Work at home Mlm Network Tool

April 26th, 2006

by: Adrian Austin

The workathome mlm network tool can be used to generate cash while working at home. MLM stands for multi-level marketing. A company uses MLM to have participants at home sell products at a discount. In exchange, the participants earn commissions and bonuses. The participants may have to pay a fee to join an MLM network.

MLM is good for companies because it reduces the costs of marketing, sales, inventory, and distribution. The use of the workathome mlm network tool has grown thanks to technology improvements, changes in the economy, job instability, and the need for financial independence. The participants have grown beyond housewives looking for extra income. Many downsized corporate workers including men have turned to MLM. Their corporate skills come in handy. People are often recruited through motivational meetings.

By using the workathome mlm network tool, people can earn money not just from their sales but from people they recruit. The people they recruit are called a “downline”. The downline can include people from all over the world. Faxes, FedEx, and email keep these people and their customers connected. Participants may get the product in their homes and invite customers to view the product.

Income of MLM participants may be slow to grow, but many enjoy the added benefits of working at home. MLM participants may get perks such as car allowances. Some companies may require a minimum amount of sales to collect from the downline. To increase downline sales, many participants offer recruits help such as with terminology, newsletters, sales flyers, business cards, and telephone support.

Participants may get their own website address and training on how to market on the Internet. Participants can go to MLM network websites to learn about the company and the product. Companies may give participants the options of re-selling the product or marketing over the Internet with no inventory.

The participants can teach the recruits how and where to approach potential customers and how to sell to businesses. To prevent scandal that has befallen some MLM networks, companies institute a code of ethics for participants. Wrongdoers are banned from the companies.

The workathome mlm network tool may promise that the more you spend on inventory, the more your commission. If you spend a certain amount, you may get a reward. One reason MLM works is because people don’t have time to shop at traditional stores. The MLM products may be personal care products, long-distance phone service, home and office cleaning, and prepaid law services.

MLM participants do better when they are passionate about the product and even use it. Potential MLM participants should research the company before committing and find out about guarantees. They can ask other people in the MLM network about their experiences. For those who want to work at home, MLM may be the answer.

Writing Short Info Reports

April 26th, 2006

by: Dan J. Fry

People want information, they want it quick, frequently in short form, and straight to the point. Its no wonder that they go straight for a computer connected to the internet to find anything from how to grow tomatoes to choosing a web host.

As a home business owner, this “information revolution” as I like to call it, is only to your benefit. After all, you are in the business of trying to give people what they want time and again. So, give them the information they crave.

Now, e-books are a wonderful way to , but in the spirit of the Infopreneur, short high content reports which I like to call info-reports are perhaps even better. If formulated carefully, they can even be put to use to literally explode the size of an opt-in list of subscribers. To proceed you simply develop several high content short reports, targeted at a specific market which you would like to add to your subscriber base, and give it away free just for subscribing to your newsletter. With content, and the word “free”, many people will flock to subscribe. Best of all this is a win-win situation: You pick up valuable subscribers to interact with on a weekly basis, and your subscribers receive valuable information from you.

So, how is it done you ask?

Report Ideas

Almost any idea you have can be made into a short report. However, not every idea is in demand.

Try this out.

Sit down with pen and paper in a quite location. Yes, you read correctly. I said pen and paper. It is easier from a work perspective to sit in front of your monitor, but past experience has taught me that the creative side of my brain works better with pen and paper. Of course it is up to what ever works for you.

Now, write down a short list of topics that you are semi-familiar with. I say “semi” because you can always perform a bit of research to learn more. These topics can be on anything: gardening, cooking, computer programming, specific hobbies, construction, research, medicine, etc.

After you have made your list, weed out the topics that are not associated with your business. For instance, if your business is computer programming, you probably don’t want to focus on creating a short report on gardening. The reasoning here is to target your market. Gardening info is not targeted to the computer programming market.

Now pick one or two topics, open a word processor, or even your notebook, and start writing every little bit of information you know on the subject.

Putting It Together

I recommend structuring your report similar to a book report. Remember writing those in school? Why a book report? The focus here is short and informative. This isn’t creative writing. You don’t want to go off on some tangent about literary prose. Short, concise, and highly informative information to guide others is what works here.

Format And Packaging

Format is somewhat of a personal preference. But, keep computing platform in mind. There are numerous e-book compilers, many free, that can be used to create a small exe file of your report. The advantage here is that it can be created in web page format and then compiled with links that when clicked will actually open in the e-book window. One downside however is that as far as I have been able to tell they only compile in PC format. So, anyone with a Mac will not be able to view the file.

I have used Easy e-Book Creator for several short reports. It is simple and easy to use. I create the pages in HTML format using Microsoft Frontpage and then compile. If you want the full version without the Easy e-Book Creator logo and with added security features, you can purchase a license for about $20. The resulting e-book is in exe format. e-Book Compiler also has a free trial version. I however was not as happy with it.

PDF is essentially universal. Just about anyone these days can open a pdf. The problem is that pdf file creators are rather pricey. An alternative is the Microsoft Reader plug-in for Word. Microsoft is attempting to compete with Adobe in creating a new standard. The software is free to download from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/reader/developers/downloads/rmr.asp .

Distribution

After all else is done, its time to get your report to market. Now, there is not a single definitive way to do this. I use e- zine advertising, classified ads, pay-per-click, and traffic exchanges to advertise short reports in the hopes of pulling interested readers to sign up for the e-Kinetic E-Zine. What is great about this method is that it truly is win-win. I gain new subscribers who I get to share interact with through the e-zine, and subscribers receive valuable information at zero cost.

Writing Tips For Novice Authors

April 25th, 2006

by: Patty Apostolides

If you are reading this article then you probably have asked yourself at some point in your life, “Do I have what it takes to become an author?”

I believe that successful authors, those who actually write and finish that novel, or book of poetry, or even that book of short stories, and see it all the way to publication, have certain characteristics.

Characteristics of Authors

1. They like to sit for hours in front of a computer screen (or with pen and paper), typing (writing) away.

2. They think about their book, even when they’re not writing.

3. They are motivated to finish their book.

4. They are motivated to proofread, edit and revise their finished book until it is the best it can be.

5. They are motivated to publish their book.

6. Once they publish the first book, they are already working on the next one.

If you answered yes to anyone of the above, then you have a good chance of attaining your dreams of becoming an author. Don’t listen to those people who say it’s a competitive market out there. Don’t listen to those people who say they’ve written five books and haven’t had one published yet. And don’t listen to those people who send you back your manuscripts! Listen to yourself. Listen to that inner voice, the one that is whispering now. But wait until you get started. Once your book is written and published, that inner voice will be roaring! And the whole world will hear about it.

I know, I know. I tend to be the optimist. But we have so many pessimists in the book business, we sure need some more optimists around!

For you, the novice writer who would like to start writing that first book, the best way to begin is to start writing. Yes, just sit down and do it. Stop the other activities, the television, the reading, the shopping, the chatting on the telephone, and find the time to devote at least one hour a day to writing.

What’s one hour a day in the scheme of things? It comes and goes like this, poof! What do you have to show after an hour of television? A lazy yawn? If that same hour were spent on writing, then there would be a product in your hands, something that will be shared, hopefully, one day with others.

So, go ahead, shut the door to the rest of the world for one hour (or more) and make yourself comfortable in front of the computer screen (or pen and paper). Let’s take the first step to becoming an author.

How To Begin

Foundation

Just like a construction company which builds a foundation to a home, you also need to prepare a foundation for your career in writing. Don’t skip this step, it’s important.

Your “foundation” will consist of basic writing skills. Remember those English courses you took in high school and college? If you don’t remember anything from those courses, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea if you found your old English textbooks, dusted them off a bit, and looked through their pages to refresh your memory.

If you haven’t taken any courses in creative writing, you might consider signing up for one. Check with your local community college. They often offer weekend and evening classes, and sometimes even online classes. If you’re on a budget, then visit the public library and sign out books relevant to writing.

In addition, it would be very useful to join a writing group (online or in your local area) that critiques your work and gives you the opportunity to critique also. The group provides wonderful support and an avenue to sharpen your skills as you gain experience in writing, as well as exposure to other people’s writing. For example, Writing.com is a good example of an online resource that provides many opportunities to share your writing, and get your work rated and reviewed. If you want to join a critique or review group, it offers that also.

The second step to becoming an author, is to have the right tools.

Tools Needed

Besides a comfortable chair, plenty of lighting, and a quiet room, you will need a computer with a word processing program (e.g., Microsoft Word), a printer, and plenty of paper.

Why a computer? First of all, publishers typically will request a copy of your files sent to them on a floppy disk. More importantly, working with a word processing program will aid you in many ways towards becoming a published author. It will provide the opportunity to save your work as a Word file, without having to use up tons of paper (as with a typewriter). This greatly aids you in keeping your work organized. It also gives you the flexibility to edit and re-edit large sections of your work quickly by allowing you to utilize the copy and paste functions.

Other advantages of using a computer word processing program is that it provides spell check capabilities, and also helps you count the number of words per page. In addition, when you want to spice up your vocabulary (For example, if you like to use the word “walk” often, and are getting tired of that word), place your cursor on the word “walk”, hit shift F7. It will give you a list of synonyms you can choose from - like stroll, amble, etc.).

The time saved by using a computer is very valuable. It gives you more time available to write! Of course, if you don’t have the above materials, don’t let that stop you from writing that book! Using a pen and paper is perfectly fine. Books were written with these two basic tools for centuries.

Let’s assume you are using a computer and a Word processing software. First of all, before you begin writing, form a subdirectory that you can add all your chapters to. Maybe you know the title of your book already. Fine, then form a subdirectory using the name of the title. After you finish writing that first chapter (oh joy!), just save it as Chapter 1 under the subdirectory. If you are writing a book of poetry, then you might want to save each poem as a separate file.

When I write my chapters for my novel, I format them in double space mode, with a Times New Roman 11 font. All the margins are at least one inch. This way it will be ready for manuscript submission.

Try not to add your page numbers until the very last revision. Page numbers constantly change when you’re revising, so wait until the end.

Finally, another reason for having a computer is for Internet access. As a writer, you will have opportunities to submit your fiction online, such as http://www.Writing.com, or even your articles online for e-zines, such as http://www.articlecity.com. Any chance you can get to write online, do it. As long as it doesn’t take too much time away from your book. It’s also a free way of promoting yourself before the book is even published.

So you need to balance your time in writing that book, honing your writing skills, submitting your work along the way for others to critique, and promoting yourself. Can you do it? Of course you can!

The third step to becoming an author is:

What to Write

If you are planning to write a novel, it would help to know what general category your book is going to be in. Will it be in the romance, mystery, or science fiction category? If you don’t know, take some time and think about it. Read some books in those genres. Which books seem to attract you the most? It’s highly likely that you’ll be writing in the category that you like to read. My preference is romance because I read those types of books the most. Once you decide the category, then you are closer to writing that novel!

For poetry, you might start by writing a poem and submitting it to a poetry journal, or a poetry contest. Gain exposure for your poetry. Join a critique group so you can sharpen your poetry skills. A chapbook usually consists of about 25-35 poems. For a poetry book, you’ll need at least 60 pages of poetry, if not more.

Types of Novelists

I have found over time, that there are two types of novelists. The first type is the writer who prefers drawing up a proposal or plan of what they will write about. The second type prefers to write whatever comes into their mind at that moment.

You decide which writer you will be.

Type 1 Novelist

They begin by describing the characters, their names, personalities, and sometimes their motives. Then they decide when and where the setting will take place. When will it take place? If it takes place before the 1900’s, then it will be considered historical. Also, will the setting be in the country, in a city (which city?), in a house (whose house), on a cruise ship? That needs to be defined also.

Once those decisions are made, they write brief sketches of each chapter. It could be a page or two long. Once all this is done, then the real writing begins. If this method works for you, then feel free to use it. It may take some time, but you will become more confident about what you’ll write once you go through this initial process.

Type 2 Novelist

What if you’re the type of person who doesn’t want to spend all that time writing proposals and character sketches? What if you’re like me, who prefers to just write whatever comes into your head? Then do it! Sit down and start writing. Write anything.

As the story develops, something wonderful begins brewing in your mind. Something called creativity. I’ve caught myself hours after I finished writing a chapter, and I’ll be preparing dinner, or walking somewhere, and a scene from my novel will begin to unfold. It’s called creative problem solving. My mind is working to solve the problem that the writing presents it, even though I’m not actively writing. When I get those urges, I immediately stop what I’m doing and jot down my thoughts. It’s helped me many times, particularly when everything clicks together.

How Long Will It Take?

It took me almost two years to write and find a publisher for my first novel, Lipsi’s Daughter. For other people, it may take longer or shorter, depending on the amount of time they allow for writing and how many pages they are writing. I know of authors that took six, seven, up to twelve years to write their first book. I also know of a famous author who writes two novels a year!

So unless you begin writing that first page of your book, you’ll never know how long it’ll take you to write it. Go ahead, make that first step, and good luck!

Writing Without Style

April 25th, 2006

by: Joseph E. Wright

Conditions of use: Editor: The following article is offered for free use in your ezine, print publication, or on your web site, as long as the content is not altered, and the copyright and author credit box at the end are also included. Notification of use would be appreciated.

WRITING WITHOUT STYLE

Style manuals are all well and good, and in fact, highly desirable for newspapers. The average reading level of newspaper readers is the sixth grade. Over the years it became imperative that newspaper writing be simple, consistent, and use basic punctuation, even when that violated some elementary rules. The end result has been that borderline idiots may now understand today’s papers.

I feel that these manuals should not be taken as carved in stone for fiction writers. Imagine, if you will, someone dictating to Picasso, Dali, or the French impressionists which colors of paint they may use, which strokes, which perspective, etc. Unthinkable, yet there are many people who insist that fiction writers must abide by the (sometimes) arbitrary grammar and style rules in the popular style manuals.

There are certain rudimentary dictates we must all follow, otherwise our writing would be chaotic. However, fiction writers should, more than any other writers, be allowed enough freedom of expression to create a style that is special to them. In other words, a style that is peculiar (in the correct meaning of that word.) In the editing process of my book, TALES FROM THE WRECKTORY, I had an incident with the editor (He won, I lost.) over the use of the word, “tenebraephobic.” (Tenebrae is the service used during Christian Holy Week, and the Latin word, “tenebrae” means shadows, hence darkness.) I wanted to use it to convey a particular kind of fear of the dark. Now, there is more than one word for this condition: nyctophobia and lygophobia, to name two. The individual I was writing about was afraid to be alone in an old, multistory, rambling house in the dead of night. I ask you, which word conveys the impression I wanted to create: one of the two clinical names I mention, or the one which speaks of fear of shadows?

The editor objected to my “tenebraephobic” because he said there was no such word, that I had made it up, and, of course, he was right. There wasn’t and I had. Damn it all, if a fiction writer is not allowed to coin a word, who is? Political speech writers? Computer nerds? Or, as we see happen every day, the intelligentsia who, through ignorance or sloppiness, take a perfectly good word or phrase, misuse it, and give it a whole new meaning. Others follow the bad example and it suddenly jumps up the ranks in today’s parlance. “Impact” is a perfect example of that.

The same editor then pointed out that most people would not know the meaning of the word, “tenebrae.” My answer to that was: “Then, let them look it up. If they want simple words that won’t strain their poor brains, they should stick to newspapers (or television) for their entertainment. Fiction should do more than entertain; it should also broaden the mind.”

Another editor (I quickly changed this one) tried to correct my grammar and spelling in dialogues. Now, to me, dialogue is sacrosanct. Apart from obvious typos, no one fools around with it. Words in dialogue are, after all, not my words, not the editor’s words. They belong to the character speaking. You wouldn’t say, “Just between you and I” but one of your characters certainly would. You’d die rather than say, “Me and my friend did…” Would one of your characters? You betcha.

Years ago, I was responsible for training several would-be writers for an international corporation. It was hoped that what they wrote would convince those who read it to buy our products and services. These young writers soon became sick of hearing me say, “We don’t write the way we speak, any more than we speak the way we write. Writing is a visual medium; speaking is an audible medium.” I convinced them (I think) to throw away the style manuals (or at least leave them on the shelf most of the time), and concentrate on what was important: getting a message across, a message that was brief, succinct, and easy to read.

When it comes to the final showdown, who wins, editors or you, the writer? That’s an easy one. Editors. Certainly you have the right to take your work elsewhere. My rule on this is quite simple. If I have any doubt whatsoever of the suitability of what I wrote, I don’t mind giving in, especially to an editor who is usually cooperative. Such an editor deserves my cooperation. On the other hand, if I believe I could not go on living with myself by abandoning my precious words, I’ll insist it stay as written and accept the consequences. Quod scripsi, scripsi.

The test of fiction writing is not whether it conforms to any style manual, but whether or not it works for you, the writer. Unless your words move you to laugh or cry (preferably both), it isn’t likely to affect anyone else. How do you make your words work? The formula is simple, although not easy. You must make your words flow as though they were about to run off the page. The nonfiction writer must be careful that all facts are correct, make sure the writing conforms to the publication for which it is written, and for the intended audience. You, as a fiction writer must do the very same, but only as a starting point. You must go on become a poet, a word-painter, a strummer on people’s emotions. The person who originally said one picture is worth a thousand words had it all backwards. A thousand words can conjure up as many pictures, as many emotions as there are people who read them.

As a writer of fiction, you need only keep one eye on your style, and only an occasional eye on the rules set down, but you must at all times keep both eyes wide open and directed towards that which you hope to pursue, and by that I mean pursue that noblest of trades: the writer who leads others to far-off lands in this world and in other worlds; the trade of Dickens or Tolstoy; of Bradbury or Poe, of Cartland or Hemingway; and above all, the trade of ________(please insert your name here.)

copyright 2003 Joseph E. Wright

Joseph E. Wright is the author of Tales from the Wrecktory (http://www.metropolisink.com}, The Bodies Out Back and The Remigrants (both published by http://www.booksunbound.com). His writing has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

Fish Oil and Possible Disease Prevention

April 23rd, 2006

by: Aaron Wilmont

Researchers working at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center state that DPA and DHA, primary components of fish oil, provide substantial protection against coronary heart disease. This study involved more tha six thousand middle-aged men who had samples of their blood taken between 1973 and 1976. During the next seven years, 94 of these men had a heart attack or died suddenly due to heart disease. The 94 men were matched with 94 healthy men and the fatty acid profile of their blood samples compared. The researchers discovered that the 94 men with heart disease tended to have a higher serum level of the saturated fatty acid palmitic acid and stated that a high level of this acid increases the risk of CHD by 68 percent. Palmitic acid is the main saturated fatty acid in most diets. This acid is known to cause an increase in both total cholesterol and low-density cholesterol levels; the researchers, however, found that the detrimental effect of a high intake of palmitic acid persisted even after allowing for its cholesterol- increasing effect. The researchers also determined that men with a higher blood level of the Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids, docosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid had an almost 50 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than did men with lower levels. Furthermore, the researchers found that men with CHD tended to have a higher serum level of Omega-6 fatty acids derived from linoleic acid. Fish oil seems to restore the balance.

Fish Oil may reduce heart attack fatalities by balancing certain electrical rhythms in the heart, thus preventing blood clots from forming. George Billman, professor of physiology at the Ohio State Univ., says that omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil make the tissues in the muscles of the heart less susceptible to damage caused by a lack of blood flow. “It looks like omega-3 fatty acids protect against the changes induced by ischemia,” said Billman. Billman, along with researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University Medical School, published the results of the study in a recent issue of the journal ‘Circulation’. The omega-3 fatty acids in the study seemed to do the work of anti-arrhythmic drugs. This work was funded by the American Heart Association, Ohio Valley Affiliate, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Barry Sears, a leading authority in the field of fish oil, drug delivery systems and dietary control of hormonal response, states that Research is increasingly emphasizing the broad benefits of high-grade fish oil.

Freedom of Religion

April 23rd, 2006

by: Skye Thomas

We were all taught in school that our forefathers left England to escape religious dictatorships. Okay, there was a lot more to it then that, but it was a big enough deal that they made sure it got honorable mention in our rulebook. They clearly made the point that we were to have freedom of religion here in America. They also used the word “God” in some of their formal paperwork and even on our money. I don’t want to argue politics here, but rather semantics. They didn’t say “freedom of Christianity,” they said “freedom of religion.” The boys who wrote up all of our formal paperwork were wordsmiths and they debated long and hard to find the perfect set of words to govern ourselves by. It wasn’t decided that we had the freedom to choose whichever form of Christianity that we liked, but whichever form of religion. Religion is in and of itself a much broader concept then Christianity. “God” can mean a lot more then just the Christian definition too.

No, I don’t agree with all the bickering and arguing over whether or not there should be prayers in school or if the Pledge of Allegiance is constitutional. You can’t stop someone from praying whenever or wherever they choose. Nor can you force a prayer out of someone either. It’s a dumb thing to argue about and not worth being offended over either way. I think it’s important to teach out children what our country’s Pledge of Allegiance is, but I don’t know that it’s right to force anyone to state a pledge, especially children. Seems a bit dictator like and kind of like brainwashing. Teach them what it means. Teach them what prayer means. Teach them what making a pledge of any kind means whether it’s a pledge of one’s allegiance to their country’s flag, a pledge of fidelity to a spouse, or a pledge of loyalty to a boss. But also teach them that in this country we have the freedom to make pledges or not. Teach them that in this country we have the freedom to pray to whoever or whatever we like and the freedom not to pray. Teach them just how important that freedom is.

I’m saddened when I hear of Pagan’s being persecuted for their spiritual beliefs in this country. Did the Sunday school teachers forget to mention that using the colors green and red for Christmas is Pagan? Did they mention that Christmas lights, yule logs, and wreaths are all Pagan? Did they mention that almost every single Christian holiday is celebrated ironically on top of a Pagan festival? Why do you think we have bunnies, baby chicks, and pretty flowers as part of our Easter celebration? Because it coincides with the Pagan’s celebrations of Spring’s renewal. From what I can see, Pagans aren’t all evil ugly witches anymore than all Christians are white supremacists.

I don’t have a deep knowledge of all of the different religions of the world, but I can tell you that it doesn’t take much research to see that they’re all very much the same. Get past which church uses which secret handshake and which rule book you should follow, and you find that they’re all teaching us to respect each other, to love each other, to conduct yourself with honor, and to be good to the planet and animals that we’re blessed with. The rest is all dogma and debatable. Nobody has any real concrete proof that their particular form of God is the only one. Who’s to say that God or Jesus isn’t wise enough to visit more than once using different names and different forms? Wouldn’t it make sense given the size of the planet that the rest of the world would need to be given a fair chance at knowing about God too? Is Buddha so very different from Jesus? Their teachings are incredibly similar. Why limit God to a concept that only fits what your particular culture or region of the world knows about?

Another thing that always puzzled me is why prophets and seers are allowed to channel holy books and tell of the Messiah’s coming, but then we’re told by the churches that being psychic is demonic? It seems a bit contradictory to me. Every psychic I’ve ever met lost power over their visions if they weren’t acting in the highest good. Most of the psychics I’ve met believe very deeply in a form of God or some sort of a higher magical loving guidance over us. They’re visions into the other side created that belief. There’s nothing quite like chatting with the All-Mighty to make a believer out of you. Isn’t prayer in and of itself a form of telepathic psychic connection with the other side?

It just seems to me that if we quit arguing over what words, labels, and names we give these concepts and quit arguing over methods of prayer and such that we’d see that we’re all so much more alike then we are different. I’ve known three different Catholic men who fell in love with the Buddhist faith because it so beautifully highlights the teachings of Christ. I really believe that is what we’re meant to do. All of the holy books tell us to love one another. You can’t truly love someone if you don’t take the time to really get to know them and what they stand for. Shouldn’t we learn about each other from a place of love rather than from a place of judgement? Nobody can prove that anyone else’s religion is wrong and nobody can prove that theirs is right. Too many translators over the course of history to be able to be 100% sure about anything any more. We can’t really assume that the others are completely wrong and we can’t assume that our own religion is completely right. Religion and God is so much more than we can fully understand at this time.

Choosing A Perfume

April 23rd, 2006

by: Sara Blackmoore

The choice of fragrances and scents seems to grow wider every day, as manufacturers fight for our attention and try ever harder to distinguish their offerings from the competition. With such a selection to choose from, how does one even begin to know where to start when it comes to buying perfume?

Broadly speaking, all perfumes fall into one of six different categories based on their dominant top notes. Different categories will suit different people or occasions.

Earthy or woody type perfumes evoke smells of the forest, and are usually very refreshing. They often tend to appeal to the older generation, and may make ideal gifts.

Oriental fragrances use strong spicy scents, and are ideal for special social occasions, but be cautious giving them to anyone you don’t know well – these intense perfumes can be a very personal choice.

The so-called “greens” are much lighter than the orientals, and are well suited to more casual wear. Because they make a less dramatic assault on the nose, they are also safer to give as gifts!

Modern “oceanic” fragrances are becoming more and more popular, particularly among younger people who appreciate the intense but often quite unusual scents, which instantly bring to mind seaside scenes. Naturally these are an excellent choice in the warmer months when thoughts turn to holidays.

Spicy fruity perfumes are also a good warm-weather choice, and can be a good all-round choice for the woman who wants to wear something with some traditional base-notes but is a little different to the classic floral scents.

Finally, those classic floral fragrances are suitable for almost everyone and any occasion. But be wary of cheaper brands; this most feminine of all the main groups works best when the ingredients used are of high quality, and that means less expensive brands can smell exactly that.

Ultimately, choosing a fragrance is a very personal choice, and many women prefer to stick with what they know and buy the same thing year after year. But by trying different fragrances from the same group as your favourite smell, you may just discover a new gem.

An Article about Articles

April 23rd, 2006

by: Jim Schulte

Everyone that publishes a newsletter or ezine knows that the “list” is the most important thing, if you want to be successful with any online venture. To build that list we are told to submit ads to other ezines, join as many ezines as is humanly possible to read in a 24 hour day without food or sleep. And of course write articles.

They also tell us that any dim bulb can write. I’ve read a few articles and I think that statement may be somewhat false. Ok, we know we can write because all of the kids in your daughters 3rd class think you write “neat” poems.

Now all we have to do is pick a topic that is intersesting, informative, is less than 1 ba-zillion words, and will make people want to come back and read more of your articles. Hopefully they will become subscribers to your publication.

Oh yeah, they have to be good enough to be able to submit them to other ezines and make the public think you are the second coming of Mark Twain.

We all know that there are 1000’s of articles out there right now that deal with a variety of subjects ranging from trimming your dogs nails to starting your own Zen Budda cult.

When you are choosing a topic to attract more subscribers to your ezine or newsletter, pick one that will keep them awake and alert. You don’t want them getting half way through the article and then hitting the old “delete” key.

Keep it short so you can hold the readers attention, and tell them something they didn’t know about , before they read your Pulitzer Prize winning piece.

People want to be informed when reading anything! They also want to be entertained. So you see what you write about isn’t as important as how you write it, and present it to your readers.

The proof in that statement is in what you just read. I wrote an article about absolutely nothing just now, and I got you to stay with me until the end.

So now this is the end. Please go subscribe to my newsletter.

Jim Schulte is the creator of the Internet Marketing Junkie Mouse Pad and Editor/Publisher of the Internet Marketing Junkie Newsletter

http://www.imjpads.com

An Appeal To The Bloggers!

April 23rd, 2006

by: Srinivasa Moorthy

Blogging is smart an art. Blog sites are the nicest portals which do aid people to unfurl their inundating mind streams, in umpteen aspects and share their ideas and experiences. It satiates several yearning hearts by being a platform for unleashing the artistic potencies from within, in writing reviews, articles, poems, stories, etc.

Personally, I’ve been craving for such a thing for a substantially long period, until my student and above that my friend, Mr. K. Rakesh, kraki@rediffmail.com, to whom I am grateful, came to my rescue by acquainting me with one blog site. (Visit - http://srinispree.blogspot.com) There is ample scope for registering our stuff, which might be of mammoth use to many others. To publish and later tweak it to the anticipated levels of perfection and subsequently seeing the transition for ourselves is an ethereal experience! I hope many of you know this better than me.

My humble plea is only this - please don’t use blogs for perverted purposes or illegal intentions. There are lot more areas for such things. Spare blogs!

Certainly blogs are also for fun and frolic, but within the bounds of acceptability.

May it be a perpetual source of inspiration, nurturing sensational writings that vibrantly serve humanity, yielding reciprocal harmony and international integrity in a broader sense, in near future. In the present context… at least self-improvement.

Alternative View Points and the Lamp of Creativity

April 23rd, 2006

by: Sue Kendrick

Pictures they say are worth a thousand words, but many writers know that they are worth much more than that!

Without decent photographs or other artwork to accompany an article many features published in todays magazines and newspapers would never see the light of day, so it makes sense to try and supply illustrations along with your submissions.

Last month’s article gave some tips and advice on how to improve your camera wielding technique so click here if you missed it.

This month we’re going to look at how photographs can spark off ideas for features and other writing opportunities which means taking the slightly unusual step of writing the article around the picture rather than finding photographs to illustrate the article.

So let’s begin with the hanged man. Who on earth is that and what does he have to do with writing or photography? Not much really, but he makes a nice analogy. The hanged man from the Tarot card deck for those not familiar with this form of divination, is the only card in the major arcana which is the right way up when it shows the hanged man upside down!

Although he is bound and beset by problems and troubles he has taken the bold step of considering the world and his options from an alternative view point which is what exchanging our computers and pens for a camera can do for us.

A good method of doing this is to set yourself a couple of themes. What these themes are depend on you and your interests, but let’s suppose you chose “chimneys” and “dogs”.

Both of these are common enough to ensure plenty of subject matter and you should be able to find enough examples whether you are a town or country dweller. Don’t forget to take plenty of film with you, (or spare batteries and flash cards for digital cameras), and most importantly! A pen and notebook!

A couple of hours wandering the streets gazing skywards at smoke blackened chimney stacks or staring fixedly at the local canine Romeo plighting his troth to Lady Muck’s prize Saluki might earn you a few odd looks from the neighbours, but with a bit of luck and determination on your part could also add a few pennies to the coffers as well.

The trick is to take plenty of snaps, a doddle if you’ve got a digital camera as you’ll only be printing off the shots you want to keep. If not, well you can often get cheap film from your local dealer’s bargain box. The developing costs you’ll have to take on the chin, unless there’s a special offer running.

The next stage is to examine what you’ve got. This is a bit like a deep sea fisherman trawling for cod. Your net is not very discriminating and you’ll find a lot of sprats and mackerels amongst your “catch”. You may not actually have any photographs worthy of publication, but you will almost certainly have ideas and if this means that you will have to go out again armed with your camera to shoot appropriate illustrations, then so be it!

Let’s assume you do have a fair amount of reasonable photographs. What sort of article could you write around these subjects? Well of course this will depend very much on what is actually in the photographs, but let’s go back to our neighbourhood Romeo. A few ideas you could pursue are the problems of stray dogs and irresponsible dog owners, owners that resemble their dogs, (or other pets), where to responsibly exercise the town dog, dogs at work, get the idea?

The chimney photographs may suggest a feature on ornate chimney pots,Victorian potters, (many were often made locally), the local chimney sweep, the history of a particular house or row and the characters associated with them, Santa and problem chimney stacks, (or lack of them!).

The photographs themselves will spark ideas, but you don’t have to stop at newspaper or magazine features. Good animal, nature and landscape shots may also find a market with greeting card manufacturers and if you can write the sentiments to accompany them so much the better.

In fact, once you build up a collection of quality photographs your options increase all the time, not only in providing illustrations for your own articles, but as stand alone sales to newspapers which for the new comer, is one of the easiest markets to break into.

Our canine Romeo for instance could just make an editor’s day as an alternative and humorous slant on Valentine’s day. Now there’s an idea! How about a feature on love in the animal kingdom? Just the thing for next year’s Valentine’s day!

Finally, a word of caution. Do be careful when taking photographs. Many people consider it a breach of privacy having their photographs taken without asking and may not relish being splashed across the front page of the local rag.

You need to be even more cautious when photographing children. They of course make excellent subjects but sadly your motives can easily be misconstrued. If you want to cover a local sports day, school fair or play always obtain permission from the school first.

When you arrive at the event, make a point of letting the head teacher know that you are there. Sending copies of snaps to the school and the children concerned will help to establish trust and credibility.

So, going back to the hanged man, all you need to make sales is an alternative view point. Thankfully you don’t have to suspend yourself upside down from a tree, just reach for the light box and light the lamp of creativity!

Poetry for Profit contains a lot of information on the greeting card market which is an ideal place to target words and pictures while READ ALL ABOUT IT! The WriteLink to Newspaper Writing has a detailed chapter on taking photographs for the local and regional press.