Cheap flights Articles

How About Starting Your Own Air Courier Service?

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:55:18 +0000

How About Starting Your Own Air Courier Service?

by: Jeff Schuman

Have you always dreamed of owning your own business, having the time and money to visit exotic locations and being able to fly first class? How about starting your own air courier service?

If you love traveling, live in or near a city with a large national or international airport, and you have the kind of lifestyle that lets you pick up and go on a moment's notice, then you might want to think about starting your own business as an "air courier".

What is an air courier? It's a person who is hired to transport a specific item from one destination to another, within a specified deadline.

And, before you start imagining sinister men in trench coats carrying guns with silencers, and beautiful foreign women transporting secret microchips, let me reassure you that traveling as an air courier is 100% legal and aboveboard!

What you are asked to transport varies tremendously -- it can be almost anything -- legal documents such as letters or business contracts, children going from one country to another, medicine that was forgotten during a vacation, reports, computer disks, product prototypes -- the list is endless.

In fact, because of the "instant gratification" mindset today where we are used to information and communication that travels faster than the speed of light, air courier companies have seen their businesses grow tremendously over the last ten years. What that means for you is increased opportunities for free travel.

Who can start their own air courier service? Anyone who is over 18, holds a valid passport and who is in good health. It also helps if you're flexible and can pick up and travel on very short notice.

Why is this a wonderful opportunity?

When sending a package by air, the shipper has two options -- the first is to send the package as "cargo." Cargo travels alone (especially since the tragedy of 9/11), is shipped in bulk in large containers that usually aren't sent until the container is full, in order to maximize revenues for the airlines.

In addition, especially when cargo is sent overseas, there are sometimes long delays getting the package through customs, there are endless regulations that must be followed, inspections that must be passed, etc.

For the air courier companies, who have to make sure the package is not only delivered, but reaches the intended recipient as quickly as possible, these delays are unthinkable. (If they don't make their deadlines, then their competitors will. Think of the slogan from one such company..."when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight...")

On the other hand, if the same item is considered "personal baggage" and is carried with a ticketed passenger, it arrives with the passenger, and generally passes through customs quickly, without all the delays.

Plus, a person can book a ticket for a specific flight arriving at their destination at a specific time -- not so for cargo. Which means that a shipment that could take days or weeks if it's classified as cargo, can take hours instead because it's classified as baggage.

Because very few of the air courier companies have the resources to employ full-time couriers, the industry itself has come to rely on freelance air couriers, which, even when having to pay someone to travel, and covering the cost of their airfare, is still a better ROI when compared against the paying full-time wages, holiday and sick pay, insurance and all of the other costs involved with having employees.

This is where you come in.

As an air courier, you are providing a valuable service in a growing market. And from the traveler's point of view, you might find yourself flying to Paris one day, and Hong Kong a week later!

Once you've been hired, the process is pretty simple: the company contacts you, to check your availability. When you confirm, they book the flight and let you know when to be at the airport. You're met at the airport by a representative, who gives you your ticket, a list of item or items you're transporting, and your baggage claim tickets. They'll usually even have checked you in, saving you many hassles. You get to sit in first class, and enjoy the flight. That's it. You don't have to contact the recipient in the city you're flying to, actually pick up the package on your way to the airport, or do anything other than be responsible for it going from one airport to another.

At your destination, you'll be met by another company representative, who will take the baggage claim tickets, and give you your return ticket.

How long do you get to stay? That depends on you and the air courier company. Sometimes your schedule will be tight -- you may only get hours between flights. Other times, you'll have a day or two. Obviously, as your reputation increases and the companies you work for know that they can rely on you, you have more room for negotiating.

There are several ways to get started. There are actually companies who recruit air couriers, and the fees for joining are usually nominal. The benefits of going through a certified company can be many. For example, they often provide information that it could take you a long time to figure out on your own. They also offer forums, newsletters and other resources to help you succeed. Because they have built a reputation, you might find it easier to get started in the business by working for one of them at first.

But, you can also find the information completely on your own, and start off freelancing. Look in the yellow pages for air couriers that are located near your local airport. Figure out where you'd like to travel to, and make a list of the locations they serve. Because there are companies who transport items both internationally or just within the states, where you travel is largely going to be a matter of personal choice.

Also, make sure that you investigate each company before applying with them. You want to make sure that they are a solid business, with a good reputation. Once you've narrowed down your choices, get on the phone, and find out what their application process is. Many companies today prefer that you apply online. Whatever the process is, make sure that you provide them with all the information they request.

Timely tip: After submitting your application, follow up with a thank-you letter, on your new "company" letterhead. Remind them of your availability, that you can accept short or no notice flights. Find a way to position yourself above that of the other couriers.

Once you've gone through the process the first time, you'll have a much better idea about which other companies you want to apply to and how to hone your interview skills. (So don't make your first application with the biggest company that you want to work for the most.) Obviously, if you limit yourself to one or two companies, you'll also be limiting the amount of work you'll get and the locations you can travel to.

Timely Tip: Put together a database of the companies you've applied to, the date you applied, and contact information. Follow up with the company regularly, but don't be a pest.

Once you've been hired, don't be surprised if you start getting calls within the first couple of weeks. There is a growing need for professional, responsible air couriers.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you start working:

1. Be professional. Remember that while shorts and flip flops may be comfortable for vacationers, you're working and representing the air courier company.

2. Often the only baggage you get to take with you is hand carried. Invest in microfiber clothing in basic colors, and learn to pack essentials only. If you do get to stay for longer than a few days, you can always pick up some essentials once you're there.

3. Give your own business card to the company representative in the country you travel to, and make sure that your email and voice mail information is included.

4. Apply to all the companies you've decided you want to work for, and then follow up with the ones that haven't contacted you regularly -- perhaps a polite letter or even a one-page newsletter that lists the latest on industry related news.

5. Stay organized. Don't over commit yourself, and try never to have to cancel a trip.

Starting your own air courier service is a great way to make money and see the world.

About The Author

Jeff Schuman

Team-Schuman.Com contains the best make money online and make money websites available today. If you want to make money check us out here: http://www.team-schuman.com/air-courier-service.html

Cheap Satellite TV -- Who Has the Best Deals?

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:38:57 +0000

Cheap Satellite TV -- Who Has the Best Deals?

by: Brian Stevens

Just a few years ago there was no such thing as a cheap satellite TV system. A decent system cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 for a satellite TV dish and the array of electronic boxes that came with it. Not only that, it cost hundreds of dollars to have a big-dish satellite TV system installed.

Today, because the satellite TV industry has become so competitive, dealers are giving away satellite TV systems to entice people to subscribe to their satellite TV service.

Even the installation is free.

So when it comes to finding a cheap TV system, you're in luck. They're not just cheap, they're free.

Satellite TV Systems

Here?s what you get when you subscribe to either DISH Network or DIRECTV's satellite TV service:

* A free satellite TV dish and mounting stand.

* Up to four free satellite TV receivers plus universal remote controls.

* Free professional installation of your system in up to four rooms of your home.

* Free DVR (digital video recording) receivers so you can record your favorite programs.

* HDTV satellite TV receivers (optional) for high definition reception.

Note: DISH Network and DIRECTV offer bonus gifts such as a free DVD player and home theater system when you order their service. Visit http://www.TheSatelliteTVGuide.com to see the latest offers.

Cheap Satellite TV Service

When it comes to satellite TV service, you can pay anywhere from $31.99 a month for 60 channels of programming, on up to $93.99 a month for 215 channels.

Both DISH Network or DIRECTV's satellite TV service includes the following:

* More than 225 program channels with digital-quality picture and sound.

* Up to 500 commercial-free movies per month.

* DVR (digital video recording) so you can bypass commercials and record your favorite programs.

* HD (high definition) programming.

* Up to 60 pay-per-view programs per day.

* Your local channels with digital picture and sound.

* Commercial-free music channels with all-digital sound.

* Toll-free and online 24/7 customer service.

Note: DISH Network and DIRECTV offer special introductory programming rates for new customers. Click on the links below for current offers.

The Bottom Line

Getting the cheapest price for satellite TV depends on whether you want the cheapest service, or you want the cheapest price per channel.

DISH Network has the cheapest satellite TV service. Their starter package -- America's Top Sixty -- gives you 60 channels of satellite TV programming, including your local channels, for $31.99 per month.

DIRECTV's Total Choice program package offers the cheapest price per channel at $0.31 per channel ($41.99 ? 135 channels). In addition to 135 program channels, you also get your local channels and 31 music channels.

If television is your primary form of entertainment and you want a wide variety of shows, movies, sports, and news ... if you're tired of fuzzy reception and want digital-quality picture and sound ... if your cable bill is beginning to equal your mortgage payment -- then I think you'll find satellite TV is a real bargain.

About The Author

Brian Stevens is a professional freelance writer and webmaster who has written extensively on satellite tv systems.

Visit http://www.TheSatelliteTVGuide.com for more details on free satellite TV systems and service, ordering information, plus the latest special offers and free bonuses from DISH Network and DIRECTV satellite TV.

Why El Cheapo Domains Will Cost You Money

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:55:17 +0000

Why El Cheapo Domains Will Cost You Money

by: Niall Roche

You want your own online business? Good because it's one of the most fun things you can do with your spare time and can be very profitable.

Remember that just because it's an online business doesn't mean that you should treat it with any less professionalism or seriousness than you do your daytime job.

Why? Simply because when you run an online business it's a serious business. Well it should be taken seriously if you want to make serious money.

One of the most important aspects of any online business is the domain name. This is where the vast majority of new online entrepreneurs make their first big mistake - they choose one of those free domain name providers to represent their business online. This is a critical mistake.

Let's say you're starting a computer repair business. Which one of the following domains looks better:

'www.computerfixer.com'

or;

'computerfixer.freehosting.com'

The truth of the matter is that computerfixer.com is a top level domain and computerfixer.freehosting.com is a sub-domain. These free domain providers would have you believe that their cheapo subdomain is as good as a top level domain - this simply isn't so.

Online shoppers expect your online business to be located on a top level domain. If they find your website on one of these cheap or free domain services you've just lost 50% of your potential customers. They'll click back and look at the next search result in Google, Yahoo or MSN.

Free domains make you look cheap, show that you don't want to invest in your business, that you don't take your customers seriously, look terrible on business cards and make you look like an amateur. There aren't any benefits to cutting corners on your domain name.

A domain name costs, at most, $15 per year. That's 4 cents per day. If your business can't afford this then you really shouldn't be running an online business at all.

About The Author

This article was written by Niall Roche and provided courtesy of www.domaintutor.info. This website has lots of informative and useful articles on the topic of web domains.

Wanna Start a Successful Affiliate Marketing Business and Earn Residual Income For the Rest of Your Life?

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:24:56 +0000

Wanna Start a Successful Affiliate Marketing Business and Earn Residual Income For the Rest of Your Life?

by: Ryan Hough

Before starting an affiliate marketing business wouldn't you want to know about the best affiliate programs? And wouldn't you want to know about other people's affiliate marketing success stories?

In the article below, I describe a top affiliate program and explain why it is one of the best. I'll let Rupert Farrow (a successful affiliate marketer) and Ken Evoy (a successful affiliate program owner) show you how to generate your own profitable affiliate marketing business ideas.

Dr Ken Evoy started sitesell.com in 1998. Sitesell's main product is called Site Build It, which combines website hosting, site-building and search engine optimisation.

It's fair to say that Evoy?s e commerce affiliate program is one of the best on the Internet. His 5 Pillar Affiliate Program was one of the first to offer life time commissions on all products sold, which attracted thousands of new affiliates.

In addition, a complex tracking system is used by sitesell to award sales to affiliates. Unlike many affiliate programs, including www.clickbank.com your visitors will not be able to click through your affiliate link and sign up as an affiliate themselves, which would mean you would lose the commission.

Conversion rate is a percentage affiliate marketers calculate by dividing the number of people that have bought a product by the amount of people who clicked on the affiliate link. 1% is recognised as the industry average.

Evoy analysed his best affiliates and found that his best affiliates were performing way above the industry average. He wrote a course called the Affiliate Masters Course, which describes how his best affiliates are able to perform way above the industry average.

Alan Gardyne (www.associateprograms.com) was one of the first marketers to recognise the growth potential of the affiliate marketing industry. His newsletter is read by 25,000 affiliates.

Alan Gardyne hired an assistant (Rupert Farrow) to test Site Built It and prove whether it works.

With no experience Rupert built http://www.dj-tips-and-tricks.com and www.cheap-computers-guide.com.

The results speak for themselves. 4 months after starting his cheap computer guide website, his site was receiving 14,064 visitors per month from the search engines. And 12 months after he started his site had earned $5,690.58 in commissions.

To conclude, if you're thinking of making money with affiliate programs you'll learn a great deal by studying Ken Evoy's affiliate marketing course. His advice, based on years of research studying his best affiliates will teach you how to increase conversion rates and find the best affiliate programs.

If you're looking for an affiliate program that offers lifetime residual income you should check out the 5 Pillar Club.

And if you'd like to learn from a successful affiliate, you should read Rupert's affiliate marketing case study.

About The Author

Ryan Hough is the owner of the-home-business-advisor.com. Ryan has been building and marketing websites since 2001 and knows a thing or two. If you would like to read the above article with active links please visit: - http://www.the-home-business-advisor.com/affiliate-marketing-business.html

If you would like to sign up for Ryan?s free newsletter and receive regular articles like the one above please visit: - http://www.the-home-business-advisor.com/home-business-newsletter.html

huff24daddy@yahoo.com

UK Broadband

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:11:39 +0000

UK Broadband

by: Neil Shevlin

Ever since August 2000 when BT first launched their broadband internet package, speeds have been increasing and prices have been dropping. The end aim of the UK government and all broadband providers is high-speed internet in every home in Britain.

Broadband is the name given to always-on, high-speed internet. High-speed internet is a connection that runs at 512Kbps or faster. Currently 6 million homes in the UK have a broadband connection, either through ADSL, Cable or LLU, of which 4 million are connected by ADSL.

The fastest commercially available internet connection out there is 8Mbps. With such a fast speed users can download music in seconds, stream live television and be shared between a household of computers so all the family can have a decent internet connection.

Wanadoo Broadband, the main competitor to BT broadband is running a LLU trial over summer 2005. Local Loop Unbundling is currently only used by 1% of households but if trials prove successful Wanadoo could be switching to this instead of BT?s ADSL which is really what all other ADSL providers use. LLU is only possible now BT have been forced to surrender their open loop (their network of telephone lines over the country) and will involve Wanadoo installing their own equipment at BT telephone exchanges to by-pass BT?s network and onto their own. For the customer this means Wanadoo internet will be cheaper and faster in the not-so-distant future.

BT have 1.7 million people subscribed onto their broadband where Wanadoo have 0.7 million. Other main contenders in the broadband war are Tiscali, Homecall, Pipex and AOL. All offer their own competitive prices. The main Cable provider in the UK is NTL.

Recently many ISP?s have been increasing their internet speeds to fight off the competition. The standard ADSL connection at the moment is 2Mbps, with 8Mbps at the high end and 512Kbps at the low. As well as increasing the speed and price ISP?s have also been putting up the bandwidth allowances for their customers. Typically your bandwidth allowance may be 3 GB, with 1 GB at the low end and unlimited at the high end.

ISP?s implement bandwidth allowances with the increasing popularity of downloading music, TV shows and films from the internet. 1-2 GB is more than enough for normal WebPages and chat room access but limited if you wish to download a lot of music and video files. Since most people download such files illegally it isn?t a large problem, but if you accidentally go over your monthly limit you could spend the rest of the month with a limited internet speed or no access at all.

The main complaint of users in the early days of Broadband Britain was accessibility. Many BT exchanges were simply out of date and the phone lines incapable of handling such fast data streams. Today 96.6% of all UK households are within a broadband area and BT is constantly upgrading their existing network, aiming to cover the entire country as soon as possible.

Broadband in the United Kingdom is expanding faster and faster. Package prices are decreasing and speeds are increasing with heavy competition on all sides. The future sees Internet becoming an ever increasing presence in each UK household, replacing televisions, radios and telephones.

About The Author

Neil Shevlin is the owner of UK Cheap Broadband which is a great place to find broadband links, resources and articles.

For more information go to: UK Cheap Broadband www.ukcheapbroadband

Please feel free to copy and paste this article and it's resource information.

Cheap Loans ? Dirt Will Seem Costlier!

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:55:34 +0000

Cheap Loans ? Dirt Will Seem Costlier!

by: James Taylor

Loans culture has grown considerably in recent times. Like any growing industry, loans industry has healthy competition. This competition has furthered the cause of finding cheap loans in UK. Cheap loans are not offered on platter. There are tricks to the trade of finding cheap loans.

Though borrowing money is not always an easy decision but there are times when loans are a necessity. Cheap loans are provided for every circumstance and reason - Personal loans, secured loans, unsecured loans, mortgage, car loans??.

When looking for cheap loans pay attention on various aspect of loans - interest rates, loan term, monthly payments are all instrumental. Interest rates are an obvious way to start your cheap loan search. Find out the lowest interest rates that are offered for your particular loan. Cheap loans are not the first loan you stumble upon while searching for loans or the first loan that is offered to you. There is always a scope for finding a cheaper loan than the one you found in loans market.

You will have to research for finding cheap loans. This may not be your favorite job but will be certainly active in locating cheap loans. For cheap loans you will have to go to various lenders and ask for quotes. Quotes give an idea of the loan cost to the borrower. After taking quotes compare the loan quotes to settle on cheap loans. Online the chances of finding cheap loans are doubled.

The terms and conditions for cheap loans are quite flexible. This has lead to those with imperfect credit also qualifying for cheap loans. In fact a separate category of bad credit loan ensures that cheap loans are a viable possibility for every borrower.

Getting cheap loans also depend on collateral and equity. Secured loan will always be a cheaper option than unsecured loans. Equity will sanction the amount you can borrow. If you have ample equity than you can qualify for larger amounts at cheap interest rates.

Your employment record will also affect your chances of finding cheap loans. A borrower can qualify for cheap loans if he or she has a stable income with a good employment record. You can find cheap loans for bad credit history but a good credit score is integral in finding cheap loans. Every lender will be looking at credit score before extending cheap loans. A good credit score will make you a primary contender for cheap loans.

If you want to borrow large amounts then mortgage is the best and cheapest loans option. Mortgage will be available at the lowest interest rates and terms at all the leading finance companies. It is a cheap way of borrowing money and considerable types of mortgages exist keeping in mind the requirements of borrowers.

If you are having more than two unpaid debts then debt consolidation is a cheap loans option. Debt consolidation loans are cheap way of uniting unpaid debt at low interest rates and low monthly payments. It is a cheap way of becoming debt free.

Student loan is an extremely cheap way of paying for college education. All students are eligible to apply for student loans and it is in fact the cheapest loan in the market. The interest rate for student loan is fixed. But you obviously have to go to a university for it and there is a limit to how much you can borrow.

Another way of procuring cheap loan is shortening the loan term. Shorter the loan term is the lesser will be what you pay as interest rate and it will be prove cheaper to your pocket. A shorter loan term will be less expensive and it is always such a pleasure to pay the loan in shorter time span.

There is no single cheap loan for everyone. In fact cheap loans are in accordance to your financial condition. If you are looking for cheap loans then you can get extensive information on the net. Read it all, explore your options and then settle on cheap loans. Cheap loan is all about finding a loan and then finding another one to beat that loan.

About The Author

James Taylor holds a Master?s degree in Commerce from JNU he is working as financial consultant for chance for loans.To find a personal loan,bad credit loans that best suits your needs visit http://www.chanceforloans.co.uk

What is a Home Improvement Loan?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:42:25 +0000

What is a Home Improvement Loan?

by: John Mussi

A Home Improvement Loan can give you the home you want. Looking to increase the value of your property? A Home improvement Loan could be the easiest and cheapest way to make improvements to your home.

Are you planning an extension to your home, would you like to have double glazing, a new conservatory, patio, or a new heating system, or are you undertaking the general up keep of your home but finding it hard to pay for?

A home improvement loan may well provide your solution. The loan can be repaid over any term between 5 and 25 years, depending on your available income and the amount of equity in the property that is to provide the security for the loan. With competitive rates and a quick decision a home improvement loan could well be just what you need to enable you to finance your dream improvements.

More detailed information....

A UK Home Improvement Loan is a low cost, low rate, cheap, low interest loan secured on your UK property. As the home owner, it frees you up to do whatever improvements you want on your property.

With a UK Home Improvement Loan you can borrow from ?5,000 to ?75,000 with low monthly repayments.

A UK Home Improvement Loan is great if you want to raise a large amount; are having problems getting an unsecured loan; or have a bad credit history ? you may be able to get a UK Home Improvement Loan even when you have been turned down for an unsecured loan.

Get the home of your dreams without moving house with a UK Home Improvement Loan.

Moving property is expensive ? solicitors, estate agents, stamp duty, new soft furnishings ? the list seems to go on and on. And most of this is money down the drain. Why move home when you can get a UK Home Improvement Loan and save money?

With a low cost, low rate, cheap, low interest UK Home Improvement Loan, you can afford the extension, new kitchen or bathroom, conservatory, landscaped garden, redecoration you want right where you are, in your own home. You can add value to your property and save all those moving costs too.

A UK Home Improvement Loan can help you with:

A new kitchen or bathroom

An extension or loft conversion

A conservatory

Landscaping your garden

New furniture

You can even use it on non-house expenditure like a new car or repaying credit card or other debts.

Home Improvement Loan rates are variable, depending on status.Your monthly repayments will depend on the amount borrowed and term.

You may freely reprint this article provided the author's biography remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

Eye on the Prize

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:38:47 +0000

Eye on the Prize

by: Dave Roggeman

?The daily grind.? ?Back to the salt mines.? ?Another day another dollar.? ?Thank god it's Friday.? These are all phrases of the working world with 9 to 5 jobs. For some, this situation works. Others feel trapped, as if all the work they do only benefits others. There?s a reason these phrases came about. There are millions of people who would rather be doing anything other than working. If people loved their jobs, these phrases would be more like "The daily party", "Back to my dream", and "I can't wait till Monday!"

Is there a way for you to sing the latter phrases? Yes there is, but it takes hard work, determination, and focus.

Where would you like to be in say twenty years? Do you see yourself in an office job working for a large corporation where you work hard for someone else?

Starting your own business is one of the ways to get out of the daily march through work where all you can do is wait for the clock to spin ahead 8 hours. When you are working for your own growth and benefit, it suddenly doesn't seem like so much work. I recently spent 5 straight hours working on my web site, adding content, checking links, researching key words. When those 5 hours were up, it felt like I had been there for only 30 minutes. This gives new meaning to, "Time flies when you're having fun?.

Now I know that starting your own business sounds like quite a daunting task right? Well, it?s a lot easier than you think.

The key is to find something that you love, something that interests you. Something that you want to learn more about or will have long term affect on your life. Sometimes finding the right product or service, one that you believe in and love, can be tough. Other times it will be staring you right in the face. However long it takes, find it!

Once you find that one thing, find a way to sell it. In this day and age, a website can be had for low cost. There are many hosting companies out there that range in price from free to cheap to expensive. Be careful which one you go with. The free web hosting services will probably require you to have some advertising on your site. The cheap services may not have all the bells and whistles that the expensive services offer. Whichever one you go with, do some research before hand and make sure that you are comfortable with them.

There are some services that will pay you a commission for referring someone to that hosting company. This is just one of the many types of affiliate programs on the internet that you can get involved with. Find that product or service that suits you. Something that you have profound interest in.

The next step is to define your goals. What is it that you want to accomplish? How are you going to get there? What will you need to fulfill your goals? What steps can you take right now to get closer to your goal? What steps do you need to take to accomplish some of your more complex tasks?

Create a plan with the answers to those questions and? get out there and do it! Start with tasks you can do easily just to get you started. Work up to your more complex tasks. If you get stuck, and you will more than likely get stuck, do some research about your problem. There are many resources on the internet about HTML, affiliate marketing, web site hosting, and any other information you will need. Use Google, Excite, or Yahoo to find information about the subjects you need help with. Find a way to conquer your issue.

Once you are into your project, you will find that you motivate yourself to get through the steps you need to take to accomplish your goals. Why you ask? Because you are working for your own benefit! As long as you keep your eye on the prize and are determined not to be distracted, you are well on your way to freeing yourself from, ?The daily grind?.

About The Author

Dave Roggeman provides internet income and marketing solutions at http://www.homeprofitbase.com and highly recommends Plugin Profits http://www.homeprofitbase.com/pips.html to start building an online income stream.

Laptop Security: How to Protect Your Laptop When Traveling

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:21:02 +0000

Laptop Security: How to Protect Your Laptop When Traveling

by: Jonathan Chase

Most business people who travel these days have a laptop in tow. Since the workflow doesn?t stop when the need to travel arises, these are necessities that connect them to the rest of the world and allow them to take care of whatever business comes up during the time that they?re away. That being the case, there are certain guidelines that should be followed in order to ensure the safety and protection of your laptop when you get called away from the office.

One of the first considerations that should be made is in regard to the laptop?s security. Since thieves will target these as often as they will cash, jewelry or other valuables, it?s critical to put as many security measures into place as possible when traveling through airports, bus terminals, train stations and any other form of public travel. Of course, it?s never wise to leave your laptop unattended. It?s a sad testament to the way of the world, but you can be fairly certain that when you return, your equipment will be gone.

When packing for your trip, place the laptop in a case that?s different ? and less obvious ? from its standard carrying case, and make sure that it?s checked in as carry-on luggage. This will not only ensure that it doesn?t get stolen, but will be in the pressurized part of the plane, rather than the baggage compartment, which doesn?t have pressure or climate controls that are needed to ensure the integrity of the laptop.

If you?re planning to take a nap while you?re en route via public transportation, be sure to secure the laptop before going to sleep. Some people go so far as to cuff the unit to their wrist, but there are other measures that you can take, which include placing it in its case and putting it between your feet or between yourself and the wall if you?re sitting by a window. In the event that anything should actually happen to violate the integrity of the laptop ? or if it should be stolen, despite your precautions ? it?s to be expected that you?ll have backed up all critical information onto disks before beginning your travels.

When you arrive at the hotel, speak with the front desk clerk to be sure that their phone jacks are compatible with your unit. If they happen to use a digital phone system which differs in voltage from that of a standard phone jack, your modem will most likely be damaged when you try to plug it in and dial-up to get an outside connection. The best approach is to call ahead and check on these accommodations before making the trip, so that you?ll know what to expect and not be left with any nasty surprises.

In addition to the laptop itself, it?s always a good idea to bring an extension cord and extra batteries. Even though you may plan to use electricity, you should also include a back-up plan, and batteries may only give you a few hours? worth of power at a time before needing to be recharged or changed. When possible, cut down on the use of those things which need large amounts of energy, such as CD-ROMs, and reduce the number of auto-saves on your machine.

By using your common sense and taking simple precautions, as well as including some back-up cords and batteries, you should be able to travel safely and simply with your laptop without a lot of hoopla.

About The Author

Jonathan Chase runs and Internet marketing business and is a contributing author to All Cheap Laptops. Read more about traveling with your laptop at http://www.all-cheap-laptops.com/Travel.htm

Marketing Research: Individual Words

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:19:37 +0000

Marketing Research: Individual Words

by: James D. Brausch

We all know that phrases like "Who else wants to know" in a

headline can improve our sales. Have you ever thought

about the individual words and their impact on your

profitability?

I recently performed a statistical analysis on several

thousand ads while looking at individual words and

profitability.

The first task was to determine the profitability of each

ad being analyzed. This was done using the age-old

mailorder marketing method. Basically, if you see an

advertisement month after month and year after year, it is

probably profitable. If you see an ad only once or twice

and then it changes or disappears completely, the

advertisement was probably not very profitable.

The next task was to simply look for the occurence of a

list of words in each ad while noting whether the ad was

profitable or not. The results were tallied and lots of

words were removed from the list because there simply

wasn't sufficient data to come up with a statistically

significant result.

I won't bore you with the rest of the details. Here is a

list of some of the words found much more often in

profitable ads than in ads that didn't produce a profit:

accessories, an, best, blue, buy, by, causes, cheap,

discount, discover, easily, fast, find, guaranteed, has,

improve, increase, lower, more, nationwide, near, need,

of, on, one, order, payments, powered, pricing, rates,

reduce, stop, superb, the, view, what, with

Here is a list of the words found much more often in ads

that were NOT profitable:

affordable, after, and, as, at, before, better, help,

here, how, else, excellent, experience, for, led, listings,

loan, method, money, mortgage, naturally, now, options,

photos, search, secret, secrets, sell, step, to, try,

unlimited, us, who, you, your

Now keep in mind that correlation can not prove causality.

This research isn't saying that all ads that use the word

"excellent" are doomed to being unprofitable. However, it

is saying that a statistically significant percentage of

ads that use the word "cheap" are profitable and a majority

of those that use the word "affordable" are not profitable.

If your ad copy currently uses the word "affordable" (a

word from the "bad" list above) and you change that word

to "cheap" (a word from the "good" list above), will your

profitability increase? There are no guarantees. There

are an unlimited number of factors that could impact that

result. Not ALL ads that use the word "cheap" were

profitable. Not ALL ads that use the word "affordable"

were unprofitable. However, the use of the word "cheap"

instead of "affordable" is more likely to improve your

profitability.

You still need to split test to find out the answer in any

particular situation. But, why not start out with the most

likely words to be profitable in ad copy generally

speaking?

Take a look at your current ad copy and see if you can find

any of the words in the "bad" list that have good

replacements in the "good" list. Run a split test and see

if your profitability increases. What can it hurt to put

some math on your side?

About The Author

James D. Brausch is the creator of QuitThatJob.com,

a step-by-step coaching membership site to help you build

an Internet business with residual income that will help

you QUit That Job! QuitThatJob.com is based on James'

actual method of building his own business and real

research like you found in this article.

http://www.QuitThatJob.com

qtjarticle@yahoo.com