tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27930978338619019542024-03-13T06:42:30.803-07:00The Tech PlaneTechnology, and Business Simplified...Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-72399091833685261062013-03-03T12:49:00.000-08:002013-03-03T12:54:56.076-08:00Skills Required to Start your own Business: The Downside of Self-Employment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">People who make time to take an in-depth course on self-employment and business management significantly increase their chances of success. The new business that is thrown together on a hope and a dream without being thoroughly researched, or that started without enough working capital, could sadly become a failure statistic.<br />
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When economies experience a downturn, self-employment usually increases as people look to making their own job to survive when they can’t find a traditional one. As economies stabilize, self-employment often decreases. In good economic times, those finding the entrepreneurial road a bumpy one return to the workforce and a regular paycheck.<br />
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Who do you think suffers from a failed business? Not just the family, but the whole economy. A failed business means fewer dollars circulating in the local, state, and national economy, with suppliers left with bad debts that they can ill afford. Business failure is often the cause of divorce, so the more you are aware of what you are up against, the better armed you will be.<br />
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<b>Leaving the traditional workplace</b><br />
With all these challenges facing aspiring entrepreneurs, why do so many people want to leave their traditional jobs? Here are the most common reasons - and the reality behind them.<br />
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<b>More work, less pay</b><br />
Wages have not kept pace with inflation in the last few years, and in some cases, workplace conditions have become unbearably stressful for many employees. Forced to take on increased workloads through layoffs, they have worked under these stressful conditions for long periods. The pressure to have material “stuff” and to keep up with the Joneses is media-driven and relentless. Just visit any shopping mall in the evenings and over the weekend and observe North American shopaholics in action.<br />
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There comes a point for many when the measly paycheck is not worth the job-related stress. People opt for self-employment with the vision of controlling their destiny and experiencing profitable returns. If your new business is well planned, you’ll profit only after a couple of years of hard work. If you don’t plan properly, you work harder than in a salaried position and make less money.<br />
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<b>Stress-related illness and depression</b><br />
More employees are now taking stress leave, which has been recognized by doctors and employers as a serious by-product of this new millennium. Heart attacks at an earlier age are often linked to work pressures. Marriage failures are on the increase, one factor being financial problems caused by cutbacks and layoffs.<br />
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Unemployment can lead to depression. I can relate, first-hand, to the feelings of worthlessness, futility, and good old self-pity. Many people hope that owning their own business will solve their stress problem. However, being your own boss involves a high level of stress, too. You have no corporate pensions and benefits, and in most cases, no future retirement plans, all good reasons for you to set practical goals for your business and plan it out in detail. Planning will help to reduce negative stress by taking the guesswork out of your new venture.<br />
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<b>Unappreciative employers</b><br />
These days, people with secure positions are considered the lucky few. Some employees are treated abominably. Verbal abuse, sexual harassment and low wages are common complaints in today’s workforce. Financial pressures of struggling businesses are passed on to employees who are not getting the rewards and positive strokes necessary for sustained job motivation. Some corporations are now aware of these effects on employees and are taking steps to increase employee motivation, but many are not. The time eventually comes when one says, “Enough! I’m quitting! I’ll start my own business! I don’t deserve to be treated like this.”<br />
<b>Layoffs, downsizing, or no work</b><br />
The slowdown in the U.S. economy after 9/11 was felt for quite a few years. Many businesses did not survive, as is evident in the statistics on business start-ups and closures. In 2001 and 2002, business closures far exceeded business start-ups for the first time in many years, forcing many into self-employment. Government restructuring and changing technology both contribute to corporate downsizing. In these situations, many people turn to self-employment as an opportunity to generate income.<br />
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<b>Fewer opportunities for youth</b><br />
For educated young people, entrepreneurship is an exciting alternative to working for an employer for minimum wage when they have maximum qualifications. Young people have much to offer our economy with their new and innovative ideas, energy, and technological knowledge. There are many subsidized programs that encourage our youth to seek self-employment as a job alternative. However enthusiastic they may be, it is crucial for young people to be business-savvy before they make this important decision, because although they have great enthusiasm, they may lack the necessary experience.Young people often face the added frustrating challenge of not being taken seriously by adults and other business people.<br />
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<b>Incompetent employers</b><br />
Experienced employees often feel that their employers are not particularly competent. Some get tired of working under these conditions, feeling that they have the experience and ability to strike out on their own. However, being an expert in one area does not constitute expertise as a businessperson. When you switch from a job with one area of responsibility - such as head of human resources - to managing all aspects of your own business, it is quite a change of wardrobes.<br />
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<b>Family juggling and home-based businesses</b><br />
Operating a home-based business has become a popular way for people juggling family responsibilities to earn an income and attend to family needs. More women are operating from home and trying to achieve a balancing act. Many find themselves caught up in a constant struggle for time, are usually stressed, and are always “too busy.” It works for some, but it takes discipline and commitment to strive for that perfect balance. I haven’t quite found it yet.<br />
Many baby boomers are also facing the responsibility of looking after aging parents in their home and choose self-employment as a way to juggle yet another family ball. Coping with my ninety-five-year-old mother, I can honestly say that it is quite a time-consuming responsibility.<br />
Home-based businesses are also promoted as great tax write-offs, but they do have their disadvantages.<br />
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<b>Leaving the boss behind</b><br />
No one enjoys being told what to do. When you are your own boss, you, and you alone, are responsible for all decisions. There is a certain pride in the words, “I have my own business,” or “I am going into business for myself.” As much as you may not enjoy being told what to do, at least you had direction in your old job. As an entrepreneur, you are the one who makes all the decisions. What a responsibility! Who shoulders the blame when things go wrong? You, of course.<br />
That’s a heavy load to place upon yourself, so let’s hope you are not a procrastinator, and that you have confidence in your business acumen. It can be lonely at the top.<br />
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<b>Fingertip technology</b><br />
With the advent of the home computer and continual new advances in technology, many new and exciting businesses can be operated from home or with a small capital outlay.With the Internet comes easier accessibility to information, clients, and, for many, a career. Webpage design and online business-to-business ventures didn't really exist ten years ago. The world is at your fingertips. Using technology to operate your business is essential these days, but if you are looking to start a Web-based business, tread carefully. Remember that many dot-coms are now not-dot-coms.<br />
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<b>The baby boomer upsurge</b><br />
North America is quickly becoming populated by geriatrics. Many corporations who downsize offer early severance packages to long-term employees, who at fifty-something don’t feel ready to put up their feet and plant petunias.To many, self-employment is an attractive option, particularly as they have the time and usually the buyout financial resources to explore this option. The downside is that many have been employees with attractive benefit packages for dozens of years, and the transition to becoming an entrepreneur is a difficult one.<br />
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Source: Business For Beginners, by Frances McGuckin.
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Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-67127169611373749092013-03-03T12:29:00.001-08:002013-03-03T12:49:04.718-08:00Skills Required to Start your own Business: Branding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Developing your corporate image - or "branding"</b><br />
Every facet of your operation needs to be branded with your distinct identity to let people know who you are and what you do. A combination of your name, logo, slogan, mission statement, and corporate theme should be used extensively throughout your marketing.<br />
We all recognize large corporations’ branding - such as Kodak or Sears - but even a small, one-person business can brand themselves and become well known. Consult with a graphic designer to help you project a professional image, as first impressions are important and open doors for you. Let’s briefly look at the components of branding:<br />
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<li><b>Name:</b> Make your name work for you and tell people what you do.ABC Enterprises says nothing about you, whereas Professional Personnel Services does. It also projects a professional image.</li>
<li><b>Logo:</b> A logo graphically expresses who you are. Although not necessary for a small business, it adds a professional touch and helps people identify your business.We all recognize those golden arches.</li>
<li><b>Slogan:</b> A short slogan becomes an extension of your name, further describing what you do. Think of the many slogans you instantly associate with larger companies. Living in a rural area, I never forget our local septic tank company’s slogan, “Your Business Is Our Business.”</li>
<li><b>Mission statement:</b> A short statement of your beliefs and goals describes your commitment to customers and commits you in writing to strive for those goals. Customers like to see mission statements because they silently imply “we care about you.” Splash your commitment onto all promotional materials, business cards, and your website, then frame the words on the office wall.</li>
<li><b>Corporate color theme:</b> Choose a corporate color theme that remains consistent and is used on all correspondence, marketing materials, and signs. This cements your branding. Look around your community, in newspapers, and at advertisements to study various branding techniques.</li>
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<b>Providing exceptional customer service</b></div>
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Customers can be demanding and impatient in our busy society. Some expect something for nothing and still complain, but mostly, people are easy to get along with if you take good care of them. For a small business, service is the one area where you have to excel to set yourself apart. </div>
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Clients expect both service and competitive prices.We all know how fast negative comments spread on the grapevine, so an unhappy client will spread negativity ten times faster than a positive referral.Your task is to perfect every aspect of your service, so review these important service components:</div>
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<li><b>Guarantees:</b> Know what kind of guarantees you will offer and promote these in your marketing. Familiarize yourself with clients’ needs and expectations, and if you can’t meet them, tell customers before a sale rather than performing inadequately or selling them the wrong product.</li>
<li><b>Personal service:</b> Remember, customers are always right, even when they are wrong, so don’t argue with them. Treat them as you expect to be treated. Remember names, faces, and family details. This shows that you are attentive and care.</li>
<li><b>Telephone manners:</b> A sale can be lost or gained by that first call, so your communication skills must work overtime. Be polite, interested, friendly, and positive, and be available by phone. If your advertisements are on the radio at 7 p.m. every evening or the talk show you just appeared on is at 8 p.m., make sure your phone is answered at these times.</li>
<li><b>Employees:</b> Your receptionist or traffic controller - which may initially be you - is the direct link between you and your customers. Customers will either come to you or be diverted to the competition, dependent on how they are initially treated. Your employees must believe in you and your business and be willing to happily service customers. Train them well and treat them fairly - they are an important component of your business.</li>
<li><b>Physical appearance:</b> Your employees, premises or office, vehicles, and you should always be clean and presentable.</li>
<li><b>Follow-up:</b> Contact customers after a sale to ask whether they are satisfied or if there were any problems. Honor time and price commitments, even if you have made a mistake. If promised delivery dates cannot be met, call your customer immediately, apologize, and reschedule.</li>
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<b>Creating customer loyalty</b></div>
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Building a successful business means that you need repeat business. Unfortunately, for some, their loyalty lies with their bank accounts. You can’t blame people for watching their shrinking dollars, so how are you going to keep customers? Use simple strategies, including excellent service. Offer incentives, such as additional discounts for regular business, a company coffee mug, or chocolates at Christmas. Thank them for coming in and have a coffee pot and cookies available.</div>
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<b>Show That You Care:</b> Be good to your customers and they will refer you. When this happens, send a thank-you card. If you meet on the street or at a dinner party, warmly acknowledge them. Even if you charge a little more than competitors, they’ll become loyal to you. The fact that you took time out from your busy day to say thank you or to chat is not forgotten. It’s the small touches that make big impressions.</div>
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Think of simple ways to entice customers back. Our local bakery gives cookies to children. The deli gives a dozen buns free with orders over $9. The local independent supermarket always has free coffee available, along with drawing and suggestion boxes. Cashiers willingly pack and wheel your groceries to the car. Senior citizens get a 10 percent discount on Sundays and a free weekly grocery delivery service. These small stores have successfully sustained a strong customer base for twenty years.</div>
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Source: Business For Beginners, by Frances McGuckin.</div>
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Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-39803958019583372922012-11-15T12:55:00.000-08:002012-11-20T13:45:14.546-08:00Buying a Property in Eastern Europe: Rent - Try Before your Buy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OQZIwTxYTCeC99sjmGfpn8YjqgEtTZDDGA715J0tYSqyj5dS1xajJtwqvZ52N7vbIxSNnm5d19-Gh0tkr33Kjx7cmkG7e26QLtZuVsEOj7uxjv-koyBD3VCJf8y20w21kgZ_wsW7PLMm/s1600/eurnt0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OQZIwTxYTCeC99sjmGfpn8YjqgEtTZDDGA715J0tYSqyj5dS1xajJtwqvZ52N7vbIxSNnm5d19-Gh0tkr33Kjx7cmkG7e26QLtZuVsEOj7uxjv-koyBD3VCJf8y20w21kgZ_wsW7PLMm/s200/eurnt0.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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Buying a property anywhere outside your own city borders can be a time-consuming and frustrating business, and buying abroad often adds more layers of complexity with almost certain additional delays.</div>
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You may not know exactly where in your chosen country you want to buy, or you may even be less than certain about the country itself. Renting – or finding some other way to stay in a country for a few weeks or months – is one option that can enable you to make informed purchasing choices.</div>
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However, renting carries some notable risks and complexities. For example, renting almost always has tax and legal implications. Here we review the pros and cons of renting in your chosen country so that you can decide whether it is the right course of action for your needs. we also look at the profit potential and possible pitfalls of renting out both your new property and the one you are leaving behind.</div>
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Both are ways to generate some valuable cash, but finding good tenants and maintaining a rental property from a distance can be daunting endeavors.</div>
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<b>Renting before Buying</b></div>
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The most compelling reason for renting before purchasing property in Eastern Europe is that you can try before you buy. If, even after careful research, you find that the region, country, or even the type of property you thought was right for you is less than ideal, you can move out of temporary rented accommodation with relatively little pain or cost.</div>
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Taking short-term or holiday rentals in several countries that are on your short list of desirable locations gives you a chance to compare and contrast. Renting enables you to be more certain that the area you choose to buy in is a good long-term bet for you.</div>
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An effective way to use renting to refine your property research process is to return to the same area at different times of the year, perhaps renting different types of property. A highly desirable country location that is bustling with people in the summer may turn into a very lonely place in winter when the visitors have gone and the restaurants and bars have shut down.</div>
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Another big advantage of living in an area temporarily while looking for a property to buy is that you have a better chance of widening your network of contacts in the housing market. Spread the word that you are looking for a particular type of property, and in no time the owner of your favorite restaurant may introduce you to properties that his friends and relatives are thinking of putting on the market and so give you a slight lead before they come on to general release.</div>
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The principal disadvantage of renting really only comes into play if you are investing in property in a sharply rising market or one with a great scarcity of the type of property you are looking for. In these markets, you may miss out on the type of property you're most interested in purchasing, or maybe the type of property you're seeking just doesn't exist yet. The followings offer advice for locating rentals – as well as non- traditional ideas for temporarily locating to an area in which you're interested in purchasing property.</div>
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<b>Searching for rental properties</b></div>
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Throughout Eastern Europe, properties for rent are advertised in the local papers and in estate agents' windows. Also check out small ads in shop windows and notice boards in supermarkets, colleges, and universities for desirable proprieties.</div>
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Of course, you don't have to wait until you get to your chosen country to hunt out a place to rent short or long term. Look at any of the newspapers, magazines, and Web sites you're using to find properties to buy for help in identifying potential rentals.</div>
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When I bought my first overseas property, I asked a local estate agent to find me a house to rent while I looked around the region. The agent appreciated my request because he was able to do one of his clients a favor by finding them a temporary tenant. And he eventually did himself a favor by selling me a house. So consider pumping your lawyer, estate agent, or anyone else you are going to use as part of your house-search team to help you locate rental properties.</div>
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If you think you may need months rather than weeks to find a property to buy, consider your creature comforts carefully. You don't want your first experience of living in a new country to be soured by renting unseen a place that turns out to be a disaster. Consider taking a room at a reliable hotel or renting a holiday apartment for a week or two while you look around for somewhere to rent longer term.</div>
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<b>Exploring other temporary residence options</b></div>
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If renting a home or any property doesn't make sense for your circumstances – perhaps you plan to move around a country frequently – you can consider other ways to find short- to longer-term lodgings in Eastern Europe by living in a hotel, agreeing to house sit, or participating in a house-swap program.</div>
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<b>Living in a hotel</b></div>
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If you want to see and experience a number of different areas of a country or countries before you settle down to the serious business of buying a property, you can always stay in hotels. Most of the countries(With little research) are awash with inexpensive places to stay for a few days, weeks, or months – without having to commit yourself to renting an apartment or villa for months at a time. At the lower end of the scale, staying in a room in a private house can cost as little as €5 (£3.5) a night, while a two-star hotel with half board runs to €15–€35 (£10–24) a night. You can knock off as much as 40 per cent of these costs by staying for a week or more outside of high season. You can also check for bargain hotel breaks on Websites such as the following:</div>
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<a href="http://www.expedia.com/">www.expedia.com</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lastminute.com/">www.lastminute.com</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.travelocity.com/">www.travelocity.com</a></div>
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Some new search engines – operating on the principle of 'search with us, book with them' – offers even more efficient at sniffing out bargain hotel rooms. These sites include:</div>
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<a href="http://www.kayak.com/">www.kayak.com</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mobisso.com/">www.mobisso.com</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sidestep.com/">www.sidestep.com</a>
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Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-6442291599791857232012-11-15T12:16:00.001-08:002012-11-15T12:16:57.713-08:00Buying a Property in Eastern Europe: Researching the Market - Using the Internet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Internet can be a great way to find out a little about the property market in a particular area relatively quickly from the comfort of your own home.<br />
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Hundreds of Web sites offer (or claim to offer) comprehensive details on property in Eastern and Central Europe. While the Internet is a useful starting point for your research, do not consider it the end of your process. As you search online, you're sure to encounter many sites promoting proper- ties off plan, which means that building work may well not even have started and a completed apartment or villa may be years away.<br />
Often off-plan Internet sites show a convincing computer image of the property on offer and invite you to 'reserve' your villa or apartment for a mere £500, usually payable online using your credit card. You must understand that you are getting absolutely nothing concrete for your money and that you have little chance of recovering any investment if the property is not completed for years or – worse – never completed.<br />
The following Internet property sites cover most of the countries I include in this guide. However, this is not an exhaustive list; sites come and go all the time.<br />
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<li> <a href="http://www.europerealestatedirectory.net/">www.europerealestatedirectory.net</a> is a portal with links to about 60 brokers selling property throughout Europe.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.oliproperties.com/oliproperties">www.oliproperties.com/oliproperties</a> accepts registration from any individual or agent who has property to sell or let, both residential and commercial. The site lists more then 9,000 properties in countries including Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, and Turkey. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.primelocation.com/international-property">www.primelocation.com/international-property</a> was launched in 2001 by a consortium of more than 200 leading independent estate agents across the UK who wanted to be in the vanguard of online property marketing. In 2006, the company was bought by Daily Mail & General Holdings Limited as part of its further expansion into the online business sector. The site’s international section carries more than 50,000 properties from estate agents in more than 40 countries, including Cyprus, Croatia, and Bulgaria. The site has a search engine for filtering property by country, price, and for sale or for rent. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.propertyfinder.com/property/international">www.propertyfinder.com/property/international</a> has links to 270,000 properties for sale or rent, covering all the countries in this book. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.propertiesabroad.com/">www.propertiesabroad.com</a> (which is not to be confused with the less helpful property-abroad.com) offers strong listings, primarily in Turkey and Cyprus, but its scope is extending fast. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.property-abroad.com/">www.property-abroad.com</a> is a family-run business set up by Les Calvert and features more than 28,000 properties in more than 42 countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, and Turkey. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.themovechannel.com/">www.themovechannel.com</a> was founded in 1999 by Dan Johnson. The site started life as a simple guide to the buying procedures for residential properties in the UK, but with 200 partners it now covers buying guides and property listings for nearly 100 countries, including all the countries this book talks about. The site has an amazing filter allowing you to pre-select properties to view by a host of specialized criteria, including ski property, golf property, renovation projects, and commercial property. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.remax.com/">www.remax.com</a> is a franchised estate agent network with 5,400 offices in more than 50 countries, including all the nations covered in this book. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.viviun.com/Real_Estate/Central_and_Eastern_Europe">www.viviun.com/Real_Estate/Central_and_Eastern_Europe</a> currently has more than 6,300 listings in countries that include Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.worldrealtynews.com/">www.worldrealtynews.com</a> carries 700 properties including those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic Hungary, Malta, and Turkey.</li>
</ul>
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Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-35005742635677696322012-09-22T18:27:00.002-07:002012-09-22T18:27:56.220-07:0021 Best Stock Market Secrets <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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These 21 simple yet effective secrets will make you more informed, empowered and confidence for better all-the-way investing success.</div>
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<b>1. Anticipate rate increases with these indices</b></div>
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Wouldn't it be great if you could read Alan Greenspan's mind? Follow the National Association of Purchasing Management Production and Price indices, and you’ll get a handle on what the Federal Reserve Bank is going to do.Values above 50 in these indices mean production and price increases are speeding up; below 50,that they're slowing down. Whenever both have risen above 60 at the same time, the Fed chairman has responded by raising the discount rate. - Bloomberg Personal Finance<b><br /></b><div style="text-align: left;">
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<b>2. Simple questions help investors pick winners</b></div>
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Confused by all the factors that others use to pick stocks? Simple screening techniques involve"Yes" answers to questions like these: Does the company have a strong brand position within a growing industry? Is the company gaining or at least maintaining market share? Other questions include whether the company's strategy makes sense, and whether it's focused on a single set of products and services.— Kiplinger’s Personal Finance</div>
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<b>3. Keep up with whisper numbers on the Web</b></div>
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Now you can get a sneak peek at the whisper numbers - insider estimates on corporate earnings - that can have a dramatic effect on the market. Several websites, such as <a href="http://whispernumbers.com/">whispernumbers.com</a>, <a href="http://earningswhispers.com/">earningswhispers.com</a>, and <a href="http://streetiq.com/">streetiq.com</a>, offer the general public a look at what Wall Street insiders already know. Since stock prices can turn on these numbers, it pays to be in the know. - Online Investor</div>
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<b>4. Ride safe with convertibles</b></div>
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Still searching for the silver lining in the technology sell-off cloud? Try looking into convertible bonds. Converts are a higher yield over the stock and a more senior claim on assets in case of bankruptcy; you get equity exposure without undertaking the full risk of a common stock position. A convertible slides toward either the stock or the bond side. When the underlying common rises, it trades more like stock, and its fixed-income characteristics become less important to its value.- Forbes</div>
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<b>5. Winning tech stocks tackle impossible jobs</b></div>
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Even if you're wary of the Net stock bandwagon,experts say you should try to keep about 30% of your portfolio in tech. One of the pros’ tricks for picking tech stocks is to choose those with business models that could never have been achieved without the Net. Stocks like eBay, for instance, allow a collaborative integration of previously impossible or difficult things. Another tip: pick Net companies with the momentum of sales growth beating the momentum of expense growth.- The Industry Standard</div>
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<b>6. Warning: Steer clear of stock fraud</b></div>
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Unscrupulous scoundrels are out there to take advantage of investors. Peruse issuers’ public filing sand find the red flags: stock issued via warrants,convertible debt, or bridge loans that convert to stock-visit the Edgar database at sec. gov. Also, whenever you deal with new brokers, be sure to ask for their personal, and their firms’, disciplinary records. Be skeptical, and check out promoters who boast stocks cheaper than $5 a share.- Kiplinger’s Personal Finance</div>
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<b>7. Volume is as crucial as price in market watch</b></div>
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Although pricing data is the most commonly-used indicator in analyzing stocks and the market,there's another, independent indicator that should be used to confirm price action. Volume is extremely useful for such indications as an impending bear market. Normally, volume rises with prices. However, rising prices and falling volume, or falling prices and rising volume, are clues that the market is about to take a dive.- Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities</div>
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<b>8. Stop yourself from making buy, sell mistakes</b></div>
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If you're unsure about your buying and selling skills, as many investors are, try setting some limits for yourself. Use stop orders to be satisfied with 10-15% gains and similar losses. This kind of self-discipline prevents you from panic selling, and most particularly from having to worry about when to get out of a losing position-one of the hardest things most investors have to do.- Online Investor</div>
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<b>9. Standbys are essential for secure success</b></div>
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"Dotcoms" will continue to come and go, so it pays(literally) to keep a diverse portfolio. Holding shares in financials, consumer goods, and pharmaceuticals will keep you financially dry when it rains on the Wall Street tech parade. Investing in one of these indices can help smooth out the peaks and valleys in a portfolio.-The Kiplinger Letter</div>
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<b>10. Get on the right path with a good tracker</b></div>
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Checking the markets in the newspaper limits your info. Use a Web-based tracker to check your investments. Sophisticated trackers help you keep a handle on your asset allocation; track your capital gains; alert you to buy or sell; and even allow you to easily copy your portfolio. You will also be able to record all your investments -stocks, funds, and cash- and display them on the screen.- Online Investor</div>
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<b>11. Buy from both ends</b></div>
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Truly conservative investors take the path of least risk. Check out the routes you typically leave uncharted, and devote at least some money to more growth-oriented companies. Covering all your bases-playing truly conservative-will certainly benefit when the road gets rough. Keep the bulk of your assets in a laid-back portfolio and put a sliver in a more-aggressive group of stocks.- Kiplinger’s Personal Finance</div>
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<b>12. Trading workstation can make decisions a snap</b></div>
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Do you need your trading decisions to be simple and direct, with real-time market information to back them up? Check out Prophet Station, anew screening workstation that's fast, flexible,and above all, easy to use. ProphetStation (<a href="http://prophetfinance.com/">prophetfinance.com</a>) boasts strong customer support and is altogether an excellent option for online traders who base their trading on simple principles.- Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities</div>
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<b>13. Stock analysis is easy as 1-2-3</b></div>
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The basics of stock analysis aren't hard to master- if you know what they are, and where to get the information. The first question you should ask is "What does the company do?" Look at the shareholder letter in the annual report, andyou’ll get the answer. Question #2 is,"How fast is the company growing?"The answer lies in the income statement in the quarterly and annual reports.- Morningstar Stock Investor</div>
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<b>14. Know thyself: Trade when you're at your peak</b></div>
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Traders who hit the markets on a bad day are headed for disaster. Among the questions you should ask yourself before trading every day is "Could I concentrate on a game of chess to beat a strong opponent right now? "If the answer is no, you're not ready to compete with the big boys in the market today. Other factors that effect trading performance are recent wins and losses, and whether you've been following a good trading plan in making those trades.- Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities</div>
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<b>15. Accounts receivable hold clue to success</b></div>
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Looking for the truth in a maze of high-tech startups and upstarts? Find out where the bodies are buried by taking a look at quarterly balance sheets, in particular accounts receivable. Divide receivables by average sales per day to determine how fast a company collects. A good number, like Microsoft's, would be about 45 days. Taking more than six months to collect is bad news.- The Industry Standard</div>
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<b>16. Time to ease out of tech and into bonds</b></div>
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With certain corrections going on in the market, it might be a good time to consider scaling back the percentage of your portfolio that's in tech stocks. Instead, consider buying high-quality bonds,which may well outperform the average stock between now and the next recession. When growth slows and interest rates drop again,bond prices rise. Also, the U.S. Treasury's plans to buy back most of its outstanding debt are causing long-term Treasury bonds to soar.- Your Money</div>
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<b>17. Day-trading pros must pick professional venue</b></div>
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Serious day-trader wannabes must find reputable,quality off-floor venues where they can ply their trade. One crucial thing to look for in a company is a cost to you of one and a half to two cents per share and no more. Keeping your trade costs down is crucial because professionals know that even the best traders have good years and bad months too. Any firm that relies on the current hot market streak and gouges you for more isn't a place you want to trade. - Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities</div>
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<b>18. Selling is such sweet sorrow</b></div>
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Although you should know when it’s time to sell,being overprotective and watching your stocks’every move is not the way. Review annually and set up an early-warning system. If you review more often, you’re probably not giving some stars a chance to shine. Scheduling a December review will allow you to match gains with losses for tax purposes just in time for tax-planning season.- Bloomberg Personal Finance</div>
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<b>19. CEOs welcome investors to the conference room</b></div>
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Companies are understanding that their needs coincide with investors’ and are making efforts to be more personal. Visit a corporate website and access everything from the latest figures to executive speeches. Learn what institutional investors know, and possibly figure out something they haven’t!The Securities and Exchange Commission wants to change the rules of disclosure, proposing that large and small investors receive information at the same time. - Bloomberg Personal Finance</div>
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<b>20. Stay on top of overlaps</b></div>
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Are you building your portfolio for diversity? Are you sure you're not sabotaging yourself? Make informed decisions when you diversify. Overlaps could creep up and undermine your efforts; funds that have a lot of overlap move up and down together, causing too much exposure to one sector and that’s risky business!Know how funds fit into your overall portfolio. There's software available to help you reduce overlaps.- Bloomberg Personal Finance</div>
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<b>21. Don’t bank on stocks staying down</b></div>
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The best things - including big payoffs - come to those who wait. Buy bank stocks, even though they may be seemingly beaten. Their profits continue to grow, modestly at the very least,regardless of climbing interest rates. An exercise in patience is in order: be prepared to hold your shares until interest rates stabilize, and ready to profit when bank stocks rebound.- Morningstar Stock Investor</div>
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Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-72474097999009953432012-03-21T16:01:00.002-07:002012-03-21T16:08:40.984-07:00Building a Business Plan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5TAnwdZ18EGHj3NwGKwOSIy5XxjNQjTNM560lhDqJoL6-3J6rtTURR9Xq57BXR08UGG1wjEAl3HC0VeTBE74U6nYxCSHYHEdR6mM-rE474T3wooHqyqEPlaEF_syfEc_AeLheyRhfU4G/s1600/bspln0.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5TAnwdZ18EGHj3NwGKwOSIy5XxjNQjTNM560lhDqJoL6-3J6rtTURR9Xq57BXR08UGG1wjEAl3HC0VeTBE74U6nYxCSHYHEdR6mM-rE474T3wooHqyqEPlaEF_syfEc_AeLheyRhfU4G/s200/bspln0.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Planning, planning and planning. It's all about creating a concrete road to walk into. Here we will know why and how to do establish it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Why do i need a business plan?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">You have probably discovered by now that there is more to starting a business than you first thought. There is so much to learn and gather that it can become quite overwhelming. Have you assessed whether you are an entrepreneur at heart and ready for the challenge? Do you have a good indication of the type of business you want? This next step will test your theories and indicate whether to proceed further.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A business plan is a necessary tool for all businesses. Just as a home is not built without blueprints or a movie made without a script, you don't start a business without a sound and workable blueprint. You now take the information you have gathered and put those ideas formally onto paper.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">You will learn how much you need to borrow, whether you can afford to borrow , your break-even point, and whether the business can afford to pay you a satisfactory wage. People often prepare a plan and start crunching numbers,only to discover that their idea needs reworking or is not financially viable. It is better to discover this on paper rather than after you've started.</div><br />
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<b>Where do you find help with business plans?</b><br />
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<div style="float: right; margin: 0 10px 10px 0;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS1=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=asb02-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1402203926" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With the Internet, sample plans can be freely downloaded and used as a reference. Most banks and large accounting companies have publications or media to help you. As well, try the following resources:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>*Small Business Administration</i>: Before you start your business plan,make an appointment with your local Small Business Administration center to discuss what type of information your business plan should contain. This will save you a great deal of time and energy and start you in the right direction. They also have loads of resources.Website: <a href="http://www.sba.gov/">www.sba.gov</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>*Entrepreneur Magazine</i>: Everything you need to know about business plans, including articles, sample plans, and loads of links to nationwide resources.Website: <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/">www.entrepreneur.com</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>*Center for Business Planning</i>: Offers samples of winning business plans,software, resources, links, and helpful articles.Website: <a href="http://www.businessplans.org/">www.businessplans.org</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>*Small Business Development Center</i>: Offers nearly thirty industry specific business plans, a virtual business plan tour, software and loads of information.Website: <a href="http://www.sbdcnet.utsa.edu.sbic/bplans.htm">www.sbdcnet.utsa.edu.SBIC/bplans.htm</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>*Planware</i>: Offers free downloadable business planning software, a 65 page guide, financial and strategic planners and free online advice.Website: <a href="http://www.planware.org/busplan.htm">www.planware.org/busplan.htm</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>*BPlans.com</i>: This site offers over 250 plans, many of them industry specific,and is a mine of information and resources.Website: <a href="http://www.bplans.com/">www.bplans.com</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Expect to spend anywhere from two weeks to a few months in completing research and putting the plan together, and don't be on a hurry. Some people hire a consultant or accountant to prepare their whole plan, which isn't a good idea, because you need to have answers to all the questions to operate your business successfully, confidently - and to satisfy a lender or investor.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What Is in a "Business Plan"?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Follow a plan format that ensures you research all the important areas of your business, and if it is being used for lending or investment purposes, that you have provided all the information that lenders need.Your first task is to decide why you are preparing this plan. Answer these questions:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Why am I preparing this plan?</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Who else will be reading it?</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Why will they be reading it?</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">What do they need to know?</li>
</ul><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Know Your Goals and Objectives, by knowing why you are preparing this plan,you can save time and effort by focusing on the important areas. Business plans often contain filler information that is not pertinent. Look at sample plans from the sites mentioned earlier to get an idea. If you need to borrow funds, ask the lending institution exactly what is required.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">The size of the final document will be dependent on the size and complexity of your business and whether you are looking for outside funding.The end result should be professionally presented, with typewritten pages and a table of contents, and securely bound. You should include the following outlines:</div></div><div><br />
</div><div><div style="float: right; margin: 0 10px 10px 0;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS1=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=asb02-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1599183870" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. <b>Executive summary.</b> The executive summary should be no longer than two pages. Prepare it after the plan is complete, as it summarizes the whole plan in a nutshell. Make it dynamic and exciting to generate the reader's interest. Loans officers or investors have read copious plans and tend to skip through them if they get bored.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. <b>The company. </b>Introduce the business in more detail, outlining your type of business, giving its history (if you are purchasing an existing business) or an outline of the new business's products or services.With an existing business, highlight any recent special achievements.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. <b>Products and services. </b>Your business is all about selling services or products, so ensure that what you are offering is marketable and profitable.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. <b>Marketing strategies.</b> Refer to both market research and how you plan to market your business. As marketing is a key component to the success of your business, prepare this section in depth.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. <b>Operational information. </b>Plan how you will operate your business, from overhead costs to distribution channels.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. <b>Financial information. </b>The viability of your new venture will culminate when you prepare projections of income, expenses, and cash flow, and when you review how much money you may require. Even if you are not borrowing money, projections and cash flows facilitate making many future decisions.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. <b>Funding requirements. </b></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. <b>Appendix. </b>Include copies of any documents that back up and strengthen the information in your business plan, including:</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Up-to-date financial statements from the business you are purchasing</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Personal statements of net worth</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Letters of reference and letters of intent</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Product pictures or relevant newspaper articles or websites reviews</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Resumes of primary employees or key partners</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Incorporation or business registration papers</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Cash flow and projection forecasts</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Permits, licenses, trademarks, or patents</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Market survey(s)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Equipment and asset appraisals</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Partnership or employee agreements</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Insurance policies and leases</li>
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<b>Always Seek A Professional Advice</b>: Enlist a consultant or accountant's help in compiling the business plan's information into the correct format, and have him or her review it after both the first and final drafts. Putting it all together can be challenging. A bank would prefer to see that you have involved a professional, it helps to validate the contents.</div></div></div><br />
</div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-59686700151290192172012-03-20T10:57:00.001-07:002012-03-20T11:10:13.873-07:00What Is a Business Opportunity And How To Hunt It Down<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQGOZEtadgfymabXeERyct_XsKR_BUAWhCgZ0Xah87-9a2FruAfHuUn8nbt0wfBjAEceM3TDYAcEz56N3yCw5IR07JyF8i3RbXU7Ht6bpVnBiW4t-EmhxOg7-Gek4xhNEsEjObtyq4hig/s1600/bsop0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQGOZEtadgfymabXeERyct_XsKR_BUAWhCgZ0Xah87-9a2FruAfHuUn8nbt0wfBjAEceM3TDYAcEz56N3yCw5IR07JyF8i3RbXU7Ht6bpVnBiW4t-EmhxOg7-Gek4xhNEsEjObtyq4hig/s200/bsop0.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A business opportunity is just an opportunity to "make money", using a concept or idea that someone (or you) has developed. Businesses such as multilevel, network marketing, distributorships, vending routes, janitorial contracts, franchises, mail order, and Internet or computer-related businesses are considered business opportunities.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The outline</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Many can be operated from home, it's everybody's luxury dream, you purchase a concept that may or may not already be proven. Its success depends entirely on your business acumen and your ability to establish clients. The purchase price usually includes the necessary tools, such as vending machines, inventory, or samples.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Many of these businesses will present you with an idea that is made to sound so exciting and profitable, you just can't wait to sink your teeth into it. Be cautious. Seek professional advice, as these businesses are advertised in a manner that readily attracts people wanting a quick return and who have little cash. Those promises of big money usually don't pan out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Beware of scams</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Advertisements are forwarded and designed to focus on five primary attractions to potential buyers:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Low start-up costs.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Quick returns with high profits.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Part-time work.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">No experience necessary.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The ability to work from home.</li>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Take a look in your newspaper under the business opportunities section on a Saturday, and read the tempting offers of quick, easy money. Here are just some advertisements, taken from a daily newspaper in one weekend edition:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"LOOK! A minimum $10K investment can earn $65K a year immediately.Guaranteed."..</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"EMAIL PROCESSORS required immediately. Use your own PC to earn income from home. No experience necessary."..</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"AMAZING OPPORTUNITY. Open the hottest franchise in North America. Low investment, high returns."..</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"Earn up to 2.5 million annually. Investment required."..</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"Earn $900 a month, work only 10 hours a week. Up to $2,500 a month for 25 hours' work."..</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"$100,000 year potential, computer earns you money 24 hours a day!"..</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"$20K investment, six-figure return, huge market, no selling."..</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="float: left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS1=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=asb02-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0470467185" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Advertisers reel in unsuspecting victims, preying on their desire for quick,easy cash with minimum investment. People who want to operate a home based business are often their target. It's hard for the eager not to get excited with these wonderful promises.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But if all these businesses were as simple as they sound, then why aren't more people rich? There are some not so-honest people who are ready to take your money and run, or sell you an unprofitable business that makes money for no one except the vendors.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you are not sure about with whom you are dealing, spend all the time you need researching. Follow these five simple rules to put your mind at ease. Even if you are purchasing what appears to be a viable and reputable business, a thorough background check is time well invested. A resourceful site for conducting background checks is <a href="http://www.backgroundcheckgateway.com/">www.backgroundcheckgateway.com</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<b>Rule #1: Perform a company name search</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Any "legit" business should be registered in your state with the Secretary of State. Are the owners really who they say they are? What is the corporate structure? In most states, you can perform a cost-free, online company search by business name to find out the corporate structure and ownership,and in some cases, even view and print out their corporate documents. As an example,visit <a href="http://www.sos.state.ia.us/dbsearch/index.html" target="_blank">www.sos.state.ia.us/dbsearch/index.html</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Rule #2: If in doubt, check them out</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you are not sure about the vendor's honesty or you feel that's something wrong, play super sleuth. Note the license plate and personal phone numbers. See which name the phone line is registered under. If the person claims to own property, do a title search. Ensure you have both their home and business addresses.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"BE SMART AND CUNNING, IT'S YOUR MONEY YOU ARE PLAYING WITH AFTER ALL"</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Rule #3: Check references</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ask the vendor for both business and personal references, but be wary of personal references unless they come from a reputable source. Friends can provide glowing references for often shady characters. Ask for three recent trade references and ensure that the vendor is paying bills on time. Their bank may provide a credit reference with the vendor's permission. Ask for the vendor's bank manager's name.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Rule #4: Check the vendor's credentials</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Checking a vendor's credentials is important, particularly if you are considering investing money into a new venture or a partnership. People seeking venture capital will often tell you anything to get their hands on your money. Some become quite desperate. Ask for a "resume" and a list of previous employers,and check all references or contacts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Rule #5: Check with other agencies</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is a simple procedure to check with the Better Business Bureau, where you can complete an online application (<a href="http://www.bbb.org/">www.bbb.org</a>), for previous complaints about a business. If you are a member of a credit bureau, have a credit check performed on the company. If the vendor is a member of any associations,call them and ask for a reference. If the vendor is trustworthy, they won't mind you asking these questions. If there is any hesitation, take it as an alert.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bottom line, <i>"use any resource, service, relation ..etc, to have a clear view about what you are getting into before stepping your first step."</i><br />
<i>Please, share you thoughts and experience with us..</i></div></div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-67404298826930632862011-03-07T13:31:00.002-08:002013-03-04T09:20:41.688-08:00Starting Your Own Business, The Seven Skills for Success<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you want to get on to business field, especially home-based one, you should have a better indication of some of the skills necessary for entrepreneurial success. You should also have some idea of your strengths and weaknesses and know where you need to focus your efforts to improve.</div>
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The main skills you need can be broken down into seven areas, as explained in the following list. Read this section carefully, then complete all the checklists in this article to identify your strengths and weaknesses, remember, read carefully and analyze each point in this article and the related articles because you will deal with "money".</div>
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<b>1. Interpersonal skills</b></div>
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Owning a business is all about dealing with people, so your number one priority is to determine whether you like people or not. There are many people operating businesses who make it painfully obvious that they are not people persons. Everyone has a story to tell of being treated rudely at a business they are running. Remember four important words: "YOU are your business". The way you deal with people will determine much of your success. How many times have you decided not to return to a store because the cashier, clerk, or manager was rude to you? How many times have you been impressed by a businessperson going out of his or her way to help you?</div>
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With the competitiveness of the big-box stores - who don't always have a reputation for good service - your ace in the hole will be wonderful customer service. You will need to develop patience, as some people are more difficult to please, or even understand, than others. You may be dealing with senior citizens, new immigrants to the country, unsatisfied consumers, tradespeople, or even the mayor of your community. Part of developing your customer service skills is learning to listen to - and not just hear - your customers' needs. Listening is an art, and coupled with great service, is a winning combination.</div>
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A good sense of humor is also an important tool, as is a smile. A smile or a little joke in a tense situation can do wonders in turning a problem around to you side. Keeping a positive outlook will maintain your motivation and your customers returns. And remember, no one wants to talk to a negative person. If you maintain the positive outlook, you will "transmit" that to your customers. They will want to be associated with and do business with you.</div>
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<b>2. Self-confidence</b></div>
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If you suffer from a lack of confidence or self-esteem, entrepreneurship can become a difficult challenge. You are the only person who can blow your own horn. Confidence does grow as you establish yourself as an expert and build on the other vital skills. Yet there are many who never make it past first base because they don't have that all-important confidence and self-esteem.</div>
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You will spend a great deal of time working alone and do not need negative thoughts to distract you. Sometimes it is difficult to stay motivated. There are many tools, counselors, and courses to help you overcome these stumbling blocks. Hypnotherapy can help remove negative thoughts and allow you to stay on track and keep positive. Remember, you are selling yourself first to your clients - your business follows.</div>
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<b>3. Financial skills</b></div>
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Business is all about dollars and cents. Although you are doing something that you love, the underlying reason is to generate an income. You have to understand financial figures and the business end of business. Most people hate this area and mistakenly avoid it. You don't want to learn the hard way by making serious mistakes. Your knowledge should include basic accounting, organizational,and administrative skills, an understanding of all tax laws, federal and state requirements, and an in-depth knowledge of the business that you are about to undertake. Sounds like a lot to learn, and it is. But take heart - you can learn everything you need to know. No one was born a business hotshot, and there are many courses available offering business management training, most of which can be tailored to fit your schedule.</div>
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<b>4. Technical skills</b></div>
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Anyone can hang out their business shingle, but without sound technical knowledge of your trade or profession, it isn't fair to you or your customers. As a businessperson, you have a responsibility to perform the best service in an expert manner, so please don't start or purchase a business until you have the necessary skills. Start in an area where you can best utilize your talents. Your skills may need to be expanded through evening courses or additional reading. Never cease to keep up with the changing technology within your chosen field. Attend seminars, workshops, trade shows, and conferences to add to your knowledge and keep an edge on your competitors. Don't become so engrossed in working at your business that you forget to work on your business.</div>
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Your customers will look to you as the expert, and that is what you have to be. For example, when you look in the Yellow Pages for a plumber or an electrician, you assume the companies advertised there are run by professional and skilled people. As a consumer, you put your trust in them. Your customers put the same trust in your skills, and you should never let them down. Be the expert, or don't be in business. With the stiff competition out there, your expertise is one of the few advantages that allows you to compete with similar businesses, and consumers are becoming picky about where they spend their money.</div>
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<b><b>5. Communication skills</b></b></div>
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The secret to both a successful business and an enriching life is learning to effectively communicate. Everything you do is about communicating something to someone in some manner. How you communicate verbally to potential clients will make the difference in whether they choose to do business with you, both now and in the future.</div>
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In this electronic era, we communicate using voice mail, faxes, answering machines and email. Therefore, every form of communication that transpires through your office should be polite, professional, and positive. Your telephone should always be answered quickly and pleasantly, and all correspondence written without grammatical errors. "Leave a message after the beep" doesn't cut it in business. Voice mail and answering machine greetings should convey a feeling of "we care" and should imply that messages will be promptly returned, not within a few hours. These days, people are stressed and impatient. They want to talk to you now, so always be available either by pager or cell phone.</div>
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You may need to communicate with lawyers, accountants, bank managers, loan companies, or venture capitalists. You may have to negotiate leases or contracts and work with building inspectors, county officers, government and various tax officials, suppliers, advertising agencies, and employees. Some may be difficult to deal with, so good verbal and written communication skills will reduce the chances of being misunderstood.</div>
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The ability to communicate effectively at a variety of levels in a variety of ways to a variety of people is a skill few people naturally possess, and this is where Toastmasters International can help. Many prominent businesspeople owe a good part of their success to this highly effective organization.</div>
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<b>6. Marketing skills</b></div>
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You may have the best business in town, but how are you going to get your message across to potential customers? Marketing is not just putting an advertisement in the local paper or flyers in the mail. In a nutshell, marketing refers to the various strategies you use to reach potential customers, informing them of your products or services. Effective marketing encompasses using communication skills, knowing how to define and target your market, and then use the right marketing mixture to reach potential customers. It's easy to spend valuable dollars on ineffectual methods. Study your competitors and decide if their marketing techniques will work for you. You will have to read books, talk to others in a similar field, and observe how other businesses successfully market. No one has the magical marketing answer - usually, effective marketing is a combination of many techniques that can change from time to time. Your job will be to define which works best for you.</div>
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<b>7. Technological skills</b></div>
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Today's businesses must be online and technologically terrific. Because time is today's most valuable commodity, most businesses need to use email. Many people now prefer to communicate using email rather than the telephone. I was surprised recently when I used the services of a small business that relies heavily on computers for production purposes, yet</div>
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which did not use email. Having to save a graphic file on a disk and deliver it is not an acceptable option for today's busy clients. Consumers like to surf and shop in the evenings on their home computers, so a well-designed website can be an important marketing tool. You don't have to sell over the Internet, but your site can describe your service or products and give the consumers what they want - information.</div>
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Word processing and publishing programs allow you to prepare professional letters and marketing information. Accounting and spread sheet programs allow you to keep your costing, forecasting, and book keeping up-to-date at the click of a mouse. A database or contact management system streamlines administrative functions and is a wonderful marketing tool. Research which technology will help your business save time and keep current with the business world.</div>
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Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-15456099273601694672011-03-07T11:08:00.000-08:002011-03-24T14:10:17.986-07:00How to be an Entrepreneur, are you ready to be one?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHe1mLG5nP6-g3l9ScI0ty3M8g0oCQSUfyY44o8ZPbgo2EMjM-LKq6prHT9JFaWWjMTWplYmNxJor7C0U9El0CDp5IMNRgfxku0ZYR-fqTQ8b48rLBMQuIfQIrwdigqQHQijk84Mt5CYf1/s1600/ent0.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHe1mLG5nP6-g3l9ScI0ty3M8g0oCQSUfyY44o8ZPbgo2EMjM-LKq6prHT9JFaWWjMTWplYmNxJor7C0U9El0CDp5IMNRgfxku0ZYR-fqTQ8b48rLBMQuIfQIrwdigqQHQijk84Mt5CYf1/s320/ent0.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581442432441741778" /></a><b>Are You Ready to Be an Entrepreneur?</b><div></div><div>Welcome to the wonderful world of entrepreneurship, one of the leading global trends. What an exciting opportunity to explore your creativity, be your own boss, and build a little gold mine - you hope. It is an exciting challenge,a whole new world of doors and knowledge opening for you. If you do it right,being self-employed can be the most rewarding experience of your life. It's hard work though, taking commitment, dedication, constant learning,and persistence to succeed.<a name='more'></a></div><div><br /></div><div>With the proliferation of home-based businesses over the last few years, some believe that you can sit in your pajamas and make a bundle. That idea is a fallacy. Whether you are home-based oroperate out of a storefront, being your own boss requires you to take your business seriously and work to maintain disciplined routines and deadlines. The failure rate for small businesses is high - in the first few years, it is as much as 80 to 90 percent. The first two years are traditionally the most difficult. You have to establish a client base, an effective marketing plan, viable products or services, and a reputation within your community. This all takes time and patience. So where do you start? Take a look at what is involved in being an entrepreneur so you can better assess whether or not you are ready. </div><div><br /></div><div>When you read about entrepreneurs who are considered successful, they don't talk about money as the focus of their success. Instead, they talk about achieving a balance in their lives, freedom, passion, happiness, excitement, achieving goals, helping others, hard work, and focus.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What is an entrepreneur?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Dictionaries describe an entrepreneur as "a person who starts or organizes a business company, especially one involving risk." These days, we tend to associate entrepreneur more with a person striking out on his or her own,usually equating the word with a successful venture. A successful entrepreneur is not a particular type of person, but someone with a well-rounded combination of talents that enables the business to progress. Some people thrive on the challenge, and some have a natural aptitude for business.</div><div><br /></div><div>Others study hard, take courses, and read extensively. A true entrepreneur will have a passion for business and an unquenchable desire to learn, absorb, explore, and grow. Anyone can be self-employed, but it takes a certain type to fulfill the true entrepreneurial requirements. An entrepreneur will have, or will develop, some or all of these qualities.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Eight Essential Entrepreneurial Traits:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Do you have a real entrepreneurial spirit?, if you have at least four traits from the following, then you have what it takes to become a successful one. Now, are you:</div><div><ol><li><b>A risk-taker</b>: Usually taking calculated risks, entrepreneurs will not hesitate to seize the moment and run with their intuition.</li><li><b>A decision-maker</b>: The word "procrastination" does not exist in an entrepreneurial vocabulary. They are comfortable with their decisions and know where they are going.</li><li><b>A dream-maker</b>: Entrepreneurs have their dreams and are aggressive at making those dreams become reality. They don't say "I wish," but instead "I will."</li><li><b>A visionary</b>: Instead of looking just one step ahead, entrepreneurs can visualize the whole big picture, both now and in the future.</li><li><b>Driven</b>: Because they have a vision and a dream, entrepreneurs are usually driven and motivated people who let nothing stand in the way of their goals.</li><li><b>Passionate</b>: Consumed as entrepreneurs are by their dreams, passion plays a large part in making their dreams become reality. You can feel the passion radiate from a true entrepreneur.</li><li><b>Confident</b>: Entrepreneurs know where they are going and why, and are confident that they will succeed.</li><li><b>Energized</b>: Full of drive and motivated by their dreams, entrepreneurs usually have an abundance of energy and thrive on seeing each step of their dream take them closer to a reality.</li></ol><div><b>Do you have what it takes?</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>As you research your business, review these traits and assess whether your business idea generates these feelings in you. If you choose the right business, you should feel passionate and driven to succeed. Having the dream is key, but if you are a procrastinator or not comfortable in making decisions or in taking calculated risks, perhaps you are not cut out to be an entrepreneur. Now is the time to admit to your challenges and decide how you can overcome them.</div><div><br /></div><div>A true entrepreneur loves to continually learn and grow. It takes a dedicated person to handle the successful start-up and running of a business, but it's well worth the effort. The rewards of doing it yourself are bountiful. You will gain self-confidence, knowledge, and emotional satisfaction. If you love what you are doing and do it well, you will be motivated to persist toward your future goals.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Why Are You Starting Your Own Business?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Self-employment did not evolve in the last century; it is the way people have survived and made money almost since the beginning of time. Small and micro businesses constitute a huge percentage of American - and global - businesses. When times get tough and the word "recession" emerges - in other words, they are forced to make their own. There is usually an increase in self-employment as people can't find a job.</div><div><br /></div><div>As words such as "layoff," "downsize," "capsize," "pint-size," and "reorganize"resound around corporate walls, they all mean the same thing in plain English: "You're fired!" "You're redundant," or "We aren't hiring." People tend to take the skills they have developed over the years to start a business,but sometimes, they are starting in a far from ideal climate. As the world constantly changes, so do the reasons for business start-ups. The increase in technology and Internet-based businesses means that now millions of workers are telecommuting, working at home, moonlighting in a second part-time business, or struggling in their first endeavor. If you start your business for the right reasons, you are on your way to success. But some start for the wrong reasons, making it a difficult road. People starting up out of desperation risk making hasty decisions. Some are just not suited to self-employment. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some have spent many years working for one employer, feeling stressed, unmotivated, and depressed, and view self-employment as a solution to all their problems. Some find themselves needing an immediate income replacement when they are often tired and burnt-out. What they really need is a good long rest with time to research their new venture thoroughly. If you are in a similar situation, please proceed with caution. Others may not be used to decision-making after decades of working for an employer who did it all for them. Some have no time to take the necessary courses needed to expand their knowledge. The two most important steps - preparing a proper business plan and thoroughly researching the market - are often not taken, and they jump in with both feet without first checking the depth of the water. Let's face it, there's no easy way to make money. Business means hard work, diligence, patience, and careful planning. That doesn't mean you shouldn't start your own business, but it does mean you must think about what lies ahead. Most important of all, consult professionals for advice.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The following list of questions</b> helps you determine why you are starting your business. Carefully analyze why you are exploring self-employment. The first eight reasons on this list can create difficulty for you if you are thinking of starting your business to solve these problems. Be sure your reasons are the right ones and that you have the emotional stamina, sufficient financial resources, knowledge, and time that this venture requires:</div><div><ol><li>I need more <i>money</i>; my wages don't stretch far enough.</li><li>I am <i>depressed</i> because I cannot find a job.</li><li>My work situation is <i>unbearable </i>- my boss doesn't appreciate me.</li><li>I was laid off and feel that I am ready to be <i>my own boss</i>.</li><li>I am tired of <i>working for an incompetent</i> boss.</li><li>I can better <i>organize</i> my family life by working at home.</li><li>I have to <i>care</i> for my aging parents at home.</li><li>I want to be <i>my own boss</i>. I'm tired of working for one.</li><li>I <i>can start</i> a technology-based business at home.</li><li>I <i>retired</i> early and have the <i>funds</i> and <i>time</i> to explore this option.</li><li>I have the <i>experience</i> and time to research this thoroughly.</li><li>I have the <i>skills,</i> <i>time, passion</i> and <i>money</i> to start a business.</li></ol></div><div><p style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=asb02-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=1599180375" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></p><b>The Downside of Self-Employment</b></div><div><br /></div><div>People who make time to take an in-depth course on self-employment and business management significantly increase their chances of success. The new business that is thrown together on a hope and a dream without being thoroughly researched, or that started without enough working capital, could sadly become a failure statistic.</div><div><br /></div><div>When economies experience a downturn, self-employment usually increases as people look to making their own job to survive when they can't find a traditional one. As economies stabilize, self-employment often decreases. In good economic times, those finding the entrepreneurial road a bumpy one return to the workforce and a regular paycheck.</div><div><br /></div><div>Who do you think suffers from a failed business? Not just the family, but the whole economy. A failed business means fewer dollars circulating in the local, state, and national economy, with suppliers left with bad debts that they can ill afford. Business failure is often the cause of divorce, so the more you are aware of what you are up against, the better armed you will be.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Source: Business for Beginners and various.</i></div><div>Do you like this article? please "Share" and "Like" it to spread the benefit :)...</div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-78841563080073902852011-03-04T12:53:00.000-08:002011-03-07T09:21:08.816-08:00The Revolution of Satellite Radio<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHGTPK5M2y_YdBv5NEd2rpWTGl0L0AbQ5UdIrvsx6rvIFDwPS8Vle0YHj6S880MsPgoeOE6bYgtb236M5fYPM65CWpf0QDwNHGiq3z-stmENOtWWCbibgJQdnwjO0oDukG1QR4boNzrUA/s1600/sr0.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHGTPK5M2y_YdBv5NEd2rpWTGl0L0AbQ5UdIrvsx6rvIFDwPS8Vle0YHj6S880MsPgoeOE6bYgtb236M5fYPM65CWpf0QDwNHGiq3z-stmENOtWWCbibgJQdnwjO0oDukG1QR4boNzrUA/s320/sr0.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581385490515562978" /></a><div><b>Satellite Radio</b></div><div><br /></div>Satellite radio systems are just like the ordinary radios, but instead of receiving it's signal from the ground based transmitters, it receives a HD-quality signals from space to special radios receivers, most of which are installed and used in cars. Customers can also listen to these systems at home.<a name='more'></a><div><br /></div><div>Satellite radio offers 100 channels of commercial-free music, news, sports, and entertainment. All channels broadcast directly to your vehicle, anywhere in the continental United States. This is a revolution that will change the way we listen to radio. Current research indicates that millions of Americans are dissatisfied with conventional radio. Considering that nearly half of the conventional radio stations broadcast in one of only three formats country music, contemporary music and news - it is understandable. Even assuming one finds a station they like, they must endure up to 18 minutes of commercials each hour. The listener must also be prepared for additional interruptions - a common one is that most radio signals begin to fade at a distance of 30 miles(about 50 km) from their source.<div><br /></div><div><b>Broadcast, Satellite, and the Car</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The satellite radio system Consists of three parts - broadcast, satellite, and the car(as the receiver). National broadcast studios and transmission facilities encompass production facilities capable of broadcasting 100 radio stations. These include extensive music libraries that are continually updated with the latest new recordings, and more obscure selections that are no longer available commercially. Line-of-sight (the ability to "see" the satellite) is required in order for an antenna to receive a satellite transmission. Companies either maximize this line of sight by placing their satellites in orbits directly above the United States, or positioning satellites in geostationary orbits over the equator. By placing satellites above the U.S. the customers receive improved signal strength and coast-to-coast coverage.</div><div><br /></div><div><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JRqWaZoEm9HNFxkcENr1mReSzo5fd8WYpzHw8LahMQMPMaVjG2P0j17IilouO4PZpt8HaNJl1zHJ_g82tCZe8p5E0vs95mu-7o8dgA7hHsvRMYlJN3aFKImzPqfVhzsNimRsYSx54Jhk/s1600/sr1.png"><img style="float:center; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JRqWaZoEm9HNFxkcENr1mReSzo5fd8WYpzHw8LahMQMPMaVjG2P0j17IilouO4PZpt8HaNJl1zHJ_g82tCZe8p5E0vs95mu-7o8dgA7hHsvRMYlJN3aFKImzPqfVhzsNimRsYSx54Jhk/s320/sr1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581386296048033250" /></a></center></div><div><br /></div><div>Content is also fed to a number of transmitters located in major urban areas. These transmitters, called ground repeaters, supplement the satellite coverage in dense urban areas where tall buildings might block the satellite signal. After the satellites and ground repeaters send their signals, the vehicle's radio picks them up and converts them to music, talk, and data. The car receiver is made up of two parts: the antenna module, and the receiver module. The antenna module is an active system with several elements that "look" along the horizon for the terrestrial signal, and higher for the satellite signal. This module picks up available signals simultaneously, amplifies them, filters out the noise and interference, and passes them on to the receiver module. The chipset inside the receiver module down-converts the signals from 2.3 GHz to a lower intermediate frequency, and then to the digital base band. The signals are converted from analog to digital as part of the down-conversion process.</div><div><br /></div><div>Within the digital realm, available signals are inspected for quality and combined in an optimal way to use the best information from each source. Instead of merely using the best signal, manufacturers use the best input from all the signals. The combined digital signal is then processed for a number of things. First, it is digitally filtered. The forward error correction is reversed and the music is decrypted. The stereo digital audio is converted back to analog for delivery through the speakers.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOrW7MF8bJQeu_8cCduSDK-n22Ae2jLx9bj2CCked4TmL35Ann70pu3LHZHCqGLlfhSobnsfSK8w8fztjV42DJWOR_BGQ7jmvVbzWF8iZ0F17BdVsbalY9sNQNx5iNSXnVF1-TY8bcSnr/s1600/sr2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOrW7MF8bJQeu_8cCduSDK-n22Ae2jLx9bj2CCked4TmL35Ann70pu3LHZHCqGLlfhSobnsfSK8w8fztjV42DJWOR_BGQ7jmvVbzWF8iZ0F17BdVsbalY9sNQNx5iNSXnVF1-TY8bcSnr/s320/sr2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581386921706537458" /></a><b>The Players</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Two broadcasters Sirius Satellite Radio (based in New York) and XM Satellite Radio (based in Washington, D.C.) offer nationwide coverage. They are aggressively marketing satellite radio to consumers desiring more than the limited programming currently available. Consumers will have access to more than 100 channels of eclectic digital sounds, from hip-hop to jazz and opera, for$9.99 (for XM) or $12.95 (for Sirius) a month. The car systems are available on many new models for about $300, and are expected to proliferate to other cars, as car makers are eager for a stake in this new, fast-growing business.</div><div><br /></div><div>General Motors funded XM (they invested $100 million in 1999) and Daimler Chrysler is backing Sirius. Other car manufacturers are picking up on these two technologies,which are not compatible. For home and portable systems, one can buy mobile, palm-size receivers from Sirius and XM at retailers such as Best Buy, Circuit City, and Wal-Mart for about$200. Both Sirius and XM say advertising will make up a small portion of their revenue, a strategy that could backfire. Demand for satellite radio reached 1.5 million subscribers by end of 2003 (1.2million for XM and 300,000 for Sirius). Analysts believe that satellite radio will reach 3 million subscribers by 2004. Both companies continue to see low revenues, high losses, and continuing debt burden. That is bad news considering that Sirius and XM each spent $80 million for FCC licenses in1997. They have since spent a combined $3 billion building satellites and developing programs, and have been forced to yield equity to auto manufacturers in order to get their radios into cars.</div><div><br /></div><div>The enormous cost of building a system that relies on satellites, repeaters, and a vast programming network might knock these companies right out of the radio orbit. Analysts predict that satellite radio needs to reach 7.5 million subscribers and about $1 billion in revenues to cover the cost of capital and interest. To reach this target, these companies are getting some help from the auto manufacturers.General Motors is offering XM in 44 of their 57 car lines, up from 25 in 2002. Sirius, which had a five-year head start on XM, has already launched satellites and hit the market with radios available in Ford and Daimler Chrysler's 2003 models. Toyota and Honda are also signing on and customers can buy XM radio for their homes through major retailers. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VkuMNlUCuGZ7KTCZiS-pSiIFb6iGloSWxtHazlBLZNp0NDvYPZ07gIqYjT3MpnOckcUI3rcxV36fGupN_bxzzOhxxILbd813xO82NTe7KAiy23K1AKxxLMYO4nPuVmG88nO4PXQJQW7i/s1600/sr4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VkuMNlUCuGZ7KTCZiS-pSiIFb6iGloSWxtHazlBLZNp0NDvYPZ07gIqYjT3MpnOckcUI3rcxV36fGupN_bxzzOhxxILbd813xO82NTe7KAiy23K1AKxxLMYO4nPuVmG88nO4PXQJQW7i/s320/sr4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581387424729423730" /></a><br /></div><div>Based on some of the early success of XM and convinced that its potential was enormous, GM led a group of investors in a $450 million refinancing for XM on Dec 23, 2002. GM deferred $250 million in payments that XM owed it for loans, bonds, and revenue sharing plans until 2006. A group that included Haywood, Barry, Honda Motor Company and the Hearst Corporation put in $200 million in new cash. In return, XM agreed to develop data services, such as weather and traffic, for Honda cars. XM, meanwhile, made several smart moves that allowed it to pull away from rival Sirius. Five years ago, XM decided to develop its radio chipset in-house while Sirius had outsourced its design to Agere Systems. Sirius' chips were delayed and this gave XM a year's head start in the market. For this technology to be successful, both vendors must focus on increasing their subscriber base.</div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcq37_G66bZYNFmfdWys_lYj4sUPm1p8K62EQw74tq2C1AJ94za7orHtAJTGL-0hD9lpCzPf0yBVrKwMDNO872ycYYLQiXY0qNYnveyGCgTxRkoMFHCq0NYtEIht0JL0YMKhmPWn8Lcjg/s1600/sr3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcq37_G66bZYNFmfdWys_lYj4sUPm1p8K62EQw74tq2C1AJ94za7orHtAJTGL-0hD9lpCzPf0yBVrKwMDNO872ycYYLQiXY0qNYnveyGCgTxRkoMFHCq0NYtEIht0JL0YMKhmPWn8Lcjg/s320/sr3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581387697738527826" /></a><div>Do you like this article? please "Share" and "Like" it to spread the benefit :)...</div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-21515894031438513262011-02-28T08:37:00.000-08:002011-02-28T15:52:23.709-08:00Smart Card History and Applications<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2aKSXVmWCBwr_Q6b6gC15y9VTzvbFrKKRGaK70DZl3EzndUl_sVJlN7NqsdC17h5xKAy1WLsKL76-_XwbnZzfr7kZAQIVUM0mycQc0wOfabWyrNahZfuoQBsfaNJE8Z6zHnP1kR-5gYk/s1600/sc0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2aKSXVmWCBwr_Q6b6gC15y9VTzvbFrKKRGaK70DZl3EzndUl_sVJlN7NqsdC17h5xKAy1WLsKL76-_XwbnZzfr7kZAQIVUM0mycQc0wOfabWyrNahZfuoQBsfaNJE8Z6zHnP1kR-5gYk/s320/sc0.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578801774621327842" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is a Smart Card, Introduction</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Instead of filling your pocket with coins, imagine buying the newspaper using a card charged with "money". And this same card could be used to pay for a ride on public transportation. And after arriving at work, you could use that same card to open the security door, enter the office, and boot up your PC with your own personal configuration. In fact, everything you purchase, whether direct or via the Internet, would be made possible by the technology in this "magic" card. It may seem to be a dream, but the rapid advancements of semiconductor technologies make this type of card a reality. In some parts of the world, the "smart card" has already started to replace common cash, coins, and multiple cards. The two essential parts of the smart card system is <i>the smart card and the card reader</i>, which is used to exchange or transfer information.<a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Why is the smart card replacing the magnetic strip card?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Because the smart card can hold up to hundreds of times more content and data than a traditional magnetic strip card. The smart card is classified as an integrated circuit (IC) card. There are actually two types of IC card, memory cards and smart cards. Memory cards contain a device that allows the card to store different types of data. However, they do not have the ability to manipulate or modify this data. A typical application for memory type cards is the famous prepaid telephone card. These cards hold typically between 1 KB and 4 KB of data. So a memory card becomes a smart card with the addition of a microprocessor.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The key advantage of smart cards is that they are easy to use, reliable, and can be used in many applications. They provide benefits to both consumers and merchants in many different industries by making data portable, secured, and easy to access.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Components of a Smart Card</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A smart card is a bit similar to an ordinary credit card, but it has embedded IC's (memory and micro-controller) and contacts for the IC's on one side. It may also include a magnetic strip for conventional transactions. The embedded micro-controller enables the card to make computations and decisions, and to modify data. The Figure below shows a block diagram of the smart card internal circuitry.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VE8-6zfzaObc84BAShQmMYyJvp9NNqakTc98IlufnGjgOcKf0U_xHb3kmcgcy3fkI8xB7taNSygrOIDJujR12habsUDKNPADdQgqgJ1_laoLckJo-KXjnuyevY8wtDXVxpo5FHKO2680/s1600/scr1.JPG"><img style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VE8-6zfzaObc84BAShQmMYyJvp9NNqakTc98IlufnGjgOcKf0U_xHb3kmcgcy3fkI8xB7taNSygrOIDJujR12habsUDKNPADdQgqgJ1_laoLckJo-KXjnuyevY8wtDXVxpo5FHKO2680/s320/scr1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578787018645639234" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A typical smart card consists of an 8-bit micro-controller (MCU), 16 KB of ROM, 512 bytes of RAM, and up to 16 KB of EEP ROM or flash memory, all on a single device. There are many types of memory within the card. For temporary data storage, it contains RAM which is only used when power is applied (usually when the card is in contact with the reader).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It also contains ROM which stores fixed data and the operating system or the firmware. The use of non-volatile memory such as EEP ROM or Flash memory is ideal for storing data that changes, such as an account PIN or transaction data. This type of data must remain stored once power is removed from the card. Currently manufacturers of smart cards are moving to a 32-bit microprocessor to increase the processing power and to handle more applications.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jFJG_hTaV2UKYwOB1O8P_4pzfiGcgLl2o9cErxaU0TcSPwL0wtYi73xLsqHGH5C6xX0dHlM95XGA0wfbzgKlZaASIl0lX2gXA6Sf6Ukrp1zsmj3trfguMfEhPgr-qUvFBDqSdX1QA3og/s1600/sc2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jFJG_hTaV2UKYwOB1O8P_4pzfiGcgLl2o9cErxaU0TcSPwL0wtYi73xLsqHGH5C6xX0dHlM95XGA0wfbzgKlZaASIl0lX2gXA6Sf6Ukrp1zsmj3trfguMfEhPgr-qUvFBDqSdX1QA3og/s320/sc2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578802101373080578" /></a><b>The two types of smart card</b></div><div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Contact smart cards</b></i>: These require insertion into a smart card reader.</li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Contact-less smart cards</b></i>: These require only close proximity to an antenna.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>The contact smart card</b></i> has a small gold chip about one-half inch in diameter on the front(instead of a magnetic strip on the back like a credit card). When the card is inserted into a smart card reader, it makes contact with the electrical connectors that read information from the chip and write to the chip.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>A contact-less smart card</b></i> looks like a typical credit card, but it has a built-in microprocessor and an antenna coil that enables it to communicate with an external antenna. Contact-less smart cards are used when transactions must be processed quickly, as in mass-transit toll collection. The<i><b>"combicard"</b></i> is a single card that functions as both a contact and contact-less card.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The advantages of smart cards over traditional magnetic strip cards</b></div><div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Proven to be more reliable than the magnetic strip card.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Can store up to 100 times more information than the magnetic strip card.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Reduce tampering and counterfeiting through high security mechanisms.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Can be reusable.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Have a wide range of applications (banking, transportation, health care, etc..).</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Are compatible with portable electronics (PCs, telephones, PDAs, etc..).</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Can store many types of information (finger print data, credit, debit and loyalty card details, self-authorization data, access control information, etc..).</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqQGBlcmGjqI73KiTyvkI34pplx09Mnssr4wHS7_gQywDZmbZgS4qA7jkvHO2bncYAH-KD-dvPkC7FYVactSl6XvsO__x1wLLYi-H76L_iyKV7pTXPXXfjQVVu3fcpSM8S3lj0GPE4bE2/s1600/sc3.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqQGBlcmGjqI73KiTyvkI34pplx09Mnssr4wHS7_gQywDZmbZgS4qA7jkvHO2bncYAH-KD-dvPkC7FYVactSl6XvsO__x1wLLYi-H76L_iyKV7pTXPXXfjQVVu3fcpSM8S3lj0GPE4bE2/s320/sc3.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578802639300270418" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><br /></u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqQGBlcmGjqI73KiTyvkI34pplx09Mnssr4wHS7_gQywDZmbZgS4qA7jkvHO2bncYAH-KD-dvPkC7FYVactSl6XvsO__x1wLLYi-H76L_iyKV7pTXPXXfjQVVu3fcpSM8S3lj0GPE4bE2/s1600/sc3.gif"></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEndgLv3cOUnx4QFegpkebb6hR9EpL0pkDvcf-vCdiL2fA4rYxs82GhEVivHDNUgsQXtwOdzFB2GkwkOID9Ydpum7vu2gVKeK1sZUGqJYz87to2GO4gjie8TBkPX5HS6o18CY6z5q5bl3A/s1600/sc4.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEndgLv3cOUnx4QFegpkebb6hR9EpL0pkDvcf-vCdiL2fA4rYxs82GhEVivHDNUgsQXtwOdzFB2GkwkOID9Ydpum7vu2gVKeK1sZUGqJYz87to2GO4gjie8TBkPX5HS6o18CY6z5q5bl3A/s320/sc4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578803210755952706" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>History of Smart Cards</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Bull CP8 and Motorola developed the first "smart card" in 1977. It was a two-chip solution consisting of a micro-controller and a memory device. Motorola produced a single chip card called the SPOM 01.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Smart cards have taken off at a phenomenal rate in Europe by replacing traditional credit cards.The key to smart card success has been its ability to authorize transactions off-line. A smart card stores the "charge" of cash, enabling a purchase up to the amount of funds stored in the card. Motorola’s single chip solution was quickly accepted into the French banking system. It served as a means of storing the card holder's account number and personal identification numbers (PIN) as well as transaction details. By 1993 the French banking industry completely replaced all bankcards with smart cards.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In 1989 Bull CP8 licensed its smart card technology for use outside the French banking system.The technology was then incorporated into a variety of applications such as Subscriber Identification Modules (SIM cards) in GSM digital mobile phones. In 1996 the first combined modem/smart card reader was introduced. We will probably soon see the first generation of computers that read smart cards as a standard function.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In May 1996 five major computer companies (IBM, Apple, Oracle, Netscape, and Sun) proposed a standard for a “network computer” designed to interface directly with the Internet, and it has the ability to use smart cards. Also in 1996 the alliance between Hewlett Packard, Informix, and Gemplus was launched to develop and promote the use of smart cards for payment and security on all open networks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcZNPKyG5rcUdAe85EbCKmwJTO6UFZqrvp4BTUArZlzljgNx6KSdOm4vSrmvjCnfNXHK1mliBGS4iQTF2W_Cwd_sfUIwuhyphenhyphenAnY-UbPQ1zBkbmq9ymrXs19weT3Vu6jTvgIYHncJOQcWLu/s1600/sc5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcZNPKyG5rcUdAe85EbCKmwJTO6UFZqrvp4BTUArZlzljgNx6KSdOm4vSrmvjCnfNXHK1mliBGS4iQTF2W_Cwd_sfUIwuhyphenhyphenAnY-UbPQ1zBkbmq9ymrXs19weT3Vu6jTvgIYHncJOQcWLu/s320/sc5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578803804302614834" /></a><b><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>Some examples of smart card applications besides e-commerce uses</b></span></div></b></div><div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Transferring favorite addresses from a PC to a network computer.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Downloading airline ticket and boarding pass.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Booking facilities and appointments via Websites.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Storing log-on information for using any work computer or terminal.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Smart Card Market Potential</b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Smart card usage worldwide is increasing at an extraordinary rate. There are already 2 billion smart card units in circulation. A leading smart card reader manufacturer (Gemplus) predicts that by 2018there will be 5 billion phone cards alone. And this does not include smart cards for medical information, personal ID, loyalty information, etc. All of these smart cards in circulation require smart card readers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To date, Europe has dominated the smart card industry in both production and usage. The region produces as much as 90% of the world's smart cards and consumes about two thirds. However, Europe’s share of the smart card market has been declining as the cards have started gaining popularity in other parts of the world. By the end of the decade, smart card usage is expected to be evenly split Europe, the Americas, and Asia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">College campus smart cards also have been a major success in the U.S. These multi-application smart card systems provide students with services such as ID data, Parking, ATM access, Library check out, Dormitory access, Payment services at vending machines, laundry, telephones, and book stores.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The number of students carrying smart cards in the U.S. has grown to more than 1 million since1996. This represents approximately one in 17 students. The growth in campus cards is producing a generation of people who already understand the benefits of smart card technology and who may be more inclined to use them in larger, open system applications.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JQ1V8gxcXxC4pJ1gYqlvWUEjvxDz2asIZtIU1si-o9mTdX7hy-0aSCWaI4QBSh4x0m79DVNHow0IlWUHLNljO3WqsqkQyjKYTXfUTDoNt_erGxhs_TTQTY4FK-PEUdSvoiwsJtPMwsTm/s1600/sc7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JQ1V8gxcXxC4pJ1gYqlvWUEjvxDz2asIZtIU1si-o9mTdX7hy-0aSCWaI4QBSh4x0m79DVNHow0IlWUHLNljO3WqsqkQyjKYTXfUTDoNt_erGxhs_TTQTY4FK-PEUdSvoiwsJtPMwsTm/s320/sc7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578804963361176674" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Smart Card Applications</b></div><div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Smart cards are being used in applications ranging from stored value cards (SVCs) to transportation, medical, and identification cards. As they become cheaper to produce,disposable smart cards will become available alongside long-term use cards, such as multifunction credit cards. The low-cost disposable smart card will become commonplace in applications such as one-day travel cards, flight tickets, and even concert tickets. Smart card applications are increasing daily in this rapidly growing area. The following list describes some of the ways smart cards are being used today.</li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Stored Value Cards (SVCs)</b></i> - Also known as electronic purses, they are being championed by companies such as Mondex International (Mondex), Banksys (Proton), and Chipper International (Chipper). They allow small denominations of money to be stored on the card in various currencies. SVCs can be used for small value purchases where it is inappropriate to use a credit card. The SVC needs to be ‘charged’ with cash. As each transaction is completed, the appropriate amount is deducted until the card is empty. Some companies are producing small key-ring type readers with a small display that can read the amount left on a SVC. For example, a single card could be used as a credit card, debit card, SVC, access card, video rental card, and medical record file. Other applications for SVCs include vending machines, parking meters, pay TV, cinemas, and convenience stores.</li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Phone Cards</b></i> - Public pay phones are beginning to replace the coin slot with a smart-card reader. Using smart cards to pay for calls reduces the need to carry cash and prevents theft from the phone company. This type of stored value card counts down the money spent on each call. It can then be re-charged or disposed of when it’s empty.</li><li style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Health Care Cards</i></b> - Health care cards can store pertinent medical information such as: Card holder's doctor, Blood type, Allergic reactions Medications, Next of kin, Emergency telephone numbers, Dental records, Health card details, Scheduled medical visits. This type of cards has proved to be very popular in Germany, with most of the population carrying one.</li><li style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Transportation Cards</i></b> - It is estimated that there are 20 billion commuter transactions worldwide. All these transactions take time, so the need for smart card technology is increasing, especially for contact-less transactions. For example, smart cards could drastically reduce the time it takes to pay for a subway ticket and pass through the security barrier. As you pass through a turnstile, you could hold your card next to the reader. The card would be read, funds would be Subtracted, and the entrance barrier would be opened.</li><li style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Pre-pay Utility Meter Cards</i></b> - This type of card is very popular in regions with a lot of seasonal worker movement. They are also good for short-term tenant agreements where utilities (water, electricity, and gas) must be paid for in advance or as-used. The card is "charged" with funds and then inserted into the utility card reader. Money is deducted for a certain amount of gas, electricity, or water. The meter usually shows as a countdown of how much fuel is left. This type of utility payment has proved very popular in South Africa.</li><li style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Personal ATM</b></i> - Public and private telephones and PCs with smart card readers could make personal ATMs possible. This would allow users to load funds onto their smart cards from their bank accounts. Or they could top up the limit of a pre-authorized debit card. Financial institutions can make these facilities available wherever there is a phone, without the need for costly traditional ATMs. These telephone transactions can enable funds to be transferred from person to retailer, bank to account holder, and even person to person.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Figure below shows the current variety of smart card applications:</i></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjLVBXgdBcI6TXPmZ-JNevySFN0hAKQIxEe8_dezJk4xtt_ALbdvTStckrk73osJco3tKHTZQxthNMKDkk0TUzLDa-bPFKbOcrZ5tp_UyRZilBp4b_vXBFLuxALip1ybsA36e-uj9n2lC/s1600/sc6.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjLVBXgdBcI6TXPmZ-JNevySFN0hAKQIxEe8_dezJk4xtt_ALbdvTStckrk73osJco3tKHTZQxthNMKDkk0TUzLDa-bPFKbOcrZ5tp_UyRZilBp4b_vXBFLuxALip1ybsA36e-uj9n2lC/s320/sc6.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578805437511112546" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Sources: TDCT Handbook, Wikipedia and Various.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Do you like this article? please "Share" and "Like" it to spread the benefit :)...</span></i></span></i></div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-14597082627310173742011-01-13T17:40:00.000-08:002011-01-13T18:57:04.568-08:00VoIP: as a Business Solution<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNNQK1JLuwcNmFH1JMEBLf4W4pxVR0CHhemGPO4mqZtiRJJ2yHLH9IEz_StQocvPofkKOfzoT_Iksdk5MsdpjHeSD9kkiHyWc9dKyuXv0_mrICoFz3gromSWbPeS45dIvbCdemSnGs56x/s1600/voip1.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNNQK1JLuwcNmFH1JMEBLf4W4pxVR0CHhemGPO4mqZtiRJJ2yHLH9IEz_StQocvPofkKOfzoT_Iksdk5MsdpjHeSD9kkiHyWc9dKyuXv0_mrICoFz3gromSWbPeS45dIvbCdemSnGs56x/s320/voip1.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561855303283753090" /></a><b>Getting Started in the Business Value of VoIP</b><div><b><br /></b>Have you ever thought to yourself "Why should we do this VoIP technology?" or "What value will it provide to my company?" or even "What is all this VoIP revolution?". Simply put, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) refers to the process of transporting voice communications over Internet Protocol (IP) networks like the Internet. VoIP is somewhat of a misleading term because it implies such a restricted focus on "voice". The term IP Telephony(IPTel) is more general.<a name='more'></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Telephony over IP (ToIP) describes the transport of real-time text over IP networks. It differs from instant messaging in that ToIP systems transmit bidirectionally one character at a time. This gives the user the feel of real-time communication, just like voice or video systems that transport streaming media over IP. ToIP is a term used to mean the transport of text over IP from a ToIP-enabled IP phone, PC-based client, or a legacy TTY device connected to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) gateway. A TTY is also known as a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf(TDD). The TTY consists of a keyboard, which holds somewhere from 20to 30 character keys, a display screen, and a modem.</div><div><br /></div><div>The letters that the TTY user types into the machine are turned into electrical signals that can travel over regular telephone lines. When the signals reach their destination(usually another TTY), they are converted back into letters, which appear on a display screen, are printed out on paper, or both. Some of the newer TTY devices are even equipped with answering machines. As good as TTY devices are, the innovation that comes from the use of the Internet for communications has far exceeded most expectations when the Internet came into being as a popular new media only a decade or so ago. Now, as with most technologies, VoIP has many potential benefits as well as obstacles that may be encountered.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Internet Telephony vs. Telephony over the Internet</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>IP Telephony (IPTel) refers to the transport of voice, video, text, and other real-time media over IP networks. IPTel is considered to be a key technology that will provide advances in communication for end users and is expected to completely replace the PSTN over time. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Web site, the die has been cast for the continued future of IPTel : </div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span">"The Internet and IP-based networks are increasingly being used as alternatives to the public switched telephone network. Internet Telephony Service Providers (ITSPs) can provide voice and fax services which are close to becoming functionally equivalent to those provided by public telecommunication operators (PTOs). However, few ITSPs are licensed by national authorities and they generally do not have any universal service obligations. Many countries ban IP telephony completely, yet IP calls can be made to almost any telephone in the world. Many PTOs are establishing their own IP telephony services, and/or using IP-based networks as alternative transmission platforms. In the longer term, as more and more voice traffic becomes IP data traffic, there will be little to distinguish between IP telephony and circuit-switched telephony. However, many telecommunications regulatory schemes depend upon such a distinction,both physically and as a matter of policy and law. As these trends continue,the telecommunications framework will come under increasing pressure to adapt..."</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">It is also inevitable that most governments of the world will wrestle with the use of IPTel and determine just how to turn these advances in technology into another form of revenue, for which ordinary users will undoubtably pay, that will be used to create even more forms of bureaucracies, whose specific purpose is to oversee and regulate what is now unregulated and untaxed. Until that time comes, however, the average Internet consumer/user will benefit greatly from such strides in technology.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>The Value of VoIP: Return on Investment (ROI)</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div>ROI is a major selling point for the use of VoIP. Why wouldn't it be? Some of the more attractive components of VoIP are large cost savings (especially in the area of long-distance telephone costs), new features, and converged networks. Bottom-line cost savings are fairly easy to quantify, whereas other VoIP benefits, such as productivity improvements, are more difficult to quantify in terms of ROI. As with most ROIs, there are both hard and soft benefits. Hard benefits are the easiest to sell to management, because they result from clearly defined, tangible cost savings. In contrast, soft benefits are called soft because they don’t necessarily save real money, and they are usually harder to quantify from a business perspective. For example, stating that use of XYZ technology will increase productivity because of some inane reason or another is a soft benefit. Clearly, trying to measure productivity increases can become convoluted and subject to interpretation. </div><div><br /></div><div>The inane reason may or may not be something all staff members agree on-the very nature of disagreement that could (and usually does) exist causes this to be considered a soft benefit. Therefore, most organizations focus solely on the hard cost savings, but it is always important to clearly differentiate between hard and soft benefits to improve the credibility of the business case with financial decision makers. The company will not care if it is saving five cents per minute on VoIP calls if their sales productivity is decreasing because of poor-quality or dropped calls.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Getting the Most from VoIP: Cost Savings</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The cost of VoIP implementation expenses are an important factor in making IT spending decisions. VoIP implementations can require a significant amount of new equipment and often also require significant infrastructure upgrades. In order to reduce the initial capital outlay necessary for implementing VoIP, many vendor companies are now offering equipment-leasing plans to spread the expense over several years or staging the VoIP deployment gradually as a means of easing the cost burdens. As with any new technology that is introduced into the corporate environment, the ROI scenario may vary across many different site locations.</div><div><br /></div><div>The unique deployment scenarios required for each site usually mean that the cost savings are likely to occur in several business areas, each area seeing individual impact on capital costs, expenses, and user productivity. A successful VoIP implementation will recognize these differences and use them to guide the strategy for inserting VoIP into existing infrastructures. A successful VoIP implementation will be designed as a long-term investment that will provide returns in capital and productivity savings, and help avoid additional security risks.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Capital and Expense Savings</b></div><div><br /></div><div>VoIP may be an infrastructure that is already paid for if you own the IP network or are already paying an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for bandwidth.Because long-distance telephone calls are typically a major line item in an organization's budget, the use of VoIP can result in significant capital and expense savings over a PSTN. VoIP users only incur the cost of using the network, in contrast to PSTN users, whose long-distance costs can vary depending on the distance called (location of caller and callee) and the time at which the call occurs.Centralized call-processing architectures are available from several VoIP manufacturers and can reduce equipment, maintenance, and support costs. </div><div><br /></div><div>These architectures also enable organizations to standardize the voice services that they deliver to their employees. A centralized team can now manage the entire organization’s voice services from a single site, rather than requiring internal or outsourced resources to manage each Private Branch Exchange (PBX) or key system.The use of VoIP can also result in a reduced incremental cost of network ownership. The nearly unlimited capacity of most corporate LANs will allow a new VoIP user to be added at a reduced per-user cost. A VoIP enabled data network also enables the easy and inexpensive addition of new corporate office networks, which also reduces the expense of incremental costs.Because of the PSTN toll rate structure, companies with a large number of international sites may find the long-distance phone call cost savings from toll bypass attractive. </div><div><br /></div><div>Bypassing the PSTN and making telephone calls on an IP network is referred to as toll bypass. This occurs when a PBX or an IP PBX is connected to a VoIP gateway, which is then connected to an IP network. Instead of going from the PBX to a PSTN switch, the call traffic goes from the PBX to the VoIP gateway, avoiding the toll or cost of using the PSTN for long-distance calls. In most cases, the long-distance costs associated with PSTN usage should decrease after a VoIP implementation.Some companies may want to keep the PSTN as a fall back network. Many organizations will not convert to VoIP completely or all at once because of disaster recovery and business continuity concerns during the migration phase and proceed in staged implementations.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rather than absorbing the costs of buying or leasing a PBX and network infrastructure for PSTN calls in addition to an IP network, both voice and data can run on one network, resulting in savings that provide a lower total cost of network ownership for VoIP. Single networks are also easier to expand and change, reduce the wiring costs required for two networks, and can easily incorporate wireless infrastructures.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Productivity Savings</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>VoIP implementations can also result in quantifiable savings in several areas, including the following:</div><div><ul><li><i>Management and support savings</i></li><li><i>Enhanced mobility</i></li><li><i>Reduced site preparation time</i></li></ul><div>In some cases, infrastructure convergence through the use of VoIP will make it possible to reduce the internal staff required to support and manage the two separate infrastructures. As discussed later in this section, this savings must be balanced with the cost for training, because the management of a converged network requires consolidating existing infrastructure and, in some cases, learning new skills. For example, IT personnel will need to learn telecom skills, and telecom personnel will need to learn data-networking skills. </div><div><br /></div><div>VoIP offers enhanced mobility, which can allow many organizations to institute more flexible work environments and reduce facilities and real estate costs while increasing employee productivity and morale. This capability allows individuals to log in to any phone within the organization and still have their extension number and any applications or services they use available to them, even though they are away from their desks. For many organizations, this new capability can result in significant cost savings and even revenue growth through increased productivity.</div></div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-52335327648614709372010-12-10T10:37:00.000-08:002011-03-21T12:17:15.135-07:00Search Engine Basics and Anatomy - SEO 101 Course<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpy8zAB0SoSBIxJnUs0aT3fW67kLx-NYp5eyVLKqYoKi7nON4IAqStXvpwvzx3mDNJVhrvXFu7lv0hAPYIAwTDzP-PaLPnnSM2beXuh503rrEpjKIQ-2QJH0hZ-n0kUDt2CTNc3FoaxFF/s1600/seo0.gif"><img style="text-align: justify;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 225px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpy8zAB0SoSBIxJnUs0aT3fW67kLx-NYp5eyVLKqYoKi7nON4IAqStXvpwvzx3mDNJVhrvXFu7lv0hAPYIAwTDzP-PaLPnnSM2beXuh503rrEpjKIQ-2QJH0hZ-n0kUDt2CTNc3FoaxFF/s320/seo0.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549126722973407794" /></a><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>SEO 101 Course, Part 1</b></span></div></b><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What Is a Search Engine?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, so you know the basic concept of a search engine. Type a word or phrase into a search box and click a button. Wait a few seconds, and references to thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of pages will appear. Then all you have to do is click through those results to find what you want. But what exactly is a search engine, beyond this general concept of "search-find"?<a name='more'></a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a little complicated. On the back end, a search engine is a piece of software that uses algorithms to find and collect information about web pages. The information collected is usually keywords or phrases that are possible indicators of what is contained on the web page as a whole, the URL of the page, the code that makes up the page, and links into and out of the page. That information is then indexed and stored in a database.On the front end, the software has a user interface where users enter a search term - a word or phrase - in an attempt to find specific information. When the user clicks a search button, an algorithm then examines the information stored in the back-end database and retrieves links to web pages that appear to match the search term the user entered.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">The process of collecting information about web pages is performed by an agent called a crawler,spider, or robot. The crawler literally looks at every URL on the Web that's not blocked from itand collects key words and phrases on each page, which are then included in the database thatpowers a search engine. Considering that the number of sites on the Web exceeded 100 millionsome time ago and is increasing by more than 1.5 million sites each month, that's like yourbrain cataloging every single word you read, so that when you need to know something, youthink of that word and every reference to it comes to mind.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Anatomy of a Search Engine, and How it Works</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">By now you probably have a fuzzy idea of how a search engine works, but there's much more to it than just the basic overview you've seen so far. In fact, search engines have several parts. Unfortunately, it's rare that you find an explanation describing just how a search engine is made - that's proprietary information that search companies hold very close to their vests - and that information is vitally important to succeeding with search engine optimization(SEO).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Query interface</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The query interface is what most people are familiar with, and it's probably what comes to mind when you hear the term ‘‘search engine.’’ The query interface is the page, or user interface, that users see when they navigate to a search engine to enter a search term.There was a time when the search engine interface looked very much like the Ask.com page.This interface was a simple page with a search box and a button to activate the search, and not much more.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Today, many search engines on the Web have added much more personalized content in an attempt to capitalize on the real estate available to them. For example, Yahoo! Search, is just one of the search services that now enable users to personalize their pages with a free e-mail account, weather information, news, sports, and many other elements designed to make users want to return to that site to conduct their web searches.One other option users have for customizing the interfaces of their search engines is a capability like the one Google offers. The Google search engine has a customizable interface to which users can add different gadgets. These gadgets enable users to add features to their customized Google search home page that meet their own personal needs or tastes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Search has even extended onto the desktop. Google and Microsoft both have search capabilities that, when installed on your computer, enable you to search your hard drive for documents and information in the same way you would search the Web. These capabilities aren't of any particular use to you where SEO is concerned, but they do illustrate the prevalence of search and the value that users place on being able to quickly find information using searching capabilities.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When it comes to search engine optimization, Google's user interface offers the most potential for you to reach your target audience, because it does more than just optimize your site for search: If a useful tool or feature is available on your site, you can enable users to have access to this tool or feature through the Application Programming Interface (API) made available by Google.Using the Google API, you can create a gadget that users can install on their Google Desktop,iGoogle page, or FireFox or Chrome browser. This enables you to have your name in front of users on a daily basis.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For example, a company called <a href="http://en.pdf24.org/">PDF24.org</a> offers a Google gadget that enables users to turn their documents into PDF files right from their Google home page once the gadget has been added. If the point of search engine optimization is ultimately to get your name in front of as many people as possible, as often as possible, then making a gadget available for addition to Google's personalized home page can only further that goal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36l6gyDC0lo4Cp_YGmaenQrugvuEQ_tzpCmt-3cBWZaOH5N-CYeuFQF06fsxKh3isUYwopdDdeeVqhHrbNJ_55zA80lqjnSNZqu-dClefVQKvmQJHN2GurPcXxXEkjhHACmXdEXGa5L2r/s1600/fig5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 348px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36l6gyDC0lo4Cp_YGmaenQrugvuEQ_tzpCmt-3cBWZaOH5N-CYeuFQF06fsxKh3isUYwopdDdeeVqhHrbNJ_55zA80lqjnSNZqu-dClefVQKvmQJHN2GurPcXxXEkjhHACmXdEXGa5L2r/s400/fig5.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586609948965808994" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>This graph figure shows the 5 most used search engines internationally, it also shows the competition between Google and the other 4, more than eight in every ten searches made globally are done through Google.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Search engine results pages</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other sides of the query interface, and the only other parts of a search engine that's visible to users, are the search engine results pages (SERPs). This is the collection of pages that are returned with search results after a user enters a search term or phrase and clicks the Search button. This is also where you ultimately want to end up; and the higher you are in the search results, the more traffic you can expect to generate from search. Specifically, your goal is to end up on the first page of results - in the top 10 or 20 results that are returned for a given search term or phrase. Getting there can be a mystery, however. We’ll decode the clues that lead you to that goal throughout the book, but right now you need to understand a bit about how users see SERPs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let's start with an understanding of how users view SERPs. Pretend you're the searcher. You go to your favorite search engine - we'll use Google for the purposes of illustration because that's every one's favorite, isn't it? Type in the term you want to search for and click the Search button.What's the first thing you do when the page appears?Most people begin reading the titles and descriptions of the top results. That's where you hook searchers and entice them to click through the links provided to your web page. But here's the catch: You have to be ranked close enough to the top for searchers to see those results page titles and descriptions and then click through them, which usually means you need to be in the top 10 or 20 results, which translates into the first page or two of results. It's a tough spot to hit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefmA1cNgCLZcaKsEki2ORYlRSWYoydU7zs7Me5A_YseUIoqHPJwaZrogUvyghSOlchnwdhdALWudxVlvjz81-e_4-9Szp4Abk3b4djTVdiJpxg5WDE_dg2BxP3BjXCFqEc53YVg_2-zZK/s1600/fig6.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefmA1cNgCLZcaKsEki2ORYlRSWYoydU7zs7Me5A_YseUIoqHPJwaZrogUvyghSOlchnwdhdALWudxVlvjz81-e_4-9Szp4Abk3b4djTVdiJpxg5WDE_dg2BxP3BjXCFqEc53YVg_2-zZK/s400/fig6.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586612804733077586" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>This figure shows the percentage of search engine users in UK. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Also Google is far from any other competition</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is no magic bullet or formula that will garner you those rankings every time. Instead,it takes hard work and consistent effort to push your site as high as possible in SERPs. At the risk of sounding repetitive, that's the information you'll find moving forward. There's a lot of it, though, and to truly understand how to land good placement in SERPs, you really need to understand how search engines work. There is much more to them than what users see.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm5QXMIW7_EyF0shl_3pvxWOaE47jnqIfv9x4brpav9Dj3VznDvVBTwfim16ReWD0bFaEZpoTs60sdKhL9lf0CcffZFpgvrypmhra_SlyNLm3TTfdkyeA0Vzz2E7qNy8Aa6fpUAXgq_JB/s1600/seo1.jpg"><img style="text-align: justify;float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 194px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm5QXMIW7_EyF0shl_3pvxWOaE47jnqIfv9x4brpav9Dj3VznDvVBTwfim16ReWD0bFaEZpoTs60sdKhL9lf0CcffZFpgvrypmhra_SlyNLm3TTfdkyeA0Vzz2E7qNy8Aa6fpUAXgq_JB/s320/seo1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549132831510120978" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>Crawlers, spiders, and robots</b></span></div></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The query interface and search results pages truly are the only parts of a search engine that the user ever sees. Every other part of the search engine is behind the scenes, out of view of the people who use it every day. That doesn't mean it's not important, however. In fact, what's in the back end is the most important part of the search engine, and it's what determines how you show up in the front end.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you've spent any time on the Internet, you may have heard a little about spiders, crawlers,and robots. These little creatures are programs that literally crawl around the Web, cataloging data so that it can be searched. In the most basic sense, all three programs - crawlers, spiders,and robots - are essentially the same. They all collect information about each and every web URL.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This information is then cataloged according to the URL at which they're located and are stored in a database. Then, when a user uses a search engine to locate something on the Web, the reference sin the database are searched and the search results are returned.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Databases</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Every search engine contains or is connected to a system of databases where data about each URL on the Web (collected by crawlers, spiders, or robots) is stored. These databases are massive storage areas that contain multiple data points about each URL. The data might be arranged in any number of different ways and is ranked according to a method of ranking and retrieval that is usually proprietary to the company that owns the search engine. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">You've probably heard of the method of ranking called PageRank (for Google) or even the more generic term quality scoring. This ranking or scoring determination is one of the most complex and secretive parts of SEO. How those scores are derived, exactly, is a closely guarded secret, in part because search engine companies change the weight of the elements used to arrive at the score according to usage patterns on the Web.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The idea is to score pages based on the quality that site visitors derive from the page, not on how well web site designers can manipulate the elements that make up the quality score. For example, there was a time when the keywords that were used to rank a page were one of the most important factors in obtaining a high-quality score.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That's no longer the case. Don't get me wrong. Keywords are still vitally important in web page ranking. However, they're just one of dozens of elements that are taken into consideration,which is why a large portion of Part II of this book is dedicated to using keywords to your advantage. They do have value; and more important, keywords can cause damage if not used properly.</div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-35573666253435751752010-07-03T19:30:00.000-07:002011-02-28T15:19:00.272-08:00Slow Internet Explorer 8 Fix<div><b>I</b>s your Internet Explorer 8 lags and opens very slowly in your XP, especially when you open a new tab ?. Although I prefer using another browsers like Firefox or the new and very reliable 'Chrome', i use IE from time to time along with them, when i need rapid shifting between accounts, so i see that some of us just can't ignore IE.</div><div>There are a few tweaks you can simply do to restore it's flexibility.<a name='more'></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Re-registering core library files in XP</b></div><div><br /></div><div>There are few dll files called the core libraries files, sometimes and under various circumstances, they were not registered properly, this may cause l huge lack in performance in IE8, or even prevent it to be opened. To fix this you need to re-register some of these files using a simple tool called <i>Regsvr32, </i>we will do this only on one file which is <i>actxprxy.dll</i>, there are other core files related to IE like <i>Mshtml.dll</i> and <i>Urlmon.dll</i>, but re-registering them won't be necessary, only in disastrous conditions like if IE is crashing or not starting at all, other than that i recommend that you leave'em whiteout any modification.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Click <b>Start</b>, then click <b>Run</b> from the menu.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. In the dialog appeared, type <b>cmd </b>and press Enter, A black window will appear, that's the command prompt window.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Now type this command line in it as it is: <b>regsvr32 actxprxy.dll </b>and press enter, a dialog will show to inform you that the process has been completed. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>4. Restart your PC.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, this should gain back the performance of your IE8 a little, and fixes some issues gone wrong with it's use over time.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Disabling add-ons and plug-ins</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Most add-ons, even the official ones, hold back the performance dramatically, allot of unnecessary add-ons will even cause it to hang while opening. And IE isn't quite addons-friendly browser, it just don't like them.</div><div><br /></div><div>JAVA add-on is the one to vanish (if you can live without it, and i do), along with most of the adds which been added automatically while installing specific programs, like Adobe plug-in, Skype add-on, etc... disabling them will make IE run smoother and faster, here is how to do it:</div><div><br /></div><div>Open IE normally and click on "<b>Tools</b>" --> "<b>Internet Options</b>", now select "<b>Programs</b>"<b> </b>tab, on the bottom click on "<b>Manage Add-ons</b>", a new window will appear containing add-ons types and other aspects for each one, now simply right click any unused or rarely-used extension and disable it. But remember to leave any anti-virus or internet security application's add-ons as they are, because they secure the most common gate of any kind of web threats from sneaking into your system. Other than that, it's up to you choosing what's your next move depending on your own customizations.</div><div><center><a href="http://www.fwebtraffic.com/?rid=1298660" target="_blank"><br /><img src="http://www.fwebtraffic.com/images/fwebtraffic468x60-1.jpg" width="468" height="60" border="0" /></a></center><br /></div><div><b>Updating IE</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Always try to update your IE whenever it tells you to, new "fixes" and "patches" often overcome and solve some core problems, go to Microsoft update website at <a href="http://www.update.microsoft.com/">http://www.update.microsoft.com</a> and follow the steps to complete any update, vista and win7 are easier to complete this task.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Do you like this article? please "Share" and "Like" it to spread the benefit :)...</span></i></div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-39758900348723605272010-06-26T07:44:00.000-07:002011-10-07T19:22:49.599-07:00The risks behind 3D technology<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3ozhJGXA30r3B3i6vx-tdx5jfCq_jnNG8ydoAqOa2ELMQnSAyM_nGUw-Fk6fdgenaeCwHJxy0EskICW_-AHDpkihlw7FYP0-BXDbFivaHsBKHOR-0q_aRydL8dAb6ZLJNFq-cRQkzRze/s1600/3D_Display.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3ozhJGXA30r3B3i6vx-tdx5jfCq_jnNG8ydoAqOa2ELMQnSAyM_nGUw-Fk6fdgenaeCwHJxy0EskICW_-AHDpkihlw7FYP0-BXDbFivaHsBKHOR-0q_aRydL8dAb6ZLJNFq-cRQkzRze/s320/3D_Display.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487095344496143842" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>R</b>ecently, Samsung Australia released a document outlining some of the risks associated with watching 3D TV. At first glance, the document outlines how 3D television has effects that are not very much different, for instance, to the risks associated with gaming.<a name='more'></a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a document outlined “Photosensitive Seizure Warnings and other Health Risks”, there are a number of risks that are mentioned in what appears to be a bid from Samsung to prevent itself from running into legal issues. Some of the risks outlined in the document, include the following:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• Some viewers may experience an epileptic seizure or stroke when exposed to certain flashing images or lights contained in certain television pictures or video games. If you or any of your family has a history of epilepsy or stroke, please consult with a medical specialist before using the 3D function.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• If you experience any of the following symptoms, immediately stop watching 3D pictures and consult a medical specialist: <b>(1)</b> altered vision; <b>(2)</b> lightheadedness; <b>(3) </b>dizziness <b>(4) </b>involuntary movements such as eye or muscle twitching; <b>(5)</b> confusion; <b>(6)</b> nausea; <b>(7)</b> loss of awareness; <b>(8)</b> convulsions; <b>(9)</b> cramps; and/or <b>(10 </b>disorientation. Parents should monitor and ask their children about the above symptoms as children and teenagers may be more likely to experience these symptoms than adults.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• Viewing in 3D mode may also cause motion sickness, perceptual after effects, disorientation, eye strain, and decreased postural stability. It is recommended that users take frequent breaks to lessen the likelihood of these effects. If you have any of the above symptoms, immediately discontinue use of this device and do not resume until the symptoms have subsided.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• We do not recommend watching 3D content if you are in bad physical condition, need sleep or have been drinking alcohol.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• Watching TV while sitting too close to the screen for an extended period of time may damage your eyesight. The ideal viewing distance should be at least three times the height of the TV screen. It is recommended that the viewer's eyes are level with the screen.</div><div><center><a href="http://www.fwebtraffic.com/?rid=1298660" target="_blank"><br /><img src="http://www.fwebtraffic.com/images/fwebtraffic468x60-1.jpg" width="468" height="60" border="0" /></a></center><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• Watching TV while wearing 3D Active Glasses for an extended period of time may cause headaches or fatigue. If you experience a headache, fatigue or dizziness, stop watching TV and rest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• Do not use the 3D Active Glasses for any purpose other than viewing 3D television. Wearing the 3D Active Glasses for any other purpose (as general spectacles, sunglasses, protective goggles, etc.) may physically harm you or weaken your eyesight.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• Viewing in 3D mode may cause disorientation for some viewers. DO NOT place your television near open stairwells, cables, balconies or other objects that may cause you to injure yourself.</div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-20093292817171459062010-06-26T07:27:00.000-07:002010-09-28T08:14:33.578-07:00Google to offer Encrypted Search Soon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnZSvOMUq0YigpM-dyi3QtBFUlThlaCKR08VMuaCY3txrLmUILIR8whrhJxBeQpB4CjV4_L4j72xZmUuEYnmtIxUVu_3mF0mr6jCLsV3Yr12JnIuAAEJPiCxOoNHUomEVXQhSYfvoOhG1/s1600/googles.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnZSvOMUq0YigpM-dyi3QtBFUlThlaCKR08VMuaCY3txrLmUILIR8whrhJxBeQpB4CjV4_L4j72xZmUuEYnmtIxUVu_3mF0mr6jCLsV3Yr12JnIuAAEJPiCxOoNHUomEVXQhSYfvoOhG1/s320/googles.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487090256507521186" /></a><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">F</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ollowing the backlash Google faced for stealing data from open WiFi networks ‘mistakenly' , the search giant now says the incident highlighted just how easily accessible non-password protected networks are and revealed that it will be serving up an encrypted version of Google Search soon.<a name='more'></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">"Earlier this year, we encrypted Gmail for all our users, and next week we will start offering an encrypted version of Google Search," revealed Alan Eustace, Senior VP, Engineering & Research in a company blog post dated May 14th.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Google began using encryption as a default for Gmail users only in 2010, while Yahoo! and Hotmail don't offer that same level of security and privacy as yet.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Users can check if pages are encrypted by looking to see whether the URL begins with ‘https', rather than just ‘http', with browsers showing a lock icon when the connection is secure.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In the same blog post, Eustace explains the WiFi incident in detail, which started when the Data Protection Authority in Hamburg, Germany asked to audit the WiFi data that Google Street View cars collected for use in location-based products like Google Maps for mobile.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The request saw Google going over all the data collected and realised they were "mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (i.e. non-password-protected) WiFi networks" but adds that the data was never used in any Google products.</span></div><div><center><a href="http://www.fwebtraffic.com/?rid=1298660" target="_blank"><br /><img src="http://www.fwebtraffic.com/images/fwebtraffic468x60-1.jpg" width="468" height="60" border="0" /></a></center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div>According to Eustace, Google is reaching out to regulators in the countries were data was stolen about how to dispose of it. Presently only data collected in Ireland has been deleted upon request by the Irish Data Protection Authority in the presence of an independent third party.</span></div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-86189660900893589222010-06-25T10:32:00.000-07:002010-09-28T08:15:13.369-07:00The new Blogger Template Designer<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The new Template Designer created by blogger is a new, easy-to-use, and have a lot of features to use to fine-tune your blog to match your needs. Despite some minor errors, it's a step ahead to a better looking result.<a name='more'></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">You can choose from a wide array of templates, and i guess there will be more in time, as it's rumored that Google opens the door for an open source templates created by designers.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A full color pattern to use in every font in the blog, background and gadgets colors is also customizable.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And for the first time, in some templates you can pick one of many background images, a full resolution and for every blog content.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Although it is a nice interactive tool and very powerful also, it lacks of some points that i think it needs revision from blogger.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The first disadvantage would be the absence of aligning for gadgets, for example the title, description, and the image you can replace with them. It can be fixed from the HTML editor, but the new tool is forwarded to beginners who need to find all of this in one location, and maybe don't have the knowledge of editing the scripts.</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> I'm preparing now a large article about this tweaks inside the HTML editor.</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My second concern is advertising. Some of the new templates is not quite adsense friendly, and they miss some serious tunes to make the adv. object blended in your blog quite right, you can notice this problem in templates that offer transparent gadgets background. Inserting an adsense adv. in those gadgets will make them floating like there's something in the main design.</span></div><div><center><a href="http://www.fwebtraffic.com/?rid=1298660" target="_blank"><br /><img src="http://www.fwebtraffic.com/images/fwebtraffic468x60-1.jpg" width="468" height="60" border="0" /></a></center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Adsense also miss the alignment feature as i said above, especially the one placed right below the header, it always tend to be on the left, and when you increase the width of the page, it will be nasty and looks strange, and way far from the "blended" rule. You can find a good article to align adsense objects </span><a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Align-Adsense-Widget-on-Blogger"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It will be a nice add also, if you could add your own background image, but i guess it will be available over time. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Overall the new tool is great, and a real step up to bring some life to blogspot, maybe it need time to be perfect.</span></div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793097833861901954.post-8847601793576088242010-06-24T16:24:00.000-07:002010-09-28T08:15:49.699-07:00Internet in Numbers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1_lOcwJRoPV4j36pZYl6H7jlArl5PZaxNjw0ZHYvpLpkEldZhauwv9_0qReTXn7J1QdhQ_H6L9AK5wXPETEE0RwG1qSqTx40XBhEK8XPHknUGrGtx1th1qv2SKc7R0kK2LtISQVL7e2m/s1600/imap.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1_lOcwJRoPV4j36pZYl6H7jlArl5PZaxNjw0ZHYvpLpkEldZhauwv9_0qReTXn7J1QdhQ_H6L9AK5wXPETEE0RwG1qSqTx40XBhEK8XPHknUGrGtx1th1qv2SKc7R0kK2LtISQVL7e2m/s320/imap.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486537089626827218" /></a><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">M</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ost of us just can't live without it, a massive flow of information via a massive numbers of connections. In this article we can see how we describe it in numbers.<a name='more'></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Internet 41's anniversary</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, a timeline of the most important events happened over years</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1969</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Arpanet, the great grand father of the internet, is created. first it links just four institutions, which are the university of California at Los Angeles, the university of California at Santa Barbra, the University of Utah and the Stanford Research Institute.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1972</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> The first e.mail reader is created for Arpanet users.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1984</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Domain names is used to distinguish its domains.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1989</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Tim Berners-Lee of CERN came with the idea of the World Wide Web, a tool he envisions for sharing physics research between users.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1993</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Floppy-disc mailings make AOL a household name.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1994</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Yahoo is founded.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1997</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> More than 100 million people are now online.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1998</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Google is founded.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2000</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Annual CD sales fall by 5%, due to the increase of digital music downloads.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2001</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Wikipedia is created.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2006</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Online call increase with the establishment of voice-over-internet protocol.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2009</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> More than 1.7 Billion people are online, that's a fourth of the world's population.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And Now,</span></b></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Wikipedia's global sites get </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">4,300</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> page views every second.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">71</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, Is the average number of monthly web searches per internet user. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2 out of 3</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> are though Google.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">More than </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2.5 Billion</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> photos are uploaded o Facebook every month. if you looked at each photo loaded in a month for one second, it would take about 80 years to see them all</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Between January 1 and March 31, 2007, more than </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">500,000</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> people visited Cheddarvision.tv, a British web site with a live feed of wheel of cheese slowly ripening.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">226,099,841</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> home pages went live at September 2009, according to a Netcraft Survey.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">More than </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">400 million</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> active Facebook users so far, each member have an average of 130 friends.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">All members spend over </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">500 billion</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> minutes per month on Facebook, and there are over </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">160 million</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> objects that people interact with (pages, groups and events) till now. as the average single user is connected to </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">60</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> pages, groups and events.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><b>Lang and Flow,</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_dEHcJZaPg9b5alpaJTdG8S4OJui9y4YL05pri8JzLBlMf5vOfd8TyYySn0aX5jXVimTpZfDmtrGDU2u1mW5ri156_8wHzSjH9YkMw9FOLY0ayYGLYSsOhYW7M_Rgi-uzF5ZO8puGrvC/s1600/languages2009.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 357px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_dEHcJZaPg9b5alpaJTdG8S4OJui9y4YL05pri8JzLBlMf5vOfd8TyYySn0aX5jXVimTpZfDmtrGDU2u1mW5ri156_8wHzSjH9YkMw9FOLY0ayYGLYSsOhYW7M_Rgi-uzF5ZO8puGrvC/s400/languages2009.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486537359246838498" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In 2009 workers sent and received an average of </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">167</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> e-mails everyday.</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> 247 billion</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> messages were sent worldwide daily, more than 81% of them are spam</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">494 exabytes</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, is the amount of data transmitted over the web on a single day last June(2009), an exabyte equals 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2 percen</span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">t</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> of the world's carbon dioxide emissions are attributed to the internet. The main culprit is the Web's massive servers, which in 2005 they needed power as much as what's produced by 14 large power plants that year.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">100 gigabits</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> per secon</span></span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">d, is the breakneck speed of Internet2, a network that connects a consortium of more than 200 American universities, in cooperation with thousands of national and international businesses and governmental agencies.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">$8 Billion</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, is the estimated cost to users of the "ILOVEYOU" worm in 2000. Onel de Guzman, an amateur programmer, allegedly authored it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1,500%</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, is the increase in the number of web users n Africa and the middle east between 2000 and 2009.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">100%</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> of homes in the Falkland islands are connected to the internet, which is the highest percentage in the world.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">0.1%</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> of the population of Myanmar has use the internet, the lowest in the world.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">4,229,520</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> people in 226 countries have volunteered their PCs to the University of California at Berkeley's </span><a href="http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">SETI(Search for Extraterrestrial Life) distributed-computing program</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">20 hours</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> of video are uploaded every minute to YouTube.</span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEico-W6ugpdkCSad7zouB0uVTpsHTxpA2O4-QDnFkdsxEh4lQNYyAXliDDJxyS_PTHPeS87bf9c6hKEqjRKjKUQRJNaxsolUFg9iqVwAA9mvzXFTFmLMUh2TwZFZaGSYHjaxMqe9HXhM4t5/s1600/internetusage_last.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEico-W6ugpdkCSad7zouB0uVTpsHTxpA2O4-QDnFkdsxEh4lQNYyAXliDDJxyS_PTHPeS87bf9c6hKEqjRKjKUQRJNaxsolUFg9iqVwAA9mvzXFTFmLMUh2TwZFZaGSYHjaxMqe9HXhM4t5/s400/internetusage_last.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486537980117235074" /></a><div><center><a href="http://www.fwebtraffic.com/?rid=1298660" target="_blank"><br /><img src="http://www.fwebtraffic.com/images/fwebtraffic468x60-1.jpg" width="468" height="60" border="0" /></a></center><br /></div><div><i>Sources: Science Illustrated Magazine, Wikipedia, Google statistics, various related articles.</i></div>Mike Faridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544296471374086253noreply@blogger.com0