How to Upgrade WordPress!

WordPress is a widely accepted and extremely preferred content management system which offers a simplified and user-friendly operations and a lot more to look upon. Any software or application, when used in the latest version, offers the best of services and functions so possible and so does WordPress. The procedure of updating can be transported out in two ways namely Automatic and Manual.

• Automatic Updates: You may often get infurated with the update notifications of various kinds. WordPress relieves you with the automatic update option. For the version 3.7+, the user needs not to imprise an even bit of efforts. If the site is designed to install updates without the use of FTP credentials, the updates will itself run in the background allowing the version to update from 3.7 to 3.7.1, 3.7.2 etc. This is facilitated for minor and security updates however even for the purpose of major updates, the user just needs to click 'Update Now'.

WordPress provides the users with minor bug fixes with the minor latest versions as available. Therefore, a user is suggested to adopt minor fixes as and when available. Automatic updates are so very useful and valuable. Neverheless, if one wants to disable the option serving automatic updates, he can do it too.

If the notification conveys 'failed updates', the way out is to delete the file named .maintenance which is present in the WordPress directory. This will eliminate the message. If all the efforts of automatic updates go in vain, the user can turn up to Manual Updates.

• Manual Updates: Manual Updates can be time-consuming and tiring, however, the sense of accomplishment is satisfactory. The Manual Updates option can be exercised if the blog's URL is in the form [http://example.com/wordpress/].

The procedure involves few steps that are mentioned below.

1. The User needs to download the latest available version of WordPress.

2. All the plugins are to be deactivated which can be done by using the deactivate button in the drop-down list after selecting all the plugins.

3. Replace the previously annexed WP-includes and WP-admin directories with the latest installed ones. This can be done using the FTP or Shell Access)

4. The users without deleting any WP-content folder or directory are required to overwrite the existing WP-content folder's individual files with the new files. This can be done using FTP, file manager or shell SSH.

5. The same process needs to be followed by the rest of the files. All new files available in the root directory of the new version must overtake the old files in the existing directory.

6. The default files so customized must not be overwritten or else you will lose access to the preset ones.

7. Try the WP-config-sample.php as it might have certain new settings that could attract you and fascinate you to implicate your own WP-config.php.

8. Just in case, you hired the manual procedure after the auto-upgrade failure, a file named .maintenance will hamper you. This needs to be deleted from the directory through the FTP.

9. Log in to your database and further follow the database update instructions which are offered with an update link to assure compatibility. Also, reactivate the plugins and at this note, the task is accomplished.

Understanding the Bible, Book Summary

Chapter 1: The Purpose of the Bible

The author laments that people normally ask varying questions and employ diverse strategies to read the Bible. Others, he asserts, give up Bible reading altogether or never start reading because they cannot see the relevance of accounts of people in the distant part for them today. However, Christians believe that although the Bible has a wide variety of human authors, there is a single unifying theme for a divine Author. It is perhaps most succinctly presented by Paul to Timothy in I Tim. 3:15-17. The apostle brings together the origin and object of Scripture. The writer investigates the nature of the Bible's usefulness and analysis three words used Paul - salvation, Christ and faith.

Stott presents the central idea that the supreme purpose of the Bible is to instruct its readers for salvation, implying that Scripture has a practical purpose which is moral than intellectual. Since this is neither scientific nor literary, the Bible could be rightly seen as a book neither of literature nor of philosophy, but of salvation. He notes that salvation, in addition to forgiveness of sins, includes the entire sweep of God's purpose to redeem and restore mankind and indeed all creation. The main thrust is God's love for the rebels who deserve nothing but judgment.

God's plan, originating in His grace, Stott emphasizes, took shape before time began. He made a covenant of grace with Abraham, promising through his prosperity to bless all the families of the earth. The rest of the Old Testament tabulates His gracious dealings with Abraham's posterity, the Israelites. Although they rejected His Word, He never casts them out. In the New Testament, the apostles emphasize that forgiveness is possible only through Christ's sin-bearing death, and a new birth leading to a new life only through the Spirit of Christ. The New Testament authors insist that though people have already in one sense been saved, in another sense their salvation still lies in the future. Conceived in a past eternity, achieved at a point in time and historically worked in human experience, it will reach its consummation in the eternity of the future.

Stott's hypothetical argument is that if salvation is available through Christ and if Scripture concerns salvation, then scripture is full of Christ. Christ's assertion was that in each of the three divisions of the Old Testament, the Law (the Pentateuch/First five books of the Bible), the prophets [history books or former prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings) and latter prophets (major-Isaiah to Daniel- and minor prophets- Hosea to Malachi)] and the Psalms (writings), there were things concerning Him and all these things must be fulfilled. Discovering Christ in the New Testament is not strange. The gospels, acts, epistles and revelation vividly portray Him. In the latter for instance, He appears as a glorified man, a lamb, majestic rider on a white horse and a Heavenly Bridegroom. The survey of the two testaments demonstrates that we must turn to the Bible if we want to know about Christ and His salvation. The writer puts faith in its right perspective after lamenting its misuse.

Chapter 2: The Land of the Bible

Stott observes that some knowledge of the historical and geographical setting of God's people is absolutely necessary to put the study in perspective. The reason for the recording of God's dealing with Israel in general and individuals in particular is to teach us (Rom. 15:4; I Cor. 10:11). Scripture refuses to conceal the faults of great characters in the Old and New Testaments.

The writer dismisses the claim that Jerusalem was the centre of the earth as a sheer geographical nonsense even though Christians would defend it theologically. However, Christians believe in the providence of God whose choice of Palestine cannot be an accident. An obvious feature is that it acts as a kind of bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa. Strategically, therefore, God set Jerusalem in the centre of the nations (Ez.5:5).

When God told Moses that He'd bring the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan, He described it as good and spacious. Joshua and Caleb, unlike the other spies, confirm that the land was exceedingly good. Several popular expressions were used to refer to the whole country from north to south. The commonest simply is from Dan to Beersheba. Stott suggests that perhaps a simpler way to remember Palestine is to visualize four strips of the country between the sea and the desert - the coastland, the central highlands, the Jordan valley and the eastern tableland.

Stott affirms that God's revelation as the 'Shepherd of Israel' was natural because of the intimate relationship which grew over the years between the Palestinian shepherds and the sheep since the latter were kept more for wool than for mutton. Jesus further developed the metaphor, calling himself the Good Shepherd. Though many Israelite farmers kept livestock, even more cultivated the soil. The three main products of Palestine (grain, new wine and oil) are normally grouped together in many biblical passages (Deut. 7:13; Joel 2:19). The writer notes the tremendous importance of the early (autumn) rain and the latter (spring) rain to harvest. Without them the corn would remain thin and desiccated. God Himself linked the rain and the harvest together and promised them to His obedient people. Three annual festivals had an agricultural as well as a religious significance. In them they worshiped the God of nature and the God of grace as the one God, Lord of the earth and of Israel. They are the Feast of the Passover, the Feast of the First fruits/Harvest and the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles/Ingathering. The observance of these was obligatory. They commemorated the signal mercies of the covenant God of Israel who first redeemed His people from their Egyptian bondage and gave them the Law at Sinai and then provided for them during their wanderings in the wilderness. From another standpoint, they are all harvest festivals marking respectively the beginning of the barley harvest, the end of the grain harvest and the end of the fruit harvest. Stott's use of three maps showing the Fertile Crescent, the historical and natural regions of Palestine clearly puts the study in perspective.

Chapter 3: The Story of the Bible - Old Testament

Stott observes that Christianity is essentially a historical religion and that God's revelation is an unfolding historical situation, through Israel and Jesus Christ. The writer forcefully argues that biblical historians quickly sank in the quicksand of subjectivity since they were writing 'sacred' history, the story of God's dealings with a particular people for a particular purpose. They were selective in their choice of materials and in the eyes of the secular historian, unbalanced in their presentation of it. Other regions were only included if they impinge on the fortunes of relatively unknown Israel and Judah. Great heroes were either scarcely mentioned or introduced obliquely. Christians believe that Christ's advent is the watershed of history, dividing time into BC and AD and the Bible into the Old and New Testaments.

The order of the thirty nine books is dictated neither by the date of their composition, nor the date of the subject matter but their literary genre. Broadly speaking, the three types of literature in the Old Testament are history, poetry and prophecy. The historical books (Pentateuch) and then twelve more tell a continuous story. After these come five books of Hebrew poetry or wisdom (from Job to Song of Solomon) and finally the seventeen prophetical books [five major prophets (Isaiah to Daniel) and twelve 'minor' prophets (Hosea to Malachi)]. Stott describes the creation, observing that God was not a national mascot. He observes that several forms of pre-Adamic 'homicid' seem to have existed previously for thousands of years and believes Adam was the first 'homo divinus'. The writer highlights the call of Abraham, the groan of the Israelites under Pharaoh and their eventual release. Subjectively dismissing the Red Sea crossed by the Israelites as probably some shallow water, he observes that the miracle lay in the fact that God sent it as the moment Moses stretched his hand. At Sinai, God gave Israel three precious gifts - a renewed covenant, a moral law and atoning sacrifices.

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness and none of the adult generation which brought a negative report - except Joshua and Caleb - entered the promised land. God appointed Joshua to succeed Moses. Israel's history was a cycle of backsliding, oppression and deliverance. God raised judges who combined several functions. The greatest was Samuel who remonstrated with the Israelites and warned them that future kings would be oppressive. They did not listen and Saul became the first king, ending the theocratic state ruled by God directly. David was designated heir to the throne of the disobedient Saul. As king, David unified Israel and devoted himself to God. His son Solomon, who succeeded him, did not love God with all his heart. The kingdom was divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah after his reign.

Stott highlights the Babylonian captivity which lasted for fifty years. The hardest trial was religious for the Israelites felt spiritually lost in their separation from temple and sacrifice. Ezekiel was among them as a guide. Israel had to wait for another four hundred years before the Messiah was born. Throughout the uneasy period of Maccabean rule, important movements were developing in the Jewish community which later hardened into the various religious parties of our Lord's day.

The writer, in addition to end notes, arranges dates in chronological order at the end of the discourse.

Chapter 4: The Story of the Bible - New Testament

Stott observes that it is an account of the words and deed of Jesus of Nazareth. The gospels, strictly speaking, are testimony and not biography, bearing witness to Christ and the good news of salvation. He highlights five reasons why the gospels would be approached with confidence and not with suspicion. Four evangelists were Christians, honest men to whom truth matters. They give evidence of their impartiality. Thirdly, they claim either to be themselves eye-witnesses of Jesus or to report the experience of eye witnesses. Jesus seems to have taught like a Jewish rabbi. Lastly, if God said and did something absolutely unique and decisive through Jesus, it is inconceivable that he would have allowed it to be lost in the mists of antiquity. The gospels tell the same story, yet differently. The first three are usually known as Synoptic Gospels because their stories run parallel and present a synoptic - that is, similar- account of Jesus' life. Every reader of John's gospel is immediately struck by the differences between it and the synoptic gospels in subject matter, theological emphasis, literary styles and vocabulary. Commenting on the birth and youth of Jesus, each evangelist begins his story at a different place. Mark plunges almost immediately into Jesus' public ministry, heralded as it was by John the Baptist. John goes to the other extreme and reaches back into a past eternity to the pre-incarnate existence of Christ. He was brought up in Nazareth in Galilee. The only incident from His boyhood recorded in the Gospels took place when he reached the age of twelve and was taken up to Jerusalem for the Passover. He eventually noted that His duty is to spend time in the Father's house. Growing in wisdom and stature in favour with God and man, the evangelists did not give a strictly chronological account of the Lord's public ministry which appears to last approximately for three years. The writer refers to the first year as the year of obscurity, the second year of popularity and the third the year of adversity.

Stott traces Jesus' final hours of liberty which he spent privately with the twelve disciples in a furnished room. In the garden of Gethsemane, He prayed with an agony of desire that He might be spared having to drink 'this cup'. Crucifixion was a horrible form of execution. How Jesus viewed and endured his ordeal is shown by the seven words which He spoke from the cross. Finally, He commended His Spirit to the Father, indicating that His death was a voluntary, self-determined act. The writer traces the story of the resurrection on Easter Day. The Lord eventually began to appear to people. These appearances continued for forty days. The last one took place on the Mount of Olives. After promising them power to be His witnesses once the Holy Spirit had come upon them, and having blessed them, He was taken up into Heaven.

The writer vividly highlights the dawn of the infant church. Waiting for the promise, the Holy Spirit came and filled them all. Stott affirms that Pentecost must also be understood as a fundamentally missionary event when three thousand people were converted, baptized and added to the church that day. Unable to crush it by external pressure (persecution), the devil tried to undermine it from within. The writer also comments on Paul's missionary journeys, his arrest and journey to Rome and the deeds of the apostles after the book of Acts. The map of Paul's missionary journey and significant dates to remember at the end of the chapter further illuminates the discussion.

Chapter 5: The Message of the Bible

Stott re-echoes that the message of the Bible concerns salvation through Christ. He expresses the Bible's own claims that it contains neither a ragbag of miscellaneous contradictions, nor a gradual evolution of human ideas but a progressive revelation of truth by God. The author concedes that there are several differences between the Old and New Testament revelations. The revelation was given at different times, to different people and in different modes. This notwithstanding, God is the ultimate author of both testaments. The Bible is essentially a revelation of God. There are two basic truths about God to consider which Scripture emphasizes. The first is that He is a living and sovereign God and the second is that He is consistent and does not change like shifting shadows. He is constantly contrasted with the dead idols of heathenism. Stott further observes that the principal way in which the living God has expressed Himself is in grace. The God of the Bible is the God of all grace (1 Pet. 5:10). Grace is God's free unmerited people. God's grace is covenant grace. The writer further investigates what may be described as three stages in the outpouring of God's covenant, expressed in the three dynamic words - redemption, adoption and glorification.

Redemption was originally not a theological but a commercial word. To redeem, Stott confirms, is to purchase someone's freedom, to recover by payment of a price something which had been lost. New Testament authors draw an analogy between the Passover, which initiated Israel's redemption from Egypt, and the death of Christ which has secured our redemption from sin. The New Testament fulfillment is dramatic. John showed in his gospel that by one reckoning Jesus was shedding His blood on the cross at the precise time when the Passover lambs were being killed. Christ, the Lamb of God, offered Himself as our Passover sacrifice. Now He is seated at God's right hand, resting from His finished work of redemption and crowned with glory and honour. He has won an eternal redemption for us.

Redemption from sin by Christ's blood is to be redeemed from slavery and adopted into sonship. It is because we are sons that God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts (Gal. 4:6). To be a son is to be an heir. Suffering is the pledge of glory. This leads to the third stage in God's unfolding plan of salvation, which is glorification.

The New Testament is full of Christian hope. It reminds us that in spite of what we are presently enjoying, there is still far more to come. Paul referred to it as the hope of glory which has several meanings outlined by Stott. Firstly, the return of Christ (Matt. 24:27); secondly, the resurrection in which our incorruptible body will be a body of glory like Christ's (Phil.3:21; I Cor.15:35-37). Thirdly, the judgment. We shall be judged according to our works (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 20:11-15). Fourthly, the new universe will make everything new.

Stott brilliantly compares Genesis and Revelation. He observes that the Bible begins with creation of the universe and ends with the recreation of the universe. It begins with the fall of man and concludes in a garden with Paradise regained. God's kingdom will be ultimately consummated. All creation is subject to Him. His redeemed, adopted and glorified will share His reign for ever (Rev. 22:5).

Chapter 6: The Authority of the Bible

Stott attributes the confusion of the contemporary church to the lack of an agreed authority and argues that it will never recover its moral or mission unless it first recovers the source of its authority. Christians normally use three interrelated but distinct words in connection with the special nature of Scripture - revelation, inspiration and authority. Inspiration indicates the chief mode God has chosen to reveal Himself - in nature, Christ and by speaking to particular people. Authority is the power or weight which Scripture possesses because of what it is, namely a divine revelation given by divine inspiration. It carries God's authority.

The writer identifies three disclaimers which may anticipate objections and disarm possible criticism. Firstly, the process of inspiration was not mechanical since God did not treat the human authors as tape recorders or dictating machines but as living and responsible beings. His second is that every word is true in its context and Job is cited as a classic example when he noted that he spoke of things he did not understand. The 'anthropomorphic' descriptions of God, representing Him in human form and referring to His eyes, ears, outstretched arm, mighty hand, fingers, mouth, breath and nostrils. We do not interpret these literally simply because God is a Spirit and therefore has no body. His third disclaimer concerns the nature of the inspired text of Scripture, which alone can be regarded as God's written word. This is the original Hebrew or Greek as it came from the author's hand. He argues that no special inspiration/authority is claimed for any particular translation as a translation. He dismisses the absence of the actual autograph presumably as God's deliberate providence probably to prevent us giving superstitious response to pieces of paper.

Stott further treats the grounds Christians base assurance that the Bible is God's written word, originating with God and authoritative for men. Firstly, the historic Christian churches have consistently maintained and defended the divine origin of Scripture. Secondly, the prophets introduced their oracles with formulae like 'Thus says the Lord' or 'The Word of the Lord came to me saying...' The third is supplied by the readers of Scripture. Fourthly, the authority of Scripture is believed because of what Jesus said. He gave His reverent assent to the authority of the Old Testament Scripture for He submitted to its authority in His personal conduct, the fulfillment of His mission and in His controversies. He endorsed the New Testament differently. This is evident in His appointment of His apostles. Secondly, they had an eye-witness experience of Christ. Thirdly, they had an extraordinary inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Lastly, according to Stott, they were empowered to work miracles. Our impression of the uniqueness of the apostles is confirmed in two ways. Firstly, they themselves knew it and so exhibit in the New Testament their self-conscious apostolic authority. Secondly, the early church recognized it, dismissing both the 'kenosis' and 'accommodation' theories.

Stott concludes by providing reasonable justification for submitting to the authority of Scripture. Firstly, it is a Christian thing to do. Secondly, to submit is not to pretend that there are no problems. However, problems do not overthrow our belief. Thirdly, it confirms the Lordship of Christ. It is reasonable to bow to the authority of Scripture because, according to Stott, we bow to the authority of Christ.

Chapter 7: The Literature of the Bible

Stott firmly asserts the infallibility of God's Word and observes that He has given us three teachers to instruct and guide us. These include the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, the Christian's disciplined study and the teaching of the Church. Our foremost teacher is the Holy Spirit Himself and Stott believes He enlightens four groups of people - these are the regenerate/born again (John 3:3), the humble (Matt. 1:25-26), the obedient (John 7:17) and the communicative. He notes that if the Holy Spirit is our first and foremost teacher, there is a sense in which we ourselves must also teach ourselves, implying that we are expected to responsibly use our reason. The spiritual person, unlike the natural, has the mind of Christ. Paul's conviction leads him to appeal to his readers' reason. Stott argues that we cannot deny the place of the church in God's plan to give His people a right understanding of His Word. The pastoral ministry is a teaching ministry. Luke gives a striking example of the role of the teacher (Acts 8:26-39). Although it is true that no human teacher is infallible, Stott vehemently argues that God has appointed teachers in His church for a purpose. It is our Christian duty to treat them with respect and to feed on God's Word when faithfully exposed, cautiously examining the Scriptures to verity the truth of the teachings received (Acts 17:11). The writer believes that it is by receiving the illumination of the Spirit, reasoning and listening to the teaching of others in the Church that we grow in our understanding of Scripture.

Stott presents three principles which, he believes, will guide us in our interpretation of Scripture. These sound principles of interpretation include the natural, original and general sense. He refers to the natural sense as the principle of simplicity. One of our basic Christian convictions is that God is light. He chose human language as the vehicle of His self-revelation. He used the language of men in speaking to men. Since it is ordinary because human, we must study it like every other book, paying attention to the rules of vocabulary, grammar and syntax. Stott believes that no serious bible reader can escape the discipline of linguistic study. He recommends knowledge of the original languages (Hebrew and Greek), acquisition of an 'accurate' modern English version and an analytical concordance. Stott refers to the original sense as the principle of history since God chose to reveal Himself in a precise historical context. Questions that should be asked when the reading the Bible include, what did the author intend to convey by this? What is he actually asserting? What will his original hearers have understood him to have meant? This enquiry is commonly referred to as the 'grammatico-historical method' of interpretation. The writer critically considers the situation, style and language of writing. The third principle of interpretation is referred to as assortment of contributors. Divinely speaking, the entire Bible emanates from one mind. It therefore possesses an organic unity. Implicitly, we must approach Scripture with the confidence that God has spoken and has not contradicted Himself in so doing. Scripture, therefore, must be interpreted as one harmonious whole. These three principles, Stott believes, arise partly from the nature of God and Scripture as a plain historical, consistent communication from God to men. The solemn responsibility to make our treatment of Scripture coincide with our view of it is apparent.

Chapter 8: The Use of the Bible

Stott's discussion on the use of the Bible to punctuate his text is deliberate. He observes that the conviction that our God is living and vocal, rather than dead and dumb, is basic to our Christian faith. He explains the sound reasons for accepting the Bible's authority and sound principles to guide us in its interpretation. He identifies two possible attitudes to God's Word. These are to either receive or reject it. Jesus similarly warned His contemporaries about their response to His teaching. Those who build on a rock and will ultimately survive the storms of adversity and judgement are those who demonstrate His teachings.

Stott outlines basic principles of Christian living, stressing the importance of quality time in meditating on God's Word. The practice of daily quiet time, Bible reading and prayer, he reiterates, is an inviolable tradition which has certainly stood the test of time and brought immeasurable benefits to countless generations of Christians. Christian meditation and prayer, however brief, at the beginning of each day prepare us to bear the day's responsibilities and face its temptations. Stott emphasized the importance of personal, family and group Bible studies, and above all the public exposition of Scripture in Church. He observes that very often the pew blames the pulpit when the former actually determines the kind of pulpit ministry it wants. Congregations, he argues, have far more responsibility than they commonly recognize for this kind of ministry they receive. He recommends that they should encourage their minister to expound Scripture. They should come to church in a receptive and expectant mood. They must come with their Bibles earnestly eager to hear what the Lord says through the lessons and sermon.

Stott lists five facets of the life-cycle of the doer of the Word. The first is worship which is impossible without a knowledge of the truth. Since it is a response to the truth of God, it is only God's Word (His self-revelation) which evokes the worship of God. In all public worship, there should be Scripture reading and an exhortation/instruction based on it (Neh. 8:8; I Tim. 4:13). The Bible's place in private and public worship is indispensable. The second is repentance. God's Word tells us what we are as well as what He is, discloses to us our sin and calls us to confess and forsake it (Jer. 7:3). The third is faith which is an integral part of the Christian life. The fourth mark is obedience. Yet obedience involves submission (John 14:15) and this, Stott argues, appears to be out of fashion today. The fifth mark is witness. Stott impresses that truth cannot be concealed or monopolized.

The Bible then has an essential place in the life of a Christian simply because God's revelation leads to worship, His warnings to repentance, His promises to faith, His commands to obedience and His truth to witness. God's Word is indispensable to us, irrespective of the medium through which we receive it. Indeed, Stott realistically observes that it is through His Word alone that the human being becomes equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:17).

How To Save Money With Office Accessories

An office needs to have all types of desk and cubicle accessories to make it complete and organized. However, buying these office accessories eat up an inordinate amount of money from your budget. Different accessories like copy paper, printer ink, copier cartridges, staplers, note pads, pen and pencils, etc. make a deep cut from your monthly budget. In order to control your budget, you can opt for companies which offers discount office supplies. Beside this, you can do certain other things as well.

There should be a central store for dispensing all office supplies:

If your office supplies and equipments are in accounted for, you can save some money. It will prevent your office employees to take the office items for their personal use. Moreover, an office manager can keep a track of inventory and place the order as and when required.

There should be one single person to order all office supplies:

If a single individual will control the office supply inventory, it will be easier to track the usage. There will be clear line of accountability. In addition to this, the company can have an ongoing relationship with the company providing discount office supplies.

Having an ongoing relationship with one supplier and customer service rep:

If it's your first time, you should shop around to find the best regular supplier. However, when once you have made your mind, you should try to establish an ongoing relationship with the supplier. This way, the supplier will be able to offer you loyalty discounts and will also offer many other benefits. For example, if there is a product which your company purchases regularly, a customer service rep may alert you for any special discounts available on the product. In this way, you will be saved from paying full price for supplies.

Verify with discount office supplier while making larger purchases:

Being a regular customer can pay off your large benefits. Sometimes, being an ongoing customer makes you eligible for discounts on different storage cabinets and furnitures. Some discount office supplies provider offers automatic ordering. You can very well take advantage of it. This way you can avoid any unexpected running out of any item at the office.

The huge collection of office accessories keeps on modifying with time. A large number of innovative and useful modern office accessories are added every day. When you have a regular supplier, he will always make you acquainted with any additions in the market. This way you can be aware of modern and advance product without actually doing any research.

Keeping your office well equipped with all types of useful and advance accessories will motivate your team to work in a better way. You can also put various things for comfort like bean bags to take a rest, decorative items to make the cubicle attractive and colorful trash bins to avoid any kind of dirtiness.

So, be innovative and make your dull office a lively place to work in.

How To Sell On Ebay: The Money Is In The Back-End

Many people who sell on eBay completely neglect the
follow-up process. They post an auction. Someone wins.
They send an automated message to the winner. They ship
the item. End of story. End of buyer-seller relationship.

. . .end of customer's total worth to the business
--and this is why so many people who sell on eBay
fail or make negligible profits: they have no idea
that the real money is actually in back-end and
follow-up sales.

In this article, I am going to go over one of the
tools you can use to make follow-up sales on
Ebay: autoresponders.

Autoresponders will allow you to automate the
follow-up and upselling process. You can subscribe
to an autoresponding service through a number of
different companies. Most will give you a free
trial that limits your abilities, but lasts indefinitely.

Getresponse (getresponse.com) is one of these
companies. It has a user-friendly control panel,
excellent customer service, and offers a free trial
version that will give you access to everything
you need for early upselling and follow-up.

You can use your autoresponder a number of different
ways to make follow-up sales, but you must start by
collecting names to load into your autoresponder.

You can do this by asking customers (after you've done it
made a sale) if they would like to join your mailing
list and receive special offers, discounts, and the
chance to buy items before they go on auction. Load
the names and email addresses of the people who respond
positively into your autoresponder.

Getresponse will send them a confirmation message.
The rest is up to you.

Come up with special offers, discounts, and
contests and send them out via broadcast to your
subscribers on a regular basis, but not too often.

Your customers have already a) purchased from you
and b) agreed to receive special offers. From here,
it should not be too hard to get follow-up sales.
They are already hooked - just give them a good offer.

For instance, you could send out special offers for
complementary products at certain intervals. You could
target people who purchased digital cameras and offer
them sticks of memory at a discounted price, but only
if they buy within a certain amount of days after the
close of the auction. You could do the same thing with
camera bags - and also set a specific date.

If you sell jewelry, you could offer customers a matching
set of earrings for a necklace at a discount. Or cleaning
tools. Or a jewelry box.

There are a number of different ways in which you can
structure your eBay post-sales follow-up with your
autoresponder. There are only two real rules you
should follow:

1) Do not, under any circumstances, add people to your
list who did not specifically ask to be added to it.
It is illegal and unethical, and it could land you
in jail; and

2) Make sure you are targeting the right people with
the right follow-up pitch. If you're trying to sell
discount plastic dinosaurs to someone who just
bought a case of motor oil, you probably wont get
the response you want.

. . .other than that, it is completely up to you.
Come up with some creative ideas; put them to work;
and you can easily double or triple the lifetime
worth of each customer who shops at your eBay store.

A Delectable Treat With Bundt Cakes

If you have the intention to make this birthday special, then Bundt Cakes can be the right choice for the celebration. The cakes are finely made so that you can really get the pleasure of the scrumptious taste of the item. One bite and you would just fall in love with the cake. The creamy delicacies can make other occasions special as well. You can even have a wonderful wedding and anniversary with Bundt Cakes. Popularly known as desert cakes, they can be happily served at the end of the meals. The sweet delight is wonderfully overstated with several sweetening ingredients to give your tongue a real treat with the cake.

Falling in Love with the Cake

Bundt Cakes are baked in Bundt pans and this fact makes the cake special and different from the rest. The baking process is exceptional and it is done with care to help the cake acquire the real taste. The crazy taste of the cake will attract you most towards the stuff. One bite and you would just sway in celebration sojourn. The cake is best to look at. The colorful appearance of the cake is a real attraction to watch. When displayed, you can feel the sensation happening. The 'creamy munch' entices you to serve yourself with another!

The Creamy Taste

Bundt Cakes come with stupendous creamy fills. If you want to make the cake at home then you have to keep notice of the fact that the ingredients are well mixed. Things are blended in the right way so that you can derive the most pleasurable taste at the end. You can even order cakes online. Once you place the order, the item would be served at your doorstep right away. When grouping the ingredients, or blending the flavors, you have to do things right to safeguard the good taste of the pie.

The Things Required While Making the Cake

Once you have a party at home or at office, and you feel that making such bulk cakes at home is not done, you can at once order cakes online. This is sure to put an end to your hassles. However, for smaller get-together you can decide to make the cake at home. For the purpose you can start collecting a list of required ingredients. You should have granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, flour, melted, chocolate, eggs, chocolate baking bar, melted butter, vanilla extract, thick whipping cream, a pinch of salt and vegetable oil. Mind it, an omission in any one of the ingredients can spoil the taste of the Bundt Cakes.

Making of the Cake can be Made Easy

The recipes for Bundt Cakes have grown quite popular down the years. The cake is baked in intricate pans. The baking process is special. They add a good taste to the item. Once you have prepared the cake you can store it for long. The ingredients are just perfect for long time restoration. The pan should be perfectly greased or else the cake can stick to the pan. Place the cake just at the middle of the pan.

There Are So Many Ways to Make Money From Home - How Do I Find the Right One For Me?

You have found so many ways to make money from home. How do you find the right one for you? If you've been looking for a way to make money from home, you're probably inundated with tons of sales offers, e-mails, phone calls, etc. There are so many options! How do you know what will work and what will not? What is the right thing to do? You can quickly become overwhelmed and then you will not know which direction to turn or what to do. You can experience "information overload" The best way to get over this is to decide what you want from an online business. Look for something that will fit your lifestyle, your goals, and your schedule.

See if you can come up with a list of things that you want in an online business. Write it down. As you look at different offers, you can then evaluate them by the list you have made and you will be able to eliminate all the offers that do not fit your requirements. To help you get started, here are the things that I looked for when I went through this process.

1. I did not want a get rich quick scheme. I'd seen hundreds of them on the Internet. I wanted a good solid business that I could run from home and make a good living with. I did not expect to get a check in the mail next week for a million dollars after just putting my e-mail address on someone's list. I knew I had to put in some work and some effort. I wanted to earn the money. I was not looking for a lottery ticket. Get rich quick schemes never work.

2. I did not want Multi Level Marketing business. I hate having to sell to friends and family. I did not want to make sales because a friend was tying to help me out because of our relationship. This is no way to run a business. I wanted something I could market on the Internet to people who were looking for whatever I was selling. This is the way a real business works.

3. No personal selling. I'm not a great salesman. I did not want to have to continuously sell people on my product or spend a lot of time on the phone. I wanted people to already be sold. I wanted people to just come to me and say, yes, I want it.

4. I needed a great support system. I was a total newbie when it came to Internet marketing. I knew how to send and e-mail and surf the web, but that was it. I needed help getting an online business up and running and help with marketing online. I wanted to know that there was a real live person I could call for help and advice if I needed it.

5. Great business system. I knew a lot about business, because I've been running businesses for over 30 years, so I know what makes a viable business. I knew what components I was looking for, what would make it a complete system. I wanted a proven system that others had used and been successful with. I was looking for a system that I could just step into and follow and find a winning business plan. When you have a great business system to follow, your chances for success skyrocket. Look at franchises like Starbucks, McDonalds, Subway, they have the business plan all figured out. If you follow their lead, you have a money making machine.

6. Multiple streams of income and back end sales. Any business that has many ways to make money within the same system is going to be that much more profitable. Once you have a customer, if you can turn them into a repeat customer, your business is going to be that much more profitable. You will not have to constantly be looking for new customers. Your old customers will come back and pay you over and over. That is one of the secrets of a successful business.

7. I love helping people. It brings great satisfaction. I'd like to use the knowledge I've acquired over the years to help others. There have been people who have helped me along the way and I've like to pass that along by helping others.

8. I wanted a great product, one that was unique, that people could not buy at the corner store. I wanted a product that I felt would help other people. I did not want to feel like I was ripping anyone off. I wanted to know that people who purchased my product could be preferred by it. It could make their lives better. That was important to me.

9. My family. The most important thing I was looking for was something that would work for my family. I'm a mother of 6 children and I home school. I still have 3 children living at home and one left in home school. But even having one in home school takes a lot of time. I have a home and a husband and I wanted to have the time I needed to be a good wife and mother. This is my top priority. I needed a business I could run that would not take over my life. That would not require all my time and attention. I wanted something that I could work on for a few hours a day, at my convenience, then not worry about the rest of the time.

It took months of research looking at all the ways to make money from home to find the right one for me. I finally found the right one that fit all my requirements. It is the perfect business for me and for my family. I work a few hours every morning, and then I'm free to be a mom the rest of the day. I never have to worry about my business on weekends or holidays. I can go on vacation without a second thought about my business. It keeps on going when I'm away. It is amazing! And it works!

Money is just a tool. Money is not my end goal in life. Money is a means to an end. If you are sick of worrying about money, living paycheck to paycheck, wondering how you are going to pay the bills, then change things! Do it! If you are ready to have a better life for you and for your family, do something about it! I did it and so can you.

List of Ways to Save Money on Phone Bills

During these challenging economic times, the less money we spend unnecessarily, the more we are able to save for our priorities and future needs. One of the factors which sometimes contribute to our monthly expenses are the phone bills. Here we discuss a list of ways to save money on phone bills.

1) Specifically for International phone calls, try to go in for per second plans of the operators, where you get billed per second / per 10 seconds. This is way much cheaper than the per minute billing plan. Sometimes, it happens that your conversation is very brief and it is over in less than 30 seconds. If you have a per-second billing plan, then you pay only for 30 seconds and not the whole one minute. Moreover, sometimes, you call and the other person is not able to hear you properly. In that case, people generally disconnect within 10-12 seconds. So, why to pay unnecessarily for one whole minute when you have not been able to even initiate the conversation.

2) Always check your talk time. Are you spending too much time talking on phone ?. If yes, then, probably, your phone bills must be going way up.

During your conversation, if you keep an eye on how many minutes you have been talking, then you would want to talk only about the most important things and discuss the rest later, or maybe through Email. This will help you a lot to save money on phone bills

3) Also, try to use calling cards when you want to make international phone calls. Calling through cell phones can be pretty expensive. You can consult with your network operator for the applicable rates on calling cards when you call overseas.

If you regularly make international phone calls., Then the option of using calling cards should definitely be included in your list of ways to save money on phone bills

4) If you want ringtones / wallpapers, then try to download them from the internet, rather than sending a sms to your operator and then getting charged for it. After all, money saved is money earned.

5) Check out for the unlimited sms plans offered by your operator. This is particularly useful if you like to send a lot of text messages to your friends / business associates. Getting unlimited plans at discounted prices and so can certainly be counted among the list ways to save money on phone bills.

6) Regularly consult the customer care section of your operator to know about the current offers. You may be able to get some discounted airtime / message pack, if you ask for. After all, it is your money, and you are entitled to save it.

7) Furthermore, check wherever your operator is offering any special package for international phone calls., Specifically packages relating to specific countries. This will again help you a lot to save money on phone bills, when you are calling particular countries.

8) Be honest with yourself and do and examination of your phone services. Do you really need both landline and mobile phone ?. If having a cell phone serves all your purposes, then maybe you can go in for less rental plans of landline or maybe have it disconnected.

Here we have tried to make a list of ways to save money on phone bills, while making both domestic and international phone calls. Hope you are able to benefit from it.

Happy Calling ...

Good Morning America Inbox Dollars - Scam?

Recently, Good Morning America featured an online company named "Inbox Dollars". It was not such a surprise that this company is completely internet based, but the surprising part of it, was that this company deals with online paid surveys. If you have ever looked into paid surveys, then you will know exactly why this is so surprising (so many of these companies scam people by making consumers pay to get access to their surveys).

Now, on Good Morning America, Inbox Dollars explained that people can earn money in several different ways through their website:

* Reading Email

* Shopping Online

* Trying Brand Name Products

* Taking Surveys Online

* Playing Games

So this is not just an online survey site at all. There is much more to it. Now the way Inbox Dollars works is complicated, yet very simple to the end user. People may wonder how Inbox Dollars can just pay people for reading emails, playing games, or trying products. Well, to put it simply, on the email part, you will get about 2-3 emails per day to read. These emails will be advertisements and you get paid just for viewing the advertisement. You will also get paid if you take advantage of the advertisement, some may be free trials and others may be reduced prices. Either way, you get paid for reading the email. The rest is optional. But Inbox Dollars can pay you just for reading the email because they get paid by the advertiser for showing you the ad. So for the games and brand name products, it is presented to you in a very similar fashion.

In regards to the online surveys, it works in the same way. If a company has a survey questionnaire that they need filled in, they look for survey companies, like inbox dollars to have these completed. The survey company pays inbox dollars and inbox dollars pays you a portion for you to complete the survey. The problem with other online survey companies is that they never pay you. But with Inbox Dollars, they have over 3.5 million members and have been in this business for years. They know the value of their members and in order to keep them, they must pay them.

Last but not least, Inbox Dollars is 100% free to join. No fee for membership, EVER. Some survey sites will actually charge you to get access to their surveys or survey sites. Most, if not all of those sites are scamming you in one way or another. In most cases, the surveys they give you access to are just surveys from some other free site you could have found on your own. They are basically just charging you a fee to take your money and feeding you surveys that they found for free on Google themselves. In addition, most of these sites are not the actual survey owners, so it is not their responsibility for paying people for the surveys, so you never know if you will actually get paid for the surveys they give you.

I hope you have found this information useful and helpful in your search for legitimate online companies for making money. If you would like to see our top 3 online paid survey companies, please visit the website below.

Airport Parking and Vehicle Servicing

Parking your car at any airport can be a stressful time and even more so at Heathrow Airport the UK's busiest airport. If you are going on holiday or away on business and are flying from Heathrow Airport, you need a company who will take the stress, worry and hassle away by offering an excellent, professional and personal unique service combining airport parking & providing your car with a part or full service while you are away.

People incur numerous problems when parking their car at an airport including: Booking a local parking facility prior to their trip away not to mention the high costs involved especially in peak season, making your way to the terminal can be a task in itself. Waiting for the for the shuttle at both the beginning and the end of your trip and last but not least returning to your car after your holiday to find it is covered in dirt and dust or worse still does not even start.

Call a company who take clients directly to the terminal building before taking the clients vehicle to their fully equipped car servicing and storage facility located only minutes from London's Heathrow Airport. Search Google for a Company who will then proceed to carry out all the necessary repairs, maintenance or car servicing required by you. You should rest assured that your car is in good hands and securely stored at their secure concessions. All vehicles should be returned to clients in a pristine and excellent working order including a safe journey home. This takes all the hassle out of parking at the airport. Find a Company who offer a complete professional service dedicated to your individual needs and offer a complete range of services to all major makes and models of car.

These unique meet and greet services offer free collection and delivery while you have peace of mind that your car will be delivered personally to you so you do not have to worry about it getting scratched, damaged, dirty or unable to start so you can enjoy your holiday. If you wish to take advantage of this unique service and have you car serviced while you are away,

Promotional Products Startup Guide For New Companies

If you have either bought or are starting a new business from the ground up, one of your most immediate needs is to establish your brand in the market place as soon as possible. Certainly one of the best and most cost effective ways to accomplish this is with the help of promotional products. However, I am not writing this article to convince you of the importance of using promotional products but rather to help you with the process of implementing this type of marketing approach. In this article, I will be discussing a kind of mental checklist that will be necessary to help make this process go much more smoothly for you. Keep in mind that I will be providing you a general rather than a comprehensive guide to the ordering process as with more than 850,000 promotional products and growing in our industry I could not in this small article cover all the necessary guidelines for ordering each product. Nevertheless, I will address some of the key considerations that will help you in the selection and ordering process for most promotional products.

One of the first areas in this process you must address is to come up with a budget. Your thinking here should be first to come up with a total budget and then to break that total budget into segments which should include a price range for each promotional product you want to order. Don't forget to compensate for costs other than the actual product in your budget such as shipping, taxes, and any fulfillment costs that might be incurred in delivering or packaging the promotional item. As part of this budgetary process you will want to decide on how many different types of promotional items you will want to purchase. Once you have decided on how many promotional products you will be using in your marketing effort, you will need to figure out how many of each individual item you will want to order. This really then becomes more of a mathematical function of how many promotional items you will be ordering and how much you have budgeted for the entire promotional product program.

With the financial aspect of the promotional product program figured out your thought process should move to the marketing aspects so you can then zero in on the precise products that will accomplish your branding mission. This is where you need to begin to ask yourself some important questions. It is through the questioning process that you will define your entire approach to getting the appropriate and most effective promotional product and still stay within your budget. Questions such as: who will you be targeting with these promotional products? What is the message and impression you want the product to convey to the person receiving it? Where will the promotional product be given out? Although I can think of many more questions that I as a professional would ask to better define your goals lets limit it to these three very important questions for now. Let's briefly discuss the first question: who will the products be given to? Actually this question can best be answered by asking and answering a series of other questions like: will the products be given to current customers or prospects? Will the products be given to men, women or children? What position does the recipient hold in an organization? These are just a few questions you will need to ask yourself in defining your target and thus determining an appropriate and effective promotional product. With regards to the second major question I presented concerning the message and impression you want to convey to your customer, you will need to examine why you are giving the promotional product out in the first place. Do you want to give the promotional product out to create awareness of a new product or service your company is introducing? Perhaps, you want to use it to directly boost sales and give it as a gift with purchase which we call a premium in the industry. There are many ways to help your business grow with the help of promotional products, in fact, to many to mention here in this article. But the way to find out how you can best use them is by questioning and understanding your own company's needs. Finally, the last major question involves the logistics and the distribution of the promotional products. For example, where will the promotional products be given out? Will your sales people be giving out the promotional product during sales calls or maybe at a tradeshow? Maybe your company will be hosting a seminar and hand some products out there. Still another possibility would involve mailing out products to customers such as gifts acknowledging their support and creating good will and loyalty to your company and brand. However you choose to get the product to your marketing target distribution and logistics should be an important consideration in your decision to purchase certain promotional products.

Having touched on the marketing aspect of choosing to promote your brand with promotional products, it is now time to turn your attention to what essentially is the nuts and bolts part of the actual ordering process. This part of your marketing efforts involves specific choices that you will have to make regarding each product most of which have their own unique characteristics. Once you actually decide on a promotional product, things like size, color, specific features, and options available for that product should be thought out. You will then need to decide how you want to customize the product. Things like the number of ink colors you will want to imprint on an item, how many sides on a product will be imprinted and in the case of an embroidered product the size and location of the embroidery will come into play. Finally,you will need to make sure that you have your artwork done by a graphics professional who can put it in the proper format to submit for actual production. Although there are many products and possibilities for the creative and effective use of promotional products, with a little thought on your part the basic guidelines I have outlined in this article will provide you with a good starting agenda. Of course, a top professional promotional product supplier with extensive experience and the technology necessary can help and fill in the important missing gaps and take you the rest of the way to successfully completing your marketing mission.

Hire Web Developer - 10 Important Points to Ponder Upon

Nowadays it is almost an outdated thought to run a business without online presence! Besides that people know that online presence increases or just double the Return on Investment for all the businesses! Also institutions or organization do also keep their presence online to establish or spread themselves to the world. And to make the effort of building a website there are lots of web development companies who offer the customer or the clients to hire web developer. In this way the website building process has become easy and affordable too!

But there are some aspects in website development. One of those factors is to hire web developer who is or is really helpful or worthy to be hired. This is the reason I am trying to put down just 10 important points that always come in consideration at the time of hiring web developers. Let's have a look on the points:

1. Before you decide to hire web developer, just assess your requirements. It is very important to know what kind of development you are looking for. Do you need a simple static website or e-commerce site. Depending on these you have to search for the web developers.
2. Are you looking for open source development or the hard code? It may be the case that your projects can be best done in open source or vice-versa. So before you go to hire web developer make sure that you have determined the technologies / programming languages. It is essential because there are developers who are expert and specialist at open source or the hard code. You need to choose your ones.
3. You need to find out the expert and experienced people for your projects. You should never hire web developers who are having little experience in the kind of development you are looking for. Why not check out the portfolio of works? It will let you decide the quality of people you are choosing.
4. Try to assess the knowledge base and the professionalism of the developers you are considering to hire. You should clear the queries about the project you are thinking to offer to the developers. Again the work ethics or the process of work (stonestone deliverables, project documentation etc) will let you know the developers. So when you hire web developer never forget to take interview.
5. When you are thinking to build a website you should find the market trend to know if the project can be given to a local developer or it is best to think of outsourcing. These days it is best to hire web developer from offshore companies. Not only the cost but also the growing competition has facilitated the availability of best services from anywhere in the world.
6. You may hire web developer as dedicated to your projects or may go time-based hiring as you require. Both are good. But dedicated hiring is the best ploy as in this case your headache is less to complete the project. Even the flow of project is smooth and time of development becomes less.
7. You may hire web developer from a company or a freelancer. If you hire from a company you will get many types of developers or the specialist altogether and the development process becomes smooth. But in the matter of freelancers you have to be very much choosy and careful to know the professionalism or the quality of work of the particular developers. Sometimes multiple hiring of personnel becomes essential in the case of freelancers.
8. It is very much important to know that you hire web developer from somewhere that has proper infrastructure to complete your project. It is particularly essential as many a time it is found that you go for hiring a freelancer who does not have access to latest technologies and tools or the true setup to finish the projects. So proper search and confirmation of the infrastructure has become mandatory (also for companies).
9. Try to find out how is the reputation of the developer in providing support to the project both through the project completion and afterward maintenance. Never hire web developer with poor record in support or do not forget to judge the communication level of them. Otherwise total investment in the project may go in vain.
10. When you decide to hire web developer, do not go behind affordability always, care for the legal issues too. It is fact that affordable web development is now very possible. But it is not all the companies provide best service at affordable cost. Find out the reputed companies who do not only provide affordable service but also clears legal dealings, say money back guarantee issues, copyright, document & resource transfer and all.

Hope after going through the above points, you will understand how important it is to be careful in the process of hiring developers for getting the best development of the website you are thinking to build. Always remember the responsibility of best website development never only rest on the developers. It is also your discretion to hire single web developer from multiple companies or team of developer from one company. However, never feel helpless if you find the things little lengthy. You may take help of directories and tactfully choose the request a quote process for searching and getting best developers. Never hurry but be steady in the website building initiative - you will be successful.