Benefits Of Social Bookmarking

A very effective form of internet marketing includes the use of Social Bookmarking. This refers to posting links to your blog articles at a variety of sites that store, organise, and manage bookmarks.

Not only does social bookmarking drive traffic to your site, it creates a source of passive income through the increased number of qualified visitors who find your site due to SEO and viral marketing results.

SEO Benefits Of Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is a great SEO tool for a number of reasons. The first is that it creates additional inbound links to your content, which is always a good way to gain the attention of search engine bots and increase your page ranking.

Secondly, social bookmarking and news aggregation sites are very popular, especially with the younger generation of internet-philes who are more comfortable receiving news from an online site than by watching television or reading the newspaper. Subscribing to an RSS feed for an aggregation site is a virtually effortless way to read about the latest topics of interest.

Thirdly, social bookmarking works to market your online business in a viral manner. That is, these sites encourage the sharing of content. Readers who enjoy your content will rate it highly and add it to their list of favourite bookmarks where others can view it and even comment.

Think of YouTube and how highly effective it is at spreading video clips. The same concept works with Social Bookmarking your blog posts and articles. The results could be financially rewarding and help you brand yourself as an expert in your niche.

Social Bookmarking Tips

As long as your content provides good, topical information, you can easily hide a marketing message inside a post that functions as a news story. For instance, if your business focuses on selling skateboard gear, publish an article about the results of a recent competition. Include mention of specific gear and a link to your website’s shopping page. Click-throughs will definitely come from interested, potential clients.

When you post the article to a social bookmarking site, make sure the short description you provide entices potential customers, not with a blatant sales pitch but by summarising the information that people interested in your type of products want to read.

Take care in adding tags of your most relevant keywords in order to make the link easy to find within the site. Some sites limit the number of tags you can add while others provide nearly limitless space to include every relevant keyword or phrase.

Make your content easy to share. All of the major blogging platforms such as WordPress or Blogger include plug-ins to add a little ‘share’ graphic to your posts. This allows readers to easily and quickly make one click and add a bookmark of your article URL at any site where they have an account.

Be sure to include a plug-in that allows readers to add your site to an RSS feed as well. These feed aggregators are a popular way for internet users to combine all the blogs they follow into one easy-to-find place that shows the most current updates to all their favourites.

Social Bookmarking helps to increase sales because it increases the number of visitors to your site and provides another way for potential customers to find your content.

Article Source : http://seanseo.com/social-media/social-bookmarking/

10 Benefits Of Clip In Hair Extensions

Getting clip in hair extensions is very exciting and can really change your life. Clip-in hair extensions can be a fun, easy way to change up your hair style anytime you want! There are many benefits to hair extensions. Here are 10!

1. Feel more confident! You will instantly feel sexier, more feminine, and more energized!
2. Add colour without any damage to your hair. Get highlights with the colour of your choice. You can easily take them out when you're over it!
3. Cover any split ends. When hair extensions are attached you will have healthy hair all over again! Extensions will help cover all your damaged ends and leave your hair looking shiny and fabulous!
4. Have length, but want volume? Adding extensions will pump up the volume and give your hair movement! Achieve the style you want with a little more volume!
5. Look younger. Hair extensions will present a healthier, younger more vibrant looking you!
6. Boost your social life! Don’t let your hair leave you feeling secure and anti-social. When you're confident in the way you look, you will want to bust out the front door and show off!
7. Not permanent. Unlike colour and cuts, extensions can be taken out with no effect on your own hair!
8. Unlimited hair styling possibilities! Long sexy ponytails, up-do's, straight ironed, etc!
9. They don't damage your hair at all, they are so quick to put in – you don't need hours in a salon!
10. They're ideal for weddings, proms, reunions or any special occasion. And they are great for every-day hair! 

Article Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/fashion-articles/10-benefits-of-clip-in-hair-extensions-1848521.html

Installing Xbox 360 games: Is it worth it?

Microsoft really rolled the dice with the introduction of the NXE. Taking an interface that many gamers had become familiar with and fond of, and turning it on its head was a gamble it could have easily lost. Thankfully, it decided to pack a bunch of awesome new functionality into the Xbox 360's makeover, sweetening the deal for every gamer who lays hands upon it. One of those new bits of functionawesomenss is the ability to load games straight to the Xbox 360's hard disk. 

There have been a number of theories as to why this feature was added, from the noise reduction it assists in to a cure for the "Red Ring of Death" (general hardware failure) that has become a sticking point of owning the console, but one thing is undeniable; it works damn slick. The typical installation goes a little something like this: Place disc in drive, press Y button on “Play Game” section, select “Install game to hard drive”, and wait. Depending on the game, your install will take somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes. Still, it doesn’t matter how smooth the installation process goes if the benefits aren’t there to be had, which begs the age-old question – Is it worth it? That’s what we’re here to figure out, so join us, won’t you?

There’s a combination of things you’re going to need to consider when making the “should I install?” decision. First, and certainly most important, is if you’re really going to play said game enough to make the install worthwhile. If you’re renting the title, skip it. However, if you’ve got a Square-Enix RPG on your hands, or a shooter with a vast online multiplayer component, you’ll probably be glad you spent the time on an install when you’re playing your 50th hour. 

The second factor is space. Xbox 360s are shipping with bigger (60 GB) and bigger (120 GB) hard drives these days but that doesn’t mean you have all the space in the world to waste. A game install will take anywhere from four to more than ten gigabytes of space from you, so if you’re stuck with an early-generation 20 GB, or even a newer 60 GB drive, you’ll soon realize that space is at a premium. 

Now that we're past those two preliminary factors, you might be wondering what kind of benefits you'll see from the install should you decide to commit. First we'll look at load times. Just like all games consoles, the Xbox 360 loads information from a disc into its memory and then streams more and more information as needed while you're busy blowing the heads off aliens without a care in the world. Installing a game to your hard drive gives the console a bit of a break by keeping all the necessary information close at hand. This cuts down on the time it takes for the disc to spin up to speed as well as the seconds needed for the console to suck the information off the disc.

To give you the best idea of the load time benefits you’ll be seeing, we’ve taken three of the hottest titles of the later part of 2008 and put them on the racks. We’ve timed how long the load times set you back in various parts of the games both with and without the game installed on our Xbox 360's hard drive. The three titles we’ll be looking at today are Gears of War 2, Call of Duty: World at War, and Mirror’s Edge. 

The honor of our first test goes to Gears of War 2:

• Initial load
  • Without Install - 32.21s
  • With Install - 26.28s
• Training Ground
  • Without Install - 10.05s
  • With Install - 9.32s
• Act I / Chapter II
  • Without Install - 18.60s
  • With Install - 16.74s
• Act II / Chapter II
  • Without Install - 18.13s
  • With Install - 16.74s
• Act III / Chapter II
  • Without Install - 32.69
  • With Install - 29.30

As you can see, the numbers aren't all that impressive. Saving a few seconds here and there on load times, while pleasant, may not be reason enough to spend the seven gigabytes on the installation. However, this is where the multiplayer component of the game has to come into consideration. If you're planning on dedicating some serious time to online play, it puts a very big + in the install column. Keeping your console quiet during hours and hours of multiplayer fragging is something that just might make this option worth your while. 

Round 2, Call of Duty: World at War reporting for, um, duty!

• Initial load
  • Without Install - 16.34s
  • With Install - 12.89s
• Multiplayer map loading (average)
  • Without Install - 11.35s
  • With Install - 11.16s
• Single Player / Mission 1 Semper Fi
  • Without Install - 15.44s
  • With Install - 11.58s

As with Gears 2, only the most minor of gains is seen with loading, regardless of mode. But, again similarly toGears 2, the online component of this title is sure to have you spending many an hour in front of your TV. This might be a game to consider installing.

Round 3, Mirror's Edge shows us some big gains.

• Initial load
  • Without Install - 34.04s
  • With Install - 26.65s
• Chapter 1
  • Without Install - 30.92s
  • With Install - 16.33s
• Chapter 2
  • Without Install - 22.53s
  • With Install - 13.68s

With some the biggest load time advantages of the bunch, Mirror's Edge seems like it's practically made for installation. Saving you up to 15 seconds per load is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but this advantage comes with an asterisk -- for most folks the game is a one play-through experience. Dashing through the story mode will be enough to satisfy most players, with only a dedicated few turning to the Time Trial mode for extended enjoyment. This leaves some folks installing the game, only to remove it a couple of weekends later.

The last, and most overlooked, factor of installing a game onto your hard drive is the stress it takes off of the console itself while you're enjoying your game. Obviously, if the console has all the information at hand it doesn't need to spend the energy on disc processes to keep doing what it does. With the Xbox 360's history of hardware failure, this is a major advantage to installing your games. If spending 10 minutes installing a game will add an extra year to the life of your console, it seems like a no-brainer, but there's no way to know for sure if it actually does.

So in the end, the decision to install really is a simple one: If it's a game you love and you've got the space to spare, why not save your ears the noise, and save your Xbox the stress, and commit to an install? Your system might thank you.

Advantages and disadvantages of online jewelry shopping

To bring clarity in the very beginning I would like to stipulate that the quality of the merchandise is not a topic in this article. Any known type and quality of jewelry is already available on the net as it is in conventional (physical) stores. The task of this article is to outline the pros and cons of online buying of jewelry as opposed to the conventional buying over the counter in terms of convenience, price and service.
Advantages:

Massive choice - This particular point is one of the biggest advantages of online jewelry shopping and at the same time a disadvantage too. Having too much of a choice tends to have confusing effect on most people and blur their ability of an objective decision. On the other hand choice and diversity means that you will find what you are looking for, even if you are not very certain what exactly it is and you will find it at the best possible price, which brings us to the next point.

Competitive prices - Yes, it is logical for the prices to be more competitive online, exactly because of the massive choice. The convenience of being the only jeweler in town is replaced online, by the alternative of being a jewelry shop in enormous "jewelry only" shopping mall with thousands of jewelry shops next to each other, selling similar merchandise. It is getting even worst: the customer enters and exits the shop with a touch of a button without giving the merchant chance to state his case. The online jewelry retail stores are ran on very low cost, enabling the merchants to significantly narrow their mark up margins and still make reasonable profit.

Information - Any information about jewelry, diamonds and precious stones is widely available on the net and you don't need particular computer skills or a lot of time to obtain it. Armed with knowledge and ability to compare value for money at the click of the mouse the online customer is not to be taken for granted. Today's jewelers , whether they like it or not, will face educated customers, longing for the best value for their hard earned cash.

Time saving - This advantage of online jewelry shopping is very obvious. The time necessary to visit an online jeweler, looking for particular piece is an average of 6 minutes if you are using the assistance of JewelGateway and about 20 minutes otherwise, considering the search and checking the sometime surprisingly well positioned irrelevant hits. The time to visit a conventional jewelry shop depends on many factors, but it will suffice to say that it is not in the comparable margins.

Convenience - Very much connected to the time topic but there is more. I would like to mention, time taken from work, time taken on weekend (depending on the jeweler's trading hours), making an appointment (and stick to it), driving to and from, looking for parking etc. After all this effort the inventory you will be seeing will be limited in comparison to your online choice. The guidance and advice you will be given will be sale orientated and in most cases not 100% objective.

Disadvantages:

Relatively large amounts paid in advance - This is one matter with roots in the psychological background of most of us and it takes time to over ride it. The modus operandi of small scale trade for millennia is to immediately get what you paid for. In jewelry language: you put the ring on your finger, you pay for it and keep it there. Buying the same ring online lives you with this rather virtual feeling. You just paid a good amount of money (by the way, also virtual) and you got nothing. One can't be blamed for being cautious. Today more than ever the cyber space is crowded by con artists. There is however reliable ways to avoid them and stay on the safe side. Read more

Security of payment and shipping - Closely related to the above topic. The security of your payment is a serious issue and you have to make sure it is properly dealt with by checking the security policy of the jewelry merchant. In many cases though, the merchant is as exposed to fraud, as the customer and even more, since he have to ship an expensive jewelry before the payment is cleared. The customer have 3 to 7 days window to cancel the payment, while the shipping is irreversible. The shipping and insurance are handled by the merchant and in most cases is free of charge.  Read more

Impossibility to examine and try on - A major disadvantage, since very few pieces of jewelry fits well everybody. The touch of the polished gold or the glitter of a real diamond is impossible to simulate fully on the web page and thus, lives space for misconception. However this is promptly addressed with the implementation of proper return policy. A good return policy is one which provides a 30 day money back guarantee or possibly longer.

Overchoice - the advantage of massive and diverse choice in overdose turns into disadvantage. If you write "diamond ring" in your browser you will get approximately 8 million entries. Not all of them are jewelry merchants but a good deal are, besides how could one know. A customer seldom checks further than the first 20 to 30 entries, before she gets bored or confused and goes back or decides to buy over the counter. While Search Engine listing is done by stringent standards, it is automatic and done on the merit of marketing mastery rather than quality of the jewelry and service. You, as a customer might be missing this wonderful jewelry site, full of value packed offers on the jewelry you are looking for - just because they are listed 40th or 140th for that matter.

Impatience and Conservatism - These personal qualities of some customers, are big disadvantage to the online jewelry shopping and unfortunately there is no viable strategy to deal with them. My only advice to the customer in doubt is: Give it a chance. It may turn the hassle and hesitation into a pleasurable and exiting experience.

 

Article Source : http://www.pdring.co.za/component/content/article/1-articles/55-advantages-of-online-jewelry-shopping.html

Computer Viruses

Computer Viruses that Come a Callin’

Every day new computer viruses are created to annoy us and to wreck havoc on our computer systems. Below are ten viruses currently cited as being the most prevalent in terms of being seen the most or in their ability to potentially cause damage. New viruses are created daily. This is by no means an all inclusive list. The best thing you can do is to remain vigilant, keep your anti-virus software updated, and stay aware of the current computer virus threats.

Virus: Trojan.Lodear
A Trojan horse that attempts to download remote files. It will inject a .dll file into the EXPLORER.EXE process causing system instability.

Virus: W32.Beagle.CO@mm
A mass-mailing worm that lowers security settings. It can delete Security-related registry sub keys and may block access to security-related websites.

Virus: Backdoor.Zagaban
A Trojan horse that allows the compromised computer to be used as a covert proxy and which may degrade network performance.

Virus: W32/Netsky-P
A mass-mailing worm which spreads by emailing itself to addresses produced from files on the local drives.

Virus: W32/Mytob-GH
A mass-mailing worm and IRC backdoor Trojan for the Windows platform. Messages sent by this worm will have the subject chosen randomly from a list including titles such as: Notice of account limitation, Email Account Suspension, Security measures, Members Support, Important Notification.

Virus: W32/Mytob-EX
A mass-mailing worm and IRC backdoor Trojan similar in nature to W32-Mytob-GH. W32/Mytob-EX runs continuously in the background, providing a backdoor server which allows a remote intruder to gain access and control over the computer via IRC channels. This virus spreads by sending itself to email attachments harvested from your email addresses.

Virus: W32/Mytob-AS, Mytob-BE, Mytob-C, and Mytob-ER
This family of worm variations possesses similar characteristics in terms of what they can do. They are mass-mailing worms with backdoor functionality that can be controlled through the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) network. Additionally, they can spread through email and through various operating system vulnerabilities such as the LSASS (MS04-011).

Virus: Zafi-D
A mass mailing worm and a peer-to-peer worm which copies itself to the Windows system folder with the filename Norton Update.exe. It can then create a number of files in the Windows system folder with filenames consisting of 8 random characters and a DLL extension. W32/Zafi-D copies itself to folders with names containing share, upload, or music as ICQ 2005a new!.exe or winamp 5.7 new!.exe. W32/Zafi-D will also display a fake error message box with the caption "CRC: 04F6Bh" and the text "Error in packed file!".

Virus: W32/Netsky-D
A mass-mailing worm with IRC backdoor functionality which can also infect computers vulnerable to the LSASS (MS04-011) exploit.

Virus: W32/Zafi-B
A peer-to-peer (P2P) and email worm that will copy itself to the Windows system folder as a randomly named EXE file. This worm will test for the presence of an internet connection by attempting to connect to www.google.com or www.microsoft.com. A bilingual, worm with an attached Hungarian political text message box which translates to “We demand that the government accommodates the homeless, tightens up the penal code and VOTES FOR THE DEATH PENALTY to cut down the increasing crime. Jun. 2004, Pécs (SNAF Team)”

How To Make Use Of Promotional Pens While Marketing Your Business

Promotional pens are a straightforward idea which will include numerous benefits for a company. Promotional merchandise of any kind have been utilized for ages by organizations which required additional advertising. Among the list of things most people work with on a daily basis can be a pen, hence what a better plan than to make promotional pens.

Promotional pens hold the advantage of appearing cheap. They have undoubtedly budget friendly cost of each additional promotional product you can use. Their additional advantage is the fact that they might travel so much and in so many places that very little advertisement might ever get to. Promotional pens can be found in exhibits, events, seminars, places to stay, companies, stores and in every person's pocket.

Many of the key department stores, almost all hotels, big vehicle businesses and even freelancers utilize promotional pens to advertise. The concept is actually straightforward. You choose a pen that you like and print your logo on it. Large businesses have created ranges of various writing instruments and stationary that have become so popular, they may be currently viewed as among the finest marketing products of their catalogs.

Advantage Line Promotional Pens

Take the lead with customizable Advantage Pens from Quality Logo Products!

These affordable promotional pens are ideal for giving away at trade shows and conventions as well as on sales calls and at networking events.
Personalized Advantage Pens come in 4 popular colors, and feature a precision-tech laser engraving of your logo, slogan or message. Also features chrome accented trim, high gloss metallic barrel, and black dimpled gripper.

Advantages And Disadvantages With Promotional Pens

Promotional gifts are now taking the place of business cards for many business owners, especially promotional pens.  Promotional pens help promote business much better than simple business cards do because they are often used, and viewed by more people than business cards are.  The following paragraphs will discuss some of the advantages, as well as disadvantages, associated with using promotional pens in lieu of business cards.

As mentioned, one of the advantages associated with giving away promotional pens is the tremendous amount of people who will potentially view your advertisement.  Business cards are most often put away in wallets and purses, while promotional printed pens are often used, as well as passed along.  The amount of potential business you can attract with promotional pens far surpasses that associated with the use of business cards.

Another benefit associated with the use of promotional pens is the wide variety of styles available for purchase.  From inexpensive plastic pens to elegantly constructed promotional pens, there is surely a style to fit the advertising needs of nearly any business or company.  Fun styles of promotional pens are available, as well.  For example, medical facilities may wish to purchase promotional pens that come in the shape of a certain medical tool.  Most types of "theme" promotional pens can most likely be located for purchase.

The wide price range of promotional pens can also be considered an advantage.  The price of promotional pens can range from very inexpensive to costly.  This advantage allows all businesses, including those companies with the lowest advertising budget, to get the best advertisement for their money by purchasing promotional pens.  Even the least expensive promotional pens can be more beneficial advertising tools than simple business cards can be.

Finally, a great benefit promotional pens provide is that they are useful.  Everyone can find a use for a pen.  Whether it is used in a checkbook, or placed in a briefcase for business use, people can use promotional pens.  When you give your employees something they can use, it gives them a sense of warmth ... feelings that you really care.  Wouldn't everyone rather take their business to someone who cares?  Not only will you be able to advertise your business with the actual promotional pens, you will also be gently encouraging the recipients to also help you advertise, by spreading your business information via word of mouth.  There is no compliment better than a recommendation.

The only disadvantage associated with using promotional pens as an advertising tool comes with purchasing the least expensive style pens.  If you purchase promotional pens of the lowest quality, it is not likely they will actually write for a long period of time.  Once the pen doesn't write anymore, it is very possible the recipient will throw it away.  Promotional pens are not productive advertising tools when they are in the garbage can.  To avoid this disadvantage, be sure you are purchasing pens of good quality.

For additional information on promotional pens, promotional items and business marketing products why not check out the market leading suppliers online today. Top promotional gift suppliers online can provide a fast and efficient service and more often than not can provide highly competitive quotations unlike traditional offline business gift companies.

Advantages And Disadvantages With Promotional Pens

Promotional gifts are now taking the place of business cards for many business owners, especially promotional pens. Promotional pens help promote business much better than simple business cards do because they are often used, and viewed by more people than business cards are. The following paragraphs will discuss some of the advantages, as well as disadvantages, associated with using promotional pens in lieu of business cards.

As mentioned, one of the advantages associated with giving away promotional pens is the tremendous amount of people who will potentially view your advertisement. Business cards are most often put away in wallets and purses, while promotional printed pens are often used, as well as passed along. The amount of potential business you can attract with promotional pens far surpasses that associated with the use of business cards.

Another benefit associated with the use of promotional pens is the wide variety of styles available for purchase. From inexpensive plastic pens to elegantly constructed promotional pens, there is surely a style to fit the advertising needs of nearly any business or company. Fun styles of promotional pens are available, as well. For example, medical facilities may wish to purchase promotional pens that come in the shape of a certain medical tool. Most types of "theme" promotional pens can most likely be located for purchase.

The wide price range of promotional pens can also be considered an advantage. The price of promotional pens can range from very inexpensive to costly. This advantage allows all businesses, including those companies with the lowest advertising budget, to get the best advertisement for their money by purchasing promotional pens. Even the least expensive promotional pens can be more beneficial advertising tools than simple business cards can be.

Finally, a great benefit promotional pens provide is that they are useful. Everyone can find a use for a pen. Whether it is used in a checkbook, or placed in a briefcase for business use, people can use promotional pens. When you give your employees something they can use, it gives them a sense of warmth ... feelings that you really care. Wouldn't everyone rather take their business to someone who cares? Not only will you be able to advertise your business with the actual promotional pens, you will also be gently encouraging the recipients to also help you advertise, by spreading your business information via word of mouth. There is no compliment better than a recommendation.

The only disadvantage associated with using promotional pens as an advertising tool comes with purchasing the least expensive style pens. If you purchase promotional pens of the lowest quality, it is not likely they will actually write for a long period of time. Once the pen doesn't write anymore, it is very possible the recipient will throw it away. Promotional pens are not productive advertising tools when they are in the garbage can. To avoid this disadvantage, be sure you are purchasing pens of good quality.

For additional information on promotional pens, promotional items and business marketing products why not check out the market leading suppliers online today. Top promotional gift suppliers online can provide a fast and efficient service and more often than not can provide highly competitive quotations unlike traditional offline business gift companies.

Air Freight Services: A Growing Demand

With the growing business activities around the world, the usage of air freight services has also increased very fast. To transport goods overseas for both private and corporate customers air freight is the best and the fastest way. It does not matter if you are shipping a personal item or business-related items, it is a dependable and time saving process of shipping various kinds of goods. Air freight forwarders will make sure that your goods will reach its destination with perfect condition and with no damages. These service providers give services legally and with proper regulations. There are many service providers in the market but FedEx is the most famous and reputed among all of them. It is mainly an US-based company having branches all over the world. They are well renowned for quality and on-time services.

Advantages of Online Marketing Over Offline Marketing

People these days prefer online than offline. Each day, the number of people who uses the internet for hours increases. As the number of internet users increases, searches performed on Google also increases which now reach to 200 million each day. Aside from google, there is also Facebook which has over 500 million users. Applying online business marketing to your small business would be a tremendous boost.
In offline marketing, you make advertisements on the radio, television, or newspaper which is very expensive. You need to make print ads and brochures which are very time consuming.
With online marketing, you can use blogs, online articles, press releases and emailing where you only need to spend very little money. You just need to own your own computer and internet connection to market your business online.
In offline marketing, you use television for video marketing to attract more customers. But in online marketing, you could use YouTube to submit your videos. There are a lot more video submission sites that can give you more exposure on the web for free!
In networking events, you need to attend those chamber meetings and business groups offline. Using online marketing, it is possible for you to do networking even when you're at home. There are lots of social media that are available again for free like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
There are a lot more differences between offline and online business marketing.

• Email marketing is instant, effective and low cost compared to snail mail slow and expensive.
• Offline marketing advertisements are expensive because you pay for time slots and space. In online marketing, you could keep your advertisements up for a longer time and pay much less.
• In offline marketing, selling an item has a long and complex process. Through online, buying an item is just a few clicks away!
• Your offline store will be opened and shut at certain hours but your online store stays open and can be accessed 24/7.
• In online business, access to customer information is simplified and done automatically. To achieve the same in offline business, you would need time, employees, and money.

The internet has opened the door to lots of marketing opportunities. Through online business marketing, you can offer your service 24/7 anywhere.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/online-business-articles/online-business-marketing-advantages-of-online-marketing-over-offline-marketing-3457887.html#ixzz1FbWkHf7A