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Reciprocal Linking Scams, What to Look for and How to Avoid Them
Reciprocal linking scams have increased immensely during the past year. Initially we thought that this problem only related to gambling and casino related websites but an audit of our commercial link partners suggests that it is a serious problem within the broader online community. Over the past eighteen months, we noticed that our page rank was slowly declining despite the fact that we were continually adding new link partners to our link directory. We had slipped from a five down to a two before we fina

o find this incredible box before they can open it.

A website template, no matter how beautifully designed or filled, is a box in the middle of a desert. Without adding content and description meta tags, titles, alternate content, proper use of text links and alternate navigation and registering the site with search engines, directories and obtaining useful links (to name but a few of the technical considerations), your pretty box may remain in the middle of that desert. It does no good for anyone if it isn’t findable on the web.

A website template is a pretty box. Pretty boxes make a difference or we wouldn’t all spend so much time wrapping all the gifts we give. Some people make their own boxes and wrapping paper –

New Habits, Rebounding Economy Help To Sell Giftware and Collectibles
Just a few years ago, when one thought of a home-based sales business, Tupperware, Avon and a host of multi-level marketing schemes might have come to mind. Today, however, changing market conditions and evolving consumer habits have converged to make home-based selling businesses a realistic opportunity with real profit potential.This is especially true in the world of collectibles and giftware. In years past, collectors—who are among the most discerning shoppers—had few avenues for conveniently finding and

I’ve seen articles (and websites) that suggest you can buy a website template and skip the expense of hiring a professional website designer. Recently, I read several testimonials from the very satisfied customers of a website template vendor that mentioned how quickly they were able to get their sites done. The template vendor commented that he/she had known people to complete their websites in around two hours.

With experiences and statements like these, it not surprising that more and more people are attempting to build websites themselves. I think that’s great in a way. For those of us who are concerned about the trends in the web industry and community, it’s great to see more people becoming web oriented and involved.

However, I think there is a misunderstanding by many of these people about what a website template really is – and is not. At this point, I think it only fair that I should mention that I am a professional website designer (the person you supposedly don’t need anymore). I should also mention that this is not my sole motivation for questioning this idea of templates replacing web designers. As a matter of fact, I think website templates are extremely useful. I recommend using them to my clients as a way of getting a great graphical look for their site. What I hope to convey is that template consumers need to know what they are and what they aren’t getting with a template.

Consider an analogy for templates: pretty boxes for very important gifts. If you buy a pretty box, and put all the right stuff inside it – won’t everybody want to open the box and use the contents? Doing it yourself will save time and money – so why not? Sounds good, and the people who wrote those testimonials would certainly think it was a good idea – right?

But let’s consider the contents of the box. Aren’t you the best possible source for information about your company, organization, product or service? Of course you are! So the content of your box is bound to be great – right? Well – yes and no. Good web designers know that their clients are the best sources for the information that needs to be presented on their websites. However, they recognize that not everyone can organize that information in the optimal way for inclusion in a web page. If the contents in the box are wonderful, but jumbled, or hard to get out of the box, people may not like the box (or worse yet – the owner of the box). Just as a badly considered gift (even a beautifully wrapped one) may offend someone, a poorly organized site can actually harm your efforts.

Take the analogy a bit further. Assume that all concerns about the content are dealt with: it’s perfectly organized and you’ve got a knack for writing copy that would make most professional journalists green with envy! Voila: great looking presentation, content and organization! Now you’ve got it made – or do you? Where is the box? Your audience needs to find this incredible box before they can open it.

A website template is a pretty box. Pretty boxes make a difference or we wouldn’t all spend so much time wrapping all the gifts we give. Some people make their own boxes and wrapping paper –

Creating A Vision and Mission
Business Essentials – Vision & MissionFor any business to succeed, it must know what it is about. It must be able to clearly describe why it is there, and what it is there to achieve. Developing a vision and mission statement is a way of articulating these ideas to yourself, your customers, your employees, and to the world at large.A Business Vision that Inspires! If you don’t know where you are heading, then you can make any choice and go in any direction (including backwa

A website template is a pretty box. Pretty boxes make a difference or we wouldn’t all spend so much time wrapping all the gifts we give. Some people make their own boxes and wrapping paper –

Religious Cult Leaders are Often Solo Professionals
The life of a religious cult leader is often one of stress and hard work. The game never ends and they must always be on 100% of the time so no one figures them out. Indeed, Religious Cult Leaders are often Solo Professionals, because they cannot let anyone get too close or they will figure the whole thing and then in their self righteousness, attempt to destroy all the religious cult leader has built.Sometimes religious cult leaders and Television Evangelists will work with a spouse to insure that they have

xes for very important gifts. If you buy a pretty box, and put all the right stuff inside it – won’t everybody want to open the box and use the contents? Doing it yourself will save time and money – so why not? Sounds good, and the people who wrote those testimonials would certainly think it was a good idea – right?

A website template is a pretty box. Pretty boxes make a difference or we wouldn’t all spend so much time wrapping all the gifts we give. Some people make their own boxes and wrapping paper –

Marketing and Design to Get the Most out of Your Website
Once you have figured out your what your focus should be,think of ideas on how you would like to see your site and sketch out each page. Start with the home page; this page should be about 3-5 paragraphs long. It should state who you are and what you do and guide the viewer to the rest of the site.Keep in mind that the average web browser will decide whether to leave or stay on your site in the first 6 seconds! So get their attention, but don‘t scare them away! (See our other article on how to write g

one can organize that information in the optimal way for inclusion in a web page. If the contents in the box are wonderful, but jumbled, or hard to get out of the box, people may not like the box (or worse yet – the owner of the box). Just as a badly considered gift (even a beautifully wrapped one) may offend someone, a poorly organized site can actually harm your efforts.

A website template is a pretty box. Pretty boxes make a difference or we wouldn’t all spend so much time wrapping all the gifts we give. Some people make their own boxes and wrapping paper –

Is It Ever Appropriate to Use Non-Native Language Translators?
“Quality is the most important thing.”“A translation must not sound like a translation – it should sound like an original text.”“We only ever allow translators to work into their native language.”It’s time to dig around some translation industry clich?s. For many buyers of translation, the quotations at the top of the page will be very familiar – and in many ways the statements are absolutely right. You would be unhappy to receive a translation that was low quality, that sounded like a translat

o find this incredible box before they can open it.

A website template is a pretty box. Pretty boxes make a difference or we wouldn’t all spend so much time wrapping all the gifts we give. Some people make their own boxes and wrapping paper – and that’s really great. But most of us buy mass-produced boxes and wrapping paper. It saves time and money. So do templates. But none of us would assume that boxes or wrapping paper would make up for a poor gift. Website templates make sense if they are kept in perspective as a specialization of labor in the production of websites. They are not however, a substitute for the experience, knowledge and judgment of professionals who have a vested interest in your success.

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Everybody's heard that you shouldn't ask about the salary on your first interview for a job. But when is the right time? Careers expert Liz Ryan shares her approach to broaching the salary issue.

When marketing ezines, most people use sign-up forms or pop-up forms on a current website. This may not be new to most people, but here's another spin on it. In addition to your pop-up or basic sign-up form on your site, why not add a page to your site, with a link on your home page, that does nothing but promote your ezine.

When designing an online portfolio, pay special attention to your colors, design elements, layout style, and content. Typically, artists and designers are the ones who have to obsess about these things; but really, if you are selling anything from a service to a tangible product, you need to be careful how you choose to design your presentations. Portfolios are no different from websites, inasmuch as they are highly organized presentations.

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