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Fitness Tip: A Quicker Way To Lose Weight

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Anyone who has been in the fitness world runs into the question about weight loss quite a bit. People want to know the best way to lose weight or the fastest way to lose weight.

Of course, the easiest answer is to always say “Burn more calories than you take in” and most people will be satisfied. But let’s dig deeper into that, shall we?

It goes without saying that it’s easier to take in calories than it is to burn calories, right? So, if we look at it that way, the natural progression for the next type of question would be “what is the best way to burn calories?” But if we are looking for a way to lose weight quicker, we want to look at ways to burn calories quicker, right?

Now, before I go on, I want to make sure it’s understood that I believe ANY kind of physical activity is better than NO activity, OK?

Let’s look at two basic kinds of workout activities, both of them are good for you. Both will make you fit and both are used by millions of people around the world. But remember our question… what is the FAST way to burn calories?

I’m sure I’ll catch some flack from this one, but everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I’ll give you mine.

The two activities are a cardio workout and a weights/resistance workout, so let’s compare the two in terms of calorie burning. If you give a solid, honest 1 hour effort for each workout, the weights/resistance workout will burn more calories. Not only that, but you will burn more calories when the workout is over for a longer period of time with this kind of workout as well.

But here lies the problem with the weights type of workout; most people, especially beginners, don’t give a true honest effort because it’s “too hard”. Another thing people do is spend WAY too much time between sets, which causes the actual workout to be longer. This longer workout is less appealing to people so they don’t continue this type of workout.

Then, their only option is the cardio type of workout, which is still a good workout. Again, I’m not knocking a total cardio workout, I’m just comparing which workout burns more calories quicker, get it?

If you want to ride the bike, walk, run, or do anything like that for an hour, I’m backing you 100%, and I’ll encourage you to do so.

Affiliate Marketing Tips and Tricks for Beginners

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Making money on the internet is a popular way to get an extra income. Working online offers flexibility: people can do it whenever and wherever they like. Besides, there are many types of online businesses available today, and one of them is called ‘affiliate marketing’. This program allows you to be an affiliate marketer of some certain merchants and link their products on your site. When a product is sold, you earn a commission.

You are probably interested in this marketing program. But before taking a part in this business, it is essential for you to know the tips and tricks. Here are some affiliate marketing tips that would be useful for beginner affiliate marketers:

- First of all, you should build a website and you should select a topic that you love for your site. Try not to start with a topic that you don’t like since it will only make the site a boring place. People will know how well you know about your topic by looking at the contents of your website. That way, people will be interested in your website as well and you will draw more visitors. This may not get you the highest commission but it is a great way to attract traffic.

- A good website should feature a good design as well. It would be helpful if you know how to use a graphic design software. Adding graphics to your site will make it look attractive. If you are not sure how to use a graphics software, you can always rely on the tools available on the website builder site.

- When running an affiliate marketing business, people often ask about the best network to choose. Well, actually there is no exact answer to this question. It because each network has their own strong points and you should choose one of them based on the tools they offer. You can also choose merchants from the major networks and see which one that works for you.

- “Parasites” can have a negative impact to your business. When you are involved in affiliate marketing, you will find the term “ScumWare” or “ParasiteWare”. These are applications that can redirect your visitors to other websites. These applications often masquerade as file sharing applications or browser help objects. It is essential to learn more about these applications so that you won’t lose your visitors.

- Learn and learn more about the business. When you are involved in affiliate marketing, it is essential that you educate yourself. There are various things that you need to learn such as creating custom links or advanced HTML coding. You can easily find affiliate marketing tips and guides posted by other marketers on various forums.

10 Essential Tricks in Using Video Effectively to Market Your Business

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Nearly all internet marketing professionals use video as one of the core methods for marketing their business. Video grabs people’s attention far more quickly and effectively than text, audio or photographs. Making a short video can capture a thousand words and pictures and helps to get across your personal brand and lifestyle.

Research your top keyword phrases and use these in your upload descriptions and titles. It’s important to stand out in the crowd on video channels and search engines. Aim your headlines at capturing the imagination regarding your topic. So don’t be dull – test out curiosity, shock or fun tactics for getting those download clicks.

These ten tips aim to help you create short, attractive, effective videos based on solid keywords that convert and that stand the test of time.

First of all, get set up.

When you’re starting out, it’s OK to just use your webcam. This is what I’ve used in this video for illustration. You can see it’s not great, but it does the job. It will give you the opportunity to practice while you’re honing your presentation skills before you fork out for a camcorder. When you’re ready, you can buy an inexpensive digital video recorder, like say the Flip and a tripod and you’ll be set up to rock and roll.

Make sure you take your videos in well-lit conditions. Inside your office you’ll need decent lighting, or you can whip out your camera when you’re out and about. It makes for a much more interesting back drop.

OK. So now let’s go through each of my TOP 10 TIPS for creating and using videos to market your business.

TIP 1: Keep your videos short

Whether you’re loading videos on YouTube or just putting them up on your website or blog, it’s really important to keep them short. Just 5 or 6 minutes is really all that’s needed. It’s just enough for introducing yourself to people that may not know you yet. In fact, YouTube.com will not accept videos over 10 minutes. I guess that’s a maximum for all kinds of reasons that make sense.

If needed, you can of course break longer topics up into a series of smaller videos, which you could market as a series – see tip 10.

TIP 2: Post videos on your sales pages

You can use video on your sales page to introduce the main benefits of your product or business opportunity. You might even put a very short video on your landing page or capture pages. It can help to orientate visitors and to highlight the main points of your regular, written sales letter. People often want to listen or watch an explanation rather than read a whole long story. And let’s face it, sales letter are becoming more and more alike these days, with everyone using what they think it ‘good sales copy’ to draw buyers in and provide proof and testimonials.

So you can use videos to introduce yourself and what you represent, to demonstrate your product or an explanation, and talk about how easy it is to get started and to get in touch with you personally. Often what we prefer is to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

TIP 3: Choose your keywords carefully

This is really important tip, because it will affect how your video gets picked up by the search engines and other internet ‘bots’ that seek out content. If you’re loading your videos onto YouTube then it’s really important that you allow people to find those videos. So if they are putting in words or phrases into a search box like Google, yahoo, MSN or on YouTube itself, you need to ensure your video shows up.

Pick keywords that will attract the right kind of traffic and leads – research like crazy to find out what your prospects are looking for – and then use a keyword tool to identify long tail keywords that you can really dominate. Make sure you headline and description includes your main keywords.

Getting this right is critical because it will help people again to find your video when they type in those keywords and over time will mean you get ranked higher. Doing this research and tracking click thrus (CTR) and conversions will help you secure your most cost-effective keywords and keyword phrases.

For example, if you pick a long tail keyword such as “find online marketing coach in uk” (use exact match or phrase match), there may not be many searches but when there are, you should find your video comes up high.

Once you find a set of keywords that are fit-for-purpose, make sure your video answers those questions, give visitors solutions to what they were searching for, make things crystal clear. (With the above example, you’d certainly want to introduce yourself as coming from the UK. Make a different video for any other countries you might want to target.)

TIP 4: Have a clear purpose & structure

Your keywords will help make sure you target your video on the right purpose before you start. Keep on topic and provide value – unique value if possible – and the videos will convert much better for you.

Write down a structure – a set of headings – for what you’re going to cover, so you don’t waffle on. Have a script if necessary (but be careful you don’t appear to be reading from it and not looking at the camera, see tip 5!) So be very clear what is the focus for each video and have a list in front you. It really does help you to stay on topic and to present things in a logical flow.

For example, if your video is on the topic of using video to market your business… don’t go too far off on a tangent and start talking about blogging or SEO. If there’s a link (see tip 9), make the point and move on. Those links will provide you ideas for other topics and you can mention in your video that you have another video specifically on that related topic. So in my video about making videos, I would mention about putting your video or a link to it on your blog, and then tell them about my other video on using blogs to market your business.

TIP 5: Look at the camera

The aim here is to connect with your audience, both in the topic you choose and the content but also in your communication style. Remember you are talking to people – real live people. What are their needs and wants, hopes and fears.

With regards to presentation, stick your list of headings right next to the camera. This way, you’ll stay looking in the camera at all times, rather than looking away at a screen on down at your notes. This gives you a far better connection with your audience.

A video made from the heart can come across as far more authentic than a skillful, broadcast-like production. So don’t worry if you’re not up to TV presenter standards. Just be yourself and enjoy the opportunity to reach out to people in a different way than using text copy.

TIP 6: Create a clear call to action

You should create one very clear offer and call to action. It’s very important that people know exactly what to do as a result of watching your video. What is your most wanted response (MWR)? Don’t confuse visitors with lots of options and different offers. Focus on the single most wanted response.

So it might be you want them to visit your website. You can provide your domain link. For example, your can add your web address (URL) as a title on your video, so that’s it’s showing throughout or comes up at the start or at the end. Make sure it’s there for sufficient time for people to write it down or put it in their browser.

Alternatively, you can put your video up next to a sign up box – linked to your email marketing – and you clearly ask them to opt in, more than once. Provide an incentive, such as a free report or further video coaching resources. And clearly say “just put your information in the box on the right… and you’ll get instant access to…”.

TIP 7: Encourage comments on your video

One of the best things about video is that it’s very personal, social medium. So the more you can link into other social activities, the more exposure you’ll get. So if you’re posting your video on YouTube or your blog, make sure you enable comments. Allow visitors to enter comments about your video, add their own tips or advice. The more people that are talking about your video and passing it on, the more buzz you’ll create. Visitors may return to your page to see who has commented since their last comment. There may accumulate a whole list of tips that have been created by your niche community, prompted by your initial video post.

TIP 8: Write articles, forum posts and blog & emails about your video

Write a short article (500 words – like this one) on the same topic as your video. Then create a short blog post that links to your article and/or video. Have a link on your blog to your video, send people watching on your video back to your blog or capture page.

If you have a list of existing contacts and subscribers, send them an email with information about your new video you just posted up. Ask them to pass it on to their contacts and lists. This can help with the viral process and get your video out beyond your own marketing circle of influence. You may have joint venture (JV) partners and could send them a personal email asking for some feedback on your video and if they’d like to make any joint offers or provide a free report. They may even blog about your video or send out an email to their list or include it in their regular newsletter or digest.

This relates to tip 8 in many ways. It’s about linking different marketing on a single, focused topic and ultimately setting up many different entry routes into your marketing or sales funnel, using the linkages and relationships you have already built up.

TIP 9: Make linkages with other content, social sites

Use the social sites to jump start the viral effect. One of the mistakes newbie marketing make is they spend a lot of time creating videos, or writing articles and blog posts, even twittering and don’t make enough linkages between these. Yet they often don’t unleash the true power of social marketing and they totally lose out on getting more leads out of their efforts.

Creating links between other marketing you’re doing helps with the viral effect, and you’ll get more leads than just the sum from the individual components – they work in synergy. So you need to link to and embed your video into social media sites, like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. Integrate icons for sharing tools, like Digg, StumbleUpon etc to allow visitors to pass your link onto to their contacts.

Make those integrations really work and the momentum will really build up on your marketing activities.

TIP 10: Use time twice by re-purposing and repackaging your videos

Finally, following on from tips 8 & 9… put your videos on a DVD or CD and give it away for free in exchange for their contact details or other call to action (see tip 6). If you create 10 videos on different marketing topics, you would have a neat series of using internet strategies to market your business. For example, one video would be on using videos to market your business. A second might focus on using twitter, another on article marketing, using blogs, pay-per-click, and so on.

You can use your 10 video series in different ways. You can offer a ‘boot camp’ via email; subscribers receive an email explanation with a link to your video and/or full article each day or week. You could create a microcontinuity programme over 10 or more weeks; subscribers pay a monthly fee to get their package each week. You might simply create a webpage with links to the full set of videos on your opt-in thank you page.

How about creating a physical DVD product as a “free plus shipping” offer for subscribing members or as a ClickBank product for affiliates to market. You’d need to create or buy some attractive graphics. You could even include an upgrade for the set of associated articles you have written. People like to get a physical product in the post. You can follow up subscribers whose addresses you have with postcard marketing, sendoutcards.com/jayd for a free gift account, and start bringing in offline methods to complement your online marketing.

To summarise… your video marketing checklist: Short – Focused – Clear offer – Complemented – Linked – Viral – Repurposed

Social Shopping – A New Phenomenon Is Taking Over The World

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With an ever increasing work load and busier lifestyles it is getting harder and harder to book a day out with the girls shopping, many of us are buying our fashion from the comfort of our own homes and literally shopping on our own. This can be lonely and hard work as how do you know what suits you? How do you know if it is a good buy or not without your best buying buddy with you? Here we would go through the definition of social shopping and why we should be using it:

What Is Social Shopping?
Wikipedia tell us ‘There are various ways for stores to use social shopping features. Some websites offer a combination of comparison shopping with social features. Others combine physical stores and social features, for example, allowing customers to share finds and deals from physical retailers through the phone and website and interact with users that have similar shopping interests’ Social shopping incorporates social networking and shopping, bringing them both together making shopping more social and concentrates on the sharing aspect of these networks.

Why Should I Be Using Social Shopping Sites?
Social shopping has many benefits, not only are you part of a designated female shopping community but you may also make lots of new friends and communicate with your existing ones through your finds. Social shopping sites can motivate you to participate in many different ways; some ask you to share on Facebook and twitter accounts but offer no reward for doing this other than the social reward of sharing and making new friends through recommending the best buys that you find. Some sites offer rewards for sharing products such as, if a specific product gets a lot of ‘likes’ discounts are offered and you can literally get big discounts by sharing with your new and existing friends. This encourages shoppers to share certain products for the benefit of both retailer and shopper. Other sites encourage the buyer or potential buyer to photo share the products, this enables the buyer to get comments on whether it will suit them or not and if it is a good price. This also enables other shoppers to find products without so much searching making it easier to literally share your finds.

Social Shopping Is The Best Way To Shop!
You can not only make new friends through social shopping but you can also speak to the sellers in real time, ask them questions about the products and sizing and get the best descriptions before you decide to buy. You are able to ask your friends about the products that you find and ask their opinions; it is just like shopping with your girlfriends! So, why are you shopping alone? Interactive shopping is the future of shopping for everyone!

Which Social Shopping Site Should I Be Using?
There are a few social shopping sites now up and running and no doubt as this phenomena really gains momentum then there will be many more. In my investigations I have found sites such as Pinterest where you are able to post pictures of your shopping finds very enjoyable but as you are unable to buy the fashion it seems to be lacking in this feature. ShopSimple on the other hand is similar to Pinterest where you can post your fashion finds but not only that, you can buy them too! You can create separate folders for your finds in your profile and even create them for others! You are able to comment, hashtag products, save (which is similar the Facebook ‘like’ button), add them to your collections and make whole outfits for you and your friends to share using this one site. This site is a highly addictive social shopping site which not only lets you post your fashion finds but let’s you share your products and post them to your Facebook and twitter accounts as well as your Pinterest walls! You can follow and be followed similar to Twitter and share your fashion with millions of others! This is the hottest social shopping site right now, so why are you still shopping alone?

Niche Marketing in Real Estate Marketing Online

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What is a niche?A niche is a target audience or target market or an area of specialization where you can provide your services in the best manner because you are more knowledgeable in that market.A niche can be geographical. You may choose to provide your real estate expertise in one city or if you are a real estate agent in a large city, your niche may be a certain geographical boundary in that city. Some agents specialize in farm properties. Some agents specialize in second homes and investment properties. Some agents focus on 1031 tax deferred exchanges. Real estate agents who speak other languages may find themselves providing services to buyers and sellers who speak those languages. Whatever type of niche you have, it is extremely important to focus your attention on your target audience when in comes to real estate marketing online.Niche marketing does not mean you have to limit your marketing efforts in just one local area. It is also important to combine national with regional and local exposure. For instance, if you are specializing in the second home market, it is important to combine local and regional marketing with national marketing when it comes to real estate marketing online. If your niche is in the second home market, the buyer or seller for a second home may come from any city in the country.Many buyers and sellers of second homes consider different cities in different states before they decide where next to purchase a second home or investment property. They like to search online to conduct their research to find out about the different cities they are considering. They also look for real estate agents online who can provide them with additional information on the cities of their interest.If you market your real estate business online outside of your local area of service, you are already several notches ahead of your competition because you will reach your target audiences right in their spots before they even start looking for a real estate agent else where. Their perception of your professional practice will also improve because you are giving them a glimpse of the kind of approach you have when it comes to conducting your business.The biggest drawback in utilizing real estate marketing online nationally is the issue of budget. If you are an independent contractor (and most real estate agents are), chances are that you will pay for the marketing of your own profession, and most online publications will charge a handsome fee to include your real estate business online nationally. However, if you do your research, you will find some online publications that will charge decent rates to include your real estate business online nationally.Understanding that it is not necessarily the amount of any online traffic that is important but getting the online traffic from your target audience is what really counts. You will get less general online traffic when you direct your focus to a targeted audience, but you are reaching the audience that will listen to your message. This is the audience that is more likely to respond to your message. Of course, just like any other type of marketing, real estate marketing online is still a numbers’ game, and you are more likely to experience a higher success rate when you reach your target audience online.How do you reach your target audience with real estate marketing online?Advertise your real estate business in specialized online publications. If you would like to reach the audience for the second home market, advertise online on a second home Internet directory or second home Internet magazine. If you would like to reach the market online for 1031 tax deferred exchanges, advertise in an online or Internet magazine that specializes in real estate investing and 1031 tax deferred exchanges.Know the function of the search engines in real estate marketing online. A huge majority of online searches are done through search engines. Using search engines is really a wonderful way to reach your target audience because your target market is the one coming to you instead of you going to them. For instance if they put “buying a second home directory” as their search parameter, they are very specific about finding a directory that specializes in the second home market.Advertise in an online publication that ranks in the top 10 of Google, MSN, and Yahoo when using the key words of the search parameters that your target audience is most likely going to use because these major search engines are the tools that your target audience will most likely utilize to conduct searches online in order to reach you. The real estate online or Internet publications that display in the top 10 of the search results in major search engines in a defined niche are the ones which are most likely to be visited by the people who are looking for that specific business or service and that is the online publication where you would like your business to be seen.

Self Employment Jobs: Is It For You?

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Are you searching for real self employment jobs? If you go through advertisements and forums, self employment opportunities may not seem to be as inadequate as some people argue. The routine is simple. You get work, earn money and take pleasure in what you do. This is self employment.Finding the Right Jobs – It may not be difficult after all
What can make self employment rewarding? You stay at home, you are in charge and you proceed at your time. What are the downsides? You have to prove to your clients that you are the best and you can give the best output or else, you lose the job.The key factor is that you have to enjoy what you because it gives you the greatest satisfaction. If you try to ask different people what the perfect self employment job is, you will probably get varying responses. Everyone has different abilities, preferences and moods. One person will be good in medical transcription while another who knows several languages can work as translator. The Virtual assistant business is a fast growing industry so this is another good prospect while online writing is also a lucrative freelance activity. The bottom line is there are various opportunities and all you need to do is to focus on a particular field, become an expert and you have a regular source of revenue.Online sources abound. You have to be persevering in searching for the job that fits your qualifications. Do research via the internet and check out free websites that provide a listing of self employment opportunities without any fees or membership requirements. All you need to do is conduct keyword searches that will ultimately give way these sites. Ignore those who ask for money as this can possibly be dubious. There are also online and printed classified ads for local and global prospects.The pay-for-posts sites are not also advisable as first-hand sources especially for those who lack the finances. Certain sites do not provide complete information and ask interested applicants to bid on projects.Some Pointers in Job Hunting
Always be ready with an updated self employment profile with the appropriate covering letter to make it easy for you to respond to self employment work. Learn how to follow up properly with your prospective clients or employers and clients who respond favorably.However, remember that self employment is not for everybody. You have no boss but you have clients to whom you are responsible. You alone are responsible for everything to include your success or failure. Thus, you need to cope, balance and outsource as well.If you are looking at the possibility of selling merchandise, it may be better to try the product out or even concept before investing or selling. It is very difficult to let of hard-earned money and just let it go to waste without the promise of any returns on investment. Start small! It is not wise to let go of a big capital outlay when you have not tested the market yet. Be a prudent entrepreneur.

Cheap Health And Fitness Equipment

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Most health and fitness conscious people are constantly on the lookout for cheap health and fitness equipment because most health and fitness equipments are quite expensive. However, there are ways and means of finding cheap health and fitness equipment irrespective of your budget.Here are some useful tips to find cheap health and fitness equipments:1. You can browse through the internet for the best deal, save time, as well as save on money since no middle men are involved in the transaction. You can even approach individuals and non-commercial sellers directly through the Internet and get really good deals.2. There are numerous companies that provide refurbished or reconditioned fitness equipment at a relatively low price. You can browse for such companies on the Internet. Many of these companies also offer free shipping.3. You can find reasonably good health and fitness equipment at garage sales. So, it is advisable to find out which garage sales are happening in your neighborhood. This can be done through the local newspaper or pamphlet advertisements. You should visit the garage sale because you never know when you can find some superior quality fitness equipment worth buying at a very cheap rate.4. You can visit Walmart and have a look at the various health and fitness equipment on display, which are available at really low prices at Walmart.5. You can even visit a secondhand store such as Play It Again Sports store which specialize in buying and selling used as well as new exercise equipments.6. Regularly check the classified ads in your local newspaper and look for advertisements regarding sale of used health and fitness equipments and you may end up striking a very great deal.

Children Entertainers – Booking Kids Party Entertainment

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Whenbooking your children entertainers, pay careful attention to what services the entertainer offer, and make sure you know what you are paying for, here we look at a few simple ideas and questions to ask before you hand over your money.Will the entertainer provide the entertainment throughout the party?
This may seem like a simple question to ask, but if you’re planning a 3 hour party, that is a long time for entertainers to keep the children occupied. If you are planning to feed the children during the party, perhaps the entertainer may take a break during this time.Can they provide a show for your child’s age?
Some children entertainers specialise in younger ages, things like puppet shows and fancy dress may not be the perfect idea for older children. Different entertainers will provide different acts for children of varying ages. A good act will be able to adjust their show depending on the age of the children at your party, but ask first to ensure what they intend to cover will be suitable for your children.Will the entertainer have prizes?
Prize giving is all part of the fun for children, so ask what sort of prize is given, and what the child would have to do to earn the prize. There is nothing worse then some children getting upset because others won a prize when they didn’t, so ask what the plan is before hand. A simple token of a gift from the entertainer can make all the difference, a balloon model is always popular for kids at any party.How long is the performance?
Children entertainers will have set performances that they run through at each party, varying slightly depending on the children’s reaction. Some will have a set of an hour or two, so ask first to ensure you know what you are getting for your money. You’ll want to know there is a set start and finish to the party.Will they need help, or do they have a helper with them?
If the entertainer is expecting you to help out, then make sure you know this before the event. There is nothing worse then planning to get on with something else while the children are entertained, only to find out that the Mums and Dads are expected to help out with the show.Most importantly for peace of mind, ask the children entertainers for proof of a CRB check, and whether they have full public liability insurance. Without either of these, the children entertainers cannot be taken seriously.

Life Insurance 101 – It’s Not About the Policy, It’s About Your Family

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Life Insurance. This is a very touchy and personal topic to everyone. It reminds us of our own mortality. It reminds us perhaps, of a deceased loved one. There are many many emotions, thoughts and feelings that come up when the topic of life insurance is discussed.While it is not a pleasant topic to think about, Life Insurance is quite possibly the greatest gift parents can leave to their children. It is about peace of mind. Peace of mind in knowing that if something unforseen should happen to us, our families will still be financially stable.Before we get into the mechanics and the nitty gritty, I’d like to share a story about a client of ours with all of you. Years ago, as a green insurance agent, I sold life insurance as a product. I was too young and inexperienced to fully understand what life insurance can do for a family in their most dire time of need. I had a particular client who I sold a policy to. He and his wife had 4 young children at the time, a mortgage and all of the usual expenses we all have. Well, unfortunately, a couple of years after the life insurance sale, he passed away. When I got the emotional, tear ridden phone call from his eldest son, something in me finally clicked. After the funeral, he pulled me aside and gave me a hug I will never forget.He tearfully said to me, “You know, after my father’s death, bill collectors started calling. Everybody came to our family with their hands out, wanting to be paid for one thing or another. But you, you came to us with a check in hand, a tear in your eye and a shoulder to cry on. I really don’t know what my sisters, mother and I would have done were it not for the life insurance my father had. I don’t know how to thank you.”I told him that he owes me no thanks. The one he should be thankful for is the one whose life we are celebrating and remembering today. He stepped back and looked at me somewhat crosseyed and confused. I said, “Dave, you, your sisters and your mother were your dad’s pride and joy and number one priority in life. He guided you, provided for you and helped mold you and your sisters into the wonderful, caring people you are today. He took care of you all and took pleasure in doing so.”I continued, “He blessed you and the rest of your family with many many gifts throughout his lifetime. The last gift that he made sure was available to you all was the gift of life insurance. The gift of peace of mind. Of course, I know and he knew that you would hand that check right back over if it meant 5 more minutes with him. But, the gift he left you all was the ability to live his legacy, follow in his footsteps and the financial means to continue your lives in the way that he made sure you were all accustomed to.”He nodded. I said, “Your mom does not have to worry about the mortgage on her house, your two youngest sisters do not have to worry about how they will pay for college. Your dad took good care of you all while he was alive, and will continue to do so in memorium.”He hugged me and thanked me again and returned to his family. It was that day that I realized that I was not selling policies. I was giving families the opportunity to continue to care for their loved ones long after they are gone. Life insurance is a gift, and not one to be taken lightly.Now, I’d like to go into a short glossary and explanation of the different types of policies available so that everyone can be well informed consumers.There are essentially two main types of policies, Term Insurance and Permanent Insurance. And yes, there are various subgroups and hybrid type policies, etc.Basic Term Life Insurance is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. This type of policy is purchased for a specific amount of time, usually 10, 20 or 30 years. This is just pure life insurance. If John Smith takes out a $500,000 20 year term policy, and passes away in year 16, his policy will pay his beneficiary $500,000. Conversely, if John Smith passes away 25 years after taking out the policy, the term has expired and there is no coverage.One might ask, “Why would I want this type of policy if it’s just going to expire and then I’m out all of that money for no reason?” Excellent question. Of course, there is a multi-part answer.A) This is the type of policy that we call “peace of mind insurance”. You have the peace of mind for a set number of years that should the unforseen happen, your family will be financially taken care of. Therefore, you had the coverage for all of that time. Just like a homeowner policy, you may never put a claim in, still make your monthly payments, but have the peace of mind in knowing that if your home were to burn down, you have the coverage to rebuild your home and your life.B) These policies are, on a monthly basis, cheaper than others. For a young family with limited resources, it’s the perfect starter policy to get the coverage in place and then later on, there are other options available.C) Return of Premium option – Some Term policies have an optional enhancement called Return of Premium. This is the answer to the people who say, “I don’t want to spend all that money for 20 years to not get anything in the end.” Those who have this option on their policies are people who plan to keep the coverage in force for the entire duration of the plan (in this example 20 years), and will receive a check at the end of the term for every penny that was paid in premiums. So, now, John Smith will have been covered for the 20 years, and assuming he is still alive at the end, he’ll get back all the money that he put into it.D) Conversion opportunity – Most Term policies include a clause that allows the policy owner to convert the term policy to a permanent one before the term expires and usually before a certain age, depending on the policy. What is the benefit in this? This is a HUGE benefit to the policy holder and here is why.The price of life insurance is based on many things. The two items that carry the most weight in the cost are the health of the person taking out the policy and the age that they are when they take it out. As a general rule, we will never be as young or as healthy as we are today. And we were younger and healthier yesterday. Obviously an obease individual with high cholesterol and blood pressure will be more expensive to insure than a fit individual with no health problems. There is a much greater probability that the less healthy person will pass away sooner than the more healthy one. At the same time, a 20 year old is much less expensive to insure than a 60 year old, because all things being equal, statistically, the 20 year old has much less of a likelihood of passing away than a 60 year old. The 20 year old statistically has many more years to pay premiums, than the 60 year old, so his premium will be less.The wonderful thing about the conversion option, is that it allows the policy holder to convert their term insurance to a permanent policy (which we will go over in a moment) while locking in the health rating that was received at the time of the original policy. The policy will convert based on the original health rating and the current age. This is of a huge benefit to those whose health has unfortunately deteriorated over the life of the policy.Alright, now that we have a clearer understanding of Term Life Insurance, let’s go over Permanent Life Insurance. As the name suggests Permanent Life Insurance is generally set up to be Permanent and be in force for the life of the insured (that’s you!).Now, Permanent Life Insurance is sometimes referred to as Whole Life, Universal Life, Variable Universal Life and Guaranteed Life, to name a few. The main difference between a permanent policy and a term policy is that a Permanent Policy has many more options.The policy contains two main parts. The first being the basic life insurance coverage. And the second being somewhat of a “savings account”. The way that these two parts come together to form a comprehensive policy with many options and benefits is that a percentage of the premium goes to pay the basic cost of insurance and another portion goes into this “savings account”. Now, generally speaking, these policies have a minimum interest rate that paid on the money that is growing in the savings portion of the policy. These interest rates are usually market sensitive, so as interest rates in the marketplace go up, the interest rates that the policy will pay will go up. As interest rates in the marketplace decline, the interest rate of the policy will decrease, but never lower than the floor set by the policy contract.One very nice thing about these policies is the flexibility that afforded to the policyowner as far as premiums and savings go. As an example, let’s say that John Smith has just taken out a Permanent Life Insurance policy and his minimum monthly premium is $100. He could decide that he wants to pay $150 per month, having that additional $50 per month go directly into the “savings portion” of the policy. Over time, that overpayment of premium will grow due to compound interest.Let’s say that he pays his $150 per month for the first 20 years of the policy and then finds that he has fallen onto hard times and cannot afford to pay the additional premium. It’s possible that there is enough money built up in the “savings portion” or “cash value” that the premiums can actually just be deducted from that pot of money for a period of time. Or maybe his child is going to a private university and he has built up a lump sum of money in there. He can withdraw the money to use towards whatever he would like, in this case, his child’s education.And this brings us to the end of our class on Life Insurance 101. Almost. One very important thing to remember about life insurance is that the most important aspect of it is not the company, type of policy or even the death benefit amount. The most important aspect of life insurance is that it is one of the greatest gifts that a parent can give to a child. The gift of love, life, legacy and the future. The proceeds of a life insurance policy can never make up for the loss of a loved one; but the gift of life insurance can help ease the financial burden and leave your family with peace of mind.

OEM Vs After-Market Printer Cartridges, And The Winner Is?

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Breaking the myth that after-market cartridges will destroy your printer or void your new printer warranty is what I’d like to address in this article.I have serviced thousands of businesses in person over the past nearly 20 years in the after-market print supplies industry. From companies with 1-2 employees to Fortune 100 Corporations. Some of my clients use 1 or less cartridges in an entire year, others purchase tens of thousands of dollars worth on a regular monthly basis. And all using after-market inks and toners.Before we go any farther I’d like to introduce the terminology used in the industry so that we are all on the same page. So many people I see on a daily basis react violently when I first begin talking about my product(s) and eventually, as they become educated, leave the notion that “All ‘refilled’ cartridges are garbage and all you want to do is ruin my printer.” Like cars, and hospitals, and lawyers, and insurance sales people… NOT ALL CARTRIDGES ARE CREATED EQUAL.1. OEM Cartridge – This is a product that is manufactured by the company that built the printer, also known as Original Equipment Manufacturer, but it is not necessarily the “best” and it most certainly is not warranted as long as a lot of other products.2. Refilled – This refers to a cartridge (ink or toner) that was simply refilled – nothing more, nothing less. You may have seen kits you can purchase to refill your own cartridges, this is fine as long as you don’t care about quality and/or potential damage to your printer.3. Re-manufactured – This refers to a product that has gone through a reverse engineering process. In other words, it has been taken apart and certain components have been replaced along with the cartridge being refilled.4. Generic – This refers to a product manufactured by a company that would prefer to not be known (hmmm, I wonder why that would be?). It is a knock off and may or may not be re-manufactured. Stay away from this product unless you can learn more about it.5. Drill & Fill – Oh how I hate this junk. Someone just drills a hole in the cartridge housing (ink or toner) puts more ink or toner inside and puts a plug in it. Basically the same as your refill kit for home use, but some resellers actually buy and then resell drill & filled cartridges to unsuspecting customers. Most of the people I’ve run into who are frustrated about after-market cartridges ended up with this stuff because they were trying to save money, but HONESTLY didn’t do ANY research and then they blindly label ALL after-market cartridges as junk and harmful to printers. Seriously folks, there are some “BUYERS” who are just as “defective” as this junk!6. Compatible – This is a cartridge that may well be re-manufactured… the right way. A truly re-manufactured toner cartridge has been ENTIRELY disassembled, thoroughly cleaned, ALL the internal components replaced with brand new, refilled to the OEM specifications with a product equal to or better than the OEM for maximum image quality and page yield. For inks it’s slightly different: the contact plates are thoroughly cleaned, micro-chips replaced, print head and interior electrostatically or chemically cleaned and then prepped for refill with the proper grade of ink to provide maximum image quality and page yield.7. Genuine Compatible – This is a brand new cartridge made for use in a particular printer type. Here I would like to reference a brand I’ve been particularly impressed with, mediaSciences. This company manufactures their own Solid Ink for use in Xerox’s Phaser printers, as well as building their own clear-case toner cartridges for use in Xerox’s laser Phaser printers.8. Commercial Grade – This is a product that goes beyond the typical re-manufactured or compatible products that are made on a local level. This product is built to such exacting standards in ISO-9001 factories so as to be even BETTER than the OEM product. Many times this product has a lower failure rate than the OEM and typically is warranted much longer.Now that we all know what we’re talking about, in terms of product used in the various equipment, we can have a serious discussion about the new printer warranty that has so many people scared to buy anything but the brand that has the printer manufacturer’s name on the cartridge itself.First, we must all realize that, naturally any printer manufacturer would write their new printer warranty to “LEAD” you to believe your warranty could be voided… after all, the printers are very inexpensive to buy – all the OEM hopes for future profits are in the consumables they hope you’ll keep buying. Ink and toner is about 70% PROFIT!Second, we must understand that the new printer warranty does not emphatically state “YOU CANNOT USE ANYTHING BUT OUR BRAND OF SUPPLIES OR YOUR PRINTER WARRANTY WILL BE VOID” because that would be illegal! There’s a little known law that all the OEM companies MUST abide by, the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, which basically states an OEM company cannot compel you to purchase their consumable or replacement goods with the threat of a voided warranty. Think of it like this; you buy a new car and it’s time to change the oil, legally you may use Quaker State, Valvoline, PennZoil, Auto Value, Parts Plus, K-Mart, Walmart, or any other brand you want… it is YOUR CAR. The Magnuson Moss Warranty Act stops the car manufacturer from getting together with any one particular oil company in order to raise prices and force a sale, or voiding a warranty if you don’t comply. The same law applies to your printer, and your toaster, and your microwave, and your DVD player, etc. That said, the buyer should be wise about the choices they make. The Magnuson Moss Warranty Act is there to protect your right to use the products you prefer and/or can afford.Now that we know your warranty CANNOT be voided, let’s consider the other side of the coin. They can’t void your warranty, BUT, they don’t have to warrant any part of the printer damaged from you using the WRONG cartridge or a defective cartridge. This is where you should have a solid relationship with the supplier you’re buying your ink or toner from. Buying cheap junk from Joe Schmoe from Cocomo off eBay just because it’s cheap is asking for a problem, and quite frankly if you buy that way you deserve what you get. Still, it is extremely rare to have a cartridge actually damage or break a printer.More often than not what happens is the person using an alternative product in their machine doesn’t know the first thing about their printer. So, when they call a technician to check into why it’s not printing or giving some type of code all to often the technician will point to the cartridge, blame everything on it and tell the end-user it wouldn’t have happened if they were using the products the technician sells. Don’t even get me going on dishonest technicians – they make me sick, they’re like slick used car salesmen putting sawdust in the transmission.What are some of the cartridge failures that one could experience? Streaks, smears, lines (colored or white), spots, blotches or dusting the entire page. These things happen to brand new, brand name OEM cartridges just as often as a well made after-market cartridge, but they won’t damage your printer. If you notice these things, replace the cartridge with another one and contact your supplier, they should warrant it for at least 12 months or longer. Every cartridge you put in your printer should give you perfect prints, if it doesn’t, replace the cartridge, and if it happens a lot – replace your supplier.What are some of the things your machine will do regardless of what cartridge you use? If you have one type of laser printer you will periodically need to replace your drum unit or assembly – that’s not because of a defective cartridge, it’s like replacing tires on your car… they’re not meant to last forever. The other type of laser printer has the drum built into the cartridge – this should last longer than the toner so it’s a non-issue. You will also need an occasional maintenance kit which should contain pick-up and feed rollers, possibly a transfer roller. The fuser is another thing that is not meant to last the lifetime of your printer and should at some point (after much use) be replaced – not replacing a fuser on an old and heavily used printer could cause serious damage and even start a fire. Scanners occasionally will need to be replaced – this is what puts the image on your drum so that it can be transferred to paper. NONE of these things come in contact with your toner cartridge, yet I’ve seen dishonest technicians blame the necessity for replacement on a toner cartridge. Most laser toner cartridges have a shutter which, if handled improperly, could come off inside your printer – simple fix… if you see something hanging off your cartridge DON’T INSTALL IT. Other than that, the cartridge only comes in contact with your paper, and the gears on either end of the cartridge connect to coinciding gears located inside the printer. In 20 years, and tens of thousands of cartridges, I’ve only had one printer damaged because a cartridge had a broken gear which caused it to jam the gears inside the printer and break what would be the equivalent of the printer’s transmission. Solution? we repaired the printer at no cost to the customer. Regarding your inkjet printer – well, quite frankly, there’s no drum, no fuser, no maintenance kits, there’s only the cartridges, and some inkjet printers will also require printheads. Replacing a printhead is NOT a result of using a different branded ink. True, some inks are just plain garbage and they will plug a printhead, but a well made inkjet cartridge uses the same identical type of ink used in the brand new, brand name OEM cartridges and will not ruin a printhead. For those machines with changeable printheads consult the OEM website to see how many times you’ll change your ink cartridge compared to your printhead.Inkjet print failures and simple fixes: (note: these are typical of ALL cartridges)
cartridge won’t print > maybe it’s empty, if not empty the printhead may be dry, follow a good support site for cleaning
cartridge prints wrong color > if it’s a multi-color cartridge you probably used up one or more of the colors inside it
cartridge prints white lines > something is plugging one or more of the jets, follow a good support site for cleaning
cartridge prints thin colored streaks > ink can be sticky, there’s probably something stuck on the cartridge printhead [pet hair, dust or fuzz, lint, eyelash, etc. acting like a "Paint Brush"] follow a good support site for cleaning
If your supplier isn’t knowledgeable about such things or doesn’t offer a good online source for support, you should seriously consider a new supplier.So, OEM vs. After-Market, who wins? A true Commercial Grade, Unconditionally Guaranteed after-market ink or toner wins by a mile, maybe more like a hundred miles, and for many reasons:
You save money
You have a better warranted product
You determine what to use based on your own personal preferences
The savings you have will most likely pay for all your maintenance AND even replacement of your printer when you’re ready for a new one
You’re “GREEN” – you’re no longer filling the landfill with empty cartridges that can be re-used dozens of times
And if you’ve done your homework right, you’re probably also supporting American industries who build and sell these Commercial Grade products
I’m proud to say that over the past nearly 20 years I’ve helped thousands of businesses (and individuals) save a combined MILLIONS of dollars on their printing supplies. So, whether you’re printing at home or responsible for hundreds of printers at a large corporation, you can “buy right” and save you or your company a LOT of money if you’re willing to put the effort forward to being an informed and educated Buyer.Written by: Dan Widdis