Archive for February, 2009
Helpful Wedding Planning Time Line Work Sheet
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It is very helpful to work backwards from the “Wedding Day” to plan the wedding. Some of the guidelines for creating the wedding timeline are as follows.
1. Here's what needs to be accomplished during this timeframe. Six to Eight months before your wedding date is the time when you need to make most of your reservations and put down deposits. You've got to get a rough but fairly accurate estimate of the number of guests you'll have because each wedding location can accommodate a certain number of people and you want a location that can comfortably accommodate everyone.
2. Selection and Reservation of locations for wedding ceremony and reception.
Interviewing and reserving your professional talent including musician or DJ, photographer or videographer, florists, caterers, wedding cake baker, wedding official and optionally wedding planner or consultant.
3. Selection and confirmation of wedding party attendants for both bride and groom. Selection of wedding party attire and coordination of fittings, transportation arrangements for bridal party on the big day.
4. Placing of engagement announcement in local newspaper . Three to Four months before your wedding date is the time to make sure everything is in place.
5. Finalization of your guest lists including complete mailing addresses for invitations, ordering of wedding invitations.
6. Selection of honeymoon destination, hotel and airfare reservations, passports and documents.
7. Reconfirmation of bridal party dresses delivery and coordination of menswear rental attire.
8. Planning of wedding shower.
9. Registeration of bridal registries for showers and wedding gifts – if not registering at national chains, remember to register at stores that are local to the families of both bride and groom.
10. Reservation of Hotel suites for bride and groom's wedding night and for out of town wedding guests.
11 Shopping and ordering of Wedding Rings.
12. Living accommodations after your wedding.
These are the general timeline guides for planning your wedding that will help you put everything down on paper so you don’t leave anything out in the process.
Article is brought by courtesy of http://www.wedding-planning-guide.blogspot.com and http://www.weddingfavorsandgiftideas.com. A premier source of personalized wedding gifts and wedding planning ideas.
Motorcycles, Accessories and Riding Gear
A Beautiful Beach Wedding Can Be Yours
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As a florist specializing in weddings, I have learned that location plays an important part in planning any wedding. My floral business is located in Bradenton, Florida, in close proximity to some of the most beautiful beaches in the nation including Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key. Over the last decade or so church weddings have begun to shrink in number while the popularity of outdoor ceremonies has grown in leaps and bounds.
The beaches of Florida have become a favorite wedding location for brides from around the world.The natural beauty of these settings makes them a great venue for weddings from casual to ultra formal. Wedding ceremonies can take place at public beaches, secluded beaches behind private homes, or grand hotels and clubs with beautiful shoreline backgrounds. Wedding professionals such as, florists, photographers and caterers have learned to master their skills in these unique locations. One must always consider possible weather factors whenever planning an event outdoors. For this reason, it is advisable to research the usual seasonal weather patterns of the area and have an alternate plan in case of inclement weather. Most beach communities popular for weddings have a chamber of commerce familiar with the answers to any questions you may have. Once you have narrowed your search down to a few beach communities the next step will be to research popular locations for wedding ceremonies and receptions.
Next, check online for wedding professionals in the area. You will find that most facilities specializing in weddings will have event coordinators or at least, a list of preferred vendors they can recommend. Recommendations can also be obtained from one vendor to another. As a florist in a beach wedding community for 25 years I have worked with almost every other wedding professional in the area and know the best to recommend. Many of these tasks can be done from a distance by checking the websites of wedding professionals in the area and contacting them on line or by phone. In short, a little long distance planning can go a long way towards making your special day all you would like it to be and more!
Mark Clark, owner and head designer of Flowers By Edie has owned floral shops in New York and Florida for over 30 years. He is a certified master designer and teaches floral design for Manatee Technical Institute. Mark has planned and designed florals for over two thousand weddings and strives to make the bridal floral experience as stress free as possible. Visit his on line shop at http://flowersbyedie.com/
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Online Guitar Lessons, Rolling Stones Songs – 3 Tips To Amp Up Your Playing
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Have you been trying to learn guitar online and ended up more confused than when you started? There is an avalanche of online guitar lessons offering information about how to play like your favorite group.
The dilemma for every guitarist is how to choose the best online guitar lesson, the lesson that will enable the guitarist to re-create the guitar sounds they hear on the original recordings.
One of the most popular groups of all time is undoubtedly the Rolling Stones. Along with the Beatles, Creedence and Led Zeppelin the Rolling Stones have stood the test of time. Each year new audiences discover and are enthralled by their music.
Guitarist Keith Richards is a master of creating unique guitar parts that immediately identify each song. The "art of all art"is knowing when to stop, Keith knows how to make effective use of musical space or silence. While most guitarist's are busy filling up every musical hole at every opportunity Keith invites the listener into his world, consequently the audience never tire of hearing these songs.
To help you get started playing authentic versions of the Rolling Stones songs here's 3 tips.
1. Learn to play three note chords in the second, third and forth strings of the guitar. These three chords are called triads and are a large part of the Rolling Stones trademark guitar sound.
Listen to the opening chords of "Start Me Up" or " Brown Sugar" for examples of this style of chord playing.
For "Start Me Up", play a "C" major triad as follows:
Play the note "G" on the fifth fret, forth string, play the note "C" on the fifth fret third string, play the note "E" on the fifth fret second string. Since all these notes are on the fifth fret you could easily play all the notes by making a barre chord with your first finger.
Incidentally this particular version of a "C" chord has a technical name. Musicians call this chord the second inversion of a C major triad. It's useful to know the theoretical terminology to communicate with musicians who play other instruments e.g., piano, bass, trumpet etc.
2. Use standard guitar tuning. Despite the fact that Keith Richard's uses a variety of 'open' tunings e.g., open "G" tuning consisting of: sixth string = D, fifth string = G, forth sting = D, third string = G, second string = B, first string = D. You can create the same sounds without re-tuning your guitar.
The big advantage with leaving your guitar in standard tuning is that you will naturally develop a better 'ear'. This is because your ear will get to know where a particular sound comes from on
the guitar. If you keep re-tuning your guitar it will confuse your ear.
3. Play two note power chords on the third and forth strings. Listen to the opening chords of the original version "Honky Tonk Women" and you will hear a classic example of the type of sound I am referring to.
Try playing the third and forth stings open, strum both of these strings and you will be playing the first chords of "Honky Tonk Women", this chord is called "G".
Remember, just because it's simple doesn't mean that it's not right. Simple works!
The trick is to pay attention to how Keith Richard "spaces" the chords, in other words listen to his rhythm.
With so many online guitar lessons it's important to get off to the right start, it is so much harder to re-learn something once it's ingrained in your brain.
If you want to learning Rolling Stones songs check out online guitar lessons that present their songs in standard tuning, you will be glad you did!
Mike Hayes develops systems and products to help you succeed in your guitar playing. Find out more about how to learn guitar fast with his popular free ecourse, available at:=> http://www.guitarcoaching.com
Disc Jockey Equipment
How to Use YouTube to Increase Your Website Traffic
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Want to be on the cutting edge when it comes to Internet marketing? The next big thing in Internet marketing is video marketing, and it's easy to use video marketing to sell your website and your products.
What is Video Marketing?
Video marketing is a new Internet marketing tool that is just catching on among people that do business on the Web. Video marketing has launched the success of everything from movies to colognes. In the past video marketing wasn't really possible because of the slow speed of most Internet connections but these days most people that use the Internet have DSL or high speed cable Internet connections so that videos can be streamed from the Web with no problem Video marketing entails making small video clips that are funny, or informative, or have high tech graphics that get people's attention.
How is Video Marketing Different from Regular Commercials?
On the surface video marketing might seem like just another variation of a regular commercial but the difference is that most video marketing is done virally. Viral videos are videos that are embedded into a blog, or a website, or a profile on a social networking site like MySpace or Facebook. The code for the video includes a link so that people can email the video to their friends and family or submit it to news aggregator sites. Once a video gets spread around the Web, like a virus, it can generate thousands of hits to the website that it is advertising.
How to Make a Viral Video
Usually viral video clips are short, between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, and need to do more than just advertise a product or website. The more outrageous the idea for the video the more likely that it will get spread quickly around the Web. There are lots of resources on the Web that give detailed instructions on how to make a great viral video.
There are lots of sites that you can upload your video to where it will get seen by people but the most popular site for videos on the Web is YouTube. YouTube is a free site where you can upload your video clips after setting up a profile. YouTube videos are displayed with links and HTML code in them so that watchers can email the video, embed the video in their own websites or blogs, or link to the video. If you want to see some great examples of video marketing go to YouTube and check out some of the great videos that users of YouTube have created.
The 12 part E-course walks you through step by step on how to get the traffic coming to your site. This is traffic that you just put your time into, you don't have to spend any money for it. Find out more at http://www.newwebtraffic.com
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CD Jewel Case Covers
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Do you want to personalize your CD covers but have limited artistic skills? No worries – with new CD jewel case cover creators, you can mix, match, and manipulate images on your computer to create a unique cover that looks professional! Download the right software, and you’ll be on your way to putting together the CD cover of your dreams, in less than five minutes.
There are a lot of free CD jewel case cover creators available on the Internet, and most of them work like the usual MS Office programs you are used to. There are even versions that work in MS Word – you actually manipulate the elements as you would in a document file. Some free versions work just as great as the cover creators that you need to pay for in order to download. They can create both front and back covers, side spines, and even CD booklets and labels – everything you need! Stock images on free versions of cover creators are quite limited, though, which means you may have to import images from free photo and clip art sites over the Internet or from your own collection.
If you want more manageability and more free images and fonts, you can download CD jewel case cover software for just a few dollars. These CD jewel cover creators have an array of images for any event and occasion and allow you to easily import images from either websites or you own hard drive with easy-to-use thumbnail features. Some CD jewel cover creators also have ready-made templates and a design wizard to get you started easily. You don’t have to retype all your song information either – you can usually easily import text from your play list files.
CD Jewel Cases provides detailed information on CD Jewel Cases, Double CD Jewel Cases, Slim CD Jewel Cases, CD Jewel Case Covers and more. CD Jewel Cases is affiliated with Printable CD Covers.
Beer Bottle Openers
How To Buy A Piano
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Choosing a good piano is a major step along the way to perfecting your performance and honing your skills. Whether you're purchasing your very first piano, or you are an experienced buyer, it is essential to know what you're looking for in your piano to ensure it's worth your investment. After all, pianos cost a fortune, and it's important to make sure you're getting value for money in your model.
The first thing to think about is the size of the piano. For example, think about whether you have space to fit in a sprawling grand, or whether you should be looking at upright models. Obviously there are expensive and less expensive in both categories, but it is crucial firstly to understand your requirements to refine your search. After you've decided between upright and grand classifications according to your space, you should begin to look at the models themselves. You should ideally opt for a piano with a full sized keyboard, so disregard anything of a small size unless this seems more appropriate for some other reason.
Next, look for a piano that is towards the top end of your budget. This will give you some assurances as to the expected quality of the piano, and should allow you to gauge which seem more reliable models. Next, you should pull up a chair and have a play. Ask the music dealer if he'd allow you to play. This should let you get a feel for the way the piano sits, and to see how it feels in comparison to your playing style. There is no more important feature to consider when buying a piano than how it feels for you. After all, you're the one going to be playing it at the end of the day.
If you are at all in doubt about exactly what you're looking for, you should consider asking advice from the assistant. Usually, their advice will be sufficient to point you in the right direction and lead you to a quality model. Obviously, don't feel pressured into buying, but take on board anything the assistant says. Shop around, and ask at various places about what kind of piano you should be looking for in your price range and specification, and you'll eventually establish a common denominator. Do your homework before you buy, to make sure you find the best value for your money.
Gray Rollins is a featured writer for MyPianoSecrets.com. To learn how to play the piano quickly, visit us and also be sure to stop by if you want to learn more about buying a piano.
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A Flirty Dress For Any Age
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Flirty dresses are fun for every one no matter how old you are. You do not have to be a teen in high school looking for a new boyfriend at the mall on a Saturday night to wear a flirty dress. You do, on the other hand, need to keep your age in mind when wearing fun flirty dresses. What looks good on that teen at the mall might not work for a thirty year old married mom of four. Here are a few things to think about while looking for that perfect flirty dress.
For Teens
If you are still in your teens than you probably are not reading this article. Just in case we have a teenager reader then you need to know that you can get away with wearing just about anything. Just do not go to skimpy. If you are going to wear a flirty dress with spaghetti straps then make sure you pick one that is not to short. A better idea is to layer the dress with an under shirt or leggings.
For Twenties
The twenties is another age group than can wear just about anything. Just because you can, does not mean you should. When you get to your twenties you need to consider what is appropriate for what situation. This is an age that you will be ending collage and starting a new career. Go with a bit more grown up look that emphasizes your shape while still keeping it classy. For the most part you should avoid micro mini dresses and aim for a longer length that hits just above the knee. Fortunately you can still wear teen styles when you go out with your friends on the weekends.
For Thirties
For some women in their thirties, this is an age of not dressing up because you just do not have the time. While for others, it is a time that you dress very conservatively because you have been working hard on your career and have just started to really make a name for yourself. Either way adding feminine flirty dresses into your wardrobe is a must. Of course look for dresses that are easy to throw on. Dresses in floral patterns look classic and are flattering for anyone. Layer with girlie sweaters for the fall.
For Forties and beyond
This is a really fun age to wear flirty dresses. You have experienced many styles and trends and you know what you like. You are well into your career or past it and you know who you are. Many of you might have teenagers or young adult kids. You can have a great time embarrassing them with your unique style. This is the perfect age to wear classier fabrics like suede, linens, and tweeds. Look for dresses with feminine details and in girlie colors. Just keep in mind that what is considered a flirty dress for a seventeen year old might not be for a 45 year old. But then again maybe it is. Have fun with it.
http://www.flirtydresses.net is a blog for the flirty dress revolution. Visit to find great ideas on finding and wearing flirty dresses for any age and size.
Disc Jockey Equipment
Finding a Good Guitarist
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Being a good guitarist takes a lot of effort. And finding one is a much harder task to perform. First of all we need to know what it takes to be known as a good player. There are various qualities and expertise that become imperative to excel in this field. There may be artists who did not have any formal training while learning a guitar. But that does not prove to be a disqualification for the artist who wants to be a good guitarist.
Things to look for while finding a good guitarist
The guitar is an incredibly versatile instrument, and like the piano, it can play chords, melodies, solos, or help to gel a group. A singer would just want to be able to play basic chords when they are singing. But a professional performer would be someone who would not only analyze the technical side of music but also play music that is much more enjoyable than playing hours of scales that are monotonous and non musical. To find a good performer who can play in public, enjoy his guitar playing and a true professional as well we can always look at the amateur performances or even hotels where they perform live. There have been many instances of a player who has become famous and who used to play for a club or hotel before they made it big.
The role of Internet for finding a good guitarist
Finding one has been easier these days with the advent of the Internet. Hundreds of advertisements are posted everyday by a guitarist who would want to perform in a concert or even clubs. The advertisements also come with short clips of their performance so that it becomes quite easy to choose the right player of you choice. There are quite a few websites which are dedicated to the guitarist and people who love guitar and also for the people who wants to find an outstanding performer. Famous as well as young ones have created an online guitarist forum where they can be contacted for any kind of performances or concerts.
Finding a good guitarist for a group performance
Professional artists may perform solo pieces or play with groups and bands of a wide variety of genres. While with a group, a player can take the role of rhythm by playing with bass in the ensemble or lead the music by playing on top of the bass in the group or band. Professional guitarists play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars, and bass guitars. So, finding a good performer according to your specific requirement may involve many options to choose from.
A brief overview
Good music apparently means something different to each individual but in the end it has to be listened to without the intellect getting in the way. And blissful music is the most important factor for the audience and as well as the arranger of the show. So, while finding a good guitarist we should not only look into the factors like how good the player is at finger gymnastics, understanding chord substitutions, harmony or the knowledge of scales but also for someone who can play soulful music too.
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars, drums, drum sets, drum kits, and synthesizers, keyboards.
Beer Bottle Openers
DJ Spotlight Feature Interview – DJ BoriQua – One-On-One Exclusive
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Intro
DJ BoriQua
Hailing originally from Puerto Rico, DJ BoriQua (a.k.a. Orlando Felix) has been largely inspired by an infectious enthusiasm his father imparted to him as a child. "I definitely have a lot more to learn about Salsa . . . but I also have much to share from the knowledge and experience I've been so fortunate to attain." As it is with several Bay Area Latin DJs, one of his primary goals in this role, is to help educate about the music - with its rich history, culture and the diversity of the artists who have contributed so greatly to the Latin music movement.
DJ BoriQua speaks to some of the differences we may barely notice or acknowledge about the music we hear played on the radio, at Latin music and dance events, and in the clubs that we attend. Most likely, it's because most of us have no idea what we're REALLY listening and/or dancing to! You might be in a popular San Francisco club playing old school salsa (salsa in its purest form); then just twenty minutes down the peninsula, you could find yourself in another club, bathed in a Central or South American salsa flavor with music that comes out of Colombia!
Interview
MG: How and when did you get started as a DJ?
DJB: I never really intended to be a DJ, but I started buying salsa music while growing up in my native Puerto Rico. After joining the U.S. Air Force in 1992, they stationed me in Okinawa, Japan for 3 years. There, I started buying insane amounts of Salsa CD's - to keep me close to the feeling of home. ;-) In 1999 I was deployed to Saudi Arabia, where I began DJing "Latin Night", alongside other military members, as part of the Air Force's Morale, Welfare and Recreation Program. I continued Djing "Latin Night" in the Air Force at South Korea (2000), and finally inside Travis Air Force base in Fairfield, CA (2001-2003). Here in the Bay Area, my first opportunity to DJ was given to me by Stephanie Palmeri at Steppin' Out Dance Studio in Sunnyvale.
MG: What were some of the primary influences on your development as a DJ?
DJB: My most major influence would be my father. He educated me on the history of Mambo, Guanguanco, Pachanga, and other styles from the 50s and 60s. He had so many vinyls in the house and we use to listen to the music on a daily basis. He would tell us stories about the music scene in New York City and Puerto Rico. He also informed us about the famous musicians of the time, the instruments they played, etc. I never got tired of it. My brother Danny has also been an inspiration. He is a major music figure down in Jacksonville, FL - both as a radio DJ and also as a promoter.
MG: What is your current involvement in the SF Bay Area salsa scene?
DJB: Currently, I've been selected (alongside the hottest DJs in the Bay Area), to spin for the second year in a row at the 7th Annual SF Bay Area International Salsa Congress. I am one of the resident DJs at GlasKat Lounge in San Francisco, alongside DJ Super Chino and DJ EldelaClave. With the help of Rodney "Rodchata" Aquino, I became one of the resident DJs at Sh Boom! Nightclub in San Ramon, where DJ Super Chino spins as well. I am the DJ for the Annual Sonoma County Salsa Festival in Santa Rosa and assist EldelaClave at the AfinKao dance company's monthly social at The Beat studio in Berkeley. . . where I am one of the principal dancers. In addition to these DJ responsibilities, I also teach a beginner On1 salsa dance class at Gold's Gym in Santa Clara, alongside my beautiful girlfriend Nashely.
MG: How would you describe your particular style?
DJB: I try to DJ at a tempo where the dancers can interpret the music. You also have to be aware of the crowd where you are DJing. So, I'd like to think that I spin for the dancers . . . being that I am one of them.
MG: What do you think are the primary differences between salsa in the Bay Area salsa and salsa in other parts of the world?
DJB: Well, I think the SF Bay Area is unique because of the diversity in dancers. For example, in the World Salsa Championships, we've had finalists in most every division. We had 1st and 2nd place winners in the team divisions, 2nd and 3rd in the On2 division, and top ten in the On1 division. That's a lot of talent and as you can see, we are well represented across the board. In the nightclub scene, you can find live music almost every night of the week somewhere in the Bay Area. Sometimes you'll have two or more venues with live bands on the same night! We are truly blessed in the Bay Area to have so many options to support and celebrate our love of Latin music and dance!!
MG: What would you say are the strengths/weaknesses in the Bay Area salsa community?
DJB: Our strength is definitely the unity in the salsa scene. We seem to support each other here and outside of the Bay Area. We are really proud of the product that comes out of this region. Our weakness might be the fact that we can fall victim to our own success. if everybody that turns out successful in the scene tries to make a buck, it could lead to the scene being too divided, which could lead to a "watered down" effect of what's offered overall.
Presently, I think we're where we're supposed to be . . . UNITED!!
MG: The Bay Area is renowned for innovation in many pursuits and salsa is no exception. What is your reaction to what Giju has done with his first, and first ever Hindi/Salsa cross-over album "Rang Rangeeli yeh Duniya?
DJB: I remember back in 1991 I saw Orquesta De La Luz (Japanese Salsa Band) perform at the University of Puerto Rico and I thought to myself, "Wow, this is amazing!!!" Today, we have Giju fusing Hindi with Salsa and he hit it out of the park!!! Truly, Salsa is worldwide, crossing all boundaries!! The sky is the limit for him and I wish him all the best of luck with this and any other project he has coming in the future.
MG: What do you think is the most important role of the DJ?
DJB: To know your music. You are part of the salsa movement when you decide to spin. Be one with the dancers and the listeners who attend your events. Always remember . . . they are there to support you, so don't let them down. There's nothing better than seeing a listener bobbing their head up and down while they down rum and cokes, almost in a trance like state. And those dancers that let you know what a great job you did that particular night - there's no better feeling than that!
MG: What changes would you like to see in the Bay Area salsa community and in the salsa scene at large?
DJB: I'd like to see more social dancing by the troupe performers. Performing is a beautiful thing, but bring your dancing to the social floor so you can inspire the casual guy/girl attending an event. Let them say, "Man, I wanna dance like that!!!"
MG: Is music your full-time career or do you have another vocation you pursue in addition to your role as DJ?
DJB: Believe it or not, I am an Air Traffic Controller at San Carlos Airport on the Peninsula. I've been a controller for over 16 years (11 of them in the Air Force). I DJ and instruct as my side gigs. I'm also a proud parent. My son Devin is 13 and my daughter Brianna is 9. They live in South Carolina.
MG: Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?
DJB: I'm proud to be a part of the Bay Area salsa scene. I've made some great friends as a part of this experience, DJs, dance company directors, and everyday dancers and supporters of the scene. Every single one of them work hard to inspire others and for that, we should be grateful.
Thank you for the opportunity to express myself.
* * *
Thank you for spending this time with us, DJ BoriQua. We will look forward to learning more of what you have to share AND to catch you along with several other of our top DJs including: DJ Fab Fred, DJ El dela Clave, DJ La Coqui, DJ Frank and DJ Nelson Flores at the upcoming premiere west coast salsa event:
We're so fortunate with the level of DJ talent present here in the SF Bay Area. Next time you're out dancing and hear a song you appreciate, let the DJ know - inquire about the artist, the origin, the era of the music. It might just broaden your mind. . . and will definitely enrich your experience of SALSA!!
For additional information on DJ BoriQua visit:
DJ BoriQua on MySpace
Photographs, Music and links in this feature provided courtesy of DJ BoriQua
Marie Gunter, Editor (all rights reserved.)
For More Feature DJ Interviews:
DJ Fab Fred, DJ Super Chino
Marie Gunter, is the Co-Founder of One Green Globe, a leading online community for conscientious individuals, businesses and groups promoting sustainable and healthful living. Marie is an experienced holistic healthcare practitioner, and seasoned promoter of innovative technology, working in both the corporate and non-profit sectors and across various industries. She is a life-long proponent of holistic systems and sustainability. Marie provides independent consulting, business and market development services for the technology, entertainment and education markets. Contact: 206-905-9254 for details.
Marie A. Gunter © 2006 All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprints acceptable ONLY if the entire article remains the same, including this author resource box! All links must remain active, give author name credit.
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Feeding The Hungry Masses
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With all the conflicting theories and tactics floating around,sometimes Optimising your Site for the Search Engines may seem more like Brain Surgery, than Simple Marketing Tactics.
Let me Introduce you to the idea, that, Concentrating on Feeding Your Hungry Website Visitors is ALL you need to do to win the Search Results you are hoping for.
I really do understand, that sometimes I may come across as a bit extreme in my points of view and take on search engine marketing, but nonetheless please dont allow that to make you think that I dont want my sites to be attractive for the search engines.
I would love to attract a Search Engine spider!
Perhaps it would like me to lure it with some Curds and Way, come and sit down beside me and whisper little secrets in my ear, Like Miss Tuffet. That would be nice.
But seriously though, I do reap the benefits of having a nice offering for the spider when it comes, but do you think I put it there purely to give that little thing something nice for its dinner? Come on now, I really wouldnt mind either way, its not for them, they cant really give me any appreciation, I mean sure, they can report back to HQ, let everyone know theres some great stuff at my site, i’ll get some good listings maybe at there parent engine, now thats nice and I cant deny that, so it is a form of appreciation, but they cant really write me a nice message, say “thanks martin, you left us some nice dinner” can they?
If you read my article Forget about the search engines, then you’ll know where I am coming from, and you can get the drift here anyway.
Personally, I remember when I didnt even Use google, or MSN, or any other search engine for that matter. Yep, hard to beleive it, but there *Was* once a time when there wasnt really an easy way to search every single website round the world in seconds, so we all had to rely on one of a few different ways, which where -
- Your Friend tells you -
One day, some how, your friend tells you about this cool website, something that they really think you’ll be interested in, so you get this information, either on the phone or face to face, in an email, or something along those lines. why would your friend do that for you? Simply because, they felt after visiting the site that YOU would also benefit from visiting that site, in some way or other, they thought you would like it.
- OffLine Media -
Perhaps, in a magazine, newspaper, or even TV, you have seen a URL and are interested in visiting that website. Obviously at first glance it would seem only people who have big budgets would be able to have a website bought to your attention via offline media, BUT, you forget about that little peice you read in the newspaper the other day, that happened to mention the website of a company related to that article, or that you heard on a radio show someone mention a website they had visited that day, and quite certainly the ONLY reason a website would Warrant a mention on such a Large form of Physical media would be because the Author/DJ/Newscaster feels that the information within the website is of benefit to their reaers/viewers/listeners.
The final way I would have found a site, back In the Day, or without Google, would have been through looking at sites that are Linked off from the places I have visited from the Previous two examples.
So why would a Site want to link to another site? Simply, if the Site we are visiting is a Quality Resource naturally they would want to share other Quality resources from other providers, done with Links.
Overall, what does that have to do with Search Engine Optimization?
Hold on, keep reading, you’ll see sure enough. All those examples of how I may stumble across a site, all have one thing in common, and thats the factor that somewhere along the line, someone thought it was going to be interesting enough to share that websites address with someone else, someone thought that particular website was interesting enough to mention in a newspaper article they where writing. Each Time the website being shared, was a Quality Website that contained Good Quality information, resources or items of interest to a particular person or people, and for no other reason whatsoever was it shared.
There are some simple tricks to have on your website to encourage people to share yours with others, Email this page tools etc, but NONE quite so powerful as to ensure that YOUR Website, Your Information, Your Presentation, stands out from the others and provides the Best Value to your passing visitors.
People want to visit a website that will benefit them in some way or other, and quite simply the Content on your website determines that. Striving to become The Top Resource in your given field, will certainly give you a good chance of having people share your website, providing your target market with the most Concise, Up to date, Well Presented content catered for thier interests will make sure that they tell other people.
How to do this, is qute simply by thinking of your Websites Visitors, or your target Market as starving hungry masses, who constantly crave feeding. It Doesnt matter What your area is, or what product your trying to sell, this rule applies to your website marketing,like it or not.
If you want to sell a product, your market are going to want to be fed before they trust you, they want as much info on your product, people who have used your product, what you as a company know about your product, what you as a company know about the poeple who buy your product. People online Crave Information, and if you have the best of what they crave, the message will spread, with or without the Search engines.
However it just so happens that the best way to keep your website appealing to your visitors, also appeals to the Search engines. When you leave out a Fresh Meal for your Website visitors, some fresh meaty New Content for them to indulge on, the spiders will come running, well they do tend to follow everyone else, so as soon as word gets out that you’ve got the meal of the minute, when people know dinners at your place then they’ll all come running, Visitors, Spiders, Search Engine Listings the lot.
If none of that makes any sense to you, I am sorry, sometimes, I know, I tend to go off on one and everything gets all philosophical.
Summarise it like this.
Feeding the Hungry Masses, and making sure you Care about the Catering, is your Best SEO Strategy. When you make sure that you are providing your target audience with Fresh, Quality Content, they want to visit more to get more. If you provide the Best information in a Given Field, then people will come, because you will be the “Authority” in that area.
*Remember, as soon as you stop being regular and fresh, the authority status dissappears and all this is irrelevant.*
If you are publishing regular authoritative content, people want to be notified often, people want to share your resource, people want to talk about what you have,and all this leads to Perfect natural Optimization. SEO gurus know that Natural Deep Links on pages relating to the content linked to, is the Gold Dust of SEO.
With your Authority site, it will happen naturally, you wont need to ask for them, People will add your site to their RSS Feeds, people will Tell thier Friends, people will Discuss your site on Forums, People will Comment about your site on thier site. People will link to pages on your site. All that, and you werent even thinking about being Number One in google for your keyword phrase, but guess what, it just so happens that your pretty near, without even trying.
You Feed the Hungry masses, feed them well, because the tips can payoff!!
After being involved with Internet Marketing for some time, Martin has decided to share his Ideas and Experiences on Succesful Online Marketing. Read More Search Engine Tactics at SEM101 Be sure to check out Martins tips and Tricks, and follow his experiences in Success @ More Traffic Please
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