The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

Copyright 2006 John Navata

The fact is, even if your web site is full of fabulous sales copy and photos that illustrate all the great features and benefits of your product or service, your potential customers still need to know:

What do people who have actually purchased and used your product or service think about it? It’s simple: your readers know that YOU believe in your product, or you wouldn’t be selling it! But what do people with the same problem or need that they have say about your product?

Answering that question is one of the most fundamental tasks your web site needs to accomplish — and it’s as simple to do as it is important.

By using testimonials — reviews and comments from your satisfied customers, in text, audio, or video format — on your web site, you not only answer the question, you also transform your sales pitch into a credible, unbiased recommendation for your product.

1) Overcome buyer skepticism with a glowing testimonial

As I said before, adding testimonials is probably one of the easiest ways to improve your web site — but a good one can generate more selling power than some of the best salescopy out there!

So why are testimonials so effective?

Testimonials build trust: Whether your customers are raving about what your product has done for them or about the great service you gave, they are telling your visitors first and foremost that they had a positive experience with your products and company. Testimonials aren’t “salesy”: Because testimonials aren’t written in your “voice,” they stand out in your copy as candid and unbiased accounts of how well your product works. Testimonials overcome skepticism: A good testimonial has the power to convince even your “tough sell” visitors that your product or service really made a difference in your customer’s life — and can help them, too. For example, let’s say that you’re selling a special lotion designed for dry skin. A visitor finds your web site — a person with dry skin who needs some relief — and reads all about the amazing moisturizing ingredients in your product and how wonderful it smells.

Those are two good selling points — things that people would want to know before they decided to buy.

But lots of products can make those promises — and many of them don’t work! So why should they purchase your product ahead of all the rest?

Then, as they look over the page, a testimonial catches their eye from one of your customers, explaining that your lotion quickly healed a lifelong, agonizing skin condition — something no other product had ever managed to do!

That’s the power of an effective testimonial: it can convince your reader that your product DOES work — and that you can be trusted to deliver on your promises.

2) How to choose the right kind of testimonial to turn your visitors into customers

When you’re choosing testimonials, there are a few key ingredients to look for that make the difference between an ineffective testimonial — and one that sells.

Here’s an example of a glowing, but ultimately ineffective testimonial:

“I love this product! I can’t get enough! I’m so glad I bought your stuff and I’ll be back to get more, for sure!”

What could be wrong with that? It sounds like you have a happy customer on your hands!

But what does this testimonial really tell your visitors? Does it prove that the product works, or explain exactly how your customer benefited from using it? While the feedback is definitely positive, the testimonial does not provide enough detail to have any real impact on your visitors.

Here’s an example of the kind of effective, benefits-driven testimonials that we include on our own web sites:

“I used the methods you told me to use and for three days my phone’s been ringing! I sold over $3500 in goods and services in three days! It’s the first time in 5 months that anyone had really purchased anything…”

Now that’s a great testimonial! But what makes it so powerful?

Let’s break down the elements of an effective testimonial in more detail…

A good testimonial is filled with benefits: A comment like, “This product is great!” is nice for you to hear, but it doesn’t tell visitors what your product can actually do for them. You want the benefits of what you offer to be front and center in every testimonial: “This product doubled our profits in a month!” or “This product made the pain in my back disappear completely — and did it fast!” or “We’ve never seen any product that could get the rust off our car without damaging the paint — until now.”

A good testimonial substantiates your claims: If you say your product can do something, your testimonials should back up your promises — complete with actual facts and figures. How much money did your customers save by using your product? How much time did they save by using your service? How did it solve their problems or improve their lives?

A good testimonial is from someone your audience can relate to: You want your visitors to see that your product helped someone just like them, seeking the solution to the same problem your visitors have. Make sure your testimonials come from someone with whom your target market can identify. If you sell primarily to seniors, for example, ask your customers if you can include their age along with the testimonial. If you are selling to moms with children, ask if you can mention how many kids they have — or include a photo of their family!

A good testimonial is credible: Accompany each testimonial with the first name, last name, and hometown of each testimonial-giver to show that your endorsements come from real people. Always try to include a photo as well. And if you can, take it to the next level by including audio or video testimonials for maximum effect! Do anything you can to help your visitors connect with your testimonial-givers on a personal level.

A good testimonial endorses the key benefits of your product: Your testimonials should emphasize the key benefits of your product. It’s fun to hear that your super-duper floor cleaner smells nice or that the bottle doesn’t drip — both things that matter to people who would consider using your product in their homes — but have you established that it cleans their floors well?

A good testimonial is comparative: Did your customers try another product that didn’t work before they found yours? You want your visitors to know what your product can do that other products can’t. Choose testimonials that set your product apart from your competition!

Now that you know what you’re looking for in a testimonial, how do you actually gather the reviews you need from your customers?

3) The secrets to getting great testimonials — even if you haven’t sold a thing yet!

If your customers have given you positive feedback on your product already, then you may already have some great testimonials to add to your site.

However, if your customer response is a little scarce — or if you’re just starting out — getting testimonials from your buyers might take a little more effort.

So how do you collect the testimonials you need — and keep them coming as you grow your business?

One easy way to collect testimonials is to include a link on your site with a form that allows your customers to give you their vote of confidence: “Tell us how this product changed your life!” or “Click here to let us know what you think!” Put this link next to some testimonials that you’ve already gathered to give customers an example of the kind of feedback you’re looking for.

A more effective method is to create an autoresponder that contacts your buyers after they’ve purchased your product — even a month later — to ask how they’re enjoying the product, as well as giving them a chance to offer feedback on their experience with your business.

And, of course, any time you receive a great letter or e-mail from a customer, ask them if you can use their comments on your web site to recommend your product to others. If they were happy enough to let you know, they’re bound to want to spread the word.

If you haven’t yet begun selling your product and have no feedback yet, offer your product or service for free to a select group of customers in exchange for their thoughts on the product or some details on their experience with your site.

The impact that testimonial will have on your bottom line will be well worth the initial expense! As soon as your online business is up and running, make a point of giving every one of your customers a chance to share their experiences with your product or service. Ask for feedback — good and bad — in your autoresponders, your newsletters, and other spots on your web site.

4) Strategies for using your testimonials as effectively as possible

Once you’ve got some testimonials to share with your visitors, you need to make sure that you’re putting them to the best possible use on your site.

Always make sure that you…

Include your best testimonials front and center on your homepage, like in your sidebars, or even above your headline. Place some testimonials right in the middle of your homepage salescopy to keep your readers focused on your credibility as you outline the features and benefits of your product. Set up a whole page dedicated to your glowing testimonials, as well as including snippets of their comments throughout your site. Be sure to put a link to your testimonial page next to each of those snippets! Include testimonials on each and every page of your web site. No matter where your visitors click, you want them to find a positive customer review of your product or service.

Now let’s look at a few mistakes to avoid when using testimonials on your web site…

Don’t edit your testimonials to exclude a comment or add information you want to hear! If you can’t post a comment “as is” and feel comfortable with it, it shouldn’t go up. If your testimonials are in your voice and all sound the same, no one is going to trust that they are legitimate.Never use a customer testimonial without permission. Never, ever invent testimonials! This is fraud, plain and simple, and lying never results in a positive impact on your business.

John Navata is an internet marketer that has been showing marketers some advanced ways to promote their product or service offline or online. www.mega-dollarsonline.com

1. Planning, time & budget: Assign organizing the party to the employee who has the biggest workload. Remember the saying – if you want something done, ask a busy person! A couple of days notice and a twenty dollar bill should do it. In fact, for only $19.65 you can get a bucket of KFC plus a Keg of Liebefraumilche.

2. Invitations: Compose a quick scattermail. Christmas Party tomorrow — be there or keep making sales calls – your choice. For those people who don’t celebrate Christmas (but maybe Hannukah or Ramadan instead) — suggest they stay behind to clean out old files. If people want to invite kids or significant others, tell them that family members can be annoying.

3. Seating: Seat people with their regular office buddies so they can come up with funny names for the people they don’t like in other departments.

4. Refreshments: If people get drunk make a note of the things they say and do, then remind them on Monday morning.

5. Activities: Ask the IT guy to “get the party going”. This could lead to some wonderful spontaneous activities like hacking the boss’s private files, the sick joke contest, or paint ball with Correction Fluid.

5 Ways to Amp Up your Office Party

In case you aren’t interested in the possible side effects of the above, here are some tried-and-true approaches to ensuring an enjoyable event.

1. Create a planning committee: Spread the organizing over several people. Ensure there is enough planning time and a big enough budget. However, do survey what employees would most enjoy. In general, people enjoy events where they feel inspired, included and appreciated. Remember — substance is more important than flash. With creativity you can do a lot on a little.

2. Be inclusive: A Christmas party may alienate some of your staff. If people are from diverse backgrounds, have a more generic Holiday party. If you have an office party during the day, make sure everyone can attend. Do invite significant others and children for at least one office party a year.

3. Help them mix: Your company party may be the only time people get to meet the president, CEO or VPs in person, or people from other departments or locations. Make sure people don’t spend the entire event with their regular office buddies. Enhancing workplace relationships at all levels can have a very positive affect on the bottom line, communication, enjoyment and overall morale.

4. Eat, drink and be merry — in moderation: If you serve alcohol make sure you serve food at the same time. Include plenty of non-alcoholic drinks and healthy food options along with the usual treats. If people overdo it they may associate your party with negative feelings about what they did or said, or how they felt the next day. Provide other forms of “social lubricant” such as interactive mixers.

5. Hire a pro: To create the right atmosphere you might like to hire a professional speaker who knows how to bring people together respectfully and easily, and keep them laughing the whole time.

Carla Rieger is an expert on creative people skills at work. If you want a motivational speaker, trainer, or leadership coach to help you stay on the creative edge, contact Carla Rieger.

Web site: http://www.carlarieger.com
Tel: 1-866-294-2988
Email carla@carlarieger.com

Over the last decade Americans have accumulated excessive amounts of debt. Partially fueled by low interest rates and increased equity on houses due to real estate markets driving prices high up. Excessive spending and no financial responsibility often lead to bankruptcy of consumers. Now with the new bankruptcy law in place filing for bankruptcy has become much more difficult and much more expensive.

More and more people have now to look out for different alternatives. Debt consolidation programs can help consumer to get rid of the burden of excessive debt and may reduce a consumers monthly costs by hundreds of dollars each month. Debt consolidation experts can help consumers to assess their individual situation and make recommendations for how to approach the situation.

With the assistance of a debt consolidation professional, a consumer can work out a customized debt consolidation plan Depending on the severity of the situation the debt consolidation professional will contact the credit card companies of the consumer to negotiate a way out of the existing situation.

Debt consolidation is easy to get started. All it takes is a simple phone call or online inquiry. A consumer should research which companies have a good reputation as there are quite a few debt consolidation businesses out there that charge a lot of money and do not provide valuable service. They actually make things worse. A consumer also needs to be honest about the situation and willing to work with creditors. Hiding things will not help getting a consumer back on track.

While filing for bankruptcy might sound like the easier way out, this is not necessarily true. The damage to the credit score and the credit report is worse compared to working the way out of a big pile of debt. In the long run it also does not help. A change of how people think about these things has to be made. Filing for bankruptcy is pretty much somebody else paying for your debt. Credit Card companies and banks will move these losses over into charges and everyone will have to pay more to cover bankruptcy losses. The consumer also does not learn how to work with a budget and often bankruptcy filings are done twice or more by the same people. By biting the bullet and paying off debt a learning process is established that will help to gain more financial freedom in the long run.

About the Author

Christoph Puetz is a successful entrepreneur and international book author. Christoph lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. One of the websites he maintains can be found at Credit Repair Help.

Whether you plan to install new flooring in one room or all
throughout your home, there are many floor materials to choose
from out there and they can really make an impact. Today, there
is a myriad of new hardwoods and even some old favorites are
making a comeback (yes, you guessed it: linoleum has been on the
radar the past few years!) No matter your budget, there are
quite a few choices in flooring material that will make a
dramatic difference to any room.

Your first consideration when picking out a flooring material is
that you’d better really like it. Flooring can last quite a long
time (with some carpeting and cheaper vinyl products being
exceptions), in the cases of hardwood floors - 50 to 100 years.
If you pick out the latest trend or latest fashionable color, it
could become dated in a short period of time. It doesn’t mean
you shouldn’t make a bold statement with your floors, but don’t
always jump at the first color or pattern. Think it over for
some time, ask friends and family for opinions, and compare it
to your existing color palette in each room.

The next consideration is wear and tear. When installing new
flooring, think about what kind of a beating these floors will
be taking. Is the flooring in a “wet” area, like a main or side
entrance, a bathroom, or a kitchen where there is the potential
for a lot of moisture? Water can do a lot of damage to a wood.
If you’re putting new flooring in a family or living area, will
it be comfortable? Ceramic tile can be quite cold during those
long winter months. Natural stone can handle a lot of traffic in
a kitchen, but it can be hard to stand on for long periods.

Finally, consider what your budget can stand and take into
account the overall value of your house. You might want to
install marble throughout your house - but if you can’t afford
it, well… you can’t afford it. Stay within your budget and you
won’t need a second mortgage to replace or install your
flooring. Also, if your home is in the low to medium value
range, it might not be a great idea to install an expensive
flooring material. An incredibly luxurious floor in a
below-average home can really expose all the other weaknesses
around it. And when it comes time to sell, it will be hard to
recoup the investment if the floor is in perfect shape and the
rest of the house is not up to par.

So, what are the latest flooring materials for your home today?
Hardwood floors are still at the top of everybody’s “wish list.”
Naturally. But there are a host of materials currently rising in
popularity across the country, including: stone, concrete,
laminate, vinyl, tiles, and - yes! - Linoleum is coming on
strong. And don’t leave carpet out of the equation.

Carpet has fallen out of favor over the last twenty years. But
many are still taking advantage of the new carpeting patterns,
colors, and styles that are available today. Gone is the boring
beige carpet found in nearly every apartment, condominium, and
model home across America. It’s being replaced by
stain-resistant carpeting with high quality padding and great
designs. To recap some of the major carpeting styles, you can
choose from Saxony, Berber, textured, velvet, frieze and
sculptured. Saxony is the plush style that shows the footprints
and vacuum marks. Frieze is the durable style that resists
footprints and the short pile can really highlight the colors
and textures in the carpet. The name Berber seems to be
everywhere these days. Berber is usually made of non-allergenic
wool with flecked colors, usually with short thick loops that
make it easy to clean. It’s great for high traffic areas.

ADVANTAGES OF CARPET

- Great insulating capabilities; energy savings

- Soundproofing

- Excellent selection of colors, textures, styles, & designs

- Very comfortable to walk on

DISADVANTAGES OF CARPET

- Carpeting can hold onto odors, allergens, stains, and bacteria

- High maintenance

- Not as durable as other materials

Hardwood floors are probably the most popular and most requested
flooring option these days. There are a huge variety of natural
woods with oak, pine, birch and maple still at the head of the
pack. But these days, people are branching out (sorry, couldn’t
resist!) to new types of wood, including mahogany, bamboo,
cherry, pecan, hickory, Brazilian walnut, and more. Why is
hardwood so popular? It most likely starts with the durability
of wood. Hardwood flooring should last the lifetime of the house
(and in some cases, outlive it.) It’s also very easy to
maintain. Even after years of wear, the surfaces can be easily
refinished to remove stains, grooves, and cuts. Properly
installed, hardwood floors can not only add to the beauty of a
home, but also to the overall value.

ADVANTAGES OF HARDWOOD

- Easily cleaned

- Timeless beauty; works with nearly every design style

- Due to popularity, it’s a great investment

- Promote healthy indoor air quality

DISADVANTAGES OF HARDWOOD

- Easily stained; easy to scratch

- Water is the enemy of wood; can warp or shift and even rot, if
ignored

- Expensive to install; pricing of material varies, but can cost
a lot

Laminate flooring has been gaining in popularity because of an
increase in the technology that makes it look exactly like
hardwood, stone, or tile floors. It’s actually a man-made
material that comes in either boards or tiles. It can be
installed anywhere and it’s very easy to maintain. Of all the
flooring materials, it’s probably easiest to clean.

ADVANTAGES OF LAMINATE

- Durable

- Easily maintained

- Stain and fade resistant

- Variety of styles, designs (look like wood, stone, or ceramic
tiles)

- Easy and inexpensive; should be fairly cheap to install

DISADVANTAGES OF LAMINATE

- Can be noisy to walk on

- Cold and noisy to some

- When parts wear out, you can’t replace sections but need to
replace the whole floor

Porcelain, Quarry and Ceramic Tiles are a perennial flooring
favorite. It’s been big in kitchens for years because of the
durability, low maintenance requirements, and the variety of
designs and colors. Ceramic tiles are made from pressed clays
and color is added. It will either be glazed or have a matte
finish applied. Porcelain tiles are baked at a high temperature
and the color is usually consistent all the way through (which
is great if the tile chips.) Quarry is usually not glazed and
maintains that flat matte look of natural stone. The tiles are
impervious to water, mud, and grease.

ADVANTAGES OF TILE

- Looks very luxurious; adds value to home

- Easy to maintain

- Very durable

- Low maintenance

- Individual tiles can be replaced if damaged

DISADVANTAGES OF TILE

- Grout lines can stain easily

- Can be expensive for quality tiles; installation is expensive

- Cold underfoot; hard surface to stand on for long periods

- Can be slippery on glazed surfaces

Stone floor tiles are made up of a somewhat porous natural stone
like marble, granite, limestone, travertine, or slate. These
stone floors are the definition of the term luxury. Many love
the unique look, the veins, and color changes within a natural
stone surface. The material can last the lifetime of the home
and most applications are usually considered permanent. Granite
is nearly indestructible but some stones can be cracked or
chipped or even dull from heavy foot traffic. It can be easy to
clean, but… if you have marble floor throughout your house,
you probably don’t clean the floors yourself anyway.

ADVANTAGES OF STONE

- Gorgeous natural look; elegant

- Very durable

- Perfect for radiant heat application

- Adds excellent value for the home; great ROI

DISADVANTAGES OF STONE

- Not great for long periods of standing

- Expensive

- Porous surface needs to be constantly treated to prevent stains

- Can be very slippery

Concrete? Really? Well, we’re not talking about the cold, gray
concrete that’s out in your garage. Concrete is, of course, that
mixture of sand, water, and cement, but it can be tinted and
textured into whatever style you want. It can be made to be
smooth and seamless or have the look of a tiled floor - at much
less cost than tiles or natural stone. Another nice custom touch
is when pebbles or broken glass are added to the concrete for a
truly one-of-a-kind floor.

ADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE

- Inexpensive; cost effective replacement for natural stone

- Can be styled to look like aged brick, ceramic tiling, or even
marble floors at a fraction of the cost

- Extremely durable; easy to fix problems or damage

DISADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE

- Surface is porous and needs to be sealed on a regular basis

- Can be hard and cold underfoot

- Hard to stand on for long periods

- Noisy

Vinyl flooring is next on our list. Vinyl has been around for
ages and new technologies have helped it make a comeback. There
are more choices in textures and finishes, designs and colors.
The vinyl can either be inlaid, where color goes all the way
through, or rotogravure, where the color and design is only on
the surface. It can come in either sheets or tiles and it can be
fairly easy to install. It’s very easy to clean and considered
to be somewhat durable, depending on the quality of vinyl
purchased.

ADVANTAGES OF VINYL

- Easy to stand on for long periods

- Least expensive of all flooring options

- Easily installed

- Readily available in a variety of styles

DISADVANTAGES OF VINYL

- Can peel off if not installed properly

- Easily stained if not treated and monitored

- Low life expectancy for lower end vinyl

- Not quite as visually appealing; lower end tiles can look cheap

Linoleum is sometimes confused with vinyl flooring, but it’s
actually a natural material. It’s made with felt or canvas
covered in linseed oil, resin, and cork - which makes it more
environmentally friendly than vinyl. It also comes in sheets or
tiles and looks very similar to vinyl. It’s durable enough to
last 10 to 15 years (perhaps more with proper care.) As with the
other materials, linoleum comes in a huge smorgasbord of bright,
vibrant colors and patterns. It’s very durable, comfortable, and
easy to maintain.

ADVANTAGES OF LINOLEUM

- Anti-static material; surface doesn’t hold on to bacteria or
allergens

- Environmentally friendly

- Cost effective

- Doesn’t mark as easily as vinyl

- Water resistant if installed properly (although it’s not
recommended for basements)

DISADVANTAGES OF LINOLEUM

- Needs to be waxed and polished on a regular basis

- Can smell for long periods of time after installation

- Hard to remove once it’s installed

- Not as many design or color options as vinyl

The shear number of flooring options has exploded over the last
fifteen years so the decision can be mind boggling - the choices
are probably ten times greater. When you’re ready to install a
new floor, do plenty of research and visit a lot of showrooms or
websites to find out what’s out there. Unsure how to find a
flooring specialist? A great way to find a qualified flooring
contractor is to post your project with ConstructionDeal.com -
they’ll find you a local professional to install your new floor.

Sales information resource Just Sell, calls caring “sales love”. Here’s the meaning:

Sales love (’sAlz - luv): noun: 1: unselfish and loyal care for the good of a customer, prospect, reseller, and/or team member.

The only reason we are in business is to provide value to a group of people who care about the story we tell.

According to business guru Jay Abraham, in his book Getting Everything You Can out of Everything You Got, “A successful business starts not with just a great idea or product. Rather, it starts with the desire to provide a solution to another’s problem.”

Client means, “Under the protection of another.” Customer means, “One who purchases goods and services.”

Everyone who does business with you must be a client. Never serve people merely as customers. They are too important to you.

Falling in love with your client is where sales and marketing really begin.

* Care about your clients more than yourself.

* Love your clients; not your business.

* Always ensure complete client satisfaction, no matter what.

Take time to understand what the client REALLY needs and make recommendations that solve their immediate problem; even if it means less profit on the initial sale.

Follow up demonstrates you care.

To truly care, you must become an expert at follow up. That means you:

1. Check in by telephone or in person regularly. Not only after a sale, but ongoing, every month.

2. Become an information resource on the latest trends in your industry.

3. Follow up on all client phone calls, correspondence and emails quickly.

4. Provide personal communication and focused ideas that demonstrates you care enough to take the time to fully understand your client.

Follow the action steps below to add care to your marketing and sales arsenal. You’ll increase your closing ratios, top line revenues and referrals simultaneously.

Follow These Action Steps to Add Caring to Your Sales Effort

1. Understand the lifetime value of every client. On average, how long does a client keep doing business with you?

What is that business worth in dollars and cents on an annual basis?

2. What is the value you provide others? Practice articulating it until you become comfortable talking about value instead of features and benefits.

3. Study your client database. Make sure everyone has been personally touched (communicated with) this year.

If they haven’t, write a letter. Apologize for not staying in touch. Tell them you’ll call to check in. Stay with it until you make a connection. Show them you care.

4. Have a plan to follow up with every new client, starting today. Here’s an example:

* 24 to 48 hours after a sale, call to thank them. Make sure all your promises were kept.

* One week later, make sure your product or service is still performing as expected or better.

* One month later, check in for complete satisfaction again.

Stay in touch regularly. Make sure your valued client is overjoyed by their experience of doing business with you.

5. Help your fans (overjoyed clients) spread the word. Provide clients with articles written by you or other industry experts. Provide methods and instruction to help clients remember to spread the good news (your service and information) to people they know.

6. Respond to all client communications quickly. Respond to clients on the same day they communicate with you.

7. Continuously comb your database. Be aware of everyone in it. If you’re not sure about someone in your database, call them. Clarify their wants and needs. If they no longer fit, take them off of your list. Keeping a “clean” database ensures your clients are cared for consistently.

8. Every database entry has a follow up action scheduled or you remove them. No action = lack of care.

While it may seem like extra work, turning strangers into friends and friends into clients requires dedication.

Maintaining and expanding client relationships is the shortest path to extreme sales success.

© Copyright 2005, Bill Gluth, Develop Your Vision, All Rights Reserved.

Bill Gluth is the motivator of focused change. He is the first to specialize in teaching small business owners how to be extraordinary in a commodity driven world.

Since starting Develop Your Vision in 2001, Bill has helped business owners achieve balance, satisfaction and profit with freedom by understanding the unique “vision” that sets one business apart from their competition.

Bill teaches strategies that turn dreams and goals into accomplishments by successfully reaching tightly defined niche markets using inexpensive, creative, Human Touch ideas and methods.

To find out more about Bill Gluth, Develop Your Vision, visit his website at http://www.developyourvision.com or his Blog at http://www.billgluth.com

Introduction

In this article you will learn how to get the most out of your graphics card by installing new drivers and tweaking Windows. The guide is based around Windows XP Professional Edition but you can use the same guide to tweak other Windows operating systems.

Step 1.

The first thing you need to know what graphics card you are using. The most popular graphics card companies are nVidia and ATi. Both these companies have an excellent range of products and offer excellent service. Once you know what graphics card you are using, then head over to the companies website where you can download the latest drivers.

Drivers are software that runs your graphics card, printer or scanner correctly. Being up to date with drivers will help solve issues that may arise with modern PC games. Just recently I had to update my drivers to fix a problem I had with a game I recently purchased, and this solved my problem.

OK once you have downloaded your drivers for your graphics card make sure you create a restore point using the utility System Restore. This can be done my click Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools and then System Restore. Then follow the on screen instructions to create the restore point. By doing this it makes sure that if a problem occurs after you installed the new drivers, you can return to the restore point to see if the problem is the drivers you installed.

Once you’ve finished creating your restore point, you need to install your drivers. This can done by double clicking on the file you downloaded and then you follow the on screen instructions. After you’ve installed your drivers you will have to restart Windows so the changes can take effect.

If everything goes according to plan you should see an increase in performance in your games and you will not need to go back to your restore point. If you do have problems, use your restore point to go back and fix the problems. If the problem persists, then contact the company that made your graphics card.

Step 2.

Make sure you have the latest version of DirectX. This can be done by going onto the Microsoft website http://www.microsoft.com and searching DirectX. Once you’ve downloaded the latest version, you will need to create another restore point. One person I know installed the latest version of DirectX and then had problems afterwards, and because they didn’t create a restore point they couldn’t fix the problem and so they needed to reformat their computer to solve the problem. Again to create a restore point, go to Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools and then System Restore.

Once you’ve created the restore point install the latest version of DirectX by double clicking on the file you just downloaded. Follow the on screen instructions and once you’ve finished you will have to restart your Windows.

Step 3.

In this step I will guide you through tweaking Windows XP. The first step will be changing the performance of Windows, to do this right-click on My Computer and then Properties->Advanced->Performance->Settings and select ‘Adjust for best Performance’.

The next step is to change your Themes, so right-click on your desktop and select Properties. Under the Themes tab set your theme to Windows Classic.

About The Author

I run a small PC gaming website called Gaming Archive. I’m currently a student in England studying ICT. steve.hames@gaming-archive.com

How can you SEPARATE emotions and thoughts from the creative process? My answer is that you cannot - they’re positively intertwined.

When I was working on the Creativity Interviews, some artists I interviewed spoke about walking away from their art when they’re feeling emotional – taking a break or getting some distance. But others talked about using their art to process challenging emotional experiences; pouring their heart out into their work and using it as a cathartic and therapeutic experience.

So we can see that there are a few different sides to this story. There are the emotions and thoughts we bring into our work with us, there are the emotions and thoughts we have ABOUT our creative work, there are the emotions and thoughts that are evoked in us AS we work creatively and there are the emotions and thoughts we evoke in others when we share our work with the world.

WHAT WE BRING IN WITH US

Artists spoke of achieving, “the right mental landscape – a mind clear of external disturbances“, mental clarity - the “freedom from disruptive and negative thoughts, upset from personal life” or a positive outlook. (The Creativity Interviews, page 5)

We want that clear mental landscape, and yet we bring a LOT into the creative landscape with us.

When we embark upon creating something, we bring our whole selves into the process with us. Our prior experiences (and our thoughts and feelings about those), the state of our physical body (and our thoughts and feelings about that), our hopes and expectations of the future (and our thoughts and feelings about those), our relationships (and our thoughts and feelings about those) and, of course, our creativity and creative skills (and our thoughts and feelings about those).

THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ABOUT OUR CREATIVITY

Worth a special mention are those thoughts and feelings that we have ABOUT our creative lives. Do we deserve this time to create? Have we given ourselves permission to do it? What messages have we gotten throughout our lives about taking time for creative expression? Do we value our work? How has our work been judged by others and how do we feel about that? How do we judge our own work?

It seems that self-awareness is key. The more we understand these thoughts and feelings for what they are, the more time we spend evaluating them, questioning them, and discussing them with others, the better. With greater self-awareness and understanding, we’re able to incorporate these elements into our work, instead of having them be something we need to fight against or overcome.

And when we bring them into our work, our work takes on a new depth, since it’s drawn from a fuller range of our emotions and thoughts.

On the other hand, when we’re left fighting against those negative and distorted thoughts and troubling emotions, and trying to work in spite of them, then stress, self-doubt, paralyzing procrastination and performance anxiety can result.

AS WE WORK

“Several artists spoke about surrendering to the unknown, acknowledging their spirituality (higher power, higher self) and being in flow – being part of a larger cycle of creation, re-birth, and evolution over time.” (The Creativity Interviews, page 5)

Sometimes our desired mental landscape can be attained only by rising above everything we bring with us into the creative realm. When we reach this higher state of existence - a connection with spirit, with the universal creative flow, with all the art that’s been created before us and all of the art that will be created in all of time - our real-life concerns fall away.

This amazing experience is often cited as the reason we just can’t stay away, we just can’t give up our creative dreams even though we struggle with them.

“Many of the artists described highly creative times when they are responding to strong emotions and want to express them through their art – transduce them from one form of energy to another. These emotions are sometimes brought on by other pieces of art they are witnessing – the depth of their experience as a listener or observer inspires creative expression from them – a desire to participate in the creation.” (The Creativity Interviews, page 7)

Sometimes I hear people say that they’ll get to their creative project, their creative dream, as soon as things “calm down” in their life. And yet it’s the creative process itself that’s usually the most effective at bringing about the calmness of mind and emotional stillness that we crave.

And we need this calm and stillness in order to respect the stages of the creative process. The “incubation” period, for instance, when ideas are forming, percolating, developing or cocooning.

“Watch me. I’m making a cocoon. It looks like I’m hiding, I know, but a cocoon is no escape. It’s an in between house where the change takes place. It’s a big step since you can never return to caterpillar life. During the change, it will seem to you, or to anyone who might peek, that nothing is happening - but the butterfly is already becoming. It just takes time.” - From Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus

If we’re not calm and centered, connected to that universal creative flow, we get impatient with this phase of creation and want to rush it along.

And when we can surrender to the moment, give ourselves over to unknown results and lose ourselves to the present moment, we’re achieving life skills that other people spend years to develop through meditation and other spiritual and bodywork practices.

While my view of self-care certainly advocates a serene and peaceful life as an ideal, it’s not about shooing away the more tumultuous emotions and harmful thoughts, but processing them, giving them a voice and then letting them go.

And practicing our art is a GREAT way to do this.

It provides a mirror, both in the moment and later, of how we were feeling and what our thought processes were in the moment of creation.

OUR GIFTS TO THE WORLD

That leads us to the last piece of this topic – the thoughts and feelings that our work may evoke in others, when we choose to share it with the world.

Our expression can help those out there who have neither the words NOR the creative outlet to express their own feelings. I’ve experienced this myself, when I find that a songwriter has hit on my own feelings or experience and all of a sudden I have a way to explain how I’ve been feeling. And not just explain, but express it by singing along.

“When we feel, we begin to be alive. When we express a feeling, we share with the rest of the world that we are alive. When we express a feeling through music, we invite the rest of the world to share in our experience of the feeling, and to be alive with us.”
- Source Unknown

Imagine the impact of something you created while in the state of flow – do you think someone who’s listening to, looking at, wearing or handling that creation can experience even a tiny bit of what you were experiencing? We HAVE to believe that they can.

In my work as a music therapist, I infuse every note that I play and sing with my intention to bring joy, life and healing to my clients. And I see the evidence every day that my intention meets its mark.

So meet your emotions and thoughts in the creative realm. See what colours they are, what they want to say and become and what forms they want to take. And then let them out to play with others.

This article was originally published on the Creativity Portal website.

© Linda Dessau, 2005.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. Feel like your creativity is blocked? Sign-up for your complimentary copy of the popular e-course, “Roadblocks to Creativity” by visiting http://www.genuinecoaching.com

If you have ever had the priviledge of hooking up on a big
tarpon then you know the exhilaration and thrill of testing
yourself in battle against one of the most sought after
gamefish in the world. This distinction is easy to see at first
glance as the tarpon starts a series of spectacular acrobatic
leaps in the air that will have your heart pounding, your rod
bending and your drag screaming. You better hold on!

Since the tarpon’s habitat is so close to the shoreline,
fishermen of all types and skill levels can catch them. They
can be caught from jetties, passes, docks, bridges,
beaches, piers and rivers. Tarpon can be caught while
using many types of tackle, rods, baits, lures and rigs either
while fishing from a boat, canoe, kayak or walking and
wading from the shoreline as the tarpon work up and down
the beaches.

Live bait fishermen’s bait of choice is the ‘dollar crab’. A
small live blue crab about two inches across its carapace,
hooked through one end of it’s shell or underneath through
a swimmer leg. Other extremely effective live baits include
pinfish, threadfin herrings and pilchards. On days when the
tarpon is being finicky in it’s tablefare selection, try these for
the best results, and oh, by the way, don’t forget about a live
mullet. If you can get them, use them. Flyfishermen are not
left out either. The stealth of casting the right fly can
sometimes be the trick to hooking up.

But Just What is a Tarpon?

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Elopiformes

Family: Megalopidae

Genus: Megalops

This exceptionally fine creature is a prehistoric animal and
the only fish with an air bladder. This allows it to absorb
oxygen and live in waters with very low oxygen content. You
can see them gulp air at the water surface. Tarpon are also
called poons, tarpum, sabalo real, cuffum, silverfish or silver
king and belong to the bony fish family Elopidae. The Latin
designation is Megalops atlanticus.

While only microscopic at birth, tarpon have been
documented at lengths of more than eight feet and weighing
280 pounds. Catches weighing more than 200 pounds,
while uncommon, do occur. Many fish caught are well over
100 pounds. Their growth rate is slow, taking 8 to 10 years
to reach maturity, and generally those over 100 pounds are
female. Tarpon can live 55 to 60 years. They are greenish or
bluish on top, and silver on the sides. The large mouth is
turned upwards and the lower jaw contains an elongated
bony plate. The last ray of the dorsal fin is much longer than
the others, reaching nearly to the tail.

They are found primarily in shallow coastal waters and
estuaries, but they are also found in open marine waters,
around coral reefs, and in some freshwater lakes and
rivers. Their normal migratory pattern ranges from Virginia to
central Brazil in the western Atlantic, along the coast of Africa
in the eastern Atlantic, and all through the Gulf of Mexico and
Caribbean Sea. Florida is widely regarded as having many
of the best tarpon fishing locations in the world, especially
the world-renowned Boca Grande Pass in Southwest
Florida.

Fishing for the tarpon can at times be an excercise of
patience and discipline. You may be surrounded by large
schools of rolling tarpon containing hundreds of fish and
they will not hit anything you throw at them. Other times, it is
a feeding frenzy. So, go fishing for tarpon every chance you
get, that next world record catch may be waiting just for you.

Greg Smith is a life-long fisherman and publisher of fishing
information websites. Visit http://www.tarpon-fishing-i.com/
for more resources, tips, tricks and techniques.

The Pearl (By Anonymous)

The Underground Magazine Of Victorian Erotica

Volume IV Issues 10-12 1880

Book Review By Esmerelda Jones… Writer Of Desires

“The Pearl” was first published in 1897, offering scandalous short stories and verse for those seeking the utmost in erotica. This volume has the choice selections:

La Rose D’Amour (or the adventures of a gentleman in search of pleasure)

Only those in the “first families of the kingdom” may partake of secret weekly meetings amongst sumptuous decor, supreme comforts and refreshments. Harem-costumed darlings worship the uninhibited thrusts and lava explosions, gratefully wrapping their thighs around any new enjoyments. Artful descriptions.

Sally’s Mistake

Sally, the sleep-walking maid, accidentally brings a frustrated wife her overdue climax.

Pleasures Afar

A merchant asks a maid of Rome: “Who has the longest tool?”

Miss Coote’s Confession (or the voluptuous experiences of an old maid)
Naughty letters from Miss Coote detailing her romps. Delicious whippings.

Lady Pokingham (or they all do it)

The Lord substitutes a young butler, James for his wife’s excitement.

The Arithmetician

Short verse on the number of Charlotte’s lovers.

Frank Fane, A Ballad

The raw whipping of schoolboy Frank by his three delighted masters.

My Grandmother’s Tale

The many glories of a lady’s pleasures.

A Secret Revealed

No orifice is left without a firm stuffing in this fiery account of why Queen Ester surpassed all the other virgins. Magic ointment and dildos abound. The king is enraptured with double-dealings.

The Marriage Morn

Sweet Lisette begs to be fully pleased.

The New Patent F****** Machine

Schoolgirls share the latest toy to pulp their receptive parts. Can fingers or a man beat this machine?

The Pearl available in digital download in Microsoft Reader or Adobe Reader (130-pages)

Full graphics version here

Esmerelda Jones… The Knitting Wench
Writer Of Desires
Writer Of Old Curiosities

Victoriana, Victorian Swoon, Gods & Goddesses: The Wisdom And Pleasures of Ancient Greece, Classic Romance, Poems For The Passionate, Whimsical Tales, Bushrangers & Australian Pioneer, Ghosts I Have Known, Gypsy Knitting. Ratings and comments delightfully accepted.

HOLIDAY GIFTS UNDER $20: LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT GIFT FOR A BUSY
FAMILY? THINKBIN HAS THE ANSWER Do you know a family whose
kitchen counters are cluttered with appointment reminders,
school notices and sports schedules? If so, the Thinkbin™ Wall
Calendar enables families to get organized in five easy ways:
•Cuts down on the number of “little slips of paper” with a large
layout and plenty of room to write doctors appointments,
after-school activities and weekend events •Helps with family
communication by providing one place where the entire family can
see where everyone is going •Lets you view your day
chronologically by writing appointments in three sections –
morning, afternoon and evening •Includes space to record and
organize frequently called phone numbers •Features a “To Do”
checklist and a “Reminder” section for each month The original,
large size calendar (17″ x 24″ opened) features spacious daily
blocks with extra lines for families who need more room to
write. The NEW small size calendar (11.5″ x 18″ opened) features
the same great layout in a more compact size to hang in smaller
spaces. Calendars are $15 for the large size and $12 for the
small size calendar. Shop online at www.thinkbin.com or call
1-800-942-7715.