trans-species.org

Corporate marketing groups – especially bandwidth-challenged small-to-mid-sized departments – can be so focused on tactics and fire fighting that they jeopardize their marketing investment. There is a tendency to overreact to events, to tackle symptoms rather than underlying fundamental problems and to jump at the opportunity to please the boss. Many times, this kind of tactical knee jerking may be fatal.

Without great marketing, companies won’t flourish, especially those in highly

competitive markets. Yet the chaotic nature of emerging or dynamic growth

companies and the tendency to place the marketing burden on too few individuals is

a setup for failure. Promising companies may be left in the dust, or at least

handicapped at the starting gate.

Marketing Operations is emerging as an important discipline for improving

performance and measuring ROI in admired technology companies (like Intel, IBM

and Amazon) who have refined and fine-tuned their marketing organization with an

operational focus. Given the demands that these organizations face today, an

innovative approach is central to solving critical issues like results measurement,

bandwidth constraints and creativity limitations, and building value-added

outsourced supplier relationships and effectively managing budget. Many of the

best practices, efficient processes and systems approach from large company

Marketing Operations can and should be applied by emerging companies that are

serious about their marketing investment. Here’s why:

PROBLEM #1

Ill-defined metrics

Today, more than ever, corporate marketing departments need to justify their

existence. The need to measure results is unavoidable. However, the instincts and

skills that make an outbound marketing practitioner great-action-orientation,

verbal and written acuity, persuasiveness, the ability to build strong relationships-

often don’t translate into an ability or willingness to scientifically and objectively

evaluate success. Add in broken systems and the organization’s unwillingness to

pay for marketing evaluation, and it’s no surprise that many marketing departments

are unable to define meaningful success metrics.

SOLUTION

Marketing Operations ensures that the right processes are in place to establish

meaningful metrics at the front-end of marketing process, enabling the

measurement of success at key intervals, and as each program concludes.

PROBLEM #2

Slammed resources

The prevailing attitude of “doing more with less” can leave key people discouraged,

overwhelmed, near burnout, and eventually, circulating their

resumes. The consequences for organizations are costly mistakes, high turnover,

and collapsed programs when key people leave, and missed opportunities to

leverage the “ugly-stepsister-Cinderella-in-waiting” programs that never get off the

ground because of a lack of ownership.

SOLUTION

Marketing Operations addresses these resource limitations by ensuring workload is

effectively allocated, roles are clearly defined, interdependencies are understood,

team members feel satisfied with their jobs and the programs and additional

resources, whether through additional headcount or outsourcing, can be

successfully justified to executive management.

PROBLEM #3

Sketchy institutional memory

Marketing is dependent on accurate information, a historical view into past

successes and failures, and the ability to recognize patterns that link seemingly

unrelated data points. Unfortunately, knowledge in many marketing organizations is

scattered all over the company. It’s in the heads of individual workers, on shelves,

on people’s hard drives, in long forgotten filing systems. When people leave, a big

piece of organizational knowledge goes with them. Information loss is a huge

productivity killer for marketing teams. Lost insight that must be regained or

reacquired wastes previous marketing investments.

SOLUTION

Marketing Operations facilitates knowledge sharing, an enduring repository of

information and greater decision-making based on fact, as opposed to hunch.

PROBLEM #4

Constrained creativity

The best creativity comes from many brains working together in collaboration. A

consequence of the age of the “individual contributor” director is constrained

creativity. When the entire creative burden falls mostly on one outbound marketing

person, the ability to think out of the box can be severely impacted. Creative

synergy results from many minds thinking as one.

SOLUTION

Marketing Operations enables the creative process to benefit from the synergy of

team.

PROBLEM #5

Failed supplier relationships

Most successful companies can point to strong, long-term marketing supplier

relationships as integral to their success. Likewise, a pattern of failed supplier

relationships is often an indicator of marketing department failure, rather than poor

vendor performance. Unfortunately, companies that have had consistently bad

relationships with outsource suppliers often react by seizing control and bringing

everything in house. While this strategy may provides the illusion of control, it lets

marketing managers deflect blame for failures, rather than teaching them how to

manage their outsource suppliers by taking responsibility for the results. In

addition, this strategy won’t scale with the growth of the organization.

SOLUTION

Marketing Operations helps set realistic expectations and mutual accountability

between suppliers and the organization, increasing the effectiveness of outsource

partners by empowering them to act as an extension of the internal team.

PROBLEM #6

Lost discretionary budgets

Use it or lose it. Misuse it and lose it anyway. Many corporate marketing

departments are leaving discretionary budget on the table or allocating it to

the wrong initiatives. This discretionary marketing budget “Catch 22″ occurs

because:

o It’s very time consuming to manage the budget effectively, especially in companies

with broken financial systems

o Each marketing spend-decision creates more work for the one-person or small-

team

marketing department in terms of project management, measurement, supplier

management, etc.

o Doubt persists about the ability to successfully justify the expenditure to

management

o Focus is instinctively on high-visibility marketing activities and C-level executive

“requests” over fiscal management (marketing people are more inclined toward

marketing than finance)

SOLUTION

Marketing Operations facilitates implementing the system support infrastructure

and financial management discipline needed to protect precious marketing budgets.

PROBLEM #7

Narrow marketing mix

Many companies align their fate with the success of too few marketing programs.

Whether it’s lead generation, public relations, trade shows or advertising, the over-

reliance on any one particular program can derail a company-especially if a key

program unexpectedly loses momentum. In the meantime, programs that could

have had strong leverage never get a chance to prove their mettle and are forever

relegated to the “B” list.

SOLUTION

Marketing Operations puts the means in place to launch potentially high-value

marketing programs that would never otherwise get out of the starting gate.

The Bottom Line

In a nutshell, Marketing Operations is an organization’s best bet to:

o Ensure that success can be measured and replicated

o Leverage systems and processes to enable consistently excellent performance

o Encourage great marketing departments to stay together

o Allow the marketing organization to flourish, despite the unexpected, but often

inevitable, loss of a key employee.

Gary M. Katz, APR, is president and CEO of CommPros Group, a Santa-Clara, Calif.- based firm that provides marketing operations services to help companies leverage their marketing investment, plus a variety of outsourced marketing program management services to support lean marketing departments. Gary is a veteran with more than twenty years of experience in the technology industry where he directed corporate marketing, communications, public relations, lead generation and qualification, investor relations, and employee communications programs. He has served as director of communications for ShoreTel, director of corporate marketing for Aplix Corporation, senior manager of corporate communications for Insignia Solutions, and as a director, account supervisor, or preferred subcontractor for more than a dozen leading public relations and marketing communications agencies. A past president of Silicon Valley PRSA, he holds a master’s degree in organization development from the University of San Francisco and a BA degree in public relations from San Jose State University.

This article shows you, as a vehicle owner, how to prepare yourself for a breakdown even

before they occur. And to help you fix problems quickly if you are into Do It Yourself auto repairs.

Breakdown Can Be Really Nasty:

Though we don’t pray for breakdowns, they do occur, and at the time we least expected.

The frustration, time wastage, and other losses incurred from breakdowns can be reduced to minimum

level, if adequate preparation are made for it.

The following steps will guide all vehicle owners who are into do it yourself auto

repairs, and help them to quickly tackle problems that surface in time of breakdown.

1. Prepare Yourself Psychologically:

One of the first thing you will experience
during a breakdown, especially if you are not familiar with car repair and maintenance is panic, you
don’t just know what next to do.

Just have it at the back of your mind that a vehicle can breakdown at any time, and even
without giving any sign, prepare your mind for this and use other points I will also show you to
deal with the situation.

2. Study Your Auto Repair Manual:

Get yourself a well detailed and well illustrated repair manual, and familiarize yourself with your car parts, systems and their functions. These are the
basics of Do It Yourself auto repair jobs.

Study the areas dealing with troubleshooting car engines very well, so that you can easily discern what happened when your car broke down, and you know where to go to solve the problem.

3. Become A Do It Yourself Auto Repair Mechanic:

This will actually help you to
tackle the problem, not only to identify it. Start trying your hands on some little repair and maintenance work now.

Join an auto repair site for guide and instruction (especially those crucial to your vehicle) so as not
to fail. You will be glad you did when next you have a breakdown.

4. Always Get Your Tools Ready:

Get a small toolbox, with necessary repair and
maintenance tools (you can get the details from your repair manual), and go anywhere with them always. You can’t repair anything without the right tools, and with them Do It Yourself auto repair becomes easy.

5. Always Keep Some Money With You:

It requires that you need to buy auto parts and accessories in the cause of a breakdown. Money can actually bail you out, so always keep them handy.

6. Get Some Auto Parts Ready:

You can buy and keep some necessary, highly-susceptible-to-breakdown auto parts and accessories in your car, like fan belt, plugs, etc, and you can just pick them and use, to replace faulty ones instead of wasting time buying another one.

7. Use The Service Of Auto Centres:

Register with a good auto centre and keep
their phone number handy. This is good if the problem is such that you cannot solve it, you can quickly call them to tow the car for repairs. Because you have registered, you can get prompt and cheap services from them.

Tope Olawumi is a seasoned auto-infopreneur, for more info on how on how to prepare yourself for a breakdown and Do it yourself auto repair visit http://www.all-about-auto-part.com/Do-It-Yourself-Auto-Repair.html You can also get the latest in cheap car part blog from http://www.all-about-auto-part.com/Auto-part-blog.html

The Colorado health insurance marketplace can be difficult to navigate. If you’re looking for health insurance on your own, you may be wondering, “Where can I find the right health plan for me? Where can I turn if I am denied health coverage? What are my rights as a consumer in Colorado?”

To help answer those questions, we have researched and compiled important information regarding Colorado health insurance. By taking the following tips into consideration, you’ll be able make a more educated health insurance purchase.

Things to Remember When Shopping for Health Insurance

Colorado health insurance consumers should follow the following recommendations when purchasing health insurance:

• Read the insurance policy and contact the insurance company or insurance agent if you have any questions.
• Make sure you review the section of your health insurance policy entitled “exclusions and limitations.”
• Find out how rates will increase as you age, and how often an insurance company can increase rates.
• If you are looking for a managed-care plan, check the provider’s directory to make sure there are suitable doctors, hospitals and other health care providers available.
• Find out if there are any “health plan report cards” available that assess consumer satisfaction/quality of care with various health insurance plans.
• Call the insurer’s customer service number to see how quickly you are able to get help.
• If you have special needs or preexisting conditions, make sure you contact a doctor or support organization for health insurance recommendations.

Colorado Health Insurance Subscriber’s Rights

Colorado health insurance consumers have certain rights through Colorado state law. Regardless of the type of health insurance coverage you hold, you have a right to:

• Insurance coverage for certain mandated benefits
• Know what your health insurance plan does and does not cover
• Contact your insurer to complain or appeal any decisions with which you disagree
• Receive a standard form outlining health insurance benefits for comparison between companies and health plans
• A written explanation of why an insurance company denies your health insurance application, or excludes a health condition from insurance coverage
• Coverage of emergency room care, if you believe you are facing a life- or limb-threatening injury (even if it turns out you were not)
• Prompt payment of claims

What to Do If You Are Denied Health Insurance Coverage

If you have been denied health insurance coverage in the state of Colorado due to preexisting medical conditions, you may qualify for the Colorado Uninsurable Health Insurance Plan (CUHIP). CUHIP gives uninsurable Colorado residents the ability to be insured through the state-subsidized CUHIP program. However, due to the higher risk levels of CUHIP patients, CUHIP subscribers pay about 30 percent more for health insurance than most healthy people. If you are uninsurable due to a preexisting health condition, you may contact the CUHIP administrator at 1-800-672-8477 for more information.

Remember to Shop Around

Health insurance plans can vary widely in both price and coverage. Make sure you take the time to shop around, ask questions and learn as much as you can about potential health insurance policies.

About InsureMe

If you’d like to compare multiple Colorado health insurance quotes, try InsureMe.com’s free referral service—you’ll receive up to five free insurance quotes from insurance agents who compete for your business.

James Omdahl is and employee of InsureMe, an Englewood, Colorado-based company, that links agents nationwide with consumers shopping for insurance. Specializing in auto, home, life, long-term care and health insurance quotes, the InsureMe network provides thousands of agents with insurance leads every year.

In this article we will look in depth at a relatively new wrinkle in marketing for law firms known as “attorney-client matching services”. First a little background is in order. The legal services market segment is expected to reach $82.5 billion in 2008 according to Euromonitor International a market intelligence firm. In recent history consumers have been finding attorneys through word-of mouth or through the yellow pages. Often the word-of mouth advice does not deliver people to the best possible solution for their particular needs and the yellow pages is certainly not a great place to select a lawyer I am sure you would agree. Additionally, according to the Pew Internet & American Life over four million consumers and small businesses currently search for legal services via the Internet every month with these numbers expected to rise to over seven million by 2007. I think you can see this is a huge market getting larger. It is imperative that attorneys understand this marketplace if for no other reason your potential clients and clients are moving to the Internet and yellow page advertising is a dying marketing for law firms vehicle. Understanding attorney-client matching services is one new way to tap into this Internet marketplace.

What I will not be talking about here is attorney-listing services. Please don’t get confused between attorney-listing services and attorney-client matching services. The two majors in the attorney-listing services arena are Lawyers.com or FindLaw.com that are used by many in marketing for law firms. With attorney marketing one might want to get a minimal listing on one or both of these two major sites. Both do drive a large amount of traffic to their sites for sure (in the millions of visitors per year). If you do get a listing then track your results carefully and see if being in the middle of a pack of listed attorneys actually does produce clients for you. Please don’t spend more on them than the basic listing that will run about $150 or so per month, at least until you can document results with the basic listing. Also, don’t buy your website through either of them, even if after testing you find good results, for many reasons that can be found under the Internet marketing tab on my website. One last note here, you probably don’t want to test most of the lesser attorney-listing competitors like lawinfo.com, lawcore.com or attorneyfind.com is my take, however if you do be sure to track your results. The rest of this article is about attorney-client matching services.

Attorney Marketing Via Five Attorney-Client Matching Players

In the attorney-client matching field there are five competitors for the attorney marketing dollar offering online attorney-client matching services. The first and originator is LegalMatch.com and its newer competitor being CasePost.com as well as a third competitor LegalFish.com. The two big players that offer almost everything in attorney marketing, Lawyers.com and FindLaw.com; have also recently begun to offer a version of attorney-client matching services.

Lets begin with LegalMatch that was established in 1999 and is based in San Francisco. LegalMatch uses a double blind matching system. By double blind they mean the consumer does not see identifying information about who the lawyers are and the lawyer does not see identifying information about who the consumers are although all the cards are put on the table for both to see before any contact is made between them. Through an allocation model LegalMatch makes the decision about which lawyers get the consumer’s information. Consumers can opt into “priority service” for a fee to talk with a LegalMatch staff attorney about their case and work with that attorney in selecting the attorney for their case. LegalMatch does have partnerships with the Utah State Bar Association, ATLA and NACDL. Membership fees for this marketing for law firms vehicle run from $2,500 to $25,000 per year (they will finance the membership fee if desired) depending on practice area and geographic location of the attorney. For example, a PI attorney in Los Angeles would likely be charged more than a family law attorney in Los Angeles, while the family lawyer in Peoria is likely to pay less than the family law attorney in Los Angeles. Their guarantee consists of extending your membership at no fee until your revenues have exceeded the fee you paid them.

Are There Legal Marketing Ethics Issues with Attorney-Client Matching?

A relevant digression here, since this model is not a lawyer referral program, a pre-paid legal service plan, a joint or cooperative advertising or a directory listing service it is not subject to ethics rules around much of marketing for law firms it has been asserted. Recently the Professional Ethics Committee of the Texas State Bar was looking into these practices and that committee received a seven-page letter (May 26, 2006) from the FTC that was agreed to by a unanimous vote of the FTC commission members that this attorney marketing practice is indeed ethical.

Already the states of North Carolina and South Carolina found the practice ethical. The Rhode Island Supreme Court specifically named in an ethics opinion that online matching services are ethical. Finally, the Utah State Bar (a mandatory bar) has retained LegalMatch as their lawyer referral service clearly indicating their thinking about LegalMatch’s ethical nature it seems to me. Naturally you do need to check with your state bar to be sure this is an ethical practice in your state. Now back to the options in the marketplace.

CasePost.com, based in Southern California, was established in 2002 is a second player in this area of marketing for law firms. They operate in a similar fashion as LegalMatch in matching clients with lawyers; however, the directory of attorneys is shown to the consumer immediately. The consumer can decide whether they want to remain anonymous or give their contact information to the attorneys. The consumer is limited to four attorney responses. Thus the consumer determines what attorneys will get their information. In May of 2006 CasePost has made a major expansion as a result of their partnership with HandelOnTheLaw.com that is powered by a successful nationally syndicated radio show on over 120 stations with attorney Bill Handel. This show has been running since 1985. They also have a strategic relationship with LegalZoom.com that began in 2006 that has increased their reach. Like LegalMatch the membership fees for this attorney marketing vehicle are from $2,500 to $25,000 per year (financing is available if desired) depending on practice area and location. Their guarantee to a member is based on a minimum amount of referrals over the year.

LegalFish is a third player in this arena. It entered the marketplace in 2003 and is based in Chicago. It is a bit different than the other two in a few ways. Like the other players the consumer can input their information and post their cases to the site as well give their identifying information or not. In a number of cases LegalFish will contact the posting consumer themselves by telephone or email to delve deeper into the needs of the consumer so they are not totally automated. There is an allocation model used by LegalFish in referring the cases to their members. Another difference is LegalFish charges a monthly fee for this marketing for law firms vehicle ranging from $180 to $750 to members that are non-contingency based practices. For contingency based practices the fee ranges from $1600 to $5000+ monthly only if the client retains the attorney. If LegalFish does not deliver a referral to a member that retains that attorney they don’t charge a fee to that attorney for the month (a form of a guarantee). Creating something of a “shared risk” system. Naturally, with this type of shared risk system, long-term success for both parties is based on LegalFish’s ability to generate new client opportunities and create demand for legal services, and their member attorneys’ ability to convert those referrals to paying clients. Both parties have to “pull their weight”. Finally, LegalFish reports they are particularly committed to serving the solo and small firm market with ten employees or less.

The next player in this marketing for law firms arena is Lawyers.com (mentioned earlier in this article about their directory listing or attorney-listing service) with their new Attorney Match Service. If you go to their homepage what stands out on that homepage is their “Find A Lawyer Quick Search”. This is their free to the consumer attorney-listing service (this is why you might want to test a listing with them and track results). To get to the Attorney Match Service you have to know to click on “Contact Lawyers” navigation tab or notice it up there at the very top of the Lawyers.com home page. Clicking on that takes you to a page where you input your zip code and the practice area you are seeking, however, it also tells you how many lawyers there are listed that “are interested in receiving your request”. You are required to fill in the identifying information with other case information. Once you do that you see the attorneys listed and pick the ones you want to send your request to and wait for their replies. The fee for the attorney member is $495 per year, however, you must have a biographical level listing on lawyers.com to be on the Attorney Match Service and that is $150 and up per month depending on the size of your firm. There is no guarantee for this service.

The final player in this marketing for law firms arena is Thompson’s Findlaw.com (mentioned earlier as an attorney-listing service) with their new attorney-matching website http://www.LegalConnection.com. The FindLaw system is similar to the Lawyers.com system with three steps of #1 Select your legal need; #2 Tell us about your case; and #3 Choose the attorney that’s right for you. It is different from Lawyers.com’s system since they have broken it out of their attorney-listing services completely with its own dedicated website. Their fees generally run from $500 to $1000 per month depending on your practice area and geographic location. They do not have a guarantee. They do report that they do set targets for each geographic area as well as practice combination and then will manage their marketing to get positive results for attorneys.

Well, now we have all the players in this particular niche of marketing for law firms with a lot of information. I think it would be imperative for me to mention one more item. Both Legal Match and CasePost have negative information on the Internet and it needs to be considered. If you go to Google and search just the term LegalMatch and then do the same with CasePost you will be able to find details about the negative information. One location that covers the negative information on LegalMatch with relevant links is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LegalMatch although that is disputed as not being sufficiently neutral in tone, which is one of Wikipedia’s requirements..

Conclusions and Recommendations on Attorney-Client Matching

Let me list my current thoughts/conclusions in this marketing for law firms niche of attorney-client matching services and from there it is up to you to make your decision:

1. This marketing for law firms vehicle clearly has some merit. This approach can deliver business to you that you would not get otherwise and get it to you now. Yes, you can do better and at least arguably cheaper for yourself through the right Internet attorney marketing strategies (see my website). However, it is not going to happen tomorrow and attorney-client matching can happen tomorrow. You can build your own systems while using these systems and then decide if you want to continue their systems or not. They will always probably get some business you would not have gotten otherwise even if you had your own online systems.

2. Unfortunately you are only “renting” the methods used to get the business you are being sent and don’t “own” the business methods used. If you had the correct Internet marketing for law firms system up you would have a salable asset in those systems and be driving traffic exclusively to you, which is better than this option almost certainly in the long run for most if not all attorneys. Additionally, as a general principle it is not good to be dependent on any one source of referrals as I am sure you know. That said I still think attorney-client matching services are a good option before you have your own Internet marketing systems and/or other marketing systems up. You may even want to continue these services after you have your own systems up. Having your own systems up makes you more secure and now you are at choice about staying with the service or not.

3. Who is this marketing for law firms vehicle for really?

a. Someone who needs more business right now. These systems have a stream of business coming right now and they can send it your way right now. Other attorney marketing systems will take some time to make happen and yield results.

b. Someone who is very, very clear they don’t want to be involved in the marketing process and are willing to pay someone else to do it for them even if it costs them more and they are “renting”. If that is you, then this is probably a good move for you. That said, you still are going to have to “close” the client they send you via email or on the phone so you are going to be involved in marketing at that level, just less marketing. You are never going to get away from that aspect unless you are an associate who does nothing but technical work in someone else’s practice (not that there is anything wrong with that).

c. Someone who is doing some attorney marketing that is not working for them or not working very effectively for them since if you stop what is not working and do this type that is working you may be able to reduce your marketing costs while increasing your revenue stream.

d. Finally, a partner level attorney who has a senior associate that has good people skills that could work this marketing for law firms vehicle and close the referred clients.

4. Who is this type of attorney marketing not for?

a. Someone who won’t attend to the referrals from the matching service most if not nearly every working day.

b. Someone who does not have fair to good “closing skills” or “bedside manner” (Note: you can get some coaching from these firms to improve this aspect if needed and/or see my website for more information on this skill set). You are not the only attorney getting the referral from the match firm so you need to “shine” well enough to get hired. There is still an element of competition involved with maybe 3 to 5 other attorneys who got the same referral.

c. Someone in a geographic area that does not generate a lot of referrals in your practice area. Like a rural area or small town or maybe an estate planner in a low-income area. So you see this marketing for law firms vehicle is not for everyone.

5. The negative information on LegalMatch and CasePost is somewhat troubling to me even though much of it is from the past and has been positively addressed. The negative information of the past on LegalMatch appears to have not troubled the Utah Bar, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. This is reassuring to me.

6. If you were reasonably sure this type of vehicle is for you I would go with LegalMatch first. I am presuming you are willing to work their system diligently and have at least low average “closing” skills (they will work with you to get your closing ratio up if you need some support in that area). Why LegalMatch? They have over 1500 members currently (a good sign I think), over 90 employees and have been in business longer. I figure that gives them an edge in knowledge, results and staying in business over time. Additionally, their “footprint” of bringing business to their members is almost certainly larger since they have more resources to drive business to their site than the others. If for some reason you are uncertain if this type of marketing for law firms is for you then I would go with LegalFish first. Why LegalFish? The LegalFish option would allow you to get into this marketing for law firms arena now with less expense and less risk than LegalMatch or CasePost. Do realize the LegalFish attorney marketing “footprint” is going to be much smaller than either of the other two services so they won’t be sending as large a volume of business your way almost certainly. Do be sure you have in your agreement with LegalFish that they will not charge you for the months they do not send you business. If you had a good experience working the referrals from LegalFish, diligently worked the system almost daily, realized a good return on your investment and you wanted to do more then I would look into LegalMatch next. Either starting with LegalMatch or LegalFish, if you find that you really liked this approach to marketing for law firms there is nothing wrong with belonging to two or even three of the services.

7. If you decide to become a member with LegalMatch, Case Post and/or LegalFish do remember your financial arrangement and term of membership are somewhat to greatly negotiable. Do negotiate a win/win agreement for yourself. Naturally, if you can get references of current members to contact from them in your practice area and in a similar type market to yours so much the better before you sign your agreement.

8. I probably would not go with Lawyers.com at this point. Why? First, no guarantee. Next Lawyers.com does not appear to me to be promoting that part of the site enough. Additionally, I am not sure it is worth the cost of the bio and the fee that together will run at least $2,400 for the year. I suspect this money could be better put to use with one of the “big three”. Lastly, given the consumer has a list of attorneys that could be large (search on the site for your zip code and practice areas and see how large it is for your area) you are going to be in a crowd I fear. Thus it looks like not much business and it seems no way to impact the consumers’ thinking in your direction at the point where they are selecting who to contact. An exception to this thinking is if you already have a bio listing with them (and it is delivering business to you) this add on service might be a useful attorney marketing move given you are only spending $495 more per year. That said keep good records and see if it produces you any business. If not you would stop the service of course.

9. With respect to LegalConnection.com I probably would not go with them at this point. Why? No guarantee. I do see it as an advantage that it is a stand-alone away from the FindLaw.com site. For that reason alone I would favor it over Lawyers.com, however, I don’t see LegalConnection.com or Lawyers.com as being in the same class as the “big three” at this point in time.

You can download free now the 125 page Report titled “31 Proven Law Firm Marketing Strategies” by Henry Harlow and much more. You can increase your income; reduce your work hours as you serve your clients better than ever – guaranteed. http://www.Law-Firm-Marketing-Coach.com

Here’s your opportunity to discover how to cure fear of public speaking. Did you know that most individuals who fear public speaking are troubled about being perceived as a bad speaker or labeled in a negative way? Virtually all of your fears and anxiousness about public speaking is founded on ideations that have absolutely nothing to do with reality. If you ranked public speaking among fears, it is commonly ranked as the number one fear, exceeding even the fearfulness of dying. So what makes up the secret to overcoming fear of public speaking? This article will help you understand what causes that fear and provide 8 ways to overcome them.

Numerous things may stimulate the fear of public speaking. Gloss phobia or speech anxiety is the fearfulness of public speaking and perhaps related to, or occasionally to include a more intense anxiety disorder. The reasons of this anxiousness are unsuccessful ideas and anxiety-arousing situations. If you or anyone you know is hurting by this phobic disorder for public speaking it merely means that you are fearful about confronting sociable and professional situations in life. If allowed and the anxiety is serious enough, it may interfere with your power to present an adequate speech. Fortunately for some people, the benefits from being able to overcome fear of public speaking are substantial.

In that respect there are 8 proven ways/tips for superb public speaking that can help you no matter what your degree of anxiety or experience:

1. Pick out a subject that you are comfortable with, know intimately and have a passion for.

2. Always maintain a positive mental and physical attitude.

3. Make sure you set realistic goals and just keep in mind that there’s no such thing as a flawless speech so it is futile to try and present one.

4. Regard the audience as a source of support and your reason for giving the presentation in the first place, not as a judge and jury hoping you will fail

5. You must never read your speech word for word (reading in public is not public speaking)

6. You should never be apologetic for anything at the beginning of your speech

7. It’s important for you to know and remember that virtually all signs of nervousness are never detected by the audience but can and will appear amplified by you the speaker.

8. Use a mirror and practice in front of it or in the presence of a friend or family member. Practicing your speech in their presence will give you the opportunity to get constructive feedback from them.

The most beneficial cure for your individual responses to speech anxiety is one or a combination that works out best for you individually. The common difficulties of public speaking are removed because you will be concentrating on the fundamental principles listed above and not the actual act of speaking.

Finally, you must understand that there are additional concepts and techniques that you will need to utilize that will help make you a better public speaker. Overcoming fear of public speaking and learning how to cure fear of public speaking is just the first step. You can find plenty of valuable suggestions and tips in addition to strategies that you will be able to apply immediately so that you can feel confident about taking the second step to public speaking success.

Discover more about how to cure fear of public speaking and find out all about overcoming fear of public speaking

Take the second step to public speaking success at www.publicspeakinginc.com

Aggression is one of the main reasons that dogs are euthanised or rehomed; at least 30% of all dogs in rescue centres are there because of the incidence of aggressive behaviour in one form or another. It is actually unusual to have a dog that is aggressing to have just one type of aggression; most dogs have more than one of the following types of behaviour.

It would be prudent, before embarking on a program of aggressive behaviour modification, to rule out any medical reasons for that behaviour, especially if there is a sudden change in the dog’s temperament. Their are some fifty-odd different medical reasons why a dog may be showing aggressive tendencies, these range from Pain to Thyroid Dysfunction, Epilepsy to Hypoglycaemia and Diabetes.

The following is a list of the more common aggressions and why they may be occurring. This is only a part of the total types. Because of the constraints of space it can only be a fleeting reference.

1. Fear / Nervous Aggression (Interdog)

Quite often, this behaviour has its roots directly to the pup’s mother. Breeders that breed from fearful and timid bitches will often make excuses as to why you cannot see the dam. If you do view a litter of puppies and the mother is fearful, then do not even think of buying the puppy. It will be almost a certainty that the pups will inherit some of the mother’s traits, through both genetics and socialisation, genetically the pups may inherit her timidity and through the time they are with her will observe her fear and follow suit.

Scientific research has shown that even the pups that are born to a solid and stable mother that are then put with a bitch that is fearful, they will pick up some of the unstable habits from the fearful dog. Other reasons for this fear type of problem is when the puppy or adult dog is attacked by another dog, especially whilst on the lead, with no means of escape and restricted from showing submissive body language to the attacker.

Lack of early socialisation can also have an affect on this type of behaviour, If the young pup, especially between the age of seven and sixteen weeks, is not carefully socialised with both adult and pups alike, then they do not learn to “meet and greet”. The complex body language dogs learn at this age is crucial to their later behaviour when approaching unknown dogs. If they are unable to either perform or understand the greeting rituals, then they are immediately viewed with suspicion by the approaching dog, and conflict may arise

How can you tell if it is fear?

With nervous and fear aggressive dogs, you will find that they will react aggressively to any dog, regardless of whether it is male or female. The behaviour is often worse if the dog is on the lead or is cornered, especially if close to the owner, who backs up the behaviour, (though unwittingly) by becoming nervous and agitated as the other dog approaches.

This manifests itself in a tightening up on the lead and shoulders. Nervous owners also kick out a cloud of adrenaline that the dog instantly detects, this causes it to look for what is causing the concern. It sees the dog approaching and reacts accordingly. This type of dog is also normally a barker, it will lunge and bark at the approaching dog but generally will not snap unless all its options have run out. ie flight or freeze and after all its threat posturing the other dog has still got too close.

This problem can often be diagnosed if someone who is confident around dogs (that the dog does not know well) takes it out on the lead. It will not get the same fearful vibes from the owner, therefore the reaction to another dogs approaching will be less intense. It is a good way of finding out if your dog suffers fear aggression, as the behaviour will either not be exhibited or will be less pronounced. The owner can then use a desensitisation program for both the dog and themselves.

2. Fear / Nervous Aggression (Inter-human)

Once again, this can be caused through lack of early socialisation, bad breeding and sometimes lack of handling at an early age, starting as young as two weeks old. Pups that are not handled gently and often by the breeder do not get a strong olfactory and tactile bond with humans. This is often the case with puppy farmed dogs and dogs born to large breeders. This handling at such an early age causes a mild stress response in the tiny pup, which benefits its ability to cope with many situations including people and dogs in later life

Nervous and fear aggressing is always defensive in nature, sometimes it is related to the sex of the person. If the breeder was female, and very few males visited or handled the puppies, then the timidity and fear may be worse with men. This particular problem like interdog hostility, will manifest itself mainly with individuals rather than crowds.

You will find that the dog will bark a lot but will be under a table or behind a settee. The tail will be down and although it may seem overtly aggressive, the dogs balance and weight will be on the back foot not over the front feet. This demonstrates that the dog wants you to go away and is not initially trying to bite or attack you. A gradual and careful introduction to the stimulus that is causing the fear with positive reinforcement for calm behaviour is the way to overcome this type of problem though the dog will rarely make a total and full recovery and will never be life and soul of the park and greeting parties.

3. Frustration Aggression

Research has shown that dogs who are not allowed to interact “normally” with people and dogs who were prone to displays of bad temper and behaviour that was overtly aggressive are dogs that are generally restrained or restricted from normal interactions (interactions with people, other dogs, and the outside world). The dog develops an intense desire to gain access to all of those things he desires.

This desire can escalate into escape and roaming behaviour, agitation, biting and unprovoked attacks. It is often observed in dogs that are left tied up in flats, left in gardens, or near a window where they can see the things they want to interact with, but cannot get to them therefore display unprovoked aggression. To some extent, the aggression shown to the postman is based on frustration. I have seen dogs attack their owner or a second dog in the home because it cannot get to the deliveryman.

As with most aggressive behaviours early socialisations and an understanding of how dogs learn and communicate are essential.

4. Sexual aggression.

This type of aggression is usually limited to male dogs. They will mount both people and other dogs. Mounting activity directed towards humans may reflect a lack of opportunity for the dog to play with other dogs, or an over-attachment to people in early life, mounting on other dogs especially if they initially try to put their heads over the other dog’s necks can be related to rank and control complex behaviour. Castration and behaviour modification can help with this problem. Allowing the dog to mate may often be recommended by the amateur dog expert, this normally makes the problem far worse.

5 Territorial Aggression

This may be towards other dogs, people or both. By definition, territorial aggression should be directed toward members of the same species ie other dogs. Domestic dogs, however, seem to regard humans in this regard as conspecific, and consequently may direct territorial aggression toward us When dogs display aggression to strangers only on the home property garden, house, or yard, yet do not respond aggressively to strangers on neutral territory, then territorial aggression is the likely diagnosis. There are two primary motivations for territorial behaviour, control complex behaviour ie dominance or fear/anxiety. It may be worse in a small space such as a car than in an open area. Some dogs like this can be fine in the home, but not so good in the garden.

The only answer to this problem is to work on the dominant/territorial problem in a way in which a dog understands its position through a behaviour modification programme using position reinforcement techniques. Remember not to praise for the cessation of bad behaviour rather praise for that bad behaviour not happening in the first place. In other words, say the dog jumps up on someone and you say “OFF” if the dogs get off then do not praise as you will be praising for the inappropriate behaviour, which was the jumping.

6. Control Complex / Dominant Aggression

The word dominant is a dirty word in dog behavioural circles at present however if we understand the word means position and is much more complex that just aggression, then to ignore this area of conflict would be remiss. The initial approach to other dogs is often cautionary and contains many status signals, like tail carriage held high and quickly moving from side to side, standing on tiptoe etc. If the other dog submits, then all is usually fine, if not the fighting can be extremely noisy and in some cases quite severe. In both the last two examples, dominant and territorial aggression, I usually find the dog will pull quite badly on the lead. These dogs can also display aggressive tendency towards members of the family this could lead to an attack if not controlled in their early stages. By working on a programme that will give the dog a purpose and a position in life, almost a job and teaching the dog to walk on a loose leash can sometimes overcome the problem. The type of program I would use is the NILIF program, which stands for “Nothing in Life is Free”, See my website under dominance

7. Chase or Predatory aggression

This can be directed at many things including dogs, cats, or anything that stimulates a chase response. Squirrels are a favourite, as their quick jerky movements seem to stimulate even the most placid of dogs. I see a lot of predatory chase aggression in for instance Border Collies, in particular stimulants like bikes, skateboards joggers and cars.

One of the key factors that distinguish predatory aggression from other forms of aggression is that movement often is the trigger . In the wild, this movement is in the form of running and escape attempts of a small animals. Predatory behaviour can be seen in dogs of any sex and age.

Dogs that show intense interest and become aroused or anxious by the movement or noise of children or other pets should be closely monitored at all times. Prognosis is not good for this type of aggression. Reward based obedience training can help, however this is only any use if the owner/trainer is able to constantly monitor the dog at all times.

It is easier to control the chase stimulus when it is directed at cars, joggers, or bikes. Two types of common treatment’s include counter-conditioning used to change the dogs’ perception of the falsely identified prey. Many also believe punishment works ie noise aversion when the behaviour is first stimulated. Throwing water from a car window or sounding a rape alarm or air horn at the exact time the dog takes off, throwing down a plastic bottle of stones from a passing bike or car can sometimes alter this behaviour.

However. To be effective, punishment must be seen as aversive and the timing of the punishment must be exact so that the dog associates the punishment with the behaviour. Electric shock collars have also been suggested but are not part of treatment programs I would ever recommend.

As mentioned aggression often has its origins in bad breeding, lack of socialisation, high prey drive, and poor basic training can also exacerbate the situation. However, as stated before it can be related to medical conditions and before embarking on a course of behavioural therapy have your dog checked over to see if there are any underlying medical conditions.

Learned aggression can normally be cured however, hereditary aggression cannot, it can only be controlled and hopefully contained. Castration sometimes helps, and should be considered in an overall aggression reduction program. With all aggression cases, you should consider a behaviourist or a dog trainer experienced in these problems, before the problems becomes life threatening either to the dog or the person they are aggressing against.

Stan Rawlinson (Doglistener)
Dog Behaviourist and Obedience Trainer, who has owned and worked dogs for over 25 years, starting with gundogs then moving to the behavioural and obedience side of training companion dogs. He now has a successful practice covering Greater London, Surrey, and Middlesex.

Stan is recommended by numerous Vets, Rescue Centres, and Charities. He writes articles and comments on behavioural issues and techniques for dog magazines including Our Dogs, Dogs Monthly, K9 Magazine, Shooting Times and Pet Owner Magazine. Stan is also the behavioural consultant for Disney

© Stan Rawlinson
Telephone: 0208 979 2019
Mobile Number: 07976 153161
E-mail: enquiries@doglistener.co.uk

During summer one of the places in the house that most people would like to avoid spending would be the kitchen. But every homemaker still needs to feed their family and there are certainly ways where one can ideally avoid cooking on gas stoves or ovens which tend to generate plenty of heat making the kitchen not the best place to be in during the hot sweltering summer months. What you can do is to learn crock pot cooking which is the most ideal way to cook during summer.

You must be wondering as to how cooking in a crock pot is going to help reduce the summer heat. Well, using a crock pot for cooking lets out less heat into the air than when cooking using a stove or an oven. So what better reason do you need than to use a crock pot for cooking your meal during the harsh summer months? By using a crock pot you can be assured that your air conditioners do not have to work overtime to keep your home cool because of the excess heat generated when cooking on stoves.

Crock pot cooking entails that you incur less cost than when you cook using traditional stoves or ovens. Most of these stoves or ovens which can be operated by gas or electricity tend to not only generate lots of heat energy but also end up consuming so much of it that using these methods for cooking can burn a hole in your pocket. Crock pot cooking means that you can be assured of saving on electricity and gas bills.

Most people think that crock pot cooking means cooking simple meals and preparing winter meals. But we should realize that crock pot cooking is the best method when it comes to preparing meals as there are so many ways in which you can use the crock pot to cook your meals. You can use the crock pot to bake just about anything, and make exciting and innovative meals.

Why to use a crock pot to cook?

Using a crock pot for cooking not only helps you to save on costs but there are

Other additional benefits too! The best part is that crock pot cooking means you get to start quite early everyday when you are most enthusiastic and not at night when you would rather like to relax after a hard day at work. When you begin early in the morning you will not miss out on any ingredient that needs to be added to your cooking and you will certainly not have your meal spoilt as you will be cooking in a leisurely manner. We normally tend to botch up our meals especially when done in a hurry or when we are exhausted after a hectic day.

In crock pot cooking most of the recipes use plenty of vegetables and that takes care of all the nutrients the body needs. Cooking in a hurry deprives us of nutrients.

When you cook in a crock pot there is no messy kitchen to clean up as a full meal can be made using the crock pot. So forget about all the washing of greasy pots and pans whether by hands or using the dishwasher or both. So you will save time not only while cooking but also when it comes to cleaning the dishes. Now you need not slave it over stoves cooking in the kitchen while you miss out on the joy of watching the lovely sunset or helping your children chase firebugs or just waiting for the first star to appear in the night sky.

Be assured that crock pot cooking is the best method to prepare meals. Isn’t it time for you to search for the crock pot which is lying in a corner gathering dust somewhere in your kitchen so that you can get cracking to prepare the most delicious and healthy meals with great crock pot recipes.

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More than 50 million people in the United States have pets, and pet supply stores are competing to get their fair share of this lucrative market. If you are a pet owner, this is great news. Pet supply stores are continually improving their products and services, and you can choose from among many of them the right one for you.

Free delivery. You love your pet, but sometimes, you just don’t have time to drop by a pet store to buy food and supplies. No problem – you can have everything delivered right to your doorstep. Most pet supply stores now offer free delivery of the freshest pet food and newest supplies. Steer clear of the inconvenience of pet supply shopping, or running out of pet food. Just order either online or from a catalog.

All-natural pet food products. People are becoming more health-conscious, even with their pets. That is why some pet supply stores now claim to only carry naturally-preserved pet food that do not contain artificial coloring, ingredients or byproducts. Some pet supply stores limit their selection only to pet foods that have passed complete feeding tests ongoing quality assurance checks.

Carefully-chosen pet supplies. There are now many pet supply stores that only sell 100 percent safe and non-toxic pet supplies, especially for dogs. These stores have only clinically-proven safe pet shampoos, creams and medicine in stock. You can also buy harmless pet toys and accessories from such stores.

Veterinarians on call. Most pet supply stores now have in-house veterinarians who can help you choose the right products for your pets. These vets are also on-call to help you if your pet suddenly reacts differently to a product. Best of all, these vets are just great sources of free advice. Just pop in the pet supply store and chat with them – you just might get free opinion on common pet problems.

Pet Stores [http://www.i-PetStores.com] provides detailed information on Pet Stores, Pet Supply Stores, Online Pet Stores, Pet Fish Stores and more. Pet Stores is affiliated with Free Pet Tags .

The following is a short list of things to look at before buying tropical fish tanks. Going through this list can save you a lot of money or effort (or both).

So, lets dive straight in:

1. What fish do you want to keep?

   The absolute most important decision BEFORE you consider anything else. This affects everything from the size and shape of the tank to the type of equipment you need.

2. Compatibility and care of these fish

   It is very important to research the fish you want to keep properly. The best way to do this would be to buy a good book on tropical fish. The adult size of the fish would determine the size of the tank and the habits and care would tell you what equipment you need and how to set up the fish tank.

   This will also give you the opportunity to see if the fish would be compatible. If their care or requirements are too different, or their temperament is wrong, you shouldn’t keep them together.

3. Determine space

   How much space do you have in your home? What’s the biggest size tank you can fit? Determine where you want the fish tank, and see how much space there is. Include some space between the wall and the tank for cord, tubing, etc…

4. Determine your budget

   How much money can you spend? Remember that this money has to buy the tropical fish tank as well as all the necessary equipment, fish, plants, decorations, etc. If this is your first fish tank, keep in mind that this is a hobby you might decide not to pursue.

5. Select equipment

   Go to a local supplier, and discuss what would be needed for the setup you require (This is partly based on the fish you want to keep). Get prices for everything you’ll need (including the fish tank) – preferably from more than one supplier, so that you can get some comparisons.

6. Evaluate your budget against space constraints

   How does your budget compare to the costs you got in the previous step? Can you get a tank large enough for the fish you want to keep that will still fit in the space available? If the setup is too expensive, or the space to small, look at your fish selection again. Is there any specific fish that is causing a problem? If you can remove a single type of fish to fit the rest in the space you have available, how badly do you have your heart set on that fish? Make sure that all the fish you chose are available in your area. See if there is maybe a different place you can fit the tank, or whether you can increase the budget.

7. Buy the equipment

   Once you’ve sorted out your budget, space and fish selection, you can go ahead and buy the equipment. Do NOT buy any fish yet!

8. Set up your tank

   Once you have all the equipment, you can start setting it up. If this is the first time you’re doing this, expect to spend a few hours on this.

   Once everything is set up, fill the fish tank with water and let it settle for a couple of days to make sure that the equipment is working properly and that nothing is leaking. This also dechlorinates the water.

9. Select starter fish

   Select a few fish from your original list that is hardy, small and inexpensive. You only want to select 1″ of fish for each gallon of water, but you can determine this based on their current size – This is the ONLY time that you will base space required on the current size of the fish. The reason for this is the fact that the fish won’t grow significantly in the 4-8 weeks that the tank is cycling.

10. Cycle the tank

    Over the course of this 4-8 weeks you have to be particularly diligent and patient. Make sure you’re not overfeeding and that you are doing regular water changes. For this period, DON’T ADD ANY MORE FISH!

11. Maintain the tank

    Feed and observe the fish every day, Check the filter regularly, change 10-15% of your water weekly (and scrub for algae at the same time). Check all your other equipment, hoses, fittings, lights, etc at least once a month. And most importantly, Enjoy your tropical fish tank!

Now that you have a good idea of what to look for before getting started, I hope that you will get a tank that you can live with and enjoy for a long time.

Let me show you how to choose the correct tropical fish tank, and how to set it up correctly with the right fish the first time. Remember, A properly planned fish tank is that much easier to maintain and care for. You can get more information at My Tropical fish tanks blog

“Bowling Alley”, “Bowling Center”, “The Bowl” and “House” are used interchangeably to describe the building where bowling takes place. Bowling alleys are usually comprised of many lanes (as many as 100 or more), but can be comprised of only a few lanes. Some people have a lane in their home, while I wouldn’t consider this a bowling alley, per se; it is in the most literal sense one. A single lane is sometimes referred to as a bowling alley. For the purposes of this book, a bowling alley or house will refer to a place where there are multiple lanes and games are purchased.

Where are bowling alleys?

They are everywhere. Lately it seems that a lot more houses are closing due to property and maintenance prices getting to expensive, or lack of use. Looking in your local telephone book, you should be able to find quite a few houses in your area. Bowling is a very popular sport and therefore there are a lot of bowling alleys in most areas. If you can’t find one where you live, check the nearest city or big town, there’s bound to be one within driving distance of where you live.

Recently a large bowling stadium was constructed in Reno, NV (United States). If you want to see a really large house, that is the place to go. If you get a chance to bowl there it is really quite the thing! I have bowled there on several occasions and have really enjoyed it. The PBA (Pro Bowlers Association, see Chapter 9) has tournaments there as well as the USBC. A few of the tournaments that I know of that bowl there are the PBA, USBC Nationals, USBC Mixed, and the High Roller. This stadium was built expressly for the purpose of handling large bowling tournaments, and is not allowed to have leagues in it. It also has a very large Pro Shop (place to buy bowling stuff), that even has a bowling lane in it so that you can see everything! They will video tape your game and help you to figure out what you need to improve. It is quite impressive.

Bowling Center Layout

Most bowling alleys will have a desk (where you buy games), a bar, game room, at least one meeting room, a room to handle babysitting, and, of course, lanes! A lot of houses have a pro shop also.

The desk is usually situated somewhere near the center of the house and the bar is usually not far from it. For most bowlers that’s all you need to know about a bowling alley right there! Drinking and bowling go hand and hand for a lot of bowlers (not me, though). It’s no mistake that the bar is centralized in the bowling alley. The game room is usually centralized in the bowling alley also, and most of the time contains pool tables, video games, and pinball machines.

Meeting rooms can be anywhere in the bowling alley, and will seat anywhere from 25 – 100s of people. The meeting rooms are used for league meetings, receptions, birthday parties, etc…. Most of the time, one of the rooms will have toys and things in it for kids. This room is generally used for babysitting the children of the bowlers. Most bowling alleys offer free babysitting for children up to age 7 or 8 for league bowlers. This comes in very handy when you are bowling.

Pro shops are very popular in bowling alleys. Inside of the pro shop you can find just about anything that you need for bowling from balls and bags to shoes, brushes, and powder or resin. You can even get advice from a “pro”. Most of the pro shops are either owned by a professional bowler or have a professional on staff. Be careful though, not all of the people working in the pro shop are pros, and not all of them necessarily have your best interest at heart. There is a lot of stuff to be bought and if you are getting equipment, be sure that you are speaking to somebody who knows your game. Buying equipment for bowling is not as simple as getting a ball and shoes (more on that in Chapter 3).

Who do I call?

The first person that you are likely to meet in the bowling alley is the desk person. This is the person behind the desk that will take your money and assign you a lane. This is also the person that is your main contact at the bowling alley should anything happen. If you spill a drink, your ball gets stuck in the return, or whatever… you should contact the desk person and let them know what you need.

League bowlers usually go through the league secretary to get things accomplished in the house. The league secretary usually has a little more clout than the individual bowler as he/she represents an entire league of bowlers (and therefore a lot of revenue to the bowling center).

There are two other people that you may encounter at the bowling alley. The Porter is the person cleaning up the lanes, getting dead balls, dead wood, fixing scores and just about anything else that needs to be done on the customer side of the lanes. The Mechanic is the other person that you may encounter. You probably won’t come into direct contact with them; they are the person that works in the back of the alley, resetting pins, fixing the machines, and making sure that things work right. They are usually the one that oils the lanes (more on that later), also.

Keep bowling and having fun!

Author BIO Mike Kolar has been bowling for about 20 years and has taught several bowlers helping them to improve their averages by over 30 pins!

Click on Free Bowling Information [http://www.BowlersEverything.com] for all of your bowling needs from balls and bags to articles and advice.

In this article you will find information about lawn tractors. Knowing the prices, various uses, and how to use this tool safely can help you make the knowledgeable decision about which lawn tractor is best for you and your uses.

Lawn Tractors = Small Tractors

If you need a tractor for different kinds of farmwork for less than 2 acres, then a farm tractor is the best choice for you. You can greatly reduce your manual labor, due to the many attachments that are available for lawn tractors. You will find that this can help you keep your garden in tip-top condition in much less time. In most cases, a lawn tractor up to a maximum of 7-10 HP will also have a ZTR (zero turning radius) feature to help you when working in a smaller field.

The Versatility of Lawn Tractors

Versatility is a major benefit of lawn tractors. Some of the jobs that can be completed by lawn tractors include hole digging, lawn rolling, tilling, mowing, and many other jobs. The power take off spindle makes these jobs easily possible. That is why lawn tractors are a gardener’s best friend.

Purchasing A Lawn Tractor

Choosing and purchasing a lawn tractor is much like buying an automobile. The optional accessories increase the prices of both a car and a lawn tractor. That is why you want to choose your lawn tractor and accessories wisely to ensure that you will use the ones that you are purchasing. You also want to ensure that you can try the lawn tractor in the showroom to ensure that you can attach and remove the accessories with very little effort. Test-drive the lawn tractor to make sure you can get in and out of it easily as well.

Price of Lawn Tractors

There is a large price range in lawn tractors. A smaller lawn tractor can start at $900 and go up to $6000. The Bolen 762F76 is a basic model and it is available for just under $900, while the John Deer Spin-Steer SST-16 is approximately $3300. A Poulan Pro PK1845H42ST is about $1400. These costs are for the tractor without any accessories. Accessories can make the cost greatly increase. A canopy starts at $110 and a collection bag for grass is around $300. A cart can run you anywhere from $110 to $220, depending upon the size. Now you see how the costs can quickly add up. If you are planning to use the lawn tractor for mowing 1/2 to 1 acre, then you may want to choose a stand behind lawnmower for around $350, instead of a lawn tractor.

Safely Using A Lawn Tractor

Lawn tractors are designed with a low center of gravity and that is why there is very little possibility of the lawn tractors tipping over. It is important to use the following safety precautions, regardless of the little possibility of them turning over.

o It is important that you watch your speed, especially when you are on an incline. A small rock can cause your lawn tractor to have problems and possibly injure you.

o While getting off of the lawn tractor, ensure that it is turned off and all attachments touch the ground, if at all possible.

Andrew Caxton is a journalist who has written more articles and newsletters on the subject for [http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com] . A free online magazine that carries articles on lawn tractors, and a guide on lawn care here lawn tractors [http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/lawn-tractors.html]

As fashion and plus size evolve into a recognized and (soon-to-be) respected segment in fashion, so do the idiosyncrasies and nuances of fashion itself, as it pertains to plus size.

You see, ten years ago, plus size only belonged in one lump segment, leaving us fashionistas with very little or if any options for shopping and discerning which pieces were of a “fashionable” standard. However, now, with the amalgamation (yes, I had to use this word) and plethora of fashions within plus size clothing, one could easily find herself lost, frustrated, confused, irritated, or flustered when shopping for an ideal outfit or piece of clothing.

Why?

We no longer have “one type” of fashion option for the plus size woman- we have many. However, to better understand and sort through the madness of them all, a budding fashionista must first understand what these newer segments are and learn the identifiers of these to shop smarter, not harder.

No really… WHY?

See, as in the straight- sized market, you will find certain segments within fashion that are grouped together, and for the most part, you know what to expect when shopping from that retailer or specific set of retailers. With the evolution of Plus Size Ready-to-Wear Fashion, the same now holds true. For sake of argument, we will group these segments for plus size fashion as straight sized fashion does to help explain the price discrepancies, size differences, in relation to the integrity and quality of a retailers’ or designers’ garment. The fashion industry is divided into five segments: haute couture, luxury, contemporary, fast fashion, and discount.

* Haute Couture: Synonymous with “high fashion,” haute couture is a derivative of the French term “high sewing.” In France, the label “haute couture” is a protected designation. Designers, who attain this elusive and oft coveted title, produce custom-made clothing for the world’s most influential and wealthiest.

* Luxury: Pret-a-Porter or “Ready to Wear” is one-step down from Haute Couture relative to price and exclusivity, but still serves a discerning and well to do client.

* Contemporary: This fashion forward segment presents mid-priced fashions both fashion forward and quality driven. Oftentimes, these designers interpret fashions from the couture houses, making these fashions readily accessible.

* Fast Fashion: Quickly produced product in a cost efficient manner, delivering “high fashion looking” garments, at the lowest price possible. Relates to the manner of which items from the runway manufactured predominantly overseas with an extremely efficient turnaround.

* Discount: Usually looked at loss leaders, have quickly adapted to the fast fashion concepts leveraging their consumer’s buying power and reputation to fashion exclusive designer collections.

However, the division and classification of what to expect from these segments do not stop there. Please read further into each segment, sans Haute couture, as to understand which designers and brands fall into each classification and what differentiates each one.

Luxury Plus Size Designers

Yes! They do exist! Goods that are of a higher quality and a respective higher price point are the fashion leaders within plus size. Designers such as:

* Anna Scholz

* Cinzia Rocca

* Elena Miro

* Lafayette 148

* Marina Rinaldi

* Peggy Lutz

Are oftentimes carried in either specialty boutiques, specialty department stores such as Saks and Neiman Marcus command, at minimum, a $250 starting point. Expect the finest fabrics, usually imported from overseas, naturally a more conservative cut, with the exception of Anna Scholz and Elena Miro (the only plus size designer to continually show during Milan Fashion Week), impeccably tailored, fully lined, natural fabrics, with exclusivity in feel and wear.

Contemporary Plus Size Designers

Mirroring the contemporary collections represented in Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and Saks, contemporary plus size fashion offers the fashion forward plus size woman options tailored to her curves at a moderate price point. These designers such as:

* Amanda Uprichard

* David Meister

* Igigi

* Jibri

* Melissa Masse

* Monif C.

* Svoboda

Are often the thoughts leaders, innovators, and risk takers within the plus size fashion segments, as they continually challenge the status quo or the norm in what fashion should be for the discerning plus size woman. This segment’s prices usually range from the low $100′s and can command up to $500 for more specialty pieces. Quality in these fabrics are only a sidestep lower than their luxury counterparts, introducing innovative blends in fabrics, specific silhouettes inspired by the designer’s artistic inspiration, and, like its luxury designers, have more intricate detailing.

Plus Size Fast Fashion Designers

In the light of Forever 21′s counterfeit lawsuits, fast fashion has received a tarnished image although fast fashion provides an amiable compliment to its contemporary counterparts. Popular designers in this segment include:

* Torrid

* Faith 21

* Ashley Stewart

* Lane Bryant

* Evans

With the ability to mass produce up-to-the-minute trends and incredulously low price points, fast fashion provides edgy, often directly inspired from design houses, looks that range from as low as a $10 price point up to a $150 price tag. In order to deliver the trends to the market quickly, the quality, can, at times, be inferior to the luxury and contemporary designers. Expect polyester blends, wool blends, single stitched garments, either a looser silhouette or a variety of shapes that vary from garment to garment. To be worn for the moment, the lifespan of these fast fashion fashions are intended to last for the current season.

Discount Plus Size Designers

Challenging and changing the fashion climate over the last year, discount leaders have created strategic partnerships with Contemporary Designers to bring affordable fashions to the masses. Retailers such as:

* Old Navy

* Wal-Mart

* Target

Have collaborated with the likes of Norma Kamali, Just My Size, Pure Energy, and others to bring quality fashion at an affordable retail price. Discount leaders have allowed women an introduction into fashion options rarely seen and experienced. Discount designers serve as an introduction as well as dispel the notion of plus size fashion not being available. Each segment both provides and serves its purpose for the 60% of us plus size women in the ever diversifying industry of plus size fashion. It is important about knowing the differences in these segments so that you know what to expect when shopping a particular designer or retailer. Learning the difference affords you the ease of a headache or frustration when shopping to put your best curve forward.

Marie Leggette is a fashion blogger, stylist, and writer with over ten years in the retail, fashion world. As a plus size woman herself, Marie Denee is determined to bring high-end fashion to the discerning Plus Size Curvy.Confident.Chic Plus Size Fashionista. In the Fall of 2009, Marie Leggette launched her eponymous plus size contemporary boutique, MarieDenee.com to compliment her plus size fashion blog, http://www.thecurvyfashionista.mariedenee.com both highlighting fashions by designers who see fashion beyond a size 12.

In the next 10 minutes, I’m going to reveal to you what took me over thirty years of intensive eyeball-to-chart research to discover! The road has been long and sometimes bumpy with plenty of unexpected twists and turns along the way. And, guess what…it hasn’t ended yet! The more I learn, the more I realize there’s more to learn. So, fasten your seatbelt and experience the excitement I felt on this road of discovery…it’s truly been a ride to remember!

Let’s start at the beginning. I made my first commodity trade in 1968 while a student at the University of Montana working towards a Master’s Degree in Business Finance and Investments. I was fascinated by the leverage you could get on your investment capital by putting up a relatively small margin fee in order to control a much larger quantity of some commodity…leaving open the potential for substantial gains…and by using stops supposedly limited risk. And, since I was a cash-strapped student with a “relatively” small amount to invest, this really appealed to me.

So, one memorable Tuesday afternoon, I skipped gym class and hiked downtown to open my first commodity trading account. I was nervous as a cat…but, I knew it was something I just had to do. The broker was understanding and after about an hour of filling out forms and waiting for an OK from headquarters, I plunked my money down and began what I imagined would be an illustrative career as a “professional” commodity trader. I just couldn’t wait to get started!

Early the next morning, I was chomping at the bit and decided to start off by trading corn futures. Then over the next two weeks, the worst thing that could happen to a beginning trader happened to me…I had three big winning trades in a row! I was convinced I was the King Kong of trading…and frankly couldn’t figure out why everyone told me trading was so hard to be successful at. Then, as you’ve probably guessed…the fourth trade murdered me. I lost everything I had already made plus $200 more than I even had in my account! So much for the supposedly limited risk. You can guess where the book fund for that quarter went! My trading “career” appeared over about as fast as air rushing out of a balloon.

I went away from that experience licking my wounds, but absolutely convinced there was an underlying and identifiable pattern or rhythm in the markets. I could sense it. I knew it was there…but, I had no idea what it was. I wrestled with questions of how such a thing could exist. Or more to the point, since I saw evidence of it’s actual existence…how could I prove it existed? Even though initially I even questioned my own perceptions, I just knew in my bones it was there! I was determined to do whatever it took to identify it, pick it apart and ultimately find out exactly what made it tick.

It was then I realized that if you could discover any sort of regular or consistent pattern in market movements…you would have the key to successful trading! Why? Because you then could trade in sync with the timing patterns controlling market movement. This was certainly a goal worth devoting a lifetime of research to…and, as it turns out…I have!

I started my search by going to the source…the markets themselves! I studied charts from every market I could get my hands on…some constructed from data going back to the start of the Chicago Board of Trade in 1848! I knew that if there was a pattern that repeated itself in the markets, I could find it…given enough time, effort and stacks of charts to look at.

After night after night of painstaking study, a bit of inspiration arrived from somewhere and I came to the conclusion that by simply using daily futures charts…where each vertical bar represents a single trading day, I could possibly detect tradable patterns by identifying reversal points in normal ongoing markets…specifically, reversals that tended to occur on the same number counts over and over again when counting forward in time from any significant high or low point…in the past.

It was about this time that a fellow trader related to me that W. D. Gann, the world famous market timer, was purported to have said “if you want to know how to time the markets…read the Bible three times!”

I had generally studied the writings of Gann and was frankly never able to get much out of his cryptic and obscure ramblings other than to note his focus on time as opposed to price pattern analysis. Nevertheless, this got me to thinking…is it possible that specific number counts where reversal energy is demonstrably exposed…critical time points I had already identified in my relentless search through endless chart examples…is it possible as some sort of confirming device that those same numbers are numbers prominently mentioned in the sacred texts?

Since it was my custom to regularly read in the Bible, I decided to keep a notebook handy to jot down specific numbers mentioned in the Bible as I came across them. I had no real expectations one way or the other, but I was looking forward to comparing the numbers my private research was turning up with the numbers prominently mentioned in the Bible.

So what did I find? Actually, a head scratching puzzle. What I noticed right away after collecting months of references was that there were an amazing number of near misses…numbers from the Bible that were in most cases off by just one number count from the numbers I had already identified through research.

This wasn’t the only thing that bothered me. I’d been in a quandary for years over a quotation from Jesus found in Luke 24:46 which said “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.”

With my persistent mindset, I just couldn’t see how Sunday was the third day. It seemed to me that if Christ was crucified on Friday, then Saturday…Sunday… and then Monday should be the third day. It had been a long running and seemingly irreconcilable question in my mind.

Then out of the blue it struck me. To make the biblical order work, you would have to count Friday as day number one! Why this had been so hard for me to see was I suppose understandable. Counting that way was just not how we were taught to count since grade school. Nevertheless, this was a critical breakthrough…since I had now learned how God counts!

The next step was obvious…use the newly learned counting method on the charts I was studying and see how the number counts compared with what I was doing before. I picked up one of my trusty old charts and started counting days forward from an important high point reversal day on the chart.

Immediately, it jumped off the page at me. By adjusting the number count of each newly discovered reversal energy number…by just one day to reflect the new counting method, the correlation between Bible numbers and specific number counts I had already collected were now almost perfectly…in sync!

I say “almost” perfectly because what showed up was a pattern of hits…that is, actual reversal days occurring on the chart that would tend to “hit” (1) on the day just before, (2) right on or (3) the day just after the individual counting number being projected.

This was heady stuff. Clearly, by using the 40 different and proven counting numbers so painstakingly identified through research and confirmed in most cases by biblical references, I could now exactly pinpoint and project into the future perfectly defined and extremely powerful 3 day “reversal zones” or “timing windows”…on any chart for any market…at any time!

It’s important to note that the strongest reversal energy always exhibited itself in the center day of the 3 day zone or window. I don’t know why, but the image of Christ crucified between 2 malefactors came to mind as I worked with this material. And, as it turns out, the idea of a 3 unit zone or window with the most powerful energy focused in the center unit became over time an even more powerful research concept…as we shall soon see.

And here’s another curiosity. Apparently, there’s no way to determine or foretell whether anticipated reversals will be up or down reversals…until you get there. As the market starts to actually trade up or down into the zone or window, then and only then does the market tip it’s hand to us.

And, here’s the really great part…It’s exactly at the critical moment to do something from a market timing standpoint. That is, just before the market reverses…and while concurrently pointing us in the direction the market has just revealed it’s going to go! And, only those that know the language of the markets understand what the markets are saying when they speak.

Amazingly, the markets literally hand us top secret timing information at the critical moment for us to use it for positioning trades in the right direction…and precisely at the right time to be totally in sync with market movement…guaranteed!

Now, here’s how it works. If a market is initially trading down into a 3 day reversal zone, then we should expect a reversal of some consequence to occur to the upside during the period of that reversal zone. The anticipated reversal up is then confirmed on any subsequent day that sees a rally above a previous day’s high. It couldn’t be more simple!

And, conversely, if a market initially trades up into a 3 day reversal zone, we should expect to see a reversal movement to the downside occur. The reversal is then confirmed by any subsequent drop below a previous day’s low.

Another major plus is that this strategy automatically generates a close-in stop or stop/reverse point just on the other side of the recently anticipated and confirmed reversal. This minimizes trade risk tremendously.

It was at this point that it suddenly occurred to me that what was really happening here…in the march of black bars across price charts…was the ongoing record in time of an unbelievable projection process…a process whereby the forward counting of days was tracking some sort of energy ripples radiating forward in time from high and low reversal points in the past.

My research proved this “process” is ongoing. It’s constantly radiating energy off reversal points in the past which projects three day “timing windows” or “reversal zones” into the future…where this reversal “energy” tends to generate new reversal points in interval patterns falling precisely on certain specific number counts…which I now had identified!

But, how could this be? All I could imagine was that some kind of previously unknown wave energy must be radiating off top or bottom reversal points in the past…continually moving out into the future in varying degrees of intensity, set in irregular yet constant intervals…and with enough structured energy to dramatically affect directional turns…in any market…in exactly the same manner and timing count sequence. And all this, at precisely and objectively projected points in time in the future…whew!

Sit back for a moment and think about it. The magnitude of this discovery…let’s say revelation actually, is mind boggling in it’s implication and absolutely astounding in importance! It’s almost as if the curtain has been ripped back and we’re now privileged to look lingeringly at the fabric of space and time…literally, the framework God employs to organize time and event progressions! Shockingly, it would appear that nothing happens by chance!

I knew instinctively that this method of market timing could not be called fundamental or technical analysis…but is rather an entirely new method of market timing analysis which I dubbed temporal analysis since it is based on time instead of price. Indeed, at this point I realized that one of the greatest hallmarks of the newly named Kenison Counting Numbers is the total lack of subjectivity in producing such valuable timing projections.

No guesswork is ever involved. The number counting sequence is simple and easy to understand. You don’t ever need a calculator or computer or any specialized foreknowledge. And, the signals projected are very precise and completely objective. It’s all right there on the chart…exactly where the next reversal energy in the market will be exposed…and correspondingly, exactly where the next projected reversal should be expected!

And get this. Kenison Counting Number projections will never become obsolete. They will continue with absolute objectivity…for all the years of you or your grandson’s trading careers…to pinpoint at or within one day of a specific future number count, exactly where a market reversal of varying degree of magnitude should appear.

How do we know this? Simply because years of exhaustive historical research has proven that whether you’re looking at constructed charts from the last two centuries, the 1970′s or last week, the system would have worked exactly the same in each era…with exactly the same phenomenal results!

And remember, these are the very same timing count numbers confirmed historically and through study of the scriptures to have proven and very definite reversal energy associated with them. Believe me…after learning the Kenison Counting Numbers market timing method, you will never look at a price chart the same again.

I was also extremely gratified to learn through decades of ongoing research that Kenison Counting Numbers work equally well in projecting future reversal points in every market, irregardless of whether it’s a futures, options, stock, forex or cash market…anywhere in the world!

How Kenison Counting Numbers Work…

This totally unique and extremely powerful method’s ability to project important market highs and lows…in the future is uncanny. How does it do it? After decades of personal research, I have identified the exact irregular number sequence the market itself observes. Just count the bars on a price chart forward from any market high or low point in the past and the Kenison Counting Numbers will tell you exactly on which numbers in the sequence you should expect powerful reversal energy to be exposed…in the future…and with a very high degree of reliability! This allows traders to anticipate, confirm and then act on potentially profitable trading turns that others don’t even see coming…or have the slightest idea even exist!

There is nothing subjective about this analysis…it’s entirely objective. It gives you no nonsense exact entry and exit points with close-in and automatic stop loss points. And for the charts you need? They’re free on the internet!

One other thing should be stressed. This is strictly eyeball to chart analysis. No complicated software program or mathematical calculation is ever necessary. With this new life long knowledge, you can spend just moments with a price chart and know with total confidence what your course of action should be…and know with absolute clarity what the risks are…all in advance!

There’s no need to check with anyone first…you’re the expert! Why? Because when you understand this market timing method you’ll know with quiet confidence what the market itself is telling you about current trends and potentially explosive turning points…and exactly when to expect them!

When you see how by simply counting forward and backward in time from important high or low points in the past, you can project important reversal points in the future…believe me, you’ll be hooked! I’ve been hooked now for over 30 years and I’m still fascinated on a daily basis as I watch these turns occur like clockwork in timing windows projected weeks and even months before!

Traders can become expert in using all 40 of the unbelievably powerful Kenison Counting Numbers to project forward in time to exactly where reversal energy will be exposed…in the future!

One of the most impressive Kenison Counting Numbers is represented by Zone 14…especially, when using our simple triangulation techniques in combination with other counting numbers to project powerful conjunction and convergence reversal zones…reversals which begin extremely dynamic high-velocity directional market moves! Other traders marvel at windfall profits that seem to come out of nowhere. Kenison Counting Numbers is the tool that alerts you beforehand thereby allowing you the opportunity to profit from these explosive market moves!

When investors and traders investigate this precision market timing method, they are amazed to discover the natural and irregular rhythm identified in the markets…a rhythm that is constant and traces out exactly the same pattern for all markets worldwide! It’s shocking to see how invariably reversals occur on the same number counts in the Kenison Counting Numbers sequence…over and over again.

And now another amazing fact concerning the Kenison Counting Numbers method…it holds true no matter what time frame you’re looking at! As we already know if you apply the system to a daily chart, you will project daily reversals. But surprisingly, If you also apply it to a weekly chart, you will project weekly reversal points into the future. In fact, the same Kenison Counting Numbers sequence works equally well when applied to monthly, weekly, daily or intra-day charts!

It was exactly at this point that another phenomenal discovery was made. I discovered that you could determine the most likely actual reversal day, week or month within each reversal zone by using the Kenison Counting Numbers to count backward in time from each of the three days, weeks or months within each reversal zone. How does this work? Quite simply, when you count backwards in the fashion mentioned above, you will notice that significant high and low points…in the past…fall exactly on specific number counts in the Kenison Counting Number sequence…but only if you are counting backwards from the most likely actual future day, week or month where the market will reverse! As I witnessed this mirror image or echo effect in action, I realized this is truly a miracle!

This is absolutely astounding when you realize that by counting forward or backwards in time reversal energy is exposed on the same number counts in the Kenison Counting Numbers sequence irregardless of whether you’re counting months, weeks, days or 15 minute intervals on an intra-day price chart! Witness this system in action in real markets in real time and you’ll be totally amazed at the magnitude of this discovery…I guarantee it!

Copyright (c) 2006 Bruce Kenison

Bruce Kenison is the founder of several market timing advisory services employing the Kenison Counting Numbers precision market timing method and is the Editor of “Bruce Kenison’s Market Timing Signals” ezine and newsletter available FREE to investors and hedgers. He is also president of a publishing and seminar company that recently published the 5th Edition of Bruce Kenison’s Market Timing Home Study Course. For a FREE subscription to the ezine or newsletter and information on our products and services, send a blank e-mail with “Subscribe” in the subject line to: bruce@brucekenison.com.

This article is available for reprint in your magazine, newsletter, ezine, website or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.

The question “How to make money blogging” sits high on every blogger’s mind. In fact I received many questions on “How to make money blogging” when I conducted my first webcast to answer my subscribers’ most pressing questions on Blogs and Rss.

You can make money Blogging in a number of ways, and in this article I share with you up to nine strategies in which you can make money blogging.

1. Make Money Blogging by Selling Advertising Space

Before the advent of Blogs, we have e-zines and selling advertising space on ezines was a popular way to earn extra money. If you run your own Blog, you can let others advertise in your Blogs with banner ads, solo ads, sponsor ads, classifieds and so on.

Now that we have Blogs, you can repeat the same business model that e-zine publishers do, that of selling advertising space.

One popular advertising company that helps Bloggers look for advertisers is Blogads (www.Blogads.com).

Besides placing advertisers ads on your Blog, you can also make money Blogging by placing Google Adsense into your Blog.

In my “Marketing Rampage with Blogs and RSS” Videos, I show you how you can customize your Blog template to include the Google Adsense into your Blog template so that you can make money blogging.

2. Make Money Blogging by providing technical services such as Blog hosting or setting up Blog

You can also earn money blogging by providing technical services such as helping people to set up their Blogs or providing your own Blog hosting service.

One example of this is http://www.typepad.com . This is a Blog hosting service provider that charges a monthly fee. Typepad lets you create your Blog and they will host your Blog for you, and provide you with a number of Blog features.

3. Make Money Blogging by setttin up joint venture marketing

Joint Venture marketing is a powerful marketing strategy employed by many top online marketers.

Basically how joint venture works is this: You promote person B’s products to your subscriber and customer list, and you get a cut from whatever sale that follows from this promotion.

You can apply the principle of joint venture marketing to Blogs as well. If you have a substantial readership to your Blog, you can also promote or endorse certain products to your Blog readers and this way, and split the profits from the sales generated. This is another way to make money blogging.

4. Make Money Blogging from using the Membership model

Over time, if your blog has lots of postings and provide good quality content, you can consider turning it into a membership site and charge access for it, again giving you another avenu

5. Make Money Blogging by turning your products into

Another way in which you can make money blogging is to repackage your Blog contents into an e-book or an audio product and sell it. For example, if you run your own Podcasting show or an ‘online radio show’, you can easily compile your podcast recordings into a CD compiliation and sell it.

6. Earn Money Blogging by Swapping blogs

You’ve heard of ad swapping when it comes to e-zine publishing, where publishers publish each other’s ads in their own e-zines. This way, you save on adveritising costs.

You can repeat the same model to Blogs, as swap ads on Blogs as well. So instead of paying up front, you get to save, which means more money for you to spend!

7. Earn Money Blogging by turning your Blog content into RSS feeds and sell it as premium feeds

Your blog contents can be turned into an RSS feed. If the content is good, you can look for web businesses that are looking for good content for related topics and sell their feed to them.

8. Make Money Blogging by well, asking!

Hey, who’s stopping you from putting a PayPal donation jar or button on your Blog? After all, there are lots of generous people out there you know.

9. Make Money Blogging as an Affiliate Marketer

Another way you can make money blogging is by promoting other people’s products on your Blog. This is also known as affiliate marketing.

In affiliate marketing, you get paid a commission when someone clicks on your affiliate link and makes a purchase. Depending on the subject of your Blog, you can recommend products that solve people’s problems.

For example, I had a subscriber who asked me how she can blog about cats and make money from blogging about cats.

I shared with her that firstly, perhaps she might want to go niche instead of targeting the broad category of “cats”, and using the example of a Persian cat, which is a niche by itself, she can start a blog on Persian cats, providing valuable information as well as recommended solutions and products to the upkeep and maintenance of Persian cats.

http://www.blog-and-rss-revealed.com/category/make-money-blogging/

Brandon is the author of “Marketing Rampage with Blogs and RSS” Videos and Audio ebook “Blogs and RSS Revealed” that teaches online businesses strategies to getting more free targeted leads, subscribers and traffic, turning them into highly responsive visitors and sales without additional advertising costs, as well as increasing search engine rankings and obtaining quick listings in Google, Yahoo and MSN, by using Blogs and RSS.

Like any industry, Internet Marketing has its own special

marketing tools and methods. Many of these marketing tools

may already be familiar to you: autoresponders, SEO software,

link-building systems, content management programs,

affiliate software… and the list goes on.

However, Internet Marketing has other more effective,

non-traditional marketing tools every marketer should

know about if they want to reach their full potential as

online marketers. Some of these marketing tools come cleverly

disguised or camouflaged, with many surfers or customers

completely unaware that they’re receiving a sales-pitch.

Yet, these innocent and simple sales techniques are some

of the most effective marketing tools on the web.

For anyone involved in Internet Marketing or for anyone

wishing to become involved, a quick rundown of these

marketing tools may prove helpful. Here’s a brief list

and a few pointers on how to effectively use these

marketing tools.

1. Domain Name

Lets start at the very beginning. Your domain name should be

considered your first Internet marketing tool. Pick it right

and your domain name can also be your most effective marketing

tool. Get it wrong and it may spell game over.

Most marketers agree you should pick a short memorable

keyword-related domain name. For example, http://www.hotels.com,

it’s easy to remember/spell and it tells you exactly what

the site is about. Picking a domain directly related to the

keyword or keywords of your site will help greatly in obtaining

a high ranking for your site with the search engines. Not to

mention, it will be a great marketing and promotional tool,

telling your potential customers exactly what your site is

promoting and displaying.

On the other hand, some marketers suggest you opt for a short

jazzy name that can be easily remembered by your visitors.

Ebay, Google, Napster, Yahoo… regardless of which route you

take, make sure you examine all the marketing potential before

you pick your domain name. The right domain name can be one

of your most effective marketing tools on the world wide web.

Many experts also suggest you only set up a dedicated server

for your domain or domains. A dedicated server only carries

one domain. Most hosting companies (for economic reasons)

often share hosting servers, i.e. your domain is co-hosted

with hundreds of other domains on the same server. Since you

will be using the same IP address this may have dire consequences

if one of the domains is accused of spamming or some other

unscrupulous behavior. Even if you can’t afford a dedicated

server, it would be wise (for SEO purposes) to have a separate

IP address for each domain you own. Most hosting companies

provide this service for a small fee.

2. Keywords

Keywords, what surfers type into search engines to find what

they’re looking for, are the real building blocks of the web.

They are the single most important element in any online

marketing venture. Pick the right keywords and you’re in

business, pick the wrong keywords and again, it’s game over.

Therefore, you must have special keyword software or use some

online sites or services to help you pick the right keywords.

Many top marketers use WordTracker.com, GoodKeywords.com,

or the new Keyword Elite by Brad Callen. A superior keyword

research product will supply valuable information: number

of searches made each month, amount of competition and the

top sites targeting your keywords.

Remember, you must target the right keywords with your site

or online marketing. Targeted keywords draw targeted traffic

(customers) to your sites or products. The right keyword software

or program will have a direct correlation to the success

or failure of your online marketing efforts. So choose wisely!

3. Articles

Many marketers believe in and rely upon purely organic SEO

techniques for marketing their sites. One simple method of

organic SEO is writing and submitting keyword related

articles around the topic of your website with links back

to your site. As other sites display your articles you gain

valuable one-way links back to your site. Search engines then

follow all of these links and rank your site highly for the

keywords in these articles. For this reason the modest article

may prove to be the single most important marketing tool you

have in your arsenal.

As your site becomes highly ranked for these keywords, other

sites will want to link to your site in order to become

optimized for those same keywords… article keyword marketing

is one of the most effective Internet marketing tools at your

disposal. Used properly if can position your site in the search

engines and bring in all that highly prized targeted traffic.

Keep in mind, many Internet marketers have side-stepped the

whole SEO optimization process by going directly to search

engines and buying their traffic with PPC pay-per-click

advertising. Overture and Google Adwords program are good

examples of this method. Marketers bid on clicks to their

site’s keywords and bring in targeted customers. In

knowledgeable hands, PPC marketing is an extremely

effective and lucrative marketing tool.

4. Lists

The backbone of any Internet marketing system is the list.

It is another marketing tool you can’t do without. The list

is simply a large database of contacts, people who have

given you permission to email or contact them. These are

subscribers who have opted-in to your ezine or newsletter.

Most successful marketers keep countless different databases

for each product or topic they’re targeting with their marketing.

Ezines or newsletters are vital Internet Marketing tools that

no online business should ignore. It is essential you keep in

contact/touch with your past and future customers. You must

build an ongoing relationship and connection with your customers.

Besides your ezine or newsletter, many marketers also set up

lists of affiliates to help promote and sell their products.

Never underestimate the power of an affiliate system as an

effective marketing tool. It is the stuff Empires are made of!

Once a marketer has acquired a large list of loyal contacts

or affiliates — the flood waters open up. Opportunities for

JVs or Joint Ventures with other online marketers make for

serious cash flow.

5. Blogs And RSS Feeds

Blogging and RSS feeds have become essential marketing

tools for savvy online marketers. Online journals or blogs

are all the rage, especially in the marketing field. These

blogging systems such as WordPress are great content

management tools that will quickly build a content-rich

site, pulling in targeted traffic from the search engines.

Search engines are enamored with blogs and RSS feeds mainly

because blogs provide fresh content, the main lifeblood

of every good search engine. For this reason no site should be

without a blog and RSS feed, it will keep your content

regularly visited and indexed by the search engines. In

addition, all that information and content is a perfect tool

for drawing potential customers to your products and services.

Along with your domains, lists, keywords, and articles —

blogs are effective marketing tools that will play an

important role in the success of your online marketing.

In the right hands, these Internet marketing tools can

work magic on any company’s bottom line. They are some

of Internet Marketing’s most effective tools.

You don’t have to think outside of the box, you just have

to know what makes up the box!

—-
The author runs an Internet Marketing website featuring all the latest marketing tools and techniques. Click here to visit Internet Marketing Tools

Copyright © 2006 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached. Anyone wishing to learn about Internet Marketing and don’t want to spend a bundle should try these: Free Internet Marketing Courses

Barbie doll clothes are an important part of the fun of playing with

the Barbie doll. When Barbie first came out, the clothes were

fashion model outfits. Since then, however, outfits can be worn for

almost any occasion or situation. The only limit is the imagination.

Children love to play with the exquisite little Barbie clothes and the

fun accessories that came with each outfit.

Close attention was paid to the design and creation of these tiny

clothes. Barbie Doll clothes have hems, zippers, minute buttons

and even linings. &nbspThe quality finish of these dolls clothes was

achieved by hand finishing.

The fasteners used on the Barbie doll clothes were miniscule.

Mattel had these custom made in Japan. A company called YKK was

founded and managed by Yoshida Kogig. This was dedicated to

manufacturing fasteners and other miniature accessories which

accompanied each set of Barbie clothing. For example, the “Nighty-

Negligee Set” #965 1959-1964 contained a baby-doll set of a night

gown with a matching robe in the traditional pink. The accessories

included pom-pom slippers, a toy stuffed dog, an alarm clock, diary,

and an apple for a midnight snack.

There are certainly plenty of Barbie clothes to choose from to dress

your Barbie doll.

Where can you find Barbie doll clothes?

Obviously you will easily be able to find Barbie doll clothes at retail

stores. These stores will certainly have the latest clothes available.

However this isn’t the only place to find &nbspdoll outfits for

Barbie.

A great source to pick up bargains of doll clothes for Barbie is on

eBay. Usually the approximate age of the clothes is indicated. You

can find vintage or modern Barbie clothes, and they are auctioned

in different quantities as well.

Another place to look for Barbie doll clothes is in local garage and

yard sales and also thrift stores. You can often find some great

bargains, as people’s children have out grown them, and will sell

them very reasonably priced.

Barbie doll clothes are an important part of the fun of playing with the Barbie doll. When Barbie first came out, the clothes were fashion model outfits. Since then, however, outfits can be worn for almost any occasion or situation. The only limit is the imagination.

Children love to play with the exquisite little Barbie clothes and the fun accessories that came with each outfit.

Close attention was paid to the design and creation of these tiny clothes. Barbie Doll clothes have hems, zippers, minute buttons and even linings. &nbspThe quality finish of these dolls clothes was achieved by hand finishing.

The fasteners used on the Barbie doll clothes were miniscule. Mattel had these custom made in Japan. A company called YKK was founded and managed by Yoshida Kogig. This was dedicated to manufacturing fasteners and other miniature accessories which accompanied each set of Barbie clothing. For example, the “Nighty-Negligee Set” #965 1959-1964 contained a baby-doll set of a night gown with a matching robe in the traditional pink. The accessories included pom-pom slippers, a toy stuffed dog, an alarm clock, diary, and an apple for a midnight snack.

There are certainly plenty of Barbie clothes to choose from to dress your Barbie doll.

Where can you find Barbie doll clothes?

Obviously you will easily be able to find Barbie doll clothes at retail stores. These stores will certainly have the latest clothes available. However this isn’t the only place to find &nbspdoll outfits for Barbie.

A great source to pick up bargains of doll clothes for Barbie is on eBay. Usually the approximate age of the clothes is indicated. You can find vintage or modern Barbie clothes, and they are auctioned in different quantities as well.

Another place to look for Barbie doll clothes is in local garage and yard sales and also thrift stores. You can often find some great bargains, as people’s children have out grown them, and will sell them very reasonably priced.

Barbara enjoys writing about Barbie dolls and Barbie doll clothes [http://www.barbiworld.com/barbie_doll_clothes/barbie-doll-clothes.html] at Barbiworld.com Check out her Everything Barbie Blog [http://www.barbiworld.com/blog]

How have you celebrated being alive today?

If God were to ask you: “How have you loved being alive today?” “Who have you touched with the grace of your smile?” “Are you grudge-full or grate-full?” “Have you seen me in our child’s beaming face?” “Do you work in the Church of Joy or the Church of Misery?” What would your honest answers be to these heart-hitting questions? Don’t allow yourself to be chained to a false prophet called negative thinking and negative talking. Start celebrating your life instead.

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME FOR JOY THAN TODAY

There’s no better time than today to tap into many, many, tiny moments of joy.

Celebrate the fact that you can’t change anyone but yourself.

Celebrate the awareness that you can make a new choice at any time.

Celebrate the reality that only you have the power to control your own mind.

Celebrate the wisdom of God, who keeps you safe and loves you unconditionally.

Celebrate the importance of having joy in this one life to live.

Celebrate the capacity to open your mind to new insights.

Celebrate finding ways to enjoy yourself despite failure.

Celebrate that you’re a fully feeling human being.

Celebrate being surprised.

Celebrate having faith.

Celebrate having friends.

Celebrate having another day to express who you are.

Celebrate bags of resentments dropping off like heavy rocks.

Celebrate revenge boomerangs being knocked away.

Celebrate accepting yourself after being rejected.

Celebrate the joys of partnering and parenting.

Celebrate starting, persevering, swerving, finishing.

Celebrate lives lost and lives bravely led.

Celebrate balancing a sour reality with your sweetest dreams.

Celebrate the healing power of a sincere apology.

Celebrate the mystery of creation.

Celebrate being forgiving in order to be forgiven.

Celebrate life by speaking words of caring when you don’t feel like it.

Celebrate any love you’ve ever been blessed to receive.

Celebrate a small child’s glorious intuitions.

Celebrate the wisdom of your elders.

Celebrate getting your anger out in healthy ways.

Celebrate life by trusting, risking and reaching out when there is no logical reason, whatsoever, to do so.

Dr. Dennis O’Grady is the grate-full author of a proven new communication theory found only in “Talk to Me: Communication Moves to Get Along with Anyone.” Dennis is a husband, father, communications coach and a guy who can’t stop talking about the art of talking. Visit http://www.drogrady.com for more information and valuable resources.

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given in regards to buying a classic muscle car was to invest in high quality resource materials so I could crack the code on Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) to make sure that I was not getting scammed.

The best way to find a high quality book is to find what the experts are using. With the internet, you can type a subject like Camaro restoration book into the Amazon search box. You can also Google it and follow the links, which will take you to various forums and websites. Chevrolet by the Numbers, by Alvin Colvin, is the best book I have ever found for Chevrolet part numbers, Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN), trim tags, and model ID. The book is an easy read, with chapters designated to the different components. Again, I used this process in my quest to purchase a rare Camaro. Just Google the car you are looking for and follow the links. The best resources will be obvious.

Here is a list of objects you will need when decoding your car.

Small flashlight, notebook, resource or reference book, mechanics mirror, pen or pencil, cordless or corded droplight, floor jack and jack-stands, coveralls, rags, brass wire brush, brake cleaner, yellow or white colored grease pencil, digital camera or camcorder.

If you are continuing to read this information, I can only surmise that buying a classic muscle car with the proper numbers and matching parts is important to you! Good! It should be! If this is true, I will walk you through an example of decoding a car. This will give you an idea of what it takes to properly decode a car.

Be prepared to take your time. I also discovered a sure fire way to determine who your true friends are. Ask them to go along to help you decode a car! Having an extra body can sometimes cut your time in half. I also recommend finding an expert or consultant on your car, and buying a couple of hours their time, especially if you are looking to purchase a special model classic car. It’s been my experience that an extra set of eyes can only help the cause. I found an expert through one of my reference books. Prior to me going to look at my current car, I spent about an hour talking with him, and making a list of things I should be looking for. (Of course, if you want someone to handle the process from A to Z, services are available. This is a great option if you are buying the car from remote.)

The Process

Before I arrived the owner told me the car was basically a roller project, meaning the engine and transmission were removed from the car. The engine, transmission and other components were placed in a pile where it would be easy to look at the numbers. The owner also claimed it was a limited edition Camaro, yet he didn’t have any paperwork like an original order invoice, or a protect o plate (a special metal plate shaped like a credit card that is used for warranty and repair services). This type of paperwork trail eliminates the need for further documentation. If you do not have this type of paperwork, then follow along. When I arrived at the location where the car was stored, the first thing I did was to check the VIN number. The VIN number is probably the most important number on a car. If you do not know how to decode a VIN on a particular Chevrolet, you will be unable to verify other components or numbers. What is nice about the book is it actually walks you through the whole decoding process, including providing the specific numbers location. As a sidebar, any good resource book on your particular make and model car will outline the way to decode your car, including number locations and decoding info. On 1968 and 1969 Camaros, the VIN number is located on the top of the dash board, on the drivers side. The number is visible through the windshield. I wiped the dirt and dust off of the VIN tag, and copied the numbers into my notebook.

VIN number

I was able to determine that my car was originally a V8, it was a 2 door sport coupe, made in 1969, assembled in Norwood Ohio, and it was the 662,8XXrd car built at that plant in that year.

Trim tag.

In 1969, all Camaro trim tags were located in the engine compartment, riveted on the upper left hand corner of the firewall. I took my rag and cleaned all of the dust and gunk off of the trim tag. Since the numbers were not that clear, I recleaned the trim tag, and removed the rest of the gunk. I used my flashlight to illuminate the numbers, and then copied the numbers into my notebook. Some of the trim tag numbers matched up with the VIN tag numbers, which was a good sign. The remaining numbers indicated that my car body was number 353,XXX to come down this plant’s assembly line. The interior was originally a standard black interior, and the car was built in the first week of June, 1969. The car was originally painted dusk blue and it was equipped with a spoiler package and a chrome trim package. So far everything was lining up. The reason for all of this detail is to illustrate how you can confirm that what you think you are buying is exactly what you are getting.

Before I move on, I want to share how this is relevant. A husband and wife from my car club went to look at a Chevelle. The car was advertised as a Super Sport. During the inspection process, and referencing the above book, they uncovered a number of inconsistencies. According to the numbers, the car had originally started out as a plain Jane 6 cylinder car. The car was now painted a different color, had a different color interior and a different engine. You get the picture. Over the years, one (or more) of the previous owners modified the car and tried to make it into a Super Sport. The point is it may have not been done maliciously, but the car still did not start out as a true Super Sport. And having the Super Sport option obviously raises the value of the car.

Engine code identification.

The engine is stamped in (2) places on a 69 Camaro. One is on the right front engine pad. The other location is on the rough casting portion on the rear of the engine, just above the oil filter. Again I wiped off the areas I just described with brake cleaner sprayed on a rag. You need to have a clean surface, and normally brake cleaner will do the trick. The front engine pad numbers appeared to have been restamped at one time, maybe after the engine block was decked (Decking in a machine process to check the flatness of the block deck for irregularities that cause compression and water leaks.) The tricky part is reading the numbers on the area above the oil filter. I recommend a really bright light and a magnifying glass. If that doesn’t do it, then I suggest taking a little muriatic acid an applying it to the numbers. This should make the numbers readable. The reason this number is sometimes hard to decipher is because these engines were hand stamped, and punched onto a rough surface. According to the numbers, I determined the engine was a 425 horsepower high performance engine, with a 4 speed manual transmission. The last numbers also corresponded with the last numbers in my VIN, which meant this was the original engine to this car. The numbers told me the engine was assembled June 14, which fell in line with the build date. The engine block part number that is cast into the rear of the block was cleaned with a rag and brake cleaner as well. The block part number indicated ahigh performance block used for Camaros. Another piece of the puzzle confirmed.

Rear axle identification.

The numbers on a Camaro rear axle are stamped on the top of the right axle tube. My experience has been that this area is normally pretty crusty and rusty. And this rear axle was no exception. After considerable wire brushing, I wiped the area clean with brake cleaner. Laying on my back, I shone the light on the area, while holding a mirror. It still wasn’t clear enough for me to read accurately. I then took my grease pencil, and ran it over the numbers. The purpose of the grease pencil is to provide contrast with the metal of the axle tube. When I put the mirror back over the area, I was rewarded with a very sharp image of the part numbers, which I copied into my notebook. According to the numbers, this rear axle assembly had a 4.10:1 gear ratio, limited slip. The axle was assembled June 16, 1969. Are you seeing a pattern starting to appear here? The axle numbers also indicated the axle to be original to the car based on the dates codes referencing June 1969 build date. I took the same approach with the other parts.

Here are my findings. The cylinder heads, intake manifold, carburetor, and transmission were the correct part numbers for the car. However none of these parts were date coded to the car. One of the heads was manufactured in April 1968, the other head was manufactured in February of 1969. The transmission was manufactured Jan 24th 1969. The reason I know all of these parts are not correctly date coded to the car is I decoded each one, by researching the part numbers, and date codes. All of this information is important, because not only did it verify what the owner had told me, and it also showed that the other parts were in line with the build date. Thereby providing further confirmation of what I was looking at. During my investigating, I took pictures with a digital camera of all of the parts and part numbers, as best as i could. I spent about 30 minutes walking around the car with a video camera and editorializing what I was taking footage of. I also took the list of things the Camaro expert had told me about and checked them off one by one. Later in the week I called the Camaro expert and shared my findings. I reviewed all of my research, including going over the individual part numbers, and the “things to look for” checklist. By the end of the phone call, I was 99 percent positive that this Camaro was what it was being advertised as.

The last thing I did was to have the car documented and certified by a Certified Camaro appraiser.

GM also stamped hidden VIN numbers in (2) different places on the car. The reason for the hidden VIN numbers was to add another step in preventing and identifying a stolen car. Because it is fairly easy to remove and swap out the VIN tag on the dash, the hidden VIN’s provided a back-up system of check and balances. For example, someone could possibly swap out a VIN tag, but if they didn’t know about the Hidden VIN numbers, a person in the know could easily identify the numbers not matching up. Because the car was bought a roller project, it was easy to check these hidden VIN’s, against the VIN tag on the dash. I wanted the appraiser to check them personally, and he confirmed the numbers as matching and authentic. In other words the certificate authenticates the car. Many appraisers will also supply you with a report on their findings. The nice thing about having a car certified is this type of paperwork is normally viewed as iron clad documentation. It normally raises the value of the car, because of the authenticity certificate. And if you ever go to sell the car, now you have documentation to provide the seller that the car is a real (Super Sport, Rally Sport, Z/28, etc. You fill in the blank)

Some people may wonder why would anyone go through all of this work.

However, keep in mind that many of these muscle cars are 20 plus years old and have gone through numerous owners and modifications. All of that history is prior to it being restored back to showroom original condition. In other words, many parts are bolt on and interchangeable from other models and different years. So just because the parts look ok, doesn’t mean that they even belong on the car. In the above example about the couple and the Chevelle, the car was priced as a Super Sport, yet the trim tag and other numbers reflected a totally different story. Even though the car was beautifully restored, it was really nothing more than a modified 6 cylinder, base model Chevelle that someone converted over to a V-8 at some time in it’s life. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with modifying a car to an individual owners taste. The issue is when the car is sold and the seller forgets to mention (consciously or unconsciously) and inform the new owner of the modifications. Our Chevelle couple would have gladly paid the asking price if the car was a true Super Sport. But, because they knew how to decode the car, they were able to save themselves a lot of time, money and aggravation. At the time the difference between a plain Jane Chevelle and a real Super Sport was over $10,000. Just to throw some numbers out there, let’s be conservative and say it takes 6 hours of research to decode a car. Using our $10,000 figure, that equates to approximately $1,600 an hour. Not a bad return on your time investment. As muscle and classic cars have become more popular, I have seen many cases where just for the fun of it, an owner will start to do research on a car he or she owns.

Discovering your car isn’t really what you thought you purchased can really knock the wind out of you. By investing a small amount of money, and time, in researching and decoding your prospective muscle car purchase you can sleep at night knowing that you received the value you paid for. Anyone else interested in investing a couple of hours for peace of mind when purchasing a classic or muscle car???

Don’t want to deal with all these issues yourself? The experts at Your Dream Car Finder can manage the entire process.

Tim Leary is a freelance writer and management consultant that helps individuals and companies exceed their goals. Tim can be reached at tleary@custombumperstickermaker.com

There are two questions my students and clients ask all the time. One is ‘How do I choose a good bowl” and the other is ‘How do I know which bowl is good for a specific chakra’. People also call to obtain a bowl with a certain musical note. My answers to these questions are founded in the Eastern philosophy rather than from a Western mindset, because this better reflects the nature of the instruments as they were intended:

Choosing a good bowl requires a few things.

Quality: Either an eye and an ear for excellent quality- or knowing and trusting someone who knows the bowls and can help you. Many people sell bowls and most are new and machine made to look old. There are several signs of age in a bowl including the shape, the markings inside and out, the thickness of the metal especially on the bottom (thinner is usually older), and the tone. Most lay people will not be able to tell the difference between an antique and a good reproduction. It takes a trained eye. But you should be able to hear the difference. Often even the people who sell bowls in shops and on the internet are not very knowledgeable, so ask a lot of questions. When someone says a bowl is old in this country old can mean 50 years. That is new by my standards. A real old bowl it will be at least 100 years old and more often hundreds of years old. If the vendor doesn’t know the region the bowls were made in, and how the markings help distinguish the type of bowl, they probably don’t know much. Bowls were made in a variety of regions of Tibet and their shape and markings are telling. Some of the bowls have consciousness transformation as their primary intention, and some have physical healing. This can be determined by their shape. There is more about this and photos in my home study course available on my website. A high quality, ancient bowl is an investment. If it is inexpensive and old, then it was probably obtained in a less than honorable manner…A good bowl is an investment and the price can range from $110 for a very small bowl to thousands of $$ for a huge bowl.

On the other side of the coin is the seller who hikes up the price claiming that a bowl is from the 16th or 17th century. If you really want to determine the exact age of a bowl, you have to melt it down- thereby destroying it. Ask where and who authenticates the bowls and how the age was determined and tune into your intuition about the story you are being told.

In Asia, the only way to establish a good and trustworthy relationship with a supplier is over a number of years, and eyeball to eyeball. So the few people who go over themselves to select instruments over a period of years will get the best bowls. If your bowls come from a wholesaler somewhere, w ho purchases large quantities of things you can be sure they are if inferior quality because they probably did not hand select them or have a long term relationship with the supplier. These things DO make a big difference.

Usage: It is useful to determine what you will use the bowl for: ie meditation, grounding, physical healing? Do you want to integrate a few bowls into an existent modality or use them with other instruments in a musical vain, or become a sound healer? The answers to these questions will also impact on your choices.

Tone: The tone of the bowls should linger for quite some time when struck producing several layers of tones you can hear that in turn create overlaying harmonics and overtones. When you sing a bowl (rub the rim with the wooden or leather part of a stick) there are several things to consider. How ‘awake’ the bowl is: some bowls sing right away, and some need to be played for a while and ‘broken back in’. This is neither good or bad but it is important to know so you don’t dismiss a potentially great instrument just because it doesn’t sing right away. When you hear a bowl, listen to your body. If it opens your heart, or moves you deeply in some manner; if you feel tingling all over, or the tone directly impacts one area of your body or grounds you- these are all good signs. Bowls were created for consciousness transformation and healing. You should feel their effect on you.

If you have more than one bowl then it is good to play them together so that their tones harmonize. Eventually, they will anyway, because that is their nature and magic, but why not help the process by starting with bowls that sound great together right away? Note that with several bowls, playing them in one pattern may sound very good and another pattern may not!

Bowls and Chakras. In the west we work with seven chakras. The Tibetans work with five regions of the body. The bowls were created to bring us back to our experience of the interrelationship of all things; thus they are not calibrated to work on any one chakra to the exclusion of the rest. Their very nature encompasses our wholeness. In this way they are very different instruments then the western counterparts- tuning forks and crystal bowls. However there are some bowls whose tone and size lend themselves more naturally to certain areas of the body. Lower tones for grounding, largest bowls by the feet, soothing mid tones around the head, and higher tones over the 3rd eye, etc. There are too many variables to discuss here but you can get some basic principals in my home study course. Having several bowls is wonderful but understand that even if you have only ONE bowl, it will impact all of you, and not just one chakra.

Diáne Mandle is an author, teacher, healer and recording artist based in Southern California. She is Certified in Tibetan Bowl Sound Healing and Polarity therapy. Diane maintains a private practice offering an integrated system for healing which includes Sound and Polarity Therapy, Toning and Visualization. Diane conducts educational programs, keynotes and Harmonic Sound Healing concerts nationally and presents frequently at the Deepak Chopra Center. She has produced the first comprehensive multimedia home study course in Sound Healing using Himalayan instruments (Tibetan, Nepalese and Bhutanese bowls, tingshas, gantas and dorjes) ‘Ancient Sounds for a New Age’, an E-Book/DVD/ CD set available on her website http://www.soundenergyhealing.com

Feel free to contact me to hear some great instruments, and obtain my home study course ‘Ancient Sounds for a New Age’ at http://www.soundenergyhealing.com