteins that are like blood-borne cargo trucks delivering cholesterol to various body tissues to be used, stored or excreted. But too much of this circulating cholesterol can injure arteries, especially the coronary ones that supply the heart. This leads to accumulation of cholesterol-laden "plaque" in vessel linings, a condition called atherosclerosis.

When blood flow to the heart is impeded, the heart muscle becomes starved for oxygen, causing chest pain (angina). If a blood clot completely obstructs a coronary artery affected by atherosclerosis, a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or death can occur.

Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. More than 90 million American adults, or about 50 percent, have elevated blood cholesterol levels, one of the key risk factors for heart disease, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's National Cholesterol Education Program.

Cholesterol lowering supplements containing Policosanol or Red Yeast Rice are known to assist in lowering cholesterol levels.

Policosanol
Policosanol is a natural supplement derived from sugar cane. It is a mixture of eight higher primary aliphatic alcohols isolated and purified from sugar cane wax. One of the newest and more successful substances that benefits those suffering from high cholesterol is Policosanol, which is a safe and natural extract from sugar cane wax. It works by helping the liver control production and breakdown of cholesterol. Policosanol promotes healthy platelet function and helps to maintain cholesterol levels that are already within the normal range.

Red Yeast Rice
Red Yeast Rice is the product of yeast ( Monascus purpureus ) grown on rice, and is served as a dietary staple in some Asian countries. It contains several compounds collectively known as Monacolins, substances known to inhibit cholesterol synthesis. Red Yeast Rice is proposed to be a mild aid for gastric problems (indigestion, diarrhea), blood circulation and spleen and stomach health.

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The Japanese Maple Bonsai Tree is Great For Beginners

2011-12-26T16:08:00.000+07:00

If you have always found the Bonsai Tree to be a fascinating plant but have thought that you just don't have the skills necessary to grow one yourself, you may want to consider the Japanese Maple Bonsai. These are not only beautiful trees, but perfect for beginners as they are easily grown and cared for.

The Japanese Maple Bonsai Tree comes in several different varieties, and all of these different trees offer some great color during the spring and fall. Just like outdoor maples, the Japanese Maple Bonsai tree will have leaves that change color in the fall. The tree will also lose its leaves and become dormant during the winter months.
These trees are not only easy to care for but very colorful. The Japanese Red Maple Bonsai has red leaves all summer that become brighter in the fall. The trunk and branches can also become different shades of green and red.

Another popular species of the Japanese Maple Bonsai is the Bloodgood Japanese Maple. This beautifully shaped tree has leaves that are reddish purple during the warm months and become a bright crimson color in the fall.

For a Japanese Maple Bonsai that you can keep outdoors on the patio, the Crimson Queen Maple is a good choice. This tree is actually a dwarf and grows to be about ten feet. When pruned properly, this type of maple also can make a good indoor Japanese Maple Bonsai Tree. Its leaves are long and have a feathery appearance that transforms from dark red in the summer, to a deep red in the fall. It has a charming, sweeping shape.

Though the Japanese Maple Bonsai is the most popular of the Maple Bonsai Trees, there are other Maple species that work beautifully as Bonsai Plants. This includes the Sugar and Norway Maple Trees. Another option is the Red Sunset Maple. This tree offers a good red fall color as well as a nice balance of proportion.

All different types of Bonsai Trees are available from specialty nurseries; or you can try growing one yourself from seed. It is advised that you find out all you can about growing and caring for the Bonsai Tree before you start. This will help avoid unnecessary frustration.

If you want to try growing a Bonsai Tree for yourself, take a closer look at many of the Maple species, especially the Japanese Maple Bonsai. You just may find that it is much easier than you would have believed.

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How Do You Write an Ebook?

2011-12-26T15:36:00.001+07:00

There is only one way to climb a mountain - step by step.

Now think of writing your ebook in the same light. You must create it step by step, and one day, you will take that last step and find yourself standing on the summit with your head in the clouds.

The first thing you have to do, as if you actually were a mountain climber, is to get organized. Instead of climbing gear, however, you must organize your thoughts. There are some steps you should take before you begin. Once you've gone through the following list, you will be ready to actually begin writing your ebook.

Beginning Steps to Writing an ebook

First, figure out your ebook's working title. Jot down a few different titles, and eventually, you'll find that one that will grow on you. Titles help you to focus your writing on your topic; they guide you in anticipating and answering your reader's queries. Many non-fiction books also have subtitles. Aim for clarity in your titles, but cleverness always helps to sell books, as long as it's not too cute. For example,
Remedies for Insomnia: twenty different ways to count sheep. Or: Get off that couch: fifteen exercise plans to whip you into shape.

Next, write out a thesis statement. Your thesis is a sentence or two stating exactly what problem you are addressing and how your book will solve that problem. All chapters spring forth from your thesis statement. Once you've got your thesis statement fine-tuned, you've built your foundation. From that foundation, your book will grow, chapter by chapter.

Your thesis will keep you focused while you write your ebook. Remember: all chapters must support your thesis statement. If they don't, they don't belong in your book.

For example, your thesis statement could read:
We've all experienced insomnia at times in our lives, but there are twenty proven techniques and methods to give you back a good night's sleep.

Once you have your thesis, before you start to write, make sure there is a good reason to write your book. Ask yourself some questions:

* Does your book present useful information and is that information currently relevant?

* Will you book positively affect the lives of your readers?

* Is your book dynamic and will it keep the reader's attention?

* Does you book answer questions that are meaningful and significant?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you can feel confident about the potential of your ebook.

Another important step is to figure out who your target audience is. It is this group of people you will be writing to, and this group will dictate many elements of your book, such as style, tone, diction, and even length. Figure out the age range of your readers, their general gender, what they are most interested in, and even the socio-economic group they primarily come from. Are they people who read fashion magazines or book reviews? Do they write letters in longhand or spend hours every day online. The more you can pin down your target audience, the easier it will be to write your book for them.

Next, make a list of the reasons you are writing your ebook. Do you want to promote your business? Do you want to bring quality traffic to your website? Do you want to enhance your reputation?

Then write down your goals in terms of publishing. Do you want to sell it as a product on your website, or do you want to offer it as a free gift for filling out a survey or for ordering a product? Do you want to use the chapters to create an e-course, or use your ebook to attract affiliates around the world? The more you know upfront, the easier the actual writing will be.

Decide on the format of your chapters. In non-fiction, keep the format from chapter to chapter fairly consistent. Perhaps you plan to use an introduction to your chapter topic, and then divide it into four subhead topics. Or you may plan to divide it into five parts, each one beginning with a relevant anecdote.

How to make your ebook "user friendly"

You must figure out how to keep your writing engaging. Often anecdotes, testimonials, little stories, photos, graphs, advice, and tips will keep the reader turning the pages. Sidebars are useful for quick, accessible information, and they break up the density of the page.

Write with a casual, conversational tone rather than a formal tone such as textbook diction. Reader's respond to the feeling that you are having a conversation with them. Break up the length and structure of your sentences so you don't hypnotize your readers into sleep. Sentences that are all the same length and structure tend to be a good aid for insomnia!

Good writing takes practice. It takes lots and lots of practice. Make a schedule to write at least a page a day. Read books and magazines about the process of writing, and jot down tips that jump out at you. The art of writing is a lifetime process; the more you write (and read), the better your writing will become. The better your writing becomes, the bigger your sales figures.

In an ebook that is read on the screen, be aware that you must give your reader's eye a break. You can do this by utilizing white space. In art classes, white space is usually referred to as "negative space." Reader's eyes need to rest in the cool white oasis you create on your page. If your page is too dense, your reader will quit out of it as soon as their eyes begin to tear.

Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered. This makes your information easy to absorb, and gives the reader a mental break from dissecting your paragraphs one after the other.

Finally, decide on an easy-to-read design. Find a font that's easy on the eyes, and stick to that font family. Using dozens of fonts will only tire your readers out before they've gotten past your introduction. Use at least one and a half line spacing, and text large enough to be read easily on the screen, but small enough so that the whole page can be seen on a computer screen. You will have to experiment with this to find the right combination.

Of course, don't forget to run a spell and grammar check. You are judged by something as minor as correct punctuation, so don't mess up a great book by tossing out semicolons randomly, or stringing sentences together with commas. (By the way, that's called a "comma splice.")

Last of all, create an index and a bibliography. That's it! You've written a book! Now all you have to do is publish your ebook online, and wait for download request from your website visitors.

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The Nasty Ten: 10 Ways To Disrupt Your Success

2011-12-26T15:14:00.000+07:00

For some people who are failing to become successful, they are their own enemies.

From time to time, we are all guilty of behaviors that hinder our own success. If you commit the following blunders, you will be undermining your own success.

1. Forget your goals and visions, or not having them at all. What do you want to achieve in your business, in the short and long term? What do you visualize enjoying after you have achieved these goals - financial security, better life styles, a new home or car, a holiday? Set specific goals and the activities you will need to undertake in order to achieve these goals. If you do not set down specific goals, or if you forget about them during your journey towards success, then you are sabotaging your success.

2. Lose confidence in yourself. You have the goals, but most importantly you will need the confidence that you can do it!

3. Lack of knowledge or stop learning. You do not need to physically go back to college to learn. There are now various channels through which you can learn. Often, what you need to succeed personally or financially is not learnt in a university degree! Search for personal and financial development training programs, and equip yourself with the knowledge and tools you will need to become successful. Successful people never stop learning; in fact they tend to have an insatiable desire for knowledge. Search the internet, find the best learning programs, read books - just learn, learn and learn. Invest a little in educating yourself as this will help you achieve your goals.

4. Think that you can become successful without any investment. This is a common reason why people fail to become successful. Everyone wants something for nothing! Well, if it is something that will make you a millionaire, then you must be prepared to investment some money and effort into it. No genuine long term business can thrive without initial capital outlay and consistent investment, whether they are an on- or off-line business. There are some genuine businesses which you can start and run with minimal capital outlay, but they do still need some money to grow them. Being cheap is not recommended, and it will not get you anywhere near your goals of becoming wealthy and successful.

5. Fear of failure. This is the toxic failing that keeps a lot of people away from their dreams of becoming successful. I like the quote which says "Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure". If you face a temporary setback on your quest towards success; learn from it, pick yourself up and soldier on towards your dreams. "Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success"

6. Procrastination. Yet another nasty one !

Taking action TODAY is the foundational key to all success. By procrastinating, you are missing chances to be the best you can be; to make money, and to be successful. Get rid of all the bad habits that waste your time, break down your tasks to small manageable bits, visualize the end result of your project - do all that you can to fight this deadly habit that can keep you away from your goals.

7. Lack of focus. You can have clearly laid out goals on the success you want to achieve, but if you do not have focus, you will soon sabotage your success. There are a lot of 'business opportunities' that will arrive in your inbox daily - most of which are scams, no matter how genuine and promising they sound. When you are starting your online business, you can also easily become overloaded with information. Well, in some cases the information overload can simply stop you from taking any action! The trick is to be focused. Have a list of your things to do everyday. Everyday, do something towards building your business.

8. Be easily discouraged. This is a common one. Your family or friends may not believe that you will succeed. Do not let this discourage you. It is recommended that you have a good network of positive people who can support and encourage you as you work towards your success. People will say discouraging words, discouraging things will happen around you; but it is only you who can let that get to your mind and affect you.

9. Dislike constant change. In order to be successful, you must be constantly improving yourself, your business, and your products. If have an online business - this is even more important since the internet is very dynamic. Stay on top of recent developments and be constantly learning new ways of running and growing your business.

10. Lack of dedication. This is the vital one. If you want something badly enough, it will be yours. A lot of people fail because they do not have the necessary desire to become successful.

In conclusion, I will share with you these quotes on success: "Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire". "What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose". "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him". "Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success".

Go get it, and be successful!

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Mini Moto Mayhem

2011-12-26T14:58:00.000+07:00

Mini Motos have been around in the UK for around ten years now. The first bikes were cobbled together with parts that were already available. Small 2 stroke engines, mainly from garden machinery, were used. This type of engine is still used today for a few models and is referred to as an 'industrial' engine. But now the mini moto has been given an overhaul and has taken off in popularity.

Mini Motos are true miniatures of their larger Super bike cousins. All of the details that go into the high performance motorcycles of today are scaled down. The slick tires, the race replica bodywork and the "super bike" colors are all present. Although usually only 15 to 18 inches in height and weighing 35 to 55 pounds, it can be difficult to tell they're not full size when looking at them from a distance. The exactness of detail adds to their 'coolness' and is most certainly what has raised them to such heights of popularity.

Although beautiful, Mini Motos go well beyond being mere exquisite scale models. Advanced engineering has catapulted them to high-performance levels at only slightly outrageous prices. European companies like Blata and Polini sell units for £1200-£2000 but less expensive and arguably less reliable ones are made by Chinese manufacturers and cost £180-£400. Most models have two-stroke, 47cc engines, which run on a combination of petrol and two stroke oil. Despite the awkward-looking position it takes to mount one, they are a sheer joy to ride. The short wheelbase and overall low weight give them a lightning-fast turn and the thrill of riding so fast and so close to the terra firma is indeed intoxicating.

Safety measures are a must when riding Mini Motos. Gloves, elbow pads, knee pads, a leather suit and a helmet should all be worn for each and every ride. Without them, road rash is quite likely and worse injuries are possible.

Despite the size of these little wonders adults are getting them for their kids but more commonly, for themselves. Normal models can regularly go 35mph, all though parents can set them to max out at much slower speeds or … modify them to go faster. Moreover, models with more powerful engines are available. A GRC RX with 15hp 50cc engine by GRC Moto can be purchased for a mere £1999.

The Mini Moto explosion shows no signs of ending anytime soon and MM racing leagues have been in practice in the UK for around seven years now.

The Mini Moto Racing Association offers the following categories for you to test your Mini Moto.

Junior Lights (4.2 hp) Age 6 - 15 up to 35.9 Kg

Junior Cadets (4.2 hp) Age 6 - 15 over 36 Kg

Junior Production Age 9 - 15 no weight limits

Lightweight Production Age 16 + up to 74.9 Kg

Senior Production Age 16 + over 75 Kg

4.2 Senior Age 16 + no weight limits

Supers Age 16 + no weight limits

Race meetings are held around to the country at Go Kart and Mini Moto Tracks. There are also many 'Arrive and Drive' practice sessions hosted by tracks around the UK.

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Suffering

2011-12-26T14:40:00.001+07:00

Since wisdom is the art of coping with suffering, it starts with a willingness to tackle it head-on:

a) Such is the harshness of our condition that we suffer, sometimes greatly or worse, insuperably.

b) Such is the richness of our nature that we can learn to live happily, or at least serenely, within the limits of this condition. This entails us either pursuing goals that are not only desirable or honorable, but also attainable, or resigning ourselves to the inevitable.

Admittedly, a great many suffer whose suffering is all the more problematic as their wisdom is still largely in the making. I remember my own past as a young unhappy and suicidal man who composed dark poems. My negative attitude compounded my difficult situation, and I lacked the awareness of my ability to improve both. Today, I feel deeply connected with those who live in the limbo of gloom. Even if my words only reach one of them, they will not have been written in vain.
I have recently come across some dark poetry, reminiscent of mine in my young days. The author – Melyssa G. Sprott – is a young talented woman whose youth has been poisoned by abuse and other hardships. Her suffering and her talent have inspired me to feature some of her work and respond to it. Note that my responding to it in a positive manner testifies to my being help-minded, but note also that my responses are written in a spirit of humbleness. I don't claim to provide a remedy; I just try my best to give some useful insights.

* * *

The following excerpts are from one of Melyssa's collection of poems, entitled "Descent into the Dark." They reveal her aching soul with the moving simplicity of a woman crying for her overwhelming grief.

1. When I was six,
    my father had me convinced
    I wasn't worth the air I breathed,
    the food I'd cost,
    or other things I'd need.
    When I was six,
   my father didn't want children
   or want the wife he kept,
   so we were forced to suffer
   for my father's regrets.

   "Remember to tell him you love him or you'll die,"
   Mother sings her twisted lullaby.
   "Wish for mercy, pray for death,
   await the day he ceases breath.
   He'll wake you up at three in the morning
   to beat you senseless without warning.
   It doesn't matter how still you lie,"
   Mother sings her twisted lullaby.

   I want to bleed forever,
   bleed out my sorrow.
   I can't even bear
   the thought of tomorrow.
   I want this nightmare to end.
   I'll close my eyes to the world.
   I've been begging for death
   since I was a little girl.

2. How could all this damage
    come from such trusted lips?

    You throw words like stones.
    My heart is breaking glass.

    The key you held is the knife you twist.

3. Nowhere to hide
    in the dark of the night.

    Sometimes the only comfort we find
    is in our own pain….
    They'll never understand the calm
    of relinquishing all control.

    Suffering takes less courage
    than it takes to be content.

    I didn't choose the less traveled path
    of love, joy, and luck.
    I chose the other path,
    and now I am stuck.

    I'm a prisoner of the dark in my eyes.

* * *

Let us take stock of a few harsh facts that are part and parcel of life, not only Melyssa's or mine, but everyone's.

a) The human potential for greatness – great learning and nobility, and great accomplishments – is matched only by the human potential for the reverse. Yes, humans can be and sometimes are monstrously poor-spirited, narrow-minded, and black-hearted, among other despicable traits. These traits may involve genetic or environmental factors that predispose to them, but ultimately they are the fault of the individuals who give free rein to them. The unfortunate thing is, these individuals are a source of suffering not only to themselves but also to those who are at their mercy. Among their victims are children, women, and elderly or disabled people. Actually, even the strongest of men can suffer as a result of falling prey to them. Yet, the others are more vulnerable – especially children who often make the dreadful mistake of blaming themselves for the abuse or neglect to which they are subjected.

b) As a rule, people are neither great nor bad in the extreme. They are relatively friendly and helpful – if you treat them fairly – and they lead decent though imperfect lives. Having said this, they have minds of their own, which may not be in keeping with yours. A man may fall in love with a woman who doesn't care a whit about him, and vice versa. A job seeker may hope for employment at some outfit, where in his opinion he belongs, and have his application turned down by an employer who sees things in a different light. These two examples count among an infinity of possible ones that testify to the same truth: Other people's wishes and yours often differ and you must then (out of respect) compromise or abstain from doing as you please.

c) On a positive note, there is some degree of harmony between nature's purpose and that of humans. As harsh as our life is on earth, we can subsist or even thrive. Yet, this harmony does not alter the fact that both purposes are distinct, always in danger of being opposite. Just think about the amount of resourcefulness and adaptability we must show to indeed thrive. At best the harmony is labored and confined within narrow limits. Think also about the number of times nature's purpose and that of humans clash, as demonstrated by all manner of nuisances, illnesses, and disasters. In short, the relationship we have with nature is like the relationship some people have with wild animals they have tamed. These animals are pleasant pets provided their needs are catered for. Still, they can turn against their owners for no apparent reason, except that they are fundamentally wild.

As I pointed out earlier, wisdom starts with a willingness to tackle the harsh reality of life head-on. It is the reverse of ignorance, and hence is exclusive of the illusory bliss that accompanies this ignorance. If happiness is possible through wisdom, it is achieved with the full knowledge and acceptance of the harsh reality in question. By acceptance I do not mean a passive resignation toward the status quo in all its harshness. I mean a brave readiness to turn our situation – possibly bad in a number of respects – to good account. And this includes bettering what we are able to better, while making do with everything else.

Easier said than done, of course. But then happiness is not about what is easy; it is about what is good and right and can only be accomplished through a great deal of meritorious effort. To make or not to make this effort is the question, which sums up human freedom. And surely nobody in their right mind would forever take the easy option that leads to unworthiness and unhappiness!

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Business Name - How To Pick One From A Legal Perspective

2011-12-26T13:46:00.002+07:00

A business name can be a huge factor in the ultimate success or failure of the entity. Unfortunately, many people fail to give a lot of thought to it prior to moving forward. There are many factors to consider including something memorable, a name related to your area of work and, potentially, the availability of the domain name.

Married?

Picking a business name is like getting married. You are going to have to stick with it till the bitter end. It is estimated a prospect will need to see your advertisement and business name at least 22 times prior to doing business with you. Once they associate your business with a certain name, making a change will be disastrous. Once you pick something, stick with it.

Naming Your Business

If you are going to be married to your business name, you need to make sure the bride isn't already married to another suitor. There are four significant issues to consider.

Initially, you must determine whether the name is already being used in your state. The Secretary of State controls the names of all corporations, LLCs and partnerships. Most also have a web site where you can conduct name searches. Even if you are a sole proprietor, you should check the name against those already registered in the state database. If the name is being used, you will need to consider an alternative.

Assuming the name passed must with the Secretary of State, you should check it against existing trademarks file with the Patent and Trademark Office. The "PTO" maintains an online database. As with the Secretary of State, you can conduct an online search to make sure no other business is using it.

In this day and age, many businesses incorporate a web site as part of their business model. If you are in this boat, you need to check to see if the business name is available as a domain. If it is, you should register it immediately. If not, you can either change your business name again or focus on a domain name incorporating your service or product instead of the business name.

Avoiding Problems

You business could be devastated if you do not take these precautionary steps. Imagine the negative impact on your business if the name has to be changed three years down the line. Take a breath before you select a business name. Like a spouse, it can be either a good or bad choice.

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Comparing Best Sites For Unlimited Zune Downloads

2011-12-26T11:59:00.000+07:00

Are you looking for the best websites for downloading games, movies, music, etc to your new Microsoft Zune player ? Do you also want to compare them based on various factors like their popularity, price, quality of service, collection of movies and games, satisfaction guarantee, etc. Then you have come to the right place! This article gives 6 tips which should be considered before subscribing on any website on the internet providing unlimited downloads for your zune player.

1. Availability of Files - After you arrive to any zune downloads website, the first thing that youshould look for is - what is the collection of movies, games, music, etc. this site provides. If thecollection is not much, you should definitely avoid it. Because most of the zune downloads site onthe internet offers life time membership for which you pay only once. You should not compromisewith a website having low collection just for saving a few bucks.

2. Money Back Guarantee - This is the second important thing which should be considered beforejoining the service. The site where you want to subscribe should offer atleast 60 days money backguarantee. Once you are not happy with the service, you can get your money back and try theother one.

3. Price - Now you should look how much price is charged at this zune downloads service provider.You can subscribe to the site offering reasonable fee, considering the above two factors in mind.There are some websites on the internet which offers as cheap as 34.95$ for lifetime membership.

4. Convenience and User Interface - The user interface provided by the website should be simple andeasy to use. You should be able to easily manage the downloads of your favorite movies, games,music, etc.

5. Download Speed - The download speed must be fast, otherwise no matter how large the collectionis, you can not get them transferred on your Zune in your life. Slow downloading speed is veryirritating. There are websites which provides great downloading speed for your Zune. Most of thetime, the download is instantaneous. Also you should be able to start watching a movie when its download is in progress.

6. Customer Support - The ideal website would be the one where you will not need to contact their customer support. In case there is any minor problem, they should immediately respond to you.

Otherwise you should definitely go for option number 3 as soon as possible.

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The Holosync Solution. Does It Even Work?

2011-12-26T11:54:00.000+07:00

The benefits of practising deep meditation are enormous. Apart from reducing stress and anxiety it can produce amazing effects in the body and eliminate negativity from the mind. However it usually takes a lifetime to perfect through hours of daily pratise.

What if you could gain access to a new technology that would put you into such a deep meditative state within minutes, would you be interested?

I am about to introduce you to a relatively new technology that uses Binaural Beats. This technology is cutting-edge and can bring you all the benefits that would otherwise take you 30 years to acquire! I am talking about a meditation program by Centerpointe Research Institute called Holosync. You are about to discover the origins and workings of this technology as well as the benefits and pitfalls it offers.

Unlike other binaural beats recordings Holosync is a course and not a single recording. It is possible to purchase binaural beat recordings designed for a single purpose. They come in the form of CD and each one is designed to produce just one specific state. However Holosync is very different. The major affect that Holosync promises to produce is the elimination of past negative programing such as traumas, strong and slight emotional issues, negative memories and negative beliefs of all kinds.

Does it work?

To get a comprehensive answer to this question we are required to delve a little deeper into the technology itself and look at the foundation upon which Holosync is built. The technology behind this is Binuaral Beats audio recordings.

It was in 1839 that Binaural Beats were first discovered by a man named Heinrich Wilhelm Dove. However it was much later, in 1973, when Gerald Oster released a paper called "Auditory Beats in the Brain", that their use in cognitive and neurological research was discovered. These beats are in fact different specific frequencies giving to the left and right ear. The audio produced by using binaural beats can send anyone into a deep meditative state in just a few short minutes. These states are Alpha (light trance), Theta (deep trance) and Delta (dreamless sleep).

Binaural Beats are created by an audio mixing technique that sends different frequency tones to each ear separately. They are designed to alter the listener's brain wave activity and they do this very effectively. You merely put on some stereo headphones, sit or lie in a comfortable position, close your eyes and allow the sounds to do their work. You don't even have to force yourself to relax.

Scientists have long known that when brainwave patterns change they affect the body. Chemical reactions take place as a direct result of these chnaging brainwave patterns. Such reactions in the body's chemistry usually results in profound positive changes throughout the whole physical system. In essence binaural beats appear to have the same impact and benefits of very deep meditation. It has been shown that this technology produces exactly the same brainwave patterns as those practising deep meditation. This is fantastic news because without the aid of this audio technology it usually takes a lifetime to perfect transcendental meditation. In fact entering even light states of trance can take years to learn and perfect.

The enormous benefits of transcendental meditation been documented by scientists across the world. It can stimulate the creation of certain hormones needed by the body and reduce things like blood pressure and it is even said to slow down and reverse effects of the aging process. So the benefits of entering a deep meditative state are apparent as are the benefits of using binaural beat technology to do it.

As far as Holosync goes the other major benefit, as if we needed one more, is that the state produced by the Centerpointe recordings allow you to directly access the subconscious mind.

Beacuse of this you can use Centerpointe's Holosync Solution along with any other self improvement tool. Your old subliminal resordings or hypnosis CDs can have a greater impact than ever before. You can even use the sound technology to increase your visualization skills. Using this type of 21st Century technology means you can therefore alter limiting or negative beliefs, heal emotional issues or create new positive behaviours in a fraction of the time it would take you using conventional means and with a much higher success rate.

Here are some of the benefits of transcendental meditation:

1. Creates a deep relaxing feeling throughout the body which stays with you for hours afterwards.

2. Boosts your creativity.

3. Slows aging.

4. Removes emotional blocks, old traumas and creates profound emotional changes at an extremely deep level.

5. Eliminates Stress & anxiety.

Now with all the benefits that transcendental meditation brings, and the fact that Holosync produces the same internal states as this meditation, it would be extremely prudent to try it. The real power of the binaural beats behind the Holosync recordings is that they can be used to induce a meditative state and thus create these changes with no effort whatsoever. All that you need to do is wear stereo headphones, sit or lie down in a relaxing position, close your eyes and allow the audio to do all the work. You only need the discipline to listen to the recordings everyday!

The Binaural Beat market is filling up with manufacturer's who offer some great titles. It is also possible to create your own with the proper software. However, this is where the danger lies! You need an in-depth knowledge of brainwave patterns and their effect on the mind and body in order to create the correct frequencies. There are several forum postings that state the improper use of binaural beat technologies has created negative and even damaging results on some people. This is why it is imperative to seek out professionals who know what they are doing and are properly qualified.

The CEnterpointe Research Institute, and the Holosync Solution which it produces, are the brainchild of Bill Harris. He created Holosync in 1989, is trained in hypnosis and as well as being a qualified trainer of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). He has studied contemporary psychology, quantum mechanical physics, the evolution of non-linear systems and the effects of a wide range of neuro-technologies on human behavioural change, evolution and healing. There are many personal development and self improvement coaches who endorse and personally use the Holosync Solution. You may recognise two of them - James Ray from the movie The Secret and Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

The downside of the Holosync technology is that you need to listen to it everyday to get maximum benefit and it also comes in stages as a course. However, Bill Harris insists that you do not need to continue using it and can stop after each stage of the course is complete while permanently retaining all the changes you've made. It is possible, and advisable, to continue through all the stages of the course to reach a place of imperturbabilty. The Holosync solution, by Centerpointe, does create deep states akin to meditation and it does remove emotional traumas that are hidden deep in the subconscious mind. In fact it does exactly what it says it will do.

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Warning: Objects Within Your Browser Window Are Smaller Than They Appear!

2011-12-26T11:24:00.001+07:00

Is your internet window showing objects (companies) that seem larger than they appear? I think so. The Internet not only has allowed us to market to the world but it also has allowed many companies to hide their true nature and size.

Some Consumers Want To Work With Large Companies:

Many companies out there try to make themselves seem larger than they appear and sometimes they do this on purpose. There are consumers out there that feel more comfortable going with established companies that have a team of employees and (apparently) have more responsibilities to their employees and clients.

Other Consumers Would Rather Work With Smaller Companies:

Then there are other consumers out there that can't stand working with big companies and would rather work with the little guys who treat every customer like they're family.

The problem lies with the misconception about how large or how small your company really is. See, if you give an appearance online that you're a massive company when you're not, this might actually backfire on you once people call for your products or services. People don't like to be misled in any way, shape, or form.

Smartads has 5 people involved with us on a daily basis. We are not a team of 1 but at the same time, we aren't a monster company either. Our contact pages reflect this as well.

Do You Have 10 Email Accounts Online That All Go To One?

It's when you go through a companies contact page and they have an entire directory of emails listed for different departments that ALL, and I mean all go to the same person. It would look something like this....

For customer support email: support@bogussite.dumb
For technical support email: techies@bogussite.dumb
For advertising email: ads@youknowwhat.com
For general inquiries, don't even bother!

See where I am going with this? I can understand if you like to separate your email accounts because of the volume coming in but, ironically, if you list over 5 "live" email accounts on your contact page, I'll bet you're getting a ton of spam as well!<

Exploit Your Size To Appeal To The Right Clients:

Don't try to hide your company's size just because you're a small business enterprise; exploit it to those who are looking to do business with specifically smaller companies. I can understand if you have the need to separate your email accounts, try having an online form that responds to a drop down menu which in turn sends the emails to different accounts on it's own.

If you don't like the fact that your business is a one-man band, hire someone to answer your calls for you. In fact, try out someone at home (family or roommate). They are a lot cheaper anyway. At least you can free up some time, and seem more professional from a client's point of view.

The whole Point Is This...

Just because we can hide behind our computer's to attract better, larger fish, it doesn't really mean we actually need to. You might hurt your business more if you try to "act as if" or promise to make something work which you know you don't have the resources for.

Raise Your Prices To Make More Money, Don't Raise Your Curb Appeal:

You don't need to look big in order to attract more money, sometimes the simpler answer works better. Try raising your prices to see whether or not this will actually deter consumers (Yes, there is a risk) but, if you try to appear larger than you actually are, you're already risking a great deal.

Be true to your business and you will attract clients that are true to you. "Thoughts are things" really takes affect online because consumers can't relate on an emotional level, they can only compute what they read and what they see. If your website gives consumers a false statement, your business will not profit from this method of promotion, but will only be hindered from your mistakes.

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The Business of Publishing

2011-12-26T11:15:00.002+07:00

Congratulations, you're published! But what exactly does it mean to be "published"? Besides the fact that your work is finally in print and your college alumni has asked to interview you for their newsletter it also means fame and fortune, right? Well, ok, maybe not on the level of J. K. Rowling, but at the very least you can expect a call from Oprah, right? I hate to be the one to break it to you but you're probably not even on her radar screen. The truth about publishing is really stranger than fiction and the truth is: getting published is only half the battle. The other half is to keep your reality check in balance so it doesn't bounce.

While publishing is all about creative expression, it's also about business and it's those business savvy authors who will succeed in the end. Now you don't have to be an MBA to be a keen business person, you simply have to understand that the choices you make relative to your books future should be based on strategies that will enhance sales not just drain your pocketbook. So, how do you do this? First, take a long, hard look at your reader.

At Author Marketing Experts, we always create a reader profile for each book we promote. This reader profile will tell us where to find buyers for the books we represent. Taking this first step helps us sort through our choices when it comes to book promotion and make decisions on behalf of our authors that are sound and will help leverage sales.
There are times when it's a waste of resources to do a nationwide radio or TV promotion. In fact, some of our programs don't include any outreach to broadcast media. Why? Because as alluring as it might seem to appear on the Today Show, what's the point if your audience doesn't watch morning TV? And, if your audience isn't watching this show, the chances are slim they'll even consider you anyway. What? More rejection? Who needs it!

As you embark on or continue your campaign, ask yourself a few tough questions. First, what's your ultimate goal for this book? If it's just to give away at family reunions, that's great! But then you'll probably want to nix any marketing. If your book is an arm of your business and you have speaking engagements lined up through the end of the year. You probably don't need to spend a lot on marketing since most of your sales will come from your speaking engagements (i.e. back of the room sales). On the other hand, if you wrote this book to grow your business or to leverage your credibility then you will probably want to dial yourself into your industry through enhanced media exposure.

For fiction authors this area becomes a little tricky. First, you need to determine your long term goals. By long term we mean: do you want to stay in this business or was this book just "something you wanted to do." If it's a hobby, then treat it as such but if this is going to be your career, then you need to keep your message out there on a continual basis, through venues such as author events, talks, signings, print and broadcast media.

Make sure the choices you make, make sense for your book and aren't just made because you've always dreamt of being on Oprah. I've known authors lured into inappropriate marketing plans by big, flashy names and promises of stardom, wasting thousands of valuable marketing dollars and heading in a direction that wasn't right for them. If you're serious about your work, ready to let go of your muse and face the task at hand with some business savvy, then you're really ready to get published. Below are some guidelines that will help further your success!

1) Reader profile: create one of these at the beginning of your marketing campaign and keep refining it as you move through the process. Refine and redefine who and where your audience is and how to get to them.

2) Time commitment: determine what you can and can't reasonably do. If you have a full time job it probably doesn't make a lot of sense to commit yourself to forty hours of marketing a week unless your boss is on vacation.

3) Investment: how much are you willing to invest in your future? Are you willing to invest money without seeing much in return knowing that you are building a foundation or do you want to see immediate monetary results? Most authors don't see a return on their investment for a year or more. Are you committed enough to yourself or your project to keep this investment going?

4) Reality check: what's realistic for the industry you're in? Are you latching onto a fad or something with more longevity? Are you getting into a brand new market that will require lots of reader education? Or are you trying to go mainstream with a non-mainstream topic? While this is an admirable goal, it can be like swimming upstream.

5) Budget: while we encourage authors to invest in their future, we've also seen a number of people go into heavy debt, quit their jobs and even sell their homes just to promote their book. While that kind of dedication is certainly admirable, remember that although you have the potential to make a great deal of money it's not going to be overnight. The lure here is of course that "If I stick with it, this next sale will make me famous." Well, maybe or maybe not. If you've been plugging away for a while without any significant success get a professional to give you some honest, constructive feedback about your plan, your market, and your book. It might be that a poorly designed cover is the reason you're not making sales, or a topic that's fallen off of the public's radar screen. In the meantime as you're waiting to hit the big time you'll still need a place to sleep and Uncle Vinnie's couch will get old real quick.

6) Burnout: we hear this term often, even to the point of being overused. What we're really talking about here is author burnout. We've found that the average author only markets their book for ninety days. That means ninety days of day and night marketing, radio interviews at 3am and a book signing every weekend. On day ninety-one they are so tired, so discouraged and so broke they quit. You can avoid this by giving yourself realistic goals and a realistic timeframe in which to complete them. There's nothing in the world like seeing your book in print. If approached realistically, objectively and with sound business sense, it can be one of the most exciting times in your life.

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