Friday, October 31, 2008

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year Back to School!

We have all seen the commercial where the parent is prancing around the office supply store gleefully filling the cart with school supplies. What they don't show you is the panic that sets in when school begins and hoards of paper pile up on the kitchen table like Mount Everest. But fear not, there are some strategies that you can begin to put in place now so that you will actually be able to eat at the kitchen table!

Start with the basics - a place for everything and everything in its place. Create a drop spot in your home where your kids (and you) can put their backpacks, keys, coats, shoes and anything else that consistently comes and goes in your home. Hooks are best for backpacks and coats. Baskets or bins are great for hats, gloves, and work papers; and a shoe rack is a must for keeping the shoes in pairs.

A school supply zone is a must. In this area you should put all the necessary school and craft supplies. Clear plastic stackable or drawer bins with labels work great for corralling paper, glue, scissors, note cards, pencils, markers, etc. Best of all, by having all the supplies in one place you will save yourself and your child time and frustration when they sit down to do their homework or project.

Create an In Box for incoming paper. Remind everyone in the family that all incoming paper, from school, work or the mailbox, must be placed here so that it can be handled. Then start the habit of emptying the bin every night before bed, taking the necessary action: trash/shed it, file it, delegate it or act upon it. Tossing, shredding and filing are self-explanatory. Delegating indicates that you give it to the person who has to read it, sign it or do something else with it. Acting upon it simply means that you will to do something now with the paper - sign it, pay it, read it or post it.

With younger children (preschool and elementary school), the amount of papers and art work that come from school is tremendous. The basic rule of thumb is: if it needs a signature, sign it immediately and place it back in their backpack or school bag; if it is a notice with an important date, mark it on the family calendar and then either file or toss it; and if it is art work, write the date on the back and display it. A great tip for hanging papers is to tie a piece of string, strung with clothes pins, between to cup hooks that have been screwed into the wall. The clothes pins can be embellished to fit the d?cor of the room. As new art comes in for display, place the old pieces in a bin.

At the end of every season group the items together and take a picture or two. Have your child stand with the three dimensional projects and the ones you particularly love so you have a photo of them with their masterpieces. Then pick a few choice pieces to keep and toss the rest (when they are not around of course).

For older children, the system is the same except they need to be involved in the decision of what stays and what goes. Scrapbooks, notebooks, storage bins or portable file holders are a great place for middle and high school kids to keep those papers, tests, ribbons, pictures, certificates and concert programs. It is important to label what ever organizing product you choose and be sure to stay within its boundaries For example, if you choose to keep school papers in a notebook, then limit yourself to a 3 binder and when it is full you need to purge before you can add anymore to it.

Create a family calendar that is visible and accessible to everyone. Let each person choose their own color for recording their appointments and activities. This way you can easily see who has to do what and when. And while we are on the subject, make sure that you plan time for being a family. These days everyone is so busy running from one activity to another - soccer, Tae Kwon Do, scouts, etc. - that we forget to make time for our family. Keep in mind, if you are stressed running your kids around from thing to thing, imagine how stressed they feel!

With a little planning and some new habits and routines, this really can be the most wonderful time of the year - for everyone!

Kathy Jenkins is a Professional Organizer based in Mechanicsville, VA. Through her business, Come To Order, she offers residential professional organizing services tailored to meet the specific needs of her clients, and operates a retail site for organizing products, OrganizedAtoZ.com. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD), Faithful Organizers, and Women Entrepreneurs of Virginia, and serves as marketing director of NAPO Richmond. You may contact her through her website at http://www.cometoorderva.com.

By Kathy Jenkins

Thursday, October 30, 2008

RockaBye Baby BassinetThere is a Gift in the Baby Bassinet


I recall the baby bassinet that my mother used for my brothers and me. It was an elevated white whicker basket on wheels. It had a hood that could be flipped from one side to the other and wheels that allowed you to move it from room to room. My memory of the baby bassinet always made me think of my younger sibling as a gift. There is something unique about a bassinet and the newness it exemplifies for a newborn. My mom intends to give me her bassinet after I have my first child. What a great heirloom! I may need only to purchase a mattress for the bed and when I no longer need it, I can pass it along to a younger sibling or keep it for the day when my own child has his or her first baby.



With all the expense of having a child parents may not want to consider anything that the baby will quickly outgrow. Particularly when for most, having a first child equates getting the first house. Why buy an object that the baby won't be able to use after three or four months? The bassinet is more about a tradition and the authenticity and uniqueness of a newborn's arrival into your home whether it's the first or the third, you're infant is special. Unless you come across one at a garage sale, you probably won't be lucky enough to find a cheap baby bassinet. If you're having your first child, there may be lot of new things to consider. As first time parents you may want something that will carry memories for you and your newborn. Nothing is more authentic and says ew like a baby bassinet. No object could be more suitable for an infant. An infant doesn't need much space, and if you don't have a lot of space it is an ideal first purchase. A bassinet is small enough to keep the baby in the same room with mom and dad and right next to the bed if necessary.


Most of the contemporary baby bassinets look very much like the vintage wicker baby bassinet models and are oval in shape. There are a few more round types of bassinets, but these are less authentic and would likely be less practical. After browsing around at babyage.com I discovered quite a selection of baby bassinets. There are many under one hundred dollars. If you want to get more for your money, you may find some bassinets that come with more than the vintage types used to. Some bassinets come with mobiles, lights, vibes and storage space. For most bassinets the recommendation is that once the baby weighs between fifteen and twenty pounds or can roll over, the bassinet is no longer safe. You can buy a bassinet from name brands such as Eddie Bauer, Badger, Simplicity, and Evenflo to name a few. Most of these come with a detachable frame and can also be used as a rocker. Badger makes a bassinet that can be converted into a toy-box once the baby outgrows the bed. Evenflo makes a square bassinet that looks like a typical baby bed. Though it is small and cute, it doesn't exude the same authenticity that pa bassinet does.


Some couples have inherited a vintage wicker baby bassinet or found one by chance at a thrift store or garage sale that may not come with everything it needs. One of those things that antique bassinets may not come with is the original baby bassinet mattresses. If you're looking for something to make your vintage bassinet complete, baby bassinet mattresses and other bedding supplies can be purchased separately online at babyage.com.


So, if you're looking to make your first time as a parent unique, owning a baby bassinet may prove to be a very practical investment. Keep in mind that it can be used again and again for all of your children. I could see myself allowing my daughter to use it as a crib for her dolls. And, you can always pass it along or sell it to another relative or friend once you no longer need it.

About the Author

This article has been edited by LynnMarie who is part of the marketing team at Babyage.com which is one of the top online retailers of Baby Items on the web. BabyAge carries Bassinets

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Increase the Value of California Homes for Sale by Preparing in Advance

Increasing the value of homes for sale can increase the asking price. Though realtors suggest improvements that can be made to increase home values, there are many things that can be done by owners in advance of listing their California homes for sale.

Many owners of homes for sale make the mistake of doing costly but unnecessary upgrades, making the wrong improvements, or trying to do too much. Costly upgrade costs are seldom recouped, and many types of improvements add no additional value to the homes.

Trying to do too many improvements is the biggest mistake made by owners of homes for sale. The objective is to do a few strategic and important projects really well with quality materials and workmanship. Doing many projects using mediocre materials, nonprofessional labor, and/or doing them only halfway can, in the end, decrease the value of the homes for sale.

Let?s look at some improvements that will add value to homes for sale:

?Yards
oMany owners think first of their back yard, since they have spent so many hours there compared to the front. The front yard, however, takes precedence over the back for homes for sale ? if sellers cannot get potential buyers through the front doors, then the back yards do not matter!

oOverall, patios add the most value to homes for sale; irrigation and then landscaping follow as value-added improvements.

oMany owners overplant, assuming elaborate landscaping will bring a higher selling price. Chaotic landscapes, however, do not impact potential buyers as much as lots of attractive lawn space. The new owners will add more landscaping if that is what they prefer; so, sellers should keep such planting to one area versus many.

oA little lighting goes a long way, so owners should use it sparingly and spend their money for other improvements.

oIf pavements are added or replaced, owners should focus on areas where people gather or frequently walk and not over do the paving for walkways and pool areas.

?Buildings ? Home, Garages and Any Additional Buildings
oCosmetic improvements add the most value. Painting and replacing carpet, however, give the best payback. Fixtures are next for increasing the value for homes for sale.

oThis is the time to do any maintenance that has been postponed ? whether it can be seen or not and especially any structural damage. Here are items that need to be checked for needed maintenance, repair or replacement:

?Items that generally need replacing or repaired after ten years of use are dishwashers, disposals, washer/dryers, and built in microwaves. Also look at fiberglass tubs and showers, laminate countertops, water heaters, carpeting, wooden decks, and asphalt driveways.

?Items that usually need replacing or repaired between 15 and 20 years are central air conditioning, all types of heating units, ranges, ovens, kitchen cabinets, and all types of fixtures, including water faucets and lighting.

?Items to look at that are 20 or more years old are sinks, granite countertops, and concrete, stone or brick walls and patios.

oAs to siding on the homes for sale, stucco or wood siding give the most value. Brick gives absolutely no value, and vinyl siding actually takes away from the asking price.

oThe features that add the most value to homes for sale are an extra full bathroom, half baths, fireplaces (two are better than one), and a garage for two or more vehicles.

oThe next added-value features for homes for sale are double oven, den or study, kitchen island, pantry, utility room, extra bedroom, cathedral ceilings, skylights, decks and an elevator.

Before deciding on any improvement projects, owners should do a buyer evaluation, beginning by standing on the street in front of their homes for sale. Using a notepad, they will write down their first impressions of the lawn and buildings. They must be objective, as if they are looking at their homes for the first time as potential buyers. They should walk through their entire property, making notes of their impressions. If owners have a difficult time separating themselves from the memories that are tied to the homes for sale, then they should ask a friend do this for them. They can even contact a realtor and ask him/her to evaluate the property for value-added improvements, with the promise or signed contract of listing the homes for sale with the realtor later.

The time to evaluate homes for sale is at the first decision to sell them, giving time to make improvements that may substantially increase your selling price.

John Harris is an expert researcher and writer on real estate topics such as economics, credit improvement tips, home selling advice and home buying preparations. For more on San Diego Homes for Sale visit http://www.twtrealestate.com

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Finding The Perfect Retirement Location For You

With more and more people paying attention to their physical fitness, and with vast improvements in health care and technology, retirement is increasingly becoming a time of your life to look forward to, a time when you have fewer obligations and more opportunity to do the things you've always dreamed of doing. How you end up spending your retirement depends in large part on where you choose to retire. Your retirement location determines how much you'll be spending, what services are available to you, and what activities you can engage in.

Of course, there is no one perfect retirement spot for everyone. Finding the perfect retirement spot for you depends on what you want. But here are a few suggestions.

Here's to your health The availability of good health care is a significant consideration for the retired population. Here are twelve cities in the country where you'll find a lot of hospitals.

1. Union City, NJ - 736 hospitals within a 30-mile radius
2. Jersey City, NJ - 732
3. North Bergen, NJ - 728
4. New York, NY - 727
5. Passaic, NJ - 720
6. Clifton, NJ - 709
7. Mount Vernon, NY - 706
8. New Rochelle, NY - 704
9. Yonkers, NY - 704
10. Paterson, NJ - 698
11. Bayonne, NJ - 696
12. Newark, NJ - 693

A home of your own

If you want a good bargain on a retirement home (and who doesn't?), check these cities out. They offer the lowest median home sale prices in the country.

1. Reading, PA - $42,850 median home sale price
2. Buffalo, NY - $45,000
3. Niagara Falls, NY - $47,000
4. Camden, NJ - $55,000
5. Youngstown, OH - $55,000
6. Utica, NY - $55,000
7. Flint, MI - $59,000
8. Rochester, NY - $60,000
9. Saginaw, MI - $62,000
10. Dayton, OH - $63,000
11. Pittsburgh, PA - $64,500
12. Syracuse, NY - $64,650

The people in your neighborhood

Cities with a large population of older adults offer retired persons the greatest opportunities for socialization and activity. These twelve cities have a high percentage of residents over 50 years of age.

1. Tamarac, FL - 50.84% of residents are over 50 years old
2. Lake Havasu City, AZ - 47.13%
3. Port Charlotte, FL - 46.97%
4. Prescott, AZ - 46.85%
5. Palm Desert, CA - 46.06%
6. Largo, FL - 45.96%
7. St. Simons Island, GA - 45.88%
8. Spring Hill, FL - 44.67%
9. Surprise, AZ - 44.53%
10. Walnut Creek, CA - 44.22%
11. Port Orange, FL - 42.91%
12. Deerfield Beach, FL - 42.91%

Perfect to a tee

If you love golf and couldn't get enough of it during all those years you were working, you might want to retire in one of these twelve golf-playing cities.

1. Coconut Creek, FL - residents play golf 1.41 times the national average
2. Palm Harbor, CA - 1.39 times
3. Palm Desert, CA - 1.34 times
4. Lake Havasu City, AZ - 1.33 times
5. Woodbury, MN - 1.33 times
6. Yorba Linda, CA - 1.32 times
7. Boca Raton, FL - 1.31 times
8. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - 1.30 times
9. Greenville, NC - 1.30 times
10. Diamond Bar, CA - 1.29 times
11. Cape Coral, FL - 1.29 times
12. Burke, VA - 1.29 times

Game, set, love

If it's tennis you prefer, here are twelve cities where residents play a lot of the game you love.

1. Bethesda, MD - residents play tennis 1.63 times the national average
2. Greenwich, CT - 1.61 times
3. Davis, CA - 1.61 times
4. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - 1.61 times
5. Newport Beach, CA - 1.60 times
6. Williamsburg, VA - 1.59 times
7. Laguna Niguel, CA - 1.58 times
8. West Bloomfield Township, MI - 1.57 times
9. McKinney, TX - 1.57 times
10. Asheville, NC - 1.56 times
11. Mission Viejo, CA - 1.55 times
12. Sandy Springs, GA - 1.55 times

Welcome to the club

If you like the idea of belonging to a country club, you might want to retire in one of these twelve cities, where country-club members make up a relatively high percentage of the population.

1. Palm Desert, CA - 2.0% of households belong to a country club
2. Bethesda, MD - 2.0%
3. Greenwich, CT - 1.8%
4. West Bloomfield Township, MI - 1.8%
5. Lower Merion, PA - 1.7%
6. Lake Havasu City, AZ - 1.7%
7. Newport Beach, CA - 1.7%
8. Palo Alto, CA - 1.7%
9. Spring Hill, FL - 1.6%
10. Carmel, IN - 1.6%
11. Burke, VA - 1.6%
12. Prescott, AZ - 1.6%

The groves of academe

Does the idea of well-educated neighbors appeal to you? These cities have a high percentage of residents with graduate degrees.

1. Arlington, VA - 35.7% of residents have graduate degrees
2. Davis, CA - 34.6%
3. Brookline, MA - 32.5%
4. Evanston, IL - 31.2%
5. Bloomington, IN - 31.2%
6. Towson, MD - 31.2%
7. Oak Park, IL - 29.1%
8. Bethesda, MD - 29.1%
9. Alexandria, VA - 29.0%
10. West Hartford, CT - 28.9%
11. College Station, TX - 27.7%
12. Ames, IA - 27.5%
13. Columbia, MO - 27.5%

The key to finding the perfect retirement spot for you is knowing what you want, then learning where you can find it. So check out your options and prepare to have the time of your life.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://retirement.biz-review.com where you can learn more about how to retire in style.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Connecticut Real Estate

Connecticut boasts a vibrant local heritage and culture, and is home to a lot of important business activities and events. Connecticut also is proud of its wondrous views and tourist spots. For people who would like to live in a place that is rich in culture but also has the hustle and bustle of the city, then it would be a good idea to start looking at Connecticut real estate.

What is Connecticut real estate?

Connecticut real estate refers to pieces of land in the state of Connecticut, as well as the structures built on it, such as buildings, houses, and barns. Connecticut real estate could actually be used for many purposes, such as for residence or for civic or for business purposes.

What Connecticut real estate is available?

There are various real estate properties available in the state of Connecticut. The list includes houses, condominium units, town houses, lofts, buildings, farms, and ranches, among many others.

Where can you find information regarding Connecticut real estate?

Experts in the real estate business suggest that the first and wisest move would be to ask your friends and relatives about Connecticut real estate. Friends and family could assist you in providing you information about where to find the best real estate agent there is who could expertly give you sound information about Connecticut real estate.

If this is not possible, you can also try searching through the Internet because many real estate companies have their own Web sites and they do provide as much information as they can about their business. If you are not satisfied with the information you find online, you can simply contact these real estate businesses and ask for further information about Connecticut real estate.

Connecticut Real Estate provides detailed information on Connecticut Real Estate, Connecticut Real Estate Agents, Connecticut Commercial Real Estate, Connecticut Real Estate Courses and more. Connecticut Real Estate is affiliated with Raleigh North Carolina Real Estate.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Travelling light How to pack light travelling with toddlers


<p=justify>Whether you're packing to go for a walk to the park or your planning a trip across country, when your travelling with toddlers packing poses a problem. How to pack light travelling with toddlers is a little more difficult than packing for an infant. Toddlers need stimulation in the form of toys and snacks not to mention the clothes and equipment. Toddlers require almost constant attention and need supervision almost all the time.


<p=justify>So how do you decide how to pack light travelling with toddlers and what do you need to pack? This will depending largely on where you're going, how long you're going for and how you're getting there? Whatever the answers you will need to consider all the possibilities. If you travel with kids, things to keep on hand all the time include diapers, spear clothes and sanitary items.


<p=justify> It is often not a matter of how to pack light when travelling with toddlers it is more a question of how to pack effectively. No matter what you have to plan for the unexpected that is likely when you travel with kids. Things to keep in mind when planning for your trip is that you can't predict everything so it is better to prepared. Start planning and preparing early, don't leave it to the last minute. Write yourself what to pack travel checklist and cross of the items as you get them. Put those items aside and get them ready for packing so you don't misplace them and have to rush at the last minute.


<p=justify>Before you start packing consider what you are going to use for packing. When you travel with kids things to keep in mind are the mess factor. You are better off using a bag for your toddler that is waterproof and easily cleaned. Your what to pack travel checklist should consist of at least the following;


<p=justify>? Diapers - required and extras in case of emergencies


<p=justify>? Blankets - you should take at least two blankets for your toddler


<p=justify>? Plastic bags / ziplock bags - for storing diapers, clothes and rubbish. This will just help keep mess to a minimum.


<p=justify>? Tissues / wipes - essential when you travel with kids, things to keep handy


<p=justify>? Sanitizer wipes -these are the best option for cleaning up any mess when it comes to your kids.


<p=justify>? Toys / books - to keep your toddler entertained, long trips can be very hard on children so you want to provide adequate stimulation.


<p=justify>? Clothes - enough for two changes a day. You never know what accidents or spills will happen so take a change of clothes on the plane, boat or in the car as well as two changes per day.


<p=justify>? Sun hat - a sunburnt toddler is not going to be fun on a long trip.


<p=justify>? Juice boxes, sipping cup - something that won't spill, you also want to keep hydration levels up when travelling.


<p=justify>? Food - snacks for the trip


<p=justify>? Laundry soap / pre-laundry stain stick - This could be a lifesaver for removing nasty stains while away from home.


<p=justify>? Car seat - this is essential for travel by car or plane.


<p=justify>? Stroller - another item that will help you enjoy your time as you won't be worried about carrying your toddler or them having to walk long distances.


<p=justify> These are essential items you need to have on your what to pack travel checklist to ensure you are able to enjoy your trip. Some other items that you need to think about when considering how to pack light when travelling with toddlers are items that will help you as a parent. These include changes of clothes for you in case of travel emergencies, snacks and drink for you, a separate bag for you and your toddler, something to read and your camera. These will just make it easier for you to relax and enjoy the trip.


<p=justify>Your what to pack travel checklist is a guide that reminds you of general considerations for when you travel with kids. Things to keep in mind as well are any specific requirements your kids may have. This could be medicine, nightlights, speciality foods, allergy medicines or cream, comforters, favourite toys or teddy bears. All of these things will make your trip run more smoothly and ensure your toddler will have everything he/she needs.



About the Author

By Vincent Platania. Fuller Brush ProductsIn business since 1906, Fuller Brush has been offering families high-quality household products for nearly a century. Fuller Brush natural cleaning products are environmentally friendly. Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Brian Culbertson Nice & Slow Smooth Jazz Music CD Review

Nice & Slow is the latest Smooth Jazz CD realeased by the highly talented piano playing Brian Culbertson who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. I?m confident Brian Culbertson fans, and Smooth Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one.

Brian Culbertson has been a super star in the Smooth Jazz genre for quite some time now and Nice & Slow is an excellent illustration as to why.

Brian Culbertson is one of those musicians that has the ability to just bowl you over with his talent. The kind of artist it?s really a treat to be able to listen to.

This is a first rate CD, delivering a little something for everyone. I give it my highest recommendation. It?s quite simply great listening. A must buy for the Smooth Jazz fan.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in Stuck On REpeat is track 8, Together Tonight. This is a great track!

Nice & Slow Release Notes:

Brian Culbertson originally released Nice & Slow on Jun 05, 2001 on the Atlantic label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Just Another Day - (featuring Herb Alpert/Jeff Lorber)
2. Get It On
3. Nice & Slow - (featuring Sherree/Trey Lorenz)
4. I Could Get Used To This - (featuring Dave Koz)
5. Without Your Love 6. Someone - (featuring Kenny Lattimore)
7. Prelude To Together Tonight
8. Together Tonight
9. All About You
10. I Wanna Know - (featuring Kirk Whalum)
11. Someone - (Bonus mix, featuring Kenny Lattimore)

Personnel includes: Brian Culbertson (trumpet, trombone, piano, Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards, bass, synthesizer); Sherree, Trey Lorenz, Kenny Lattimore (vocals); Dave Koz (soprano saxophone); Kirk Whalum, Jim Reid (tenor saxophone); Herb Alpert (trumpet); Ricky Peterson (Wurlitzer piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Jeff Lorber, Eddie Miller (Fender Rhodes piano); Steve Lu (keyboards, synthesizer); Tony Maiden (acoustic & electric guitars); G. Moe, Paul Jackson, Jr. (guitar); Michael Thompson (E-bow); Richard Patterson, Alex Al (bass); Donnell Spencer, Jr., Oscar Seaton, Jr. (drums); Lenny Castro (percussion). Producers include: Brian Culbertson, Donnell Spencer, Jr., Scott Steiner, Steve Lu, Craig Bauer. Engineers include: Brian Culbertson, Steve Lu, Scott Steiner. Digitally remastered using HDCD technology.

Get the information you want on your favorite smooth jazz songs and artists at http://www.iLoveSmoothJazz.com

Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. SmoothLee is a life long music fanatic, smooth jazz in particular, and does a daily online radio show featuring smooth jazz music that can be heard at http://www.NewYorkSmoothJazzRadio.com


Friday, October 24, 2008

Colorado Springs Real Estate

Whether you are in the market for a new home, a vacation home, or a rental home in another state such as Colorado, Colorado Springs real estate is always a good bet. Parks, open spaces, urban forests, facilities, recreation services, and famous landmarks like the U.S. Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, and Pikes Peak are more than enough reasons for you to buy a real estate property and settle in this beautiful city.

If one of your dreams is to send your son to the famous U.S. Air Force Academy, you should consider finding a property in Colorado Springs and live with your family there. It is not difficult to start a new life in this place, as it offers many recreational services, shopping malls, business centers, and entertainment areas. A handful of educational institutions offer many opportunities for employment.

Moreover, if you love the outdoors and want to own a vacation home in Colorado Springs, you can always find one in the many real estate listings. Colorado has always been known for its great ski resorts, where you can go skiing and snowboarding. The good thing about owning real estate there is that you can have the place rented for some time when you are away. If you will be having a long vacation, you can always come back and stay in your vacation home and have somebody rent it again when you leave and go back to your residence.

When it comes to finding your dream home, you can choose to work with a real estate agent. However, there is an easier way to do this. Search through Colorado Spring real estate listings online, as it is more convenient to do from the comfort of your home or office. The Internet provides a wide variety of options, and it is up to you to choose which one meets your real estate purchasing requirements.

Colorado Real Estate provides detailed information on Colorado Real Estate, Boulder Colorado Real Estate, Colorado Springs Real Estate, Colorado Luxury Real Estate and more. Colorado Real Estate is affiliated with Colorado Vacation Rentals.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

A Mindful Road Trip: The NoGoal Vacation

It's the beginning of spring break, and we're heading south. That's all we know.

Our family is greatly anticipating what may be our last road trip for a long, long time. There's a lot of
excitement in our house right now as we are shifting into a whole new phase for each of us.

My husband is launching a new business. I am writing a book. Our 17-year-old daughter is preparing for college in Nova Scotia in September. Our 16-year-old daughter is heading to Brazil for a year-long Rotary Exchange in July. Our 14-year-old daughter is playing a sport for the first time in her life. Our 13-year-old daughter is considering transferring to an arts magnet school in order to immerse herself in her passiondance.

This is the end of an era. In a few months, we will never have all four of them living at home again. The
next year will bring all kinds of changes, and we feel we need to grab this chance to hit the road together in our trusty, dusty minivan.

It's time for our favorite kind of vacationthe make-it-up-as-you-go meander through undiscovered (to us, anyway) territory. We'll get up really early, jump in the van, and just go. No reservations. No schedule. No destination in mind.

We love this no-goal travel. We learned years ago that the happiest times we spend together are those in
which we are free to experience each moment as it comes without planning the next.

Back in 1998, we decided in one day to pack up the kids and take off to India and Nepal for three months. It's not as though we simply quit our jobs and left. That would have been far easier.

We had plenty of responsibilitieswe owned two small retail businesses, an import/export company, an old
commercial building with a leaky roof, and a house we had just finished remodeling.

We felt restless and ready for adventure, and making the choice to go was instantaneous and unanimous.

We sold one business, liquidated another, put the third in a coma. We found someone to take care of the
leaky roof, and another to stay in our house. We yanked the kids out of school and within six weeks of
making our decision boarded a planesix excited travelers carrying six small backpacks.

The girls were 7, 8, 10 and 11. People thought we were insane.

The first two months we spent in India visiting the former host families my husband had lived with during
his own Rotary Exchange when he was 16. The third month we had reserved for Nepal. We planned to fly into Kathmandu and spend four weeks on our own. We had no agenda, no reservations, no contacts. We weren't the least bit concerned about it.

From the very first day, it was clear this was going to be a really special experience for our family. We found
a clean, friendly hotel, the Red Planet, with a room big enough for six of us. It was $15 a night. Our window
faced the rear of a nightclub, and we giggled ourselves to sleep as Pink Floyd and Michael Jackson were
blasted from the speakers outside. One of our daughters became quite adept at unclogging the toilet and bathtub drain.

We wandered the curving streets, marveling at the sights and sounds. Each meal was an adventure as we
made it a point to invite single diners to join us. We met fascinating people of all ages from around the world.

Highlights include dashing into a tiny Italian restaurant during our first two hours in Kathmandu as we were
caught in a torrential downpourour first rain since leaving Oregon. A hilarious but fairly sleepless night
sharing a tea house room with rats. Children, especially young boys, trailing us everywhere we trekked. Breakfast on our roof with a breathtaking view of the Annapurnas. Ducking to avoid spider webs dripping with dew while riding elephants in the early morning. Exploring richly scented temples. Spontaneous dancing
in the streets.

We have never, ever laughed more than we did on that trip. I had to use an asthma inhalernot for any allergies, but because I laughed so hard that I started wheezing! Every single day was full of absolute joy and discovery. It didn't matter in the slightest what we were doing. We were together, we were exploring, and we were having the time of our lives.

Granted, a road trip to southern Oregon isn't nearly as exotic. Still, what we learned in Nepal is the magic of being in the moment. Our kids discovered the power of being present and open to whatever the day may bring.

It's a priceless lesson we feel fortunate to have learned
early. That trip was a gift that keeps on giving. It provided a shining example of true mindfulness for our growing daughters.

We're heading south. Our intention? To be together. To explore. And to laugh our heads off.

I'll bring my inhaler.

Our family is greatly anticipating what may be our last road trip for a long, long time. There's a lot of
excitement in our house right now as we are shifting into a whole new phase for each of us.

My husband is launching a new business. I am writing a book. Our 17-year-old daughter is preparing for college in Nova Scotia in September. Our 16-year-old daughter is heading to Brazil for a year-long Rotary Exchange in July. Our 14-year-old daughter is playing a sport for the first time in her life. Our 13-year-old daughter is considering transferring to an arts magnet school in order to immerse herself in her passiondance.

This is the end of an era. In a few months, we will never have all four of them living at home again. The
next year will bring all kinds of changes, and we feel we need to grab this chance to hit the road together in our trusty, dusty minivan.

It's time for our favorite kind of vacationthe make-it-up-as-you-go meander through undiscovered (to us, anyway) territory. We'll get up really early, jump in the van, and just go. No reservations. No schedule. No destination in mind.

We love this no-goal travel. We learned years ago that the happiest times we spend together are those in
which we are free to experience each moment as it comes without planning the next.

Back in 1998, we decided in one day to pack up the kids and take off to India and Nepal for three months. It's not as though we simply quit our jobs and left. That would have been far easier.

We had plenty of responsibilitieswe owned two small retail businesses, an import/export company, an old
commercial building with a leaky roof, and a house we had just finished remodeling.

We felt restless and ready for adventure, and making the choice to go was instantaneous and unanimous.

We sold one business, liquidated another, put the third in a coma. We found someone to take care of the
leaky roof, and another to stay in our house. We yanked the kids out of school and within six weeks of
making our decision boarded a planesix excited travelers carrying six small backpacks.

The girls were 7, 8, 10 and 11. People thought we were insane.

The first two months we spent in India visiting the former host families my husband had lived with during
his own Rotary Exchange when he was 16. The third month we had reserved for Nepal. We planned to fly into Kathmandu and spend four weeks on our own. We had no agenda, no reservations, no contacts. We weren't the least bit concerned about it.

From the very first day, it was clear this was going to be a really special experience for our family. We found
a clean, friendly hotel, the Red Planet, with a room big enough for six of us. It was $15 a night. Our window
faced the rear of a nightclub, and we giggled ourselves to sleep as Pink Floyd and Michael Jackson were
blasted from the speakers outside. One of our daughters became quite adept at unclogging the toilet and bathtub drain.

We wandered the curving streets, marveling at the sights and sounds. Each meal was an adventure as we
made it a point to invite single diners to join us. We met fascinating people of all ages from around the world.

Highlights include dashing into a tiny Italian restaurant during our first two hours in Kathmandu as we were
caught in a torrential downpourour first rain since leaving Oregon. A hilarious but fairly sleepless night
sharing a tea house room with rats. Children, especially young boys, trailing us everywhere we trekked. Breakfast on our roof with a breathtaking view of the Annapurnas. Ducking to avoid spider webs dripping with dew while riding elephants in the early morning. Exploring richly scented temples. Spontaneous dancing
in the streets.

We have never, ever laughed more than we did on that trip. I had to use an asthma inhalernot for any allergies, but because I laughed so hard that I started wheezing! Every single day was full of absolute joy and discovery. It didn't matter in the slightest what we were doing. We were together, we were exploring, and we were having the time of our lives.

Granted, a road trip to southern Oregon isn't nearly as exotic. Still, what we learned in Nepal is the magic of being in the moment. Our kids discovered the power of being present and open to whatever the day may bring.

It's a priceless lesson we feel fortunate to have learned
early. That trip was a gift that keeps on giving. It provided a shining example of true mindfulness for our growing daughters.

We're heading south. Our intention? To be together. To explore. And to laugh our heads off.

I'll bring my inhaler.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 80 countries. She serves up a satisfying blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief in her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage. To subscribe, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.


Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Minnesota Mortgage What to Expect When Buying a Home in Minnesota

Maybe you?re buying your first home in Minnesota, or perhaps you?re relocating to Minnesota from another state. Either way, it?s important that you educate yourself on Minnesota home loans before shopping for a home and mortgage. This article explains what you?ll need to know before buying a home in Minnesota:

The median price of a home in Minnesota is $122,400. The price of homes in Minnesota varies widely between zip codes. For example, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the median price of a home in the summer of 2005 was $320,000; however, in Plymouth, Minnesota, the median price of a home was $214,000, and in Forest Lake, Minnesota, it was $225,000. Average interest and job growth rates in South Dakota are both below the national average.

Minnesota law prohibits the financing of points and fees on a mortgage that are more than 5% of the loan amount. Additionally, Minnesota limits the ownership of agricultural land to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and corporations owned at least 80% by U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

The state of Minnesota does not regulate home radon levels. This means that home buyers must test for radon levels in the home they are purchasing and decide for themselves how much radon is acceptable in their home.

Jessica Elliott recommends that you visit Mortgage Lenders Plus.com for more information about Minnesota Mortgage Rates and Loans.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Potty Training Get Ready Get Set Go!


Get Ready


If your child is near or has passed his first birthday, you can begin incorporating pre-potty training ideas into his life. They are simple things that will lay the groundwork for potty training and will make the process much easier when you're ready to begin.


* During diaper changes, narrate the process to teach your toddler the words and meanings for bathroom-related functions. Include descriptive words that you'll use during the process, such as wet, dry, wipe, and wash.
* If you're comfortable with it, bring your child with you when you use the toilet. Explain what you're doing. Tell him that when he gets bigger, he'll go in the toilet instead of in his diaper. Let him flush the toilet if he wants to.
* Help your toddler identify what's happening when she wets or fills her diaper. Have her watch you dump and flush.
* Start giving your child simple directions and help him to follow them. For example, ask him to get a toy from another room or to put the spoon in the dishwasher.
* Encourage your child to do things on her own: put on her socks, pull up her pants, carry a cup to the sink, or fetch a book.
* Have a daily sit-and-read time together.
* Take the readiness quiz again every month or two to see if you're ready to move on to active potty learning.


Get Set
* Buy a potty chair, a dozen pairs of training pants, four or more elastic-waist pants or shorts, and a supply of pull-up diapers or disposables with a feel-the-wetness sensation liner.
* Put the potty in the bathroom, and tell your child what it's for.
* Read books about going potty to your child.
* Let your child practice just sitting on the potty without expecting a deposit.


Go
* Begin dressing your child in training pants or pull-up diapers.
* Create a potty routine--have your child sit on the potty when she first wakes up, after meals, before getting in the car, and before bed.
* If your child looks like she needs to go--tell, don't ask! Say, Let's go to the potty.
* Boys and girls both can learn sitting down. Teach your son to hold his penis down. He can learn to stand when he's tall enough to reach.
* Your child must relax to go: read a book, tell a story, sing, or talk about the day.
* Make hand washing a fun part of the routine. Keep a step stool by the sink, and have colorful, child-friendly soap available.
* Praise her when she goes!
* Expect accidents, and clean them up calmly.
* Matter-of-factly use diapers or pull-ups for naps and bedtime.
* Either cover the car seat or use pull-ups or diapers for car trips.
* Visit new bathrooms frequently when away from home.
* Be patient! It will take three to twelve months for your child to be an independent toileter.


Stop
* If your child has temper tantrums or sheds tears over potty training, or if you find yourself getting angry, then stop training. Review your training plan and then try again, using a slightly different approach if necessary, in a month or two.


This article is an excerpt from The No-Cry Potty Training Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Child Say Good-Bye to Diapers by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2006)

About the Author

Elizabeth Pantley has redefined stress-free parenting with her classic books The No-Cry Sleep Solution, The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers and No-Cry Potty Training. She is the president of Better Beginnings, Inc. and the author of seven books for parents that are available in eighteen languages.


Monday, October 20, 2008

Double Your New Fundraiser Using 4 Basic Fundraising Fundamentals

Fundraising has been going on for many years and will continue as a way for youth sports leagues, schools, churches, cheerleaders and many other groups to generate funds for numerous causes. When trying to organize a successful new fundraiser you should have a few keys things in mind.







Copyright (c) 2008 AIM Fundraising

For many years fundraising has been one important way for youth sports leagues, cheerleaders, school fundraisers and other not for profit groups to fund their programs. This will continue to be the case. When planning your new fundraiser there are some basic considerations that must be be taken into account to ensure that it is profitable.

Event

Choose a type of event that coincides with your type of group and your fundraising goals. If your youth soccer team needs new nets for the field, then the cost involved should be relatively small. In this case a car wash, a soccer-thon, or other simple fundraising event will do. If on the other hand you need to raise thousands of dollars for a senior trip you might need to consider fundraisers such as teddy bear fundraisers, cookie dough fundraisers, or any number of other unique fundraising ideas. When the needs are larger, it may be time to consider raising money over a few different programs and times of the year. Your specific needs will dictate the type of new fundraiser idea you should be considering.

Volunteers

Never over look the hidden talents or things that might be of interest to your group. For instance, you would not want to ask the football players to do a teddy bear fundraiser. While that might be a unique fundraiser, you probably will not have a huge sale simply because those boys are not going to be that enthused about them. Now, if what you are planning is a cheerleader fundraiser, or a new fundraiser for little kids or an all girl group, then a teddy bear fundraiser should work just fine.

Choosing The Right Fundraising Product

After first taking into consideration the interest of your volunteer force, you will also want to consider the attractiveness of your fundraising product itself. Right now, in America, the number one product in fundraising is frozen food, specifically frozen cookie dough. There are many varieties of frozen cookie dough available, but hands down the top two are the Otis Spunkmeyer brand and Chippery cookie dough.

Once a frozen product has been sold in your neighborhood however, you are forced to find a new fundraiser that will be he next best thing.This is where it gets sort of interesting. I could fill a couple of hundred pages on this subject alone. There are so many things that must be considered when trying to come up with this ew fundraiser. Things like the type of group you have, the age range of your group, the time of year. The list could go on. There are products however that have stood the test of time and consistently make groups the money they need. There are in fact some new fundraiser products that I can see will be giving frozen products a push off of the mountain top.

Some of the old standards like Christmas wrap, candles and various gift items have truly stood the test of time. There are some new fundraisers like teddy bear fundraisers and Interstate Batteries that are making a showing now to displace the old tried and true fundraisers.

Given that the scope of this article does not include how to properly choose that new fundraiser, I would simply say at this point that it would be wise to consult a professional fundraising company for that advice.

Don't Let Your Ego Get In The Way

In the quest for new fundraiser ideas, it is important to keep in mind that there are some things that you may initially think will or will not work. Many times we are inclined to pick our new fundraisers based on our own personal likes and dislikes. The thought process goes, I would not buy that product line so it must be a loser of a fundraiser. If this were the only thing to consider about what works in the marketplace, the would be no Starbucks or Seatle's Best Coffee. I hate coffee! There would also be a Sears on every corner and whoever thought that putting a retractable wheel in the bottom of a shoe would be a big deal?

When planning for any new fundraiser it is important to consider some basic options to help you decide which fundraising product is the right one for your group. The best way to proceed is really to get out of the way and go with what works.




Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com




ABOUT THE AUTHOR


You don't have to re-invent the wheel when choosing the right product for your new fundraiser. There are lots of products that will work for your group. You will find some unique fundraiser ideas that work at AIM Fundraising.


Sunday, October 19, 2008

How To Get A Guaranteed Agricultural Loan

Farmers who want to improve their farm outputs will often need to upgrade their facilities and buy new farm machineries. For the past few years, cost of farm equipments and machineries have increased so much that there are many farmers who could not afford to buy new farm equipment and machineries using the existing operational funds of the farm. Although there are many farmers who have properties and assets, which could serve as collateral for bank loans, there are many farmers who do not have the necessary collateral to get the loan in order to buy new equipment and machineries.

For farmers who do not have the necessary collateral to guarantee their loans with the bank, but have enough cash flow to pay off loan amortizations, there are government guaranteed loan programs that can help. They can qualify for these programs, in order to get enough funds for their farm equipments and machinery upgrading.

Getting a government guaranteed agricultural loan is not difficult. There are many banks and lending institutions, which are affiliated with this program where you can inquire about the loan programs available. Affiliated banks and lending institutions facilitate the processing and the release of the loan for qualified applicants. You do not have to worry about the processing of the guarantee of the loan since the bank or the lending institutional will usually take care of those things. Depending on the guaranteed agricultural program that you are qualifying for, the government could guarantee up to 95% of the loan you take out to acquire a farm or to fund for farm operations. This can include the purchase of machinery and equipment, building of farm sheds, acquiring stock, and other farm related activities specified under the specific program that you qualify for.

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Saturday, October 18, 2008

Spurt in Prices of UK Land ? An Ideal Investment Opportunity?

UK is becoming densely populated to an untenable level. This has led to an acute housing shortage and a sharp rise in UK Land for Sale prices.

Prices for housing and land in UK has shown continuous upward trend due to a robust growth in average earnings - predicted to be close to 5% this year - as well as cuts in interest rates that has combined to prop-up the housing market .

According to Milan Khatri, chief economist at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the medium term outlook is for steady price growth.

Despite a fall in the number of mortgage approvals in April, which are viewed as a forward indicator of housing demand, activity remains above the historical average and still point to firm demand conditions, Mr. Khatri said.

Thus investments in UK Land for sale market are increasingly becoming attractive to common investors.

UK Land Highlights

? Unlike equities, the capital growth of land investments is attractive and so is the downside risk
? Better growth and lower downside risk than ANY other investment.
? Growth is consistent
? Unlike equities and land in the right location does not suffer long periods of cyclical decline.

Today, there are a number of companies serving smaller investors select plots of land to buy, and investments typically start at about $10,000.

Following types of plots of land for sale are available across the UK -

Brownfield Land: Brownfield Land is the common term used for previously developed land i.e. land that is or was occupied by a permanent structure. This land is often smaller, resulting in High Rise Development e.g. old petrol station and factories.

Greenfield Land: Greenfield Land simply refers to land that has never been used for development eg Farmland.

Greenbelt Land: Greenbelt Land is largely undeveloped or sparsely occupied land, which historically has been set aside to contain development, prevent towns merging and provide open space. Greenbelt boundaries can change in response to the requirements for additional housing in a controlled manner.

While there is some opposition against moves to grant planning permission to builders on greenbelt and greenfield land but keeping in view the acute mismatch between expected demand for housing and the amount of land available for planned development such moves are necessary.

Moreover release of such land for planned development would create jobs and opportunities in those areas and by increase in the supply the house prices would automatically lower, thereby ensuring that everyone can afford to become a home owner. At present, for the ambitious young generation to own a home is easier said than done. It is also very difficult for the low waged population to build there own homes.

Thus be it a farmland, greenbelt land, greenfield land or brownfield land, buying plots of land for sale has the potential to make stunning returns quickly. Infact prices of land in UK have increased by a stunning 926% in last two decades.

UK Land for Sale Market is thus expected to show a steady increase for coming decade and could prove to be an ideal investment vehicle for common investors

Stephen Brewood
Land Plots For Sale in UK

Friday, October 17, 2008

BMI Calculator Results

BMI, Body Mass Index, is the most popular and simple way that health professionals use to determine if you are a healthy weight. This article concerns how to interpret your results.

BMI, Body Mass Index, is the most popular and simple way that health professionals use to determine if you are a healthy weight. This article concerns how to interpret your results.

Summary

Body Mass Index:

<18: Underweight

>25: Overweight

>30: Obese


Calculate Yourself


The calculation is simple, you can do it on a regular calculator. All you need to know is your height and weight. If you want to use metric measurements, take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in meters squared. If you use inches and pounds instead, you need to multiply the result by 703 to get an equivalent result. I am 6' tall and I weigh 180 lbs. 180/(72 x 72) x 703 = 24.4

Underweight


If your BMI is 18 or less, you are considered underweight for your height. My work here is done. Just kidding.


Being underweight is a health problem, just as being overweight is. As Mr. Weightless, I am dedicated to helping those at the other end of the spectrum, but if you are underweight, here are a few tips to become healthier.


Don't try to do the opposite of everything I say to lose weight. You should still be drinking plenty of water, for example.

This may seem obvious, but EAT MORE. Consume more calories than you expend.

Consume more protein. One main reason you may be underweight is lack of muscle mass. Resistance training combined with a hefty increase in protein consumption will put some meat on your bones.
The best way to consume more calories while keeping a balanced and healthy diet is to order one of our combo products, and instead of using the meal replacement to replace meals, have a shake between other meals. You will be getting more calories, more protein, but without imbalancing your intake of other essential nutrients.


Normal Weight


If your BMI is between 18 and 25, you are considered normal weight for your height. My work here is done. Really.


Actually, not really. Read the section below BMI is not Enough to find out why a BMI that is in the normal range may not mean that you have no risk of disease. And let's face it, for beach season you don't want your waistline to be ormal, you want it to looked ipped. You can benefit from my articles and products to strip off the last remaining fat cells that are hiding your six-pack.


Overweight


If your BMI is over 25, you are considered overweight for your height. This is a dangerous category because most people ignore the dangers. Technically, being in the overweight category does not seriously predispose you to any health problems. But that does not mean that you are healthy. And if you do nothing, you may just slip into the obese category where your risks are great for developing heart disease, diabetes and cancer.


There is a movement these days called healthy overweight. People may have you believe that if you can jog a mile and do some push-ups that you are healthy despite being large. If you can do these things, that's great, but that doesn't make you healthy. It just means you're not sick yet. The people who believe in the healthy overweight basically want to take away any shame you might feel about your size, to make you feel better and relieve some of your stress about your self-image. They say that companies that sell diet products have exaggerated claims and made fat people believe that any amount of excess fat is unattractive and unhealthy. That may be true, we all see advertisements that make us feel unattractive compared to models and actors, and we don't feel as healthy as the athletes we watch in sports. But let's not kid ourselves: If you have excess fat, you are not as healthy as someone without it. Fat, especially around the waist, is a health risk, and it does you no good, unless you find yourself in the arctic. If you're a healthy overweight, lose some weight and you'll be a healthier normal weight!


In some cultures, even in America, being overweight is a status symbol. Having a big belly tells everyone that you make so much money that you can afford lots of food. It also says that you don't do manual labour or work with your muscles because your brain is all you need for your job. I think in most cultures this image is going away, because the muscular superhero look that I'm helping you attain shows just as much success in a different way.


Obese


If your BMI is over 30, you are considered obese. This is the category that is most associated with hightened risk for all sorts of diseases. Risk is not a guarantee, you might live to be 90, but the chances are slim.


I won't go into all of the health problems you are exposing yourself to, because I've written another article about that. Read all about Obesity Statistics and Dangers at www.weightlessproducts.com.


I don't think anything more needs to be said. If you are obese, you need to start losing weight right now to reduce your risks. Would you rather be dead? I don't like scaring people, but I am scared for you.


BMI Alone is Not Enough


One important fact to consider is that BMI is based only on height and weight. Therefore, BMI is not the best measure of your health. It is attractive because it's fast and easy to calculate, not because it is perfect. If you have been lifting weights and have a lot of muscle, your BMI may say you are overweight even though you have little health risk. That is because your big muscles increase your weight, not body fat.


To get a truly accurate picture of your health risks, you can try one or more of the following other indicators.


Percentage bodyfat is the best measure. You cannot do this yourself without special equipment. A doctor or nutritionist must do one of three tests: 1) use skin calipers to measure skin fold at four or six points on your body, or 2) submerge you in water to calculate your volume, or 3) use a device that measures BIA (bioelectrical impedence analysis) by running a small electrical charge through your body.


Generally, men should have less than 18% body fat, and women less than 23%.


Another good indicator of health risk related to weight is waist-hip ratio. Stand with stomach relaxed and measure the narrowest part of your waist, and divide that number by the measurement at the widest point of your hips/buttocks. For women, this number should be less than 0.8, for men it should be less than 0.95. If your ratio is higher, then you carry excess fat around the waist, which carries a higher health risk. However, this only really applies if your BMI is already over 25.


If your BMI is over 25, it is time to take action to improve your health. If your BMI is over 30, you are already at risk for many diseases. Start one of our programs today, it's FREE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David McCormick is the founder of Weightless Products. On the website, Mr. Weightless gives you tons of information completely free. No banner ads, no pop-ups, no sign-up. Visit http://www.weightlessproducts.com


Thursday, October 16, 2008

Uses Of Auto Seat Covers

It is an irony that auto seat covers are the most neglected thing in a car, while so much importance is given to its looks. Auto seat covers are as important for your car as any other part of your car. These covers will keep your seats free from dirt and other harmful elements. They will also maintain their shape.

There are several companies which offer designed seat covers. There are some companies which make baby seat covers made of cotton and silk, so as not to harm the baby's skin. The most important feature of an infant seat cover is the security it provides to the baby while the car is moving. Also, it provides security to parents against the mess created by children. You just need to detach the seat cover, toss it in the washing machine and refit it again to give the seat its usual look.

Auto Seat Cover Materials

Soft Touch: Poly-cotton is the most widely used material for auto seat covers. It is very soft to touch, and also renders protection against harmful elements simultaneously.

Sheepskin: The usage of sheepskin is common next to poly-cotton for seat covers. It is considered to be thermostatic in nature, as it is warm during cold conditions and cool during warm conditions.

UV Protected Sheets: Another good choice of seat covers that you can consider having are Velour seat covers. They are also very soft to touch like poly-cotton. However they are different, as they possess an additional ultraviolet coating. So they will protect the color of your car seats from fading.

Types of Auto Seat Covers

Universal Auto Seat Covers: These kinds of seat covers are a universal fit. This means that they can be fitted to almost every kind of car seat, whether they are low-back or high-back bucket seats. It is very convenient to fit and remove them. But they cannot be used for car seats with side-impact airbags.

Custom Auto Seat Covers: These auto seat covers are tailor made. They can be made as per the measured size of specified car seats. While making custom covers, every minor detail of the car seat is taken notice of and pondered over. This fitting is considered perfect, as it is specifically made to fulfill the particular requirements of the car.

Hybrid Semi-Custom Auto Seat Covers: These kinds of seat covers are best if you cannot afford custom covers. They may not provide you with all the features which are rendered by the latter, but they are able to protect your car seat against any harmful elements.

Maintained car seats give a beautiful look to the interior of your car. So it is always recommended to use auto seat covers to provide your car seats with protection against any harmful elements. This will increase the durability of the interior of your car.


About the Author:

Stefan Rockhaus writes about automotive accessories at Mega Info Spot - Visit Auto Seat Covers to read more about car seat covers




Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Local Community

Whether you?re buying a residential house for investment purposes or as your home, the local neighborhood and community where it is located will make a big difference in your enjoyment of that property and in your prospects for the future. Here are some of the basic things to look for:

1. Essential Shops and Services

Are all the essential shops and services in the area and are they you?re your house? Drive around and look for the local grocery, convenience stores, church, gas stations, dry cleaners and the like. While you?re at it, take a good look at the community?s leading shopping center. Oftentimes, if the local shopping center is in decline, chances are that the neighborhood is in decline as well. In addition, if there are a lot of vacant storefronts along that neighborhood, it might be a good idea to explore other options, perhaps go down a street or two for your house hunting.

2. Proximity to neighborhood center You want your home to be neatly tucked away at the center of the residential neighborhood or as close to it as possible. You do not want to purchase a house on the edge of town or close to its outskirts. And neither do you want a house that is at the back or side of a busy thoroughfare either. If it?s a single family residence you are eyeing, try to avoid purchasing property that borders a bustling business enterprise, condominium, apartment complex or school because these places are naturally bustling with activity which can be a distraction.

3. Access to major thoroughfares The ideal property provides easy access to local highways, major traffic routes and major thoroughfares as well as to mass transit. Try to avoid purchasing a house located on a street that is a favorite shortcut of motorists between two busier streets. If it?s a residential home you?re thinking of buying, also avoid a house located at a corner lot since these tend to attract more street traffic and may not be that safe for children. Instead, try to find a house that is in the middle of the block or on a cul de sac. Now if it?s a business or commercial property you are eyeing, a corner lot would be more desirable.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Real Estate, Investing, and Finance

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Top Locations for Property in North Cyprus

While the world is in agreement that property for sale in North Cyprus represents a fantastic investment opportunity because rental and resale demand is soaring while at the same time property prices remain incredibly affordable, there are certain parts of the island that make the best property investment hotspots.

It is not a case of every location being equal or of every property of a similar size and specification being worth the same in Northern Cyprus - just as it does anywhere else in the world location, location, location counts in North Cyprus.

The first location worthy of closer inspection is Esentepe to the east of the island and a twenty minute drive from the ancient harbour town of Kyrenia. Esentepe is home to a brand new, international standard, championship golf course - furthermore it is the location for the very first marina being built in Northern Cyprus.

Naturally enough these two factors alone create great reason for property in Esentepe to be highly prized, but there are a number of other reasons making this location worthy of closer inspection. Firstly land in the area is now selling for a premium as developers try to get in on the property boom, secondly rental demand for properties in the area has gone through the roof following the completion of the golf course, and thirdly the entire surrounding area is totally unspoiled, it is covered in lush olive and carob trees, the beaches are pristine and undeveloped and the people live in their traditional houses and still enjoy an unhurried and stress free kind of life.

Properties in Esentepe start from GBP 60,000 for duplex apartments within the golf resort and go up to around GBP 200,000 for custom built, luxury detached homes. Prices in this part of Northern Cyprus have been appreciating rapidly in the past 4 years.

The next area worthy of consideration is Alsancak which is to the west of Kyrenia and just a ten minute drive from the heart of the old town of Kyrenia. Alsancak is one of the most popular parts of Cyprus with holiday makers, there is a great deal of development already earmarked for the area and there's an abundance of beach clubs, bars and discos in the area. For property investors hoping to let their properties out during the long hot spring and summer seasons in Cyprus, Alsancak is most certainly worthy of consideration.

And finally - unspoiled, untouched and as yet almost undeveloped Karsiyaka which is a thirty minute drive to the west of Kyrenia. With its hidden coves, sandy beaches, stunning mountains and beautiful countryside, the area of Karsiyaka is going to become one of the most desirable places to live in North Cyprus because the government has set incredibly strict planning rules to prevent over development and to allocate a great deal of space for the likes of another golf course and marina, and also they have allocated space to be left completely untouched. This part of Cyprus is unique and it has to be seen to be understood and experienced!

Karsiyaka will become home to the discerning buyer, those looking to escape to a better quality of life in a superior location. Currently there are few developments in this area of the island but those that are available start from around GBP 80,000 for a two bedroom bungalow.

Rhiannon Williamson writes about real estate investment in emerging markets around the world and specifically profiles exciting investment property locations. To read more real estate property in North Cyprus click here.

Monday, October 13, 2008

School Backpacks

School backpacks mean space, space, and more space. Students are very demanding these days; they want it all ? style, comfort, durability, and convenience. School backpacks need to be particularly scientifically designed so as to ensure that growing children and teenagers do not harm their backs, arms, or shoulders in any way.



School backpacks need to be large enough to make way for books, workout clothes, the day's provisions, music systems, beverage bottles, snacks, and the like. In short, they should be cavernous enough to hold all the stuff that students generally need throughout the day. School backpacks ideally need separate compartments for books and binders, pens and pencils, cell phones, music systems, etc. Ideally, they should be waterproof.



The straps need to be ergonomically-designed. For instance, the S-curve shoulder straps and padded back panel are comfortable on young shoulders and enable students carry everything comfortably. The suspension of a school backpack should be such as to distribute the weight evenly and efficiently so that the bag does not tip a student backwards. It helps if the backpack comes with detachable hip belts that can be removed when not needed. Moreover, padded shoulder straps, waist belts, and sternum straps to distribute the weight equally are also imperative. Reflective trims are a plus for walking safety. Mesh pockets for carrying drinks and reflective and compression straps to keep the load evenly balanced are also recommended add-ons.



School backpacks are generally made of synthetic material in order to bear the everyday grind. Durability and style are of essence. They are available in a number of colors, and the more popular ones are the bright and vibrant kinds like deep blue, dark red, black and gray. A combination of these colors is also very popular. Most school backpacks are unisex, but girls can also go for smaller, sleeker versions.





Backpacks provides detailed information on Backpacks, Leather Backpack, School Backpacks, Laptop Backpack and more. Backpacks is affliated with Magnetic Chalkboards.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Magnesium applications in the short term


Magnesium is a very abundant metal, but is produced in small quantities. The amount of magnesium produced each year is about 400,000 metric tons. The amount of aluminum produced each year is about 22,000,000 metric tons. Both metals were isolated and identified by Sir Humphrey Davy within a year of each other.


Magnesium is the lightest structural metal. Based on structural metal occurrence in the Earth's crust, magnesium is the third most abundant after aluminum and iron. Silicon is the most abundant element, but it is not a structural material. Based on the magnesium in brine deposits, salt lakes and the oceans, magnesium is by far the most abundant of all metals. There are 6,000,000 tons of magnesium in a cubic mile of seawater. There are 330 million cubic miles of seawater according to the Scientific American.


Magnesium has properties that enable it to be used in many areas. Its very light weight makes it especially attractive to aerospace and to automobile industries. However, magnesium has struggled for acceptance for many years, mainly due to a high price when compared to aluminum. That wide variation of price is being overcome and magnesium is now ready to be more widely used to benefit mankind and the environment.


Magnesium's density is 1.74 compared to aluminum at 2.7. There are other basic inherent advantages with the use of magnesium, not the least of which is greater rigidity and a much higher damping capacity.


Of the total amount of magnesium metal used in industry on a worldwide basis in 2002, approximately one-half went to aluminum alloying and desulfurization of iron and steel. The magnesium industry did very little work and invested very little money in these applications. Most of the research and development was done by the end-user company.


Most of the major uses of magnesium in automobiles were developed and promoted by engineers and designers employed by the auto companies. That included the earlier use of magnesium in the Volkswagen Beetle, the world's most successful car, with approximately 25 million vehicles being built. Construction continues in South America and Mexico. The Beetle used approximately 44 pounds (22 kg) in each car. Magnesium was specified by Porsche in the original car and has remained that way. (Porsche first worked with a magnesium engine in 1928.)


The potential for magnesium applications is limitless. Magnesium development needs some long-range vision, technical intelligence, and lots of work and money. Unfortunately, many of the producers are fighting for survival and it is difficult to justify the investment of large amounts of money in research and development. But without the vision and investment, plus a strong marketing effort, magnesium applications will continue to be slow in developing.
The great immediate future for magnesium remains in the world autos. There is a need for light weight and there are many millions of cars produced each year. However, the auto industry has changed and it has less designers and materials people on companies' staff than was the case. To get more magnesium usage in automobiles, the magnesium industry must take a much more pro-active approach to the auto companies. In many cases, the final design decisions are being left to the Tier 1 suppliers. The auto companies are becoming specifiers of components that they will assemble. Much of the component supply is based on just-in-time delivery.


Any new magnesium use must meet some basic review criteria:


1. The cost of the finished product must be competitive. This includes the direct cost and the overall usage cost. For example, a lightweight part on a car may cost more than aluminum, but the lighter weight may have many other advantages that would add value to the use of the magnesium part.


2. The application must be reducible to efficient manufacturing processes. This includes casting or fabrication rates, scrap, and finishing and assembly operations.


3. Resistance to corrosion. Magnesium occupies a very high position on the table of electrochemical activities. This means that it tends to corrode faster than some other materials. Alloy development, assembly research, and coating technologists must continue to work to lessen these problems.


4. Flammability. While magnesium does not burn unless it melts, finely divided powder and shaving created in fabrication operations can catch fire. In any case, it is an area that must be constantly addressed. As long as science teachers in high school classes continue to burn pieces of magnesium ribbon, the image of the bright white fire will far surpass any knowledge of the fire resistance of solid magnesium.


5. Commonality. Aluminum objects exist everywhere. There are a million examples of aluminum use. There are very few visible examples of magnesium use. Many people go through their lives without ever coming into contact with magnesium unless it be in vitamin supplements or Milk of Magnesia. This has changed to some extent with the increased use of magnesium in computer cases and cellular phones.


Magnesium can be utilized in any item that is used in a repetitive fashion by human labor. The use of magnesium in chainsaws, nail guns, electric drills, plasterers, and brick layers tools is greatly advantageous to the man who works with the tools all day.


Magnesium was used in ladders for many years, for example, by fire departments. When the price of magnesium increased dramatically in the 1970s, many users crossed over to aluminum because of the cost difference.


Magnesium producers must realize that magnesium will only become a wider used material if information and data on the metal and its alloys is readily available. Without this step forward, magnesium cannot experience the interest and growth that its marvelous properties warrant.


Magnesium alloys that will withstand higher temperatures are being developed. This type of work, promoted by the magnesium researchers in many areas, is now getting closer scrutiny from the auto manufacturers for engine blocks and transmission housings. The recent announcement by Mercedes-Benz of a new 7G-TRONIC seven speed, automatic transmission that will be standard on the E500, S430, S500, CL500, and SL500 cars from Autumn 2003 was of great interest since the housing will be in magnesium, enabling the change from 5-speed to 7-speed without a weight penalty.


At present, approximately 1 million GMT800 full size trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUV) are produced annually. These vehicles have two magnesium transfer cases (total weight 7 kg) per unit. At VW in 2002, about 600 manual transmission cases were produced daily for the VW Passat and the Audi A4/A6. Magnesium transmission cases are also used in the VW Santana produced in China. These are all manual transmissions and the temperature of operation is below 125?C so a standard AZ91 alloy can be used. Automatic transmissions run at higher temperatures and new alloys with better creep resistance at the higher temperatures are needed. Some automatic transmissions are starting to be produced for production model cars in magnesium.


German carmaker Audi, a unit of German vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen, plans to launch on the Spanish market its all-road vehicle Audi V8 Quattro, it was reported on May 5, 2003.
The car is equipped with a 4.2 liter, 300 hp engine, and can develop from 2,700 to 4,600 revolutions per minute (RPM). The model has five-speed, Tiptronic automatic transmission with Dynamic Shift Programme (DSP), which allows an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds. The car can reach a maximum speed of 240 km/h. Audi V8 Quattro will be introduced on the Spanish market at a price of $76,500 (67,820). [Editor's note: Through the use of magnesium components, the engine weight of Audi V8 Quattro model has been reduced some 5 kg compared to other Audi eight-cylinder engines. Tiptronic is a registered trademark of Audi. It is a special kind of transmission, which combines the convenience of the automatic transmission with the dynamics of a manual transmission. The driver can switch from automatic to Tiptronic at any time while driving. In both modes, gear shifts take place with no power interruption.


When there are 40 million cars produced per year, then the addition of 20 kg on 25% of the vehicle production would require 200 million kg of magnesium or 200,000 tons of magnesium alloy. This would require a 50% increase in the total world production of magnesium.


The automotive use that has received the greatest worldwide acceptance is the steering wheel. Nearly one-half of all vehicles produced in 2002 used a magnesium die-casting for the steering wheel. The reason for magnesium is to keep the weight down as the wheel is designed to contain an air bag container. The wheel is also made of an alloy that will deform and not break on impact. This same design parameter has been used when designing the ignition mechanisms into the steering column. In crash testing, it is important that the steering column go up and away from the driver's body. The lighter weight of the assembly helps in this.


Georg Fischer AG of Switzerland has a contract for magnesium steering column components that will be used in the 2004 Ford 500 sedans, Freestyle sports wagons and Mercury Montegos. Parts will be produced by die-casting at a North American location. Fisher will die-cast magnesium steering/ignition lock housings for Visteon, a Tier 1 supplier that is the system designer.


Increasing the use of magnesium in cars is not easy. Over the years, magnesium and aluminum (and some plastic) have switched and swapped places as the preferred material for some auto parts. In recent times, hydro-formed steels and dual-phase steels have also fought to maintain the dominant position of steel in the automotive industry. However, in the past year or less, magnesium has again moved up. Taking advantage of the light weight and the reduction in primary metal prices, the die-casters have continued to work with automotive engineers and designers to keep magnesium in the cars.


Part of the magnesium problem has been the close review given (benchmarking) to instrument panel support beams (IP) by companies like GM. The close scrutiny using Toyota and Nissan as the comparison cars shows that the Japanese do not use magnesium, but use tubular steel as the best low cost structural material for the IP.


It is now reported that magnesium has been made the go-to material of choice with the GM plastic NAO '04 Model Year Epsilon IP structure changing to magnesium (from Lunt and Meridian) early last year. The '04 Impala Monte Carlo x-car will revert from tubular steel to magnesium IP from Meridian. The next release of the mid size GM SUV for the '06 model year will revert from magnesium with a steel extension to all magnesium IP (source not yet determined).


It was reported also that magnesium will be used in the IPs in the next generation Pontiac Grand AM mid-size car in '05 model year. Magnesium is also being considered for use in the frames of the retractable hardtop roofs for convertible models of the Grand Ams.


One of the largest magnesium die-castings is the one-piece instrument panel (IP) for the GM G-van (GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express). The finished IP weighs 12 kg as opposed to the 18 kg in steel. The part also offers better crashworthiness and cost savings due to design consolidation (25 parts in magnesium design vs. 67 parts in steel).


The IP die-castings for recent models GM H-car, (Pontiac, Bonneville, and Buick LeSabre) weigh 5 kg and are made by Meridian of Canada. It was also reported recently that the new Porsche Carrera GT will use a magnesium console cast by Stolfig.


Ford has reportedly decided on magnesium for the Front End Support Assemblies (FESA) for light-duty trucks. Magnesium was said to have beat out hydro-formed steel tubular steel, extruded aluminum, and molded plastics composites. Die-cast AM60 was the final choice. The reason for the magnesium success was the projected weight and cost-savings, size and space considerations, performance and dimensional control. The assemblies will first be incorporated into the 2004 standard-size F-150 pickup trucks. Estimates say the parts could use 5 million kg of AM50 per year.


The finished FESA castings will weigh more than 6 kg each. This is more than the total average of all magnesium used in North American cars. This is the first application in a structural part that will support the radiator and other front-end components. Castings will come from Meridian with magnesium from Norsk Hydro. Ford reviewed the aluminum supports used by GM and looked at plastics parts from Europe before deciding on the magnesium.


Magnesium has been used in automotive seats. First used by Mercedes as an integrated seat structure with a three-point safety belt in the SLRoadster. The seat was made up of five parts with a total weight of 8.5 kg. It was chosen over steel, aluminum, and plastics. The alloy used was AM50 and AM20. Now it is reported that the Alfa Romeo 156 uses a magnesium seat in a two-piece design.


GM has offered magnesium wheels for the Corvette since 1998. There is a very great interest in magnesium wheels for everyday vehicles. One advantage is the fact that the reduction in unsprung weight makes it much easier to reduce total car weight. The group that can develop an economical magnesium wheel that will meet Detroit standards will have a great potential to develop a very profitable business. The new Porsche Carrera GT will be built using magnesium wheel rims from BBS in Germany. No weights were given. There will be about 1500 of the cars produced.


Application development remains the key to the expansion of magnesium production. Many of the newer companies have stepped up to join and/or replace some of the old reliables in this type of research and development. Many countries with companies that produce and/or use magnesium are also assisting in the promotion of magnesium research and development.
About the Author

Peter Howard is a freelance writer for Magnesium .

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Kentucky Home Buying

Maybe you?re buying your first home in Kentucky, or perhaps you?re relocating to Kentucky from another state. Either way, it?s important that you educate yourself on Kentucky home loans before shopping for a home and mortgage. This article explains what you?ll need to know before buying a home in Kentucky:

The price of homes in Kentucky varies widely between zip codes. For example, in Louisville, Kentucky, the median price of a home in 2005 was $225,000; however, in Lexington, Kentucky, the median price of a home was $156,000. In 2004, the median home cost was for the entire state of Kentucky was $179,000. Additionally, in the last few years, average interest rates on home loans in Kentucky have been higher than the national average.

The rate of job growth in Kentucky is lower than the national rate, and the number of bankruptcies and foreclosures is higher than the national average. The rate of home appreciation in Kentucky is also lower than that of the nation. Homes in Kentucky appreciate at less than half of the rate of average national appreciation.

Kentucky is one of the many states that have enacted laws in order to counteract the rate of predatory lending. Kentucky?s high-cost home loan law subjects loans that are considered high-cost to certain regulations. High-cost loans include mortgages in which the total points and fees required to be paid by the borrower at closing exceed eight percent of the total loan amount and residential mortgages in which the APR exceeds the Treasuries securities rate by eight percent on first mortgages and ten percent on second mortgages.

Kentucky high-cost loan laws apply to purchase, refinancing, and second mortgages. Lenders may make high-cost home loans, but they must abide by certain restrictions. For example, lenders may not collect repayment penalties after the borrower has owned the home for three years, they may not create a repayment schedule that results in an increase in the principal amount owed, and they must reasonably believe that a borrower will be able to make the payments on their mortgage.

Because Kentucky officials are attempting to counteract predatory lending practices, the penalties of not abiding by Kentucky high-cost home loan laws are very strict.

Jessica Elliott recommends that you visit Mortgage Lenders Plus.com for more information about Kentucky Mortgage Rates and Loans.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Facts About Alzheimer's Disease

The most frequently asked question I receive as an Internet home business consultant usually goes something like this; "I would really like to start my own home business on the Internet, but I don't know what." The short answer is - Start with what you know and enjoy.

There are a number of good reasons for this

By drawing on existing knowledge, you can concentrate on building a business rather than learning about a new trade, product, or service.

Starting and running a home business means long hours and sacrifice. It is easier to do when you are doing something you enjoy.

Selling what you know and enjoy is less difficult for non-salespeople.Selling what you know and enjoy is less difficult for non-salespeople.

The Internet offers unique opportunities for the home business netrepreneur. It creates the ability to reach a much larger potential market for your product, service, or information at a much lower price than through conventional advertising mediums.

The Internet and World Wide Web are still in their infancy. Right now, you can get everything you need to put your business online - free. It is like someone offering you a store (web hosting), full time staff (web pages, auto responders) and advertising (lots of advertising) for free. All you have to do is come up with an idea for a product or service to put in the store. 

One of my favorite examples is my mother's home business. She builds very creative and unique birdhouses. She uses scrap lumber from a local sawmill (free) and driftwood from the local beach (free), to keep her material costs low. Another local artist provides the miniature sculptures for a percentage of the sales. She started by building and selling these for the local tourist trade in Homer Alaska, and was doing ok. But when we put them on the Internet (http://www.ptialaska.net/~cortez/) sales really began to soar. Not everyone that would be interested in the birdhouses can afford to visit Homer, and we certainly couldn't afford to advertise to the world in any other way. We were able to reach this larger market by using free web hosting, design, and promotion services. Once we developed a flow of traffic, we were able to create additional income streams by selling other peoples products as well. (I'll discuss this further later in this article)

This business model can work for just about any product that can be shipped. What unique item can you build using local materials? Do you have a craft or gift idea that is unique? How about a kit or plans for something you have built?

Information is another type of product. What do you know or know how to do that would be of interest or value to others? You can either sell that information as a report, or a tip booklet. Or you can give the information away at your store and sell other peoples related products for a commission. The advantage here is that once you put your information in the store it is done. You don't have to keep building it and shipping it. If your not comfortable with writing your own material you can use a ghostwriter (http://www.home-work.net).

Another home business opportunity that is unique to the Internet is based on common interests. What do you have a special interest in that others may share? Music, books, computers, cars, gardening, collectibles, etc…? The idea in this business model is to create a site with information and resources available online of interest to others. Then you select products to sell of interest to people that would be visiting your site. For instance, if you had an avid interest in a particular type of music. You could develop a site that was a resource for others with that same interest. The site could include links to artists sites, reviews of the latest releases, concert tour information, photos, sound clips, interview excerpts, a chat room, or discussion board. You become an "associate" of one of the CD distributors online and receive a commission on CD's that are sold. The distributor does the entire order fulfillment. The number and variety of companies that have an associate program online is growing daily. They cover all kinds of products and services from gifts to computers or web hosting to credit cards.

Start with what you know, apply some imagination, and open your low cost home business online. The market is growing everyday - world wide.

Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
Bob Cortez has 20 years of sales and marketing experience. Through Total Quality Marketing he is providing consulting services to home based entrepreneurs looking to expand their business online and take advantage of  the tremendous opportunities available.

Total Quality Marketing
PO Box 338
Homer Alaska 99603

The most frequently asked question I receive as an Internet home business consultant usually goes something like this; "I would really like to start my own home business on the Internet, but I don't know what." The short answer is - Start with what you know and enjoy.

There are a number of good reasons for this

By drawing on existing knowledge, you can concentrate on building a business rather than learning about a new trade, product, or service.

Starting and running a home business means long hours and sacrifice. It is easier to do when you are doing something you enjoy.

Selling what you know and enjoy is less difficult for non-salespeople.Selling what you know and enjoy is less difficult for non-salespeople.

The Internet offers unique opportunities for the home business netrepreneur. It creates the ability to reach a much larger potential market for your product, service, or information at a much lower price than through conventional advertising mediums.

The Internet and World Wide Web are still in their infancy. Right now, you can get everything you need to put your business online - free. It is like someone offering you a store (web hosting), full time staff (web pages, auto responders) and advertising (lots of advertising) for free. All you have to do is come up with an idea for a product or service to put in the store. 

One of my favorite examples is my mother's home business. She builds very creative and unique birdhouses. She uses scrap lumber from a local sawmill (free) and driftwood from the local beach (free), to keep her material costs low. Another local artist provides the miniature sculptures for a percentage of the sales. She started by building and selling these for the local tourist trade in Homer Alaska, and was doing ok. But when we put them on the Internet (http://www.ptialaska.net/~cortez/) sales really began to soar. Not everyone that would be interested in the birdhouses can afford to visit Homer, and we certainly couldn't afford to advertise to the world in any other way. We were able to reach this larger market by using free web hosting, design, and promotion services. Once we developed a flow of traffic, we were able to create additional income streams by selling other peoples products as well. (I'll discuss this further later in this article)

This business model can work for just about any product that can be shipped. What unique item can you build using local materials? Do you have a craft or gift idea that is unique? How about a kit or plans for something you have built?

Information is another type of product. What do you know or know how to do that would be of interest or value to others? You can either sell that information as a report, or a tip booklet. Or you can give the information away at your store and sell other peoples related products for a commission. The advantage here is that once you put your information in the store it is done. You don't have to keep building it and shipping it. If your not comfortable with writing your own material you can use a ghostwriter (http://www.home-work.net).

Another home business opportunity that is unique to the Internet is based on common interests. What do you have a special interest in that others may share? Music, books, computers, cars, gardening, collectibles, etc…? The idea in this business model is to create a site with information and resources available online of interest to others. Then you select products to sell of interest to people that would be visiting your site. For instance, if you had an avid interest in a particular type of music. You could develop a site that was a resource for others with that same interest. The site could include links to artists sites, reviews of the latest releases, concert tour information, photos, sound clips, interview excerpts, a chat room, or discussion board. You become an "associate" of one of the CD distributors online and receive a commission on CD's that are sold. The distributor does the entire order fulfillment. The number and variety of companies that have an associate program online is growing daily. They cover all kinds of products and services from gifts to computers or web hosting to credit cards.

Start with what you know, apply some imagination, and open your low cost home business online. The market is growing everyday - world wide.

Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
Bob Cortez has 20 years of sales and marketing experience. Through Total Quality Marketing he is providing consulting services to home based entrepreneurs looking to expand their business online and take advantage of  the tremendous opportunities available.

Total Quality Marketing
PO Box 338
Homer Alaska 99603

The most frequently asked question I receive as an Internet home business consultant usually goes something like this; "I would really like to start my own home business on the Internet, but I don't know what." The short answer is - Start with what you know and enjoy.

There are a number of good reasons for this

By drawing on existing knowledge, you can concentrate on building a business rather than learning about a new trade, product, or service.

Starting and running a home business means long hours and sacrifice. It is easier to do when you are doing something you enjoy.

Selling what you know and enjoy is less difficult for non-salespeople.Selling what you know and enjoy is less difficult for non-salespeople.

The Internet offers unique opportunities for the home business netrepreneur. It creates the ability to reach a much larger potential market for your product, service, or information at a much lower price than through conventional advertising mediums.

The Internet and World Wide Web are still in their infancy. Right now, you can get everything you need to put your business online - free. It is like someone offering you a store (web hosting), full time staff (web pages, auto responders) and advertising (lots of advertising) for free. All you have to do is come up with an idea for a product or service to put in the store. 

One of my favorite examples is my mother's home business. She builds very creative and unique birdhouses. She uses scrap lumber from a local sawmill (free) and driftwood from the local beach (free), to keep her material costs low. Another local artist provides the miniature sculptures for a percentage of the sales. She started by building and selling these for the local tourist trade in Homer Alaska, and was doing ok. But when we put them on the Internet (http://www.ptialaska.net/~cortez/) sales really began to soar. Not everyone that would be interested in the birdhouses can afford to visit Homer, and we certainly couldn't afford to advertise to the world in any other way. We were able to reach this larger market by using free web hosting, design, and promotion services. Once we developed a flow of traffic, we were able to create additional income streams by selling other peoples products as well. (I'll discuss this further later in this article)

This business model can work for just about any product that can be shipped. What unique item can you build using local materials? Do you have a craft or gift idea that is unique? How about a kit or plans for something you have built?

Information is another type of product. What do you know or know how to do that would be of interest or value to others? You can either sell that information as a report, or a tip booklet. Or you can give the information away at your store and sell other peoples related products for a commission. The advantage here is that once you put your information in the store it is done. You don't have to keep building it and shipping it. If your not comfortable with writing your own material you can use a ghostwriter (http://www.home-work.net).

Another home business opportunity that is unique to the Internet is based on common interests. What do you have a special interest in that others may share? Music, books, computers, cars, gardening, collectibles, etc…? The idea in this business model is to create a site with information and resources available online of interest to others. Then you select products to sell of interest to people that would be visiting your site. For instance, if you had an avid interest in a particular type of music. You could develop a site that was a resource for others with that same interest. The site could include links to artists sites, reviews of the latest releases, concert tour information, photos, sound clips, interview excerpts, a chat room, or discussion board. You become an "associate" of one of the CD distributors online and receive a commission on CD's that are sold. The distributor does the entire order fulfillment. The number and variety of companies that have an associate program online is growing daily. They cover all kinds of products and services from gifts to computers or web hosting to credit cards.

Start with what you know, apply some imagination, and open your low cost home business online. The market is growing everyday - world wide.

Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
Bob Cortez has 20 years of sales and marketing experience. Through Total Quality Marketing he is providing consulting services to home based entrepreneurs looking to expand their business online and take advantage of  the tremendous opportunities available.

Total Quality Marketing
PO Box 338
Homer Alaska 99603

The most frequently asked question I receive as an Internet home business consultant usually goes something like this; "I would really like to start my own home business on the Internet, but I don't know what." The short answer is - Start with what you know and enjoy.

There are a number of good reasons for this

By drawing on existing knowledge, you can concentrate on building a business rather than learning about a new trade, product, or service.

Starting and running a home business means long hours and sacrifice. It is easier to do when you are doing something you enjoy.

Selling what you know and enjoy is less difficult for non-salespeople.Selling what you know and enjoy is less difficult for non-salespeople.

The Internet offers unique opportunities for the home business netrepreneur. It creates the ability to reach a much larger potential market for your product, service, or information at a much lower price than through conventional advertising mediums.

The Internet and World Wide Web are still in their infancy. Right now, you can get everything you need to put your business online - free. It is like someone offering you a store (web hosting), full time staff (web pages, auto responders) and advertising (lots of advertising) for free. All you have to do is come up with an idea for a product or service to put in the store. 

One of my favorite examples is my mother's home business. She builds very creative and unique birdhouses. She uses scrap lumber from a local sawmill (free) and driftwood from the local beach (free), to keep her material costs low. Another local artist provides the miniature sculptures for a percentage of the sales. She started by building and selling these for the local tourist trade in Homer Alaska, and was doing ok. But when we put them on the Internet (http://www.ptialaska.net/~cortez/) sales really began to soar. Not everyone that would be interested in the birdhouses can afford to visit Homer, and we certainly couldn't afford to advertise to the world in any other way. We were able to reach this larger market by using free web hosting, design, and promotion services. Once we developed a flow of traffic, we were able to create additional income streams by selling other peoples products as well. (I'll discuss this further later in this article)

This business model can work for just about any product that can be shipped. What unique item can you build using local materials? Do you have a craft or gift idea that is unique? How about a kit or plans for something you have built?

Information is another type of product. What do you know or know how to do that would be of interest or value to others? You can either sell that information as a report, or a tip booklet. Or you can give the information away at your store and sell other peoples related products for a commission. The advantage here is that once you put your information in the store it is done. You don't have to keep building it and shipping it. If your not comfortable with writing your own material you can use a ghostwriter (http://www.home-work.net).

Another home business opportunity that is unique to the Internet is based on common interests. What do you have a special interest in that others may share? Music, books, computers, cars, gardening, collectibles, etc…? The idea in this business model is to create a site with information and resources available online of interest to others. Then you select products to sell of interest to people that would be visiting your site. For instance, if you had an avid interest in a particular type of music. You could develop a site that was a resource for others with that same interest. The site could include links to artists sites, reviews of the latest releases, concert tour information, photos, sound clips, interview excerpts, a chat room, or discussion board. You become an "associate" of one of the CD distributors online and receive a commission on CD's that are sold. The distributor does the entire order fulfillment. The number and variety of companies that have an associate program online is growing daily. They cover all kinds of products and services from gifts to computers or web hosting to credit cards.

Start with what you know, apply some imagination, and open your low cost home business online. The market is growing everyday - world wide.

Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
Bob Cortez has 20 years of sales and marketing experience. Through Total Quality Marketing he is providing consulting services to home based entrepreneurs looking to expand their business online and take advantage of  the tremendous opportunities available.

Total Quality Marketing
PO Box 338
Homer Alaska 99603

The most frequently asked question I receive as an Internet home business consultant usually goes something like this; "I would really like to start my own home business on the Internet, but I don't know what." The short answer is - Start with what you know and enjoy.

There are a number of good reasons for this

By drawing on existing knowledge, you can concentrate on building a business rather than learning about a new trade, product, or service.

Starting and running a home business means long hours and sacrifice. It is easier to do when you are doing something you enjoy.

Selling what you know and enjoy is less difficult for non-salespeople.Selling what you know and enjoy is less difficult for non-salespeople.

The Internet offers unique opportunities for the home business netrepreneur. It creates the ability to reach a much larger potential market for your product, service, or information at a much lower price than through conventional advertising mediums.

The Internet and World Wide Web are still in their infancy. Right now, you can get everything you need to put your business online - free. It is like someone offering you a store (web hosting), full time staff (web pages, auto responders) and advertising (lots of advertising) for free. All you have to do is come up with an idea for a product or service to put in the store. 

One of my favorite examples is my mother's home business. She builds very creative and unique birdhouses. She uses scrap lumber from a local sawmill (free) and driftwood from the local beach (free), to keep her material costs low. Another local artist provides the miniature sculptures for a percentage of the sales. She started by building and selling these for the local tourist trade in Homer Alaska, and was doing ok. But when we put them on the Internet (http://www.ptialaska.net/~cortez/) sales really began to soar. Not everyone that would be interested in the birdhouses can afford to visit Homer, and we certainly couldn't afford to advertise to the world in any other way. We were able to reach this larger market by using free web hosting, design, and promotion services. Once we developed a flow of traffic, we were able to create additional income streams by selling other peoples products as well. (I'll discuss this further later in this article)

This business model can work for just about any product that can be shipped. What unique item can you build using local materials? Do you have a craft or gift idea that is unique? How about a kit or plans for something you have built?

Information is another type of product. What do you know or know how to do that would be of interest or value to others? You can either sell that information as a report, or a tip booklet. Or you can give the information away at your store and sell other peoples related products for a commission. The advantage here is that once you put your information in the store it is done. You don't have to keep building it and shipping it. If your not comfortable with writing your own material you can use a ghostwriter (http://www.home-work.net).

Another home business opportunity that is unique to the Internet is based on common interests. What do you have a special interest in that others may share? Music, books, computers, cars, gardening, collectibles, etc…? The idea in this business model is to create a site with information and resources available online of interest to others. Then you select products to sell of interest to people that would be visiting your site. For instance, if you had an avid interest in a particular type of music. You could develop a site that was a resource for others with that same interest. The site could include links to artists sites, reviews of the latest releases, concert tour information, photos, sound clips, interview excerpts, a chat room, or discussion board. You become an "associate" of one of the CD distributors online and receive a commission on CD's that are sold. The distributor does the entire order fulfillment. The number and variety of companies that have an associate program online is growing daily. They cover all kinds of products and services from gifts to computers or web hosting to credit cards.

Start with what you know, apply some imagination, and open your low cost home business online. The market is growing everyday - world wide.

Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
Bob Cortez has 20 years of sales and marketing experience. Through Total Quality Marketing he is providing consulting services to home based entrepreneurs looking to expand their business online and take advantage of  the tremendous opportunities available.

Total Quality Marketing
PO Box 338
Homer Alaska 99603

In these days, it's becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet with just one source of income. Thus, more and more people are investigating the possibilities of starting their own extra-income business. Most of these part-time endeavors are started and operated from the comfort and privacy of the home.

Most of these people are making the extra money they need. Some have wisely and carefully built these extra income efforts into full-time, very profitable businesses. Others are just keeping busy, having fun, and enjoying life as never before. The important thing is that they are doing something other than waiting for the government to give them a handout; they are improving their lot in life, and you can do it, too!

The fields of mail order selling, multi-level marketing, and in-home party sales have never been more popular. If any of these kinds of extra income producing ideas appeal to you, then you owe it to yourself to check them out. But these aren't the only fields of endeavor you can start and operate from home, with little or no investment, and learn as you go.

If you type, you can start a home-based typing service; if you have a truck or have access to a trailer, you can start a clean-up/hauling service. Simply collecting old news papers from your neighbors can get you started in the paper recycling business. More than a few enterprising housewives have found success and fortune by starting home and/or apartment cleaning services. If you have a yard full of flowers, you can make good extra money by supplying fresh cut flowers to restaurants and offices in your area on a regular basis. You might turn a ceramics hobby into a lucrative personalized coffee mug business. What I'm saying is that in reality, there's literally no end to the ways you can start and operate a profitable extra income business from your home.

The first thing you must do, however, is some basic market research. Find out for yourself, first-hand, just how many people there are in your area who are interested in your proposed product or service, and would be willing to stand in line and pay money for it. This is known as defining your market and pinpointing your customers. If after checking around, talking about your idea with a whole lot of people over a period of one to three months, you get the idea that these people would be paying customers, your next effort should be directed toward the detailing of your business plan. The more precise and detailed your plan - covering all the bases relating to how you'll do everything that needs to be done - the easier it's going to be for you to attain success. Such a plan should show your start-up investment needs, your advertising plan, your production costs and procedures, your sales program, and how your time will be allocated. Too often, enthusiastic and ambitious entrepreneurs jump in on an extra income project and suddenly find that the costs are beyond their abilities, and the time requirements more than they can meet. It pays to lay it all out on paper before you get involved, and the clearer you can see everything before you start, the better your chances for success.

Now, assuming you've got your market targeted, you know who your customers are going to be and how you're going to reach them with your product or service. And you have all your costs as well as time requirements itemized. The next step is to set your plan in motion and start making money.

Here is the most important secret of all, relating to starting and building a profitable home-based business, so read very carefully. Regardless of what kind of business you start, you must have the capital and the available time to sustain your business through the first six months of operation. Specifically, you must not count on receiving or spending any money coming in from your business on yourself or for your bills during those first six months. All the income from your business during those first six months should be reinvested in your business in order for it to grow and reach our planned first year potential.

Once you've passed that first six months milestone, you can set up a small monthly salary for yourself, and begin enjoying the fruits of your labor. But the first six months or operation for any business are critical, so do not plan to use any of the money your business generates for yourself during that period.

If you've got your business plan properly organized, and have implemented the plan, you should at the end of your first year be able to begin thinking about hiring other people to alleviate some of your work-load. Remember this: Starting a successful business is not a means towards either a job for yourself or a way to keep busy. It should be regarded as the beginning of an enterprise that will grow and prosper, with you as the top dog. Eventually, you'll have other people doing all the work for you, even running the entire operation, while you vacation in the Bahamas or Hawaii and collect or receive regular income from your initial efforts.

For more details on market research, business planning, advertising, selling, order fulfillment, and other aspects of home-based businesses, watch World Wide Information Outlet for future reports.

Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
Reprint permission for any medium is granted only if all information below this notice, including the WWIO web site link and authors biography are included as written.

In these days, it's becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet with just one source of income. Thus, more and more people are investigating the possibilities of starting their own extra-income business. Most of these part-time endeavors are started and operated from the comfort and privacy of the home.

Most of these people are making the extra money they need. Some have wisely and carefully built these extra income efforts into full-time, very profitable businesses. Others are just keeping busy, having fun, and enjoying life as never before. The important thing is that they are doing something other than waiting for the government to give them a handout; they are improving their lot in life, and you can do it, too!

The fields of mail order selling, multi-level marketing, and in-home party sales have never been more popular. If any of these kinds of extra income producing ideas appeal to you, then you owe it to yourself to check them out. But these aren't the only fields of endeavor you can start and operate from home, with little or no investment, and learn as you go.

If you type, you can start a home-based typing service; if you have a truck or have access to a trailer, you can start a clean-up/hauling service. Simply collecting old news papers from your neighbors can get you started in the paper recycling business. More than a few enterprising housewives have found success and fortune by starting home and/or apartment cleaning services. If you have a yard full of flowers, you can make good extra money by supplying fresh cut flowers to restaurants and offices in your area on a regular basis. You might turn a ceramics hobby into a lucrative personalized coffee mug business. What I'm saying is that in reality, there's literally no end to the ways you can start and operate a profitable extra income business from your home.

The first thing you must do, however, is some basic market research. Find out for yourself, first-hand, just how many people there are in your area who are interested in your proposed product or service, and would be willing to stand in line and pay money for it. This is known as defining your market and pinpointing your customers. If after checking around, talking about your idea with a whole lot of people over a period of one to three months, you get the idea that these people would be paying customers, your next effort should be directed toward the detailing of your business plan. The more precise and detailed your plan - covering all the bases relating to how you'll do everything that needs to be done - the easier it's going to be for you to attain success. Such a plan should show your start-up investment needs, your advertising plan, your production costs and procedures, your sales program, and how your time will be allocated. Too often, enthusiastic and ambitious entrepreneurs jump in on an extra income project and suddenly find that the costs are beyond their abilities, and the time requirements more than they can meet. It pays to lay it all out on paper before you get involved, and the clearer you can see everything before you start, the better your chances for success.

Now, assuming you've got your market targeted, you know who your customers are going to be and how you're going to reach them with your product or service. And you have all your costs as well as time requirements itemized. The next step is to set your plan in motion and start making money.

Here is the most important secret of all, relating to starting and building a profitable home-based business, so read very carefully. Regardless of what kind of business you start, you must have the capital and the available time to sustain your business through the first six months of operation. Specifically, you must not count on receiving or spending any money coming in from your business on yourself or for your bills during those first six months. All the income from your business during those first six months should be reinvested in your business in order for it to grow and reach our planned first year potential.

Once you've passed that first six months milestone, you can set up a small monthly salary for yourself, and begin enjoying the fruits of your labor. But the first six months or operation for any business are critical, so do not plan to use any of the money your business generates for yourself during that period.

If you've got your business plan properly organized, and have implemented the plan, you should at the end of your first year be able to begin thinking about hiring other people to alleviate some of your work-load. Remember this: Starting a successful business is not a means towards either a job for yourself or a way to keep busy. It should be regarded as the beginning of an enterprise that will grow and prosper, with you as the top dog. Eventually, you'll have other people doing all the work for you, even running the entire operation, while you vacation in the Bahamas or Hawaii and collect or receive regular income from your initial efforts.

For more details on market research, business planning, advertising, selling, order fulfillment, and other aspects of home-based businesses, watch World Wide Information Outlet for future reports.

Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
Reprint permission for any medium is granted only if all information below this notice, including the WWIO web site link and authors biography are included as written.

In these days, it's becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet with just one source of income. Thus, more and more people are investigating the possibilities of starting their own extra-income business. Most of these part-time endeavors are started and operated from the comfort and privacy of the home.

Most of these people are making the extra money they need. Some have wisely and carefully built these extra income efforts into full-time, very profitable businesses. Others are just keeping busy, having fun, and enjoying life as never before. The important thing is that they are doing something other than waiting for the government to give them a handout; they are improving their lot in life, and you can do it, too!

The fields of mail order selling, multi-level marketing, and in-home party sales have never been more popular. If any of these kinds of extra income producing ideas appeal to you, then you owe it to yourself to check them out. But these aren't the only fields of endeavor you can start and operate from home, with little or no investment, and learn as you go.

If you type, you can start a home-based typing service; if you have a truck or have access to a trailer, you can start a clean-up/hauling service. Simply collecting old news papers from your neighbors can get you started in the paper recycling business. More than a few enterprising housewives have found success and fortune by starting home and/or apartment cleaning services. If you have a yard full of flowers, you can make good extra money by supplying fresh cut flowers to restaurants and offices in your area on a regular basis. You might turn a ceramics hobby into a lucrative personalized coffee mug business. What I'm saying is that in reality, there's literally no end to the ways you can start and operate a profitable extra income business from your home.

The first thing you must do, however, is some basic market research. Find out for yourself, first-hand, just how many people there are in your area who are interested in your proposed product or service, and would be willing to stand in line and pay money for it. This is known as defining your market and pinpointing your customers. If after checking around, talking about your idea with a whole lot of people over a period of one to three months, you get the idea that these people would be paying customers, your next effort should be directed toward the detailing of your business plan. The more precise and detailed your plan - covering all the bases relating to how you'll do everything that needs to be done - the easier it's going to be for you to attain success. Such a plan should show your start-up investment needs, your advertising plan, your production costs and procedures, your sales program, and how your time will be allocated. Too often, enthusiastic and ambitious entrepreneurs jump in on an extra income project and suddenly find that the costs are beyond their abilities, and the time requirements more than they can meet. It pays to lay it all out on paper before you get involved, and the clearer you can see everything before you start, the better your chances for success.

Now, assuming you've got your market targeted, you know who your customers are going to be and how you're going to reach them with your product or service. And you have all your costs as well as time requirements itemized. The next step is to set your plan in motion and start making money.

Here is the most important secret of all, relating to starting and building a profitable home-based business, so read very carefully. Regardless of what kind of business you start, you must have the capital and the available time to sustain your business through the first six months of operation. Specifically, you must not count on receiving or spending any money coming in from your business on yourself or for your bills during those first six months. All the income from your business during those first six months should be reinvested in your business in order for it to grow and reach our planned first year potential.

Once you've passed that first six months milestone, you can set up a small monthly salary for yourself, and begin enjoying the fruits of your labor. But the first six months or operation for any business are critical, so do not plan to use any of the money your business generates for yourself during that period.

If you've got your business plan properly organized, and have implemented the plan, you should at the end of your first year be able to begin thinking about hiring other people to alleviate some of your work-load. Remember this: Starting a successful business is not a means towards either a job for yourself or a way to keep busy. It should be regarded as the beginning of an enterprise that will grow and prosper, with you as the top dog. Eventually, you'll have other people doing all the work for you, even running the entire operation, while you vacation in the Bahamas or Hawaii and collect or receive regular income from your initial efforts.

For more details on market research, business planning, advertising, selling, order fulfillment, and other aspects of home-based businesses, watch World Wide Information Outlet for future reports.

Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
Reprint permission for any medium is granted only if all information below this notice, including the WWIO web site link and authors biography are included as written.

A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    10 Ways to Maximize the Impact of TrainingRon Kaufman

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additionalinformation, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.

    In this report, you'll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed.

    BENEFITS OF A DATABASE

    By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you're not mass-mailing your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you'll save on printing and postage costs.)

    Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
  • You're the owner of a neighborhood beauty salon. For each customer, you keep a record (with dates) of all the services you've provided to that customer. You're planning a special pre-summer promotion on permanent waves for the month of May.

    Instead of mailing an announcement of the sale to your entire customer list (many of whom don't have their hair permed), you select only those customers who had a permanent at least three months ago. In this way, you're targeting those customers who are most likely to take advantage of your upcoming sale.

  • You're the dinner chairperson of a local fund-raising organization. Your mailing list is made up of a wide range of contributors, from those who've donated only a few dollars to those who give annual gifts of thousands of dollars. For each contributor, you maintain a record of all past donations and functions he/she has attended, in addition to basic mailing information.

    This year, you're asking for donations of $100 a plate for the annual dinner dance. To get the best response to your invitation, you first target those contributors who were at last year's dinner dance. Then you target those who weren't at the dance, but who donated more than $100 in the past year. Depending on the response you expect from these first two groups, you may next want to target those names on your list that didn't attend the last dance, but contributed $50 in the last year. You may even want to have a phone follow-up to the first two groups but use the mailing only for the third group.

    A properly set up database can provide many benefits for your business or organization. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what elements you include in it.

    WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE DATABASE

    Depending on your type of business or organization, you will want to include different fields in your database. Later in this report you will see some examples of the fields that are appropriate in specific instances. For all businesses or organizations, though, certain basic information is always necessary.

    By including basic information in your database, you ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go - into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.
  • Basic information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, you will need to include the following fields for each name on your list:

  • A unique account number.

    This number should not be tied into any other information about the customer, for example, phone number or address, since this sort of information may change over time. The account number should never change throughout the life of the customer. A sequential numbering system is simple and effective.

  • Company name.

  • Street Address.

  • Suite number, is necessary

  • P.O. Box, if necessary.

  • City

  • State

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

  • Job title or name of contact.

    Some business mailers maintain the name of the individual within the customer's business or organization. Others simply use the appropriate job title. The alternative you choose will depend on the nature of your business and the amount of turnover associated with the position that is your contact.

  • Basic Information for Individual (Non-Business) Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you will need to include the following data for each name on the list:

  • A unique account number.

  • Individual's name.

  • Street address or P.O. Box.

  • Apartment number, is necessary.

  • City.

  • State.

  • Zip Code, five or nine digit.

  • Phone number (with area code).

    The basic information listed above is necessary to make sure that the names on your mailing list are mailable. But how do you decide which names are more productive?

  • Data Elements to Evaluate - Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value

    Regardless of whether you're mailing to businesses or individuals, there are three factors - recency, frequency and monetary value - that are commonly used to measure the value of a name.

  • Recency: Recency refers to the last time that the customer ordered or responded to an offer.

  • Frequency: Frequency is the number of orders or responses that the customer has made since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

  • Monetary Value: The monetary value is the amount of money the customer has spent since becoming a customer (or during the last year or other specified time period).

    How do these three factors determine the value of a customer (the likelihood he/she will order again)?

    • The more recently a customer has ordered from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more often a customer orders from you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    • The more money a customer spends with you, the more likely he/she will be to respond to your next offer.

    All three factors - recency, frequency, and monetary value - are considered to be good indicators of whether or not a customer is likely to respond to a future offer. But they are not equal. Recency is thought to be the best indicator, followed by frequency and then monetary value.

    In order to use these valuable pieces of information, here are the specific fields you need to maintain on your database:

    • For recency: The date of the last transaction with the customer - the date of the customer's last order, purchase or donation.

    • For frequency: The dates of all previous transactions with the customer over a certain period of time.

    • For monetary value: The size (in dollars) of all of the customer's previous purchases or other transactions. (It is also common to maintain the dollar amount of the customer's most recent order as the monetary value indicator.)

    In addition to evaluating the recency, frequency, and monetary worth of your audience, you will probably find that there are many other important ways to analyze the names on your database.

  • Additional Information for Business Audiences

    If your audience is made up of businesses, there is additional descriptive information, some specific to your product or offer, that could be valuable to have.

    You might want to consider storing some of the following data elements for each of the names on your database:

  • Number of employees in the business/organization.

  • Type of business/organization.

    The United States Government four-digit coding system, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, is commonly used to identify businesses. For example, the codes 5211 through 5999 identify Retailers. Within that category, 5411 is the code for Grocery Stores, 5441 the number for Candy, Nut and Congectionery Stores. The SIC Manual is available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

  • Annual sales volume.

  • Credit status code

    The credit status code could be developed by you, based on the customer's payment history or perhaps obtained from a commercial credit report.

  • Items ordered from you.

    With data in this field, you can select customers for programs designed to get them to reorder an item, or to order complementary or supply items.

  • Location.

    Is it a headquarters, subsidiary, branch, division, etc.? If you are making an offer that requires a decision by someone at the headquarters of a company, you may not want to send it to the branch office (unless there are employees involved in the decision too).

  • Source of the name.

    This field is usually a code representing where you got the name. Assign a unique code for each referral program, publication advertisement, list, etc., you use to get a new name. Assigning a source code to each new customer allowsyou to evaluate the effectiveness of each technique you use to get customers or to collect prospect names.

  • Additional Information for Individual Audiences

    If your audience is made up of individuals, you may want to collect information on the household unit, often the most relevant purchasing unit. Here are some suggestions for demographic information that could be useful to you in analyzing the names on your mailing list.

  • Household income.

  • Occupations of household members.

  • Number of people in the household.

  • Ages of the members of the household.

  • Genders of members of the household.

  • Marital status of members of the household.

  • Information on property belonging to the household:

    • Type of living quarters.

    • Owned or rented living quarters.

    • Number, make, model, etc. of each

      automobile.
    • Number, make, model, etc. of each major appliance.

  • Political affiliation.

  • Hobbies and leisure time activities.

    Now you know the secrets of how a database can turn your mailing list into a valuable asset for your business or organization. You understand what basic fields to include. And you have had an overview of what additional fields might be added to the basic ones that make a list mailable. Be sure to carefully analyze your own needs and to include information that would be of help to you in mailing smarter. In a future report, we will explain the details of how to go about collecting the names for your mailing list, starting with your customer list.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    60 Second Window #26 Color at a price...None
    Fred Showker

    Newsletter tips beyond computers and software...

    As we've said many times before, publishing a newsletter can be one of your best marketing activities.

    For most however, the cost of adding a second or spot color to each issue of a newsletter can be prohibitive. This requires a second plate and in most cases a second press run.

    Newsletters in the four to twelve page range can enjoy an additional color at very little per-issue cost by printing a year's supply of lanks in advance. Plan your year, or perhaps the next nine months, into the budget to cover the initial cost.

    Design your blank with a color masthead, logo, tint boxes, or page graphics, leaving the body blank to be imprinted with each new month's text and graphics. (In the old days we called this a dough-nut!) Design carefully though, your color elements must remain the same for each issue. Make arrangements well in advance so your printer can print at his convenience, and when the color you want happens to be on the press for another job. You can probably make him happy, and get a little off the job if you ask what colors are coming up soon for other jobs and make your selection from those. Don't forget - each time the printer changes colors, he has to do a wash-up.

    For small circulation NLs, monthly imprints can be printed by a less complicated, less costly jiffy-print type printers - or even on your own photo-copier. It will make your job a little easier, less expensive and will provide a nicer looking newsletter as well.

    Put that marketing partner in high gear by adding easy, low-cost color!

    Happy publishing,

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Fred Showker is a 27-year veteran of the publishing and graphic arts industry, author and speaker. He is editor and publisher of DT&G: The Electronic Journal of Design, Type & Graphics, the design and publishing industry's longest running online magazine. The Design & Publishing Center hosts Photoshop Tips & Tricks, WebDesign & Review, The Designers Bookshelf and departments for the four areas of the graphic arts fields.

    DT&G Magazine ('97 APEX Grand Award Winner)
    The User Group Network News Service
    http://www.user-groups.com/
    Now serving 165,000 readers per month!

    Newsletter tips beyond computers and software...

    As we've said many times before, publishing a newsletter can be one of your best marketing activities.

    For most however, the cost of adding a second or spot color to each issue of a newsletter can be prohibitive. This requires a second plate and in most cases a second press run.

    Newsletters in the four to twelve page range can enjoy an additional color at very little per-issue cost by printing a year's supply of lanks in advance. Plan your year, or perhaps the next nine months, into the budget to cover the initial cost.

    Design your blank with a color masthead, logo, tint boxes, or page graphics, leaving the body blank to be imprinted with each new month's text and graphics. (In the old days we called this a dough-nut!) Design carefully though, your color elements must remain the same for each issue. Make arrangements well in advance so your printer can print at his convenience, and when the color you want happens to be on the press for another job. You can probably make him happy, and get a little off the job if you ask what colors are coming up soon for other jobs and make your selection from those. Don't forget - each time the printer changes colors, he has to do a wash-up.

    For small circulation NLs, monthly imprints can be printed by a less complicated, less costly jiffy-print type printers - or even on your own photo-copier. It will make your job a little easier, less expensive and will provide a nicer looking newsletter as well.

    Put that marketing partner in high gear by adding easy, low-cost color!

    Happy publishing,

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Fred Showker is a 27-year veteran of the publishing and graphic arts industry, author and speaker. He is editor and publisher of DT&G: The Electronic Journal of Design, Type & Graphics, the design and publishing industry's longest running online magazine. The Design & Publishing Center hosts Photoshop Tips & Tricks, WebDesign & Review, The Designers Bookshelf and departments for the four areas of the graphic arts fields.

    DT&G Magazine ('97 APEX Grand Award Winner)
    The User Group Network News Service
    http://www.user-groups.com/
    Now serving 165,000 readers per month!

    Newsletter tips beyond computers and software...

    As we've said many times before, publishing a newsletter can be one of your best marketing activities.

    For most however, the cost of adding a second or spot color to each issue of a newsletter can be prohibitive. This requires a second plate and in most cases a second press run.

    Newsletters in the four to twelve page range can enjoy an additional color at very little per-issue cost by printing a year's supply of lanks in advance. Plan your year, or perhaps the next nine months, into the budget to cover the initial cost.

    Design your blank with a color masthead, logo, tint boxes, or page graphics, leaving the body blank to be imprinted with each new month's text and graphics. (In the old days we called this a dough-nut!) Design carefully though, your color elements must remain the same for each issue. Make arrangements well in advance so your printer can print at his convenience, and when the color you want happens to be on the press for another job. You can probably make him happy, and get a little off the job if you ask what colors are coming up soon for other jobs and make your selection from those. Don't forget - each time the printer changes colors, he has to do a wash-up.

    For small circulation NLs, monthly imprints can be printed by a less complicated, less costly jiffy-print type printers - or even on your own photo-copier. It will make your job a little easier, less expensive and will provide a nicer looking newsletter as well.

    Put that marketing partner in high gear by adding easy, low-cost color!

    Happy publishing,

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Fred Showker is a 27-year veteran of the publishing and graphic arts industry, author and speaker. He is editor and publisher of DT&G: The Electronic Journal of Design, Type & Graphics, the design and publishing industry's longest running online magazine. The Design & Publishing Center hosts Photoshop Tips & Tricks, WebDesign & Review, The Designers Bookshelf and departments for the four areas of the graphic arts fields.

    DT&G Magazine ('97 APEX Grand Award Winner)
    The User Group Network News Service
    http://www.user-groups.com/
    Now serving 165,000 readers per month!

    Newsletter tips beyond computers and software...

    As we've said many times before, publishing a newsletter can be one of your best marketing activities.

    For most however, the cost of adding a second or spot color to each issue of a newsletter can be prohibitive. This requires a second plate and in most cases a second press run.

    Newsletters in the four to twelve page range can enjoy an additional color at very little per-issue cost by printing a year's supply of lanks in advance. Plan your year, or perhaps the next nine months, into the budget to cover the initial cost.

    Design your blank with a color masthead, logo, tint boxes, or page graphics, leaving the body blank to be imprinted with each new month's text and graphics. (In the old days we called this a dough-nut!) Design carefully though, your color elements must remain the same for each issue. Make arrangements well in advance so your printer can print at his convenience, and when the color you want happens to be on the press for another job. You can probably make him happy, and get a little off the job if you ask what colors are coming up soon for other jobs and make your selection from those. Don't forget - each time the printer changes colors, he has to do a wash-up.

    For small circulation NLs, monthly imprints can be printed by a less complicated, less costly jiffy-print type printers - or even on your own photo-copier. It will make your job a little easier, less expensive and will provide a nicer looking newsletter as well.

    Put that marketing partner in high gear by adding easy, low-cost color!

    Happy publishing,

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Fred Showker is a 27-year veteran of the publishing and graphic arts industry, author and speaker. He is editor and publisher of DT&G: The Electronic Journal of Design, Type & Graphics, the design and publishing industry's longest running online magazine. The Design & Publishing Center hosts Photoshop Tips & Tricks, WebDesign & Review, The Designers Bookshelf and departments for the four areas of the graphic arts fields.

    DT&G Magazine ('97 APEX Grand Award Winner)
    The User Group Network News Service
    http://www.user-groups.com/
    Now serving 165,000 readers per month!

    Guidelines' Guidelines. (Is there an echo in here?)Ed Churnside
    Fred Showker

    Newsletter tips beyond computers and software...

    As we've said many times before, publishing a newsletter can be one of your best marketing activities.

    For most however, the cost of adding a second or spot color to each issue of a newsletter can be prohibitive. This requires a second plate and in most cases a second press run.

    Newsletters in the four to twelve page range can enjoy an additional color at very little per-issue cost by printing a year's supply of lanks in advance. Plan your year, or perhaps the next nine months, into the budget to cover the initial cost.

    Design your blank with a color masthead, logo, tint boxes, or page graphics, leaving the body blank to be imprinted with each new month's text and graphics. (In the old days we called this a dough-nut!) Design carefully though, your color elements must remain the same for each issue. Make arrangements well in advance so your printer can print at his convenience, and when the color you want happens to be on the press for another job. You can probably make him happy, and get a little off the job if you ask what colors are coming up soon for other jobs and make your selection from those. Don't forget - each time the printer changes colors, he has to do a wash-up.

    For small circulation NLs, monthly imprints can be printed by a less complicated, less costly jiffy-print type printers - or even on your own photo-copier. It will make your job a little easier, less expensive and will provide a nicer looking newsletter as well.

    Put that marketing partner in high gear by adding easy, low-cost color!

    Happy publishing,

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Fred Showker is a 27-year veteran of the publishing and graphic arts industry, author and speaker. He is editor and publisher of DT&G: The Electronic Journal of Design, Type & Graphics, the design and publishing industry's longest running online magazine. The Design & Publishing Center hosts Photoshop Tips & Tricks, WebDesign & Review, The Designers Bookshelf and departments for the four areas of the graphic arts fields.

    DT&G Magazine ('97 APEX Grand Award Winner)
    The User Group Network News Service
    http://www.user-groups.com/
    Now serving 165,000 readers per month!

    WHOLESALE - SOME PRICING CONSIDERATIONS

    Your ideal goal here would be to set your price at 2x your Total Cost. But, you will more often have to settle for a lot less mark-up. The compensating factor here is that when selling wholesale, you are selling in larger volumes than when selling retail. The larger volumes should help you reduce the costs of your parts, since you can buy those in volume. It should also result in a lot more cash flowing through your bank accounts. While you don't measure cash flow in actual dollar amounts and profits, cash flow definitely has a value because it enables your business to keep operating smoothly, and with less fits and starts.

    The minimum return you should settle for with wholesale is the ability to price your items at 1.25x your Total Cost. If any less, you need to rethink your product or your marketing strategy.

    A reasonable return you should aim for with wholesale is 1.5x your Total Cost.

    Again, your ideal goal would be 2.0x your Total Cost. [If you are only wholesaling a few pieces at a time, then 2.0x might be your minimum acceptable amount.

    CONSIGNMENT: SOME PRICING CONSIDERATIONS

    Many artists and craftspersons are dependent on consignment sales, since many of the retail outlets for these types of products must share the isk of sales with the artist. That is, the retail outlet cannot afford to buy the pieces outright. They can only afford to create a retail environment conducive for the sale of crafts and artwork.

    Thus, the retailer, in consignment, basically agrees to accept a little less of a profit from the sale of any item. The artist/craftsperson also agrees to accept a little less money.

    Typically, the retailer and artist/craftsperson might negotiate an item's price based on what they think someone will pay for it. Then they will agree how to split the money. A very common split is 60% of the sales price goes to the retailer, and 40% goes to the artist/craftsperson. Also common is 70% retailer/30% artist craftsperson. Less common is 50/50, 40/60 or 80/20.

    Now the artist/craftsperson has to determine if the return is sufficient to result in a profit. If the decided-upon price for an item was $10.00, and the negotiated split was 60/40, the artist would expect $4.00 from its sale. This $4.00 would have to cover the cost of the parts, the general overhead costs, and hopefully some or all of the artist's labor, as well as some extra money to reinvest in the business.

    Suppose the item was a pair of earrings, the cost of the parts was $1.00, the cost of labor $2.50, and overhead .88. The cost to the artist would be $4.38 -- .38 more in cost then in return. The artist could decide to take less for his or her labor. Or, the artist could renegotiate with the retailer to set a higher price for the item. The retailer would evaluate whether the item could sell at a higher price, or would sit around gathering dust, thus costing the retailing overhead costs, that could otherwise be offset with a better, faster selling item. [Retailers need to urn merchandise around at least 2x, and ideally 3x each year. That is, each square foot of selling space must generate a certain number of dollars each year to enable the retailer to pay the rent and other overhead costs generated by that square foot of selling space. If the retailer is resistant to raising the price, and the return is insufficient to cover the artist's costs, then the artist needs to re-evaluate the product or the location for selling that product.

    One of the greatest thrills of all time is when someone pays real money for something you have designed and created.

    The first question pops up: Can I make some serious money making jewelry?

    Why not? With smart planning, strategizing and marketing, you should even be able to make a living from your creative impulses.

    Some advice:

    First, buy your parts cheaply.
    Limit your inventory at first. Buy a few parts in large quantities.

    The more expensive your parts, the harder it will be to mark up your finished product in order to make a profit.

    If you try to design your business so that you can meet every contingency -- that is, respond to every request or market niche -- you'll end up buying a lot of different parts to have breadth, rather than depth, of inventory. This will cost you. Each part will have to be bought in smaller quantities, and thus will be more expensive.

    If, instead, you concentrate on replicating a limited number of designs, (perhaps varying certain design-features rather than coming up with completely new and different designs), you'll be able to buy parts in larger quantities, making them less expensive.

    [As your business develops and matures, your goals will change, and you will seek greater breadth -- but this is a subject for another article.

    Second, know your market.
    Who are your customers?

    What will your customers be willing to pay, say, for a pair of earrings?

    Where are your customers located? How will they get to you, or you to them?

    What will it cost you to link up to your target market? - travel, displays, packaging, timing

    You don't want to make a $100.00 beaded watch band if your most likely target market customer will only be willing to pay $20.00 for it.

    Third, know your competition.
    Check out similar merchandise in stores, flea markets and other places that sell jewelry like yours, and that target customers like the ones you want to target. How have they priced similar merchandise?

    Fourth, mark up and price your products so that you will make a sufficient profit.

    Sufficiency means that (a) you can buy replacement parts, (b) you can pay your overhead costs, (c) you can pay yourself, and (d) you can reinvest 5-10% of your earnings back into your business, such as expanding your inventory, or buying display fixtures and the like.

    Remember, it's always easier to lower a price, than raise a price. Customers smile at lower prices, but frown on raised prices.

    Some Formulas To Help You Price Your Pieces

    You need to write down this information:

    1) Cost of All Parts

    Use your ypical costs. If you got a good buy on some parts, don't use the discounted cost, unless this is going to become your ypical cost.

    2) Cost of your Labor

    Figure out what you would expect to make per hour if someone were paying you a salary. $10.00/hour is reasonable for a beginner. Determine on average, how many hours it takes to make the piece. Figure out the hours to the nearest quarter of an hour. That is, if you took 1 hour 6 minutes to make a piece, consider that 1 1/4 hours. The number of hours times the hourly rate is your cost of labor.

    3) Overhead costs (rent, electricity, consumable supplies, cost of travel to acquire your supplies, and the like).

    Assume your overhead costs equal an additional 25% of the total cost of parts plus the cost of labor.

    Now, compute your TOTAL COST:

    TOTAL COST = Cost of All Parts + Overhead + Labor

    It's always difficult to recoup your labor, that is, the amount of time you put into making a product. You usually have to discount your labor. Thus,

    TOTAL MINIMUM COST = Cost of All Parts + Overhead + (Labor * 0.0)
    TOTAL MAXIMUM COST = (Cost of All Parts + Overhead) * (1.5)

    (1.5 is a labor cost adjustment factor)

    If your parts costs $10.00 and labor cost $2.00, your overhead would cost an additional $3.00.

    Your TOTAL MINIMUM COST (where you have charged nothing for your labor) would then be $13.00.

    Your TOTAL MAXIMUM COST (where you have charged the maximum amount for your labor) would be $19.50.

    Now you have to translate your cost into a price.

    For jewelry, you want to price your items at least 2 times your Total Cost, and preferably 2.5 to 3.0 times your Total Cost. Too many people underprice their products.

    Don't be afraid to adequately price your products. Jewelry is typically marked up higher than other goods. There are many reasons for this. The cost of getting and maintaining an inventory of parts is high; you can't buy just 1 bead at a time as needed. Jewelry fashions change every 3-4 months, often radically, leaving you with some unsaleable stock.

    In our example above, if your product cost:

    $13.00 (Total Minimum Cost), it would be priced between $26.00 (2*cost) and $39.00 (3*cost)

    $19.50 (Total Maximum Cost), it would be priced between $39.00 (2*cost) and $58.50 (3*cost)

    Sit back and evaluate your situation. If you feel your target market won't pay at least, in this example, $26.00 for the finished product, you need to rethink. Either reduce your costs or redesign the product.

    YOUR PROFITS: Assuming your cost was $13.00 plus $2.00 labor, or $15.00, and you sold your item for $26.00, your profit would be $9.00. You would want to set aside between 25% and 50% of this profit for einvestment into your business. Thus, after you paid your labor ($2.00), bought replacement parts ($10.00), and paid all your associated overhead ($3.00), you would put between $2.25 and $4.50 towards purchasing additional things for your business, and the remainder in your business bank account.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    LAND OF ODDS - The South's Most Unusual Shop
    150 Second Avenue North, Ste. 110, Nashville, TN 37201
    PHONE: 615/254-4341, 726-1665
    FAX: 615/254-4341
    http://www.landofodds.com
    oddsian@landofodds.com

    WHOLESALE - SOME PRICING CONSIDERATIONS

    Your ideal goal here would be to set your price at 2x your Total Cost. But, you will more often have to settle for a lot less mark-up. The compensating factor here is that when selling wholesale, you are selling in larger volumes than when selling retail. The larger volumes should help you reduce the costs of your parts, since you can buy those in volume. It should also result in a lot more cash flowing through your bank accounts. While you don't measure cash flow in actual dollar amounts and profits, cash flow definitely has a value because it enables your business to keep operating smoothly, and with less fits and starts.

    The minimum return you should settle for with wholesale is the ability to price your items at 1.25x your Total Cost. If any less, you need to rethink your product or your marketing strategy.

    A reasonable return you should aim for with wholesale is 1.5x your Total Cost.

    Again, your ideal goal would be 2.0x your Total Cost. [If you are only wholesaling a few pieces at a time, then 2.0x might be your minimum acceptable amount.

    CONSIGNMENT: SOME PRICING CONSIDERATIONS

    Many artists and craftspersons are dependent on consignment sales, since many of the retail outlets for these types of products must share the isk of sales with the artist. That is, the retail outlet cannot afford to buy the pieces outright. They can only afford to create a retail environment conducive for the sale of crafts and artwork.

    Thus, the retailer, in consignment, basically agrees to accept a little less of a profit from the sale of any item. The artist/craftsperson also agrees to accept a little less money.

    Typically, the retailer and artist/craftsperson might negotiate an item's price based on what they think someone will pay for it. Then they will agree how to split the money. A very common split is 60% of the sales price goes to the retailer, and 40% goes to the artist/craftsperson. Also common is 70% retailer/30% artist craftsperson. Less common is 50/50, 40/60 or 80/20.

    Now the artist/craftsperson has to determine if the return is sufficient to result in a profit. If the decided-upon price for an item was $10.00, and the negotiated split was 60/40, the artist would expect $4.00 from its sale. This $4.00 would have to cover the cost of the parts, the general overhead costs, and hopefully some or all of the artist's labor, as well as some extra money to reinvest in the business.

    Suppose the item was a pair of earrings, the cost of the parts was $1.00, the cost of labor $2.50, and overhead .88. The cost to the artist would be $4.38 -- .38 more in cost then in return. The artist could decide to take less for his or her labor. Or, the artist could renegotiate with the retailer to set a higher price for the item. The retailer would evaluate whether the item could sell at a higher price, or would sit around gathering dust, thus costing the retailing overhead costs, that could otherwise be offset with a better, faster selling item. [Retailers need to urn merchandise around at least 2x, and ideally 3x each year. That is, each square foot of selling space must generate a certain number of dollars each year to enable the retailer to pay the rent and other overhead costs generated by that square foot of selling space. If the retailer is resistant to raising the price, and the return is insufficient to cover the artist's costs, then the artist needs to re-evaluate the product or the location for selling that product.

    One of the greatest thrills of all time is when someone pays real money for something you have designed and created.

    The first question pops up: Can I make some serious money making jewelry?

    Why not? With smart planning, strategizing and marketing, you should even be able to make a living from your creative impulses.

    Some advice:

    First, buy your parts cheaply.
    Limit your inventory at first. Buy a few parts in large quantities.

    The more expensive your parts, the harder it will be to mark up your finished product in order to make a profit.

    If you try to design your business so that you can meet every contingency -- that is, respond to every request or market niche -- you'll end up buying a lot of different parts to have breadth, rather than depth, of inventory. This will cost you. Each part will have to be bought in smaller quantities, and thus will be more expensive.

    If, instead, you concentrate on replicating a limited number of designs, (perhaps varying certain design-features rather than coming up with completely new and different designs), you'll be able to buy parts in larger quantities, making them less expensive.

    [As your business develops and matures, your goals will change, and you will seek greater breadth -- but this is a subject for another article.

    Second, know your market.
    Who are your customers?

    What will your customers be willing to pay, say, for a pair of earrings?

    Where are your customers located? How will they get to you, or you to them?

    What will it cost you to link up to your target market? - travel, displays, packaging, timing

    You don't want to make a $100.00 beaded watch band if your most likely target market customer will only be willing to pay $20.00 for it.

    Third, know your competition.
    Check out similar merchandise in stores, flea markets and other places that sell jewelry like yours, and that target customers like the ones you want to target. How have they priced similar merchandise?

    Fourth, mark up and price your products so that you will make a sufficient profit.

    Sufficiency means that (a) you can buy replacement parts, (b) you can pay your overhead costs, (c) you can pay yourself, and (d) you can reinvest 5-10% of your earnings back into your business, such as expanding your inventory, or buying display fixtures and the like.

    Remember, it's always easier to lower a price, than raise a price. Customers smile at lower prices, but frown on raised prices.

    Some Formulas To Help You Price Your Pieces

    You need to write down this information:

    1) Cost of All Parts

    Use your ypical costs. If you got a good buy on some parts, don't use the discounted cost, unless this is going to become your ypical cost.

    2) Cost of your Labor

    Figure out what you would expect to make per hour if someone were paying you a salary. $10.00/hour is reasonable for a beginner. Determine on average, how many hours it takes to make the piece. Figure out the hours to the nearest quarter of an hour. That is, if you took 1 hour 6 minutes to make a piece, consider that 1 1/4 hours. The number of hours times the hourly rate is your cost of labor.

    3) Overhead costs (rent, electricity, consumable supplies, cost of travel to acquire your supplies, and the like).

    Assume your overhead costs equal an additional 25% of the total cost of parts plus the cost of labor.

    Now, compute your TOTAL COST:

    TOTAL COST = Cost of All Parts + Overhead + Labor

    It's always difficult to recoup your labor, that is, the amount of time you put into making a product. You usually have to discount your labor. Thus,

    TOTAL MINIMUM COST = Cost of All Parts + Overhead + (Labor * 0.0)
    TOTAL MAXIMUM COST = (Cost of All Parts + Overhead) * (1.5)

    (1.5 is a labor cost adjustment factor)

    If your parts costs $10.00 and labor cost $2.00, your overhead would cost an additional $3.00.

    Your TOTAL MINIMUM COST (where you have charged nothing for your labor) would then be $13.00.

    Your TOTAL MAXIMUM COST (where you have charged the maximum amount for your labor) would be $19.50.

    Now you have to translate your cost into a price.

    For jewelry, you want to price your items at least 2 times your Total Cost, and preferably 2.5 to 3.0 times your Total Cost. Too many people underprice their products.

    Don't be afraid to adequately price your products. Jewelry is typically marked up higher than other goods. There are many reasons for this. The cost of getting and maintaining an inventory of parts is high; you can't buy just 1 bead at a time as needed. Jewelry fashions change every 3-4 months, often radically, leaving you with some unsaleable stock.

    In our example above, if your product cost:

    $13.00 (Total Minimum Cost), it would be priced between $26.00 (2*cost) and $39.00 (3*cost)

    $19.50 (Total Maximum Cost), it would be priced between $39.00 (2*cost) and $58.50 (3*cost)

    Sit back and evaluate your situation. If you feel your target market won't pay at least, in this example, $26.00 for the finished product, you need to rethink. Either reduce your costs or redesign the product.

    YOUR PROFITS: Assuming your cost was $13.00 plus $2.00 labor, or $15.00, and you sold your item for $26.00, your profit would be $9.00. You would want to set aside between 25% and 50% of this profit for einvestment into your business. Thus, after you paid your labor ($2.00), bought replacement parts ($10.00), and paid all your associated overhead ($3.00), you would put between $2.25 and $4.50 towards purchasing additional things for your business, and the remainder in your business bank account.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    LAND OF ODDS - The South's Most Unusual Shop
    150 Second Avenue North, Ste. 110, Nashville, TN 37201
    PHONE: 615/254-4341, 726-1665
    FAX: 615/254-4341
    http://www.landofodds.com
    oddsian@landofodds.com

    In much the same way that a resume displays your work experience to a prospective employer, a credit report provides prospective creditors (and in some cases employers and insurers too) with a detailed picture of your credit history. And like a resume, your credit report can influence whether you will receive what you are applying for.

    Ideally, your credit report is an accurate, up-to-date reflection of your credit history. However, since we don't live in an ideal world, there are many reasons that your credit report could contain inaccuracies that might prevent you from receiving the credit you deserve. The good news is you can take action to keep your report accurate. Here are the top five reasons why you should make a practice of regularly reviewing your credit report:

    Inaccuracies & Mixed Credit Files

    Many inaccuracies on a credit report can be the result of simple human error, and are therefore are not difficult to dispute. Of course, if you don't order your credit report, you might never know about it. Whether the inaccuracies relate to payments not credited, late payments, or data mixed in from the credit file of someone else with a name similar to yours, you will want to contact the credit bureau to dispute inaccurate information promptly. If you would like to get a free copy of your credit report right now, click here.

    Tracking Payments

    One of the most important elements of credit is a demonstrated history of on time payments. Once you send the check though, anything can happen--a delay in the payment being received can kick you over to a 30-day delinquency. If you call your creditor and explain the situation, they might adjust the information. Of course, if you don't read your credit report, you won't necessarily know which payments are being received and reported properly. If you would like to get a free copy of your credit report right now,click here.

    Identity Theft

    This issue alone is reason to order your credit report immediately. Identity theft is an insidious crime, involving a thief who assumes your name to open new accounts, divert your card statements to another address, and run up all sorts of bad debt without you ever knowing about it until collectors come calling. Over time, identity theft could jeopardize your ability to obtain further credit. The best way to catch a thief who is using your name is by getting a copy of your credit report, which will show you if there are accounts listed you know you haven't opened. For example, if a thief has intercepted a pre-approved credit card offer in your name and sent it in with a change of address, your credit report will include the account. If you would like to get a free copy of your credit report right now, click here.

    Inquiries

    If you're shopping around for a loan or more credit, you should know that when creditors check your credit, it places an inquiry on your credit report. Inquiries can add up, which is often interpreted as a negative by creditors. For this reason, too many inquiries can actually make getting credit more difficult. Moreover, if you didn't authorize someone to look at your credit report and they did, they may have broken the law. If you would like to see who's been looking at your credit, click hereto get a free copy of your credit report right now.

    Credit Fraud--Unauthorized Charges

    Credit fraud involves the theft of your credit card or account number to make unauthorized charges to your account. Though consumers are protected financially from this abuse, other creditors may take note of all this activity and decide to raise your interest rates or refuse to grant you a loan. Ordering your credit report will help you catch new activity on accounts that you haven't been using, or may have closed. If you would like to get a free copy of your credit report right now,click here.

    When it comes to managing your credit worthiness, your credit report is your best resource. Ordering your credit report gives you the opportunity to manage your credit wisely today, while planning your credit strategy for achieving future goals--a credit-savvy move every consumer should make! click hereto get your credit report right now, for free!

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Reprint permission for any medium is granted only if all information below this notice, including the WWIO web site link and authors biography are included as written.

    In much the same way that a resume displays your work experience to a prospective employer, a credit report provides prospective creditors (and in some cases employers and insurers too) with a detailed picture of your credit history. And like a resume, your credit report can influence whether you will receive what you are applying for.

    Ideally, your credit report is an accurate, up-to-date reflection of your credit history. However, since we don't live in an ideal world, there are many reasons that your credit report could contain inaccuracies that might prevent you from receiving the credit you deserve. The good news is you can take action to keep your report accurate. Here are the top five reasons why you should make a practice of regularly reviewing your credit report:

    Inaccuracies & Mixed Credit Files

    Many inaccuracies on a credit report can be the result of simple human error, and are therefore are not difficult to dispute. Of course, if you don't order your credit report, you might never know about it. Whether the inaccuracies relate to payments not credited, late payments, or data mixed in from the credit file of someone else with a name similar to yours, you will want to contact the credit bureau to dispute inaccurate information promptly. If you would like to get a free copy of your credit report right now, click here.

    Tracking Payments

    One of the most important elements of credit is a demonstrated history of on time payments. Once you send the check though, anything can happen--a delay in the payment being received can kick you over to a 30-day delinquency. If you call your creditor and explain the situation, they might adjust the information. Of course, if you don't read your credit report, you won't necessarily know which payments are being received and reported properly. If you would like to get a free copy of your credit report right now,click here.

    Identity Theft

    This issue alone is reason to order your credit report immediately. Identity theft is an insidious crime, involving a thief who assumes your name to open new accounts, divert your card statements to another address, and run up all sorts of bad debt without you ever knowing about it until collectors come calling. Over time, identity theft could jeopardize your ability to obtain further credit. The best way to catch a thief who is using your name is by getting a copy of your credit report, which will show you if there are accounts listed you know you haven't opened. For example, if a thief has intercepted a pre-approved credit card offer in your name and sent it in with a change of address, your credit report will include the account. If you would like to get a free copy of your credit report right now, click here.

    Inquiries

    If you're shopping around for a loan or more credit, you should know that when creditors check your credit, it places an inquiry on your credit report. Inquiries can add up, which is often interpreted as a negative by creditors. For this reason, too many inquiries can actually make getting credit more difficult. Moreover, if you didn't authorize someone to look at your credit report and they did, they may have broken the law. If you would like to see who's been looking at your credit, click hereto get a free copy of your credit report right now.

    Credit Fraud--Unauthorized Charges

    Credit fraud involves the theft of your credit card or account number to make unauthorized charges to your account. Though consumers are protected financially from this abuse, other creditors may take note of all this activity and decide to raise your interest rates or refuse to grant you a loan. Ordering your credit report will help you catch new activity on accounts that you haven't been using, or may have closed. If you would like to get a free copy of your credit report right now,click here.

    When it comes to managing your credit worthiness, your credit report is your best resource. Ordering your credit report gives you the opportunity to manage your credit wisely today, while planning your credit strategy for achieving future goals--a credit-savvy move every consumer should make! click hereto get your credit report right now, for free!

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Reprint permission for any medium is granted only if all information below this notice, including the WWIO web site link and authors biography are included as written.

    I, (1), of (2), hereby appoint (3) of (4), as my attorney in fact to act in my capacity to do any and all of the following: (DESCRIBE THE EXTENT OF AUTHORITY YOU ARE GIVING TO YOUR ATTORNEY-IN-FACT) The rights, powers, and authority of my attorney in fact to exercise any and all of the rights and powers herein granted shall commence and be in full force and effect on (5), 19(6), and shall remain in full force and effect until (7) or unless specifically extended or rescinded earlier by either party. Dated (8), 19(9). SIGNED (10) STATE OF (11) COUNTY OF (12) BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, on this (13) day of (14), 19(15), personally appeared (16) to me well known to be the person described in and who signed the Foregoing, and acknowledged to me that he executed the same freely and voluntarily for the uses and purposes therein expressed. WITNESS my hand and official seal the date aforesaid. (17) NOTARY PUBLIC My Commission Expires:(18) 1. Your full name
    2. County or city in which you reside
    3. Full name of person you appoint
    4. County or city in which they reside
    5. Day and month this becomes effective
    6. Year this becomes effective
    7. Last day, month and year this is effective
    8. Day and month in which you signed it
    9. The year in which you signed it
      10. Your full signature
    11. The state in which you reside
    12. The county in which you reside
    FILLED OUT BY NOTARY PUBLIC 13. Day you signed the form
    14. Month you signed the form
    15. Year you signed the form
    16. Your full name
    17. Notary Public signature
    18. Notary Public commission expiration date
    NOTICE

    The information in this document is designed to provide an outline that you can follow when formulating business or personal plans. Due to the variances of many local, city, county and state laws, we recommend that you seek professional legal counseling before entering into any contract or agreement.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Reprint permission for any medium is granted only if all information below this notice, including the WWIO web site link and authors biography are included as written.

    I, (1), of (2), hereby appoint (3) of (4), as my attorney in fact to act in my capacity to do any and all of the following: (DESCRIBE THE EXTENT OF AUTHORITY YOU ARE GIVING TO YOUR ATTORNEY-IN-FACT) The rights, powers, and authority of my attorney in fact to exercise any and all of the rights and powers herein granted shall commence and be in full force and effect on (5), 19(6), and shall remain in full force and effect until (7) or unless specifically extended or rescinded earlier by either party. Dated (8), 19(9). SIGNED (10) STATE OF (11) COUNTY OF (12) BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, on this (13) day of (14), 19(15), personally appeared (16) to me well known to be the person described in and who signed the Foregoing, and acknowledged to me that he executed the same freely and voluntarily for the uses and purposes therein expressed. WITNESS my hand and official seal the date aforesaid. (17) NOTARY PUBLIC My Commission Expires:(18) 1. Your full name
    2. County or city in which you reside
    3. Full name of person you appoint
    4. County or city in which they reside
    5. Day and month this becomes effective
    6. Year this becomes effective
    7. Last day, month and year this is effective
    8. Day and month in which you signed it
    9. The year in which you signed it
      10. Your full signature
    11. The state in which you reside
    12. The county in which you reside
    FILLED OUT BY NOTARY PUBLIC 13. Day you signed the form
    14. Month you signed the form
    15. Year you signed the form
    16. Your full name
    17. Notary Public signature
    18. Notary Public commission expiration date
    NOTICE

    The information in this document is designed to provide an outline that you can follow when formulating business or personal plans. Due to the variances of many local, city, county and state laws, we recommend that you seek professional legal counseling before entering into any contract or agreement.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Reprint permission for any medium is granted only if all information below this notice, including the WWIO web site link and authors biography are included as written.

    You can, if you are ambitious, start a Mail Order Business selling collectibles to hobbyists. To begin, you must first find a hobby that appeals to you. Next, you must spend several weeks researching that hobby. You must learn what collectors want and how much they are willing to pay for it. You should also know what other dealers are willing to pay for the merchandise which they sell. And you must be willing to pay the same amounts.

    Perhaps you already know exactly what you want to sell. If you have been collecting old Valentines, then start a Mail Order business buying and selling old Valentines. Or stamps. Or comic books. The first rule of Mail Order Selling is to sell what you yourself would buy.

    To give you an idea of what collectors buy and sell by mail, here is a partial list of today's collectibles!

    Phonograph Records
    Cigar Labels
    License Plates
    Beer Labels
    Circus Posters
    Music Boxes
    Salt/Pepper Shakers
    Greeting Cards
    Old Pencils
    Atlases
    Military Medals
    Sheet Music
    Doll Clothes
    Gems, Minerals
    Belt Buckles
    Airplane Photos
    FBI Posters
    Automobile Manuals
    Antique Barbed Wire
    Old Jewelry
    Street Car Tokens
    Fruit Jar Labels
    Old Magazines
    Gun Catalogs
    Paper Currency
    Cartoon Books
    Theater Programs
    Political Buttons
    Baseball Cards
    Children's Books
    Stock Certificates
    Indian Relics
    Railroad Books
    Fishing Licenses
    Cigar Boxes
    Comic Books
    Old Calendars
    Postcards
    Arrowheads
    Railroad Passes
    Boat Photographs
    Advertising Cards
    Dog Pictures
    Movie Magazines
    Autographs
    Dolls
    Hunting Licenses
    Valentines
    Cookbooks
    Beatles Items
    Stamps
    Old Toys
    Menus
    Maps
    Thimbles
    Train Photos
    Newspapers
    Diaries
    Coins
    Buttons

    I would like to suggest that you send for sample copies of two magazines. They are read avidly by hobby dealers and hobby collectors alike:

    THE ANTIQUE TRADER WEEKLY
    Box 1050
    Dubuque, IA 52001
    THE COLLECTORS NEWS
    Box 156
    Grundy Center, IA 50638

    Each of these publications contain around 70 or 80 pages of ads from dealers and collectors. Almost every hobby publication, large or small, if listed within its pages.

    Once you have selected your field, start a file. Keep copies of all the ads selling your kind of merchandise. Also keep ads showing the dealers buying prices. If price lists are offered in ads, send for them and STUDY them. MAKE YOURSELF AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD.

    Try to locate any publication that deals with your field. Often, you can locate small mimeographed publications and newsletters which will give you all kinds of useful information.

    Your next step is to look for merchandise in your own community. Here are some suggestions:

  • Start by attending flea markets and antique shows. Don't be afraid to make inquiries of dealers. They often have what they consider junk stashed away, assuming that it isn't of much value to anyone. I once discovered a fabulous stamp collection that way!
  • Browse around through Thrift Shops.
  • Study the garage sale ads in your local newspaper. Visit any that sound promising. (Sometimes, it pays to telephone, they may be able to direct you to others who have exactly what you need!)
  • Place Wanted to Buy ads in your local Swapper's News, or your local newspaper. Be sure to list your phone number.
  • It is amazing what you can find in your local community if you work at it. However, if you can't find enough merchandise locally, run ads in the Collector's Magazines listed above. Their rates are very, very low. And you will soon discover that they are widely read!

    Once you have accumulated a decent stock of merchandise, you are ready to begin selling it. If there are publications specializing in your field, by all means advertise there. You have a ready-made audience! Also run ads in the big hobby magazines.

    Type up a list of what you have and have an Instant Printer make a hundred or so copies for you. Hobbyists don't mind typewritten, laser printer, or xerox copies - it's half the fun of collecting. Then run your ad. Your ad can merely offer your list to interested collectors free (or for a SASE, to weed out coupon clippers). Or you can offer to make a sale straight from the ad. If you do the latter, stick in your price list with the merchandise. It will be read...eagerly!

    Here are a few sample ads run by hobby dealers for your consideration:

    • Railroad Timetables, 1940's
      Four Different - $4.00 postpaid.
    • Old Children's Books and Texts.
      #10 SASE for List.
    • 85,000 Comic Books, Movie Magazines,
      Funnies, etc., 1900-1957. Catalog
      $1.00 (Refundable).
    • Original Movie Posters, Pressbooks,
      Stills, 1919-1975. Catalog - $.50
    • Sleigh Bells! SASE for list.

    Just in case you are not familiar with the phrase, SASE means Self-addressed, stamped envelope. As you progress, you will learn continually. Most hobby dealers will tell you that they learn more from the collectors who buy from them than they could ever learn from any other source.

    Below are some other hobby publications that may interest you. (At the time this article was written, these publicationswere available. However, we cannot guarantee that they are still in publication. There are several things you can do beforesending a letter or money to them. You can check your local library in the Index of Periodicals or a local book store may beable to verify current addresses for them. Good luck). You can write to these publications and request a sample copy. However, it would be a good idea to include postage when requesting copies from the publisher.

    HOBBIES
    1006 S. MICHIGAN AVE.
    CHICAGO, IL 60605

    THE AUTOGRAPH NEWS
    7540 S. MEMORIAL PARKWAY
    HUNTSVILLE, AL 35802

    WESTERN STAMP COLLECTOR
    BOX 10
    ALBANY, OR 97321

    COIN & STAMP TRADING NEWS
    BOX 11101
    SANTA ROSA, CA 95406

    STAMPS MAGAZINE
    153 WAVERLY PLACE
    NEW YORK, NY 10014

    LYNN'S WEEKLY STAMP NEWS
    BOX 29
    SIDNEY, OH 45365

    DOLL CASTLE NEWS
    BRASS CASTLE
    WASHINGTON, NJ 07882

    JESSIE'S HOMEMAKER
    731 BLUE BELL STREET
    FT. COLLINS, CO 80521

    CANADIAN HOBBY SHOPPER
    BOX 3382 - HALIFAX SOUTH, NS
    CANADA B3J 3J1

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    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    IN-HOUSE SOURCES

    Before you think about a list of prospective customer names, you should first create a database for current customers' names and develop a mailing list. (Remember, your current customers are most likely to respond to your future offers.)

    Finding the data to include on the customer portion of your mailing list can be fairly straightforward if you have your own in-house records. But even then you may have to develop more sources to obtain additional data about your customers.

    Here are some of the in-house records you can use to develop your customer database:

  • Sales Receipts/Invoices/Order Forms:

    These documents can give you the following information: date of last purchase, dates of all purchases over a period of time, and amount of money spent with you. You may also be able to determine what products/services were ordered from you. When using invoices to compile your customer list, be aware that in businesses they may be addressed to the Accounting Department rather than the individual/title most likely to purchase from you.

    Especially if your customers are businesses, they may use two addresses. One is the Ship-to address, where ordered items are sent. The other is the Bill-to or Mail-to address, where invoices and catalogs are sent. Make sure you're using the correct address every time you correspond with the customer.

  • Shipping Records:

    Shipping records can be an important source of customer names, particularly if your product is sold through a dealer or distributor, and you don't have direct access to customer order forms. Again, be aware that some customers may have different billing and shipping addresses.

  • Membership Lists:

    Every organization is sure to have a list of its members. If your organization has several membership categories, this information should be associated with the member name when you add it to your list.

  • Registration Forms:

    If your organization does not maintain a membership list, you may still be able to identify your customers from the registration forms and sign in sheets you use at your events. One approach to collecting names is to ask attendees to add their names to your mailing list.

  • Contest Entries:

    The entry forms for a sweepstakes, contest, or raffle can be used effectively to get the names of your customer. This approach might be most useful if your organization lacks customer records because you provide your product or service free of charge.

    OTHER SOURCES

    Sometimes, your own records don't hold enough information about your customers or members. You may have to rely on other sources to capture additional database information:

  • Warranty Cards:

    Warranty cards included in packages of merchandise can be an effective way to gather information about customers. On the card, you can request that the customer complete the demographic information and return it when he/she registers the product.

  • Surveys:

    Phone or mail surveys are another way to gather (and later update) information on your customer database.

    Phone surveys can be used in a number of different ways to collect database information. For example, you can call customers and administer full questionnaires to gather complete information about them. This can be a very costly way to collect data - especially for a large number of customer. Mail surveys (which will be discussed later) may be a better technique for this type of database information collection.

    Phone surveys are useful if you are updating or adding single fields to your database. You may avoid the phone cost altogether by asking a few short questions each time a customer calls in - to place an order, get a price quote, etc.

    Mail questionnaires can reach a larger number of customer at a lower cost than phone surveys. Mail questionnaires can be sent individually to customers. However, to save postage costs, surveys can also be inserted in mailings, included in packages of merchandise, or printed on any other correspondence with customers, such as invoices.

    If you have a store or office, you can also conduct surveys by having customers fill out questionnaire cards when they visit.

    Other sources you can use to build your list include:

    • point of purchase questionnaires.

    • membership application forms.

    • questions on purchase orders, statements, invoices.

    Your customer names are the core of your mailing list. This report has described some sources for collecting database information on current customers. You should consider every contact with a customer a potential source for collecting such information.

    After you collect this information, you need ways to initially get it into your database and then to regularly make sure it's current and accurate. (Out-of-date, inaccurate mailing lists waste money and reduce results.) Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    If you need an online database just email us and let us know. Database prices start at $99.

    This article may be used online or off line in publications as long as credit is given to World Wide Information Outlet in the above resource box.

    Opps! The link you followed may be inaccurate or outdated.NoneOpps! The link you followed may be inaccurate or outdated.NoneOpps! The link you followed may be inaccurate or outdated.NoneSmokers Beware!!Dr. Robert Osgoodby

    By now, most people are well aware that smoking causes lung cancer. Cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and chewing tobacco kill more than 434,000 Americans each year accounting for one out of five premature deaths in this country. Lung cancer is just the first in a long list of tobacco related illnesses:

    • Bladder Cancer - Smoking causes 40% of all cases of bladder cancer.

    • Breast Cancer - Women who smoke are 75% more likely to develop breast cancer.

    • Cervical Cancer - Up to one third of all cases of cervical cancer are directly attributable to smoking.

    • Childhood Respiratory Ailments - Children exposed to parents tobacco smoke have six times as many respiratory infections as kids of nonsmoking parents.

    • Diabetes - Smoking decreases the body's absorption of insulin.

    • Emphysema - Smoking accounts for up to 85% of all deaths attributable to emphysema.

    • Esophageal Cancer - Smoking accounts for 80% of all cases of esophageal cancer.

    • Gastrointestinal Cancer - Smoking at least doubles the risk of cancer of the stomach and duodenum.

    • Heart Disease - Smokers are up to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than nonsmokers.

    • Infertility - Couples in which at least one member smokes are more than three times more likely to have trouble conceiving.

    • Kidney Cancer - Smoking causes 40% of all cases of kidney cancer.

    • Mouth Cancer - Tobacco causes the vast majority of all cancers of the mouth.

    • Premature Aging - Constant exposure to tobacco smoke prematurely wrinkles the facial skin and yellows the teeth and fingernails.

    • Stroke - Smoking doubles the risk of stroke among men and women.

    • Throat Cancer - The vast majority of cases of pharyngeal cancer are directly related to smoking.

    While smoking has officially been recognized as a cause of lung cancer, scientists have also confirmed another tobacco danger, that breathing the air containing someone else's smoke (second hand smoke) poses many of the same risk as smoking yourself.

    Doctors and Scientists have been reporting on the dangers of tobacco and smoking for nearly four decades. Many serious illnesses are directly attributed to smoking. If you want to live a longer, healthier life quit smoking today!

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    Dr. Osgoodby was a finalist in the EAS Body for Life Contest. Stop by his web page at http://bestbodyever.com to see his before and after pictures and subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

    Get Back to BasicsDr. Robert Osgoodby

    WARNING!! Always seek the advice of a Medical Doctor before starting, or making changes in your diet or exercise program.

    If you want to build a strong healthy body, proper nutrition is a keystone for your success. What constitutes proper nutrition? Great question! Unfortunately for John Q. Public, the greatest challenge is not a lack of information, but too much information. If you study the experts you will find endless contradictions and false conclusions that create uncertainty, and leave most people confused and clueless. We are in an information frenzy that makes it hard to know which way to turn.

    On any given day you can walk into a bookstore and find several books on the best-seller list, prescribing totally different solutions for proper nutrition. One expert tells you to cut out carbs, another tells you to eat more carbs, the next tells you to eat more protein, while another tells you to eat less protein.

    With this nightmare of mixed messages, no wonder why millions of people are left in the dark on which plan to follow. This month's newsletter is dedicated to share some basic fundamental truths for optimal nutrition for decreasing body fat percentage, increasing energy and building muscle. Let's get started.

  • Don't Starve Yourself - This is one of the most common misconceptions and mistakes most people trying to lose weight make. If your trying to shed fat, drastically decreasing your caloric intake in an effort to lose weight or get cut is almost as destructive to achieving your goals as eating large amounts of ice cream and fried foods for every meal! Studies show this type of dieting actually decreases your basal metabolic rate, which is the last thing you want to do if you are looking to lose weight and decrease your body fat percentage. On this type of diet, most of the weight you lose is not fat - it's lean body mass. You are actually keeping your fat and burning your muscle!

  • Eat At Least Four Meals A Day - By eating four to six small healthy meals a day, properly spaced, you will burn fat at a faster rate. The traditional hree square meals is antiquated advice that will slow down your metabolism and increase body fat storage. Studies have shown, eating four to six small meals a day promotes optimum food absorption, stable blood-sugar levels, and increases your metabolic rate. A meal can be as simple as a serving of fruit or vegetables, a small baked potato, a cup of yogurt, or a meal replacement shake.

  • Monitor Your Portion Sizes - Instead of worrying about what ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fat you should be eating, concentrate on portion control. Most people's focus has been distorted by the huge emphasis placed on cutting fat intake. Fat is a necessary component in a healthy diet. The fact is, most people just eat too much. A good rule of thumb is that a portion should be no larger than your clenched fist.

  • Design An Eating Schedule - Most people eat when it's convenient, not on a schedule. This type of behavior slows your metabolism and sabotages your body transformation efforts. To get optimum results, you should eat four to six small meals a day, spread three to four hours apart. Your initial reaction to this principle may be there is no way this can be incorporated into your busy schedule. With a little bit of pre-planning and commitment, it can be done. You can cook up to one week's worth of food on the weekend and refrigerate and freeze it. Broil your chicken breasts, put them in a food storage bag and throw them in the refrigerator. Make a huge salad! Take your Tupperware out of storage and pack several small meals to take to work with you. Another thing you can do is make sure your cupboards and refrigerator are overflowing with quality sources of protein, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. This will also help you stick to the plan and not cheat during the week.

  • Drink 8 To 10 Glasses Of Water A Day - Believe it or not, water actually helps you control your appetite. If you find that a portion of food has not satisfied your hunger, drinking a large glass of water will help alleviate those nagging hunger pangs. The vast majority of your body is comprised of water. Water is an essential transport vehicle for an array of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. It also helps eliminate waste products in your body including uric acid, ammonia, and toxins. Another misconception is that if you are retaining water, you should decrease your water consumption. This is just not true. One of the best ways to get rid of water, is to drink more water. Just like starving yourself decreases your basal metabolic rate, water retention is another example of your body's survival mechanism.

    If a golfer or football player's performance decreases, getting back to the basic fundamentals can help them regain their edge. The advice in this month's newsletter is simplistic and fundamental, but sometimes you have to go back to the basics to get back on track.

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    Dr. Osgoodby was a finalist in the EAS Body for Life Contest. Stop by his web page at http://bestbodyever.com to see his before and after pictures and subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

    Excuses, ExcusesDr. Robert Osgoodby

    WARNING!! Always seek the advice of a Medical Doctor before starting, or making changes in your diet or exercise program.

    In today's fast paced world, sometimes it can be challenging to find the time to get to the gym to workout. I am sure you have heard many people say, There just aren't enough hours in the day. The number one excuse for not training on a regular basis is not being able to find the time.

    Ninety nine percent of all excuses are not valid! If you are serious about getting in shape, if it is a top priority, nothing will get in the way of you achieving your goal. If you want something bad enough, it is amazing what you will do to get it. Here are a few things you can do to eliminate the I don't have time excuse.

  • Get up an hour earlier, or stay up an hour later. Dedicate this extra hour of time to training and achieving your fitness goals. Fact: Most people spend more time sleeping than they need to. Eight or nine hours of sleep can be great, but by no means necessary to maintain your health and let you feel good.

    Personally, I find it easier and more effective to get up an hour earlier and train first thing in the morning for two reasons. Training first thing in the morning increases your metabolism and keeps you burning calories at an increased rate throughout the day. Another great reason to train first thing is to eliminate the possibility of procrastination and blowing off a workout. By the end of the day, the last thing in the world you want to do after a long day of work and responsibility is workout. Getting your training in first thing will also increase your energy level and make you feel good about yourself. It gives you a sense of accomplishment which will help you tackle the rest of your day and insane schedule with a smile.

    I am sure that at least one morning person reading this said to themselves, Get up an hour earlier, he must be out of his mind! Even if you get up half an hour earlier, this equates to three and a half hours of exercise time a week that you didn't have before. With only investing a half hour a day, you can get quick, noticeable results.

  • Put together a home exercise program for those days you just can't get to the gym. For about $150.00, you can buy some dumbbells, a bench, and a floor mat for abdominal training. Although you can not get as thorough a workout as you could in a health club - it's better than nothing! Herschel Walker, a pro football player, has one of the best physiques around and he has never touched a weight! His workout consists of push-ups, sit-ups, and cardiovascular exercise. You can get great results sticking to the basics. Remember, consistency and intensity are your key ingredients for success.

    If money is an issue and you can't afford to buy the equipment mentioned above, all you need is a VCR. There are hundreds of great video tapes designed for toning, weight loss and fat burning. If you don't want to go to a gym, this allows you to exercise in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

    All exercise video tapes are designed with music as a background. Music is a powerful tool when it comes to exercise. It lifts your spirits and increases your enthusiasm. Music also takes your mind off the clock and makes your workouts seem to go faster.

    Exercise to music that you enjoy. If you like music from the 50's, 60's and 70's, Richard Simmons Sweating To The Oldies, or Cory Everson's Step In Time are great beginner level programs. If you like martial arts and self defense, purchase a tae bo tape.

    If you are in decent shape, semi-coordinated and like today's dance music, you can choose from several of MTV's The Grind Workout Hip Hop Aerobics, Paula Abdul's, Get Up And Dance, Milo Levell's Hip Hop Body Shop, Kathy Smith's Latin Rhythm Workout, or Christy Lane's Funky Freestyle Dancing.

    If you have two left feet like me, you will quickly be able to master Denise Austin's Xtralite Beginner's Aerobics.

    All of these tapes and hundreds more are available for sale at most music and major department stores. If you want to check out a tape before you buy it, most of these video tapes can also be rented at your local video store.

    Incorporating these simple principles into your daily routine will make it much easier for you to stick to the program, improve your health, and move closer to your fitness goals.

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    Dr. Osgoodby was a finalist in the EAS Body for Life Contest. Stop by his web page at http://bestbodyever.com to see his before and after pictures and subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

    Avoiding The Common MistakesDr. Robert Osgoodby

    WARNING!! Always seek the advice of a Medical Doctor before starting, or making changes in your diet or exercise program.

    On any given day, you can walk into any gym and find well-intentioned, but frustrated members. No matter what exercise program they try, they can't seem to achieve their goals. Some have gotten positive results for awhile, but have flatlined and just can't seem to get off a plateau. If you are serious enough to dedicate your valuable time to improve your health and appearance, then make it count and get the maximum return from the time you are investing. If you avoid the following common mistakes, you will have a much better chance of building the physique you desire.

  • Too Much Time Between Sets - Most people socialize far too much in the gym. If you want to socialize at the gym, do it after you finish your workout. Make your lips the last muscle group you train. Unless you are a powerlifter, you should never let the muscle group fully recover between sets. A good rule of thumb for minor exercises (ex. bicep curls, calf raises, tricep extensions) is 60 seconds of rest between sets. For major exercises like squats, 90-120 seconds may be necessary.

  • Trying To Reduce Fat In A Certain Area - I know men who do endless sit-ups to burn the fat in their abdominal area to get that six pack of abs and get rid of those love handles. I receive e-mail from women who want to get rid of unwanted fat in their legs, rear-end and arms, and think the solution is increased weight training for that particular body part. You can not spot reduce bodyfat. To get positive results, you need to reduce your bodyfat throughout your entire body. You can not pick and choose. To reach your goals you need a balanced program of weight training, proper diet and cardiovascular exercise. As you decrease your overall bodyfat percentage, your problem areas will improve.

  • To Gain Size And Muscularity, You Must Stick With Free Weights - This is a common misconception. Barbells and dumbbells are a staple for increasing muscularity, but by all means complement them with machines. Machines and cable exercises allow you to specifically concentrate on certain areas of a muscle group, and significantly decrease your risk of injury.

  • Rushing Through A Set - A classic example that comes to mind is the young novice trying to show off on the bench press. With no form, rhyme or reason, he bounces the weight off his chest fast and furiously. Other than increasing your chances of injury, this serves no purpose. By slowing down the pace and concentrating on muscle contraction and form, you will get the maximum return from your weight training and significantly decrease your chances of injury.

  • Doing The Same Old Routine - One of the main reasons people plateau is they do not shake things up a little. By doing the same thing day after day, your muscles adapt to the routine and you will stop making gains. Mix things up by adding in new exercises, switching exercise order, and varying the amount of weight and the number of repetitions in a set. Changing your routine will shock your muscle groups and help prevent stagnation.

  • More Is Better - For a large muscle group like your chest, you may do 12 sets to muscle failure. If you train your triceps after chest, they are already pre-fatigued from your chest exercises. All you really need is 6-9 sets to properly finish off your triceps. Two or three exercises, three sets each is plenty. Anything more is over training which increases your chances of injury and slows your progress.

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    Dr. Osgoodby was a finalist in the EAS Body for Life Contest. Stop by his web page at http://bestbodyever.com to see his before and after pictures and subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

    Most smokers sincerely want to quit. They know cigarettes threaten their health, set a bad example for their children, annoy their acquaintances and cost an inordinate amount of money.

    Nobody can force a smoker to quit. It's something each person has to decide for himself/herself, and will require a personal commitment by the smoker. What kind of smoker are you? What do you get out of smoking? What does it do for you? It is important to identify what you use smoking for and what kind of satisfaction you feel that you are getting from smoking.

    Many smokers use the cigarette as a kind of crutch in moments of stress or discomfort, and on occasion it may work; the cigarette is sometimes used as a tranquilizer. But the heavy smoker, the person who tries to handle severe personal problems by smoking heavily all day long, is apt to discover that cigarettes do not help him/her deal with his/her problems effectively.

    When it comes to quitting, this kind of smoker may find it easy to stop when everything is going well, but may be tempted to start again in a time of crisis. Physical exertion, eating, drinking, or social activity in moderation may serve as useful substitutes for cigarettes, even in times of tension. The choice of a substitute depends on what will achieve the same effects without having any appreciable risk.

    Once a smoker understands his/her own smoking behavior, he will be able to cope more successfully and select the best quitting approaches for himself/herself and the type of life-style he leads.

    Because smoking is a form of addiction, 80 percent of smoker who quit usually experience some withdrawal symptoms. These may include headache, light-headedness, nausea, diarrhea, and chest pains. Psychological symptoms, such as anxiety, short-term depression, and inability to concentrate, may also appear. The main psychological symptom is increased irritability. People become so irritable, in fact, that they say they feel like killing somebody. Yet there is no evidence that quitting smoking leads to physical violence.

    Some people seem to lose all their energy and drive, wanting only to sleep. Others react in exactly the opposite way, becoming so over energized they can't find enough activity to burn off their excess energy. For instance, one woman said she cleaned out all her closets completely and was ready to go next door to start on her neighbor's. Both these extremes, however, eventually level off. The symptoms may be intense for two or three days, but within 10 to 14 days after quitting, most subside. The truth is that after people quit smoking, they have more energy, they generally will need less sleep, and feel better about themselves.

    Quitting smoking not only extends the ex-smoker's life, but adds new happiness and meaning to one's current life. Most smokers state that immediately after they quit smoking, they start noticing dramatic differences in their overall health and vitality.

    Quitting is beneficial at any age, no matter how long a person has been smoking. The mortality ratio of ex-smoker decreases after quitting. If the patient quits before a serious disease has developed, his/her body may eventually be able to restore itself almost completely.

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    When someone is injured or suddenly becomes ill, there is usually a critical period before you can get medical treatment and it is this period that is of the utmost importance to the victim. What you do, or what you don't do, in that interval can mean the difference between life and death. You owe it to yourself, your family and your neighbors to know and to understand procedures that you can apply quickly and intelligently in an emergency.

    Every household should have some type of first aid kit, and if you do not already have one, assemble your supplies now. Tailor the contents to fit your family's particular needs. Don't add first aid supplies to the jumble of toothpaste and cosmetics in the medicine cabinet. Instead, assenble them in a suitable, labeled box (such as a fishing tackle box or small tool chest with hinged cover), so that everything will be handy when needed. Label everything in the kit clearly, and indicate what it is used for.

    Be sure not to lock the box - otherwise you may be hunting for the key when that emergency occurs. Place the box on a shelf beyond the reach of small children, and check it periodically and always restock items as soon as they are used up.

    Keep all medications, including non-prescription drugs such as aspirin, out of reach of children. When discarding drugs, be sure to dispose of them where they cannot be retrieved by children or pets.

    When an emergency occurs, make sure the injured victim's airway is not blocked by the tongue and that the mouth is free of any secretions and foreign objects. It is extremely important that the person is breathing freely. And if not, you need to administer artificial respiration promptly.

    See that the victim has a pulse and good blood circulation as you check for signs of bleeding. Act fast if the victim is bleeding severely or if he/she has swallowed poison or if his/her heart or breathing has stopped. Remember every second counts.

    Although most injured persons can be safely moved, it is vitally important not to move a person with serious neck or back injuries unless you have to save him/her from further danger. Keep the patient lying down and quiet. If he/she has vomited and there is no danger that his/her neck is broken, turn him/her on his/her side to prevent choking and keep him/her warn by covering him/her with blankets or coats.

    Have someone call for medical assistance while you apply first aid. The person who summons help should explain the nature of the emergency and ask what should be done pending the arrival of the ambulance. Reassure the victim, and try to remain calm yourself. Your calmness can allay the fear and panic of the patient.

    Don't give fluids to an unconscious or semi conscious person; fluids may enter his/her windpipe and cause suffocation. Don't try to arouse an unconscious person by slapping or shaking.

    Look for an emergency medical identification card or an emblematic device that the victim may be wearing to alert you to any health problems, allergies or diseases that may require special care.

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    What is Good HealthThomas Eldridge

    There are many ideas, and opinions, on what constitutes good health, orwhat a meaningfully healthy lifestyle feels like or looks like. It could besaid that health should be a natural condition, or at least a consistent stateof well being. But what is this natural condition? There are some peoplewho accept pain and discomfort in the body as a necessary part of living. This pain is considered to be a motivator, something for the body to fightagainst. They accept this condition because they observe that there areso many people with health complaints and so few people free of problems. It is even taken for granted today that dying of a degenerative disease isacceptable if the person had led a 'good life'.

    My parents both died of cancerous type diseases. I seem to be the onlyone who is not saying, but they 'lived a full life'. Keep in mind that I amthe one nobody can understand. I am not quite the black sheep. I am thedifferent one who stopped eating sugar thirty years ago. No one couldunderstand why I would go to so much trouble to read food product labelstrying to find something that did not contain sugar. Today it is manytimes worse because of all the sugar substitutes in our food products. If Iwere reading labels today I would choose sugar before the sugar substitutes ifI had no other choice. My choice today is to not buy any processed foodproducts. I believe that my continuing good health depends on me makingmy own food from simple organic ingredients. I seldom read food labelsthese days because I buy very little with a label on it.

    Is good health some sort of perfection? In homeopathy good health issaid to manifest when a person's vital force is being expressed by perfectfunctioning of all parts of the body and by a sense of general wellbeing. This holistic approach to health states that nature, of which we are animportant part, has a constant tendency toward what is best for it. This vital force of nature reaches its masterpiece in the human body and thehuman consciousness. Harvey Diamond in his part of the book Fit forLife II: Living Health states that humans are constructed for health andhappiness. Life on earth lived in its ultimate achievement is aconstant and unshakeable zest for well being and enthusiasm, says Diamond. I havea lot of respect for the diet that the Diamonds recommended. It still isan excellent diet for cleansing out toxins. I am not a great fan of beingall that you can be, going for it all or pursuing excellence as a lifestyle. To me this is a short road to burn out and premature grey hair. I wasunconsciously going for it all in my younger years. I worked very hard. I cannot say that I experienced good health or happiness back then.

    If we wanted this 'ultimate achievement' of good health our goal would beto reach old age and maturity without aches and pains, to be well-balancedand spared emotional traumas and stress-related illnesses. To have zest forlife we would wish to be like the beaming, healthy-looking 90-year-oldsfeatured in vegetarian magazine articles. Working out at the fitnessclub at 91 years of age could demonstrate the principle that the bestcondition for the body is resilience and flexibility. To take up piano lessons at83 years might demonstrate an absence of constricting contractions in bodyand mind. The problem is that we tend to extrapolate these stories intobelieving that this example of 'good health' is the best way to go. Pushing yourself into the gym when you are exhausted and should be resting isnot good health.

    It seems apparent to me that for millions of years people lived in somesort of harmony with the natural forces of nature. Good health was some sortof consistent state of being. Otherwise, how would we be here? If we werealways in poor health for millions of years I cannot see how we wouldhave survived. A long time ago the dinosaurs disappeared suddenly. Todayspecies of plants and animals are becoming extinct at an acceleratingrate. Throughout history at least some of us must have maintained aninstinctive natural knowledge about how to live healthily enough to allow our speciesto continue. How we are doing today is a mute question. Are we going tocontinue to survive or is our current acceptance of sub-marginal healtha sign of something?

    Perhaps it is time to take a look at what this instinctive naturalknowledge of good health might look like in our modern culture. I feel that it isnot that much different than it has been for millions of years. This'knowledge' probably includes simple things like sunshine, pure water,sleeping when the sun sets, relying on wholesome foods from nature,having daily alone time in the outdoors and living physically active lives incommunities of loving supportive people.

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    Thomas Eldridge is the founder and director of The Center for Highly Sensitive People. The motto of the Center is 'Sensitivities are a Blessing, Not a Weakness'. You can find more information at http://www.thomaseldridge.com. If you enjoyed this article you can go to http://www.thomaseldridge.com/email.htm and subscribe to a weekly email newsletter of similar articles. You can contact the author directly at thomas@thomaseldridge.com.

    Alzheimer's Disease is the term used to describe a dementing disorder marked by certain brain changes, regardless of the age of onset. Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of aging - - and it is not something that inevitable happens in later life. Rather, it is one of the dementing disorders, a group of brain diseases that lead to the loss of mental and physical functions. The disorder, whole cause is unknown, affects a small but significant percentage of older Americans. A very small minority of alzheimer's patients are under 50 years of age. However, most are over 65.

    Alzheimer's disease is the exception, rather than the rule, in old age. Only 5 to 6 percent of older people are afflicted by alzheimer's disease or a related dementia - - but this means approximately 3 to 4 million Americans have one of these debilitating disorders. Research indicates that 1 percent of the population aged 65-75 has severe dementia, increasing to 7 percent of those aged 75-85 and to 25 percent of those 85 or older. As out population ages and the number of alzheimer's patients increases, costs of care will rise as well.

    Although Alzheimer's disease is not yet curable or reversible, there are ways to alleviate symptoms and suffering and to assist families. And not every person with this illness must necessarily move to a nursing home. Many thousands of patients - - especially those in the early stages of the disease - - are cared for by their families in the community. Indeed, one of the most important aspects of medical management is family education and family support services. When, or whether, to transfer a patient to a nursing home is a decision to be carefully considered by the family.

    The onset of Alzheimer's disease is usually very slow and gradual, seldom occurring before age 65. Over time, however, it follows a progressively more serious course. Among the symptoms that typically develop, none is unique to Alzheimer's disease at its various stages. It is therefore essential for suspicious changes to be thoroughly evaluated before they become inappropriately or negligently labeled Alzheimer's disease.

    Problems of memory, particularly recent or short-term memory, are common early in the course of the disease. For example, the individual may, on repeated occasions, forget to turn off the iron or may not recall which of the morning's medicines were taken. Mild personality changes, such as less spontaneity or a sense of apathy and a tendency to withdraw from social interactions, may occur early in the illness. As the disease progresses, problems in abstract thinking or in intellectual functioning develop. You may notice the individual beginning to have trouble with figures when working on bills, with understanding what is being read, or with organizing the days work. Further disturbances in behavior and appearance may also be seen at this point, such as agitation, irritability, quarrelsomeness, and diminishing ability to dress appropriately.

    The average course of the disease from the time it is recognized to death is about 6 to 8 years, but it may range from under 2 years to over 20 years. Those who develop the disorder later in life may die from other illnesses (such as heart disease) before Alzheimer's disease reaches its final and most serious stage.

    The reaction of an individual to the illness and the way he or she copes with it also varies and may depend on such factors as lifelong personality patterns and the nature and severity of the stress in the immediate environment.

    As research on Alzheimer's disease continues, scientists are now describing other abnormal chemical changes associated with the disease. These include nerve cell degeneration in certain areas of the brain. Also, defects in certain blood vessels supplying blood to the brain have been studied as a possible contributing factor.

    There is no way at the present time to determine who may get Alzheimer's disease. The main risk factor for the disease is increased age. The rates of the disease increase markedly with advancing age, with 25 percent of people over 85 suffering from Alzheimer's or other sever dementia.

    Other things often noticeable may be depression, severe uneasiness, and paranoia or delusions that accompany or result from the disease, but they can often be alleviated by appropriate treatments.

    Alzheimer's disease has emerged as one of the great mysteries in modern day medicine, with a growing number of clues but still no answers as to its cause. Researchers have come up with a number of theories about the cause of this disease but so far the mystery remains unresolved.

    Because of the many other disorders that are often confused with Alzheimer's disease, a comprehensive clinical evaluation is essential to arrive at a correct diagnosis of any symptoms that look similar to those of Alzheimer's disease. In most cases, the family physician can be consulted about the best way to get the necessary examinations.

    Stress on the family can take a toll on both the patient and the caregiver alike. Caregivers are usually family members - - either spouses or children - - and usually wives and daughters. As time passes and the burden mounts, it not only places the mental health of family caregivers at risk. It also diminishes their ability to provide care to the diseased patient. Hence, assistance to the family as a whole must be considered.

    As the disease progresses, families experience increasing anxiety and pain at seeing unsettling changes in a loved one, and they commonly feel guilt over not being able to do enough. The prevalence of reactive depression among family members in this situation is disturbingly high - - caregivers are chronically stressed and are much more likely to suffer from depression than the average person. If caregivers have been forced to retire from positions outside the home. They feel progressively more isolated and no longer productive members of society.

    The likelihood, intensity, and duration of depression among caregivers can all be lowered through available interventions. For example, to the extent that family members can offer emotional support to each other and perhaps seek professional consultation, they will be better prepared to help their loved one manage the illness and to recognize the limits of what they themselves can reasonably do.

    Though Alzheimer's disease cannot at present be cured, reversed, or stopped in its progression, much can be done to help both the patient and the family live through the course of the illness with greater dignity and less discomfort. Toward this goal, appropriate clinical interventions and community services should be vigorously sought.

    While Alzheimer's disease remains a mystery, with its cause and cure not yet found, there is considerable excitement and hope about new findings that are unfolding in numerous research settings. The connecting pieces to the puzzle called Alzheimer's disease continue to be found.

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    DepressionJoan-Marie Moss

    If you're not suffering from depression yourself, chances are that anywhere from 15 to 50 of every hundred people you know are. It is an insidious illness that sucks an individual further and further into a state of impotence and at the same time impacts the well-being of everyone who comes in contact with him/her. The numbers offered here are somewhat ambiguous because depression is only recently recognized as a real illness and not a figment of one's imagination.

    Diane, who has been suffering from depression for more than eleven years, is one of those who are willing to talk about her illness. She says, Most people are still very much surprised that I admit and am willing to talk openly about my depression. There is still a stigma associated with the disease. People still don't understand. For this reason, we won't use real names in this article although the people who shared their stories are very real.

    Incidences of this illness are staggering. An estimated 10-14 million Americans suffer from depression, according to a recent article in the Alliance for the Mentally Ill publication. Other estimates range as high as 35-40 million.

    No one is immune from an attack of depression. Keep in mind that everyone feels down or lue at times. That's normal. But it's been estimated that 26 out of 100 women and 12 out of every 100 men will have a major depressive episode at least once in their lives. For creative individuals the estimate increases to 38 out of 100.

    Statistics can be deceiving and any attempt to quantify this disease could be challenged. Particularly since, according to the Alliance for Mentally Ill, we're talking about those who are only now beginning to and seek help -- 80 % of those suffering from depression never seek treatment and suffer needlessly.

    DuPage County is not immune. In fact, Dr. Martin Russo, a physician working with Central DuPage Hospital with offices in Bloomingdale, reports that easily forty to fifty percent of his patients are suffering from depression. Social workers and doctors throughout the county report similar statistics.

    For this article only the most conservative numbers will be used. The indication, then, is that at least 150 out of every thousand suffer from this debilitating disease. In DuPage County, Illinois that translates to more than of 132,000 -- in Elmhurst, approximately 6,300 people -- live with some level of depression.

    THE HUMAN FACTOR

    Sondra Dodds at Family Service DuPage in Wheaton, IL says that those who are depressed often feel isolated and alone, different and unusual, misunderstood by family and friends, powerless and defeated. Many also feel the need to hide their real feelings, even from those they love. Those who are more willing to share their experiences share many common experiences although each case is dramatically different.

    They share a common bond. They live in a no-man's land that's sapping the community of its most valuable resource...competent contributing citizens. They don't choose to live there. And they can't will to get out of there without help.

    An insidious disease, depression is multi-faceted. The onset and the symptoms of depression are not always the same. Frequently depression is an outward manifestation of undetected physical illnesses such as cancer.

    For some the disease can be traced to low self esteem; for others to excessive drain on their physical health and energy or chronic illnesses; for others to abnormally high levels of stress-related life experiences; for others realization that life is passing them by and their goals will never be reached.

    In all instances the illness points to imbalances: physical, mental and spiritual. A depressive illness is a whole-body illness involving your body, mood, thoughts and behavior. It's not just a passing bout with he blues. You cannot will or wish it away.

    Rose had frightening bouts with burning sensation in all parts of her body. It was as if her stomach, head, nerves were all aflame. Katherine began to withdraw from friends and acquaintances.

    One Elmhurst resident tells of his experiences, I felt helpless and unable to cope with every day stresses. I saw myself as worthless as a part of the community I worked for. Frequently I entertained thoughts that my family would be better off if I just disappeared or died. I knew I was on a self destruct kick...ignoring my health, setting myself up for failure in my job and getting myself in no- win situations. The harder I tried, the worse things got in my life. I saw myself reacting to even the simplest setbacks with uncontrollable rage.

    Anna, who has been treated both in and out of the hospital for depression said, Over the years, I've seen a big change in the people who are suffering depression. They're getting much younger now and they are filled with anger.

    Some deal with the constant sensation that they are ot connected with the rest of the world and unimportant. For yet others, the illness may just hover at the point where there's a gnawing stomach ache and the constant knowledge that something just isn't right. Nearly all report that their level of productivity fell dramatically. Many find that they just can't attend to the task at hand. In the worst case scenario, suicide seems to offer the only way out.

    The bad news is depression renders a person unable to cope adequately with life events and, frequently, it goes undiagnosed for months -- even years -- because the victim generally blames him or herself for uncontrollable problems and their inability to function in a reasonable manner. It's a vicious downward spiral that sucks its victim into a hopeless pit of despair.

    IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY

    While many manage to function at some level of competence, their difficulties connecting and attending to task often limit them to minimum-wage positions although they may, under normal circumstances, be highly competent workers.

    Heddi reports that her income dropped from nearly $3,000 per month to less than $800 a month while she was working much longer hours. A significant number of others have found themselves homeless. Evidence of this can be seen at the DuPage PADS site, where a striking number of clients are middle-management professionals who have lost their jobs.

    The June 1995 county reports indicate that there are just over 884,000 people in DuPage County. Of those, the Labor force in DuPage numbers 492,169. If we calculate just 15% of those and figured that 73,800 people lost just $10,000 in earnings during the course of a year due to depression we're talking about the kind of losses that would be considered intolerable in business.

    It's a vicious cycle. Stress, illness or financial difficulties strike sapping the individual and breeding a sense of hopelessness which aggravates the situation. Meanwhile, the sufferer must cope with others who are frequently equally depressed and stressed with their own problems. At the same time they have to deal with others who haven't the foggiest clue about what severe depression does to a person. In all cases misunderstanding and the inability to communicate the real pain lead to further hopelessness.

    Stress continues to build in today's society where people dealing with stressful situations attempt to find solutions. When people dealing with any kind of stress or depression try to resolve difficulties or get answers to problems and get trapped into voice mail and mechanical phone menus or are put on waiting lists. When they feel treated like number, taken advantage of or overwhelmed constantly by circumstances they can't change, depression mounts.

    In a society where both parents in a dual income family may hold down two or more jobs just to keep the bills paid, a person's value is equated with how much money they bring into the household rather than unconditional love and appreciation. One, or both, can slip easily into depression. The situation is much worse for single heads of households.

    Barbara Hayes, a Family Service DuPage Licensed Clinical Social Worker, believes that ole strain is a major contributing factor in the higher incidence of depression in women. Not only are women parenting or grandparenting a younger generation, while, frequently caring for elderly parents; but, they are also required to cope with the challenges of maintaining a certain level of career growth in an uncertain economy -- frequently as sole support of their entire family structure. To meet the demands of each of these roles, a woman must maintain an exterior facade of strength. For many there is precious little time for attending to personal needs. All too frequently, functioning on far too little sleep and nutritious food, they cave in.

    Meanwhile, the media, particularly women's magazines, focus on introspection, self analysis, poise and youthful figures, mounting anxiety, anger and insecurities. At the same time they juxtapose these weaknesses that turn us inward upon ourselves, with idealistic reports of the affluent life that many of the population will never achieve.

    IT'S NOT A CASE OF BUZZ WORDS

    Depression is not a new disease of the 20th century. Sufferers are among the elite. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Edgar Allen Poe, Mike Wallace, Joan Rivers and Dick Cavett are among the many who have been afflicted.

    Indications are that those who are more sensitive, creative and intelligent are more prone to suffering from depression. One study performed in the '80s found that 38% of 47 writers, poets and artists had taken medication, sought psychoanalysis or had been institutionalized for depression and bi-polar disorder. Another study performed in the 80's showed that more creative people suffered from emotional strife synonymous with certain neurosis. (Time-Life Books, 1992)

    THE GOOD NEWS

    Although the problem appears to be hopeless, there is good news. If you're going to have an illness, you want it to be depression. It's the most easily treatable.

    The afflicted needs to work at getting back in balance. Professional counseling, support groups and the medical profession are learning to work together to speed recovery.

    The medication is a critical aspect of treatment. The new drugs are marvelous even with the occasional discomfort of side effects. They work to re-balance the synapses that are responsible for the transmission of brain impulses.

    Social workers and psychiatrists, too are much more skilled at identifying symptoms today than ever. Group counseling, support groups and crisis lines are more accessible. There's help and information out there for those who have the courage and determination to find it.

    Much of the work, says Barbara Hayes, a licensed clinical social worker who oversees a 12-session group that's been running throughout the summer at Family Service DuPage, focuses on teaching cognitive reasoning techniques. Those who participate in this therapy learn to evaluate the validity of their thought processes and to recognize distorted thinking patterns. Then they learn to restructure their thought processes more positively and realistically. It's a sort of de-programming that allows individuals to discover that there are other ways to look at one's life experiences. Hayes has found this kind of therapy most productive when participants have the appropriate medical support. She assures her patients that using medication is not wimping out. Trying to pull yourself out of depression without the proper medical attention just doesn't work, she says. It's like a diabetic telling his pancreas to shoot insulin into his system, she says.

    Unfortunately current health care programs, both private insurance and public aid, put unrealistic limits on treatment. All too often they cut short coverage long before the patient is able to cope without the medication and psychological support. When this happens they hamstring the health care providers, said Rose. It's not at all uncommon for these programs to cut off the payment for medication and counseling sessions just about the time a patient starts to show some progress and before the patient is sufficiently recovered. The only recourse in cases like that, short of going cold turkey, is to get on a waiting list for services that are offered on a sliding scale fee. All too often the patient is not financially able to handle that.

    Fortunately it's the patient who does the real work of recovery. Those who discover that they control of their own destiny have the greatest hope of recovery. They can then learn how to maintain balance in their lives and their habits. They practice being less compulsive nurturers. They begin to trust themselves and be a bit more open with others. They learn to maintain a childlike attitude of gratitude and wonderment. And, they learn to be less sensitive to outside turmoil.

    One of the key ingredients to healing lies in getting away from introspection and self-centeredness and to reach out to others. Those who have been afflicted and have made the most progress typically have found ways to give of themselves to others less fortunate or to share their unique talents with the community...the challenge being that a person who is severely depressed has great difficulty breaking through his/her feelings of isolation.

    One group of women developed a phone network that they said was particularly helpful. One of the women is dealing with a pregnant teenager, another with a financial problems, a third with the death of a mother and a fourth with an overbearing aging mother. These women discovered that being able to pick up the phone and connect with someone who they knew would understand helped to speed recovery. In short order, often a matter of minutes, they managed to break the downward spiral of day-to-day crises. These calls provided the ladies a life-line that they turn to before the crisis could escalate. Most often within a very few minutes, they found they could put the experience into perspective and they'd find themselves laughing. And therein they found a cure, because you simply can't be depressed and laugh at the same time.

    Dr. Russo's findings confirm that depression is indeed a multi-factorial disease that encompasses genetic, biological and environmental factors. He voices the concerns of many when he says, The reason that depression is so pervasive is that society is losing its sense of security and moral fiber in both the family and in the community. As it's losing its fiber we're losing our sense of purpose and personal value. At the same time we need to look at the spiritual component that gives us a sense of wholeness and peace when looking for solutions.

    Those who understand depression agree, with Heddi, I need people, but I need people that I can be myself with. And, I need to find a way to make sense out of the madness I face every day I walk out my front door. When things get off balance, I need to make some changes. Alone I can't do it.

    NOTE: Although most of the quotes here are those of women, the situation is far from a woman's problem. Women are simply more susceptible to depression. Role strain is a factor, according to Barbara Hayes. We are more aware of depression than we were in the past, but there are more stresses in society today for women to fulfill multiple roles. They make very heavy demands upon themselves. Women traditionally are the nurturers and very often in the process of nurturing others they forget to nurture themselves....as a result, at some point, people just start caving in.

    The experts tell us that women today suffer twice as much depression as men. While one in four women can expect to develop depression during their lifetime, one in eight men can, too.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    JOAN-MARIE MOSS is a non-fiction author published in both national and regional markets. She specializes in business communications and public relations for businesses and professionals. She serves as consultant and communications/public relations specialist offering a full range of services from writing to desktop publishing and public speaking. Joan-Marie teaches Business Writing, Copyediting and Public Relations at Oakton Community college and has been guest speaker on WWCN and WDCB Radio. She currently writes for the Daily Herald and Press Publications, and is working on her second book.

    Visit her web site at: http://cyberrealm.net/
    ~joanmari/CreativeOptions/Welcome.html

    Natural CyclesSamten Williams, B.S.N., R.N.

    The top income, the best job title: these markers are no longer the standard of success. So reports CNBC's show Power Lunch recently. This show reviewed results of a survey indicating the top priority for business school graduates now is a balance between family life and work.

    Natural cycles awareness helps us get on the balanced-life track. This month we look at one part of natural timing, the retrograde motion of planets.

    As viewed from earth, the planets sometimes appear to be traveling backward. This backward travel, called retrograde motion, is a phenomena recognized in both astronomy and astrology.

    Retrograde motions are about patience. They are times when our plans to go forward are halted. Retrograde periods are times to bring play and family into the forefront of our lives. During retrograde periods we are reworking plans. We are going backward to get something we overlooked -- an idea, an opportunity. These kinds of creative discoveries are best realized through the spontaneity of play and the supportive comfort of family and friends.

    Mercury, one of the planets in our solar system, goes retrograde three times a year. Energetically, Mercury is associated with communication, technology, and things which are mechanical. Retrograde periods of Mercury are the times when miscommunications, delays, or technical and mechanical challenges seem prevalent.

    Just picture it: energy is trying to go backward and we are trying to go forward. Something has to give. You can guess it is not going to be the planet that gives, in this case Mercury. The planet is going to go it's way. We can either be aggravated, impatient, frustrated. Or, we can stop and reassess.

    With knowledge of Mercury retrograde periods we can stop personalizing delays. We can start cushioning expectations, knowing we can only go so far when the motion is not forward. We can take the pressure off of over-work and bring in a little play.

    Mercury turned retrograde on April 14. On May 8 1997, Mercury turns in a forward motion again. The point where Mercury turned retrograde on April 14 is called a station. Mercury passes this station on May 26. For the three week period when Mercury is retrograde one may expect natural delays and possible communication, technological or mechanical challenges. When Mercury turns direct on May 8 these matters start to clear up. When Mercury passes it's station on May 26 one can expect forward motion in the areas of communication and technology.

    We have another retrograde energy we are dealing with now, Mars retrograde. Mars is the planet of drive and initiative. Many people have been experiencing delays in their work and the forward motion of projects.

    On February 6 of this year Mars turned retrograde. Mars turns direct on April 29. On July 2, Mars passes it's station, the point where it turned retrograde in early February. During this Mars retrograde period we have the opportunity to come to a deeper sense of what energizes us -- what we want. As plans are delayed we keep refining them. After April 29, and especially after July 2, we will start to feel forward momentum again. This motion forward is in the areas of our personal power within business and relationships.

    How can planetary motion possibly affect my business? is a question I am sure some readers will ask. The new physics teaches us gravity is not the only force in nature. Through electromagnetism and strong and weak forces the new physics tells us that everything in nature is interconnected. As above, so below.

    Paying attention to the information of natural cycles helps us feel part of, rather than separate from, the fluid movement of energy. We can move with the natural clock, rather than against it. Check out the events of your life in relation to the dates mentioned above. See if there are links. If you do not see a match, that is fine, too. No one world view is for everyone.

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Samten Williams, B.S.N. R.N., is a nurse journalist and astrologer. Through hercompany FRESH PERSPECTIVES she offers writings, consultations, andworkshops on the applications of astrology for intuitive living. She can bereached at P.O. Box 76 Boxford MA 01921
    http://www.shore.net/~samten
    samten@shore.net

    What You Should Know About LeadSheila Saucier

    Lead, the toxic metal known to be harmful to man, has been sneakingunoticed into the bloodstreams of millions of Americans over many years.It seeps insidiously into our water risking the lives of our unborn and ourchildren, often going unnoticed until it's too late. It enters our homeson the feet of every occupant, picked up from the soil outside. It can cover the work clothes of mechanics, plumbers, lead smelter workers, and other high risk occupations. The same clothes that we wash along with our children's clothes, unknowingly endangering them.

    Lead is an invisible enemy, often in the form of simple dust thatenters our home. Dust that can be both inhaled or ingested especially by young children who tend to put everything in their mouths.

    In other words lead poisoning is still a very real threat present inour environment, damaging the brains and nervous system of many of it's victims, the majority of which are children.

    Of great concern is our water supply. The EPA (EnvironmentalProtection Agency) estimates that about forty two million Americans use household water that contains unsafe levels of lead. Precisely, levels in excess of 15 ppb (parts per billion), which is the highest recommended safety level. However, there is no truly safe level of lead, because it does not belong in the human body, and it does not leave our bodies once it has entered. Instead, it is stored just like calcium and other minerals in the bone matter where it continues to build up over our lifetime.

    It's no wonder that as many as one out of eleven children in theUnited States have dangerously high levels of lead in their bloodstream according to the EPA. Some other sources suggest this number is as great as one in eight children!

    As hard as this is to believe, the facts are very real. Lead isdecreasing the I.Q.'s of many young victims, creating learningdisabilities, such as speech and behavior problems, not to mention hearing loss, muscular coordination problems, and much more.

    The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that regular leadscreening should be done on children up to age six, with the first testdone between six to twelve months of age. However, it has been my personalexperience that Pediatricians are not routinely checking for lead inchildren. Certainly none have ever suggested it to me, and my childrenhave seen a dozen different Pediatrician's over the years.

    It appears that few people really believe their families are at riskand feel their homes are safe. The reality is however, that your home's water probably does contain lead in some amount, and in fact, an estimated 10 million children receive significantly high amounts of lead in theirdrinking water in our country every day.

    Following are some other common sources of lead.

  • bone china
  • crystal
  • painted surfaces
  • brass faucets
  • painted toys
  • antique pewter
  • foreign made crayons
  • ammunition, pellets
  • chalk
  • fruits
  • air
  • water
  • porcelain
  • earthenware
  • plastic mini-blinds
  • solder
  • stained glass
  • storage batteries
  • gasoline additives
  • water pipe corrosion
  • water pipe solder
  • vegetables
  • soil
  • dust

    Today experts regard soldering as the major cause of lead contamination ofhousehold water in U.S. homes. New brass faucets and fittings can alsoleach lead during corrosion, even though they claim to be lead free.

    It's sad to note that the newer the home, the greater the risk of leadcontamination. Why? Because normally, as time passes, mineral depositsform a coating on the inside of water pipes, (if the water is not corrosive.) This coating insulates the water from the lead-containing solder present. But during the first five years, before the coating forms, water is in direct contact with the lead and carries it into your home.

    Some recent studies suggest that food is our main source of adulthuman exposure with as much as 60% of total ingested lead coming from the food we eat, air inhalation accounting for 30%, and water for 10%.

    Children, pregnant women, and calcium deficient individuals are in thegreatest risk group for lead toxicity. What's frightening to realize isthat dangerously high levels of lead do not necessarily present any symptoms in children. So it's no surprise few Physicians or parents ever suspect lead toxicity in their children.

    It's also interesting to note that many of the symptoms of ADHD,(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), mimic those of lead toxicity.I can't help but wonder how many children diagnosed with this disease mayactually be lead toxic instead. Take a look at the symptoms that may ormay not present themselves.

    In children:

  • fatigue
  • crankiness
  • hyperactivity
  • convulsions
  • restlessness
  • headaches
  • insomnia
  • stupor
  • constipation
     
  • poor appetite
  • behavior and learning problems
  • brain and nervous system damage
  • slowed growth
  • earing and speech problems
  • nausea/vomiting
  • abdominal pain
  • anemia
  • lack of muscular coordination

      In adults:
  • difficulty during pregnancy, such as miscarriage, etc.
  • reproductive problems (men and women)
  • high blood pressure
  • digestive problems
  • nerve disorders
  • anemia
  • muscle and joint pain
  • memory and concentration problems

    Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
    Copyright © 1997 by Sheila Blythe-Saucier. Founder and owner of Safety Net-Child Safety Consultants, Sheila Blythe-Saucier is in the business of protecting children from the hazards that exist in their homes and communities. An R.N. for the last 20 years, Sheila extensively researched and authored a child safety book, which lead to the development of her business. Through a home inspection covering over 600 hazards commonly found in and around homes with young children, parents receive an education on protecting their kids fully, in a few hours time.

    Live a Longer and Healthier LifeHerlan Westra

    An unexpected research finding with great practical significance isthat experimental animals live longer with much lower rates of diseasewhen they consume less than the recommended daily allowance of calories.The finding is unexpected because we associate less-than-optimalnutrition with poor growth and health, and common sense tells us that wedo better if we are well nourished. In fact, most of us may beovernourished, and too much of a good thing may be doing us harm.

    An adequate diet is one that provides not only enough calories butalso all of the nutrients necessary for efficient metabolism without anyexcesses that promote disease. What constitutes a good diet is a matterof controversy, and much of the controversy is based on emotion ratherthan reason.

    An average person needs less than 2,000 calories daily, with 300 to400 of the calories coming from fat. Present labeling laws are helpfulin determining your caloric intake, but maintaining your weight orlosing weight is much more complicated. The FDA supports two ways todiet: increase exercise and decrease the intake of food.

    Dieting Can Make You Fat

    That's it? The secret to a long and healthy life is diet andexercise? Not really! Metabolism slows down during a diet, and the bodyburns fewer calories, causing more fat to be stored as a protectionagainst extended famine. When the food supply is restored, themetabolism is slow to respond, and the body stores even more fat. Inhumans, this yo-yo phenomenon is harmful - starvation diets simply foolthe body into starting a famine cycle. Once the diet is over, we areback to where we started, or worse.

    Granted, exercise programs help keep the metabolism active, but mostof us are about as committed to our exercise programs as we are to ourdiets. We fall off the exercise program at the same time we end thediet, increasing the yo-yo effect. Then how should we combine dietingand exercise into a healthy life?

    First we need to modify our diets, lowering caloric content withoutgreatly reducing the amount or the appeal of food we consume. The bestway of lowering caloric content is by cutting the fat content in ourdiets. Fat has almost twice as many calories per gram as protein andcarbohydrate.

    Second we need to restrict caloric intake either by fasting or byeating a limited diet one day a week. Our body's metabolism will notreact quick enough to begin a famine cycle during a one-day diet.Fasting should include plenty of liquids, with enough fruit juices tomaintain a minimum caloric intake. When fasting, reduce the intake ofsupplemental vitamins and minerals, as some supplements may become toxicif not consumed with adequate amounts of food.

    Vitamin Supplements

    Our bodies don't benefit from the food we eat, but rather by what isdigested, assimilated and eliminated. The food is taken in, broken intosmaller and smaller parts until it can be absorbed and the by-productsdiscarded. Enzymes digest all of our food and make it small enough topass through the intestines into the blood. Enzymes are a part of everymetabolic process in the body, from the working of our glands to theproper functioning of our immune system. Enzymes require vitamins andminerals to do their work.

    Many manufactured vitamin and mineral supplements, because they arefractionated (broken down into basic elements), are treated as toxicwaste in the body. Some minerals in an unnatural form can accumulate andcause harmful effects. Fortunately, many commercial vitamin and mineralsupplements are so badly formulated that they pass right through ourdigestive systems without breaking down and being absorbed.Unfortunately, we haven't received the benefit that we paid for.

    Many people are now using all-natural herbal forms of vitamin andmineral supplements. Because these are in a natural form, they are moreeasily absorbed than manufactured supplements. They are also much lessconcentrated than manufactured supplements, and so are often safer.However, it is always best to consult with your personal physicianbefore taking any nutritional supplement.

    The proper supplements, combined with proper diet and exercise, canhelp you live a longer and healthier life.

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    Herlan Westra is the editor of Rhode Island Foghorn OnlineMagazine, which provides information and entertainment for a rapidly-growing audience nationwide. Herlan welcomes suggestions for future articles.

    WHAT is Too Fat?Teresa King

    In this day and age, it seems that more and more women and young teensare starving themselves to be in the current skinny mode. Why is thishappening?

    In this overly commercially orientated world, with skinny models all overthe world, and people trying to emulate that look. I am quite sure it started withTwiggy, in the 1960's. I think Twiggy was smart. She looked at her skinny littleframe and realized that she was not like most girls, so instead of hiding herselfshe flaunted it.

    Hence, comes skinniness, and billions of dollars are spent each yearwhile women, young and old, try to stay thin.

    Health is going down hill. Years ago women had a bit of meat on theirbones and were beautiful. Now, they have dry skin. No extra energy. And, in myopinion look like skeletons.

    It is one thing, to keep yourself, in shape, by exercising and keepingyourself toned up. It is quite another when you are starving your body, and robbing itof proper nutrients.

    One thing that a lot of people are not aware of is what happens when youdon't eat enough calories. Your body, a wonderful machine, was built for starvingtimes and feasting time, as food was scarce sometimes and abundant at others. So,when you don't feed your body, your metabolism says oh, dear, here comesstarving times. And, it promptly slows down. Hence, starving and slow weightloss. So what does a person do. He/she eats less calories, and on goes the cycle.

    Now we come to the Yoyo syndrome heavy, thin, heavy thin, heavy thin,and guess what happens? It gets harder to get the weight off each time. Whyis that? Because your body is confused. I was starved, I must slow down. I amgetting fed, I must store for starving times. Hence the Yoyo syndrome.

    Now, what is too fat? Too fat is when you are carrying too much fat, andit is hard to move. Hard to breath. Too fat is not because at 5'4 inches you weigh 140lbs, and the Twiggy friend weighs 115lbs. Each person has a different bonestructure and some people have more muscle than others. And, yes, muscle weighs morethan fat. Hence a person at 140 lbs may actually have less fat then a personwho is the same height at 115 lbs.

    If after reading this you still think you are too fat. Or, if you arereally too fat. Then the best diet is to exercise, cut down on junk food. Eat healthy foodssuch as fruits and veggies, whole grains, etc. Drink lots of water. Do not STARVEyourself. Try to get off hydrogenated fats. (And, this will take some reading. You will besurprised how much hydrogenated fats are in packaged foods) your body needs oil,just like a car. It is just some oils are better for you then others. Hydrogenatedfats are not needed.

    Think build health. Get proper vitamins (all natural are best!) In thisday and age there is no way you can get the vitamins you need in the food you areeating. Unless, you watch every single bite, and read a tremendous amount ofliterature to learn and do so, plus growing your own food, so you know where it iscoming from. Do not go hungry. If you want to lose weight don't stuff yourself. Eatfrequent small meals, so you never get those out of control binges that low blood sugarcauses. So, there you have it in a nutshell.

    As you build your health you can smile at that mirror and accept yourrosy cheeks, glossy shiny hair, soft skin, and an amazing abundance of energy. So whatif you weigh more than you think you should. You are you. Accept yourself. Goodluck!

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    Copyright Teresa King
    Visit Teresa's site at: Tips for Top E-books



    Human Growth Hormone: Fountain of Youth or the Same Old Hype?Dr. John H. Maher and Dr. Bruce Howe

    In this day and age, it seems that more and more women and young teensare starving themselves to be in the current skinny mode. Why is thishappening?

    In this overly commercially orientated world, with skinny models all overthe world, and people trying to emulate that look. I am quite sure it started withTwiggy, in the 1960's. I think Twiggy was smart. She looked at her skinny littleframe and realized that she was not like most girls, so instead of hiding herselfshe flaunted it.

    (A Brief Guide to Hgh Enhancement Supplements, the Current Rage inAnti-Aging, Longevity, Building Lean Body Mass, and Rejuvenating SexualPotency.)

    What if you had a natural and safe product with clinically provenresults in the battle against aging? What if you could reverse aging? Looking,feeling, and performing 10, even 20 years younger?

    What if you could burn fat without dieting or exercising; increase yourmuscle mass without exercise; improve your sexual drive and performance;enhance your athletic performance and endurance; have younger, tighter,thicker skin; eliminate cellulite; dramatically support truly refreshingdeep sleep; build stronger bones; alleviate menopause and maleandropause; improve your cholesterol and triglyceride profiles;strengthen your heart while lowering blood pressure; even improve yourhair growth and texture; improve mood, memory and concentration; strengthenyour immune system; and likely add years to your life?

    Well... with human growth hormone (Hgh) enhancements you can. Over28,000 medical studies say you can!

    Indeed, a 10 year study just completed in June 1998 for the NationalInstitute of Aging state the results with human growth hormone, alsoknown as Hgh, are too good to be true!

    What is Hgh?

    Nestled in the center of our heads there sits a rather tiny but verypowerful gland called the pituitary gland. Hgh is one of 7 hormonessecreted by the pituitary. Growth hormone, like thyroid hormone, hasan effect on almost all our tissues and organs. As the name implies, itenhances the growth of various organs and tissues, especially muscle andbone. Basically, human growth hormone increases protein synthesis. Proteins are the major building block out of which our body is made. Normal secretion of Hgh occurs in a daily cycle, like a tide. It varieswith exercise, sleep, stress and nutrition.

    Why Does Hgh Enhancement Help?

    As we hit middle age, there is a natural decline in hormone production,not only of Hgh, but estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, androstenedione, andtestosterone. With advancing age, an increase in the incidence ofosteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, mood and memory disorders, lossof libido, , etc. occurs. Also, central obesity increases and musclesshrink. Scientific studies are demonstrating a causal relationship between thedecline in hormone levels and an increased incidence of theaforementioned conditions. The exciting development is that by replacing thesehormones, these developments can actually be reversed. Hormone replacement forestrogen, thyroid and now progesterone are commonplace. Is Hgh next?

    What's the Downside?

    Hgh was only used for children with certain growth disorders until themid 1980's. It was extremely expensive, as the only source was humancadavers!

    Then recombinant DNA technology made it possible to engineer bacteriato produce Hgh. Still it cost about $200 to $300 per week to buy suchrecombinant Hgh! Plus, you need frequent blood tests, costing $100 pluseach time to monitor the proper dosage. And you have to give yourselfshots twice a day, though these are more inconvenient than painful.

    There is some debate as to whether Hgh shots might stimulate cancer. Proponents counter that Hgh actually builds the immune system, thereforelikely helping to prevent cancer. The informed consensus opinion atthis time seems to be that those with cancer should not take Hgh as it mightstimulate cancer growth too!

    Another concern is that Hgh shots, as with any hormone replacementtherapy regularly taken, tend to inhibit our own natural production. So, if youstop, you could really crash, having become dependent on an outsidesource of Hgh.

    In Part II, we will continue our discussion on human growth hormone.

    We will present information on natural Hgh secretagogues, a safer and much more affordable way to benefit from Hgh enhancements. And we willdiscuss ways to optimize your Hgh levels with nutrition, exercise, restand stress reduction.

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    Dr. John H. Maher
    Dr. Bruce Howe

    Longevity Resources Int'l. is dedicated to providing you with thecutting edge in natural health products, scientific information, andprofessional guidance with quality, service, convenience, and economy, guaranteed!

    FREE Longevity News e-zine. http://www.galaxymall.com/health/lri

    Human Growth Hormone: Fountain of Youth or the Same Old Hype? Part 2Dr. John H. Maher and Dr. Bruce Howe

    Natural Human Growth Hormone Enhancements: the Hgh Secretagogues

    Fortunately, for anti-aging enthusiasts, there are a variety of naturaloral Hgh enhancers that are much less expensive. Because they support,not replace, pituitary gland function, they don't shut down your ownnatural production. These are called secretagogues because they coaxor support your own glands to secrete their own hormones, not replace them.

    Which Secretagogues Are Best?

    As the oral Hgh enhancers (secretagogues) hit the market, caveatemptor! (buyer beware!) Most marketers will quote study results from Hghinjections and then claim them for their product! Here are 4 importantquestions to ask:

  • Has the Hgh product been independently lab tested, proving itraises IGF-1 by 50% or more on average? (IGF-1 stands for insulin like growthfactor and is the accepted way to measure Hgh response to oralsupplements and injections.) Were the studies conducted by a M.D. with expertcredential in anti-aging?

  • Has the Hgh anti-aging product been utilized by scores of doctorsfor several years to insure safety and effectiveness?

  • Are there testimonials not only from lay persons, but from M.D.'sfrom major universities with credentials in anti-aging medicine.

  • Does the Hgh enhancing product cost more than $2 per day? (Itshouldn't!)

    My general opinion is to avoid legumes or bean based secretagogues asthey may increase estrogen. Oral recombinant Hgh sprays and drops are veryeffective, but too expensive, and too new to know about safety. Plusyou don't support your own production with oral recombinant Hgh, rather youare replacing it. Generally, combinations of amino acids like glutamine,arginine, orthinine ,lysine, flush free niacin and herbs are best. Pickproducts that have been used safely for at least several years, provento increase IGF-1 levels by 50% or more, have endorsements from wellcredentialed authorities, and cost less that $60/month.

    Do I Need To See A Doctor First?

    My personal opinion is that anyone serious about anti-aging should havea professional anti-aging health coach. Unfortunately, medical anti-agingclinics with Hgh injections cost about $20,000 per year, cash! Doctorslike myself who try to make available more modest longevity programs tofit to the middle class budget are rare indeed. Generally however, the moreover 40 you look, feel, and perform, the more likely you could probablybenefit from high quality, proven safe and effective Hgh secretagoguesas described herein. But be careful. You don't have too be much of anentrepreneur to figure out that youth in a bottle is a marketer's dream.Buyer beware!

    How You Can I Enhance Your Hgh Levels Naturally

    As you may recall from Part I, Hgh levels are affected by stress, restpatterns, nutrition and exercise.

    Stressful lifestyles tend to focus the body on producing stress hormoneslike cortisol and ACTH . Too much stress hormone actually breakdownsmuscle tissue, inhibits repair, and interferes with sleep. If a long, vital,and happy life is on your busy agenda, then make fun, rest, play, and quiettimes a priority!

    Hgh levels are strongly effected by our nutritional status. In theinfirm elderly Hgh levels have doubled from admittedly very low levels bysupplementing with 20 grams of protein from whey. Correcting suboptimalzinc status in otherwise apparently healthy subjects increased Hghlevels by 20%. As human growth hormone's effect is to stimulate growth, it willmaximize your results if you supply yourself with the necessary proteinand mineral building blocks through a nutrient dense diet. A high qualitymulti- vitamin/mineral, rich in anti-oxidants, is also to your health'sadvantage.

    Exercise stimulates Hgh by reducing stress and promoting restful sleep.

    However, weight lifting and to a lesser extent running wind sprints,directly enhances Hgh levels. Heavy weight lifting, like dead lifts,squats, and bench presses are the best. Performing 5 to 8 reps, 3 sets,at maximum effort is best.

    Unless very experienced, be sure to get guidance from a trainer at yourgym or home.

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    Dr. John H. Maher
    Dr. Bruce Howe

    Longevity Resources Int'l. is dedicated to providing you with thecutting edge in natural health products, scientific information, andprofessional guidance with quality, service, convenience, and economy, guaranteed!

    FREE Longevity News e-zine. http://www.galaxymall.com/health/lri