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Archive for November, 2008

WHY WORK ONLINE?

The “last in, first out” policy is usually what corporations and a lot of industries follow in dismissing or laying-off their employees. Today, people talk a lot about the global financial crisis and its adverse effects on our economy. “Working online” are words not included in most previous editions of dictionaries and it is only recently that these words have become familiar in everyday language. With the ongoing recession, you have lost your “comfort zone” feeling which you always had and maintained with a job. By making money at home online, as an alternative or substitute for a job, you can benefit in many ways. What is your plan B for unemployment if you lose your job? What if it’s your turn to get laid-off with a pink slip next time? Or, what if your company decides to fold up and close its doors? Searching for employment is out of the question, since jobs are scarce nationwide and 30 million Americans are already out of work.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE EMPLOYMENT?

- Online employment work can be quick and easy. If you are efficient and meet deadlines in submitting your assignments, you are guaranteed continuous work from home.

- When you work at home, there is no boss to monitor what you are doing and you get to manage your own time and perform tasks at your own pace.

- Some of the advantages of online employment are:  1) you get to work from home and therefore there’s no need to commute, 2) you eliminate the ubiquitous hassle of dressing up and preparing to leave the house, and 3) as a result, you get to spend more quality time with your family.

- Your work at home salary is paid on the 15th and 30th of the month via PayPal or other reliable money service. The amount you receive will depend upon the kind of work you do, based on the standard paid for online jobs in your field.

WHICH ONLINE JOBS ARE AVAILABLE?

- Typing – You will be typing papers for professionals, especially for doctors (medical transcription) and lawyers (legal transcription). Transcriptionists are much in demand and are able to earn high income. Professionals (e.g. doctors and lawyers) always have large amounts of paper work to have typed, which is difficult for their office staff to have done on time. A good grasp of legal or medical terms are essential.

- Data entry – You have to be affiliated with a reputable website or company as your source of work. Once you become a member, you are provided a list from which to choose the company you want to work with.

- Online advertising – You will be posting company ads, banners and short text ads online. No prior skills are needed as you will be provided with a step-by-step video guide.

- Tutoring online – Generally, you will be working for an intermediary agency. You will be tutoring students of all ages in several different subject areas. Work hours are flexible, depending upon each student’s schedule. The only prerequisite is a college education and teaching experience.

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF A HOME JOB IS A SCAM OR LEGITIMATE?

Generally, it’s legitimate if it states clearly the payment policies as the amount of salary, commission, days of payment, etc. Thoroughly check each job listing. Testimonials and photos are not always a reliable indicator of security for a legitimate job offer, so you’ll have to perform your due diligence research to find reliable online work.

START AN ONLINE BUSINESS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO AN ONLINE JOB

The best part about starting your own business is that you will be your own boss and you get to determine your own work schedule and how much you can earn. Starting an online business is usually a very easy process and you don’t have to quit your full time job.

FAST FACTS ABOUT RUNNING AN ONLINE BUSINESS:

There is real potential for earning extra income fast. However, there is a challenge to overcome laziness and procrastination, over-anxiety, frustration and fear of failure. Working online is not a get-rich-quick opportunity and does not promise an immediate large income. Persistence, consistency, taking the initiative to try new methods, and a willingness “to do whatever it takes” is essential for success. Income potential is high and far exceeds that of most jobs.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF WORKING ONLINE?

Some individuals become relaxed with their personal hygiene regimen when working from home. Your social li

There are well over twenty million Americans that suffer from panic attacks and who are desperately in search of a way to cure panic attacks. In order to be able to find a cure panic attacks you first need to understand what causes panic attacks. One of the symptoms that someone or you are suffering from panic attacks is heavy perspiration, fast heart beats, nausea, and dizziness. In some rare yet extreme conditions patients will also feel a lack of control during an attack. In this article we will look at various ways to cure panic attacks.

There are many people who don’t want to use drugs since they are afraid of getting addicted to them as well as being effected by their side effects. The truth is that even though you might consider visiting a doctor a doctor can do little or nothing to help you since the only thing they can do is to prescribe drugs to relieve the condition. This is why it’s a better idea if you go for an alternative form of treatment which is less dangerous and more beneficial.

The latest in panic attack research shows that panic attacks are rooted into what are called triggers. There are various types of triggers that range from stress to anger and nervousness. The triggers in every patient vary and this is why it’s important for you to first isolate the conditions that trigger these panic attacks.

The most common and successful method to control a panic attack may just as well be the simplest. All you have to do is carry a paper bag around with you everywhere you go and as soon as you sense the attack approaching, start breathing in and out in the paper bag. You will surely experience some relief soon; alternatively the same procedure may also be carried out with cupped hands. This procedure is carried on till complete relief from the attack sets in.

When you start breathing in and out of the bag you will begin to experience some relieve. If you don’t have a paper bag on had you can even cup your hands so that you can breath into it. You can continue with the procedure until you are completely relieved of the panic attacks.

Another way to reduce the intensity of your panic attacks is to lead a healthy life. Many people will recommended that you go out for a daily morning jog as well as eat a healthy diet. You also need to keep your self in a good mood as well as stay in places that are well ventilated. The objective is to reduce stress so that you are not so prone to these attacks.

If you think that your diet is not providing you with enough of those necessary minerals then those vitamins and magnesium supplements are just about right for your taking. Take one of these natural seratin boosters and you will suddenly notice a change in your mood.

It’s also recommended that you take a few vitamin supplements which will increase the seratin levels in you system. This should help reduce the intensity of the panic attacks you experience.

People always love to show off their hot looking tattoo design.  Can you imagine how much cooler it would be to impress your friends with a really hot tattoo design if after you amazing them you tell them that you design it?  There is something very satisfying about the silence that follows after you show your friends the cool tattoo that you designed.  If you are thinking about designing your own tattoo then you will want to read this article for a lot of good ideas and tips to help you. You might think that you are not artistic enough or cannot draw well enough but the truth of the matter is you can still design your own tattoo.

Choose
The first hurdle that you have to overcome is deciding what type of tattoo design you want to get.  For example are you thinking something small and easy to hide or do you want something really large and intricate.  What style do you want for your tattoo design?  A Japanese style tattoo is going to look very different then an old school sailor Jerry styled tattoo.  So choose the theme for your tattoo or the object and the style that you want to have the tattoo done in.  Last but not least you should also decide on the location for the tattoo.  You can always change any of these steps as you go but you have to start with something in mind or you will waste your time.

Research
Second after you have chosen a rough idea for the tattoo style, location and design it is time to research.  You might think that you can just breeze past this step and skip it.  However it is vital that you do some research and find some tattoo pictures and ideas to help cement the design that you want.  By looking at other people’s tattoos and tattoo design you can learn more about what you want for your own tattoo.  The best way to do this is to search Google.com, and Flickr.com and other tattoo image gallery sites.  Every time you find a tattoo that you really like then print the picture and on the back put some notes about why you like that tattoo design.

Execute
Last but not least is the execution stage.  This is where you put pencil to paper and needle to flesh and execute the design and get your tattoo design inked.  The first thing you want to do is look through all of your research and compile what you like about the pictures you found.  Then start sketching some ideas.  Once you get a finished product that you like the look and feel of take it to your local tattoo shop.  You can sometimes ask them for a little custom help on the design if you would like.
If you are not really good at drawing remember you can always trace parts of other designs and use the computer to scan and a graphics computer program to assist you in the design process.  Also if you are really artistically challenged you can always take your ideas and research to a tattoo shop and have one of the professionals draw the design for you.

I have just returned from a business trip to Japan, the purpose of which was to promote our line of baby gifts. The trip was a great success… I met with a number of potential distributors for our range, as well as potential stockists. I also had the opportunity to research the Japanese gift market in some detail – visiting retailers in Tokyo and Osaka as well as speaking  with numerous female consumer groups.

The Japanese gift market is steeped in tradition, with a focus the “cultural etiquette” surrounding gift giving.  There is a strong culture of giving “cash” in elaborated decorated envelopes on occasions such as the birth of a baby, a wedding or a funeral.  Many gift websites provide a table with a sliding scale of “appropriate amounts” to put into your envelope or spend on a gift.

Siblings and family spend around 10,000 yen. For a collegaue you’d spend around 5000 yen, and a friend? Anywhere between 5000 to 10,000 yen.

Upon receipt of your gift or  fancy envelope of cash, receipients are expected to send a “return gift” . Again, the amount you spend on the “return gift” depends on your relationship with the gift-giver, as well as the generosity they have shown you!  Return  gifts are sent out by department stores, in something I can only liken to a “gift registry” type of service. You give the department store a list of names and addresses, as well as the amount to spend and they handle the rest for you.

Surprisingly, Japanese do not give gifts to celebrate birthdays. Many of the women I spoke with expressed amazement at the vast range of greeting cards they had seem whilst visiting overseas, for such an array of occasions! (I got the feeling that they considered we westerners to be “frivolous” gift givers!)

Despite the lack of birthday presents, the Japanese give gifts as a mark of respect. As is the custom, I presented each of the attendees at my Japanese business meetings with a small gift. Train stations for the “bullet train” have extensive gift shops, because it is a tradition to give a gift to the host when you reach your destination.

The online gift market in Japan is extensive, as you would expect in such a “techno savvy” country.  The majority of consumers under 40 years of age  order  goods on their mobile phone. Gift catalogues are also very popular. One of the gift catalogue companies I met with had 23 different catalogues, over 5 million customers per year, and an annual turnover of 150 billion yen.

Gift presentation is everything. I met with one online retailer who had the most amazing gift despatch service system I had ever seen. One person was in charge of dusting, there was even a gift wrapping “supervisor”…

Everything is gift wrapped…beautifully. Department store employees attend gift wrapping school, and use the traditional Japanese method of folding the  gift paper so that the “happiness can get in”. You must hold your gift the right way up, so that the happiness does not “escape”…

Recently I wrote an article in which I referred to ‘my notebook’.  Since then I have had several requests for some more information about ‘my notebook’.  At first I thought this to be slightly strange….I mean really what more explanation does the phrase ‘my notebook’ need?

However upon reflection I did remind myself that I have not always carried ‘my notebook’ with me and at different times in my life I have been slave to a diary, my calendars – digital and otherwise and scraps of paper for keeping notes and records of things I needed to do in a day.

It was actually whilst doing a creative writing subject a University that I was first introduced to the concept of carrying a notebook with me.  In this case it was to record thoughts, feelings, experiences and observations to be used in my writing.  I do still keep this type of notebook, although it is a much smaller version now…so that I am not weighed down as I run around being all the things I am in my life.  This notebook is part journal, part research.  The one I referred to in my recent article is very much a tool for me to use to keep me on track in my day.

I began to use this type of notebook when I realised that I was not a naturally organised person.  There are those who thrive on being organised but that is not me.  I am a bit of a hippy at heart and if I had the money to be a rich hippy I would do away with lists and diaries and just go with the flow.  However that is not possible and it would embarrass my kids if I ‘came out’ anyway!

Earlier today I read a quote about some people feeling better after a wardrobe organising session than they do after sex.  Okay, that is definitely not me, but I also understand that my life does not work if I don’t have some level of control over it.  I work in a field that demands it and for all my, ‘I am a hippy talk’, the truth is I like it too.  I can be much more relaxed when I am organised.  To deal with my lack of organising instinct, I have incorporated strategies into my life, like ‘my notebook’, which help me to be organised.  It did take some time to adjust to, but now using ‘my notebook’ is just a routine I follow, like brushing my teeth.

I guess the first thing to say about ‘my notebook’ is that it is not a ‘diary’.  I have tried to use diaries over the years but they just become a jumble of far too much information as I try to keep records of my, ‘to do lists’, other important information and my appointments in them.  These days I use my IPhone calendar and Outlook program to keep track of appointments and this works very well for me.  I am logged into both everyday and they send me reminders to let me know when I should be somewhere, which is very nice of them – my gorgeous leather bound diary never did that!

My notebook changes face every few years.  Originally it was a simple exercise book which I would cover in a collage of images that inspired me.  In recent years I have become less concerned with its look, although lately I feel drawn back to spending some time to complete this activity.  The main purpose of ‘my notebook’ however is definitely its functionality so I always ensure that it is not too large.   You want to be able to throw it in your handbag and take it with you – religiously (maybe not on a night out but everywhere else, ok!).

So, what is ‘my notebook?”

I use ‘my notebook’ firstly as a list of things I need to do in a day.  So the first thing it is, is a ‘to do list’.  Secondly I use it to record notes on conversations I have, emails I receive and respond to and just general thoughts I may have during the day.  It really is for every note I take down.  I have tried keeping personal and business things at separate ends (front and back) of the notebook, but this does not work for me.  Everything goes in there now.

To make ‘my notebook’ work there are several rules I observe without fail: