The Importance of Heating and Air Conditioning Services

The home is one of the places where you are invited to experience total comfort at all times. However, there are times when environmental conditions threaten to compromise this comfort. These environmental conditions include:

• Extreme temperatures; when it is either too hot or too cold
• Humidity
• Dust particles and other allergens in the environment.

Good heating and air conditioning services do their best to regulate these conditions to make sure you are comfortable in the home. Here, are a few of the benefits that you will get when you invest in quality HVAC services.

To start with, installing heating systems in the house helps keep the house warm during the colder months. There is nothing that is more disorienting than going to bed in a cold house on a winter night. The most uncomfortable part is taking a bath with cold water in the colder months. Water and house heating systems help you keep warm and avoid infections that might result from the cold weather.

Secondly, AC is very beneficial when it comes to cooling down the temperatures during the summer months. Temperatures get quite high especially outside during summer. It feels good to step in the house and get refreshing cooler temperatures. A good air conditioning system in the house regulates the temperatures to what is suitable for all seasons.

Air conditioning systems have the ability to remove dust particles and all other types of allergens from the environment. There are people who are allergic to pollen, dust and other particles from the environment. Air conditioning services help purify the air and protect you from allergic reactions and illnesses such as asthma.

There are many more benefits that come with having heating and air conditioning systems in the home.

Tips in selecting the best HVAC systems

If you want to have a comfortable time in the house, you need to select quality heating and air conditioning system. The choices can be quite tricky especially with the many service providers and products in the market. However, the following tips should help you get top quality products and services.

1. When purchasing heaters and ac unit, always go for the brands that have been tested and proven to be leaders when it comes to air conditioning. The top brands usually cost more than the others. But by the end of the day, the service and durability you get is all worth the cost.

2. If for some reason your systems have stopped working, take time and select the most skilled heating and air conditioning services providers to repair the systems for you. DIYs are a good idea, but if it is an issue you are not sure about, avoid trying to do it.

Those are some tips to have in mind when going for HVAC goods and services. Lastly, remember that the comfort of your home greatly depends on the environmental conditions that surround it. Make your house a heaven by adding quality heating and air conditioning services. After all, if you are not comfortable in the home, where else will you be?

80Th Birthday Favors - Top 7 Tips For Choosing The Best Party Favors For This Milestone Occasion

Are you planning an 80th birthday celebration for someone special this year? If so, you may be looking for ideas for party favors. Here are the top seven tips to help you find just the right keepsakes to commemorate this milestone.

1. Plan ahead. Give yourself time to brainstorm and browse. If you leave this to the last minute, you may have to set for whatever you can get. To find the very best 80th birthday favors, first you'll need to figure out what you want and then set out to look for it.

2. Skip the dollar store. But do not spend a lot. Of course, you'll want something unique and personal, which you probably will not find in the bargain bin. But that does not mean that you'll have to invest a lot of money to impress your guests. A savvy shopper can discover inexpensive custom gems online. With a little persistence, you should be able to find amazing, personalized party favors in the $ 1.50 to $ 3.00 range.

3. Choose something useful. By the time a person reaches their 80th birthday, they will probably have accumulated a lot of dust collectors from other occasions. Do not be tempted by that impractical knick knack, no matter how appealing it is. Give your guests a keepsake; something they will actually keep. Merely decorative items will eventually end up in the back of a drawer or worse. Instead, find functional, fun favors. Some possibilities include frames, pocket magnifiers, keychains, mini spiral notebooks, mint tins, mugs, little flashlights, bookmarks and photo albums.

4. Consider the personality of the person celebrating their 80th birthday. Do not just settle for bland and generic. Instead give a memento that is customized to reveal something about the celebrant. For example, if he or she loves gardening, you might choose packages of seeds. Or If he or she she is religious, you could select photo bookmarks personalized with a favorite Bible verse. Or if the guest of honor is an avid golfer, you could go with party favors with a golf theme. Make a list of his or her hobbies, interests and tastes. Then try to choose favors that reflect their uniqueness.

5. Include an element of nostalgia. Add an old photo of the birthday man or woman and it automatically transforms your party favors into keepsakes. One possibility for a giveaway that stirs memories would be a custom mixed CD. It could be filled with the guest of honor's favorite songs from each decade of life. Another option is to select personalized year you were born bookmarks, magnets, notebooks or mint tins. These deliver a blast from the past by featuring prices, songs, top events and entertainment and sport news from that year, and can spark conversations about the good old days.

6. Look into somethingible for a real crowd pleaser. This is always a safe choice and will appeal to your guests of all ages. You could go with custom wrapped chocolate bars. You can order them online or make them yourself. They're a little time consuming to make, but relatively easy to put together.

Another idea is to order unfilled personalized candy or mint tins, and then fill them yourself with the guest of honor's favorite treat. You can even put milk chocolate in the kid's candy tins, give the adults the dark variety and use the sugar free kind for those with special diets.

7. Make it personalized. The best 80th birthday party favors will be one of a kind because they're customized. Whatever item you choose, it should include the guest of honor's name and birthdate, and possibly a longer message and even a photo.

The 80th birthday favors that you select are more than just a memento. They are also little gifts that say "thank you" to your guests for sharing the celebration. Send them home with something practical, fun and personalized that reflects the celebrant's personality. With a just a little effort, you can find keepsakes as unique as the guest of honor.

Tips to Avoid Garage Door Injuries

We use garages to lock our cars and bearings from outsiders, keeping our possessions safe. For years we have used them and usually without a hitch. However, they are very heavy objects that are capable of falling at any time. It just takes a spring to break or some defect in the tracking system to allow one to come crashing down upon anything in its path.

The injuries that can result can be quite serious. The following sections will provide tips that can help your family avoid the potential problems caused by garage doors and allow you to enjoy the safety that they are meant to provide.

Teach Your Children About these Potential Dangers

Harm to children caused by these common household appliances happen pretty infrequently, but that does not mean that it does not happen and that it will not happen to you or someone in your family. Children are naturally most susceptible to these accidents because of their size. For this reason, it is important to make them aware of the potential risks of the garage door. Some things that you should tell your children are:

- Never stand under a garage door, especially for an extended period of time. This means that your children should not be playing near one or the risk of physical damage will increase.

- Never run under the door when it is closing. Most door opens these days are designed with sensors to detect motion benefit the door when it is closing or to stop if it hits anything, but these are features that could malfunction. It is safer to wait for the door to close and then reopen it so you can pass through the door.

Things Adults Can Do to Reduce the Risk

If you would like to avoid any garage door malfunction, it is important to inspect your door's opening system periodically. If you are not sure how to inspect your system, the list below should help:

- Test the safety features, such as the motion sensors. You can test the sensors by placing something under the door and trying to close the door. If it does not react appropriately then you know you have a problem and you should get a repairman to look at it.

- Check for signs of wear and tear. You should check the cables, pulleys, springs and tracks to be sure that there is no obvious sign of wear and tear that could be potentially dangerous. If there is, you should again find a repairman to help you fix the problem.

When all of these tips are followed, the odds of a serious accident are very small indeed. Unfortunately, defective equipment can be a threat to anyone, even those who act responsibly.

Making a Girl Wet - 3 Simple Tips to Make a Girl Wet

Are you looking for ways to make a girl wet?

Girls do get wet when you arouse them to a certain level. However, it is not easy to get a girl wet. But don't worry, I can help you.

Getting a girl wet can be emotionally satisfying for you - Well, I guess every man in this world wants to see his girl squirt during lovemaking.

However, do take note that not every girl can squirt. A woman gets wet and squirts because of orgasm. There are dry and wet orgasms: so if your lady falls under the first category, then you have no choice but to accept that she won't squirt.

But before you can know, you need to try the tips I am going to share with you here.

In order to get a girl wet in bed, what you do here is to try all ways to make her reach orgasm. There are basically 3 ways to make her orgasm:

1. Engage in prolonged foreplay. I can't stress seems to stress enough how important foreplay is. Many men tend to skip this and go straight to intercourse. Don't do that.

Naturally, women take a longer time to get aroused. When a woman is not aroused, she can't reach orgasm.

Foreplay is a good time to use your skills to make her reach maximum arousal level. Use your hand and tongue to stimulate all her erogenous zones such as breasts, neck, inner thighs, earlobes, abdomen, armpit, etc. Be thorough, but don't spend too much time on each area.

2. Go down on her. Cunnilingus or oral sex for women, is the single best way to make a woman orgasm. Spend at least 3 minutes to perform cunnilingus on her. Start with the outer lips and make your way to the clitoris. The clitoris is very sensitive to stimulation. If you use the right tongue techniques to lick her clitoris, she is going to explode into shaking orgasm.

One thing to note: Don't bite the clitoris. You will cause serious pain to her and this is a BIG TURN OFF.

3. Fingering her g-spot. Insert your finger into her vagina with your palm facing upward. Your first task is to locate the g-spot. It is situated somewhere at the front wall of the vagina. So use your finger to make a "come here" motion and try to feel a round, roughened area on the front wall. This is the G-Spot. Once you have located the g-spot, apply pressure to it. It should enlarge and feel more solid.

If you stimulate it correctly, you will feel her legs squeezing against your quads. This shows that she is near to orgasm! Go for the finishing line.

Making your girl wet by giving her an orgasm is a great way to satisfy her sexual desire. However, if you can't last long enough during intercourse (premature ejaculation), you are throwing your efforts to waste.

89% of all women asked, who admitted to being unfaithful to their male partner, said that they were driven to betrayal due to their man's inability to last long enough to allow her to have a vaginal orgasm.

Don't be one of them. If you are having problem to last long enough to satisfy her, check out the bonus tip below:

Winning Formula For Logo Design

To get a winning logo design is the biggest desire of every company. You would always be looking for secret tip or tips to design a winning logo. Why not just follow the foot steps of successful brands. Logo designs of successful brands have become icons that are embedded in the minds of general consumers.

But always remember that your winning logo design will definitely help in building brand and corporate identity.

Before starting on with the process of designing logo, you should first consider why your company needs a logo.

a) To build corporate image

b) To build brand identity

c) To create market identity

d) To create and build consumer awareness

This is a lot to think about. But the things mentioned above are a path to achieving great logos that can help in your business growth and success.

Secret tips for a winning logo design

Many companies spend loads of time and money on their creative logo designs. But the result is a complex and sometimes misunderstood logo that becomes a part of a company's stationary. This logo is then often redesigned with the timely change in the business strategies.

Great, creative logo is not difficult to design. Follow the following step and you will finally get a good creative logo design that will help you to build your brand identity and be with you for a long time.

o Keep your product in mind. Logo must have relevance to your product and services.

o Your perception of where you would want your see your company in future

o Focus on your target market

o Corporate color theme.

o Identify some successful logos that you like

o Keep your logo design simple

o Try and incorporate your business name, message or sell line.

o Avoid complex designs

o Make sure that the logo fits your stationary and all marketing promotional materials

o Keep in mind the adaptability - make sure that your logo is made with the flexibility to adapt to all business situations, markets etc.

o Your logo design should have the ability to be memorized.

Last but not the least, you should choose a cost effective logo design company that has the capacity and ability to create your great, creative logo. You will save your precious time.

Looking For a Logo Design? Browse Logo Design Directory

Inflation and Your Money - What Is Its Real Value?

We held a Retirement Seminar for dentists at our office recently. This being part of an ongoing series of educational talks and workshops to several groups of scholars in the north, and which also takes us to North Wales next year.

It was good to see familiar faces in attendance, as well as new, with specialist dental accountant Alan Suggett also chipping in with a slot on the value of Practices and the complexity of Incorporation.

Part of what we covered was how volatile the markets have been this year, and also how inflation can play havoc with your wealth over time.

It is sometimes not appreciated how, over time, inflation can really damage wealth creation and preservation, and with inflation very high at present it is worth looking at this in more detail.

Of course, the context here is the real value of money. When we talk about the 'real return' on your money, it means the return that you get (or do not get) over inflation.

So if inflation is, say, 5% pa, and you are getting a return in the bank of 3% pa ​​before tax, and 2.4% pa after basic rate tax, then you are not getting anywhere near a real return on your money.

If this were to happen over many years, then the real value of your money would reduce markedly. In fact, with present rates at around the 5% mark and with many experiencing a salary freeze, some people will be seeing a fall in their standard of living.

Let's take a look at the impact of inflation on some consumer items, as well as salaries, pensions and debt over a recent 10 year period.

PRICE COMPARISON 1999 - 2009

Price in 1999 Price in 2009% change Source

Milk (pint) 34p 45p 32.30% ONS

White Loaf 51p 1.26 147% ONS

Sugar (kg) 61p 88p 44.20% ONS

Pint lager 1.93 2.79 44.50% ONS

20 Cigs 3.37 5.39 60% ONS

Petrol / l 63.6p 90.4p 42% Petrol Prices

Ave salary 18,396 20,900 13.60% ONS

Weekly state pension 66.75 95.25 42.70% PAS

Level of UK consumer debt 565.4 1457.4 158% BOES

billions

Price of oil per barrel 8.80 28.70 226% WTRG

Bottle of wine 3.55 4.18 18% W & STA

Ford Focus 15,500 16,095 4% Ford

McDonald's Big Mac 1.90 1.99 4.70% McDonald's

Source: This is Money

So those of you who like a pint and a fag while munching on a white bread sandwich will have reasons to moan!

Whilst the wine loving burger fans may well have a smile on their face!

For a bit of fun (answers below), have a guess at the price of these items in 1960 compared to the 2009 prices below:

1. Fish N Chips - 4.50

2. A Mini - 12,345

3. Petrol - 86p (was it ?!)

So we can see that just 10 years can seriously erode the value of money, never mind 20, 30 or 50 years!

So what is the best way to combat inflation with your savings and investments?

The first thing to say is that there is no magic answer, and that there are 3 rules to investment return:

1. Risk and return are related

2. Risk and return are related

and yes

3. Risk and return are related

Other factors are accessibility, tax and the time period you have to invest.

Of course, in our opinion, the only reliable way in which you can find out what rate of return you NEED longer term so that you can be on track to achieve your goals in life is to devise a proper strategy, and have your own financial map called a cash flow forecast.

This will be able to calculate what returns (and there before risk) you need to take, with the aim to minimize any risk due to a possible option. What such a plan will give you is how much to invest in the various asset classes, with each having their own expected rate of return & risk (standard deviation). So getting the right mix is ​​vital.

We covered some of this at the seminar, and using figures from a Scottish Widows UK Financial History graph (Barclays Index data), we could see that returns from some major asset classes made interesting reading.

What one pound invested in 1950 to 2010 would be worth:

Building Society (Cash) - 1,560

Gilts (Government loans) - 6,146

Equities (Stocks & Shares) - 117,500 (dividends reinvested)

Retail Prices Index - 2,680

Other methods would be to utilize products that give a return over a period that is guaranteed to be above inflation. Even Tesco had launched such a bond a little while ago - but as is the case with ANY investments / savings accounts, watch out for the small print.

Of course, the past is no guarantee of the future, but what do these figures tell us?

Well, the most important one we feel is that in the longer term, say 10 years plus, it is important that any investments you have show a real return. That is a return that is higher than inflation.

To give you the best chance of this, having a relevant risk assessed investment portfolio that has the right 'blend' of asset classes that lets you sleep at night on the one hand, and yet give you the return you need on the other, is a tried and proven route.

Talking about inflation, we came across a couple of quotes to share with you:

By a continuing process of inflation, government can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens.

- John Maynard Keynes

And on a less serious note:

"Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair."

- Sam Ewing

Mini Quiz answers:

1. 6p - a 7,400% rise

2. 496 - a 2389% rise

3. 5p - a 1620% rise

Source: National Statistics.

The first one really is a surprise. The chip shop owners must have been salting their profit away for years! (sorry)

The Financial Tips Bottom Line

Really think about what you want in life and by when. Then measure the cost of this, and compare it to what assets you have.

If you do not know where you are going, how do you know when you'll get there ?!

Use cash flow forecasts - how does it look for you?

ACTION POINT

If you have an advisor, ask them to create you own cash flow forecast. If they do not know how to do this, then maybe it's time to find a financial planner that does!

Tips and Advice on Hiring a Commercial Electrician

Deciding to get some wiring in your warehouse or big business can be a large project to undertake. There are a lot of things that you need to consider before you go about finishing the job. One of those major tasks is hiring a commercial electrician to do the proper job of getting the building rewired and safe for you to operate in. Thinking about a few things before you hire anyone is a smart move. You should keep these tips and advice in mind when you start looking to hire the right commercial electrician for the job.

One thing that you should make sure to do before hiring an electrician is to make sure that they are licensed. This is something that is extremely important because you want to make sure that you are hiring someone who is fully qualified at their job. Being licensed also means that they would be fully covered with insurance. You do not want to hire someone who does not have insurance because if something were to go wrong, your company would be responsible. With insurance, they are the ones that will be responsible.

Another thing you should do is make sure to check their references and see what kind of work they have done in the past. You should make sure that they have undertaken a job of that magnitude before and if possible, check to see if you can get references from the people who hired them to do their commercial wiring as well. This only strengthens the chance that they will be good at their job and will do the best job for you as well.

Before hiring your electrician, make sure to ask them questions. You should know if they have any concerns about the job before they actually take it on. This will also give you a chance to see if there will be anything else that they think the job needs or if they think something would be better for the building you are operating in, compared to what it is that you want. You want an upfront and honest electrician, that way you can trust they will complete the job and do a good and proper job.

Hiring an electrician is the best thing for you to do when you are rewiring or building that brand new building that you own. It not only will save your company time and money, but it could save you a lot of trouble in the end. You need to have the job done well, and you want a professional to do it. Following the tips and advice above should get you the best electrician for the job.

The Best Ways to Get Online Car Insurance Quotes

You should not be surprised to know that you can get online car insurance quotes. If you are interested in that, you have landed the correct page. Here, you can find a couple of tips for getting the comprehensive quotes for car insurance.

There are several websites on the internet, which provide online car insurance for you. You can contact them without any difficulty to provide you a car insurance quote by just signing up on their site. At the same time, the cheap online car insurance quote should not carry you away. Although the quotes are comparatively low, but the actual cost will depend on the condition of your car, its make and model and the mileage traveled. All these factors determine the present worth of your car for evaluating the insurance quote. For getting online quote, you will be required to furnish all the details of your car in a prescribed form to receive a correct quote.

Many insurance companies also provide the online calculators, which give you the online quote after filling all the relevant detail of your car. In many cases, these quotes may not be very accurate, as the company has not updated the calculator. This can lead to an incorrect and invalid quote in such a case. You need to confirm that the calculator is updated one. Although the companies may be renewing their sites regularly, it is better to take the quote as approximate cost that you may have to pay.

The very common car insurance companies also keep their agents who may contact you on phone for getting all the details of your car. You can confer with the agent to get online car insurance quote and find out all the relevant details and information including their payback policy that may be useful. You should not just sign up for a company based on their online quote, it is better to negotiate the discounts and bonuses and compare the overall cost with other offers.

One more option to get the online insurance quotes is contacting the online insurance providing companies on their toll-free 1-800 phone numbers. These companies work online, but it is better to ensure their policies for reimbursement. There are frauds as well. You need to be cautious about some fraudulent operators who may cheat you and swindle your money. However, there are reputed and reliable companies that provide online car insurance quotes; you should go for a company only after getting a proper feedback.

It is very essential to obtain insurance quote from a number of companies rather than getting a single quote. This way you can take the advantage to obtain the best offer and at the same time select a reputed and dependable company in this time of recession. Moreover, you should compare the offers and policies to make a best deal to meet your requirements after getting proper feedback so that you save the money and are not deceived. Always ask for the bonuses and the discounts offered by them. You have to put your efforts to get all the information about their reliability and best offers.

If you follow these guidelines, you can get the best online car insurance quote from a reliable company to insure your car to be safe and save your money.

Is Online Banking Right for Your Business?

Online banking is one of the best productivity tools out there. It decreases physical paperwork, saves time, and helps make sure all of your financial information is accurate and secure. It's much easier to track a budget and offers lots of different ways to stay on top of your finances. Unfortunately, online banking also presents its own security risks. To bank online safely, here are some tips to save you the trouble of hacked accounts and identity theft.

• Try to use the same computer every time you access your account. Using your login information on more than one machine increases the chances that someone could hack in and gain access.

• Try to make the computer you use one that will travel with you. Using a laptop for online banking means that even when you're not at home, you won't have to use your login information on a strange machine. This being said, don't leave your laptop unattended, especially if you're logged into a banking site or recently have been.

• If you absolutely have to use an online banking site from a strange computer, make sure to log out, shut down the browser, and clear all cookies and temporary files when you're done.

• Use a unique password. Yes, it is convenient to have the same password for all of your online accounts, but it's also a major security risk. Do not you use your online banking password for anything else; it may not be a major disaster if someone hacks your Twitter account, but don't let that mean they have access to all your money, too.

• Don't let your password be something easy to guess. That means no using anniversary dates, birthdays, your last name, your phone number, or any identifying information.

• Change your password often, at the very least every six months. Even if you password is unique and impossible to guess, it's a possibility that a key logger or other malware could pick up your password.

• As obvious as it may be, it bears repeating: don't share your banking password with anyone. Even if it's someone you trust, that information transfer could allow someone else to gain access to your account without your permission.

• Don't use your mother's maiden name for the security question. That's an easy piece of information to find on the Internet.

• Never respond to an email that asks for you to reply with your bank account number, your social security number, your log in information, or any other sensitive information. Legitimate institutions won't do this. These emails are phishing scams designed to gain access to your online banking information.

• Invest in good anti-virus software for your computer and keep it updated. This will help protect you from any malware or viruses that could find their way onto your computer and into your personal and banking information.

• Keep all software on your computer up-to-date. Software updates are often security fixes. The notifications telling you to update and the install/restart time may be annoying, but they're often crucial to keeping your computer secure.

• Pay attention to your bank or financial institution's log in page. If something seems to have changed, you may have clicked on an illegitimate link (this is especially true if you followed a link from an email).

• Don't enter personal information into a pop-up, even if you're on the institution's legitimate website.

• Be careful when opening email attachments, even if they appear to be from someone you know. Always double check to see if the person meant to send you an attachment, and delete emails with attachments from unknown sources.

• Be aware of common current email scams by checking websites like onguardonline.gov.

• Shop online only at reputable sites. If you're giving any credit card or payment information, it should be somewhere trusted, often through PayPal, which is secure. Double check this, and if you're not sure, err on the side of caution and find somewhere else to buy what you need.

Garage Door Repair - 3 Tips to Get a Repairman

If you have a Garage Door Repair in Raleigh, Atlanta, or any other city these 3 tips will help you find a very reliable contractor to complete the repairs. From making sure the repair guy is properly assured to being sure they have the right equipment you will know your choice on who fixes your garage door will be a good one.

1. Before any handyman or other contractor ever starts work on a garage repair or other type of home improvement project you want to make sure they are properly insured. The proper insurance for a construction worker or repairman will protect you as a homeowner against any type of injuries that may happen during the repair job.

2. Can you get a free estimate and bid from the contractor for you garage door project? Along with getting a free bid will the handyman give you some type of estimate on how long they think it will take them to complete the repairs if you choose them? A free quote and some time estimates pay as a courtesy to you for even considering that company to do your work. Do not pay for any repair bids.

3. One way to tell if the repair business is a suitable choice and provides good work is to ask to see any before and after photos. You may also ask how long they have been in business and then take a look at the company vehicle and make sure it looks in proper order with the right type of tools and equipment. These suggestions will help you realize if the contractor is organized and experienced.

By following these 3 quick tips you can be sure your repairman will be ready to give you some advice on how long the job will take, you'll get a free repair bid, and you'll be able to tell how much experience the worker has . You are now in a better position to choose a good contractor for a Garage Door Repair in your area.

Christmas Wedding Flowers

The Christmas holidays are a joyful and festive season of the year. Christmas weddings can be just as exciting as the season itself by using beautiful silk Christmas flowers in your bouquets and decorations.

The Poinsettia is the most popular Christmas flower. They can be used in bouquets or as potted plants to decorate the ceremony and reception areas. They come in colors of red, white, pink and sometimes blue.

The Poinsettia plant is a symbol of purity and their star shaped petals symbolize The Star of Bethlehem.

The Red rose symbolizes love and makes beautiful hand tied bouquets, especially when wrapping the stems with silver ribbons adorned with pearls. Small silver bells can be added to carry out a Silver Bells wedding theme. When carried down the aisle by a bridesmaid, their sounds add excitement and ambiance to the wedding theme.

The white Christmas rose with its pink tips also known as the Snow Rose or Winter Rose blooms only in winter.

A story about the Christmas rose is linked to the birth of Christ. A poor shepherd girl named Madelon was tending her sheep on the night Christ was born. The wise men and other shepherds were giving gifts of gold, myrrh, frankincense, fruit and honey to the Christ child. Madelon had nothing to give and began to cry. As she wept an angel passed by seeing her and stooped down brushing away snow at her feet to unforgettable the most beautiful Christmas rose which she presented as her gift of love for the new baby.

When choosing Christmas wedding bouquets, remember to keep size in mind. Especially the brides bouquet. An oversized bouquet can distract from the brides wedding gown. The wedding bouquet should compliment the wedding gown and help show off the bride and her beauty. After all she is the main attraction of the day.

Items of lace, fur, feathers, pearls etc can be incorporated into the bridal bouquet to enhance the brides gown.

Christmas wedding bouquets can be adorned with brightly colored Holly berries with their beautiful green foliage. Mistletoe is greenery popular during the holidays. Mistletoe has been used for more than two hundred years before the birth of Christ in Christmas celebrations. Use them to adorn the wedding altar so when the minister, priest, rabbi etc announces you as husband and wife, you will be ready to keep within the Christmas tradition of kissing under the Mistletoe.

When it comes to decking the halls at your Christmas wedding, the use of garlands designed from evergreens of Balsam fir, Douglas fir, Fraser Fir, White Pine or Scotch Pine, will give off a wonderful fragrance that reminds us of the holiday season. Embellishing bouquets with these evergreens also make fragrant bouquets.

For a bride on a low budget, Christmas time is the perfect time to get married and save money. Most churches are already decorated for the season with beautiful red Poinsettia, Christmas trees, Garlands of Holly and evergreens. The windows may already be decorated with candles and greenery. The only flowers the bride may need to furnish are the bridal party bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres.

Hanging Christmas cactus that blooms during December can be used to hang around the room in the reception area. After the wedding reception they can be used as gifts to your bridesmaids, parents or any one who helped with your special day. After all Christmas is the time for giving.

Day Trading Rules to Live By

Most people looking to make money in the markets believe that the answer lies in finding some simple technical analysis strategies that will catapult them to profitability.

The truth is that trading is not as simple as beginners believe. It is a profession, and like any profession it requires a learning curve. Reading a book or getting a few simple "tips" is not going to turn you into a professional trader.

After studying for a length of time, it's not uncommon for students to begin their search for the "holy grail."

They search for more indicators, chart patterns, gurus, alert services or the latest secret day trading strategies and other things that will provide their answer to becoming successful.

But here's the fact. Success lies within you .. and it will not come easy.

In fact, one of my favorite success principles is this:

"Successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do."

Let's apply this to trading in the form of my list of "Day Trading Rules to Live By" ... all of which have to do more with you than with the market.

1. The consistency you need is in your mind, not in the market. Many in the market get frustrated because the market often behaves differently than they expect. You can not rely on the market to be consistent. It is a largely a random walk. But there are times when the market does setup with a probability scenario that gives you an edge. Your job is being consistent in trading those probability setups and trade them every time they occur.
2. Trade like a cat. Most beginners over trade. It's one of the most common trading sins. Your job is to be better than other day traders in having the discipline to wait like a cat in the brush until just the right moment (your high probability setup) and then jump on the trade without hesitation.
3. Successful trading is simply a game of not making mistakes. Keep a list of your day trading rules posted on the wall or on your monitor and then follow those rules perfectly. You must be more disciplined than the average trader. Never depart from your rules no matter how good a trade "looks" or "feet" to you if it violates your objective and back-tested rules.
4. Only trade when you are in an optimal emotional state. Never trade when you are tired or are in an emotionally unstable situation (after a fight with a spouse or friend for example). Day trading is more like athletics than academies. Trading on such a short time frame requires you to be able to make split second decisions, and you're risking a lot of money when you do. Make sure your mind is sharp and your emotions are centered.
5. Keep a detailed trading log. Every day trading course I've seen has a trading log. Yet my experience in dealing with trading students demonstrates that less than 10% of them actually use it. This is a huge mistake. Not only should you log every trade, but you should also record how you felt and what you were thinking as you took the trade. In this way your logs will become a type of "biofeedback" mechanism for you. Personally, this was the difference that made all the difference for me.

These 5 day trading rules are not the type of rules that you were probably looking for. The masses want rules about indicators, price bars, where you get in and where you get out.

Granted, you definitely need clear objective rules about those things as well. Yet thousands of traders have those types of rules, and yet continue to fail because those rules are about market action.

They fail because they do not have, or do not follow, the more important rules the rules about their own action.

If you find yourself resisting the importance of these rules about your own behavior, realize that you are one of the masses who feels the same way. But since since the masses fail at day trading, you must set yourself apart and do something different than them.

Following these 5 day trading rules are what the retail traders fail to do. Not because they can not do them, but because they are unwilling to do them. And remember, "Successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do."

Financial Advice For a 401k Loan

If you are in the situation whereby you are in need of money fast, your 401K may be looking pretty good right about now. After all, it is possible to take out a loan against your 401K. There are some rules and tips you need to remember, however. Here is some financial advice for a 401K loan.

The first point to make is: if at all possible, avoid taking out a loan against your retirement savings. Reason: this is your financial future, and there will come a day when you want every penny you can get. Remember the effects of compound interest: the larger the amount in your retirement account and the longer you keep it in there, the more money you will have when it comes time to retire.

Of course, you can choose to skip a loan and just withdraw money from your plan. However, the tax penalty you have to pay in this case will make this a very unattractive option.

Fortunately, taking out a loan against your retirement savings requires that you pay no tax penalty. However, there are limitations and restrictions for taking out this type of loan. The restrictions vary by plan, so check with your plan administrator. For most plans, the following are acceptable reasons to take out a loan against your 401K:

1. Pay for college













2. Pay your mortgage when facing possible eviction or other hardship













3. Pay medical expenses













4. You are purchasing a home for the first time

Here are some of the regulations and constraints you will most likely face when considering this type of loan:

1. There will be a minimum loan amount: usually around a thousand dollars













2. Your loan will have a prescribed length at the outset, such as 5 years or less













3. There is a maximum you can borrow, which is usually around half of your account's value at the time of the loan













4. Depending upon your plan, you may incur loan fees for taking out a 401K loan.

If you are considering taking out this type of loan, make sure you have exhausted all of your other options first. If you have poor credit but need money fast, you may want to consider a short term personal loan instead.

How to Make Money Opening a Bar

Opening a bar could be a funny way to make money, but it is very tough: you have to think very well about this project before starting to move and you must be prepared to work hard in this business if you want to succeed.

You will need patience, motivation, money to invest at beginning, experience managing a bar and if the location varies requires it, you will need a liquor license. Also remember that on average 90% of restaurants and bars fail in their first year. Of those who survive, 90% fail in their second year. But if you win, the fact of own a successfully bar can be very rewarding.

In this article you will find the steps involved in opening a bar and the tips in order to succeed.

1. Visit some successful bars in your area

Buy a drink in each one and take notes on what you like and what you do not like. Take a look also at the busy time and then come back later at a quiet time. Familiarize with the laws, regulations and other requirements in the area where you wish to open your bar.

2. The theme in your bar

This is probably the most important decision you have to take. To help your choosing, consider that people tend to visit bars close to where they live and take a look to the competition in your area. Start to think about the menu: depending on what you will offer you might have food, drinks and cocktail menus.

3. Your business plan

You have to consider the amount of money you want to invest, with relation to the location, theme and future income statement. You should also need an accountant and interior design or architect. Your business plan is also used to request finance (if you do not have enough money) from banks or investors for your new business, so be sure to arrange everything.

4. Decide the location

Before select the location for you bar, consider your potential client in the area and make sure you understand the competition in that area. Also, think about the trends and consider the more people in the area, the more clients you could attract. Be careful to choose your location in residential areas, because of the noise, there could have been some restrictions on operating for certain hours. Finally, look for vacant promises, for rent or sale, that can be suitable for your bar.

5. Select and purchase furniture

Tables, chairs, couches, bar stools: if you need some help hire an interior design. Your furniture should of course fit with your chosen theme. Think also about audio, lighting and all the other electronics for you bar. Set also computer systems for sales, orders, stock level and payments like salies and purchasing stock.

6. Licenses

You should apply for all the licenses that you need in your bar: you will have to get a permission to serve food, a permit to serve alcohol, and all your employees will need food handling permits.

7. Bar staff

This includes bartenders, floor staff, security and dj It is very important to hire experienced people, go to personnel agencies if necessary. Consider that the amount of employees you will need depend on the size of your bar. Create your working procedures that the staff has to follow, as bartender service standards or envelopes depending on your bar theme.

8. Entertainment

Bands, dj's or any other entertainment you can offer to your clients.

9. Opening of your bar

You may choose to make a VIP opening, also for media and celebrities and why not, to your suppliers. Or you can directly organize the public opening party and that's all!

It is now time to make money and have fun with your new business !!!

Buy Used Car Tips

To buy used car is a great idea for saving money. Everyone knows that a new car lost 65% of its value in the first 5 years. But the case would be more extreme for a 1 to 2 years old car, it will lost its value 30-40%.

If you do not mind to drive a used car (I mean a 2 to 5 years old car, it looks pretty new) rather than a new car, you may save much money to pay many other bills. If you want to keep the car not too old, you may resell it after driving for 2 to 3 years and buy another newer one. The value of the car will only drop 15% or less for a 5 years old car. Therefore, your driving cost for 2-3 years would only be 10-15% of the car's original value.

The price quote above was only the price you buy from an ordinary car dealer. However, you can buy it much cheaper online.

Before entering the dealership

Before you step foot on a dealership lot, there are a few things you need to think about, including what type of vehicle you can afford, what type of car is right for you, and what your credit history consists of.

Once you decide on type of car you need it is time to do your research to narrow down the choices. A number of resources on this site can provide you comparison information rating of vehicles within specific categories. Compare such areas as safety, reliability, fuel economy, warranties, operating costs, theft rates, general features, and options when making you decision.

How to achieve the best used car price?

Do not buy the first thing you see, or in this case do not believe them when they say that they are the ones with the lowest new car and used car prices, they have to say that, it's their tactics! Be smart and do not enter the dealership without visiting some of these sites Cars.com, InvoiceDealers, Autoweb, Car.com, CarsDirect, Ford Direct and AutoUSA. Find out how much you can buy used car for and then go to your car dealer and let the games begin, of course on your terms! Do not be a dumb buyer as you are expected to be, do your homework if you want to buy used car at the lowest price possible! And one more thing, do not hesitate to buy used car online if your new car purchase quote from CarsDirect is lower than the car dealer. Click buy and they will let you know what is the next step, and in a few days your new car will arrive, and you saved your money and precious time!

There are many ways to buy car but only one is right!

A car dealer is not your only option - Online car purchase will save you time and money!

This is the best car purchase option you will ever find, because you will find everything you need to buy used car from the comfort of your home. The whole buy used car process can be done online if you know the right way, but we are here to show you how and where. Online you can find and choose your dream car, find specification options, finance options, delivery details, extended warranty, carfax record check, auto loan approval, your credit score and much more.

Make Money From Home With These Seven Great Tips

Many people are starting to understand that they can make a living from home. However, they do not know where to start. If you want to do as well, research your product or service. This article will give you an introduction and tips to help you along the way.

You must be driven and thorough to run profitable home businesses. There are guidelines that specify what kind of building an office can be in, be mindful of this when finding somewhere to set up a business. Setting aside a dedicated area in your home will keep you focused on your tasks.

1. You could start a business by offering training lessons people need. Some people prefer private lessons over those offered to the masses. Lessons associated to hobbies, like music, photography, or art can effortlessly be taught from your home.

2. When starting a home business, find people who will support your efforts. Contributing in a group of other home business owners can offer you your own business network. Getting involved with other business owners can be as easy as meeting them and swapping information offline to begin making your network. While some in your group may not work in your particular trade, you will have the mutual connection of owning a home business.

3. Discussion groups are accessible online that are full of experts running businesses from their home. This is a great place to share ideas with others and to get your firm's name known as well. You can never know where your next lucrative connection will come from, so take advantage of every occasion.

4. Set goals to obtain every day. You may let some stuff go uncompleted, but you will get more complete if you keep realistic goals. Set borders and limits if you work out of your house; This is serious so your family respects your time while working.

5. Track your business expenses carefully to save some money on your annual taxes. Costs, like as Internet services, mileage and office supplies, should all be accounted for. Most of the costs of operating your business are tax-deductible. Recording every nickel and every dime is vital, because there is no reason to miss out on discounts you are allowed.

6. To make sure your company remains financially protected, start and maintain an emergency fund. Your business can extremely run into unforeseen situations where you will need access to cash quickly. Building or growing reserve fund will safeguard the endurance of your business. Do not pull money from your emergency savings unless you absolutely have to.

7. To make the most of your home-business financial plan, claim all possible tax deductions associated to your business. Claiming all the discounts for which you are allowed on your taxes can save you a substantial amount of money every year.

Now you have a better idea of ​​what needs to be done to create and maintain a business from your home, you should feel like you can succeed with your home business goals. Remember that the material you have learned will only work if you use it. Following these tips in this article, should help you succeed with your home based business.

How To Make Extra Money With Online Surveys

Are you looking to make a few extra bucks to supplement your monthly income? Do you want something you can take up in your spare time, along your regular desk job?

Online surveys offer you a great opportunity to do so. However, there's one thing you need to be clear about. You will not make a thousand million dollars in a month. The earnings are modest and in proportion to the amount of time and effort your invest.

Now, if you are seriously looking to fill out online surveys to make extra money, here's what you need to know.

Who's behind these online surveys?

Online surveys are part of a company's marketing strategy. Customer's opinions are very valuable in determining how and where to pitch one's products and services. Since many companies do not have the time and manpower to spare for such vital data collection, they outsource the task to data collection companies. These data collection companies get people to fill out these surveys in exchange for a cash bonus.

Avoiding the scams

Given the hype surrounding this online money making technique, the internet is filled with legitimate and illegitimate survey sites. Here, it is important to sift through them to avoid being swindled. One way to tell genuine schemes from fraudulent ones is whether or not they charge membership fees. No legalimate online survey site should ask you to pay a membership.

Before you register with an online survey site do your bit of research into how it works, which is the company behind it and how and when payments are made. Read up on reviews of past users to know about any problems you might encounter with the site.

How do online surveys work?

Online surveys differ in the way they are structured. Most require you to answer questions. A few require that you test the product as well. There are focus groups as well, which involve a face-to-face interaction. The surveys are based on a wide variety of commercial products ranging from grocery items to electronics to household goods. On most survey sites, you are asked to create a member profile.

Companies Involved in data collection look over your profile to see if you are the right candidate for the survey they have. Most of the companies will send you a link link via email or they might send you the survey via email itself. You need to be careful how you fill in the surveys too. If the company realizes that you are filling out the surveys for the sake of it, they will send you less.

Surveys take anywhere between 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The price for regular question-answer surveys ranges between $ 1 and $ 15. Focus groups and product testing have a higher alert potential; these surveys are priced anywhere between $ 50 and $ 100. The more surveys you fill out, the more you stand to earn. How much you earn also depends on how complex the survey is. As far as payment goes, almost online survey sites have a withdrawal threshold.

If you come across companies offering $ 300 for filling out a 20 minute survey, it should ring a bell for you. It is different where the companies offer sweepstakes. There are companies that offer larger prize money to active surveyors often requiring them to collect a certain number of points to participate.

Contrary to what many people think, filling out surveys is not only about making money doing nothing. If you are really interested, you get a chance to test new products and concepts before they ship out into the market. It's an opportunity to give your opinion and help others. Follow the right tips and turn this into a safe and lucrative money making venture.

Basic Tips and tricks for Windows XP

Running Applications in Compatibility Mode













With Windows XP, you can run programs as if though they were being run under a different operating system. (This is known as "emulation".) Simply right-click a shortcut, select "Properties" and then check "Run in compatibility mode" and select the operating system you wish to make the program believe it is being run under. This fools or tricks the program into thinking you are really using a previous version of Windows, such as NT, 2000, 98, or 95. This is especially useful for certain games that won't run properly. Be careful *not* to use this with certain system utilities, such as antivirus, defrag, registry, and disk tool applications.

Customizing the Start Menu













Right click on the "Start" button and left click "Properties". From here, you can select the new Windows XP style Start Menu, or return to the Windows 2000/Millennium style one. You can also customize the two possible choices using their corresponding "Customize" buttons. This also allows you to turn on or disable cascading menus and other options that are useful, such as large or small icons and more.

Bring Back Those Desktop Icons













After you install Windows XP, you probably noticed that some of your icons from previous versions of Windows you've used are missing. Microsoft did this intentionally to help simply and reduce clutter. Of course, for some people, this isn't the best choice or the user preference. So, if you want those icons like "My Computer" and "My Network Places" back, just open Display Properties (right click Desktop Wallpaper, left click "Properties") and click the "Desktop" tab. Click the "Customize Desktop" button and on the "General" tab check the items you want. You can also change the icons used by these desktop items in the same screen. One final tip related to this screen is the "Clean Desktop Now" button, which notifies you of unused icons on the desktop and offers to remove them if you choose.

Give Me My ClearType













Windows XP includes a great new visual technology, called "ClearType" which increases horizontal legibility by approximately 300% and it looks great. Go back into "Display Properties" [see tip: "Bring Back Those Desktop Icons" for instructions] and this time, go to the "Appearance" tab. Click "Effects" and for the second drop down box, labeled "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts", select "ClearType". Click OK twice and you're all set.

Lock Computer vs. Welcome Login Screen













You must go into Control Panel and open the "User Accounts" applet to change this setting. Click "Change the way users log on or off". For maximum security, uncheck the "Use the Welcome screen" option. This re-enables the use of the "Lock Computer" option from the ALT CTRL DELETE menu, but prevents multiple users from being logged on locally at a single time. This also returns to the Windows 2000 style login screen. If you'd rather have the ability to *not* be able to use "Lock Computer" and would rather allow multiple users to logon to the computer at a single time locally, leave this setting checked and also check "Use Fast User Switching".

A Birthday Is More Than Balloons - Involve Your Kid to Deck Up

Birthday, the word itself haunts a child to the world of dream. It will be much more exiting to your ward if you can involve his effort to decorate the Celebration corner. When a child thinks of his birthday celebration, some sights may flash on his mind. Perhaps it was the decoration that he saw in his friend's birthday or somewhere else. However his own birthday is the chance to execute those ideas and parents are supposed to encourage them to do so. It will not only be mere decoration but a way to enhance the child's cognitive development also.

Recycle the thrown out items-

We often throw out old containers, cans, papers, clothes and many more items. If you can store these recyclable things during the year and tell your child to make flower-vase, pen-stand, paper-fans, wall-hanging out of those; then there will be a good stock of decorative material to deck up the birthday floor. The child also gets to learn recycle, reuse, and his aesthetic sense will be increased.

Theme selection -

This time if you are going to throw a theme based birthday party, let your child select the theme. You may help him surely. But ask him to set a theme depending on some niche that he has learnt at school. Value education or moral science will be the best subject to find such themes.

Decking up the food corner -

It will be tough for a child if you ask him to cook for his friend. But it will be very much interesting to him if you give him a chance to deck up the dinning. You can instruct him to garnish the food platters or to decorate the tray of chocolates with tooth-pick and colourful thermocol balls. You can let the child decorate the birthday cake also with colourful candies. But never leave the child alone to do so, keep supervising. He can also arrange the plates, glasses, coasters, spoon and fork etc. It will teach him table manner.

Balloon decoration -

The first and foremost decorative item of the birthday party is balloons. Engage the kid to blow up the balloon and then help him to fix it on wall, roof or cabinet.

Streamer decoration -

Engage the child making various decorative chains of streamers. In his leisure time do sit with him and teach him to make beautiful chains out of those usual things. This will help your child to learn making incredible articles out of common ingredients.

Flower vase -

Let your child decorate the flower vases on his own. If he makes mistakes, then make him learn the right way and let him do again. This doing and undoing will help him out to enhance the sense of colour-combination.

So, here are some unique tips to involve your child to his own birthday celebration. Now let your kid engage with this and this time make his/her birthday the memorable one with a gala celebration.

How to Make Email Marketing Works for Your Business

Topic 1 ~ Your Email Subject Lines ~

How To Write A Good E-mail Subject Lines That Works?

Here are the 5 tips:

1. Ask a question. One of the best ways to get a reader's attention is to ask a question. But like a trial lawyer questioning a witness on the stand, make sure it 'll get you the response you're looking for. "What's the best way to grow your business?" is a great subject line for business owners. After all, what business owner would not want to grow his or her business? Or let's say you run a health club. An e-mail with the subject line, "How can you lose 5 pounds in one month?" would certainly be compelling. It's important your question to be relevant to your audience.

2. Be a tease. A clever subject line can be enticing. When it's done right, reader curiosity is piqued. They want to know more - and they'll open your e-mail. Writing a teaser-style subject line requires some creativity, and your content needs to deliver. A company that sells high-definition TVs could use the subject line, "You're not going to believe your eyes" as a teaser to introduce a new addition to their product line.

3. Tell it like it is. Often, what works best is to say exactly what you want your reader to know. Examples of this straightforward approach are, "Sale on all sweaters this weekend," "Master jazz pianist plays live this Friday" and "The seven secrets of a profitable business." This just-the-facts approach works especially well when you can appeal directly to your audience's interests. It's also the best approach to use when you send a newsletter.

4. Remember "WIIFM". When a person gets your e-mail, the first thing they consider is "what's in it for me?" They have a decision to make. Do they open your e-mail, leave it for later or delete it? If there is not something about the subject line that lets them know why it's worth their precious time to see what's inside, then the choice will be clear. Keep WIIFM in mind when creating every aspect of your e-mails, including the offer, content, images - and most definitely the subject line. It's all about them. They know that; just make sure you know it, too.

5. Get personal. The more you can make each contact feel you're speaking directly to them, the more effective your communication will be. Whatever style of subject line you use, you can make it personal by using the word "you." Professional copywriters know the secret of using this powerful little word. Just look at the advertisements, mail and e-mail you receive. A few examples are, "Find the right swimsuit for you," "You can save 50 percent on travel," and "You're look phenomenal in a custom-tailored suit." "You" is ideal, but "your" works too.

6. Not sure which approach is right for you? Try them all, and then show a friend or colleague to get their feedback. Pick the one you believe will be most effective for your audience. Whichever approach you choose, it's always worth spending the time and effort to write a great subject line. Because if your readers do not open your e-mail, they'll never have the chance to read the important message you've created for them inside.

Topic 2 ~ Increase Click-Through Rate (CTR) ~

How to Increases Click-Through Rate (CTR)?

Here are some guidelines:

1. Include a feature, a benefit, and an advantage in the opening. This needs to be used in a subtle way, but in the opening you're really doing a small marketing job for this issue of your email newsletter. Highlight an article or two that are important, explain what you're providing the readers that they will not get elsewhere, and tell them what the benefit will be. A great example is something like "Nokia and Sprint announced second quarter earnings today. Learn what our Wireless Week experts say about the results, and what effect you can expect them to have on the industry at large."

2. Put the email newsletter in the context of your readers' day. This goes hand in hand with the last point. Your readers are busy, and if you can make a compelling case for why they should stop what they are doing and take a few minutes now to read your email newsletter, you'll get them in. We recommend editors reference important events, upcoming trade shows, or other things that say to the reader "You will find it worthwhile to stop and read this email newsletter now, because the information in it will help you stay on top of your business."

3. Keep it fresh. Do not craft a "perfect paragraph" and use it issue after issue after issue. One of the keys to success is to keep the copy fresh and highlight items in that issue of the email newsletter. If you use the same generic language repeatedly, people will stop reading it and it'll be a waste of your time.

4. Keep it short. This is critical. We recommend no more than two to three sentences - just enough to get them interested and pull them in to read the rest of your email newsletter.

Try it out and see the results! This is just one of the simple things you can do to engage your reader and optimize your CTR.

Topic 3 ~ Killer Email Sales Letter ~

How to Write Killer Email Sales Letter That Get Results?

Here are what we've found works best. Use these tips correctly and your results will skyrocket.

1. Your email "from" sender line should be your brand name or company name and stay consistent. Use your own personal name only if that is your brand image.

2. Send emails only when you have something to say that will benefit the reader. No fluff. No filler. You must be relevant. If you can not be, do not send an email until you have something beneficial to say.

3. Start your emails with the specific benefit the reader can get from your message. You have no more than 3 seconds to pass the crucial "what's in it for me?" test.

4. The copywriting tone and language should be personal and conversational, instead of stuffy and "corporate".

5. Make a specific offer to the reader and, if possible, include a short deadline by which he must respond to get it.

6. Use as much copy as is needed to fully pile on all the benefits the reader will get by ordering, answer objections, create urgency, and close the sale.

7. Test your subject lines and offers on small segments of your list before you send the email to your entire list.

8. Include "Email this to a friend" service in all your communications for pass along and viral marketing.

Topic 4 ~ Good Call-to-Action ~

Get More Clicks With a Good Call-to-Action!

The call-to-action is a determining factor of your click-through rate. It is an important component of your email copy because it answers three important questions for the recipient. They are:

1. What you want them to do

2. Why they should do it, and

3. How to take that next step.

Whatever action you want your recipients to take, you can make it happen more often with a good call-to-action. First, decide what you want them to do:

1. Buy something

2. Sign up for a service

3. Fill out a form

4. Read an article or get more information

5. Visit your website or store

6. Make an appointment

Etc ...

Then, make sure you incorporate these 6 characteristics to get the results you're looking for. Make your call-to action:

1. Visible - People read, react, make decisions and take action differently. Some make decisions right away ("You had me at hello.") And some need more details ("I'm from Missouri."). Place call-to-action links in the beginning, middle and end of the email so that recipients can click whenever they are ready.

2. Clear - Stick to simple words, short phrases, bulleted benefits and paragraphs of 1-3 short sentences. Include appropriate graphics and cut the clutter by making effective use of white space.

3. Compelling - Use action-oriented verbs and phrases: "buy now," "call today," "save" and so on.

4. Rewarding - Offer an incentive or reward for action. For example, "Act now and also receives ...," or "the First 100 responders will be entered into a raffle to win ..." The giveaway, or prize, you choose should be closely related to your product or service. That way, you will be targeting customers who are interested in what you have to offer, not just the latest gadget.

5. Urgent - The longer an email sits in an inbox, the less likely it is to be acted on. Create a sense of urgency to get a more immediate response. Try limiting the offer to a specific time period, to the "first 50 customers," "while supplies last," etc.

6. Direct - Your call-to-action links should go to the appropriate page on your website with more details on the specific product or service you're promoting. If you do not have a website, the call-to-action might be store locations to visit or a number to call for an appointment.

Keep in mind that, in addition to repeating your call-to-action, you can vary your call-to-action to appeal to different types of buyers (and to fit your sales cycle). For example: "Click here to buy now" will naturally work better with loyal customers. The softer, "Click here to learn more" may be better for newer prospects.

Topic 5 ~ Avoid Common Pitfalls ~

Read Your Email Message Backwards to Avoid Common Pitfalls

Here are some common problems to look out for:

1. Misspelled words - It's a good idea to spell-check a document, but it's not enough. A spell checker will not catch every error.

2. Wrong word used - This is why a spell checker is not enough. A spell checker will only flag words it does not recognize. It can not tell if a legitimate word is used incorrectly. Some words commonly confused: accept, except; your, you're; then, than; there, their, they're; cite, site, sight; lay, lie; loose, loosen, lose. Also, look out for missing "r" in the word "your." It's easy to overlook a sentence such as "Visit our Web site now to receive you free copy."

3. Grammar error - Again, if you know you're not a good writer, have someone else look your writing for grammatical errors. Mistakes make you look bad.

4. Punctuation error - This is another area where you'll benefit from a review by someone who knows their stuff. If you're determined to do it yourself, purchase a good grammar or style book. One of the most common punctuation problems: Too many stupid commas!

5. Vague or confusing statement - Make sure every sentence is crystal-clear. You do not want your promotional message to raise more questions than it answers.

6. Ilogical statement - Read over what you have written slowly. At the end of each paragraph, ask yourself: "Did that make sense?" Rewrite so that it does.

Topic 6 ~ Frequency of Sending Emails ~

How Often (Frequency) Should You Send Email?

There's no quick answer to the frequency question. It depends on the goals for your email and the type of content you send. Some rough guidelines:

1. Mail at least once a month. Mail less often than this, and you risk being forgotten by recipients. Monthly is the bare minimum if you want to keep your brand or company name top of mind (a common email goal).

2. Let content be your guide. Look at what you provide readers and you'll get a feel for proper frequency. Analyze how often the information changes and how quickly readers must receive it to act on it.

3. Work within your resources. A daily email requires many more resources than a monthly. Better a well-done monthly email than shoddy weekly or daily. It's recommended to start with a monthly. Once that's going smoothly, they can think about moving to weekly. You need to walk before you can run!

4. Watch for trends. Declining response, open, and click-through rates can be signs of list fatigue. Although some decrease is normal, watch carefully and cut back frequency if you see a problem. Do not assume if the unsubscribe rate is stable you're OK. Many people prefer to forward email directly to their delete folder rather than unsubscribe.

Topic 7 ~ Understanding Spam Filters ~

Understanding Spam Filters to Avoid Your Emails Get Junked!

If you send email campaigns long enough, you will inevitably run into spam filter issues. On average, you can expect 10-20% of your emails to just get lost in cyberspace, mostly due to overzealous spam filters. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. If you want to avoid getting your emails junked by spam filters, you have to understand how they work.

Generally speaking, spam filters look at a long list of criteria to judge whether or not your email is junk. For example, they might look for spammy phrases like "CLICK HERE!" Egypt "FREE! BUY NOW!". They'll assign points each time they see one of those phrases. Certain criteria get more points than others. Here's a sample of criteria from Spam Assassin, one of the most popular spam filters out there:

o Talks about lots of money (.93 points)

o Describes some sort of breach (.32 points)

o Looks like mortgage pitch (.297 points)

o Contains urgent matter (.288 points)

o Money back guarantee (2.051 points)

o Why Pay More? (1.249 points)

It's easy to use "spammy" keywords in your email without even knowing it. Here are some common ways marketers unwittingly trigger spam filters with their campaigns:

1. Using spammy phrases, like "Click here!" Egypt "Once in a lifetime opportunity!" too many times in your email. Sometimes, you can not avoid phrases like "FREE SHIPPING!" but use them sparingly, and do not do anything else risky.

2. Going crazy with exclamation points !!!!!!

3. USING ALL CAPS, WHICH IS LIKE YELLING IN EMAIL

4. Coloring their fonts bright red, or green

5. Coding sloppy HTML (such as converting a Microsoft Word file to HTML)

6. Creating an HTML email that's nothing but one big image, with no text (since spam filters can not read images, they assume you're a spammer that's trying to trick 'em)

7. Using the word "Test" in the subject line (agencies run into this all the time, when sending drafts to clients for approval)

Topic 8 ~ Why Email Marketing Does not Work? ~

If Your Email Marketing Does not Work, Think Again Why?

Before you arrive at the faulty conclusion that email marketing does not work, let's look at this from a different perspective for a moment that would make your emails ineffective.

First there's what you are writing in the body of the email. If this is your first attempt to get in touch with a prospect, what are you putting in the email? A dissertation? If it's longer than one or two paragraphs, it's too long. Look at your emails like an initial cold call. You need to laser in and deliver a compelling opening statement that's going to grab their interest and stimulate a conversation. Because there's no one to cut you off in an email or stop you from persistent pontification, people have a tendency to ramble on and on in an email, giving the prospect the life story of the product or service they want them to consider. Keep it short and focus on the one or two benefits, opening up the opportunity to have a dialogue. That's it.

Second, are you sending attachments in the first email? No attachments! It's hard enough sending an unsolicited email to a prospect. Now you're adding more barriers and increasing the opportunities of your email winding up in their spam box or junk email folder. Some people have filters on their email that if an attachment is sent it automatically gets deleted. No attachment until that information in the attachment is solicited by the person.

Third, html or text? Once again, with all the email filters people use today, you will increase your odds by sending a text message only rather than trying to get fancy with formatting, graphics and pictures. The prospect really does not care about how beautiful your email looks; they care about the core message. Beside, they will never even get a chance to see your beautiful masterpiece in an html email if it's winding up in the trash.

Finally, you are using way too many spam words. As mentioned, the largest enemy to email marketing or selling via email is the additional security that companies and individuals have on their network or computer. As such, the specific words you are using in the body of the email can be the culprit who is sending your email directly into the trash or spam box. In other words, you are using words that are often identified is spam and in turn, you email is getting flagged and deleted. Not even eye contact! The prospect is not getting a chance to, at the very least, see your email let alone read it and have a chance to respond accordingly.

Ending ~ Please Forward ~