The Sonic Wall filtering program is a firewall used by network administrators in school and work environments to prevent users from accessing certain types of Web pages. The program typically blocks websites that don't have any direct relevance to the organization that runs the network, such as online games, chat rooms or pornographic Web pages. If the Sonic Wall filter is blocking a Web page you need to access, it is possible to get around the block by using a loophole. Sonic Wall only blocks the text address of the Web page and not the actual Internet Protocol (IP) number your computer accesses when you type that address.
Instructions
1
Navigate to one of the IP address look-up Web pages. Try each Web page until you find one that hasn't been blocked by your local Sonic Wall administrator.
2
Find the text box near the top of the IP look-up website. Type the Universal Resource Locater (URL) of the Web page you trying to visit.
3
Click on the "Get IP Address" button located under the text box. Wait for a new page to load that has the IP address of the Web page you want to visit.
4
Highlight the IP address, then copy it by pressing the "Ctrl" and "C" keys at the same time. Click inside the address navigation toolbar at the top of your Web browser. Paste the IP address by pressing the "Ctrl" and "V" keys at the same time.
5
Hit the "Enter" key to navigate to the Web page that was previously blocked by Sonic Wall.
Google Analytics (Analytics) gives you the ability to create tracking URLs, which are modified Web addresses that help you understand from where your visitors are coming. These addresses contain the keywords you specify, such as campaign terms, and are found at the end of the URL. If you earn money from promoting advertisements on your website, tracking your links gives you a way to understand which campaigns are the most profitable. Understand how to create tracking URLs in Analytics to improve your site and identify the marketing opportunities that pay off.
Instructions
1
Point your browser to the Google Analytics "Tool: URL Builder" page and type a URL in the "Website URL" text field (see Resources).
2
Enter a campaign source, campaign medium and campaign name in the designated fields. Continue to enter a campaign term and campaign content, if preferred.
3
Click the "Generate URL" button to produce your modified URL, or click the "Clear" button to start over. Copy the link that displays and paste it on the pages you want.
4
Log in to your Google Analytics account (see Resources). Click the "View Report" link next to your website name to review the results of the tracking URLs.
The Illinois Department of Revenue website uses a system called Web File for electronic filing. Using this, taxpayers can file free directly through the state. Tax help is also available on the site, and you will be able to save and print your return. The system will guide you through the process, asking you for the same information you would enter on a tax form. Web File cannot be used to file a previous tax year's return or to file a return for a deceased person.
Instructions
1
Find your PIN (IL-PIN) in your IL-1040 book, or click on the "Individuals" tab, then "Get Your IL-PIN" under the "File" heading. Enter your Social Security number along with one of the following: your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) from the previous year's return, your 9-digit ZIP code, driver's license number, or Illinois state ID number. If filing jointly, enter Social Security numbers and associated information for both filers. If you are a first-time online filer without an IL-PIN, you might be able to use the system with a valid driver's license or state identification number.
2
Click on the "Individuals" link, then "File a Return" under the "File" link. Use the "IL-1040" link, followed by "Click Here to Web File." Use Web File to start a new return, access a previously saved return, or print an Illinois tax return you have already submitted. Have your W-2 and other tax forms nearby, and enter information in the blanks according to the prompts provided by the Web File program.
3
Click the "Save" button at the bottom of the page after you fill in the blanks. Keep your federal return handy if possible. Illinois Web File often gives you line item numbers from federal income tax forms 1040, 1040-A, and 1040-EZ to make it easier for you to supply the information for your state tax return. Submit your return. You will not need to mail in a paper copy or any forms, unless you want to mail a payment instead of paying your tax bill online, if you owe any money.
You have a bicycle and you know you should probably use it, but you've finally admitted to yourself that you're just not a bike rider. Or maybe you have improved your bike-riding skills and have advanced to a new bike and don't need the old one anymore. Whatever the case, posting an ad for your bike on Craigslist is free and easy.
Instructions
Sell Your Bike on Craigslist
1
Go to the Craigslist homepage (see Resources below). Note that you are currently on the homepage for San Francisco. If you are located elsewhere and are not interested in shipping the bike to San Francisco, you should find the city in which you are located and click on the appropriate link.
2
Find the 'For Sale' section. Click on this link. In this section, you will see 'Bikes.' Click on the 'Bikes' link.
3
Click on the 'Post' link to post an ad for your bike to the 'Bikes' section of the 'For Sale' category. You will also see a 'Help' link. If you have questions at this stage, click on the 'Help' link.
4
Choose one of the available categories. To sell your bike, select the 'Bicycles' option.
5
Choose the area in which you are located if Craigslist prompts you for this information. This may be a city, a suburb or a neighborhood, depending upon your location.
6
Enter the details of the ad that you have written to sell your bike on Craigslist. You will need a catchy title, a price (or price range) and a description of the bike that you are selling.
7
Enter your email address. Allow Craigslist to anonymize your email address to increase your safety.
8
Check the email account for the address which you entered on your post. There should be an email from the Craiglist site with a link allowing you to publish your post. Follow the 'Publish' link.
9
Review the post. Make sure that the information is correct. Click 'Publish' to finalize the post.
10
Respond to the individuals who answer your post if they seem like reasonable buyers. If anything seems amiss, proceed with caution. Don't be so eager to sell your bike that you compromise your own safety.
Mozilla Firefox is an Internet browser that functions similarly to Internet Explorer. You can conduct searches for websites and more through Internet search browsers. You can also turn your address bar --- located at the top of your screen when your Mozilla page loads --- into a search box.
Instructions
1
Double-click the Mozilla Internet browser icon on your desktop. If you do not see the icon on your desktop, then click your Start menu and click the icon once for the Internet browser to load.
2
Locate the address bar at the top of the Mozilla Internet browser page. The address box is the white box stretching across the top of the page. It will show the address of the Mozilla home page or whichever page you have set your Internet browser.
3
Click on the address box. Highlight the address in the box, and press the "Delete" key.
Type keywords directly into the box to transform your address bar in to a search box.
4
Press "Enter." Mozilla will return a page listing possible search matches to your key words. If there is a direct hit to a website using your keywords, then Mozilla will take you directly to that website.
As you use your computer, the number of files you create may grow to the point where it's difficult to find the files you're looking for. Use a desktop search alternative to find files anywhere on your PC. The best desktop search alternatives also let you search email messages, calendar functions, the Internet and more.
Google Desktop
Download Google Desktop, a free application featuring desktop search. Use Google Desktop to search files over your entire computer as well as emails and the Internet. Google Desktop also features a sidebar with customizable widgets. To start a desktop search, enter your search criteria in the text box at the bottom of the sidebar or tap the Ctrl button twice. Type in what you want to look for and Google Desktop will give you results both from your computer and the Internet.
Copernic Desktop Search
Try the free Home version of Copernic Desktop Search to find anything stored on your computer. Look at a preview of your results to be sure you found the right file before you start the program. Purchase the Professional or Corporate version of Copernic Desktop Search for added functionality, such as expanded network support and customizable shortcuts. Copernic Desktop Search is compatible with Microsoft Office 2010 programs and files, and it is optimized to work well with small netbook computers. Filter your search results by characteristics such as file type and advanced keywords to get the exact file you're looking for.
X1 Professional
X1 Professional will not only search for data files and documents, it also works with other programs. The desktop search will look through your calendar, email inbox, electronic address book, attachments and remote network files. X1 Professional also integrates with Microsoft SharePoint. Look at a preview of your file to make sure you've found the right one before opening it. X1 Professional desktop search can display a preview of over 500 different file types, including MPEG videos, Yahoo! Messenger messages, WordPerfect presentations and StarOffice drawings. Purchase X1 Professional desktop search or download a trial version to test it out.
Zagat is considered to be one of the most trusted names in restaurant reviews and ratings. You can find reviews for several notable restaurants in over a hundred U.S. and international cities. You can also add your own review of any restaurant included in the Zagat guide. Here's how.
Instructions
1
Go online and visit Zagat at www.zagat.com.
2
Subscribe to Zagat by clicking on 'Subscribe' on the upper right corner of the Web site.
3
Choose from Full access or Restaurant only access. Full access will enable unlimited access to zagat.com, including Restaurants, Nightlife, Hotels and Attractions, whereas restaurant only access will enable just that.
4
Choose your subscription package. There is an option to choose from yearly subscription or monthly subscription for both packages.
5
Enter all the relevant information and follow the instructions online to register.
6
Log in to your account if you are not already logged in.
7
Choose your location from the pull down menu. Choose from popular cities and metro areas.
8
Choose a city. You may also choose the state/province. If you have chosen a metro area, in this step you will be asked to choose a city or neighborhood.
9
Browse restaurants by narrowing down your search by choosing options such as cuisines, features, neighborhoods, online menus, new and so on.
10
Search using keywords such as name of the restaurant, cuisine, feature, etc.
11
Click on 'go' and obtain a list of restaurants of your choice.
12
Locate your preferred restaurant and click on 'Add your review'.
In today's Internet economy, all businesses, whether local or international, must have
an online presence. Selling a service business on the Internet is easier than it ever has been
Instructions
1
Make a decision as to what service you are going to offer: consulting, programing, writing, translating, teaching, are some good examples or services that you can provide from anywhere.
You can also provide a service such as gardening or home decorating, for example, but your reach and advertising strategies would have to be limited to the local area.
2
Identify your target market. Write down everything that defines your ideal customers. Consider their age, interests, economic status and what problem or concern they are currently having that your service can solve for them. Also evaluate barriers that might cause them to hesitate about purchasing your service. These will be addressed in the information that you provide on your website. To find this information, take a look at forums that are specific to your service. You can see what people are asking and what the answers are. Check out other websites and blogs that deal with the service you will offer. If you are already operating offline, send out questionnaires to your current customers. Use the free Wordtracker Question Tool that tells you what questions Internet users are typing into their search engines. When you access the tool, simply type in a word that pertains to the service you are offering, and see what questions come up in the results. Subscribe to trade magazines that publish news and content about your service.
3
Choose five to ten keywords. In the online world, keywords are everything in terms of making your business visible. A keyword is whatever your potential customers are typing into their search engines when they are looking for a service like the one you offer. So, for example, if you are offering your services in translations from English into Spanish, the people that are looking for this service might type in "English to Spanish translation service" or "hire translator English to Spanish". Each of these examples is referred to as a keyword (or sometimes a keyword phrase). You can find the exact keywords that people are typing at the free Google Adwords Keyword Research Tool. Simply type the general category of the service you plan to offer, and Google will spit out all of the relevant keywords that users type. This free tool also gives you the search volume, the amount of competition, and other statistics about each keyword. Choose five to ten of the keywords Google provides you with that best represent the service you will offer.
4
Purchase a domain name. Go to Godaddy.com or NameCheap.com to purchase a domain for your website (it will cost about $10 per year). The name you choose should be the keyword that best represents the service that you are offering. So, for example, if the best keyword phrase is English to Spanish Translations, your domain name should be EnglishToSpanishTranslations.com (or .biz, or .info). If the name you choose is not available, add another word (such as "buy," "best," "purchase," or "get") in front, or a word at the end like "here" or "now." You can also put dashes between the words like English-To-Spanish-Translations.com as well. When your site domain name is keyword optimized like this, your page is more likely to appear in the top search engine results when someone searches for that term.
5
Obtain hosting. You can get a hosting account at Godaddy, HostGator, or any of the other many hosting providers online. Hosting usually costs between $5 and $20 per month, depending on the amount of storage you specify. Follow the tutorials on the hosting account you purchase in order to set up the account and host your domain name.
6
Set Up a PayPal Business account. This is free, and it will allow you to place a PayPal order button on your website. Follow PayPal instructions to do this.
7
Design your website with an HTML editor. Purchase the Dreamweaver HTML editor or you can use a free service such as NVU. Follow the HTML editor service instructions on creating pages. The background of your site should be lightly colored or white. Your home headline page should be your most important keyword. Other pages or headings on your site should include the other 5 to 10 keywords that you chose. Each heading or page should offer an article that pertains to each keyword, and the article should include information that is valuable to your potential customers: "5 Things to Look for in a Spanish To English Translating Service," for example. At the bottom of each page, describe the service that you offer and include your PayPal button or a number to call to place the order. Also make sure that all of your contact information is on each page.
8
Upload your HTML page or pages to your hosting account by following the hosting account instructions.
9
Drive traffic to your website. You can do this with free promotional efforts through Facebook, Twitter, forums and blog posting, free online classifies, YouTube, or paid advertising such as PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, banner advertising, ezine (online magazine) newsletter advertising, and more.
It's easy to find the definition of a word: Just look in the dictionary. But what if you have the definition but can't think of the word? Everyone has had one of those times when a word is on the tip of your tongue but you just can't think of it. When this happens, try using an online reverse dictionary. Reverse dictionaries let you enter a word or phrase that describes your mystery word, then they produce a list of results sorted by relevance to the phrase you entered.
Instructions
1
Visit OneLook's free online reverse dictionary (see link below). Here, you will be able to enter a phrase or single word describing the word you are trying to find.
2
Scroll down the page and read through the instructions and guidelines. Because a simple search can produce hundreds, even thousands, of results, OneLook offers tips for refining and narrowing your search.
3
Enter a word or phrase describing the elusive word in the box at the top of the page marked "Describe concept here." Click "Find words."
Self-publishing can be a smart choice for writers. It's cost-effective, relatively fast, pays much better than standard royalty contracts, and lets you maintain control over the publishing process. But there are drawbacks to consider.
Instructions
1
Decide what your goal is. Some writers want to print out just enough copies of their prized project for colleagues and friends; others think they have a book that will sell to a larger audience.
2
Examine competing titles to make sure you're not covering the same ground. Find out what sales of those books have been to see if it's really worth your while to tackle a similar topic. Call book distributor Ingram at (615) 213-6803 and punch in the ISBN of the book you want to check on; you'll hear a voice message containing the number of copies sold in the last year.
3
Determine what format you'd like to publish in: hardcover, softcover, or ebook, which is essentially an electronic file and requires no paper printing.
4
Check out print-on-demand publishers. If all you want to do is get a book published, these vanity presses will do the job for a price. Some vanity houses will print just a few copies for a few hundred dollars. Print-on-demand is ideal for very short runs (25 to 500 copies). Instead of printing on traditional, ink-based offset printing equipment, pages are reproduced using a highend copier. A digital file from a page layout program links directly to a high-speed copier and then is machine-bound. Some shops offer perfect binding so it looks just like a printed book. Look at sources like Trafford.com, Xlibris.com and Iuniverse.com.
5
Print your book directly from your completed files with a directto- press printer. Instead of producing a different piece of film for each color of each page, the files are transferred directly to the printing plate. You'll eliminate all the film costs, and save time too.
6
Shop aggressively if you really want your book to sell. If you're an established writer considering self-publishing, look around. You can either choose to have a print-on-demand company, such as those mentioned above, handle all the layout, printing and production activities, or go to a local offset printer and oversee each of those steps in the process personally.
7
Ask potential suppliers to send you samples of their recently printed books. Don't be shocked: The quality will vary considerably with regard to paper quality, cover design, layout, and whether it was run on a sheet-fed press or a web press. Ask questions about how individual pieces were produced.
8
View competitors' books to determine what size and format you'd like your book to take. Find out if there are standard sizes you should stay with to reduce costs, or whether a different format will help your book stand out. Format sizes can affect which print-on-demand publisher you can work with.
9
Familiarize yourself with printing costs. These will vary, but you can expect to spend more than $1 per book for a minimum print run of several thousand copies. You may also be charged extra for layout help, editing, design of a book cover, and for photos. Typical fees are $3 to $6 per page for editing, $3 to $5 for production, $500 to $5,000 and more for design, plus $3 per 300- page book for printing.
10
Hire a designer with book experience (see How to Hire a Graphic Designer). He or she will design the type, flow the pages, and create a spectacular jacket as well. This is more expensive, in some cases considerably so, but the difference in creating a quality product is significant.
11
Tally up your costs, including printing, graphic design, artwork, photography, copy editing and other expenses. A traditional publishing house that buys your book would normally absorb these costs, but then again, you lose control.
12
Request an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), which is the standard code for identifying your book, at isbn.org. The cost for 10 ISBNs is $150, plus a minimum $75 processing fee.
13
Find out how and by whom your book will be distributed. Some print-on-demand companies handle it in-house. If you do it, you'll need to have the books shipped to you, to contact book chains about stocking your book, potentially visit each bookstore individually, and handle any mail orders on your own. Some bookstores will accept a limited number of your books on consignment, which means you leave them and if they sell, you get paid; if they don't, you pick them up in a couple of months. Some companies have extensive bookstore distribution; others focus more on online sales, which will have bearing on the types of activities you'll need to perform to be successful.
14
Be prepared to sell yourself. Any real marketing of the book will have to come from you. Self-publishing also means self-promotion, or hiring a publicist to do it for you.
Visual cues in a software application can help make a user's experience more enjoyable and productive. If you create VB.NET programs, you probably work with text box controls. Text boxes allow users to communicate with your application. One way to help users identify the active text box is to highlight the text within it. VB.NET does not do this automatically, but by attaching a couple of event handlers to your code, you can make your program highlight text in text boxes as users select them.
Instructions
Add Text Boxes to Form
1
Launch Visual Studio and open one of your VB.NET projects.
2
Locate your project's start-up form in the "Solution Explorer" window. Double-click that form to display it in the design editor.
3
Click the "View" button at the top of Visual Studio, and then click "ToolBox." The toolbox opens.
4
Drag two "Textbox" controls from the toolbox onto the form. Drag the text boxes so that one appears on top of the other.
5
Right-click the top text box, and then click "View Properties" to display the "Properties Window." The name of the selected form appears at the top of that window. Remember the text box's name. It will probably be "TextBox1" if no other text boxes exist on your form except the two you added.
6
Cick the "Events" button at the top of the "Properties" window to display a list of event types. Double-click the "Enter" event. The code window opens and positions the cursor inside the method that runs the "Enter" event. VB.NET triggers this event whenever a cursor enters the text box.
7
Paste this code into that method:
TextBox1.SelectionStart = 0
TextBox1.SelectionLength = TextBox1.Text.Length
If "TextBox1" one is not the name of the text box, replace "TextBox1" with the text box's name that you remembered. This code selects the text in the text box and highlights it when you tab to the control.
Add "OnClick" Logic
8
Press "F7" to display the form in design view again. Click the same text box you clicked previously, and then double-click the "Click" event in the "Properties" window. The code for the "Click" event opens.
9
Paste the following text into that method:
TextBox1.SelectionStart = 0
TextBox1.SelectionLength = TextBox1.Text.Length
This is the same code you pasted into the "Enter" event. By placing it in this "Click" event as well, you enable VB.NET to highlight the text when users click the text box instead of tabbing to it.
10
Press F5 to run the project. The form opens and displays the two text boxes.
11
Type anything into the top text box. Press your "Tab" key to tab to the bottom text box.
12
Press "Tab" again to return to the top text box. VB.NET highlights the text.
13
Click the bottom text box. The top text box loses its highlight. Click the top text box again, and the highlight reappears.
Qualifying for a land grant from the government is a difficult task. Most land grants are reserved for educational purposes. Building a school that caters to a specific demographic (i.e., the blind, the deaf, minorities, etc.) is a legitimate reason to be awarded a land grant. Building any type of construction that will better the masses (libraries, hospitals, etc.) will get great consideration when applying for a grant.
Instructions
1
Go to Grants.gov and create an account. Click on the "Register" link on the homepage and you will be directed to a page where you can enter your personal and contact information. You are allowed to register as an individual or as a business. If you register as an individual, you will only see grants that are available to individuals when you do your search. If you register as a business, you will only see grants available for businesses.
2
Confirm your account by clicking on the registration link in your email and then log in to your account.
3
Click on the "Grant Search" link on the right side of the homepage. If you are unsure what to search, conduct a general search. Here, you will be able to enter keywords (like land, home, school, building, etc.) to help you narrow your results. If you know exactly what grants you want to apply for, you can choose to search by the CFDA number or Agency and Funding Opportunity number.
4
Choose a grant that interests you and read the qualifications and requirements. If you fit the grants needs, click on the "Apply" link. Under the application menu, you can download the grant package. Fill out the application and submit it. It may take some time to receive any kind of response, but you can track the status of your application with the "Track Application" feature.
Message rules can be helpful if you get a lot of junk mail or if you organize mail in different folders, mark them or forward them to other people. Outlook Express provides a variety of message rules actions and conditions. You can create rules based on sender address, subject title, keywords, file attachment size and security. Outlook Express rules do not work for IMAP or HTTP accounts.
Rule Conditions
Before Outlook Express does anything with your incoming mail, first set the criteria for taking action. You can select "rule conditions" based on what is in a message. Depending on the rule condition, you may need to enter additional details to set the condition. For example, if you choose the "Message body" rule, type the words that must be in the message.
Examples:
"When the Subject line contains specific words" requires exact words to appear in the message's subject title, such as "Newsletter" or "Fwd."
"When the From line contains people" will apply the rule only to mail from a specific sender (such as user@xxx.com)
"When the message body contains specific words" will activate the rule only if specific words appear in the mail body itself.
"When the message is for the specified account" applies the rule to all mail coming from a particular Outlook Express account you have set up, such as mail.comcast.net.
"For all messages" means the message rule will be applied to all incoming mail.
Rule Actions
Once you have set the conditions, tell Outlook Express how to manipulate the message.
Examples:
"Move it to the specified folder" will transfer the message from the Inbox to a folder you specify.
"Forward it to people" will forward the message to recipients that you designate. (This does not work for encrypted mail.)
"Do not Download it from server" means Outlook Express will not download the mail to your computer.
"Delete it from server" will delete the message from the remote mail server.
"Highlight it with color" is useful when you want to mark a message so it is easy to find later on.
"Stop processing more rules" will suspend all other Outlook Express rules for the message.
Rule Description
The rule description summarizes the conditions and actions for a particular rule. An example description may look like the following. When you see a word or phrase with a hyperliink (such as "people" in this example), click the link to view or change the rule setting. Here, all mail coming from "xyz@email.xyz.com" with "fwd" in the subject line will be forwarded to specified recipients.
"Apply this rule after the message arrives
Where the From line contains 'xyz@email.xyz.com'
and Where the Subject line contains 'fwd'
Forward it to people "
Rule Name
You must enter a name for each Outlook Express rule you create. Choose a descriptive name that will help you identify it later on. For example, "Forward All Jokes by So-So to Friends" will tell you more than simply "Jokes Rule."
Since YouTube doesn't charge its users, neither to upload and store nor to view and share content, the site generates revenues by allowing businesses to advertise beside and within its videos. If you own a popular YouTube channel, YouTube invites you to apply for its "Partner Program," which promises you a share of the ad clicks your channel generates in exchange for allowing YouTube to place ads in them.
Instructions
1
Log in to your YouTube account --- using your Google credentials --- and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Choose "Creators and Partners."
2
Click "Benefits and Qualifications" and read them to make sure you meet the requirements to apply for the Partner Program. These include that your videos consist of original content, you have full rights to and permissions over said content and your video work enjoys high popularity, whether through YouTube or otherwise.
3
Apply for the Partner Program. Click the yellow "Apply Now" button and enter your name, company information, the industry you're in, as well as information about your target audience and your channel's existing performance. Tick the two boxes at the bottom of the application to indicate your agreement with YouTube Partner Program's "Terms of Service," then click "Review Application." Click "Submit" after you've read through your application to submit it to YouTube for review.
4
Wait for your ad to be approved before you expect to generate revenue from your contact. YouTube contacts you directly once this happens, but doesn't specify a time frame on its "Partners Program" reference page. Don't re-apply before you hear an answer, as this delays the process further.
If you're a half-decent writer, you may not need to hire a marketing agency or copywriter to create content for your website. All it takes is a little know-how to come up with attention-getting content that will make your website shine.
As a copywriter myself, here are a few tips to help you write a corporate website.
Instructions
1
Outline what you need to say. Most corporate websites include pages such as:
Home About Us Services Benefits Testimonials Portfolio Contact Us
Once you decide what pages you want, you can start populating each page with content.
2
Think about the message for each page. For example, you can go into your corporate history on the "About Us" page, but you can also mention that your company has XX years of experience on the home page, too. You can bullet your services on the home page, and then go into detail about them on the "Services" page.
Jot down some bullet points as to the message of each page. Figure where you want certain tidbits to be highlighted so each page isn't repetitive.
3
Add a little search engine optimization. Do some research on the Internet to find out what keywords are "hot" for your industry. If your company, for example, makes kitchen cabinetry, you may want to include terms such as "kitchen remodeling" "kitchen cabinets" and "kitchen cabinetry" to name a few. It's also a great idea to offer a regional aspect for people looking for your business locally. For example, "kitchen cabinet maker in NJ" and "kitchen cabinets NJ" are great terms to work into the copy. Once you identify the terms you want, use them as comfortably as possible throughout the text.
4
Start writing. Use an attention-grabbing headline for each page. Instead of "Cabinet Makers" you could try something like "Distinctive Cabinets for Customized Kitchens." Play with the wording a little.
When you get into the "meat," remember to speak to your intended audience. Will you refer to the client directly ("You can't afford not to use our services"), will you refer to your company as "we" on all references, or will you refer to your company in the third person ("Company A is the premier kitchen cabinetry company in New Jersey.")? These are things you need to keep in mind as you write.
5
Talk to the customer. No one really cares about the copywriting unless it offers them something. Instead of bragging about why your company is the best, or giving a history of kitchen cabinets (or your services/products) it's good to keep in mind that you need to explain the benefits of what your company has to offer. What can John Doe get out of the website, and why should he choose your company to build his cabinets?
6
Close the deal. I always end each page with a simple "call to action." For example, "Are you ready to find out how you can have the kitchen of your dreams? Contact us at 1-800-KITCHCABS or email us at info@kitchcabs.com." You get the point. The goal is to drive the reader to take action.
Keywords are the foundation of 'search engine optimization' (SEO) strategy. Strong keywords will help your website, blog or article to get found and ranked highly by search engines like Google.
This article will explain FREE techniques to help you find keywords that people are actively searching for on the internet.
Definition of "keyword":
A term that captures the essence of a topic. Note that I used 'term' not 'word'. This is important. A keyword can include one or many words.
For example:
Let's say you're interested in "ways to make money". What would you type into the Google search bar to get your answer?
Some people might type in "money" as their keyword and get a huge of responses back from Google - many not related to their real question.
So, they might type in "ways to make money" as their keyword. This will return responses that are much more relevant to their question.
Instructions
1
So, the first step to finding strong keywords that are relevant to your website, blog or article is to "think like your intended customer thinks".
If your website is selling a book about a new business opportunity, who is your target customer? Define them. Then learn to think like them.
Let's say your target customer is aged 20-30, female, with some college experience. These folks will have a different thought process than someone aged 50+, blue collar, with a high school education -- right?
So, you need to consider what sort of keywords your target customer would be searching for. Then, you would need to incorporate those keywords into your website, blog or article. This will help the search engines determine your site's relevance with the keyword search that your target customer is conducting.
Desired result? When they type in your targeted keyword (e.g. "ways to make money"), your website, blog or article will appear in their search results on Google.
2
Wordtracker FREE Keyword Suggestion Tool:
So, let's say you've now got a handle on your target customer and the type of questions they might be seeking answers for on Google.
Go to http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ for a FREE keyword suggestion tool from Wordtracker. (See Resources Section below for a link to this website.)
This site is pretty self explanatory. Simply type in a keyword just like you would on Google and click on "Hit Me". Wordtracker will then display the top keywords related to the keyword that you entered PLUS the of times this keyword was searched worldwide in the past 24 hours.
For example:
I typed in "money" as my keyword. Here are the top 5 results from Wordtracker:
This tells me that the keyword "money" was searched for 33,141 times in the last 24 hours. The keyword "money talks" was searched for 4,096 times and so on.
Now let's try the keyword search for "ways to make money". Here are the top 10 results for this Wordtracker search:
273ways for teens to make money 134ways to make money 120ways to make money bookmarks gadgets site area beta 56ways for kids to make money 56ways to make money online 55easy ways to make money 53ways for teenagers to make money 49best ways to make money http; 47ways to make extra money 45ways to make fast money
As you can see, the results are become more focused and closer perhaps to what you are targeting for with your website, blog or article. Also, the of searches conducted for each keyword is getting smaller. (E.G. "Ways to make money = 134 searched in the past 24 hours.)
The beauty of this FREE Wordtracker tool is that you can AND SHOULD spend a great deal of time trying to find relevant keywords - at no cost to you!
3
Identify Your Competition Using Google
OK, now you know how to find keywords that people are actually searching for and how frequently they are doing so. Next, we're going to check out the competition.
Go to http://www.google.com/
Now, let's search on Google for your keyword. First, we'll type this keyword in WITHOUT parentheses: ways to make money.
On the first page of the Google search results, you'll find several important things:
At the top right hand portion of the page, you'll see something that looks like this:
Results 1 - 10 of about 225,000,000 for ways to make money. (0.37 seconds)
This tells us that this page is showing the top 1-10 results for the keyword: ways to make money. ALSO, it is telling us that there are 225,000,000 results for this keyword! In other words, there are 225 MILLION competing websites, blogs and articles with relevance for this keyword. That is a LOT of competitors!
Why is that important?
First of all, most people who search on Google don't usually look at more than first page of results for their keyword search. So if you are not ranked in the top 10 results posted on Google for this keyword, your website, blog or article won't be seen.
Solution?
You need to be considered by Google to be extremely relevant for the specific keyword being searched. To tell you how to get ranked in the top 10 results is beyond the scope of this article, but at the bottom of this page in the Resources Section, I have provided a link to Brad Callen's SEO Elite website if you would like more information (includes a FREE 7-day series of SEO tips that really work!).
4
Now, still on Google.com, let's type in the keyword "ways to make money" WITH the quotation marks.
Now the results have changed to:
Results 1 - 10 of about 2,600,000 for "ways to make money". (0.38 seconds)
See? Now there are 2.6 MILLION results for this keyword WITH parentheses. (Down from 222 MILLION) Why did the number of competitors go down?
This is because, when you put quotation marks around your keyword in Google, it commands Google to only show the results for searches that used the keyword EXACTLY as you entered it within the parentheses. However, in Step 3 above, we did it without parentheses, so Google reported any combination of the words included in the keyword I provided.
NOTE: It's important to do this both ways (with and without parentheses) when researching your keywords. This is because most people who search on Google won't use parentheses, so it's good to know how much competition you are up against both ways.
5
What do I do with this information?
Well, this can be a time-consuming process. But if you are serious about getting your site 'found' on the internet, it's critical!
This process should be conducted on numerous keywords that your target customers might be asking that are relevant to what you have to offer, sell, etc. via your website, blog or article.
What you are seeking initially are the strongest keywords with the smallest number of competitors. So you want a high of searches on the Wordtracker tool and a low of results (competitors) on Google.
Here's why: if noone is searching for your keyword, you won't be found. Likewise, if people ARE searching for your keyword, but you have millions of competitors for that keyword, you'll have a hard time being found (at least initially).
So, to better your chances of success, using Wordtracker, find a keyword that is relevant and which has a decent of searches (e.g. 40-100 isn't bad). Then on Google, you're looking for a low of competitors (e.g. I prefer 0 - 2,000 competitors -- using parentheses).
** Wordtracker also offers a 'for-pay' service that saves you time by doing the Google search steps for you along with other SEO information.
Learning how to perform a free patent search can be very important, especially if you are trying to get a patent for an invention.
It can also be useful if you simply want to know for novelty purposes. There are two ways to search on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website: keyword and patent classification.
There are other sites that can perform searches as well and they will have their own ways to locate certain patents.
Instructions
1
A free patent search done by keywords is very simple. Enter the main words you think will describe an invention. If you go to the advanced search page of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website, you can enter in more specifications to do your search.
For an example, if you want to do a search to find the specifications on dog doors, you would type in spec/dog and spec/door or spec/flap. This will pop up all the patents from 1976 to the present, some of which may appear to be unrelated.
2
You can narrow the results by searching for just the abstracts or the titles of the patents by typing in abst/dog and abst/flap or abst/door into the query. This usually will show fewer results and they will relate more to what you are looking for.
3
Your free patent search will show you a lot of information that you'll need to make note of before doing a patent classification search. The results of the keyword search will show you the current United States Classification, listed as a number over another - if you had searched for cat doors instead, the number would be 49/169.
There are also links for "references cited" and "referenced by" that can be a wealth of information. Reading through these links will give you more information about the patent you might be trying to find.
4
Once you look at all the information provided from your free patent search by keyword you can do a patent classification search. To do this you must first select the years, usually covering the entire database from 1976 to the present. Using the classification number you can perform the search.
There will be a number of references based on that code. You can look through and read the patents. You can look for and find other key words and classification codes to re-search in order to find exactly what you are looking for.
5
If you want to find a patent from before 1976 you will have to know the exact patent number in order to find it. You can visit your local patent and trademark libraries or office to do a free patent search for all patents ever granted.
6
If you find it too difficult doing a free patent search, there are many companies out there that will help you perform the search. Be sure to look around while you are here for more information on free patent searches.
When submitting a short story to an editor for publication, there are specific formatting guidelines to follow. Proper formatting makes it easy for the editor to read your work and will make your work more professional. Avoid embellishing your short story submission with fancy font, clip art or other illustrations. Although you might like the way these embellishments look, nothing is more indicative of an amateur submission. Before submitting your work to publishers, you should inquire about their specific guidelines for short story formatting. Most editors prefer a basic format, but some might have different preferences.
Instructions
1
Set your page margins to 1 inch on each side, top and bottom of the page. Each page should be double-spaced to make it easier for the editor to read your story.
2
Choose a font that is easy to read. The most widely used and accepted fonts are Courier and Times New Roman, but you can choose a different font if it can be easily read.
3
Type the author's name, address, phone number and email address within a single-spaced block in the upper left corner of the first page only. An agent's name and contact information can be included below the author's information.
4
Round the word count to the nearest 10 and type this in the upper right corner of the first page, directly across from the author's contact information.
5
Type the title of the short story in a font slightly larger than the size of the font used for your story's text. The title should be centered and written about halfway down the first page, providing plenty of room between the title and the author's information.
6
Skip two lines and center the author's name in the byline under the title of the story, using the same size font as the rest of the text. The author's name should be written as it would appear if published, so include your pen name here if you are using one.
7
Skip two more lines and enter the text of your short story in regular size font and use double spacing throughout the manuscript. Align the text on the left size of the page and ensure that there is enough room for approximately 10 words, or 60 characters, on each line.
8
Indent each paragraph with five spaces or use your keyboard's tab key. An extra space is not needed to indicate a new paragraph.
9
Leave two spaces after the period between sentences to ensure that the editor is aware of new sentences.
10
Include a header on the second page that lists the author's real surname, title of the story in all capital letters and the page number of the manuscript. If the title of the story is long, use a keyword in capital letters instead of the full title.
11
Indicate scene breaks by including a pound sign () between each scene. Italics should be indicated by underlining to guarantee that the editor notices the italicized text.
12
Print your short story on one side of each sheet of 8.5- by 11-inch good-quality, white paper.
Craigslist is a very popular free classified ad listing service that is used by tons of people every day! I use it to sell stuff, find freelance jobs, and to even find renters for my rental property! The only thing I do not like about Craigslist is that it does not feature any advanced search features and it keeps you confined to a singular city in your state. I often find things I want on Craigslist that are not in my main city. So if you want to expand your Craigslist search outside of the city you live in or try and at least tap into other markets in your state, then this article will explain how to cross-search classified postings in other cities in your state on Craigslist that you can not otherwise select.
Instructions
1
THE OLD WAY TO SEARCH FOR ITEMS ON CRAIGSLIST: I am going to first walk you through a basic search on Craigslist, then explain how to search the entire state using the website in the links section. The very first thing you need is something that you want to find on the Craigslist classified site. Go to www.craigslist.com. When you get there, you will need to select your state.
2
Once you select your state, you will be taken to another page that lists all of the cities, regions, or site nearest you. This list is comprised of all of the major cities in your state that have listings. If your city is not there, you can suggest a new one. I like this feature, but I do not like being confined to just one city when searching for items in my general area.
3
Once you have selected your city or site - you will be taken to the Craigslist homepage for that city and you can resume searching based on the categories that Craigslist has created.
4
THE NEW WAY TO SEARCH CRAIGSLIST: As I said earlier, I like the Craigslist search tool, but it ususally confines you to one geographical area and you are only going to see what is posted based on how well the person posting the classified item created keywords and how they organized their listing. I have found things I need on craigslist in different cities and in different listing categories. To make sure that you are really seeing everything available to you in your state, and that you are looking at all of the best possible keywords, we will need to conduct an advanced state-wide search that allows you to broaden your search criteria.
5
Now we need you to go to another website that is independent of Craigslist to do your search. The site I recommend is called Search Tempest (link in resources). This used to be called Craig's Helper.
6
The first thing to look at is the "WHERE TO SEARCH" section of the site right under the SEARCH TEMPEST LOGO. This has a red circle that you can slide to make your search area really small, or really big. Try it! Slide it right and left and see how the miles from your zip code get bigger and smaller! Now enter your primary zip code into the box, and select how many areas you want to search around it. You can also play with the more options for search by clicking on the link next to the zip code box. This is very helpful because you can search really close to home, or as far away as you like. See the red box on the attached image.
7
Once you have entered in your Zip code and selected the area around it that you want to search by sliding the red circle right or left to increase or decrease the milage, you want to move to the SEARCH OPTIONS section. You want to select what you are looking for in the CATEGORY and SUB-CATEGORY Drop down boxes. These should look very familiar because they work just like the Craigslist search selection criteria. The only difference is that the SUB-CATEGORY drop down on this site replaces the section links on Craigslist. See image attached.
8
You can even specify exactly what type of keywords you are looking for. You will have to play with this, but I recommend that you use this feature if you get a very large sample of items by just doing a general search. This tool is so great to use because it even allows you to put in keywords that you ARE NOT looking for so that the search engine excludes them from your results.
9
So for my example, I am pretending that I am looking for furniture, a sofa in particular, for sale in my city and cities 125 miles around me. I entered in my Zip code, and I asked it to search within 125 miles of my city. I also entered in that I am looking for the CATEGORY of "SALE/WANTED", and the SUB-CATEGORY of "FURNITURE-ALL". I also only want to see ads with pictures, so I checked the "WITH PICTURE" box. In the keywords, I write in Sofa, and I also ask it not to search TV, chair, or loveseat. See image.
10
Now click the big red SEARCH NOW button. This will open a page that has numerous boxes with results that have been returned for your city and cities around you. The results are listed by site, and you can even sort the results using the tools at the top. You can scroll down the page and check out each box and the results to see if what you are looking for is there! Each city is boxed in an iFrame, so you will need to scroll these individual results to see what is available.
11
Example of Search results Page (see image)
12
Hopefully, you can find things better on Craigslist now that you know how to use this tool! Happy Hunting!
A pattern is any keyword or a phrase that occurs within files. A search of the file content is a common task that involves finding a required pattern. When you search a large file, you often need to know at which exact line a particular pattern occurs. Lines in any file are numbered consecutively beginning with one. Fortunately, you can use the "grep" command in the UNIX operating system to accomplish the required task.
Instructions
1
Right-click on the "Desktop" in UNIX, and then click on "Terminal" to open the command prompt window.
2
Type the command "cd directory_name" in the command prompt window to change to the directory where files of interest are located. For example, if the name of the directory was "Documents," you would type "cd documents."
3
Type the command "grep -n pattern filename," and then press "Enter." For example, if the pattern was "June" and the filename was "report.doc," you would type "grep -n June report.doc." That example finds all instances of the pattern "June" in the file "report.doc."
4
Read the program output. The line number is printed at the beginning of each line where the pattern is found. For example, in "21: June," 21 is the line number where the word "June" is found.
Knowing a website's traffic statistics is enlightening whether you want yours to be as popular, you're considering purchasing a banner ad or you simply want to sate your curiosity. Although most webmasters use Google Analytics or proprietary tracking tools such as those that come with WordPress, you can find information about websites in a variety of methods.
Ask the Owner
Although not every site owner will give you access to her analytics data, asking is the easiest way to find this information, especially if you're planning a business relationship. Website owners can grant access to tools like Google Analytics or send screenshots of their WordPress dashboard or main page of AWStats. Some websites may already include some of this information on pages intended for PR or sponsorship opportunities.
Alexa
Alexa is a third-party rating tool that provides a rank for websites against other websites in the same location or in the world. Alexa also provides information about the readers of the website, including age and gender, as well as displaying the number of pages linking to the site you look up. Other information you can find with Alexa includes reach, bounce rate, views per visitor and time spent on the site. However, Alexa may generate different results from some other traffic tools.
Traffic Estimate
Another third-party solution for looking up information about sites that you don't own is Traffic Estimate. Enter any URL to see how many hits the website has had over time. Traffic Estimate also shows text used for incoming links, Google PageRank, Alexa rank and WHOIS information, among other data. The more popular a website is, the more likely that this tool will be listed in its database and display all the possible information.
Server Tools
If the website owner has implemented analytics tools on his own website, you may be able to access those pages if they're not secured. For example, Webalizer statistics are often located at "domain.com/webalizer," where "domain.com" is the actual website, while AWStats may be located at "domain.com/cgi-bin/awstats.pl." You can also try "stats.domain.com" or "domain.com/statistics." However, not every website uses these tools or has them installed in the default location.
A firewall proxy is a wall in the Internet that monitors traffic and bans users on the other side of the wall from accessing certain banned websites that the school doesn't want students to access. If there's a mistake in your firewall and you are banned accidentally, you can bypass the firewall by using a proxy server.
Instructions
1
Click "Start" in Windows and select "Internet Explorer."
2
Navigate to a free proxy website.
3
Enter the URL address of the site you wish to visit into the textbox in the proxy server website. Press the "Enter" key on your keyboard to bypass the school firewall proxy and access the site.
If you have a website and are not getting any sales from it, it is probably because you are doing no Internet marketing or are not doing an effective job.
Effective Internet marketing is essential to have a website that works. Not having visibility for your site is like having a store in a deserted town. You can improve the results from your website with the right tips and tools.
Measurement
If you do not know how many visitors are coming to your site and where they are coming from, you are not effectively marketing. You cannot set objectives for your site and measure activity against these objectives unless you have website metrics.
Install website analytics software on your site. An essential Internet marketing tool, analytics software will show you where people come from to your site, which pages they view, and what they do to become customers.
Keyword Research
To attract visitors to your site, you need to understand how web surfers look for your product or service, according to Precision Internet Marketing. One free tool to give you some indication of the volume of searching for a keyword and related keywords is Google's keyword tool. With the tool, you simply enter one keyword (often referred to as a seed keyword) and Google's tool displays this keyword, related keywords, an indication of how many searches a month are conducted for each keyword and how much competition there is for each keyword. To get traffic to your website, conceptually you want to find high-traffic keywords with minimal competition.
There are other for-sale keyword tools, if your budget permits,t that are more robust than using the Google tool, but its free tools are a good way to start. Some for-sale keyword tools include Market Samurai, Microniche Finder and Keyword Spy.
Marketing Strategies and Tips
There are many different strategies to get traffic to your website. The predominant strategy is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO's goal is to get your site found by ranking the site high on search engine results pages (SERPS) .
To employ SEO, write articles containing your keywords and place those articles on your site and in other article directories. You will get traffic to your site from people who read your articles and click on a link to your site, or from Google search results, which sometimes display articles you have written. Place links to your site from other sites that rank high in the search engines. This will help boost your site ranking. Place content on social media sites, such as Facebook, and link it to your website. Pay for Google Adwords ads so that your ad will appear on page one of Google when the ad is related to a specific keyword. Create and place videos on a free account at YouTube and link from the videos to your website. Also place the address of your website at the end of the video.
Help
If you do not have enough time or knowledge to do Internet marketing yourself, you could hire an SEO expert. Another option is to outsource the strategies outlined here to others. Whatever approach you take, get started today in proactively marketing your website.
Electronic forms are a common and efficient method of data collection. Word 2007 and 2010 both offer a wide variety of form controls such as text boxes, check boxes, combo and drop-down lists, and date-picker and picture-content controls. Legacy controls are still available, including option buttons, spin buttons, toggle buttons, scroll bars, and calendars. Word forms can be posted on an internal business server or a SharePoint server allowing users to easily access and fill them out. They can be saved or emailed for processing. Items such as employee time-off requests, requisitions, etc. can be processed quickly and without paper.
Instructions
Preparation
1
Design your form on paper first, or use a preexisting form as a guide. Laying the form out in a table or group of tables will help with alignment problems when creating the form in Word.
2
Open Word and check if the "Developer" tab is visible on the Ribbon. If it is not, click the "Microsoft Office" button, click "Popular" and select the "Show Developer tab in the Ribbon" check box.
3
Create the template for your form in Word. Type any heading information you may want at the top of a blank document and then insert the table or tables using your paper form as a guide.
Create Form
4
Type a label for your form control and enter a space. Alternatively, you can place the label after the form control. Controls such as text boxes, drop-down lists and combo boxes allow you to place instructional text in the first line, eliminating the need for a label.
5
Insert the form control. Click the spot in the document where you want the form control to appear. Click the "Developer" tab. Click "Design Mode" in the "Controls" group. Click on the desired form control in the "Controls" group. The form control will appear.
6
Configure the properties of the form control. Click "Properties" in the "Controls" group. The "Control Content Properties" dialog box will appear. Each type of form control has its own set of properties. Select or enter the desired properties and click "OK."
7
Add underlines to text boxes. If you want the content of text boxes to be underlined, select the text box by clicking on it, click the "Home" tab and click the underline button in the "Font" group. Return to the design mode by clicking the "Developer" tab.
Prepare for Distribution
8
Protect individual form elements from deletion by users. To select multiple items, hold down the shift key and click each form element to be protected. Click "Group" in the "Controls" group and click "Group." Click "Properties." Under "Locking," select "Content Control cannot be deleted." Not all form controls have this option; for example, check boxes do not.
9
Protect entire document. Click "Protect Document" in the "Protect" group. The Protect Document Task Pane will appear on the right side of the document. Under "Editing Restrictions," select the "Allow only this type of editing" check box. In the drop-down list, select "Filling in forms." Under "Start Enforcement," select "Yes, Start Enforcing Protection." Enter and confirm a password. If you do not enter a password, anyone will be able to change the restrictions.
10
Save the form as a template. Filled-out forms should be saved as documents.
When a friend or family member passes away, taking care of her social networking sites may be one affair you need to address. While you are allowed to keep his Facebook profile intact, the site will memorialize his profile if you request it. Once an account is memorialized, it cannot be accessed, and will not appear in search results except to friends. The profile wall remains available to friends who want to leave comments in remembrance.
Instructions
1
Sign in to your Facebook account. Click on the white arrow in the top right corner of any Facebook screen and choose "Help Center" from the menu. If you don't have an account on Facebook scroll down to the very bottom of the Facebook homepage and click "Help."
2
Type the word "Memorialize" in the "Enter a keyword or question" field and click "Search."
3
Click on "How do I report a deceased user or an account that needs to be memorialized?" to expand the information for that question.
4
Click on the underlined "Here" link in the "Memorialize the account" section. Facebook directs you to a form where you can report a page in need or memorializing.
5
Fill out the form with as much information as you can about the deceased user's account, such as her name, email address and the URL for her profile. Supply a link to an obituary or news story about the user's death, whenever possible.
6
Click the blue "Submit" button at the bottom of the form to send it to Facebook.
A domain name is the full name of your website. Having a symbolic domain name will increase your website traffic and will allow your visitors to remember your site. With many free website companies, your domain name will have a partial add-on to it. For example: If you have a free office live website, your domain name will include officelive.com in it. Eventually you will want to purchase a custom domain name that doesn't include your hosting company's name. Learn how to pick a unique domain name that will represent your website.
Instructions
1
Write down topic ideas for your website. Your domain name should relate to your website. If your website is about cars, include the word "car" or a type of car in your domain name.
2
Research similar but different domain names. Look at how they are structured. Add your main website keyword in your domain name. Your main keyword can also be a keyword phrase. What people will type to search for your website. Add it into your website domain name.
3
Check to see if your domain name is available. Visit a domain name registry company and enter your domain name to see if it is available. If it is already taken, you may want to research to see if the domain name is for sale. Checking the Whois database will help you see if you can use that domain name.
4
Purchase your custom domain name. If you already have a website host, you should check to see if you can get a custom domain name through them. You will not need to transfer your domain name if you purchase it through your website hosting company.
Online conversations can be easy misinterpreted because you do not see the other persons body language or facial expressions. Fortunately, there are special characters and symbols you can incorporate into these conversations to help define your tone and express your personality as you create a status update on a social networking site or send an instant message. You can type a heart symbol on your keyboard using alt codes, an HTML entity or a combination of symbols and numbers.
Instructions
1
Hold down the Alt and 3 keys simultaneously. A heart symbol will appear.
2
Enter (without quotation marks) into an HTML environment. The output of this HTML code entity is a heart symbol.
3
Enter the < symbol followed by the number 3. The symbol <3 (without quotation marks) represents a sideways heart.
If you operate your own blog, you can use Technorati's blogger tools to monitor traffic and much, much more. Track the number of Web sites your blog links to, browse API libraries for scriptwriting tools for your Web site or search blog activity by keyword to track recent blogging trends. Once you give Technorati's blogger tools a try, you'll wonder how you ever managed to run your blog without them.
Instructions
Discover Technorati's Blogger Tools
1
Begin by opening your Web browser and proceeding to Technorati's homepage (see Resources below).
2
Find the link to the "Technorati Tools" page and click on it, or see the Resources section at the bottom of this page.
3
Locate the "Blogger Tools" link. Follow it by clicking on it. You will be redirected to a page featuring Technorati's blogger tools: the "Technorati Link Count Widget," "API Libraries" and "Technorati Chart."
4
Start using the "Technorati Link Count Widget" by clicking on the link. You will be redirected to a page that details how to let visitors to your Web site see the number of Web links that postings on your blog are generating.
5
Follow the link to 'API Libraries' to learn what API libraries Technorati offers to Web developers. Browse the list of API libraries, or return to the 'Blogger Tools' page by clicking the 'Tools Main Page' link with the 'Back' icon.
6
Check out scripts written using Technorati's API by clicking the "See Scripts Written Using Our API" link.
7
Use the "Technorati Chart" feature to search for the popularity of your desired blog terms or keywords. Start by clicking on the "Technorati Chart" link.
8
Enter your search criteria using the fields and drop-down menus. You will have the option to search your keywords according to language, authority and location, as well as specify a time frame. Click "Chart It" to view your results.
9
Claim your own blog on Technorati and you'll be able to do even more to get exposure for it! Use the blogger tools to track your stats and attract more visitors.
10
Take some time to familiarize yourself with Technorati's 'Privacy Policy' and 'Terms Of Use', which can be found on the Technorati homepage (see Resources below).
11
Visit the Technorati 'Tools' page for additional help, if needed (see Resources below).
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures accounts at most national banks. FDIC employment opportunities include bank examiners, economists and financial analysts. Many positions require a college degree in business, finance or a related field. Applicants must create a user account and submit an application via the FDIC's website to be considered for employment. The application process is simple, and a resume with adequate skills can lead to an interview for potential employment.
Instructions
1
Visit the FDIC's website. Choose "Careers at FDIC" listed below from the Top Search Results on the right-hand side of the screen. Next choose "FDIC Careers." This will open the FDIC Careers page. This page gives you the option of browsing available jobs. If you are a new user and have never applied for a job with the FDIC, choose "New Users." You will be directed to a New User registration screen.
2
Enter your personal information, such as name and Social Security number, to create your user account. You will also upload your resume during the registration process. After you have completed registering, choose "Next" and you will be presented with your online application ID that can be used as your user name along with the password you chose to log into your FDIC Careers account. You can use your email address as your user name.
3
Choose "View All Vacancies" if you want to browse available jobs in all categories. You can browse available positions without registering, but you must create a user account if you intend to apply for a position.
4
Decide which job position you would like to apply for. Review the job's requirements and if you qualify, choose "Apply for this vacancy." Enter your log-in information and proceed with the application process. Your resume will be submitted to the FDIC for the job position.
Adding alternative text to images on your website is an important accessibility component that you should include. Alternative text is a short text description of any images that you include on your site. When someone goes to your website and cannot view an image, the alternative text will show up instead, helping to give them an idea of what information they are missing. Read on to learn how to add this feature to your website.
Instructions
Add Alternative Text to an Existing Image
1
Start Dreamweaver and open an existing document that contains an image to which you would like to apply alternative text.
2
Click on the image to select it. You will know that the image is selected when you see black sizing handles surrounding the image.
3
Put your cursor in the "Alt" text box in the Properties palette and type the alternative text you would like to appear for the image.
Add Alternative Text to a New Image
4
Choose the "Insert" menu and click on "Image" to open the "Select Image Source" dialog box.
5
Browse your folders to find an image that you would like to add to Dreamweaver.
6
Select the image and click the "OK" button to insert the image.
7
Type the alternative text you would like to add to the image in the "Image Tag Accessibility Attributes" window that pops up after you have selected the file you want to include in your Dreamweaver document.
8
Click the "OK" button on the "Image Tag Accessibility Attributes" dialog box to close the box and finishing importing your image with the alternative text to your Dreamweaver document.
Google image search is a tool that allows users to find pictures on the Internet. The tool is similar to Google's main page in its simplicity. It consists of Google's logo, a tool bar in the upper left-hand corner, a sign-in option in the right-hand corner, a search field and three informational links on the bottom of the page. There are no advertisements, no animated items, and no need for scrolling. As a result, the page loads quickly as compared to other search tools.
Basics
The search is available on Google's main page by clicking "Images" in the upper left-hand corner. To use the image search, enter key words relating to the image or kind of image you're looking for in the search field and click the "Search Images" button. This takes you to a search results page where you can view the images that correspond with the text you entered. This page also indicates how many images were found in the search and presents a list of related searches.
Filters
The image search allows users to filter the results. One such filter is size. By clicking on "Large," "Medium" or "Icon," you can view images corresponding to your search that fall within a certain range of dimensions. For example, large images are typically over 500 by 500 pixels, while icons are generally under 100 by 100, and medium images can be anything in between. Below the size filters are options that allow you to search exclusively for faces, photos, clip art or line drawings. Finally, the page includes a list of color swatches. Clicking on a swatch shows images that both correspond to your search and contain the selected color.
Interface
The image results appear as a grid of pictures of varying sizes. Most searches yield more results than can fit on the average computer screen. Thus, some scrolling is usually necessary to see all the results. Google typically presents the option to "Show more results." Clicking this options takes you to a new results page. Hovering the cursor over an image enlarges it without navigating away from the current page. Clicking on an image displays it in a separate window and gives you the option to visit the website where the image originated.
Advanced
To the right of the search field is a link to a menu of advanced options. This feature allows users to specify how the tool interprets the text entered in the field. Here you can ask Google to search for images related to all the words you enter or any of the words you enter. You can also search for images whose titles contain an exact phrase. Below these options are some of the filtering options present on the results page except that, here, you can specify an exact size, aspect ratio, file type or domain.
A fax machine is a great convenience, as it allows you to receive facsimiles of documents, including signature copies, in your home or office via a telephone line. Of course, every communications convenience carries the potential for abuse. Just as you may receive phone calls you do not want, you may also find yourself receiving unwanted, unsolicited faxes from concerns unknown to you. You can block them using a call-blocking service or a number-blocking feature that exists on your fax device. You can also try contacting the concern directly.
Instructions
Contact the Sender
1
Get the fax number, or wWeb or email address of the sender. You may be able to find the information somewhere on the fax. Check the bottom of the fax to find the number from which it was sent, for example. If you cannot find any address or number to reply to, and a company name is provided on the fax, you can try searching the web for the company's contact information.
2
Compose a request to opt out of the sender's list of contacts. Write or type a note asking that your fax number be removed from the faxer's contact list. Be sure to include your fax number in the note. Though it seems redundant, take care to ask also that the sender no longer send you faxes. You might also include information regarding the illegality of the company's failing to abide by your request, as no "business relationship" exists between you and the sender company.
3
Send the opt-out letter to the contact number or address of the unwanted faxer. If, after sending the letter, you continue to receive faxes from that sender, you can file a complaint with the FCC, and inform the company that you have done so.
Use Fax Number-Blocking Feature
4
Check to be sure your fax line is equipped with Caller ID. If you do not recall this service detail, contact your telephone service provider to confirm.
5
Find the instructions for blocking fax numbers. In a printed manual, you can consult the table of contents or index. In an online manual, you may want to type into the request field keywords, such as 'fax number blocking'.
6
Activate your fax blocking feature by following the manual instructions. Depending on your available options, you may be able to search the numbers of faxes you have received, or even enter by hand a number you want to block.
Use a Fax-Blocking Product
7
Search the Web for fax blocking products. You can use any search engine to find a product to suit your needs. Certain sites list a range of fax blocker products. You can also find product reviews online.
8
Purchase the product. You can usually buy online or by phone.
9
Follow instructions to setup and use the product. Your device may, for example, allow you to specify numbers or prefixes to block, specify numbers to allow, and/or simply block all unidentified numbers, among other options.
Use 'Call Block' Services
10
Contact your telephone service provider. You can usually reach them by phone, email, and/or chat.
11
Find out what kinds of number blocking services are offered. Your phone service provider may allow you to refuse calls from unidentified numbers, or specify numbers to block, for example.
12
Choose the best service for your needs. If you primarily want to avoid faxes from unidentified numbers, select only that call blocking choice. If you want to stop certain numbers from ringing on your phone, choose that option. Call blocking services typically require a monthly or annual fee in addition to any existing monthly phone fees.
If you want to search only one website in your Google search, you can use the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' feature. This will open the first website that is displayed for your search term. Here's how you can use this feature.
Instructions
1
Go to the Google search homepage-http://www.google.com.
2
Enter the keyword in the search box.
3
Click on the 'I'm feeling lucky' button below the search box. This will take you directly to the first website in the search results page.
Schools often attempt to block access to popular websites for a number of reasons. Whether or not these blocks are justified or a waste of time, whether they are a form of censorship or a method of managing resources, are topics that can be debated another time. The bottom line is that it is very simple to bypass these blocks using a number of easy methods, so they are ultimately little more than an annoyance anyway. While you can not ultimately unblock the website, you can circumvent the restriction, so that your Internet connection behaves as if it doesnt exist. Here is how to unblock blocked websites while you are at school, using a few simple methods.
Instructions
How to Unblock Blocked Web Sites at School Using a Translation Service
1
Begin by going to a free translation web site, such as Googles language tools, or freetranslation.com. Look for a link that says something along the lines of web translator or web site translator.
2
Select the language you want to translate. You should select that you are translating from a foreign language into English. English words on the website will remain in English, so you are basically making use of the translation engine without changing any of the words.
3
Type in the URL of the web site that has been blocked by your school and click the translate button.
4
You will arrive on a page that has the translation tools in a frame on the top of the page, with the blocked site appearing in the frame below it. Since your schools Internet connection thinks you are surfing on the translation site, which could be a perfectly normal activity at school, you will not be blocked and have complete access to the website you wanted to unblock.
How to Unblock Blocked Web Sites at School Using a URL Redirection Service
5
Begin by visiting a web site that provides URL redirection services. Two popular sites are tinyurl.com and shorturl.com, but you can easily find others by conducting a keyword search.
6
Type in a new URL that will be your secret web address to get to the site that has been blocked.
7
The system will check to see if your desired URL is available. If so, you may claim it to use.
8
Fill out the required information about yourself (in case you ever want to edit your link) and the blocked site that you are trying to get access to.
9
You will be offered a premium account, which costs money. Select the basic account, which is free, and you should now be able to access the blocked site by typing in your private URL. Since the schools Internet connection thinks you are on the redirection services web site, you should be able to access the blocked web site without problem.
How to Unblock Blocked Web Sites at School Using a Web Proxy
10
Begin by finding a free web proxy. Any internet search engine can direct you to an infinite number of proxy web sites. Systems Administrators add proxy sites to their block sites list all the time, but there are always new proxies opening, so there will never be a short supply.
11
After you have located a free web proxy, simply type the URL of the blocked site you wish to visit into the proxys address bar and click go.
12
The proxy will load a new page consisting of two frames. The top frame contains the proxy sites address bar, in case you want to surf to a different site. The bottom frame contains the web site that was blocked. Unless the administrator has blocked this particular web proxy, you should be able to successful bypass the block using this method.
