September 23rd 2011

Web Designers Design Brief

When first contacting web designers about your website or online project, it’s very important to have a written brief. Without some kind of brief, it can be difficult for web designers to fully understand the project and what it entails.

Spending time writing a clear and consise brief will make your project run a lot more smoothly and quickly than without. The more detailed you can be in the brief about both graphic design and functionality of the site, the better. For example, it’s always a good idea to include in your brief any existing logos, branding colour palletes, copies of current business cards, corporate fonts to ensure the graphic designers are aware that there is already a brand identity that must be adhered to. Secondly, if the site is to be redesigned, the more guidence you can give your web designers on what style of design you like, the better chance of success you have of having design developed that you like, first time. It’s helpful to let your designers know of 3 or 4 websites you like the layout and design of and specify what it is you like about them. Perhaps the colours, whitespace, clean, uncluttered feeling or perhaps a busy site with lots of text and images. These sites generally do not have to be industry related, only seen from a graphic design point of view. Lastly, supply your web designers with 3 or 4 of your competitors websites so that they can see what you are up against.

It’s also crucial to give your potential designers a sitemap. A list of the pages that are going to be required such as Home, About Us, Our Services, Contact Us, Media Library etc.. in addition to this, any special functionality that is required such as online payments, a user registration area to access a document library perhaps, ecommerce facilites are just a few of the functionalities that may be required. Giving this kind of detail to your developers will allow them to study the project in detail.

Once your developers have a solid idea of your design and development requirements they can spend some time researching ideas for the site and if time allows research some of the latest technology on the web that could be used. Once ideas have been discussed, your web developers should be able to give you a good idea of the cost of the project and estimated timescales for design and development.

Should you wish to move ahead with the project from there, you will have a good foundation for the project and should feel confident that both parties understand the project in detail. Your web designers should be able to design and develop a first class site on-time and on-budget.

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August 28th 2011

Black Hat versus White Hat

PUT ON THE WHITE HAT White hat SEO involves doing SEO by the book. It places integrity (or, at least, “legality”) first and foremost when one is engaging in SEO writing. So, the content is written primarily for web surfers, and only secondarily to get the notice of search engines. Links and keywords and keyword phrases all happen “naturally” within the content; there’s no scheming, no conniving, no forcing. The information is clear, accurate, and website-unique. When there are link backs, they are usually gained through mutual link exchange with another website that has agreed to it. White hat SEO writers believe the content is king and that people who are looking for content should find quality content, not content that is loaded to draw their attention like webs for flies with a hidden sales purpose behind it. So, if they post a blog, for instance, they won’t try to overload it with a well-researched keyword phrase; they will write from their heart (or creative intellect) and hope that they create enough quality–and just so happen, by chance, to get to fit in some keyword phrases to get up in the search engine results–that they’ll attract a following and thus make money.

In short, white hat SEO involves almost no calculating, although it might involve keyword research. This sounds great from a websurfer’s point of view, and it truly does avoid the problem of getting flagged by webcrawlers as a spammer. Unfortunately, due to the structure of the Internet and the way search engines and webcrawlers work these days, white hat SEO can take quite a long time to work–and that’s if it even does. It could take years for an article or post to attract attention. Meanwhile, where is your Internet content writing career going? You may sink to the bottom and have to become an indentured servant with a j-o-b. PUT ON THE BLACK HAT On the other hand, there’s black hat SEO. As you might imagine, black hat SEO is the polar opposite of white hat SEO. Those who write black hat SEO do all they can to manipulate and structure their content so that it’s really all about getting to the top of search engine results pages and drawing in as many people as possible for a hidden agenda’s purpose (selling them something). Quality of the content is a distant second to utility. The writing itself may be hackneyed and of a quality so poor that it would never, ever be published anywhere beyond the virtual reality of the Internet–and even then would be rejected by some sites. It does not necessarily inform a websurfer about anything and it might be way off topic from the website where it is placed. The writer of black hat SEO does not care if the content is murky–all that he cares about is weaving his tangled web to lure in potential buyers of some product. Writers of black hat SEO are coldly calculating. They try to fit in as close to an overload of keyword phrases as they possibly can. The whole piece they write may amount to little more than a contrived pile of keywords and keyword phrases. The jam in as many links back to their splash pages and squeeze pages as possible in a grand display of shameless self promotion. The black hatter finds vulnerable places on the Internet where it’s “safe” to warehouse links. They also use sleight of hand to dupe white hatters out of supposedly agreed upon mutual link backs, so they get a link while white hatters don’t. Black hat SEO is a content producer’s get rich quick scheme. The black hatters are willing to risk being kicked off of search engines as spammers by skirting the edge of legality and integrity in order to make fast, potentially big money. While less than 1% of white hat SEO websites make money, over 90% of black hat SEO websites make money. Black hat SEO writers, like the computer hackers of the 1980s, are becoming more sophisticated to get around the increasingly effective webcrawler algorithms that can spy out their dirty tricks. Black hat SEO e-books and blogs already exist to aid these shameless marketeers. CONCLUSION It all depends on what you are about as a webmaster or content producer whether you wear the white or the black SEO hat. If you care about the quality that gets published on the Internet and your own reputation for quality, you’ll be a white hat SEO writer–and you will likely suffer financially. If you want to write for the money, honey, and you are willing to risk search engine flagging and a bad reputation, do the black hat SEO. Hopefully, though, you can learn to strike a balance between the two and flourish with a touch of gray. The Author enjoys working from home and making money online through internet marketing.

An excellent resource to help you to make money online can be found at the author’s recommended website workingforwealth.net , where expert tuition will be given every step of the way.

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August 14th 2011

Can Depression Chat Rooms Help You?



If you are a technology-savvy person, you will benefit greatly from depression chat rooms that serve as a haven for people who are seeking for a group to understand their feelings and emotions, and join them as they walk through a difficult phase in their lives.

The people who started these chat rooms intend to help others who are suffering from anxiety, depression and other types of mood disorders. They provide information materials, stories and news that can widen a person’s perspective and help him achieve and develop a healthy mindset.

Spill It Out

People who are get into depression are usually those who are always quiet and do not have a healthy and open conversation with other people. Having constant conversation with others is one way to avoid depression. Talking it out and spilling what is on your mind is like liberating yourself from thoughts and situation that can trigger the onset of this unhealthy condition.

It is also good to collect people’s point of view about certain situations, events and circumstances, especially those that weigh heavily on your mind. Knowing what other people think about it can help you feel better about it.

Depression chat rooms provide one form of therapy that can help: a talk therapy, as members of these chat rooms would say. Members from these depression chat rooms extend a helping hand for the healing of depressed people.

Nonetheless, it is not a substitute for a professional medical assistance or psychological therapies. It is only an alternative solution or another avenue to which a depressed person can widen his perspective about the situation that he is into. The person should also seek help from professionals.

Ask Questions

In a depression chat room, you can help yourself feel better. Depression chat peers will talk to you and can provide answer to your questions or give you tips on how to clear your mind from confusing thoughts.

There are websites that provides comprehensive listing of different chat rooms available, along with a description of what you can expect from such chat room. You can see that even chat rooms were designed for specific needs of a person.

Hang-out Sites

Some websites serve as discussion forums that cater to people with mood and personality disorder. These forums are good places to hang out. If you want to know the depression issues that the community has tackled, it can be provided to you for download. There are also sites that can serve as your support group. You open up your problems, just like in a group therapy session and they will give their advice about your current dilemma.

Post Messages

You can post messages in depression chat rooms directed to people who want advice on how to attack their anxiety or depression. If you have any advice to give via these messages, you can help ease the pain, sadness and hopelessness of another member.

Inspire Others

You can give back to other people what they have given freely to you. In the depression chat room, inspire people by telling them the battles you have fought with depression and how you defeated this debilitating mental disorder. Share with them the method of treatment that have worked for you, the depression treatment center that has been a big help in your recovery and the medication that you took and how you experienced its side effects, adjusted to it and reap its rewards.

This way, you reveal a part of yourself, a very vulnerable spot in you that can make a difference in the lives of other people. You might ask: in doing so, am I not opening myself to invasion of privacy?

The answer is No. You can retain your anonymity while surfing depression chat rooms. You can name yourself in codes. And when you do tell your story, you can replace names to protect the privacy of those who are close to you. In fact, depression chat rooms encourage people to remain anonymous. This is a way of providing protection to their members.

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December 28th 2010

How To Write A Personal Statement For College



The entire college admission process can be exhausting and nerve-racking but there are few things worse than writing the personal statement for college applications. Your first thought is that it would be a piece of cake, everything you have to do is write a few words about yourself – what your interests are, what you would like to accomplish in life. However, personal statements for college have never been an easy task. When writing a statement for college, your high school writings for which you got straight A’s won’t do you much good.

The main issue is that when writing your personal statement for college, you are not in that world and you are well aware of it. Personal statements are not supposed to be essays about how much you admire famous people like Gandhi. You shouldn’t also write about the first time you leaned how important teamwork is or anything like that. They have heard it all, so you cannot write anything new and this, unfortunately, is not in your favor.

These are the reasons why so many people seek help when writing their personal statement for college is concerned. I had a good time growing up. As my mother is a very famous and acknowledged writer, I always counted on her for feedback. Even now she is there for me when I need an intelligent and well-structured statement or paper. Apart from helping with my essays, my mother was also good enough to give me a hand when I was writing my personal statement for college.

Of course, I realize not everyone is lucky enough to have such a valuable resource at their home, and not everyone can also depend on their high school English teacher. So, if this concerns you, then you can try searching some sites on the internet that might turn to be quite helpful. For instance, most of them offer free tips telling you what you should avoid and what you should include when writing your personal statement for college. From my point of view, when writing your personal statement it’s best to try to find face to face feedback from someone whom you trust.

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December 11th 2010

Is a Book Review the Same As a Book Report? A Guide to Writing Both



A book review and a book report are different in regards to their objective.

A book report shows the content and structure of a book in an objective way. It summarizes the content and analyzes the structure. It intends to give valuable information about the book to help others decide if it is interesting and valuable.

A book review describes, evaluates or criticizes its content. Same as a book report, it explains the content and analyzes its structure, but additionally, you measure the worth of the book and recommend it, or not, to others.

Both center on a specific book, and rarely include research outside of it.

In college, or even for an ESL class, you may be asked to write one or the other, and it is vital that you know exactly what they are asking you to do if you want to excel in your classes. Following is a guide to write both:

1. Bibliography. Includes the author’s name, title and subtitle of the book, editor and edition, place, publisher, date of publication and number of pages. All of it in bibliographical form under the report’s title.

2. Background. Includes the author’s credentials in the area and any influence that may have affected his or her views. Add any interesting data related to the writing of the book.

3. Classification of the book. Is the book fiction or non-fiction? Specify the subject area, for example, medicine, history, travel, biography, law, etc.

4. Classify the author’s intention. How does he or she touches on the subject? Is it a specialized work? Is it meant for professionals, students or just anyone? Is it dedicated to a specific field or is it general?

5. Subject and thesis statement. What’s the book about? Talk about its main subject and the author’s particular point of view on that subject (thesis statement).

6. Structure analysis. The thesis statement will summarize the main idea of the book, however, you have to talk about the order of other ideas and how they relate to the thesis and between them. The headlines and sections will show most of the structure of the book, but you will find other important elements while reading it.

7. Content summary. This is based on your notes, follows the author’s order, and is only composed of main ideas that pinpoint the author’s argument.

8. Critical comments. Check with your professor if the book report should include some criticism. These comments should be the strength of the book review. Here is where you state what you think about the author’s point of view and whether it is valuable for the readers. Consider the following: Was the book’s purpose achieved? Does it contribute to the field? Is it objective? Are there missing facts or evidence? What data supports the author’s opinions? Can this data be interpreted differently? Is the book written clearly? Does the book stimulate discussion? Support your evaluation with evidence from the book, and don’t forget to say whether you liked the piece or work or not.

So, if you were asked to read a book in your ESL class and you must write a book report or book review, now’s your chance to really stand out!

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source.

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