Archive for June, 2008
June 29, 2008 at 5:09 pm · Filed under Technology Resources
The laptop computer market has gone from strength to strength in recent times. Those looking for the latest montevina platform could be kept waiting as manufacturers have given warning of possible delivery shortages. This is one business which I don’t think will be affected with all the economic trouble that seems to be going on. It’s a market which is also hard to keep up with it terms of technology because its changing all the time.
Gaming laptops are one of the varieties that have seen an increase. You can actually get a lot of laptop for your money these days because even the top notch technology is falling into the mass market area very quickly. Gaming frame rates on laptops is pretty good considering the factors at play so if you need portability they give a good choice. What stuck me the most is how sleek and attractive a couple gaming laptops are getting in comparison to earlier times. With that stated gaming laptops should never be cosidered in the same league as their PC rivals. There will be a difference and the issue here is that its not a big factor for the masses. I don’t give it too long before we see ultra mobile gaming laptops on the streets.
I think we are seeing more start up companies exclusively selling custom built laptops. I think the parts are more reputable and perform more stable. By being able to eliminate some additional things from the configuration you can actually save money on parts you will not use. If you will be doing more specialist work on your notebook then those premade models will most likely not offer all the features and power you want. This is why custom laptops are about. You can hunt down of manufacturers who supply straight to the buyer so there are a lot of alternatives as well. A number of small sectors recognise they are catered for better as a result of this.
The forthcoming notebook technology will be breathtaking. Tiny internet laptops are the fresh idea to get mass market desire. Obviously this will be something big in third world markets. In my opinion the market would take well to a 15″ variant based on the identical principles. Manufacturers must be busy on an answer to this by now. It wouldn’t surprise me to see ultra light gaming laptops in the next 4 years time. Every 12 months we see new products so who’s guessing what we’ll see next.
Rizeon have a few of the best laptops at the moment.
June 28, 2008 at 10:31 am · Filed under Religion Parlor
In Ephesians 5:1, Paul urges us to imitate or follow God–not an easy thing to do. It takes many qualities, not the least of which is good character.
The dictionary defines character as “the combination of qualities that distinguishes one person, group or thing from another.” It is moral or ethical strength, integrity, fortitude, excellence. It derives from a word meaning “a letter of the alphabet.”
An English word not found in the Bible, character comes from a Greek word meaning “to engrave, mark or brand.” A brand designates ownership. If we have the character necessary to follow Christ, in effect, we wear His brand.
The most unique definition that I have heard for character is “what you do in the dark.” Dark, as used here, is both literal and figurative. Darkness hides what we do. Most crimes are committed under cover of darkness, and probably more sins occur at night as well. That is its literal meaning.
What about its figurative meaning? Satan is often associated with darkness, and conversely, God is linked with light (cf. Acts 26:18). Nothing is hidden from God. Everything we think, do and say should withstand the light of day. In other words, character is a way of life, not a show you put on for others, not a false front. Character is doing the right thing whether or not anyone is there to see it.
The Example of Joseph
Joseph is a good example of this kind of character. Sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt, he becomes the property of Potiphar, a high-ranking government official. Despite what Joseph has been through, hated by his brothers, sold into slavery and separated from his father, he maintains his good character.
Seeing this, God is with Joseph and allows him to prosper (Genesis 39:2). Instead of sending him to the fields where the labor was hard and the conditions bad, Potiphar assigns him to work in his house. His master notices that all Joseph does prospers, so he makes him his personal servant. Eventually, he puts Joseph in charge of all that he has (verses 3-5).
Considering his slavery, Joseph’s life is good–then his character is tested. “Joseph was good-looking and handsome. By-and-by his master’s wife cast her eyes on him: ‘Lie with me,’ she said” (verse 6-7, Moffatt translation throughout).
Now here was temptation!
But he refused. He said to his master’s wife, “My master does not trouble himself about anything in the household, but has left everything in my hands, so that my authority is equal to his own; he has kept nothing from me except yourself, for you are his wife. How then can I commit this great crime, and sin against God?” (verses 7-9)
Well-spoken words for a young man in his late teens or perhaps early twenties! Joseph had faced temptation and withstood it. But wait–”Day after day she spoke to Joseph . . .” (verse 10). The seduction of Joseph by this undoubtedly attractive and powerful woman continued.
Joseph’s character was strong, though: “. . . but he would not listen to her appeal to lie with her or to be with her” (verse 10). Oh, this woman is clever! She pleaded with Joseph just to sit with her, but he knew what that would lead to!
One day when the house was empty (according to first-century Jewish historian, Josephus, the Egyptians were celebrating a pagan festival, but Potiphar’s wife had pleaded sick), she escalated her assault on Joseph’s character. As he was working, “. . . she caught him by the robe, saying, ‘Lie with me.’ But he ran off, leaving the robe in her hands, and got away” (verses 11-12).
How many men would be strong enough to withstand this kind of sustained attack on their character? Remember, none of Joseph’s family or friends were around. Who would know if he succumbed?
Moral Character
Josephus writes:
For when his master’s wife was fallen in love with him, both on account of his beauty of body and his dexterous management of affairs; and supposed that if she should make it known to him, she could easily persuade him to come and lie with her, and that he would look upon it as a piece of happy fortune that his mistress should entreat him, as regarding that state of slavery he was in, and not his moral character, which continued after his condition was changed…(The Antiquities of the Jews, 2.4.2)
Though a slave, his “moral character” remained intact. “How can I commit this great crime and sin against God?” he asked (verse 9). Who knows how long Potiphar’s wife kept this up? Weeks, perhaps months.
Undoubtedly, Joseph prayed, meditated and fasted about this problem. He knew that to deny this woman was to face her wrath, yet he never wavered. As a result, Potiphar’s wife had him thrown in jail on false charges. By not giving in to sin, he found himself behind bars! Yet God continued to bless him even in prison, and he ultimately ruled Egypt.
Joseph had made a courageous decision. But he had the character to do so because he had made right decisions in the past. Character does not just happen, but is built over time by making a series of courageous, right decisions.
In his letter to Rome, Paul reminds us:
It is far on in the night, the day is almost here; so let us drop the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of the light; let us live decorously as in the open light of day–no revelry, or bouts of drinking, no debauchery or sensuality, no quarreling or jealousy. No, put on the character of the Lord Jesus Christ, and never think how to gratify the cravings of the flesh. (Romans 13:12-14)
Character is what you do in the dark!
Mike Ford is a contributing writer to the Forerunner magazine, produced by the Church of the Great God (http://cgg.org). The original article is available at http://cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/646/What-Do-You-Do-in-Dark.htm
June 27, 2008 at 9:49 pm · Filed under Financing
You keep on listening about this profit pulling business that requires no marketing or selling, merely an hour a day (at the most) and no special skill.
Yeah right!
At least that’s the 1st perspective it gives any person that has been in the internet for some time.
But Let’s get more into detail about E Currency Exchange.
How about being able to provide the flow of capital for “Internet Money” thus it may be applied as a backup or “real cash”?
You can generate as much as 1.5% to 4% in daily interests for you investment for suppling E-Currency Exchange. My interest peaked. Anybody can yield coumponded interest for a starting investment starting from 50 dollars.
Based on your personal story, it could be a little hard to believe that You and I can start with $50 and turn them into $400 in as little as 45 days. I’m 21 years old and it isn’t something I’m used to hearing. You’re really setting up your cashflow to function. I can now say it happens. And it requires no special skill. After all, your cash is the one doing all the hard work.
There is a tough part, of course. It’s a somewhat complex business to know at first. In fact it can become overwhelming in case you don’t perfectly know what in God’s name you’re doing. Start an account here, a second one there, find some stuff here purchase some stuff there. You could go kookie tackling how to learn it by yourself.
I was lucky enough to get it the easygoing way. If anyone guides you bit by bit, with a visual simulacrum of how he manipulates the system Every-Step-Of-the-Way,
“do this, Start this account, and then Open up this other account, put your money here, move it here, and watch how it boosts”
After anyone guides you by the hand like that and prepares you, it just becomes very simple. What is required is that you view the first video, then follow the instructions. Watch the next one, then do what you just saw. Watch the next video and… well you get the point.
An amazing detail about E-Currencies is that every person on the planet doing this system does the same thing to generate an income. We all do the same thing, so it’s something reproducible. If you’re headed at this direction, if you’re interested in learning just about everything on E Currency, I have to advice you invest in the shortest path and learn the proven formula instead of tackling to figuring out without any help.
Educate yourself, read as much as you can about it, if you can afford it, buy a course, if not, read in investment forums and learn this system from the people that are already making money from it.
I’ve writen detailed reviews for the best courses about e-currency exchange, visit my site (www.currencytrading-center.com) to learn how to invest properly.
June 27, 2008 at 9:38 pm · Filed under Pet + Animal Products
Pit Bulls are undeniably the most controversial canine pet at the current time. They are the first to be pulled into the media limelight, as anything they are accused of makes headlines people eagerly wish to read. Sadly, the Pit Bulls who have actually harmed humans are dogs who have been neglected and not properly trained.
Along with unfit owners, the myths which are perpetuated by the unlearned about Pit Bulls give the dog an undue bad reputation. Some of the more popular myths concerning Pit Bulls are circulated continually on the internet via chain emails, which get passed to millions of people who’ve never spoken with an owner of, nor had the pleasure of having a Pit Bull in their family.
These untruthful rumor mails always talk about a friend of a cousin’s uncle who knew someone who had a neighbor who met a guy that once heard something about a Pit Bull, and it’s never a good thing. Hopefully, this article will set the record straight on the matter, and expose them for what they are, which is an electronic viral email of ignorance.
Myth: Pit Bulls were specially bred from dogs which had a mutation in the jaw that created a locking jaw, and all modern Pit Bulls have these locking jaws. Once they latch on, they cannot release.
Truth: The locking jaw rumor is a myth. Pit Bulls are not physiologically different from any other breeds of dogs. This means that the Pit Bull has no special jaw or teeth which would make the dog have a locking jaw. It’s a bogus statement, which perpetuates the Pit Bull as a menace to any who may be around them.
Myth: Pit Bulls are by nature aggressive to humans, and make excellent guard dogs because of this trait.
Truth: Pit Bulls do tend to be aggressive toward other dogs, which is not a trait specific to this breed. As a matter of fact, most all breeds of terriers tend to be this way. Pit Bulls who have been raised by caring owners make very affectionate pets. Remember the dog from the original Little Rascal series? Well he was Petey, and he was a Pit Bull. Petey was praised as being one of the smartest dogs in film, and he worked with a horde of children.
Myth: Pit Bulls are notorious for turning on their owners without warning.
Truth: There is no evidence on record which states that ANY breed of dog has a natural tendency to turn on their owners on a whim. As a matter of fact, any aggression by canines is always preceded by some type of warning from the dog. Indeed, it is usually the owners inability to read the dog’s body language and signals which result in a dog turning on the owner. Any dog, regardless of breed, has the same chance statistically to change temperament on the owner.
As long as there are headlines to be made, and inept and uncaring pet owners, there will always be a target breed to satisfy our human need to have unreasonable fear of the unknown. The German Shepherd as well as the Doberman have both been the “dog to fear” in the past, and now unfortunately for the Pit Bull, it’s his turn to be unduly hated.
To learn all about Pit Bulls and how to train a Pit Bull, visit http://www.pitbullsrevealed.com/ today.
June 27, 2008 at 8:00 am · Filed under Miscellaneous, World Of Gambling
Practice rooms, cash games and online best bet online sports tournaments!
Bond together man’s supreme quests and what you’ve got is something that’s normally titled a sportsbook. Can you think of anything that could feasibly be more ingenious. Envision a knot of sports fanatics cheering over a favored local team, and almost regularly lays will be advertised accompanying the ruckus. Because they want to get their piece of the anticipation, on-lookers will usually attempt to figure who is the likeliest to win in the imminent meetup. This all will develop into a friendly little meetup termed sportsbook.
In order to place your wager, you’ll likely want to search out a sportsbook, i.e. a place which takes in sportsbook. In America, there’s currently a total of four states to do sports gambling in a legit manner, but informally you may go for it anyplace provided that you hunt out a bookie AND you’re legally of age. Among the sporting contests you’ll be able to bet on are professional including, too, college league football & college basketball, professional hockey and baseball, including, too, betting on both dog and horse racing. You’ll have a choice of wagering on the entire result of a competition or game, on what round any given competitor will be knocked out, and even if a tossed coin in a competition or game will come down either heads or tails.
As can be expected, there are so many different classes of lays– straight, parlay antes, teaser lays and, beyond, over/unders, the straight bets being the most typical in sports gambling.
Why don’t you have a crack at it, and enjoy the excitement all at once. Just ensure that you won’t get overwhelmed and squander your entire income on a vagary… Otherwise could be you will end up lamenting it all your life…
June 26, 2008 at 1:03 pm · Filed under Shopping Tips
Some boys have a difficult time keeping a hard on and some ladies have extremely long sex drives, meaning it takes the woman an extraordinarily long time to come. Because of this contrast in sex drives, sexual intercourse may become an annoying and undesirable session. That’s why thick dildos can only be helpful. If the gent shoots early in the game, or even if the woman just takes longer than her partner, he can continue to penetrate the chick with the huge dildo. That way all sexual fun does not have to stop. It gives the gent time to recharge his batteries and also keeps the woman happy. Therefore when the gent is ready to come back into the sexual session, the gal will still be aroused enough to accept the gent.
Your most stimulation area is your thoughts. And as noticeably as legions of feminists will not admit this, the penis is a focus of fertility, no matter how huge or little, it is still associated with power. Penetrating your girl with a little dildo can make a fantasy of power fun reality.
Some girls revel in the sensation of feeling full in their vagina or anus. Whenever a sensual toy such as a thick dildo, penetrates the vagina or back passage, the muscles contract around it. Abounding females get the tightening of the above muscles to be particularly enjoyable. Sex Toys will send you wild.
June 25, 2008 at 7:07 pm · Filed under Health Issues
Once while browsing through the internet, I came across a short and sweet poem, written by an unknown author, describing the beauty of eyes and expressions hidden in them. The poem was so beautiful that I just made a note of it. Here is the poem.
In Your Eyes
In your eyes I see a thousand setting suns,
Glorious and mighty, more days are done.
In your eyes I see the beauty in a simple flower,
the majesty…the sweetness…the power.
In your eyes I see what could be,
faithfully, lovingly, you and me.
In your eyes my world spins round
your voice…passion the sound.
Mostly in your eyes I see love.
Saying that eyes are the most effective and expressive tools of communication would indeed be no understatement. They mirror a person’s myriad moods and emotions. Eyes have fascinated poets since time immemorial.
We humans are blessed with a highly developed brain which decodes the stimuli from five sense organs and draws an inference about the object beheld. God has blessed us with eyes to enjoy the beauty and variety offered by the world he has created around us. Hence our eyes deserve some amount of special care.
According to the ayurveda many factors affect the function of eyes, reducing their efficiency and causing discomfort. According to ayurveda the diseases of eyes are caused by the vitiation of tridoshas. Tridoshas (vatha, pitta and kapha) function normally in their respective channels and places, when they are in balanced condition. The main factors, which vitiate these doshas in eyes, are-
• Taking cold bath after a brisk exercise or after roaming in hot climate.
• Straining the eyes for very long hours.
• Keeping awake for very long time, sleeping in afternoon.
• Moving in dust, polluted environment and in smoke.
• Controlling natural urges,
• Head injuries,
• Using the microscope continuously,
• Alcoholism.
All these factors vitiate the doshas of eyes and cause numerous diseases of eye.
Tired eyes
Tired eyes are mostly caused by allergies, fatigue, over strain of eyes, infection and inadequate supply of oxygen to tissues of eyes. The main symptoms of tired eyes are dryness and irritation
Self care for tired eyes:
• Give rest to your eyes by closing them for a minute’s interval in between work hours.
• Have a good night’s sleep for 6- 7 hrs.
• Place fresh slice of cucumber on eyes for few minutes. This revitalizes eyes.
• Wash your eyes with cold water several times in a day.
• Mix few drops of rose water in a cup of water. Dip two cotton gauzes in it and place them on your eyes for few minutes.
Consult an ophthalmologist if itching, redness or discomfort persists.
Dry eyes
Tears flow down our eyes when we are sad or too happy. But our eyes are always protected by a thin film of tear. This film represents aap dhatu or jaladhatu (water element) according to ayurveda.or jala .The tear film keeps our vision clear and protects our eyes from irritations. Reduction in production of tears causes variation in tear film and dries it. This condition is called as dry eyes.
The causes For Dry eyes
1. Age:- As we get old the tear production reduces causing dry eyes. This is more prevalent in women than men.
2. Systemic diseases: Medical Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma etc.
3. Few medications: Few medications like diuretics , antihistamines, decongestants, sleeping pills, few antidepressants, acne medications and opiate preparations, allergic reaction to eye ointments and eye drops
4. Diseases of eyes: Blepheritis (inflammation of edges of eyelids), Entropion (inward bending of eyelid), Ectropion (outward bending of eyelid).
5. Irritants present in environment: smoke, dust, wind, sun, dry climate.
6. Life styles: Working in front of computer for longer hours, reading for long hours, driving.
7. Varied Composition of tears: Tears are a mixture of water, fatty oils, proteins, electrolytes, etc.
8. According to ayurveda principles the vitiated vayu causes this condition
Signs and symptoms of dry eyes:
Usually both eyes get affected in this condition. Itching, burning or stinging sensation in eyes as if a foreign substance is inside. You feel it very difficult to wear contact lenses. Eyes get tired easily. Secretion of mucus in the form of threads, around eyes. Eyes get very quickly irritated when exposed to smoke or wind.
If the above mentioned symptoms persist for a prolonged period please consult an ophthalmologist..
Prevention of dry eyes:
• Avoid direct blowing of air through hair driers, fans or air conditioners.
• Wear cooling glasses when it is too sunny or windy.
• Wear swimming glasses to prevent excess irritation.
• Avoid dry climate.
• Don’t forget to blink when you work in front of computer or while reading or while watching TV
• Avoid rubbing your eyes.
Home remedies of dry eyes
• Boil castor leaves in water and allow it to cool down, when this decoction is lukewarm dip cotton gauze it and place it both eyes. When gauze becomes cold it can be dipped once again in the decoction and placef on the eyes.
• Boil two spoons of triphala powder in a glass of water until it reduces to quarter of a glass, when it is lukewarm filter it and add a spoon of honey. Drinking this decoction every day strengthens the eyes.
Dark Circles
Dark Circles are a common beauty complaint. Nine out of 10 people have dark circles under their eyes at one time or another, the skin beneath our eyes is very thin. As we get exposed to sun rays, the skin under the eyes gets damaged and becomes more thin and wrinkled. The veins below this thin skin start looking prominent. Thus the wrinkles and prominent veins form dark circles. Some times pigmentation also causes dark circles.
Causes of dark circles:
1. Age.
2. Over exposure to sun.
3. Lack of sleep.
4. Lack of nutrients.
5. Allergies.
6. Eczema.
7. Asthma.
8. Hereditary.
9. Fatigue.
10. Chronic diseases.
11. Pregnancy.
12. Menstruation
Remedy for dark circles:
1. Conceal the dark circles through make up techniques.
2. Do not use bleach or peels to make the dark circles light.
3. Apply mild moisturizer under eyes take care not to apply it too much. Lightly tap the under eye skin with one or two fingers to increase the blood circulation.
4. Treat the cause of illness mentioned above.
5. Sleep for sufficiently long hours.
6. Do not scratch the under eye skin.
7. Take good diet, which is rich in nutrients.
Conjunctivitis: (Pink Eye)
Causes: Conjunctivitis may be caused by viruses, bacteria or allergic substances like pollen or dust. Conjunctivitis caused by bacteria or virus may affect one or both eyes. Allergic conjunctivitis affects both eyes.
Symptoms:
The most common symptoms are- Redness, itching, grittily feeling, tearing and discharge from one or both eyes. Blurred vision and sensitivity to light also accompany the above symptoms.
Prevention:
1. Avoid Using others eye cosmetics and sharing your cosmetics with others.
2. Do not touch your eyes repeatedly with your hands.
3. Wash your hands repeatedly and thoroughly.
4. change pillow covers frequently.
5. Do not share your napkins, towels, hand kerchiefs with others and don’t use others’.
6. Wash the above mentioned items daily in warm water and press them using hot iron.
7. Take proper care of your contact lenses according to doctor’s instructions.
8. Avoid rubbing of eyes.
This article is copy righted. The author Dr.SavithaSuri is an Ayurvedic Physician and web master of http://www.ayurhelp.com
Dr. Savitha Suri has been an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 1989. After getting a graduation degree in ayurveda (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 1988 from University of Mysore, India, she started practising ayurveda . Her articles about ayurveda have been published in news papers and websites. She is a regular health columnist to a regional news paper.
http://www.ayurhelp.com
email doctor@ayurhelp.com
June 21, 2008 at 8:56 am · Filed under Health Issues
The universal term for pattern baldness is alopecia. The most common sort of alopecia is male pattern baldness and hits approximately a third of chaps and women. This type of baldness is ordinarily permanent. Explore the latest hair loss techniques from Advanced Hair Studio, home to hair restoration.
Permanent hair loss comes in a variety of ways. Male pattern baldness may happen in the awfully early stages of a blokes life, with hair loss and baldness beginning as quickly as nineteen years old. The normal very first signs can include loss and baldness of hair follicles surrounding the crown of the scalp and also at the hairline above the forehead. The result will often be partial or full hair loss.
Lady pattern baldness is similar to male pattern baldness resulting in permanent hair loss and baldness. This kind of hair loss and baldness is frequently developed after a women gives birth to a child. The hormone imbalance causes hair loss although women do not usually experience complete loss of hair.
The last sort of forever hair loss is by Cicatricial. This occurs when some inflammation in the scalp causes scaring and the hair follicles fall out permanently and never return. The women can often lose hair folicles in random parts of the scalp, or even spread all over the scalp.
With forever hair loss the stunning solution for various men and women will often be to try a baldness centre in order to gain back hair.
June 20, 2008 at 9:11 pm · Filed under Miscellaneous
Whether you are a man or a woman, the feelings that come with midlife crisis can be similar. Disillusionment, doubt, unhappiness, restlessness and disappointment are some of the common characteristics. Many people report a kind of uneasiness that they just can’t name.
As the baby-boom generation (those born between 1945 and 1965) has come of age, it’s as if, at best, having a midlife crisis has become fashionable.
At worst, it’s an excuse for irresponsible and possibly destructive behavior.
Because baby boomers tend to reach success at an earlier age than their parents, midlife crisis can hit earlier as well.
Crisis and opportunity
The Chinese symbol for crisis means both danger and opportunity. A midlife crisis represents both danger and opportunity for the people who experience one. Let’s take a look at both of these possibilities.
Danger
Remember the old sci-fi series Lost in Space? Whenever danger was approaching, the robot would wave his arms and shout, “Danger! Danger! Warning, Will Robinson!”
From what I’ve seen happen to many people, that’s what needs to be shouted at people hitting a midlife crisis.
Here’s a list of some of the dangers:
If you try to resolve a midlife crisis with the traditional little red sports car and 22-year-old new partner, you may wind up in a small, one-bedroom apartment with huge alimony and child-support payments.
You may start to believe that everything you are feeling is real. It’s like the story about the Room of 10,000 Demons, first told to me by Bill 0′Hanlon, writer and hypnotherapist.
When you walk into the Room of 10,000 Demons, you will see all your worst fears and nightmares played out as if they were real.
When you walk in, the door closes behind you, and there is no handle on the inside of the door. If you can make it to the other side, to the door leading out, you will reach nirvana.
Once inside, you get two important instructions. The first is that no matter what you see, hear or feel, it’s not real; it’s merely a product of your own mind. The second instruction is that no matter what you see, hear or feel, keep your feet moving. Eventually, you will make it to the other side.
And, as we can glean from this story, you may start to believe that you have to act on everything you feel.
Opportunity
The opportunities available in a midlife crisis can be very useful.
A midlife crisis can be a time of evaluation and soul-searching and not necessarily a time of self-absorption.
In the movie Look Who’s Talking, one character tells a woman, whom he has gotten pregnant and is abandoning, that his therapist says he is going through a selfish phase. Now that’s self-absorption!
Puh-lease!
Not only is a period of evaluation and soul-searching a good thing - it can and should be done much more often than just at midlife.
Some useful questions
• Where did I expect to be by this time in my life?
• How is my life different from and how is it similar to my expectations?
• What promises to myself and others have I kept or broken?
• What do I need to do to keep the promises I made to myself and others?
• Where do I want to be one year from now? In five years? In 10 years? In 20-plus years? (This implies that there is a whole lot of life left.)
• What will I need to do to get there? Answer those questions honestly, and turn a midlife crisis into a midlife opportunity.
Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.
June 19, 2008 at 7:36 pm · Filed under Business News
“If I told you once, I’ve told you twice, I’ve told you a thousand times” was my mother’s remark when it appeared that I wasn’t listening to her advice. To my defense, I often was listening but the amount of advice exceeded my capacity to process it. It was like drinking water from a fire hose.
As Internet business owners, we face a similar situation by the volumes of advice we receive on how to manage, market and grow our businesses. Weeding through the “need to know” versus the “nice to know” takes effort. Yet identifying the “need to know” is essential in defining and ultimately achieving success.
For your online business here is an essential “need to know”.
Think about this…
Your website received 5,600 visitors last month and it generated 26 sales.
Was last month a success?
You don’t know, right?
Defining “Success” - the Power of Performance Metrics
Performance metrics are measurable results gathered and calculated from your business’ online systems (traffic, website, and customer retention) and used to identify their aggregate and individual strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.
Referred to as “key performance indicators” or “benchmarks”; their importance carries the same weight as traditional financial ratios like return on investment and days sales outstanding carry for assessing a traditional business’ performance. They form a dashboard for a business owner to gauge the effectiveness of their current business strategies and sets a baseline for defining future success.
Further, performance metrics identify the “gap” between where you are today and where your business goals require you to be tomorrow. Without them, you’re operating a ship without a rudder and wandering aimlessly in a big virtual ocean. As Business Executive, Thomas S. Monson stated,
“Where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.”
The Primary Performance Metrics
Performance metrics vary by each individual business; however, five specific metrics are most important among successful online businesses. These include:
A. Conversion rates
B. Cost per visitor
C. Cost per lead, prospect or referral
D. Cost per customer
E. Value per visitor
If every Internet business concentrated on these five primary performance metrics, their online businesses would increase exponentially. Why? Because…
“You can only Manage what You can Measure.”
Five Performance Metrics of Successful Online Businesses
All websites present choices to their visitors. Whenever a choice is made by a visitor a “conversion point” exists that generates two metrics: (1) cost of conversion and (2) rate of conversion. The key is to identify your business’ significant conversion points which if chosen most often by visitors will lead to the achievement of your goals.
These are the five performance metrics you need to know.
A. Conversion Rate
Google’s dictionary defines a conversion rate as “the number of visitors who took a desired action divided by the total number of visitors in a given time period (typically, per month).”
Formula: Desired Action / Total Number of Visitors = Conversion Rate
For example, if 1,000 unique visitors were driven to your website from a search engine and 10 elected to purchase a product then your “sales” conversion rate would be 1.0%.
Basically, a conversion rate is calculated whenever a desired action occurs by a visitor to your website. Examples include:
• A visitor types in their email address and clicks “submit” for your free report.
• A visitor clicks their browser’s “back” button to leave your website.
• A visitor buys your product.
The most crucial conversion rates are those directly associated with the achievement of your business’ goals.
B. Cost per Visitor
The cost per visitor is the dollar amount spent to drive one unique visitor to your website.
For example, if you spent $100 to drive 1,000 unique visitors to your website, then your cost per visitor is $0.10.
Formula: Money Spent / Total Number of Visitors = Cost per Visitor
Businesses usually have more than one “visitor source” or a way to drive visitors to their websites. Therefore depending on what result you are analyzing you may calculate “cost per visitor” using money spent on just a single visitor source or on multiple visitor sources.
C. Cost per Prospect, Lead, or Referral
The cost per prospect, lead or referral is the “cost per visitor” times the number of unique visitors needed to produce one prospect, lead or referral.
For example, if you spent $100 to drive 1,000 unique visitors to your website and it produced 10 prospects; your “cost per prospect” is $10.
Formula: Money Spent / Total Number of Leads Produced = Cost per Visitor
D. Cost per Customer
“Cost per customer” is the “cost per visitor” times the number of unique visitors needed to produce a sale.
For example, if you spent $100 to drive 1,000 unique visitors to your website and it produced 2 sales; your “cost per customer” is $50.
E. Value per Visitor
The “Value per Visitor” metric is a composite figure that consists of multiple, performance metrics including conversion rate, average value per completed action, number of unique visitors and number of completed actions.
For example, if the 1,000 unique visitors generated 2 sales worth $100 per sale or $200 in gross revenue then your “value per visitor” is $0.20.
Formula: Sales / Total Number of Visitors = Value per Visitor
O.K. - so why does this matter?
The “value per visitor” indicates what you are able to spend per visitor (i.e. cost per visitor) in order to breakeven on your traffic or strategic marketing investment. If a your website receives visitors at an average “cost per visitor” of $0.10 and your average “value per visitor” s $0.20 then for each new visitor you will gain $0.10 in gross profit.
Note: the “value per visitor” metric becomes more powerful for this type of analysis when you calculate it using all associated traffic costs including labor and material and net sales versus gross.
In addition to an internal, strategic decision-making tool, the “value per visitor” metric can also be used to evaluate external business opportunities.
For instance, if you were approached by a potential business partner and presented with an opportunity to receive 1,000 targeted visitors at a $150 investment, you could quickly do the math and use your average “value per visitor” metric as a baseline.
For example, 1,000 visitors for a $150 investment equates to a “cost per visitor” of $0.15. Using your average “value per visitor” of $0.20 you should earn roughly $25 per sale or $0.05 per visitor times 1,000, a total of $50.
However, depending on the size of the investment, you may suggest to your potential business partner a one-month test instead of a longer term partnering deal. Through performing a “test”, you could gather data and calculate a “value per visitor” specifically for the deal before jumping head-on into a long-term and potentially damaging engagement. By gaining measurable results you have negotiating leverage to work out an economical partnering deal or to pull the plug immediately with minimal loss.
Performance Metrics take the Risk Out of Your Decisions.
As Robert Kiyosaki stated in one of his best-selling books, “being uneducated is risky.” Adapting his advice to your online business, consider this:
“There are people who most often say, “new traffic channels, strategies, web designs, etc. are risky. For them that statement is true - but not because new traffic channels, strategies, web designs, etc. are risky. It is their lack of knowledge gained from tracking, testing and calculating their performance metrics that is risky.”
Knowing your performance metrics is advice you “need to know”.
Kevin Gold is a Partner and Co-founder of Enhanced Concepts, Inc., which specializes in turning website visitors into leads or sales through tested website conversion strategies and performance-focused search engine marketing. To learn how to generate greater performance from your search engine marketing and to turn more website visitors into leads and sales go to http://www.enhancedconcepts.com
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