Computer Use by Seniors Can Ease Loneliness

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by Terry Detty

More and more seniors are catching the 'computer bug' and taking the plunge to go online. The active baby boomers have grown up and become active seniors looking to get out and explore the world around them. The Internet and computers in general, have opened the doors to many avenues of entertainment and excitement for these seniors. No longer are they resigned to the playing of shuffleboard or canasta with their friends for their entertainment.

Now with the aid of computers and the Internet they can play these games and more over online connections with people from all over the world. While learning to use a computer is still one of the biggest challenges to many seniors, many of them, when they learn to use a computer, cannot believe that they were ever worried about it at all.

Some seniors have expressed nervousness when it comes to learning how to use a computer and interact with others over the Internet. They are doubly proud when they cannot only learn to use a computer but can also manage to send emails and use computer programs without any outside help at all.

While some seniors may have had some experience with computers in their past employment, most are learning the basics of computer use for the first time from the ground up. It is quite an ordeal at first for many people who find it all a bit overwhelming. This quickly passes though as they learn the basics very quickly and can see basic results after only a few lessons.

Computer use among seniors has proven to be very beneficial to them in many ways. It gets them active again in something. While using a computer is not the same thing as doing exercise for the body, the use of a computer is a very stimulating way for them to exercise their most important muscle – their brain. By keeping mentally active, many seniors find that they are not lonely any longer and they have much more that they can accomplish with the aid of a computer.

Not only can they use computer programs to help them work on any hobbies they have, but the Internet can also help them to stay in touch with others who share in their hobby. Staying in touch with family and friends by way of email is another great way to help seniors feel connected to the lives of others and to the world around them. By staying in close contact, they find more purpose in their old age.

Some seniors even become competent enough with their computer usage that they can take on part time jobs doing simple data entry for businesses. They can also help to teach other seniors about the benefits of learning to use a computer and the amazing world of the Internet. Many seniors may have only heard about the millions of web sites out there that have so much information that they can access easily.

For many seniors it is like turning on a light that shows them what they have been missing all these years. They become passionate about their search for knowledge with computers and the Internet. The sense of isolation is immediately lifted the very first time they send and receive their initial email message to someone they know. Whether the person is across the country or just across the street, the excitement is the same. They soon learn to feel part of the world again and can take part in many more conversations as their knowledge about computers and the Internet grows.

Being able to reconnect with old friends that they have not talked to for years is a very big deal for these seniors. They can also encourage each other to learn more as they go through many of the same things together while learning about computers and the Internet. Many seniors with hearing problems find it much easier to email someone rather than try and talk to them on the telephone. Seniors who are grandparents find the Internet a great way to stay a part of their grandkids lives.

By sending emails and talking over everyday events, the family grows closer and stays closer as well. By using the Internet, many seniors have found friends with common interests, whether those interests are hobbies or health matters they share, the excitement at being able to message someone and have them chat back to you in nearly real-time is very fun for these seniors.

Terry Detty finds Google Submission Service and Yahoo Submission Service to be very valuable to his firm. In addition to Submission Services, he enjoys reading, walking and biking. His latest interest is a new MSN Submission Service he's been using for his website.

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The Basics Of SEO

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by andy rasikiao

Nowadays, even the smallest company uses the Internet as a main tool in building a customer base, keeping in contact with their clients and this is also their most basic means of advertising.

Designing a company web site is cheap and effective, not to mention essential because the world wide web is the only medium that offers instantaneous information access to millions of users around the globe.

Any web developer worth his salt should know about search engine optimization or SEO.

This is the key towards building an effective web site that would get a lot of hits and visitors. A web site that nobody visits is useless so the challenge lies in leading Internet users to visit your web site.

Thus, your web site need to be "found" when users type in keywords in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, Altavista, AOL and others.

Once a keyword relating to the products or services that you offer is keyed into a search engine, a direct link to your web site should emerge on top of the list.

You should employ search engine optimization techniques to lead traffic your way, and get more hits that would later on lead to more profit for your company, which is your goal in the first place.

Here are some tips on how you can make it to the top of the list of search engines, and use your SEO techniques to benefit your web site and your company:

1. If you have an existing web site and domain, just optimize the one that you currently have instead of purchasing a new domain.

It will take some time before your web site will show up in a particular search engine, like Google, so it better to use the one that you currently have instead of switching to a new one.

2. Know who your target audience is and aim for them.

If you are in the manufacturing industry and a user types in your product in a search engine, then you would immediately have your target right in front of you.

As soon as the user hits the Enter button or clicks on 'Search', then the person will be lead to your web site.

Make sure that your target market will get 'hooked' on your web site. Once the search engines show the link to your web site, their job is done.

What you should do next is to make sure that your visitor will not leave your web site without them trying out your products or services, or at least leaving some pertinent information so that you can contact them in the future for marketing and advertising purposes.

When hitting a particular target market, learn about their interests, location and age to have an idea of what you can offer them in return.

Also, you can somehow link their interests to your products and services.

3. Search for the right keyword.

You should be creative, persistent and flexible when looking for the keyword or keyword phrases to use in optimizing your web site.

Google and Yahoo offer some tools and tips on how you can come up with keywords that will yield results.

Do not settle for just one keyword. You can also vary the words and phrases that you use for each page on your web site so that you can have more hits.

4. Consider your target market when designing your web site.

The design itself would include the general theme of the web site. You should also pay attention to smaller details such as color and font style and size.

Make sure that the web site is user-friendly and do not forget to insert helpful articles, tips, hints and related links that can be shared to other users.

It is a good thing to have an option to send a link or an article to a friend, which will add more users and increase your client base.

There should also be various ways to browse through your web site, to fit each user.

A person might find it to difficult use the scroll down option so you should also provide hyperlinks which are accessible to them.

5. Concentrate on the web site content.

Regularly update the content of your web site so that old and new users can find something new when browsing through your site.

Make the content brief and precise. Writing a content which has more than 600 words will make the users lose interest, since most of them do not actually read but just skim through the text.

Strive to be the best and most comprehensive web site and you will make your mark when it comes to information about the products and services that you offer.

It helps a lot to pay attention to detail, too.

Finally, keeping your web site's content updated is a must.

Spread the word about your web site and use the basic search engine optimization techniques and you will surely gain positive results once users visit your web site.

Tom Rasikiao is the owner of http://www.submited.net SEO blog ,http://www.submited.net/forum webmaster forum and http://www.blogshoster.com blog hosting

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Top 5 Web Design Pet Peeves

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by Lisa Wells

The evolution of web sites over the past ten years has been amazing. What started out as a motley gathering of crassly designed personal sites has evolved into a varied collection of multimedia presentations, dynamic online journals and stylishly designed online brochures.

What hasn't changed, however, is bad web page design.

As a small business owner, it's usually wise to hand over the design of your web site to an expert. After all, your time and energy is best spent attracting and providing service to your clients.

However, the more you know about web design, the more you can guide your web designer towards an end result that fits your needs.

This is YOUR web site, and is the online face of your business. Don't let your web designer make these mistakes on your site – please.

My Top 5 Web Design Pet Peeves:

5. Page Overboard

Your web designer might enjoy showing off his or her mastery of the latest techniques, but that doesn't mean they belong on your site.

Going overboard by adding animation or a "splash page" not only adds to the page loading time, but it can really irritate visitors who just want to see the information they came for.

Irritated visitors equal lost revenue and lost opportunities, so keep your web site clean, simple and easy to navigate.

4. Irrelevant Content

Content Is King when designing your website, and is equally important to both of the major groups who will determine the success of your web site.

The first group is your web site visitors. They've come in search of specific, current and relevant information, and they want it now. If they can't find it, then poof, they're gone!

The second group is the search engines. If the search engines find relevant information on your site, then they'll pass along your site as a source of that information.

To keep your visitors and the search engines happy, a web site requires your ongoing attention. Outdated information sends a message to your visitor that you're not taking care of business. They can easily assume that you also won't take care of them as a customer.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the kind of impression you will make with bad grammar and typos; enough said.

3. Graphic Takeovers

Don't let your web site be taken hostage by your graphics. Whenever you introduce non-text elements to your web design, you reduce the accessibility of your pages, and this creates problems for visitors with special needs.

You may have visitors who are visually impaired and rely on screen readers, or who are still relying on dial-up connections (up to 30% of Internet users).

So to make your web page dial-up friendly and accessible, limit the number of graphics, displaying only those that truly complement your page. Then, make the graphics web-ready by taking these steps:

1. Compress the file to either JPG (for photos) or GIF (for icons, buttons, etc.) format.
2. Crop out any dead space.
3. Resave the image with a resolution of 72 dpi, which is the ideal resolution for web sites.
4. Add appropriate "alt" tags to all graphics so that screen readers can properly "read" the graphics, menus, buttons and text.

2. Graphic Monstrosities

Having large graphics that slow down your page is bad enough. Blinking, scrolling, or animated text is even worse. But using fuzzy, distorted, or unprofessional graphics is the absolute worst offense you can commit on a web site.

This will immediately create the impression that your work is of a low quality – remember, your web site is the online face of your business.

Adding professional graphics doesn't have to be expensive. You can pick up web-ready photos at www.istockphoto.com for a buck!

1. And my NUMBER 1 WEB DESIGN PET PEEVE is -- Keyword Stuffing

There is a very disturbing and unethical web design trend occurring right now. Designers will "stuff" a site with keywords so that it's identified in the most popular keyword searches, WHETHER OR NOT that web site has anything to do with the subject of the search.

Disappointed visitors may spend a couple of minutes at your site trying to find what they were looking for, but the naïve hope that they will then get sidetracked from their search because your site is so interesting is a risky tactic.

More than likely they will click away in frustration and you will have lost their trust forever by misleading them.

Folks, web design is really quite simple. People visit web sites because they need something – information, a product or a service.

When they get to your site, they want quick access to accurate, relevant and up-to-date content that's easy to see and not cluttered by advertisements.

Your web site doesn't have to be the prettiest or have the latest gizmos and cool tricks to get your point across and serve your visitors.

Stick with the basics and if your web designer is pushing you to commit any of these pet peeves, watch out!


Copyright 2006-2008 Lisa Wells. All rights reserved.

Lisa Wells is a Certified e-Marketing Associate who partners with coaches, consultants, entrepreneurs, and small business owners, managing their e-marketing operations and helping them get back to working "on" their business and not "in" it. Move your business to the next level and up your e-marketing game - sign up for her FREE e-course "e-Marketing Toolbox Essentials" at www.emarketingtoolboxessentials.com, where she shares ideas, tips, strategies, and do's and don'ts.

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How To Avoid Being A Spam Target

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by Andreas Stiasny

In the last few years the amount of spam mail has risen extraordinarily. Today the majority of mail messages that are tried to be delivered is spam. Nevertheless the amount of spam that is seen by end users is lower than some time ago because spam filters have evolved and improved their quality. Of course spam filters have disadvantages also. There is always a small risk that you lose messages that are not spam (false positives) and spam filters can be a considerable resource drag.

If there would be a way to avoid handling all these spam messages (or at least most of them) on the mail server, your mail server would require less CPU power, less disk space for log files, less traffic and the chances for false positives would be much lower if you could adjust your spam filter to be less aggressive or even completely avoid the need to use it. There are a number of things you can do to achieve this. These tips only work for a new email address or a new domain. If you already receive lots of spam it is nearly impossible to get out of all the spam databases.

• Hide your email address
  
  Spammers only will be able to send you spam if they know your email address. If you don't need to make your email address public, just give it to your friends and business partners but don't put it on a web site.
  
  
• Make it hard to guess your email address
  
  Address brokers and spammers (or their software) often try to guess email addresses to be able to sell them or send spam to them. Make your address hard to guess. If you own the domain example.com don't use simple addresses like bob@example.com. Use a combination of your first name and your surname or add a number. You might also consider to use a subdomain for mail. Your new address might be something like bobr@mail.example.com.
  
  
• Use a contact form on your web site
  
  To avoid publishing your email address on your web site you can use a contact form. That way your visitors are still able to send you inquiries via your web site but spammers will not be able to harvest your email address. To avoid getting spam via the contact form you can use some form of captcha.
  
  
• If you have to publish your email address make it hard to read for machines
  
  In some countries companies are required to publish their email address on their web site. If you have to do this make it in a way that is hard to read for machines. If you put your email address into a gif image and show that image on your site, customers will be able to see your address but harvesting robots will not. Your visitors will not be able to send you mail by clicking on your email address but will have to write your address into their email client manually.
  
  
• Don't put a bunch of addresses in the Cc field
  
  If you send the same mail to a big number of receivers, don't put all their email addresses in the To or Cc field (especially if some of the receivers don't know some of the others). That way you would give all of the addresses to all of the receivers. It is better to either use the Bcc field or mailing list software. Instruct your mail partners to do the same.
  
  
• Use a different email address for newsletters, shopping sites etc
  
  Of course sometimes you have to give your email address to people you don't know. You might want to subscribe to a newsletter or order something from an online shop. It is advisable to use a second address for these cases so you don't have to use your good address. If you have your own domain you might even consider to use a new email address for every shop or newsletter. If one of these email addresses starts receiving spam you can deactivate it without affecting your other mail contacts.
  
  
• Last but not least - Never buy anything from a spammer
  
  Spamming is done because it is profitable. That's the only reason. If nobody would buy the products advertised in spam mails, spammers would not earn anything and would stop spamming. So the most important individual measure against spam is still and will be forever: Never buy anything from a spammer!
  

Andreas Stiasny runs a small internet service business and has more than 10 years of experience in configuring mail and web servers. For more information about strategies against spam please visit http://reduce-spam.com.

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How to opt for a better web host

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by Vikas SEO

Today, it is not hard to find a web host. It needs a single click on the mouse to find thousands of web hosting service providers, who are locating every nook and corner of the globe. All of them claim to offer the best service at competitive prices. But, not all are worth it. They can offer you several flexibilities but in reality their service may prove to be insufficient for you. Being a responsible buyer, you should not be lured by their claims. Before counting on a web host, you should apply your own mind to get the best service. A few important things that should be taken into consideration while selecting a web host are as follows:

1. Competent system administrator: Before you sign up with a web hosting service provider, make sure it has competent system administrators, who are capable to handle any complexity of web hosting. They should possess sound knowledge on how to fix up a problem and what to do you during a sudden break up.


2. Pay for actual services: Opt for a service package that understand you and is in tune with your business needs. It is meaningless to sign up for an all-inclusive plan if you will not take advantage of all included services. Ask yourself what your site needs most and pay only for your actually needs.

3. Research before you make the final decision: It is important to undertake a meticulous research on your web hosting service provider before you select a plan from him. Ask around, get references. Make sure your web hosting service provider will always respond to your queries and is dedicated to solve every problem.

4. Be cautious: Most payments are made online. Take a print-out of your purchase agreement. Read the details of your web hosting plan. If it is just cutting your pocket, turn your head around other options.

This is a competitive market. You are left with innumerable options to choose from. If one web hosting service provider has not been able to meet your needs, you can always turn head around other options. A reliable web hosting service provider should understand all your needs and you should pay for what you need.

Brainpulse Web Hosting India has been offering professional Web hosting Services to its clients worldwide since 1999 and has a list of satisfied customers to its credit.

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Reasons to Have a Website Redesign

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by John Mahoney

It is quite obvious for an online businessperson to have a website and internet presence to succeed in the business. However, it is important that you periodically check to see if your products or services are easy to access and buy. If they aren't, it could mean that your website is not effective enough, and that it is time to think of a website redesign.


If you have a business where your site has increased in size considerably over the years, you have to find out if the website still meets your needs. The addition of information to the site means you have to consider redesigning of the website for re-organization of data, and perhaps elimination of some information. Sometimes, you may also need to add some multimedia information like audio and video to help improve the effect of your message.


Improved site navigation


Another reason for a website redesign is ineffective site navigation. Sometimes as you add content to the pages, you find that the important information of the site lands up buried in the site and difficult for a surfer to access. With redesigned website, you can arrange website content systematically so that surfers have no problem reaching your content.


If your site requires the latest content on the site, you may have to make a website redesign to get rid of outdated data. You may have to revise spec sheets, change all promotional dates and if required, add some new material every week. Remember that a static looking website creates the impression that you are not serious about your business.


Remember that a well made website design gives any business a corporate identity in the business world. So if you have added new products or have changed the focus of your services, you will have to go into a website redesign to get a new home page design. Only then will you be able to get the depth and breadth of your current business across to your customers.


Use of better technology in the website redesign


Computer technology is changing and improving every other month. So if you had created your website 1-2 years ago, you will most likely need a technology update for your website. This is possible through a website redesign, especially if you had started your website using a very basic site with hard coding of everything.


Whatever the reason for your website redesign, it is better to go into a redesign by doing some prior research. You will have to get some information about the needs and demands of target audience through usability tests, feedback from visitors and online surveys. This way, you will be able to get ideas for a better website redesigning.


Remember that though you will be redesigning your website, don't just scrape away the old website. Keep the old design as a backup folder to be loaded in case the new design fails to generate website traffic. With these thoughts in mind, you may as well have a website redesign done to generate increased traffic and better business for your online business.

John Mahoney is a freelance author who writes about various technology related subjects including web site design . For more information about John visit his website:www.techstore.ie .

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Its Easy to Transfer Funds with Internet Banking

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by Terry Detty

Internet banking offers consumers the ability to transfer funds between their accounts. This is an important service as the world becomes a busier place. There are many places people want to transfer money and many reasons to do so.

People often want to transfer money from one account to another. For instance, they may want to transfer funds from their traditional account to their internet banking account. This could be a means of getting money into the account they normally use to pay bills.

Another use of internet banking to transfer funds is to move money from checking accounts to savings accounts. Money can be transferred from investment accounts as well. Any accounts you have can be accessed through internet banking to do this.

They also may want to transfer money from an account in one location to an account in another. This would be useful for someone who lives a bicoastal existence for example. When they are spending part of the year on the East Coast, they can have their money in an East Coast bank. Then, they put it in the West Coast bank while they live there.

This can be done through internet banking by using a traditional bank with internet banking capabilities. You can send the money to your other account almost instantly by using your keyboard and mouse. In fact, if you do it often and have it set up, you might only need your mouse once you get logged on.

Another reason to use internet banking accounts to transfer funds is to send money to someone else's account. This could be done to help someone in your family. For instance, you might get a call from your daughter, a young adult. She may need money to cover an emergency car repair so that she can get to work. With internet banking funds transfer, you can have the money in her account in no time.

Some people contract jobs from out-of-country workers. These people need some way to send payment to their workers. Internet banking funds transfers allow them to put the workers' paychecks into their accounts without hassle.

Overseas products are often imported by businesses or even, on a smaller scale, by individuals. Internet banking provides a means to carry out these purchases by means of funds transfers.

To transfer money to another of your accounts, you can log onto your internet banking website. There should be a tab for "funds transfer." Click on this and you will be given options. Usually, you will set up the different financial establishments where you have accounts. Then they will be ready if and when you want to transfer funds.

When you want to send money to another person's account, there is usually a different procedure to do this. You may have a different tab to select, such as "pay person." This will help you set up the funds transfer to another person's account through internet banking. In either case, you can set it up for one time only, or for recurring transfers. This is handy if you have an elderly relative on a fixed income that always needs help.

Using internet banking to accomplish funds transfers is an effective way to approach many problems. If you are ever wondering how to get money from one place to another, log on to your internet banking site and check out funds transfer details.

Terry Detty finds Search Engine Submission Services and Website Directory Submission to be very valuable to his firm. In addition to Submission Services, he enjoys reading, walking and biking. His latest interest is a new Yahoo Search Engine Submission he's been using for his website.

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