Floenz Blog

If you have a popular site, then you might notice some problems occur. Typically the site may slow down, you may have excessive bandwidth charges, and people start to complain that your site is taking too long to load. What can you do?

Image Review

The first step should be to review any images you have on your pages. Ensure that these are JPG or GIF format, and only as big as necessary in terms of their physical dimensions. Reduce image size by reducing the quality – for instance with JPGs even a quite compressed image will still be fine for the web.

You can probably quite comfortably half image sizes and without any big reduction in quality.

Flash and Animation

If you have Flash and animation on your site, or any chunky items being downloaded each time a page is hit, consider if you really need them – and if so, consider compacting and reducing the size of these elements.

Web site code

Check your code and ensure that it is efficiently and well written. If you have any comments in your code then take these out. Just reducing the code bloat of your site can save a few Kb each time your page is hit – and across tens of thousands of hits a day, that can save you a lot of money in bandwidth charges.

Introduce script timers

If you have a dynamic site or one that uses levels of scripting, benchmark your scripts and find which are the slowest and where the slow points are. You can then look for ways to optimise your code to ensure that these delays are minimised.

Page Cacheing

Depending on your site, it may be wise to think about more sophisticated elements such as whether you allow your pages to be cached or not for each visit – again this can help with download times and reduce server strain.

Dan Moore is Director of Clarity Media Limited, a web design company and puzzle supplier of such smash hit puzzles as sudoku, kakuro, hanjie and codewords

Many betters have asked me “Why would I commit to any rakeback offer? I just play at poker sites if there is a bonus to play.” What if someday you resolve to take card playing up as your career? There are a multitude of betters who are really dissapointed at neglecting rakeback offers but nowadays all of them have signed up for all the leading poker websites. Do not let this happen to you.

If you are a bettor that plays up to one or two dollars and only gambles when you are clearing bonus sign-up rewards, you are experiencing in most cases around 100% rake back for the bonus payment on your play. A well known site recently shut down bettors that used their gaming site just to gamble like this. It’s anyone’s guess if this practise will potentially kickoff a trend. If it ocurrs then at once a rakeback deal will be an essential.

Soon you may just find your greatest game and then find yourself extremely lucky, even if it hasn’t happened by now. I was injured in an on the job accident then poker came along whilst recovering and never looked back. That’s over 2 years back now and I have not even once had a job since then due to betting and of course rakeback. Thinking forward is always a brilliant plan. Think of it as an investment fund, even if you don’t believe rakeback is good for you at present it certainly might become an excellent idea shortly, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you are looking at trying out a different websites you should sign up for rake back.

The online gamblers help service Rakeback Professionals is pleased to be associated with such a lot of respectable affiliates. Signing up can be as uncomplicated as going to any The online gambling interest organization Rakeback Professionals affiliated internet site or even as problem free as sending an e-mail. Every partner can effortlessly set anyone up instantly. You can start playing right away. Should you sign up with an affiliate through Rakeback Professionals you can always be confident as each affiliate will have been evaluated and in addition agrees to grant permission to The Rakeback Professionals agency to sort out any conflict which might occur. Even So because we screen all our partners, we have had almost no concerns and in addition we will always move swiftly to rectify the concern for the protection of the card players.

Rakeback Deals

Choosing the keywords for your site is one of the most important steps in developing a website. The keywords you choose will be branded to the site for its lifetime. There are many important factors to keep in mind when researching keywords as well as when placing the keywords within the site. The keywords should be chosen with ranking and search engine marketing in mind.

Researching keywords is imperative to making the right choice for your product and your industry. The process is said to be the most challenging task for website developers. It will shape and develop the success of the site for years to come. There are a variety of tools available that provide listings of keyword popularity.

Monitoring keyword trends is an important step in keyword research. Keyword trends fluctuate, so you should not choose the first set you find that coincides with your market. Watch the trends for several months to get a better grasp on how users search for your terms.

Competitiveness of keywords makes a big difference. The keyword may be popular, but if you’re competing with 1 million results in the search engines, the end result will not be beneficial to your site. Choosing keywords that are somewhat less popular will not be as competitive and may only produce several thousand results in the search engines. In this scenario, the chances of someone finding your site are much greater.

Once a keyword or keyword phrase has been finalized, there is the matter of placement within the site. Your keywords should appear frequently through out the site, but not every other word. Keyword stuffing or keyword Spam is not a search engine friendly tactic. SEO specialists have developed strategic keyword placement that includes a standard set of areas within the site where the keyword should appear. Keyword placement is a very delicate issue, where placing the keyword in the wrong area or used too frequently could get your site banned from a search engine entirely.

With so many things to keep in mind when researching keywords, it may be beneficial to hire search engine positioning specialist who have expertise in keyword research and placement. It’s all about the right keywords to get you to the top of the search engine rankings.

This article was written by Angela Oliver for Web Submission Services as an informational piece for website owners. Please visit Web Submission Services for more information about keyword research and search engine optimization services.

Imagine this scenario. You have worked very hard to build up a small business for yourself. You are your own boss and your business is running quite successfully. The only thing missing from your life is someone to share it with. You finally meet that special someone and choose to get married. But before you make that step, you start to wonder about this life you have built for yourself. Does she really love me? Is he only after my money? These questions race through your mind. What can you do to make sure that you don’t lose everything you have worked so hard for? The answer lies in prenuptial agreements.

In this day and age, owning a small business is not all that unusual. But the work behind it is just as hard now as it was in the past. And there are also more single people out there especially older people who have had longer to build up assets. There is also an increased amount of people out there who are looking for the quick buck and that, coupled with the higher divorce rate and ease of divorce, can make for a costly marriage.

The best thing that a man, or woman, who has built themselves a successful business prior to meeting the right person can do is have their future spouse sign a prenuptial agreement. These agreements protect the owner of the business against gold diggers and anyone who is confident that their marriage will survive should have no problem signing one. On the other hand, if the person you are about to marry happens to be after you for your money as you so much feared, then they will likely refuse to sign and this will let you know that this “right” person is not so right after all.

Now, imagine, working so many years making a name for yourself and putting aside money for your retirement and then meeting the woman of your dreams. You are swept off your feet and rush off and get married to a woman that you are so deeply in love with. Your marriage is so perfect and you couldn’t ask for anything more. Then several years down the road, she hits you with the request of a divorce. It seems to come out of absolutely nowhere and you are completely heartbroken. You go to court and end up having to fight for the one thing that you have worked hard at. You end up losing half of your money and your business to the woman whom you thought loved you. And she is laughing all the way to the bank. This was in her plan all along. Sacrificing a few years of her life meant nothing to get all that money.

This doesn’t have to happen to you. You can do prenuptial agreements several ways, so consulting an attorney and getting it done the way that is right for you is important. Some prenuptials will allow the spouse to acquire some of the assets earned during the marriage years while others will leave all the assets to the business completely off limits. Make sure that you do your research so that the prenuptial agreement is done properly.

Just because you have spent so many of your years building a successful business does not mean that you have to either spend your life alone or risk losing it all. Trust is a very important thing in a marriage, but there are so many people out there who are good at making you believe something that isn’t true. Everyone always says that it can’t happen to them, but truth is, it can happen to you and is more likely to if you are not prepared.

Hannibal Whitestone makes it easy to find out if a prenuptial agreement makes sense for you. Visit Prenuptial Agreement Info today and get the facts… because you’re worth a lot more than you think.

In this article, I would like to talk about the three “well-known but often ignored” secrets for creating a successful product.

These secrets are still valid in real world as they are online.

The main mistake most entrepreneurs do is to create a product and then they WORK HARD TRYING to sell it.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

SECRET NO. 1

Always create a product ONLY if there is a market for it!

How can you find out if there is a request for your product?

Quite simple, read the forums, search them for terms like “I wish there was a thing that…” “Can anyone help me do…” “What’s the best way to…” etc.

I’m sure you understand. All you have to do is to create a product that will fill that want.

Secondly, you can search the web, using terms related to your product. If there is competition that looks like is doing well, then there is a market for your product. Just make it better than the one of your competitor and you’re on your way to riches.

Thirdly, you can see how many people search for terms related to your product using Overture’s suggestion tool located at: Click Here!

SECRET NO. 2

Never try to sell something to people that don’t have the money to buy it. Always create products that appeal to people with money.

This is a great mistake most people make. They try to sell high priced products to people that cannot afford them.

SECRET NO. 3

Always create a product that you would love to buy. Put yourself into your buyer pants and think about how would you like to be sold.

Create products that you’ll want to buy; sell like you would like to be sold to; and, in generally do things the way you would like the things to be done to you.

Follow these three secrets and in less than 999 days you’ll have a six-figure income. Guaranteed!

Have a Profitable Day!

Ovi Dogar, The CoversExpert

About The Author
Ovi Dogar is specialized in the creation of professionally custom made covers that really sell. You can view some recent samples of his work at http://www.absolutecovers.com/samples.html; ovi@absolutecovers.com

NanotechnologyInvestment.com Reports: Revolutionary Nanotechnology Developments Part 2 – Innovations in Renewable Energy and Homeland Defense Attributable to Nanotech

Nanotechnology developments spearheading new initiatives at Ford Motor Company and Boeing.

Brian Eriksen Noer reports for www.NanotechnologyInvestment.com November 2005

In the second of a two part report NanotechnologyInvestment.com details the current advancements in the science of Nanotechnology, and specifically as those innovations impact diverse sectors such as Renewable Energy and Homeland Defense. The emerging science is being embraced by everyone from giant corporations like Ford and Boeing, to smaller manufacturing firms like solar energy technology developer XsunX (OTCBB: XSNX). To read the full text of Part 1 of this report, please click here: http://www.investorideas.com/Companies/Nanotechnology/Articles/Dr iving_Force_Behind.asp

In part 2, further sector perspectives are revealed from industry participants: John Ginder, Acting Manager of the Physical and Environmental Sciences Department with Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F); John Belk, Nanotechnologist with Boeing; Tom Djokovich, CEO of solar technology developer XsunX, Inc. (OTCBB: XSNX); and NanoDynamics Inc. CEO, Keith Blakely.

Government and Corporate Funding

As nanotechnology redefines the landscape of many different industries, investors should be acutely aware of which companies and organizations are in receipt of government or private funding to drive their research and manufacturing activities. Corporate nanotech R&D expenditure in 2005 (exclusive of government funding) is expected to total $1.8 billion in the U.S., $1.1 billion in Japan, $296 million in Germany, and $213 million in South Korea.

Earlier this year (January 2005) the Governor of New York, George Pataki announced that corporate commitments amounting to $2.7bn had been offered to New York State by 11 companies interested in semiconductor and nanotechnology research and development infrastructure. The companies who offered this funding included IBM, Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, (chip equipment manufacturer) ASML and a consortium of nanoelectronics equipment suppliers.

Following Pataki’s announcement earlier in the year, in late September, IBM and Applied Materials Inc. launched their $300m partnership to develop new microchip technologies. The partnership would incorporate 80 researchers working at Albany Nanotech (a research facility affiliated with the State University of New York – funded both by the government and the private sector).

The technologies developed by this partnership are expected to generate applications within the fields of blood testing; DNA sequencing; drug development and delivery; telecommunications; artificial intelligence software; and sensors for environmental, energy and defense applications.

Also in late September the Canadian government announced that they would be funding $5.5m worth of research in India – an amount that will be matched by the Indian government. The project, part of Canada’s International Science and Technology Partnership Program (formed to develop research alliances and to commercialize innovative technologies with India, China, Brazil and Israel) aims to focus on the areas of biotechnology; nanotechnology; information and communication technology; sustainable energy and disaster management.

A technology like nanotech, which is anticipated to introduce widespread changes and developments will almost certainly also cause societal changes. The National Science Foundation has granted $6.2m to Arizona State University’s Center for Nanotechnology in order to study and anticipate the societal, ethical, and unintended consequences these technological advances could have. The Center will also to study how societal demands will direct and dictate research efforts. The effects that will be studied include: privacy and security, human identity and enhancement, potential use of nanotech by terrorists, environmental and health risks, and societal and economic equity.

Market Drivers

NanoDynamics Inc. CEO, Keith Blakely believes that the prospects for incorporating nanotechnology and nanomaterials into industrial and consumer products, along with significant use of these materials in health care (from diagnostics and imaging to antimicrobial surfaces and drug delivery) and in energy applications, are significant.

“The continued reliance upon oil – a finite resource for energy – will drive the research and applications of nanotechnology in batteries, thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, hydrogen storage, and fuel cells. Similarly, we believe that the need for clean water around the world will drive further investigation and utilization of nanotechnology based filtration, purification, remediation, and desalination processes and systems. And, of course, the incessant demand for improvements in personal health and well-being will provide adequate incentives to companies to develop improved materials and processes using nanotechnology for a broad range of health care applications.”

Solar Technology Developments

Tom Djokovich, CEO of solar technology developer XsunX, Inc. (OTCBB: XSNX) agreed with Blakely that burgeoning global energy demands will help to drive nanotechnology development towards the field of renewable energy.

“There are exciting new opportunities opening up in the solar energy markets for products that deliver performance characteristics such as increased conversion efficiencies, reduced costs per watt, flexibility of materials, light weight cell structures, the use of more readily available materials, and designs allowing the use of solar cells in common building materials to promote wide scale use of solar technologies,” said Mr. Djokovich. “By manipulating materials at the nano scale level to deliver the necessary performance requirements we are helping to move the solar energy markets towards the next generation of product applications and costs savings.”

“The solar energy market is currently dominated by the use of crystalline wafers accounting for over 90% of the market,” Djokovich continued. “Largely through enormous expenditures in manufacturing infrastructure of crystalline cells, costs have been reduced, but there is a shortage of available materials to fill the growth in demand and few if any further costs reducing opportunities may be available to this industry. The general market consensus is that only thin film technologies can provide the route to lower costs.”

“At XsunX we have focused on the development of new types of thin film technologies that provide performance characteristics to address cost reduction and application opportunities,” said Mr. Djokovich. “Our Power Glass® transparent thin film cell is in development for applications in architectural glass construction, and we’re launching a new development program aimed at the development of high performance thin film cells using nano scale manufacturing methods.”

“We are developing a new patent pending solar cell structure that sandwiches the use of two separate materials, nano-crystalline Silicon (nc-Si:H) and amorphous Silicon (a-Si:H), in a thin film structure that employs the use of 1/400th the materials used in conventional silicon wafer designs. These extremely small structures are combined to form a 4 terminal solar cell structure that holds a promising opportunity of delivering the performance characteristics of crystalline wafer cells at a fraction of the cost.”

Ford’s Nanotech Focus

In part 1 of this report John Ginder (Acting Manager of the Physical and Environmental Sciences Department with Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F)) and John Belk (Nanotechnologist with Boeing) discussed their plans to form an alliance with Northwestern University to research and develop commercial nanotechnology applications. The project will focus on clean fuel burning hybrid cars, as well as developments in specialty metals, thermal materials, coatings and sensors.

In part 2 of this report, Ginder elaborated upon his earlier comments that in some cases new inventions will be required to enable developments in propulsion technology: hybrid vehicles; clean diesel technology; hydrogen powered vehicles; and fuel cells. Ginder is optimistic that many of those inventions will come to fruition through the areas of nanostructured materials.

Specific innovations that are required include: battery electrodes, battery materials, fuel cell electrodes, hydrogen storage materials, filters for particulates in diesel exhausts, new catalytic materials for use in Ford’s existing products as well as future propulsion technologies. “Ford believes that the impact on our products is going to be huge,” said Ginder. “We are not quite sure where the biggest impacts are going to be just yet, but we know what the general areas are going to be.”

Another research focus for the alliance will be in the area of biofuels. “Right now,” said Ginder, “we do not know the product’s impact. But what we foresee is a suite of diverse technologies: it is not going to be all hybrid, all diesel, or all hydrogen, but we project that in 30 years a range of technologies will each contribute some portion of the total, resulting in the reduction of our dependence on hydrocarbon or fossil fuels.”

“Obviously there is going to be a phasing in of these technologies, but I think the more conventional technologies will be the ones to be utilized first.” Ginder believes that the clean diesel technology is first on the horizon, “it is mandated by regulation and it is the closest to what we already know how to do. We can expect to see this technology commercially available later this decade. In parallel, we have the development of hybrid vehicles and there is opportunity there for those of us that work in research to try to improve battery performance, and that would certainly help that sector’s overall picture.”

According to Ginder, diesels and hybrids will be commercially available in the relative near term and then farther out: hydrogen. “We have all read estimates on when fuel cells will become practical, but there are a lot of inventions required to make them viable. In fact, we are just completing our five-city, 30-car program to conduct real-world testing of fuel cell technology. The hydrogen internal combustion engine is perhaps the easiest innovation to implement, as it involves relatively conventional technologies.”

Boeing’s Hopes for Nanotechnology

In part two of this report, John Belk (Nanotechnologist with Boeing) also furthered his comments upon Ford and Boeing’s nanotechnology alliance with Northwestern University, specifically upon the reasons for the choice of Northwestern University as the scholastic partner of choice in this venture.

Northwestern University received one of the nation’s first nanotechnology centers and has been awarded hundreds of millions of dollars of nanotechnology-related funding. Ford and Boeing will be able to leverage this world-class resource through the Alliance while broadening both firms’ overall relationship with the University. “We have called this Alliance a ‘no brainer’ several times internally,” said Belk, “there is no doubt that this Alliance is beneficial for Boeing and as well as for our relationship with Ford and the students at Northwestern University.

Belk believes that the most interesting new applications in the renewable energy sector are in the area of solar cell. “Researchers have developed methods to lower costs and increase efficiency, bringing the advantages of exotic material cells closer to the price point of cells made with the more common inexpensive materials. There is a lot of forthcoming innovation within the domain of solar panels – I don’t know when it will become commercially available, but the benefit is a much lower cost than present technologies represent. I suspect that we are going to be very pleased in the next few years with discoveries in the area of solar energy research.”

Nanotech in defense

NanoDynamics Inc. has developed and demonstrated the first truly portable solid oxide fuel cell for combat soldier use, which is capable of running on a conventional fuel, such as propane. “The unusual performance and portability is the result of the carefully engineered integration and use of nanomaterials in the cell and reformer,” explained CEO Blakely. “Additionally, we are actively working on the application of nanomaterials in bulk thermoelectric materials, photovoltaic thin films, and thin film batteries. We are addressing the need for affordable, high quality, and precisely controlled metal, ceramic, and carbon based nanomaterials that can be supplied on a commercial scale.”

JMAR Technologies, Inc. (JMAR) announced on October 13th that they have been awarded a Phase I SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) grant from the U.S. Army. The grant will be utilized to support JMAR’s R&D for a compact laser system, capable of real time spectrochemical hazard analysis in the field – in layman’s terms: detecting hazardous materials from a safe, remote location. This new research will be based upon the company’s existing BriteLight dual-pulse laser technology, which is planned to be modified to provide performance, weight, and cost advantages of a field portable detection system. The BriteLight technology also features applications in nanotech scale fabrication, microscopy and soft X-ray source generation.

Brian Noer

Brian Noer has a degree in Business and Economics from the University of Western, Ontario. His career in the financial markets spans sixteen years and several continents, including: Manager with The Bank of Montreal in Canada, Associate Analyst with the structured finance group at Moody’s Investor Services in the UK, and Editor for several financial trade magazines in the UK for both Thomson Financial Publishing and Euromoney PLC (titles include Thomson’s trade magazines “The International Securitisation Report”, and “Capital Market Strategies”, and Euromoney’s “Asset Finance International”). Brian is the Writer, Editor and Research Associate for the InvestorIdeas.com portal team.

Disclaimer: www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp

©Copyright InvestorIdeas 2005

Hate them or love them, but we still have to face the fact that over 80 per cent of all traffic that websites receive comes from the direction of search engines.

As infuriating as it is there is really nothing much you can do when the all-powerful search engine wake up one morning and decide to suddenly change the rules without any warning, causing your agonizing hard work in terms of SEO to be flushed down the drain. Nobody seems to care that you spent months and some small fortune to get your site up there in the first place.

But actually there is plenty that you can do.

Search Engines: How Smart Webmasters Are Fighting Back You can get your site listed in alternative search engines and web directories that apart from giving you valuable links pointing back at your site will also drive respectable daily traffic in the direction of your site.

While it is true that one of the alternative, less well-known sites will be able to drive the sort of massive traffic that some websites enjoy from the big but sometimes arrogant boys, there are a few ideas you can use and you will soon find that you hardly miss the big boys.

For instance while one of these small search engines and directories such as http://www.mostpopularsites.net/ , http://www.joeant.com/ , and http://www.best-websites.net/ will be able to give you only a handful of traffic every day on their own, by combining quite a number, the figures will quickly add up. A good place to find this collective power of search engines and directories is at http://www.best-web-directories.com/.

Search Engines: Entertain As Many Alternative Methods As You Can Find Because Nobody knows Who The Heir To The Throne Will Be The really fascinating thing about all these different search engines is the fact that a wide range of different methods and rules are used to rank site popularity. For instance Yahoo! are betting heavily on their new Web 2.0 social search engine where people recommend sites that they have found interesting and useful to others.

Nothing lasts forever, and this is even more true online. What this means is that the only constant thing we can expect on the net is change itself. Nobody knows what the next really big search engine criteria is going to be. And more importantly what particular search engine will come up with it. So what every smart webmaster and blog owner is doing is entertaining as many search engines as they can find. With all their different and widely varying criteria, nobody knows who the heir to the big 3 search engines throne will be.

Conclusion Taking the alternative way, as far as search engines are concerned is the smart way to guarantee traffic to your site for many years to come. It allows webmasters to ensure that they have not placed all their eggs, dangerously into just one basket. Instead you will find that they have numerous friendly search engines out there working very hard for them.

If you’re frustrated with the inability to send and receive large files via email, you’re not alone. Most businesses today are experiencing the same problem. As software programs evolve, the files they create are forever increasing in size. Programs like AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, and a host of many more can create files in excess of 5MB to 300MB.

One of the best ways to send large files via the Internet is by utilizing what is called an “FTP Hosting” service. FTP stands for “File Transfer Protocol.”

How does it work? An FTP Hosting service is simple and effective. Unlike email, where you send files from one person to another, FTP hosting allows you to upload files of any size or type to a secure storage location on the Internet. Once you’ve uploaded your files, the recipient of the files can then download them at will.

So how do you go about selecting the best “FTP Hosting” service? We’ve come up with a list of seven tips that will help you in the selection process.

1. Good Track Record & References: The provider of the “FTP Hosting” service should have a solid business track record. You’ll want to select a company that has been in business at least 4 to 6 years.

Remember, you’re entrusting the “FTP Hosting” company with proprietary corporate information. Make sure they are a legitimate company. These days it’s easy to develop a website and call yourself an “FTP Hosting” company. Avoid any company that looks like a “Fly-by-night” operation.

Ask for references! If the provider is good, they’ll ask you how many references you would like! Also, their web site should provide an indication of their length of time in business and references, if they have any.

2. Phone Number: Make sure the “FTP Hosting” company provides you with a phone number to call, preferably a toll-free number. If you have any problems at all you’ll want to speak with someone.

You’ll also want to call the number they give you and verify that someone answers the phone and can talk intelligently about the service they provide.

Avoid any company that does not answer their phone during normal business hours, as they most likely won’t answer it when you have a question or problem.

3. Guarantee or Trial: Look for a service provider that guarantee’s their service and will allow you to test it before you subscribe. Ask for a 30-day free evaluation period. If that’s not available then ask for a 30-day, unconditional satisfaction guarantee. It should allow you to cancel within 30-days and pay nothing if you’re not completely satisfied with the service.

In addition, look for a service that provides discounts if you pre-pay for six or twelve months. You’ll be surprised as to how much money you can save by paying in advance.

4. Adequate Bandwidth: Ask your “FTP Hosting” company how much bandwidth is available for file uploads and downloads. Avoid any company that limits the amount of bandwidth available for transferring files.

If a company puts limits on available bandwidth, they are either an extremely small business and won’t be able to service you properly, or they may charge you for bandwidth in excess of a given amount per month. Either way, you won’t be happy at the end of the day.

Look for a company that can provide you with unlimited bandwidth and does not charge you for it.

5. Ease of Use: The service must be easy-to-use and support file transfers from Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. Ask the service provider what, if any, software is required on the client side in order to transfer files to and from the secure FTP site.

Make sure you’re not required to purchase a vendor specific, proprietary software program to transfer your files. You should be able to use any off-the-shelf, downloadable FTP client software program such as CuteFTP, WS FTP, SmartFTP, Fetch, or FTP Voyager.

6. Storage Space Limitation: Most “FTP Hosting” services are available on a month-to-month subscription basis and their rate is set according to the amount of storage space you require. Make sure your monthly storage limitations have what’s called a “Soft Cap.”

A “Soft Cap” allows you to exceed your storage limitations without incurring an additional fee. More importantly, it allows you and/or your customers to continue uploading/downloading files to your FTP site after you have exceeded your storage space allotment.

In other words, you can continue doing business without worrying about your FTP service provider shutting down your FTP site.

7. Technical Support Via Email: Avoid any provider that only responds to technical problems via email. There are a lot of providers out there that have great prices but they lack the support you may need. Remember, sooner or later you will have a question or problem and you will want to speak with a live person.

Choose a company that provides you with a technical support phone number, not an email address. Call the number and ask for help! Make sure they answer the phone and provide the type of you support you’re looking for.

Now that you know the questions to ask and what to look for in an “FTP Hosting” service, you’re ready to go out and find one. The best place to start looking is Google (http://www.google.com). Just type in the phrase “FTP Hosting” and work your way through all the selections. The “Seven Tips” outlined above will assist you in quickly finding the best providers of “FTP Hosting.”

After getting your work in print, definitely savor your success — you’ve earned it — but don’t sit and savor too long. You need to get your name out there and the way to do it is by producing good work that will appeal to your audience.

Here are a few ways to do it:

- If you’ve written a nonfiction book, see if you can’t expand one or more of its chapters into an article (or two or three).

- Adapt your subject to a different audience. If your article or book was intended for men, for example, try adapting it to women or young adults.

- Explore a different aspect of your subject and become an expert in it. In the meantime, look in references such as Writer’s Market for magazine and book publishers.

- Give talks based on your subject. A good idea is to propose a short course to your local college’s adult education department or continuing education department. You’ll get an audience and some extra money. Even more important, you will gain more name recognition.

- Consider expanding your article into a book, or book into several articles.

- Consider expanding a small aspect in one of your articles into another article.

- Consider giving talks at your library, based upon your subject. One person recently taught a short course on buying and selling on eBay and attracted quite a few people!

Dorothy Zjawin’s website, http://www.profitable-pen.com, features articles on writing and getting ideas from your journal and a free forum for all writers.

If you want to write an article that will be read by those in your niche, you can do it in three easy steps.

Step 1 – Identify a “most burning question” in your niche.

If you are an expert in your niche, you should already know some of the most burning questions of the people in your niche. That’s just part of being an expert.

If you do not know the most burning question in your niche, I’m going to give you a simple yet powerful tool to find out. Here it comes: ASK.

That’s right, ask. Ask current clients, ask prospects, ask people that fit your ideal client.

Ask, ask, ask.

Ask them what keeps them up at night, what worries them, what are they desperate to solve and don’t know how.

Step 2 – Present the problem and the pain.

The next step is to present the problem and their pain in a way that your ideal client can relate to. Give and example, tell a story, use a quote or song lyric.

Let them know you get it about the issues with which they struggle. When they get it that you get it, you will have a prospect that feels like they know, like and trust you.

Step 3 – Offer a series of solutions.

Offer a sample of tips, suggestions and solutions for their most burning question. Do not give away the whole store, just give them a healthy appetizer. Solve one of their problems. Give them a solution they can use and they will be hooked on you.

Then you will have people who have read your expertise and are coming to your website because they want more of you.

Visit The Article Guy for more leading edge tips and tools for writing articles that bring you prospects, publicity and profits. You can also subscribe to our monthly Article Writing & Marketing Tips Newsletter. You are also invited to visit my Express-Start Article Writing Program for more information on the next article writing tele-seminar.