May 27th, 2008
Time is money. If you’re not careful in your computer consulting business, you’ll waste both. With a little discipline and structure, you can maximize the return on your time.
Journal Your Time
One way to determine your computer consulting time is by journaling. Write down everything you do for a couple of weeks to determine what you do with your time, where the time wasters are, and what you could do to improve your time management. Journaling is a good way to evaluate.
Keep an Excel spreadsheet or a calendar and figure out where all the time goes in a given week. Determine if you have enough time to do the business development items for the larger accounts.
Evaluate Your Time
For most professionals in the computer consulting business, time’s really at a premium. Sometimes you’re going to really need to make difficult decisions on where you can afford to spend a marginal five or ten hours a week.
Structure Time to Allow More Training
Training is expensive, but what most computer consulting firms tend to do is more time intensive than cash intensive. Most of these computer consulting firms aren’t the ones that are sending people out for five-day, $2,500 Exchange Server course.
Instead, get the action pack subscription and buy enough resale copies. Load it up on spare machines in the office, and make sure that every time your computer consulting techs have down time, they’re going through the tutorials. During down time they should be going through the read-me files, reading through the resource kits, and doing CBT training.
Give Your Computer Consulting Staff A Plan
If you’re billing out your computer consulting techs at 65 or 70 percent capacity and they have six to eight hours a week where they’re either sitting on the bench or doing some work or tending to the store, structure it so they have a plan of attack.
This is where you say, “This month I want you to concentrate all of your down time on learning how to do Microsoft Small Business Server 2003″ or “This month I want you to get stronger on troubleshooting Exchange Server.”
The Bottom Line about Computer Consulting
Track where your time is being sent and make sure your technical staff is spending a certain amount of time every week keeping their skills sharp. Additionally, you need to be identifying skills gaps you need to grow to the next level.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Business Computer Consulting .com. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of small business computer consulting firms get more steady, high-paying clients. Now you can too. Sign-up now for your free access a one-hour audio training program featuring field-tested, proven Small Business Computer Consulting Secrets.
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May 27th, 2008
To remove a screen door lift up and simultaneously pull out the bottom. If it sticks you can take a putty knife, or a regular pocket knife, and on your knees, find where the two little wheels at the bottom of the screen door are. Slip the putty knife under each one and lift them off of their track. While you’re putting the putty knife under the wheels lift up a little on the screen door. Once you have them free you can lift the door out.
With windows there should be, but aren’t always, two little tabs at the bottom, side, or the top of the screen frame. If they’re at the bottom pull up on the tabs and free the screen frame. Sometimes these tabs break off or pull out if the screens are ancient, so you may have to push up and down on the screen frame to get it free.
Once you have the door or window out lay it down on the carpet, or wherever you’re working, and find the end of the rubber gasket which is called a spline that is holding the screen in. This gasket/spline is rubber and embedded in a canal on one side of the door or window. You’re going to find the end of this rubber spline and pull it out. It will come out fairly easy. Once you have pulled all of it out the screen will fall out.
Now, if you’re working on a screen door you’ll have to unscrew the handle and lock assembly, which is no big deal. Just remember how yours goes back together. Sometimes you only have to remove the plastic piece that is on the side where the spline is, but each door is a little different so it’s difficult to say if the whole piece has to be removed. I’ve had it go both ways.
With the door or window laying on the ground roll your new screening over the top of it. You can get the screening mesh at your hardware store in different types of fabric and you can have it cut to order or buy a whole roll for future use. I prefer working with the soft dark plastic like mesh rather than the old stiffer metal like fabric.
Lay your screen material over the door or window frame. Now, there’s a little tool you need. It has two wheels on either end of it. One of the wheels has an indentation in it, and the other wheel does not. They are called a screen rolling tool, or a splining tool. You can get them at your local hardware store.
Now, here’s the tricky part. You want to push the new spline down into the canal with the new screen underneath it. Make sure your screen is laid out nice and even before you begin and continue to smooth it as you work. Push the end of the spline down into the canal, then with the rolling tool, using the wheel with an indentation, begin working the spline into the canal. As you work pull on your spline a little to stretch it out so that it goes into the groove a little easier, but not too much. The trick here is not to cut into the screen, and this takes a delicate balance and patience. If you cut into your new screen you have to start all over again.
If you’re right handed start with the left hand side of the window or door; that way you can work with your right hand, or if you’re left handed start with the right hand side of the window. You’ll see what I mean once you get started.
So, you’re working your way down the groove and everything is going okay and you come to a corner. Now, if you like you can snip off the spline, imbed it in the groove right up to the end, or you can round the corner, not cut the spline and work it in with your fingers, or sometimes I use the dull rounded tip of a pair of scissors, or straight slot screwdriver to push it in around corners, but be careful not to cut into your new screening material.
Keep stretching, pulling, and imbedding your spline while at the same time smoothing your screen so that it doesn’t have any wrinkles or creases in it. When you’re finished cut off your excess spline and you’re done.
You can use the other wheel on the rolling tool to push the spline deeper down into the groove, but I rarely if ever do.
Don’t forget to put your lock assembly back into place.
To reinstall the screen door place the top section into its track first and then once again getting down on your knees hold the spring loaded wheels up with your putty knife and try and settle the wheels, which have grooves in them, on to the rail they rest on. This can be maddening because they will slip from one side to the other of the railing, and if they’re not setting right on the track, then the door won’t open or close smoothly. The wheels fit on the railing just like train wheels fit on a train track.
The screen should roll smoothly and effortlessly. If not you’ll find some screw adjustments at the top and bottom of the screen door frame. Loosen the screws on one end or the other and adjust the screen frame so it fits comfortably.
Another thing that helps screen doors move smoothly is to first clean the tracks, sweep out any debris around them, and then spray the area with WD40. Often this has saved me the trouble of making any adjustments to the door.
When reinstalling the screen window find a side of it that will fit back into the window frame. It may be the top, or one of the sides or the bottom. Rock the screen back and forth until you maneuver it back into the window frame.
Some of these old window screens are warped and bent out of shape so you’ll have one side that is bowed and won’t fit in the window frame properly. If you find yours intolerable, you can go to your hardware store and purchase a new window frame kit, cut it to size, install a new screen in it, and install it in the window frame.
That’s it.
Here are the steps in review.
1. Remove screen door or window.
2. Pull old spline out of canal.
3. Remove handle in screen door.
4. Roll screening over door or window frame.
5. Push new spline into canal over new screen.
6. Reattach handle on screen door.
7. Reinstall screen door or window.
Jim Muckle is the author of The Property Manager, How To Find Jobs Teaching Overseas, Teaching In Saudi Arabia, Teaching in Japan, The Class Act Reading Game and The Stay At Home Dad. The contents of all of these booklets can be viewed at his web site at Booklets From Jim Muckle @
http://hometown.aol.com/jimmuckle/myhomepage/business.html
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May 25th, 2008
Did you know that raising children is perhaps the most difficult task you will ever encounter in life? It’s true. Worldwide, parents are responsible for preparing our future citizenry, and that is an awesome undertaking.
We start out with these precious little bundles of joy, who trust and love unconditionally, only to discover that they turn into awkward, mouthy, know-it-alls who mature and become the human beings we all know as coworkers, friends, relatives and parents.
It’s a little known fact but the person your child is today does not mirror the adult he will be tomorrow; and a lot of who he becomes lies in your hands.
It is our responsibility to support our children and unleash their potential by making sure they like themselves. It is difficult for anyone to perform in a manner inconsistent with the way he sees himself. The way our children see themselves comes first from us. We have the power to life them up or tear them down.
If you are truly committed to developing your child’s true potential here are a few principals that will help you do that:
Commit to using “Only Positive Comments.” For some parents this will be difficult because you may possess a negative, critical spirit, but you must work to change it.
It may mean putting index cards all over the house and car that have the letters “OPC” on it. Once you become accustomed to speaking positively to your child it will become second nature.
This does not mean you do not correct your child, or scold them when they have behaved badly. Use OPCs to let your child know that despite not liking the behavior, you do love them. Unconditional love is the most difficult love to give and is usually offered by a human being who is mature and secure in the love they feel for themselves.
Develop a positive mind-set toward your child. If you see potential in everything around you, you are more likely to see it in your child. Negative people generate negative energy and apply that negativity to everything and everyone around them. Start to look at yourself and the people around you in terms of promoting positive potential. There is promise and hope in potential, something your children must have if they are to grow into caring, competent, compassionate adults.
Encourage your children to expect great things from their achievements. A child who puts little effort into school, making friendships, and developing relationships will not get much from life. Life will honor you well if you honestly put forth the effort to do well. Children must expect great things from life and not settle for what ever is handed to them.
A parent is their child’s first teacher and it is the parent’s responsibility to support that child in learning to live a good life. Developing your child’s potential can best be accomplished by setting an example that exemplifies mental, spiritual, emotional and physical maturity. Make your home a growth environment, praise your children when they display a desire to learn and provide opportunities for them to have new experiences.
As parents we get caught up in just surviving from day to day. Dealing with the trails of everyday life is overwhelming and can leave little room for focusing on developing the potential of a child.
There is no excuse for not developing in your child his potential for greatness. No matter how old your children are, it is never too late to share your belief in their potential, and you commitment to believing in their dreams, goals and aspirations. Remember, if not you, who? If not now, when. It’s all about supporting our children.
Detra D. Davis is a certified Parent Educator with the North Carolina Parent Network and has been a writer for over 25 years. Visit her website http://www.supportingourchildren.com, a membership site supporting parents, schools, parent organizations and support groups that encourage parent education and parent involvement.
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May 25th, 2008
If you are in difficulty financially, you have in all probability heard the term “credit counseling,” however do you understand what it is? Most times this term is used in the same sentence as debt negotiation or debt settlement, however in fact, it is an entirely dissimilar procedure. With credit counseling, you will in fact work with a credit counselor to pay off your debt in smaller, monthly payments that you can manage to pay.
The people mainly likely to require credit counseling are those who are getting troubling telephone calls from bill collectors, or whose accounts have gone to collection agencies. If you feel that you may benefit from using a service like this, please read the following outline of the best approach to work with a credit counseling service.
Foremost, you’ll want to be able to identify a good credit counseling service, and not fall prey to one of the numerous scams that are out there. Start by avoiding any ads that guarantee you fast fixes for your credit report-quite basically, there is no such thing. Instead, look for a reliable company accredited by Consumer Credit Counseling Services.
Then, you’ll have to meet with your credit counselor, and supply them with all of the information of your debt. Don’t be tempted to leave anything out because he or she will require that information in order to produce a workable re-payment schedule for you.
Now, you’ll get to sit back and allow the credit counselor to work for you. They will get in touch with all of your lenders and notify them that you are trying to create a plan that will permit you pay off your debts. They will work with them all and coordinate a re-payment plan that you can live with. Oftentimes, they will be able to lower your interest rates in order to allow for lesser payments.
A number of credit counseling services offer a debt management system. What is it? Instead of having to keep up with all of the payments yourself, you will have the choice of submitting one lump sum payment to the credit counseling service and they will do it for you. One note of warning here: there have been instances of a credit counseling services missing their client’s payments, and if that happens, your credit report will suffer for it. Knowing that be certain to check out the company carefully before signing up for their debt management program.
What will you pay for all of these services? A reputable company will only charge you a small fee, somewhere in the region of fourteen dollars per month. That’s an additional means to recognize if you are dealing with a scam operationif they want a lot of money up front, it’s almost a guarantee that they don’t have your best welfare at heart.
You must be aware that working with a credit counseling service can do some harm to your credit report. On the other hand, for the most part people who are at the stage in their financial lives who would even consider such a move, would most probable gain from it. After all, it’s a great deal easier to explain away a sincere endeavor to get your finances in order than it is to explain a bankruptcy or a report full of charge-offs.
©Copyright 2005 Author Gail Gorman
Gail Gorman Is the Owner of http://debtassistence.com/
which gives advice and tips on managing your Debt Consolidation
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May 25th, 2008
There are no hidden secrets on how to rank high with the major search engines. All that is needed is a basic understanding of how search engines work and a bit of know hown Perhaps the biggest contributing factor to a successful web site is incoming links. Without links, your website will more than likely go unnoticed. So how should you accumulate these links? Below are a few basic methods to accumulate quality back links
Before you get started
You MUST understand how search engines work. Over 90% of your business will likely come directly from search engine results. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to optimize your site for search engines. You could have the greatest deals in the entire world, but if no one knows about them then your efforts are wasted. Do a search on google for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You will find tons of great information on how to create a website that is both user friendly and search engine friendly. There are also countless numbers of companies and freelancers out there who offer SEO services. Just be cautious of their offers and do your research first. Remember, NO ONE can guarantee top placement in major search engines, no matter what they say.
Where should back links come from?
1. Articles are a fantastic source of links and additional traffic to your site. There are countless sites online that want your articles. It’s a win win situation for everyone. When you write articles and submit them online, you are able to leave a link to your own site and sometimes even anchor text. I know what you’re saying, “I can’t write about anything.” I use to feel the same way. But the truth of the matter is, anyone can write. You just have to find a topic that interests you. You can write about anything from dogs, to computers, to personal training, to web hosting, heck you can even write about writing. The bottom line is, articles are a valuable source of “relevant” back links to your site.
2. Submit to directories. There are literally hundreds of “free” and “paid” directories online. With 3 hours of painless work, you can have your site submitted to hundreds of great directories. There are many quality lists of directories that are regularly updated. One of my favorites is http://www.best-web-directories.com/ which is always updated and maintained.
3. Develop link exchanges with relevant sites. The major search engines such as google see incoming links from relevant sites, and give them more rank compared a link from an unrelated site. For example, if you have a website about pet care products, your link strategy should target pet related sites. Again with a bit of hard work and determination, you can develop a great deal of “relevant” back links.
4. Forums are a great source for additional traffic and links. Many forums allow their users to display signatures in their posts. These signatures can consist of both text and links. When you post a new message on that forum, your websites link will be displayed for everyone to see. This not only helps build valuable back links, but will bring additional traffic to your website.
5. Join a link co-op. Co-ops such as the one found at http://www.digitalpoint.com/ are an amazing source of valuable back links and free advertisement. What is a co op network? A Co op network is a network of site owners/webmasters that offer ad space to the network. In return, the ads they define are displayed across the entire network. The best part of ad networks such as the one found at digital point, is, they are free. Having your site in a co-op can literally mean thousands of back links for your site.
If you want to have a successful site, whether-it-be a hobby or for business, you have to understand how search engines work. Part of that understanding is knowing about link development. Maybe in the early 90’s the idea of “if you build it they will come” might have been true. But in the year 2005 the internet is a far more competitive and complex place. To be successful today, you have to work at it. Without a quality source of back links the search engines will all buy ignore your site.
Ron is the CTO for Dice Ventures Inc an internet holdings and development company. Some current projects include a hosting forum and a Linux forum
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May 25th, 2008
Ideally you should knock in any new cricket bat for at least six hours, yes it’s a lot but it will help condition your bat for heavy usage without damaging it.
You should also knock-in your new cricket bat even if it comes advertised as ‘ready to play’, as it still won’t be ready for the full force of a hard new cricket ball, especially if you catch an edge or the ball hits the toe.
I’ve seen players go out on to the square with a brand new cricket bat, which hadn’t been knocked in. In the first over he dug out a Yorker, which resulted in a ‘fatal’ crack in the toe of the bat. If it had been knocked in properly it’s unlikely this would have ever happened. If you don’t knock in your bat you could literally be ‘throwing £200 down the pan’.
To knock in your bat I highly recommend you use an old high quality cricket ball.
Begin gently by tapping the bat, particularly focusing in on the edges, as these are a very vulnerable part of the bat and by the end you want the edges to be almost slightly rounded.
Spend 2-3 hours doing this stage of knocking in the bat, making sure you cover all of the face of the bat, excluding the splice area. Don’t knock-in the back of the cricket bat.
After you have done this gradually increase the force with which you hit the bat, making sure you systematically cover all of the face of the bat. By the end you should be hitting the bat with full force to simulate the impact of a real cricket ball.
When you have finished knocking in the bat, you should first progress to using the bat for out field practice and then in the nets against an old used high quality cricket ball, especially avoid ‘bat breaker’ cricket balls, you know the ones, cheap, hard and usually shiny. If your bat is going to break or split it’s these balls that’ll do the damage.
Once you’ve played the bat in for a few hours in the nets it’ll be ready to take out on to the square.
It’s a tedious process but well worth the time and effort for the results you’ll get for your hard work. Its worth mentioning that some sports shops may offer a knocking in service for a small fee. Personally I like to do it myself to see how the bat progresses as it becomes more knocked in.
For more cricket batting tips, cricket tips, news and gossip, head over to http://www.cricketsecrets.com/ and discover the #1 under used cricket secret, that you can use today to explode your cricket results!
Visit the forum at: http://www.cricketsecrets.com/phpBB2/
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May 24th, 2008
Ever wondered what you could do with a commercial mortgage? Well, to be quite candid, there is a plethora of ways to make use of a commercial mortgage. Such a mortgage can be used to finance many different types of properties, so let’s take a minute to review these properties. Of course, not all commercial investments are created equal. Some inherently involve more risk than others. As a result, some banks and financial institutions that offer commercial mortgages may or may not offer a product that finances one of the following. As always, it will be up to you to shop around and find a commercial loan broker that offers a commercial mortgage package that fits your needs.
Apartments - Great investment opportunities exist with apartments. Apartments serve as a great form of securitization for a commercial mortgage. They also prove to be great income properties, as apartments that are managed well can bring in positive cash flows at the same time as equity is being created.
Health Care Facilities - A commercial mortgage can also be used to finance health care facilities. Such an investment provided two distinct advantages. First, you are investing in a traditional business that has a growing market and customer base. Second, you are also making an investment in land and facilities that will appreciate over time, creating positive equity for you. Investing in this type of property and business is not so far fetched when you realize just how accessible a commercial mortgage really is.
Industrial - Though industrial spaces are neither glamorous nor thrilling investments, they are certainly valuable. Most lending institutions will offer some sort of commercial mortgage that allows for investment in industrial spaces. Such an investment typically proves to be a solid investment since industries are always growing and this type of space will always be needed.
Manufacturing - If you are interested in expanding your business and increasing your manufacturing capacity, a commercial mortgage may be the way to go. You can use a commercial mortgage to finance the expansion of your manufacturing facilities and thus grow your business in the process.
Warehouse - Not very many businesses can continue to grow and prove successful with no room for inventory. If you find your business is ready to take it to the next level, and you are short on warehouse space a commercial mortgage can help you as well. Many large lending institutions have a commercial mortgage designed to finance warehouse expansion, so don’t hesitate to contact your commercial loan broker today if you are ready to expand.
Retail Structures - Even retailers need financing to build new stores, increase their accessibility, and grow their business. When retailers are ready to fund a new project, they turn to a commercial mortgage as well.
Office Complexes - Office parks and buildings are financed the same way as all the others, with a commercial mortgage. Office complexes also prove to be great investment properties for investors in the real estate market, as the risk of vacancy in office complexes is much less than that of retail spaces.
You might have noticed a trend while you read this list. Indeed, a commercial mortgage can be used to finance just about any kind of commercial property. So when you are in the market for a commercial property, go visit your commercial loan broker.
Adam Smith is an informational author for 10X Marketing. For more financial information, please visit SNCLoans.com
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May 24th, 2008
The main reason behind it is that “PC security” is a broad term which home users and corporate customers understand quite differently. Basically every owner of a PC or laptop wants its data safe, and don’t want uncontrolled activity inside the box like adware pop-ups. But corporate networks care about intrusions and possible loss of data that cost millions of dollars, so they have too much put at stake. Well even if your child is very smart and kind he or she is still a child so there is still a threat that they can make a wrong choice.
This scam is very simple; the thieves simply wait until some unsuspecting user who is searching for, say, airline ticket offers, finds their site offering dirt-cheap airline tickets. Really pleased with himself and looking forward to the trip, the user fills in the form, entering his credit card number, expiry date and verification value (CVV). Data loggers, key loggers are just a few programs which harvest info from your computer. Winclear is the only program created specially to auto remove such spywares. Even though the most promising spyware removal programs may not assist in cleaning an individual’s computer system. That is why every computer owner needs winclear.
Protect With Winclear :Online Privacy Violation
The company responsible for SpectorSoft is currently defending itself, stating that its program was never marketed as a way to steal information. Instead, they wrote the program to be used “legitimately” to keep tabs on business employees, spouses concerned about affairs, and keeping a watchful eye on teenagers’ internet surfing habits. Winclear is the only software which is capable of removing keylogger programs. Because they can be installed without your knowledge cookies can be installed by a third party from a website that is less than desirable. Winclear has been the industry leader in fighting keyloggers for the last 8 years.
Winclear:
One big mistake of PC owners is the constant seeking for “best antivirus”. That is the reason why you need Winclear installed onto your computer. Thus you will be able to block web sites that you think are in appropriate for young people or are not needed in the office. Protect your computer security by using Winclear! More about Winclear here: Winclear.
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May 24th, 2008
Are you in debt? If so, you might need the help of one of the
many quality debt settlement businesses available to you to help
pay off what you owe. Finding such businesses isn’t always easy,
and there are some questions you must ask before you commit to a
contract. Do some personal investigating to find out which
businesses [if any] are right for you.
So, how can you locate a quality debt settlement businesses?
First of all, by searching right online. Naturally, not all
businesses are the same and you must find out if each one is
valid or not, including if it is licensed by your state.
Happily, most corporate web sites share this type of information
openly.
Here are five steps you can take to ensure that the company
you are dealing with is on the up and up:
1. Check with the Better Business Bureau {BBB} to see if
complaints have been registered against a particular company.
Ask the BBB for a list of quality debt settlement businesses.
2. Obtain the company’s D&B report from Dun and Bradstreet. This
report will reveal if the company is in the black, who members
of its board of directors are, as well as other key corporate
information.
3. Check with your state’s consumer affairs department for
information. If the company has not registered with your state,
find out where they are registered and call that state’s
consumer affairs department.
4. Ask for references. If you still feel good about the company,
get references. If they are solid, they will freely share that
information. If the company is not willing to part with
references, just move on to the next company on your list.
5. Ask friends and family members if they know of a specific
quality debt settlement business.
You can thin your list by comparing their fees, by learning what
impact a debt settlement loan will have on your credit rating,
and determining how long you have to pay off your debt.
You can get out of the debt spiral if you choose a plan that
works to your advantage.
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May 23rd, 2008
Global warming can be explained as a phenomenon where the average temperatures on the earth’s surface are increasing with every passing year as a result of increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There are several myths in the minds of people about global warming. While some believe that human are not responsible for global warming, others think that global warming is not a problem at all. Another myth that people have is that the average increase in global temperature over the last 100 years has been only 1F, which is nothing but insignificant. However, the fact is that all these beliefs are far from being true.
Greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor and ozone are extremely important for the very existence of life on this earth. However, one should remember that even a medicine can turn into a poison if it is taken in unlimited dosage. Similarly, unprecedented human development that has occurred as a result of industrial revolution resulted in tremendous increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, thereby causing global warming. Another important fact about global warming is that that earth’s temperature is going to increase in the next century by around 2.5 to 10.4F if the emission of greenhouse gases continues to be the same as of now. One more fact is that it will be extremely impossible to live on this planet if global warming is not checked.
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