There are literally hundreds of thousands of web hosting companies out there. Many of these companies offer both Windows hosting and Linux hosting plans. Windows plans usually cost more because of the license costs imposed by Microsoft. Knowing this, how can you know when you need Windows hosting and when Linux hosting will work just as well or better? Keep reading to find out.

Windows operating systems are found on something like 95% of all personal computers in the world. With such a total dominance, Microsoft Windows is top of mind to most new people looking for web hosting.

In the web server world though, Windows based servers are behind less than 20% of all websites on the internet. This is according to the latest web server survey from securityspace.com. By choosing a Linux hosting plan, you will find yourself in good company.

When do you have to use Windows Hosting?

1. .NET technologies including ASP.net are not available on Linux platforms. If you have a website built with Microsoft .NET technologies you will have to choose a Windows hosting plan. In fact, if you need ASP without .NET features, most Linux hosting plans do not offer support for it.

2. Access Databases are only available with a Windows hosting plan. Access runs on a Microsoft Windows platform and cannot run on a Linux Operating system.

3. MSSQL is an enterprise class database put out by Microsoft. If you need an enterprise class database there are some alternatives that run on a Linux platform but if you need Microsoft’s MSSQL database, a Windows hosting plan will have to be your choice.

4. If you are using Microsoft’s Sharepoint services like some of the Sharepoint features found in Frontpage 2003, a Windows Hosting plan is your only choice.

What is the advantage to choosing Linux Hosting?

All the major services you need to run an enterprise class website are available on Linux based systems for free. Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP are being used together to provide the infrastructure behind some of the most traffic intensive sites on the internet.

PHP runs better on a Linux server than on a Windows server. Having said that, unless you are putting a heavy load on your PHP scripts, this will not be noticable.

In general, Linux hosting plans are at least 20% cheaper than Windows hosting plans. If you don’t need any of the features mentioned above, Linux hosting is a fine choice for your needs.

For Microsoft specific technologies, Windows hosting plans are usually your best bet. For everthing else, Linux hosting plans will usually do quite well. With the cost savings usually found with Linux hosting plans, Linux hosting is usually the right choice for you.

This article was written by Joe Duchesne, president of http://www.yowling.com/, a web hosting company that offers Linux Hosting plans. Copyright 2004 Yowling. Reprint Freely as long as you provide a clickable link back to my website from this resource box.

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I am Dr Patrick Flanagan, and this is the latest edition of my Dr Health Secrets newsletter.

Lately I have written about toxins in our water and food supply. This installment is about a diet that has gotten a lot of attention all over the world. This newsletter about the Atkins Diet and its effects on your body.

Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner

And breakfast, and lunch, and snacks. That, and all other things of the protein persuasion, such as chicken, eggs, cheese, fish, and lard. Yes, Atkins was the diet that enabled its followers to ingest as much fat and protein as their little hearts desired while still shedding those extra, unwanted pounds. Many even seemed to get results from the Atkins diet without even having to step foot in a gym. Even more remarkable were those revolutionary new “desserts” that were both Atkins friendly and approved. Sure they tasted like they were manufactured in a nuclear weapons facility, but they were still synthetically sweet, and would help in the elimination of those darned sweet cravings. What the perfect diet Atkins was.

Eat as much fat as you wanted, consume all of the steak and bacon you could, and wash it all down with an aspartame-infested soda and non-exercising exercise regiment. The life of a lazy king.

The Fat Makes The Calorie, Not The Man

It seemed perfect, but seemed would have to become the operative word. Many of you have lived on this earth long enough to know that perfection really doesn’t exist. There is no perfect child, no prefect insurance plan, no perfect way to say, “We should see other people,” and no perfect diet. Dr. Atkins himself would have argued that cholesterol levels didn’t increase with the added intake of high fat foods, but many researchers and scientists have proven otherwise. Heart disease, as well as other heart conditions, has been attributed to followers of high protein and high fat diets. Some studies are starting to show the correlation between these diets and heart problems, and to me, even the potential risk of losing my ticker is enough to make me eat a piece of bread.

One particular side effect that is hazardous when eating excess amounts of fat and protein are the increased levels of acidity within the body, which are mostly caused by the ketone acids that are produced during ketosis. High levels of acidity can lead to a loss of much needed calcium from within bones. Calcium, which is an alkaline material, is depleted when acid levels get to be too high. This is your body’s way of attempting to neutralize its ph balance and bring everything back to a normal level of functioning. Lack of calcium, over time, can lead to an increase in fractures, the erosion of teeth (teeth are made of calcium), and the depression of the central nervous system. High acidity also forces the kidneys and the liver to work a lot harder than they typically would, so people who have preexisting problems with these organs are at risk of developing even more severe problems when on Atkins.

Aside from leading to dehydration, acidity can also cause high toxic levels within the body, and over time, these toxic levels can lead to permanent and caustic side effects. One way to help with the removal of these chemicals would be to drink water, but it has to be the right type of water. Many waters have surface tensions that are so high, that the cells in the body can’t absorb the water that they need. One way to help eliminate this problem would be to add the right colloidal minerals to the water that you are already drinking to allow for more nutrients to enter the cell and toxins to come out.

There’s no “I” in Vegetable

Carbohydrates are considered food for the brain, and even more importantly, many simple carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, contain important antioxidants that are needed to provide a healthy immune system. If you are a follower of Atkins or any other low carb, high fat, and high protein diets, then I don’t stay on these particular eating plans for too long a period of time. If you absolutely can’t bring yourself to eat a noodle or an apple, you should at least attempt to take some kind of antioxidant supplement.

This article has been authored by Dr Patrick Flanagan, a cellular hydration expert who has developed a unique mineral form called Microcluster® silica and silica hydride to dramatically increase longevity. Silica hydride is the most powerful antioxidant known. To learn more about Dr. Patrick Flanagan and ways to more beauty, health and longer life, for less than $1 a day, please visit: http://www.DrHealthSecrets.com/

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March madness is great to watch not because I have
basketball ability, (you can tell that by my
height), but because every year there are some
good players that become great players. Some of
the tournament games are nail bitters and come
down to last second shots. When they do there are
maybe one or two players on the team that have
this attitude of, “just give me the ball.” They
want that pressure shot, they want to be the one
making or breaking the teams future. Those are the
players that go on in life to be the Michael
Jordan’s, Larry birds, and Magic Johnson’s of this
world.

Do you know that Jesus is just like one of those
players? He lives for the moment. He wants the
pressure shots, and he wants to have the ability
in our lives to determine where we are going.

A few of you know I have had a hard time finding
understanding in events in my life these last
three weeks. Events out of my control, events with
seemingly not much logical understanding, and
events mixed with love, frustration, and fear.
Monday evening I happened to be working late at my
office, which I rarely do on Monday’s. Also I
parked my car on the side of my office, in which
any one passing by wouldn’t have known I was
there.

Finally realizing that I had no control, there
doesn’t have to be any logic to love, and
frustration was just giving me headaches and
stomach aches. Monday was one of those days in
which I felt in my heart I was turning the corner
and releasing everything that the past three weeks
had brought upon me to God and moving on with my
life. At 5:00 my last client left and I decided
to be still for a while. (A common theme I heard
on three separate occasions this week in sermons).
I guess you could say, I finally needed and wanted
to pass the ball to someone else.

As I sat there quietly in my office I had this
sudden urge to get on my knees and pray. But not
the normal attitude prayer that normally comes out
of my mouth. That morning I turned to Matthew and
read about asking for things, knocking on Gods
door and receiving his blessings. This time I
said, “God you say in Matthew, now I am asking,
just give me a “sign” one way or another with
Amber that’s it. That’s all I am asking.” And I
said all in a confidence and a strong voice.

As God as my witness not even five minutes later I
hear a knock at my office door, in walks Amber
Smith! I have not spoken, seen her nor thought I
ever would again in almost three weeks. Then all
of a sudden she walks in. Needless to say, I was
shocked not just because of her showing up, but
because of what God had just did. Saving you with
all the mushy details (which is none of your
business anyway) we spoke for fifteen minutes
answered some concerns of each others, took a step
forward, hugged and said our good byes.

But, much greater than the details is what Jesus
did because I handed the ball off to him. All
along he would say to me, “Be still, give me the
ball, let me make the pressure shots, and let me
have your play book of life.” However, all I
needed to do was take the ball of burdens stretch
out my arms and hand it to him. The minute my
hands (thoughts and emotions) left the ball (my
willingness to control and have answers) he
answered and took the pressure shot. But not until
I totally let go and let God.

What I learned was this, humble yourself before
God (on your knees be the team player it’s not
about you)? Continually read the word and stand on
it (study the play book). Go boldly to Jesus for
answers (give him the pressure shots)

I don’t know where my future is with Amber Smith,
I still love her and I hope she believes that.
What I do know is this; God is faithful on his
time table. Whether we know it or not he watches
over us always. And practice the Golden Rule no
matter what.

So the next time you want to make the great shot,
remember there are greater players around you if
you just give them the ball.
March madness is great to watch not because I have
basketball ability, (you can tell that by my
height), but because every year there are some
good players that become great players. Some of
the tournament games are nail bitters and come
down to last second shots. When they do there are
maybe one or two players on the team that have
this attitude of, “just give me the ball.” They
want that pressure shot, they want to be the one
making or breaking the teams future. Those are the
players that go on in life to be the Michael
Jordan’s, Larry birds, and Magic Johnson’s of this
world.

Do you know that Jesus is just like one of those
players? He lives for the moment. He wants the
pressure shots, and he wants to have the ability
in our lives to determine where we are going.

A few of you know I have had a hard time finding
understanding in events in my life these last
three weeks. Events out of my control, events with
seemingly not much logical understanding, and
events mixed with love, frustration, and fear.
Monday evening I happened to be working late at my
office, which I rarely do on Monday’s. Also I
parked my car on the side of my office, in which
any one passing by wouldn’t have known I was
there.

Finally realizing that I had no control, there
doesn’t have to be any logic to love, and
frustration was just giving me headaches and
stomach aches. Monday was one of those days in
which I felt in my heart I was turning the corner
and releasing everything that the past three weeks
had brought upon me to God and moving on with my
life. At 5:00 my last client left and I decided
to be still for a while. (A common theme I heard
on three separate occasions this week in sermons).
I guess you could say, I finally needed and wanted
to pass the ball to someone else.

As I sat there quietly in my office I had this
sudden urge to get on my knees and pray. But not
the normal attitude prayer that normally comes out
of my mouth. That morning I turned to Matthew and
read about asking for things, knocking on Gods
door and receiving his blessings. This time I
said, “God you say in Matthew, now I am asking,
just give me a “sign” one way or another with
Amber that’s it. That’s all I am asking.” And I
said all in a confidence and a strong voice.

As God as my witness not even five minutes later I
hear a knock at my office door, in walks Amber
Smith! I have not spoken, seen her nor thought I
ever would again in almost three weeks. Then all
of a sudden she walks in. Needless to say, I was
shocked not just because of her showing up, but
because of what God had just did. Saving you with
all the mushy details (which is none of your
business anyway) we spoke for fifteen minutes
answered some concerns of each others, took a step
forward, hugged and said our good byes.

But, much greater than the details is what Jesus
did because I handed the ball off to him. All
along he would say to me, “Be still, give me the
ball, let me make the pressure shots, and let me
have your play book of life.” However, all I
needed to do was take the ball of burdens stretch
out my arms and hand it to him. The minute my
hands (thoughts and emotions) left the ball (my
willingness to control and have answers) he
answered and took the pressure shot. But not until
I totally let go and let God.

What I learned was this, humble yourself before
God (on your knees be the team player it’s not
about you)? Continually read the word and stand on
it (study the play book). Go boldly to Jesus for
answers (give him the pressure shots)

I don’t know where my future is, what I do know is this;
God is faithful on his
time table. Whether we know it or not he watches
over us always. And practice the Golden Rule no
matter what.

So the next time you want to make the great shot,
remember there are greater players around you if
you just give them the ball.

Greg Ryan is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT series. A powerful five step plan to better your life, get healthier, and have more energy!
For FREE mini Course click here! http://www.resolutions.bz

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One big mistake of PC owners is the constant seeking for “best antivirus”. There’s no such thing! When you ask for something “best”, be prepared to get very biased recommendations. In fact, every big PC security vendor has its avid advocates and most determined haters alike. Norton and McAfee are just popular examples. There are people who stick with Symantec and will never go for any other solution! Same is with McAfee. These are loyal customers, and we can’t really blame them for some short-sightedness. New players on the growing market of computer security software have to try new marketing methods to attract customers – and free versions are just an example of such tactics. Free is not bad. Actually, in the field of PC security free software can have evident advantages. Quality depends and so does the price.

Advanced Spy will help you to monitor and record all activities on your computer. Selected as the Editors’ Choice by the experts at most downloads archives, Advanced Spy record all e-mail’s sent and received, all AOL, ICQ, Yahoo and MSN chat conversations, all web sites visited, every application executed, all text and images sent to the clipboard, every keystroke pressed, every password typed, and more! It’s can can run in Total Stealth mode and send activity logs to your email and/or upload to ftp server. Data loggers, key loggers are just a few programs which harvest info from your computer. Winclear is the only program created specially to auto remove such spywares. If you clicked on the link and went to a fake e-gold site and entered your e-gold account information along with your email account information your account could have been compromised without malicious software being installed on your computer. That is why every computer owner needs winclear.

Protect With Winclear :Criminal History Search
However, just like a coin, the Internet has two sides. This cyber world can also be used by sexual predators, cheating spouses and unscrupulous employees to promulgate their illegal or malevolent activities. Thus, we ought to do something to help ensure that our children, employees and spouses only make use of the Internet positively. Winclear is the only software which is capable of removing keylogger programs. Generally the information there is safe because it is non-executable text files. Winclear has been the industry leader in fighting keyloggers for the last 8 years.

Winclear:
Identity thieves have developed yet another scam to trap unsuspecting victims into revealing their passwords login names account numbers and other personal information without realizing they are doing so just by opening an electronic greeting card. That is the reason why you need Winclear installed onto your computer. Like most SMBs or solo entrepreneurs they have no IT guy so he/she wasn’t there to get fired on the spot. Protect your computer security by using Winclear! More about Winclear here: Winclear Review.

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A business makes many promises. Some, like a guarantee are stated on paper. Others are implied in the Mission, Vision and Values Statements. No matter whether stated or implied, you do make promises to customers, owners, vendors, staff, and communities. The manner in which a company makes good on its promises will often determine the level of success it enjoys.

A company makes promises to its customers. It promises that it will deliver quality products and services at a value commensurate with the level of quality and service. It promises that it will rectify errors. It promises timeliness. If the company does not deliver on these promises to its customers they will leave.

A company promises the staff a reliable, competitive paycheck and a safe, healthy, sanitary working environment. It promises a level of fairness and respect. It may make other promises in the form of the possibility of career advancement and other various benefits. If the company does not deliver on these promises it will have a high level of turnover, which causes inexperienced people making errors (this causes the company to not be able to deliver on promises made to customers) and extraordinary hiring and training expenses.

A company promises its owner(s) a reasonable return on investment and the satisfaction that comes from the creation and ownership process.

A company promises its suppliers payment within terms and integrity in dealing with problems.

A company promises its community the payment of appropriate taxes and a level of support.

Is your company keeping its promises?

This “Promise Concept” is something you might never thought of in this manner so take a couple moments and create a “Promise Check List” to determine the whether your business is keeping its promises. Ask what promises you have made, either implied or stated, and answer whether you are keeping them.

If your company is keeping those promises, I congratulate you. My guess is that the people and institutions the business makes promises to respect your business and refer potential clients to you. But if you are falling short, work to better deliver on your promises. Your business will improve because of the promises you keep.

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, “Front Lines with Larry Galler” Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com Questions??? Send an email to larry@larrygaller.com

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After a day’s work, I headed to my oasis, a watering hole for the thirsty soul … yes, a beer bar! I walked up unequal steps to the sit out on the first floor that overlooks a busy street. The beer there is draught, light on the belly and prices light on the wallet. I sat down and waited for my temporary nirvana to arrive frothing at the rim.

As I looked down, out into the street, the cold beer swirled around my mouth and found its gentle path down my interior, bringing a much-needed salve to a weary me. I sat thinking about time and its quirky ways. Soon, a tall fella, an American with long hair, came and sat some distance away. He sipped morosely at his tipple. I observed him for a while and then called out to him, inviting him to join me at my table. He graciously accepted, carrying his mug of the golden liquid across. Introductions over, we started chatting about work. He said he was the CEO of a BPO and had recently been let go because his salary of a couple of lakhs (hundred thousand/s) in addition to a bonus was too high for the Canadian company that owned the business and how they had found an Indian to take over as CEO at half the expense.

He said he was now looking for funding to start his own venture. I heard his business plan and how he had customers lined up, and how the venture would break even in under a trimester. He also spoke about how he could arrange the right manpower and the other essentials to get the business up and started in a short time. He mentioned how at an average US$ 8 per manhour the company would make about 60% net and that the initial investment of about rupees 2 crores (twenty million) would be recovered and repatriated in under a year and a half – if that’s what the investors desired. He said he would bring in about US$ 100,000 of his own money, too. I became interested and called up some wealthy relatives who I thought might be keen on such a venture. They showed some interest and said they would let me know their decision within a couple of days.

I told my new American acquaintance that I needed to understand his business better and that I would ask questions, including some that might sound stupid but he would need to be patient and answer because the rich investors would expect answers to everything, especially on the accounting side of the business. He said that was no problem. Our discussions carried on for a while. I asked many questions and he answered them all to more than my satisfaction, convincing me that there was indeed a sound plan that our friend had put together.

Soon, came the question of ownership and who would own how much of the company. He said the investors would get 10% of the equity for every crore they invested. Two crores would mean 20%. ‘Hey, hey, hang on a minute…,’ my instincts said. I asked him if the investors who put in most of the money got only twenty percent of the shares, who would own the rest. He said the rest would go to other investors who brought in the next round of financing. Fair enough! But, what if there was no ‘next round of financing’ then what?

He said he was willing to answer stupid questions but he could not send me to business school. I reacted with, ‘con school’ you mean. He looked livid, but kept his calm. I persisted, ‘to recover and repay the two crores invested initially in a year and a half to an investor who had only twenty percent of the company implied that the venture would make more than 15 crores net in the period. Moreover, if you (your ideas and ability, that is) are worth so much why would your former employer let you go at all?’ I didn’t need to go to Harvard Business School to learn that! He looked lost. ‘Just drop it,’ he answered.

I dropped it, paid for my beer and strolled out into the rain … remembering to call the potential investors and asking them to ‘drop it’.

Rajesh Kanoi (Jack) is a published writer, now living and working in China. Many of his short-stories, poems and articles have been published, including a book of short-stories, ‘From China With Love’ (Lipstick Publishing).

http://www.writingup.com/blog/oneinabillion

http://o3.indiatimes.com/kjack/

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Hampton Court Palace lies to the south-west of London City, on the banks of the River Thames, boarded by forest & stunning private grounds. Hampton Court Palace, Henry 8’s astonishing waterside palace is positioned in well over 600 acres of wood and grounds.

Stirring up the feeling of over four-hundred & fifty years of customs, costumed performers can be spotted all over Henry 8ths & King William III?s superb personal apartments. The scenes, noise & pong of the colourful Tudor kitchens where feasts were arrange for Henry?s courtyard of well over 700 folks can also be viewed.

Hampton Court Palace has been split into 6 separate routes or outings. The Maze at Hampton Court Palace that is built on the River Thames to the west of London is in all likelihood the most well-known hedge maze on this globe. Enjoy an amazing day out in London by visiting Hampton Court Palace with Enjoy England.

Hampton Court palace has an unstable legacy and is supposed to be run by some ghosts, including 2 of Henry eight’s past wives and a nursemaid to his offspring. Hampton Court Palace wardens and employees will be on hand to help visitors to their nominated state room for a sparkling wine & canap?s gathering. Fancy dress workers will announce the evening supper and guests will be asked to go to their seats for a terrific 2 course meal with selected fine champagne.

Hampton Court Palace has over 60 acres of official private grounds as well as the six-hundred acres of royal park. The royal gardens date back to the sixteenth Century, when the 1st Privy Garden was installed between fifteen thirty & fifteen-thirty eight for King Henry VIII.

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Not long ago, I got a sales letter that — while extremely well written and was selling a very high-quality product — committed a truly stupid marketing mistake.

A mistake that probably cost the company running the ad a TON of money in lost sales.

What was this mistake?

This: In order to make a point, he blatantly insulted the “Intelligent Design” movement. Saying people who believed it were misguided and not too “intelligent.”

Okay so what?

Here’s what: At this time, this debate — no matter what side you are on — is erupting around the U.S. And if you look at any poll, you will see at least half the people in the U.S. — and even a good chunk of people in more secular countries, like the United Kingdom — don’t believe in random evolution.

Which means, unless he was writing to atheists, humanists or other people who do not believe in intelligent design (he was writing to people who are interested in making money — which spans almost every group of people), he automatically turned away people who disagree with him, by violating their established belief systems. And in the process, murdered a good portion of his own sales.

Why?

Because when you say something that violates someone’s core beliefs — whether you’re right or wrong — instead of looking for reasons to buy from you, people will start to look for reasons NOT to buy from you. Even if they want what you have, and even if they need it.

That doesn’t mean you will lose everyone. But you will almost always lose people (maybe even a lot of people) who would otherwise have bought from you. And these lost sales can add up real fast.

Hollywood is finally catching on to this. Films and TV shows that star the more “outspoken” actors — especially the ones who used to bring in tens of millions of moviegoers — are now flopping left and right. Even if the movie is good, and even with tons of publicity and “awards”.

On the other hand — and again, Hollywood is finally learning this lesson — if you say things that reinforce and agree with your customer’s beliefs, then they will be more willing to hear you out and listen.

Ben Settle is an expert copywriter and direct marketer. If you liked this article then check out Ben’s website at http://bensettle.com — and get your hands on over 500 pages of advertising ideas, strategies and tactics just like this one — as well as rare swipe file ads and hot marketing information not easily found anywhere else.

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Possibly, the greatest untapped resource in any organization lies in its employees. These days, “giving 100 percent” is not enough to get ahead; you need to become more effective in unlocking your staff’s potential strengths, creativity, and resourcefulness. The best companies have the best people, and the top people are those who think and act faster and better than others. According to Gallup Research, organizations make use of less than 20% of their employee’s potential.

The following seven tips are what I believe are the specific ingredients in bringing the leader and his or her staff to their full potential:

1. Leadership – Being an effective leader helps you and your staff as they look to you for all of the specifics in getting their work done, as with items that follow and more. Allow your staff to think on their own, have trust in them for accomplishing the tasks assigned to them, and in return you will find that managing your employees will help them perform at their optimum level. The job of the leader is to help increase their staff’s effectiveness and to recognize and work to improve whatever limitations affect individual’s performance.

2. Communication – As a leader, talk to your staff and share with them how best to get the task or project done. In doing so, use optimism to motivate and inspire your staff and most importantly, ask your staff for suggestions on how they would get the task accomplished. Having clear expectations and direction from the leader is important so the staff can understand what they are expected to do. The leader is then able to give support to their team to get the job done more efficiently and with less stress and strain on the leader or their staff.

3. Empowering Employees – Allowing your staff to take responsibility and make decisions on their own is what many consider as a boost of self-confidence to employees. Getting your staff more involved in the work they do gives them a sense of accomplishment and helps them build up their self-esteem. Recognize their limitations and assign them tasks where they can use their strengths.

4. Talented Employees – Attracting and retaining talented people with exceptional skills is necessary for any organization and is a problem for many. The demand of hiring talented employees is extremely competitive. In finding new employees, or even in keeping the employees you already have, evaluate each person to see if it is worth your while and theirs in training them for challenging tasks that they will be required do. Developing untapped employee potential is a key competitive advantage for any organization. As a return-on-investment, developing your staff’s skills motivates them toward job satisfaction, as they prefer job challenges to performing the same functions week after week and year after year.

5. Emotional Intelligence – You can easily stick with the way you have done things in the past. But having your staff members shift gears in using their “emotional intelligence” skills assists them when it comes to excelling in their job or being “star performers.” Emotional Intelligence is defined as each staff member and leader having a set of competencies to develop and apply their “people skills” effectively. There are several emotional intelligence skills that affect all aspects of work, and they include: self-confidence, self-control, conscientiousness, adaptability, innovativeness, commitment, initiative, optimism, understanding others, conflict management skills, team capabilities, communication, and the ability to initiate or manage change. Team members clearly understand reactions and how to channel their energy into more productive results.

6. Recognition – Give your staff praise and positive feedback when it is appropriate. Through genuine appreciation, recognize the positive behaviors and achievements of your employees. Look for ways to increase employee motivation by recognizing excellence in the workplace. Celebrate the successes with your team members when they complete a job “well done”.

7. Team Work – Creating an effective team is a challenge to many leaders. Besides the fact that a team player is valued, your staff contributes to the success of the whole team as well as to the project or task, and even to the success of the organization as a whole. For the team to accomplish what they need to, the leader must get the right resources to the team. This goes along with your team members communicating with each other, problem solving on their own, being flexible and adaptive, and most importantly, working together.

Your team members typically will have a variety of unique styles that are significantly common and compliment each other. These are (source: Honey P., 1994, Teams and Leaders):
The Doers – those who make sure the job gets done and gives the team drive. Doers are prepared to get involved to help others. Also, Doers want to see progress and hate wasting time.
The Achievers – Achievers become impatient with delays, and also want to succeed and strive for results.
The Thinkers – Thinkers have good ideas and reject bad ones. Typically, they think the problem through and see solutions.
The Carers – Carers keep the team together, ease tensions, promote harmony, and are sensitive about relationships within the team. Carers are concerned that everyone is fitting in.

In optimizing the full potential of you the leader and your staff, incorporating a number of the ways we have discussed to develop your staff for job satisfaction is essential. If this does not take place, there will be no staff cooperation. As a result, miscommunication will be dominant, teamwork will fall apart, deadlines for any projects or tasks will be missed, and you will end up with high employee turnover. Take full advantage of your biggest asset – your employees. Using what has been outlined here will attract the best people to your organization, create the team any company would admire, and will take you and your organization to the next level and beyond.

Neal Burgis, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of Burgis Successful Solutions, an executive coaching firm. Neal has 18 years of experience helping people with their goals and performance. He specializes in executive coaching on work balance issues of performance, leadership development, and improving skills, as well as being a sounding board. Dr. Burgis is a National Certified Psychologist and a Certified Executive Coach. He is available to help with your coaching needs either in person or through telephone coach consultations at your convenience. For more information, you can visit his website at http://www.successful-solutions.com or contact Neal at 602-405-2540 or nburgis@successful-solutions.com.

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Everywhere you look these days, people are telling you that in order to sell through your website, you need tons of traffic.

Well, even though my business is traffic generation, *I’m* going to tell you that it’s a BIG FAT LIE!

The secret of a successful website isn’t just in the amount of visitors it has; it’s in the amount of visitors that are converted to buyers. It’s no good having 4,000 visitors if your means of bringing them to your site means that they’re vague rather than targeted visitors.

Time for some figures!

If you get 500 visitors to your site a day and convert 1 in 100 into a customer (making 5 sales a day), how do you increase sales? Sure, you can spend some more money and try and drive 1000 visitors a day, which will in turn gain you 10 customers a day.

Or, you can work on your website copy and where you’re getting the visitors from, and drive up your conversion rate. If you can increase your conversion rate to turn 1 in 50 into buyers, and make those 10 sales without increasing your traffic or spending any more money, isn’t that a better (and cheaper!) option?

So how can you increase your conversion rate?

1) Look at your front page

Go to your website right now and read the front page as if you’d never seen it before. Is it obvious what you’re selling? If I don’t know that you can solve my problem, whether that is a business or a consumer one, how do I know if I’m interested in your site?

Use bold text, large text and headlines to let me know I’m in the right place.

2) Look at your copy

Being brutally honest, I don’t really care how many clients you have, how many awards you’ve won, how long you’ve been trading for, or whether you think you’re the best at what you do.

On first visiting your website, I care about whether you have what I’m looking for.

So if your website starts with “Company XYZ has been trading in the Buckinghamshire area for over 27 years and has a client list of over 500″, change it! Don’t send people to sleep before they’ve found out what you do. Try something like:

“Looking for the best Wedding Photographer in Bedford? Well you’ve found him!”

Or

“Need business cards at a low low price? Click here for our price list or here to browse our styles”

Or

“Looking for that perfect Christmas gift? Send one of our luxurious fruit baskets”

Get the picture? All of those headlines tell me I’m in the right place for what I want. Equally importantly, they will also help search engine placements.

3) Target your traffic

If you just have hundreds of links in freebie web directories, it’s easy to get lots of traffic and no sales. Look at your web stats and find out where your visitors are coming from.

If you’re spending money to get visitors, look at the phrases you’re using. Being at the top of the search engines for “Christmas gifts” is not only going to cost a lot of money, it’s also pretty useless if you only sell one or a few things. “Christmas gift baskets” is more targeted and will help raise your conversion rate.

Other fairly useless phrases I’ve come across people using recently (and I use the word useless to mean that although they generate a lot of traffic, they don’t generate targeted traffic).

Web design (on a site that was very focused locally, so “web design Northampton” would provide more qualified traffic)
Graphics (on a printing site where ‘exhibition graphics’ would have been more targeted)
Coaching (on a business coaching site – ‘business coaching’ would have been better
Sales jobs (again on a geographically focused site – “sales jobs Milton Keynes” would have been more suited)

Think differently – search engines aren’t the be all and end all of website traffic generation;

* The Northampton based web design company would be better off targeting local search phrases, and putting their link on localised websites. Most towns and/or counties have local directories. They could also try a targeted email campaign to Northampton based businesses.

* The exhibition graphics company could advertise on sites that promote exhibitions, as well as finding better targeted phrases for search engine promotion.

* The business coaching company could advertise on sites devoted to new and growing businesses, as well as a targeted email campaign to businesses of a certain size.

* The sales recruitment company could again advertise on local sites, as well as free recruitment sites, and job seeking newsgroups and forums.

So there you have it, 3 top tips to increase the conversion rate of your site; Look at your front page, look at your copy and target your traffic.

If any of you would like me to make some suggestions on different ways you could be promoting your site in order to increase conversion, please email me at nikki@nikkipilkington.com.

Nikki Pilkington is owner of Milton Keynes based Internet Marketing Company Nikki Pilkington.com, and writes articles, hints and tips to help people looking to promote their website for free, as well as running paid e-marketing campaigns. For more of her articles visit http://www.nikkipilkington.com and sign up to the newsletter.

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