Celadon wares: the old and the new

August 30th, 2007 by Administrator

Though it was first discovered in China and called “qingci,”
which means greenish porcelain, the Western term “Celadon” has a
few possible origins. One is the character of a sheppard who
wore a light green cloak in Honore d’Urfe’s 1610 play, L’Astree.
Another holds that celadon is the amalgamation of two Sanskrit
words, “sila” and “dhara” which mean stone and green
respectively. However the most common theory is that it is a
simplified version of salah-ed-din (Saladin), the sultan of
Egypt, who sent forty pieces of this ware to the sultan of
Damascus in 1171.

A type of porcelain, modern celadon products are usually made
in the light greens and blues even though celadon colors can
range from jade to white.

Indeed, the latest archeological evidence suggests celadon was
first fired in its white form in China at least 1,000 years ago,
if not more. Though it was previously believed celadon made its
first appearance in the Song Dynasty (930-1280), a January 2003
excavation of a kiln in China’s Anhui province dating to the
Five Dynasties period (907-960) uncovered several hundred pieces
of white celadon.

But today and throughout most of history, celadon has been
known for its beautiful greens and blues. Its glaze comes from a
mixture of several natural materials and is fired in a gas kiln
at at least 1280 degrees Celsius for 10 hours. Celadon’s
characteristic cracks are caused by the contraction of the body
of the celadon product under the glaze during the firing
process. They give celadon products an air of class and
antiquity even when they are brand new.

Celadon was brought back to Thailand from Burma around 100
years ago by the Shan people who migrated at the time. With the
rapid decline of Chinese celadon after 1912, a market for the
Thai brand opened and slowly the Thai and Shan potters rose to
meet those needs. Since then, the industry has prospered with
Chiang Mai as its center and today there are many small, and a
few large manufacturers of Thai celadon which is mainly glazed
in the popular shades of green.

New breakthroughs in the technical process of firing celadon
now offer many new contemporary colors. Modern Asian designers
have skillfully blended the new designs with the centuries-old
craft traditions to create breathtaking celadon wares which are
now available to art enthusiasts around the world.

Posted in Home Improvement Info | Comments Off

How To Better Handle Your Mail

August 30th, 2007 by Administrator

Letters, magazines, bills, flyers, what to do with them all. There should be only two responses to every piece of mail or e-mail, do something with it, or toss it!


The best way, as always, to deal with it all is in an organized fashion.


One of the quickest ways to do this is to have the following folders:


A red one for things that must be dealt with immediately. This would include anything that needs an immediate response, something that has to be done today. A letter you must respond to, a meeting you have to schedule, a report you need to do, a telephone call that needs to be made. Within this folder you will need to prioritize what needs to be handled first, second, etc.


Bills that come in and need to be paid should be placed in your tickler file a couple days before their due date to account for mailing time. So as you are opening your bills that come in the mail, check the due date and place them in your tickler file. If it has to be paid upon receipt, put it in the red folder so you can deal with it immediately.


Meetings (flyers) that have to be attended are placed in a gray folder. Be sure to check the dates, highlight them. Your next step is to be sure to place them on your calendar, and then to tickle them two days before for your review or if there is anything you need to do or prepare for the meeting.


If you receive meeting highlights or minutes by mail, these can be placed in a yellow folder for your perusal at a later date. These are the types of things that can be read during lunch, or while backing up files, printing, etc.


Magazines and articles you receive can be placed in a black folder. This is your reading folder. Take it with you when you go on appointments that you know you will have some lag time. Read during lunch. Schedule time in the morning and weekends. If you make reading a part of your daily schedule, it won’t pile up. And remember, once you read it, file it away, or toss it.


Every piece of paper should generate a reaction, the reaction might be to deal with it, file it, or toss it, but one of them needs to occur. If you follow this simple rule, you can keep mail and paperwork under control, and your sanity to boot.


Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2000

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our “how to” Home Business Solutions Digest, it’s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com

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Broadband Internet Does It Save Time And Money?

August 30th, 2007 by Administrator

The Internet is full of information treasures. Millions of people from across the globe use the web to access information or some service. This ongoing and ever rising demand for Internet access brings us into focusing on the quality of web service you have to connect to the Internet. In the beginning the only way to access the web was through a standard dialup 56K modem connection. Not only was it slow, but it also prevented you from using your telephone as well. However, that was a time when people had no other choice to reach the World Wide Web. Do you remember those awful days?

Then came along Broadband Internet. It made its entry as a one-stop solution to these long delays in getting a page loaded or submitting a form and the lost or missed phone calls while browsing on the web. Not only does it work with your existing phone line, but also provided a download rate as much as ten times faster than in a dialup connection. Also with Broadband Internet you have the advantage to leave your PC connected to the web forever – or as long as you wish. The bottom line is that such chances of frequent disconnections became eliminated almost completely. This could have never been done with dialup, trying to stay connected was always the biggest problem that I could remember.

Actually, broadband was initially introduced as a faster means for download and surfing. But the wide bandwidth enabled the broadband service providers to offer more facilities and features a conventional phone cannot imagine to provide even at a higher cost. Now an Internet user can download movies and songs in less time, read a quick article on a newspaper, or have a video chat with someone a thousand miles away. Also, for broadband users, if they want to take advantage of the VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), it is possible to make long distance phone calls at a much lower rate than a conventional international dialer service.

From the foregoing, it is clear that the best mode of Internet access possible at present is through a broadband connection. It is fast, less taxing and cost effective, when weighing its pros and cons. That is, whether you get it for business purposes or personal use, the benefits a broadband connection could provide can easily cover the initial investments made in the matter of few months. So do I think that having broadband is worth the cost every month? You bet I do. Yes it might be a little bit more costly than dialup, but the headaches of dialups are of the past.

However, the choice lies upon the Internet user. Do you want to catch the current wave of fast communication or waste precious time with those slow dialups? It’s your choice!

Keisha Seaton is the owner of My Articles Directory. Visit My Articles Directory today to read more Broadband Internet articles.

Posted in Web Infos | Comments Off

One Way Links are Given and Accepted with Love and are For Ever.–Grab Them!

August 30th, 2007 by Administrator

Unlike Reciprocal Links, One-Way Links also known as Inbound
Links are obtained by you or in fact given to you with Love and
for ever. Yes,they have come to stay. One-Way Link is a link
pointing to your website from another site. You do not have to
link back to that website. In other words you need not
reciprocate. One-Way Links play a vital role in increasing your
Link Popularity. Link Popularity is a measure of the number of
sites of quality and relevance that point to your website. The
more number of such sites, the higher will your page rank be.

Search Engines consider One-Way Links superior to Reciprocal
Links because the website that links to your site without
getting a link back, endorses the fact that yours is a website
of quality.

Webmasters are known to adopt various methods to artificially
increase the Link Popularity of their websites, such as
purchasing of high PR links. Search Engines have now become
aware of this and hence major Search Engines appear to be
devaluing sites that solely depend on reciprocal links.

Good Reciprocal Links are often obtained by begging and are in
some instances not permanent due to unethical practices of some
webmasters. On the other hand One-Way Links have a different
story to tell.

1. If your website has good content and valuable information,
other webmasters will link to your site, because they Love and
appreciate the contents of your site. You thus get a permanent
One-Way Link more often with the same theme as that of your
website.

2. I have posted about 550 articles in my website written by
other webmasters, because I Love those articles and would like
my visitors too, to appreciate and benefit from these articles.
Similarly several hundreds of webmasters have published my
articles in their Directories, Ezines, Newsletters and Websites
for the same reason. Writing expert articles of quality, that
are informative and educative, sincerely from your heart is
appreciated by the audience. The result is that your articles
are often sought after and published by webmasters. Thus you are
given a permanent One-Way Link with Love.

3. Listing in Web Directories is another great way of securing
One-Way Links. In addition to well known Directories such as
Yahoo Directory (charges a fee for guaranteed listing), The Open
Project Directory (DMOZ), and Joe Ant Directory, there are
several other Secondary Directories that Love to list your
website without requesting a link back. A list of these
Directories can be obtained by going into the Search Engines. By
submitting your website to the relevant category in these
directories you are assured of a high quality relevant One-Way
Link that will be there for ever. Furthermore there are several
high PR Directories who Love to list your website but charge a
fee for listing. Get listed and you are again assured of a
quality relevant One Way Link for ever.

4. If you have purchased a product and like the product, write a
good testimonial about the product and send it across to the
webmaster or vendor concerned with your URL in it. He would be
thankful to you and would Love to publish your testimonial,
thereby giving you a One-Way Link.

In addition to these methods there are additional ways in
obtaining one way links by posting relevant comments in Forums,
Blogs and submitting Press Releases etc.

To increase their link popularity, webmasters endeavor to
acquire as many quality reciprocal links or one way links. For
reasons already indicated Webmasters Love one- way links and
Search Engines appear to Love them even more. The manner in
which One-Way Links are obtained can be viewed from a different
perspective altogether. Webmasters Love your website and link it
to theirs. They love your articles and post it in theirs. They
love your product and write a glowing testimony. Directories
love your quality website and list it. You love them in return
for giving you a One-Way Link for ever. On the other hand in
reciprocal links exchange or link trade as some term it the
whole approach revolves around begging and bargaining.

The more number of relevant one way links you obtain, the
greater and faster your chances of increasing your link
popularity and climbing up the Page Rank ladder. The benefits of
a high page rank are numerous. So the earlier you start to
capitalize on these On-Way Links that are given for ever with
love, the happier you are going to be.

Posted in Link Popularity | Comments Off

Blackjack Strategy

August 30th, 2007 by Administrator

Out of all the common casino games, blackjack remains one of the
few in which a participant can actually change his or her
chances of winning during the game. Whether those running
casinos wish to admit it or not, blackjack does involve skill.
And by applying some strategies to your finely honed blackjack
skills you can learn to beat the
casino on a regular basis.

Blackjack actually refers to a specific holding (two cards
totaling 21). However, this is also the most common term for the
game - also known as 21.

You are playing against the dealer at all times. Many people
feel that you must play differently depending on where you sit
at the table. This is not true. Players sit in a semi-circle
around the dealer, but no matter where you sit, you are still
playing against the dealer. You owe nothing to the other players
- it is your own money you are risking.

In Blackjack, the suits of the cards have no significance. Tens,
jacks, queens, and kings all count 10. An ace counts 1 or 10 at
the player’s option. Cards from 2 to 9 have their face value.
Therefore, if you hold a nine and a five, you have 14. A nine
and an ace can be either 10 or 20.

The simple idea of the game is to get closer to 21 without going
over than the dealer does. You are dealt two cards and the
dealer is dealt two cards also - one always face up, and one
face down. You are then given the option of standing with the
cards you have (”stick” or “sticking”) or you may be “hit” and
be given another card (”hitting”). You may take as many cards as
you wish to, but should you go over 21, you “bust” and the
dealer wins automatically. The dealer will not take any cards
until all players are through at taking cards. Thus the dealer’s
biggest advantage is here. Any players that bust, lose their bet
- even if the dealer goes bust.

If you stay at 21 or under and have a higher total than the
dealer, you win; if both you and the dealer hold cards equaling
the same total, it is a “push” and you stay even (not winning or
losing). If the dealer has a higher total without busting, he
wins.

We’ll start talking about blackjack
strategy more next time. In the mean time, start developing
your skills so that you can apply the strategies to your game.

Posted in Casino Stuff | Comments Off

eBooks - An Untapped Resource

August 30th, 2007 by Administrator

Most people spend years, and years searching for the answers on
how to produce a residual income online, using resources that
they next to nothing about. This raises the question, “How is
everyone else doing it?”. This question can be easily answered,
but with a very broad outlook. The answer, well the truthful
answer is that they know exactly what they’re doing and how to
do it. Going deeper into this, you can ask another question, and
that is, “How did they learn?”. That also is a very simple
question, with a very simple answer. eBooks!

What is an
eBook?

An eBook is an electronic book that is a great
source of information, and education. In retrospect, they are
software programs that are full of content-rich pages that
provide you information on any given product, or service. Many
people refer to them as computer books, as this is the simplest
way to think of them.

What kind of advantages do I gain
by reading an eBook?

In today’s world full of work, and
school, no one really has time to read paper-back material as
they are bulky and no one feels like carrying in a marketing
book into the office. eBooks provide a simplistic way of
accessing informative books right on your desktop, because if
you really think about it most of us are in front of a computer
most of their day anyway.

Where do I begin?

Your obviously going to start with something that you like,
choose a topic that interests you, or that you are interested in
learning about, such as internet marketing, ebay buying, etc..
Searching for eBooks on any search engine such as Google will always be the best way to
do things, but if you come across a site that offers you eBooks,
bookmark it sot that you can return to it later.

Good
luck, and happy hunting!

Posted in Dead Wood Delights | Comments Off

Five Great Exercise Machines for Burning Fat

August 30th, 2007 by Administrator

These exercise machines are related to cardiovascular and aerobic workouts. The equipment listed here allows for more challenges and more variety in your exercise routines. These machines are great for anyone looking to lose weight and improve their overall health.

Some advanced exercising machines include electronic devices that measure your weight before and after you do the exercise, the amount of calories you burned, time elapsed, heart rate, and other useful information. Let’s look at what these mackines are and what benefits they provide.

Treadmill:

A treadmill is an exercising device consisting of an endless belt on which a person can walk or jog with or without changing pace . It is supported by a sturdy deck propelled either by an electric motor or by the user. It generally has some shock absorption system, usually rubber cushioning, to minimize stress on your joints.

Using a treadmill will speed up your metabolic rate and allow your body to absorb and utilize greater quantities of the nutrients that you consume. It will also help to stabilize your blood pressure and blood sugar as well as increase your energy level.
When using a treadmill to burn fat and lose weight, you need to exercise on a daily basis.

A treadmill helps you burn more calories by increasing your exercise frequency. It gives you a LOT of workout versatility. You can start with a slow walk and then speed it up as your body gets into better shape, and there are also various incline levels to provide extra resistance when you become more advanced. By using the large muscles of the legs, a treadmill helps you burn more fat calories.

Elliptical Trainer:

Elliptical trainers are exercise machines which combine the natural stride of a treadmill and the simplicity of a stair climber. On an Elliptical trainer, you stand comfortably in an upright position while holding onto the machine’s handrails and striding in either a forward or reverse motion.

The elliptical trainer burns more calories than either the treadmill or the exercise bike. With an elliptical cross trainer, you get the benefits of both aerobic and resistance exercises without the wear and tear on your joints. It provides a great cardio workout that pumps you heart to the max without the strain and stress on your joints. It uses all of the muscles of the lower leg. Therefore, you will strengthen and build your lower legs. This is an ideal workout for those exercisers out there who are overweight and do not want to jog.

Exercise Bikes:

There are two types of exercise bikes you can use, upright bikes and recumbent bikes. Upright bikes simulate the action of a real bike except you do not go anywhere. Recumbent bikes on the other hand, have bucket seats which have the pedals out in front of you. Exercise bikes are great for cardiovascular fitness and toning or building your thighs. The recumbent bikes are especially good for toning your butt. Being stationary, you can enjoy your favorite magazine or TV program while working out.

For overweight people, the recumbent bike offers bucket seats which can be more comfortable than traditional uprights. This type of bike is more ergonomically correct than a traditional upright exercise bike and an effective way to improve aerobic capacity, as well as burn fat. Plus, it offers more back support and may be a little more comfortable to those people with lower back pain.

Rowers:

There are two types of rowing machines. A hydraulic machine uses a piston to provide the resistance. With a cable-driven machine, your pull spins a flywheel which produces a smooth action similar to rowing on water. The smoothness of the flywheel creates little strain on the back. If handles are not adjusted properly for height differences, hydraulic rowers can create back strain.

Rowing machines provide a whole-body aerobic workout: arms, shoulders, back, abdomen, legs, heart and lungs. It also builds muscle strength and endurance in addition to the aerobic benefits. It improves your whole cardiovascular system with a low impact workout. Other benefits include improved flexibility and muscle strengthening in the arms, abdomen, and back.

Steppers:

Steppers are available as simple hydraulic steppers or as computerized stair steppers. It tones the buttocks, thighs and hips. These are the areas that, paticularly in women, have a tendency to “balloon” from too many calories and not enough exercise. Stair stepper workouts are calorie burners that rank as one of the best cardiovascular exercises for people of all ages and fitness levels.

Jim O’Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Sign up now for his free 7 part mini e-course at: www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php

Posted in Shopping Hub | Comments Off

How to Rid Yourself of this “Family Dysfunctional” Curse - FamilyVision Column

August 30th, 2007 by Administrator

“Who’s your daddy?” screams the angry woman to the little girl standing on the porch. The little girl’s mother comes out of the house waving a frying pan and letting loose curse words. A shouting match takes place between the women. You can hear the yelling and see the fighting. A policeman arrives to deal with this domestic disturbance. He separates the two ladies and learns these two are dating the same man. No one is happy.

Don’t allow yourself to be held captive by a negative vibe in your family. There is no perfect family (if you are honest, there’s probably some dysfunctional behavior in your family tree). Confusion can destroy a close-knit family. In this situation, the word “family” primarily refers to your extended relatives (brother, sister, aunt, cousin, etc.). Communication usually breaks down–feelings get hurt. Disharmony can happen to any family. How does it get started? It can be created either by individual choices or by the decisions of others. You can see it created through many ways: selfish sibling, drugs taking control, dependent relatives, money-stricken friends, or toxic relationships. Can you think of others?

Many issues can cause family confusion. Many people tend to react to their gut feeling without thinking through the consequences. Don’t believe these personal decisions only impact you. No, short-term choices can leave a legacy of total disasters. Do you need examples? Take someone else’s loved one? Threaten to kill someone? We live in a society where no one wants to wait and develop a real relationship. People prefer to generate quick “soap opera” relationships to shield their insecurities. There are impacts. For example, Derrick Thomas, former Kansas City Chief linebacker, was a football hero with fame, money, and power. He died on February 8, 2000, from injuries suffered in auto accident. He probably hoped to leave fans a legacy of outstanding memories, but the reality is Derrick’s leaving the public another American tragedy. He left seven children from five different women and no will. While Derrick earned more than $30 million in his football career, it is expected the children will split several hundred thousand dollars once the estate is settled. What kind of situation does this leave the family? Will there be chaos in the family? Each of us must realize that our choices not only can hurt us, but our loved ones also.

Do you know someone in your family who creates disharmony? A small dose of confusion can spread like a wild fire in a family. You can always find at least one person looking to generate “mess” in a family. What will start it this time? Family property? Money? This person will not let the problem die down; he is not content until there is a big explosion. The results are generally not positive. In our own family, we have seen family members fight over property. There is generally lots of anger and hurt feelings. Often kids are caught in the middle, left to carry on this confusion (even when they don’t understand the cause). While many involved in these types of situations are left empty, some people thrive on this negative energy and seem to get enjoyment from it (the more trouble, the better). They celebrate disharmony. We call these folks “troublemakers” or “instigators.” Here are some suggestions for improving these situations:

· Recognize the potential problem.
· Deal with the problem immediately. Don’t wait.
· Determine the root cause. What is the situation about?
· Determine who really needs to get involved.
· Find common ground and create a win-win situation,if any.
· Keep your cool.

Building a strong family bond takes commitment. It’s easy to get sidetracked by “he said, she said” ordeals. It takes courage to look beyond the surface problems to determine the real root cause. You have to be stern in your beliefs…and committed. You need to focus on what’s critical for your family. Make every attempt to live at peace with everyone. Determine to make yourself a peacemaker and don’t allow yourself to be conquered by negativism. Stand Tall. Embrace your relatives with positive vibes. Allow them to feel the harmony. Start today!

Daryl and Estraletta Green provide personal advice all around the country. Daryl is the author of two books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. They have been noted and quoted in such media organizations such as USA Today, NBC’s Alive at Five, Heaven 600, Answerline, American Urban Radio, The Bev Smith Show, The Hallerin Hill Show, Ebony Magazine, and BET’s Buy the Book. The Green’s nationally syndicated column, FamilyVision, reached 200 newspapers and over 12 million readers. For a free list of the Green’s Top Ten Life, Changing Books, you can email at their website, http://www.darylandestraletta.com

Posted in University of Self Improvement | Comments Off

Creative Marketing: Your Marketing Idea Box

August 30th, 2007 by Administrator

Do you ever find yourself looking for a great promotional idea? Or staring at a blank computer screen, trying to come up with just the right words for marketing copy? Do what savvy marketers do: Consult your idea box.

If you don’t have an idea box, start one today. The next time you see an ad that really seems to work, or you read copy that makes you sit up and take notice, put a copy in your idea box. The things you save don’t have to be related to your industry or for products or services that are similar to yours. They should simply be examples of great marketing.

Then, use your idea box as brain food. The next time you are stuck, pull out the idea box and review the items you have there. Your idea box may include books, sales letters, clever advertising specialties, print outs of Web sites or emails, and other materials.

The point is not to copy the items in your idea box, it is to use them as inspiration. See how they are constructed, what buttons they press, and how they present benefits, and learn from them. Use bits and pieces of ideas from several to create something that is uniquely yours.

Don’t copy the words, and don’t duplicate what someone else has done, but do learn from what has worked for others.

Cathy Stucker - EzineArticles Expert Author

Copyright Cathy Stucker. As the IdeaLady, Cathy Stucker helps authors, entrepreneurs and professionals attract customers and make themselves famous. To learn more about marketing and publicity and get free articles and tips, visit Cathy at http://www.IdeaLady.com/

Posted in Making Money | Comments Off

Information - The Art Of Selling

August 30th, 2007 by Administrator

Money may well make the world go round, but facts, details and data oil the machine that beats at the heart of it. We supposedly live in the age of information, yet many of us seem unable to use it to its full, and allow ourselves to drift along on a sea of missed opportunities.

If we can take it for granted that you have a good product, it should be a safe assumption that the single most powerful marketing tool at your disposal is information - the simple truth. You’re not selling a duff product, trying to convince punters that underneath the rusty exterior lies a power beast… nor are you trying to sell ice to the Eskimos. You’re trying to sell your software to people who either need it, or could use it - to the point where they’re actually prepared to buy it. So how do we get them? With information tools.

Information Tools

An information tool is any kind of device that you can use to show yourself and/or your product. Like any other tool, its primary purpose is to make life easier and more efficient. In our line of work, the most commonly used is a signature file. Your signature file should be around four to six lines of simple text, to be used at the end of every single email, letter, report or newsgroup posting. No exceptions; in your business correspondence, to your friends, family, everything and everyone.

The text should contain all your critical contact data - at the very least your full name, your company or product, URL of your website, email address, and some sort of slogan or catchphrase. If you have a work phone number, then make sure you include it. Ensure that you also include the email address in the signature - having it hidden away in the Reply-To part of the email client does little good if someone prints out your letter, or even cuts and pastes the content into a new document or file. Have it there for all to see. Have you ever clicked on a link in a signature, just out of interest? You’re not alone.

The next tool is the stock text. Chances are that you find yourself writing the same text time and time again - the same phrases, features and pricing information. Write them out in full, so that you have them there for use as needed. As well as saving you time in the future, having them available will also ensure that you’re sending out a well-written version of the information, that includes all relevant details, without forgetting a thing. Never rely on your memory alone. When you try and describe your software at the end of a long, problem filled day, you won’t do it justice.

The actual content of the descriptions is critical here. Make sure you write the text in the first person - either I or we. There’s nothing wrong with referring to yourself as either of the two - but make sure you’re consistent. Make sure you also use positive phrasing, and keep it simple. Be as concise and precise as possible; an exact number looks far better than vague-isms such as loads, lots, many or heaps. If your writing skills aren’t so good, get someone to help. Chances are you’re going to use these texts many times, so it’s worth getting the content just right.

A newsletter is another useful information tool, and can be a great way of keeping in touch with your customers or anyone else who may interested in your product. They are fairly easy to setup and administer, but pay attention to a few dos and don’ts. Make sure that you include details of your own product - but don’t let it be the main content of the newsletter. If all you’re sending is a long-winded advert, people will unsubscribe quicker than you can whisper “lost sale”.

Again, content is king. If you can provide some sort of tips or information that people either need or will find useful, they’ll want to receive your newsletter, but be careful not to drive them away. If you send out a mailing every week, some are bound to get fed up and unsubscribe. While you’re at it, make sure it’s easy for someone to subscribe and unsubscribe; it’s very bad form to make it difficult to do so. Some sort of stock text explaining how to do this is a very good idea.

Another golden rule is to stick to pure, clean ASCII text. You may like HTML in your mailings, but if the recipient’s email client doesn’t - they’re gone. In brief, useful is good; short and sweet is even better. And before you announce your new mailing list, make sure that you have the time for it. You can end up looking awfully silly when you close before issue one even comes out.

Press releases are probably the most well-known information tool of all. I’m not going to go into the what’s and how’s here - take a look through past ASPects issues, and check out Al Harberg’s tutorial at www.dpdirectory.com. Once you have your press release, use it. Make it easily available on-site, and keep it updated when you have new versions or changes. Long after your press release has been sent, you can still be putting it to good use.

Take Advantage Of Your FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions are another golden information opportunity; chances are that you’ve already read over a fair number of these yourself, and it may even be one of the first things you look for on a site. I know I do. Practically speaking, you can’t throw every bit of information you have on the front or main page of your website. It doesn’t look good, and will simply overwhelm most visitors. But when a person goes to read your FAQ, they already know the basics, and want to know more. Feed them.

Use your FAQ wisely. Don’t use it as a data dump, but do include the questions you get asked the most. If you can, also make it downloadable, as a PDF or HTML file. Make sure you also put your contact details at the end of the document, something along the lines of “What do I do if I have more questions?” . They’ve asked for the information, so don’t be shy to give it them. I list my email address, website URL, phone and fax numbers, mailing address and ICQ number as standard. All have been used on numerous occasions.

Many email clients also allow some sort of auto responder to be setup - that can send out a stock text when a certain address or specific subject is received. Better still, many webhosts have this sort of feature.

We supposedly live in an age of information overload, where quality loses the battle to quantity on an ongoing basis. Don’t let your product become another casualty. Keep it short, keep it sharp, and use it wherever and whenever you can. Think of every opportunity to write an email or note as an opportunity to reach a customer; don’t waste it. Be seen, be sold.

Copyright 2004 Dave Collins

About The Author

Dave Collins is the CEO of SharewarePromotions Ltd., a well established UK-based company working with software and shareware marketing activities, utilising all aspects of the internet. http://www.sharewarepromotions.com and http://www.davetalks.com.

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