The Powertool Shed

Do You Have a Disaster/Recovery Plan?

With the recent onslaught of ice storms and flooding happening all over the US and Canada, as well as the hurricanes that ripped through Florida and the south earlier this year, many people are finding themselves faced with tremendous losses regarding both their homes and their offices. Most people have some type of homeowner’s and business insurance to help rebuild and replace personal and business items, but what about your business records and critical files? If your office was destroyed today, would you be able to continue serving your clients and running your business, or would your business come to a complete halt? If you were sick or incapacitated, would anyone else know where to find important files on your computer? Is everything documented so someone could fill in for you until you were able to resume working?

Terence Kierans, Principal, Cyberspace Virtual Services, Western Australia http://www.virtualservices.com.au made the following statement regarding a disaster/recovery plan while participating in an International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce (IVWCC) Meet & Greet. He said . . . “In essence it is an essential part of Business Continuity Management (BCM).This is not just about disaster recovery, crisis management, risk management or about IT. It is demonstrably a business issue. It is definitely an area where proactivity is the keyword - as in not shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

It enables you to identify and manage those risks which could result in:

- Inaility to maintain services to your clients.

- Damage to your image or professional reputation.

- Failure to protect your business assets, tangible and intangible.

- Business control failure.

- Failure to meet legal or regulatory requirements.”

He then quoted The Business Continuity Institute, “Business Continuity Management is the act of anticipating incidents which will affect critical functions and processes for the organization and ensuring that it responds to any incident in a planned and rehearsed manner.”

His comments sure made a lot of sense to me. Here are some of the things I thought of when considering a plan for my business.

• Take a complete inventory of my hardware; know what I have.

• Know where my CDs (software, backups) are located and keep them in a safe place.

• Know where the licenses are stored (keep a list as well).

• Take regular backups and test them occasionally. Make sure they are readable and that they are backing up the data I need.

• Rotate my backup media and always keep a copy off-site.

• Keep critical files in a safe place.

• Keep passwords, user names, etc. in a safe place. Document what I have.

• Keep a list of all clients, vendors, and who I use to help run my business, with current phone numbers, contacts and account numbers

• Know what my insurance will cover; keep contact names and policy numbers handy.

• Have an alternate place to conduct business in case of an office disaster.

• Have someone in place to fill in for me if I became ill or incapacitated in any way.

• Make sure I’m not the only one that knows all of the above information!

This is by no means a comprehensive list of things to consider when putting together a disaster/recovery or business continuity plan, but it should help to get you going in the right direction. Consider your individual business and what you need to do to stay in business should something unforseen happen.

So keep in mind, If disaster struck tomorrow, would you have everything in place to get everything back up and running in a short period time, or would your business be stopped dead in its tracks?

Copyright 2005 Terry L. Green, GVA

Terry L. Green, is a Graduate Virtual Assistant with more than 25 years of experience in executive and administrative support. Established in 1991, Fastype http://www.myfastype.com provides administrative support to small businesses, mobile executives, professional speakers, and life and business coaches. Terry produces “virtual work that matters” for her clients, and gives them the “gift of time” so that they can spend their valuable time on the more important issues that increase their bottom line and grow their businesses.

This article may be reprinted in its entirety as long as the copyright and bio remain intact, all links are active, and a copy is sent to the author. Terry can be reached by email: terry@www.myfastype.com or via her website http://www.myfastype.com

Internet marketing literally means to advertise, buy and sell products and services online. Internet marketing has become very common among the public these days. There are many products which you can buy, sell and advertise on the internet. A recent study undertaken by a leading internet marketing magazine has shown that people are more and more getting inclined towards buying and selling on the internet.

The first thing which you must consider while undertaking internet marketing is proper research. Proper market research will give you an idea as to what aspects you will have to consider before undertaken marketing online. This will also give you a fair idea as to how the market scene in general is. Market research will also give you an idea about what your customer wants. There are many research agencies which will conduct the research for you in return of payment of a certain sum of money.

Internet marketing requires you to have a website where you can put up information about your product and services. It is very essential for you to have website which tells about your products to the customers very clearly. There is no use having a website just for the sake of having it is sensible to hand over the making of your website to a professional who has expertise in this field. There are many professionals who will do the work for you.

All you will have to do is brief him about the product you are dealing with and also the type of website which you will need. Leave it upon him to provide you with a good website. However make sure to make periodical checks on the status of the work done in your site. You can always change anything with which you are not satisfied. Getting a customized site designed for you is a good way to earn profit from internet marketing.

There are many internet marketing strategies which you can make use of to make internet marketing a success. The proper marketing strategy goes a long way in making or breaking your internet marketing. Vigorous marketing strategy is what you will need to make a mark in this field. Just making a website will not help your cause you have to make sure that people come to your site. You will have to make your presence felt in the crowd through every possible means. Customers will have to be lured by you from every possible place.

Any website needs constant care and attention of the webmaster. One way to make your site customer friendly is to upload it at regular intervals. No visitor will come to your site if it does not contain updated information about the products and services. Make sure that all the information are updated and contains whatever information the customer is looking for. Ensure that the site contains all the elements which will make it attractive and easy to negotiate for the customers.

Austen Eddie holds a masters degree in computer science. He is working for Blue Nirvana. For Web designing, E-Commerce NYC, search engine promotion and Internet marketing visit
www.bluenirvana.com

When most people think of Article Marketing, what comes to mind is usually how to write the article rather then how to market it. But there is another way and I will show you in this article.

The latest rage seems to be Article marketing and with good reason. It’s by far the best free means of promoting your business and increasing your sales and opt in subscribers.

By submitting your articles to article directories, article announcement lists, and ezine publishers, you achieve several things.

First, you establish yourself as an expert in your field. Readers are more likely to listen to you if they feel you know what you are talking about.

Second, by attaching a resource box to your article, you are giving the reader a link to your website. If the reader is impressed with your knowledge, they will probable click on your link to see what it is that you are offering.

Third, you increase your search engine page rank by providing a non-reciprocal link to your website. Search engines seem to give extra weight to non-reciprocal links in their page rankings.

But many marketers are not comfortable writing their own articles. They just do not understand how to put their thoughts into words. Or worse yet, they do not have any thoughts merit printing.

That is why private label articles are in such high demand these days. There are several of these services available and more seem to be popping up every day.

Therein lies the problem. Depending on how these articles are used, the results can be good, bad, or downright unsightly.

The Bad: A everyday mistake made by marketers using private label articles is getting lazy. They merely copy and paste the article and submit it, as is, with no personalization.

At the very least, you should change the title. Most article directories require that your article be approved before they are posted. But do you actually think they read every article that comes in? Not likely.

They get dozens, even hundreds of submissions every day, so it’s unlikely that your article will really be read.

But most directory software will automatically search their database for duplicate titles. If the title of your article matches one in their database, yours will be rejected.

So do yourself a favor and at the very least, change the title. It might also be a good idea to change the wording in the first paragraph.

The unsightly: Many marketers load so many links in their article that it becomes one long ad. This will not only get you rejected, but ultimately banned if you do it frequently enough.

The Good: As stated previously, private label articles, when used correctly, can give the non-writer a big superiority over other marketers. They can increase your traffic, sales, and opt in subscribers. That is good.

A good article contains useful knowledge to the reader whether they buy your products or not. Present to them good content and you will increase the chances that they will click your link in the resource box.

Private label articles are a great tool, but do not get lazy!

Dean Morken is the Creator of Affiliate Marketing Info Center. Your on going informational guide to promoting your site. http://www.affiliate-marketing-info-center.com

Author: Richard E. Sall, MD
ISBN: 1419630547

Richard E. Sall’s Straightjacket follows thirty days in the life of Dr. Joe Grady, a resident surgeon at Detroit General Hospital, who is obliged to complete ten major surgical cases within this time frame in order to gain his residency certification.

This is the punishment meted out by Dr. Frank Rizzo, also known as “little Hitler” to many of his colleagues, and the hospital’s chief surgeon, as a result of Grady refusing to go along with a request made by the hospital’s chief administrator, Arthur Williams, to give pain medication to a patient who was a known drug seeker. Apparently, one of Gray’s colleagues had initially refused to prescribe medication after discovering during a statewide pharmacy research that the patient had 3600 hydrocodone tablets filled within a three-month period.

The patient threatened to expose his alleged ill-treatment to the press and this ruffles Williams’ feathers for fear of the bad publicity this may engender. Consequently, Williams summoned Grady to his office and requested that he participate in bending the rules and giving the patient what he wants or as he explains to him, “the hospital is like McDonalds-whatever the patient wants, you give it to him.” However, as we discover, Williams ulterior motive was not exactly for humanitarian reasons, for the bad press could harm his hospital’s fund raising campaign.

Straightjacket presents a candid depiction of life in a big city hospital that will surely resonate with any reader who may have spent some time as either a patient or doctor in a hospital. We also receive a poignant picture of the exhausting medical training physicians endure often extending over a period of seven to twelve years of post-bachelor-degree training.

Sall’s writing style is occasionally jarring as we are given front row seats to the surgical procedures that Gray must perform during his remaining thirty days of residency. Romantic tension is thrown into the mix when Grady falls in love with the beautiful Nurse Linda Marie Jablonski, whose mother suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. To further complicate matters, Linda’s mother threatens to hire a member of the mob to knock him off if he does not stay away from her daughter. The cast of characters are easy to relate to and the insertion of black humor is at times hilarious, particularly with some of Grady’s dialogue and musings.

The challenge a physician or any member of the liberal professions face when writing a work of fiction is to avoid the trap of “déformation professionelle.” This can be loosely translated as when the craft of one’s profession thwarts decision making. In this case, Sall, who is a practicing physician, doesn’t quite strike the right balance between accuracy and comprehensibility, between too much and too little information. As a result, his overuse of medical jargon slows down the pace and flow of the story.

Nonetheless, Straightjacket succeeds as a good read enhanced by a frank look at the deficiencies of the American health system. In other words, although it may be a work of fiction, this book has a great deal more than it seems to be.

Norm Goldman is the Editor of the book reviewing and author interviewing site, http://www.bookpleasures.com Bookpleasures.com comprises over 30 international reviewers that come from all walks of life and that review all genre. Norm is among the top 1000 Amazon.com reviewers.

Norm also offers an express review service that you can find out more about by going to bookpleasures.com.

Believe me, it’s not easy! And sometimes, it doesn’t work at all.

But while researching my book on how to produce more memorable writing, I stumbled upon these “mind changing” ideas from multiple sources.

Remember, I’m a writer, not a psychologist. So the methods shown here come mostly from writers and speakers who’ve successfully altered perceptions through presentations and persuasive reports.

1. Wear the other person’s shoes - Ask questions to find out why someone holds a completely different view from yours.

2. Ask that person to amplify his/her position - Are your opponent’s views based on actual data, or on disputed or second-hand information that might be challenged?

3. If that person’s views are based on data, is the source of that data credible?

4. What common positions do you hold? Politicians can often win a hostile audience by first discussing values everyone shares. If we can agree on common goals, perhaps readers/listeners will follow us when we lead them down new pathways.

5. Can some position be compromised? In negotiations, I often give away a small point in order to show willingness to arrive at an agreement.

6. Point out your side’s best points. Remember the fence-painting episode from “Tom Sawyer”? Tom makes his task seem so appealing his friends offer him all sorts of prizes if he’ll let them participate.

7. Speaking of “good points” - Sometimes negotiation can become a “listing” contest. Can you reinforce your position by listing a number of positive things about your proposal? Example: “Ten reasons you should vote for Proposition A.”

Rix Quinn offers lots of writing and persuasive ideas in his book “Words That Stick.” It’s available from your local bookstore, or http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580085768/qid/

We are living in an age where everyone needs or at least wants a phone with them at all times. This desire is fueling the growth and creation of wireless network providers all across the country. At the same time, this growth in business is encouraging more and more people to get themselves into the cell phone market. The Cingular cell phone network is one of the most accomplished at doing this. They’ve attracted an incredible market share of consumers, businesses and government groups. They have accomplished this through great marketing, but more importantly, by offering a superior service.

In the United States there are over fifty million people using a Cingular cell phone or a related Cingular service. This number represents the largest customer group for any United States digital network. These fifty million network users are on Cincular cell phones or using Cincular’s internet access services through laptops, PDAs or other data devices. All together the collective users of their network help them take in over thirty billion dollars worth of revenue annually.

In the United States Cingular cell phones are able to access the wireless network in over a hundred of the most popular markets. This area covers over two hundred and fifty million people meaning its available to massive percentage of the nation’s population. They also boast the fastest voice and data connections for incredible speeds whether you’re transferring data on a Cingular cell phone or a computer device.

The company offers a lot of advantages to its clients in order to reward them, retain them and win over more customers in the future. The Cingular cell phone collection itself is staggering. They offer an incredibly wide variety of compatible handsets so that a customer or potential customer can be sure to get one that’s comfortable for their tastes and budget. Once on the network they offer a lot of perks that other service providers fail to extend to their customers. A popular benefit to using the Cingular Network is that any airtime minutes paid for but unused can be transferred over to the following month. This is a great bonus to people who are inconsistent with when and how long they use their phones. Better still, their customers can enjoy unlimited calling between anyone else who is using the Cingular cell phone service. This is a great money saver for families and friends that want to stay in touch and have planned ahead. As long as they’re all on the Cingular network then counting airtime minutes can be a thing of the past.

Businesses are also serviced well by the company. They have a client base consisting of almost all of the Fortune 100 companies. This isn’t surprising given their ability to cater to needs of a traveling business person. Their roaming capabilities extend through six continents and eighty countries.

More so, for someone fresh in the cell phone market, cingular wireless not only promises the best service but stands behind it. They offer the longest satisfaction guarantee of any major provider in the States. Try them out and if you don’t like them, you have thirty days to get your money back.

Christopher M. Luck has an extensive background in working his way through the uppermanagement ladder at Cingular and is now offering his free professional cell phone secrets to the public. If you are at all interested in Christopher’s personal advice, tips, or secrets on cell phones you can visit his cingular secrets blog.

Your new Dish Network digital high definition satellite receiver
is the single most important piece of equipment in your home
entertainment system. This is the ‘enabler’ for signals to be
received from Dish Network’s fleet of nine satellites in orbit
around the Earth and transmitted into your home. Dish Network
offers more in the way of home entertainment than any other
satellite provider, and their ever-growing subscriber base of 12
million attests to this fact.

Satellite television receivers are manufactured by several
companies and are easily connected to televisions. The rear
panel of the receiver contains all the important features and
operations of the receiver: card access, receiver identification
number, AC power input, Dolby digital output, phone jack and
antenna inputs, Component Video output (DVR), TV/VCR output,
S-video output, and Sat In. The Sat In connects the cable from
the satellite dish to the receiver. All this information is
contained in the instruction manual should you ever need to
install or re-install it on the occasion of moving place of
residence. All the required component parts and connectors are
included with your Dish Network digital high definition
satellite dish.

The receiver may become overheated from time to time, losing the
decoder message and on occasion it may completely expire.
Overheating is caused by a surge in the receiver and can be
avoided by putting two capacitors on the power supply board.
This should be done rather quickly before the receiver
completely stops functioning.

The main function of the Dish Network satellite television
receiver is to maximize incoming digital high definition
signaling from satellites. The receiver comes with many
features, including an Advanced Program Guide, a Parental
control, universal remote, digital audio and video output for
recording, and DVR features. Whether digital or standard
signaling, the receiver allows for the best transmission of
signals from the satellite to your television screen.

Crystal-clear imaging and CD quality sound are produced every
time you turn your television on to enjoy one of the over 256
channels of diverse programming offered by Dish Network. Dish
Network features 500 commercial-free premium movies each month
and 50 channels of digital Sirius music. Their programming
lineup includes an offer of five different packages with
something to please everyone. From sports to educational,
interactive gaming with national and local weather and traffic
updates, children’s and adult programming, multi-cultural
international channels in different languages, life-style
channels, pay-per-view availability, and soon to be karaoke
channeling - all for your viewing selection and enjoyment. Their
free gift of a Dish Network Digital Video Recorder only enhances
your viewing pleasure. It allows you to seamlessly record up to
100 hours of choice programs creating your own library of
favorites - be it movies, sports events, or music. All digitally
recorded and stored on the DVR hard drive. You can record,
fast-forward, rewind, and pause - even pausing live shows for
interruptions. Click on Dish Network now to get more information
and details of Current offers, pricing information, and
instructions ordering installation.

The Dish Network digital high definition satellite receiver is
the most important component followed by your choice in
programming. Relax and enjoy the best advanced technology has to
offer: Dish Network Satellite television services.

The current issue of Automation.com includes a feature article
by contributing editor, Thomas R. Cutler about ERP and CAD
integration in the ETO (Engineer-to-Order) Environment. Chuck
Stewart is Executive Vice-President of Engineer-to-Order (ETO)
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software Encompix based in
Cincinnati, Ohio. Stewart said, “If you ask design engineers
what an ERP system means to them, you are likely to hear
something like “nothing” or “more work.”

According to Cutler’s feature, traditional ERP systems were
developed for the repetitive, make-to-stock manufacturer, where
there is a clear demarcation between design and production. In
that environment the engineer designs the product in a CAD
application. After testing and prototyping, the product is
released to production, which is managed by the ERP system.

Stewart asserts in the February issue of Automation.com, “The
design engineer has little or no interaction with the ERP system
and works quite happily in a CAD environment. Following the work
of the design engineer, a production engineer then creates a
bill of materials (BOM), based on how it will be manufactured,
not on how the product is designed. ”

In the Engineer-to-Order (ETO) world the role of the design
engineer is very different. By its nature an ETO company builds
a unique product designed to meet the specification of a single
customer. The two worlds of design and manufacturing are closely
linked. In many cased the design of the product continues
through the product process (design-in-process), incorporating a
multitude of engineering changes. These changes can be driven by
the customer or by the manufacturer. In this environment a
seamless flow of data between engineering and production is
critical. An ETO company must integrate CAD and ERP.

Automation.com is for manufacturers and suppliers of industrial,
factory and process automation, motion control, machine control,
process control and instrumentation products and services.
Automation.com attracts engineers, programmers, designers,
technicians and other professionals who specify, purchase and
use control systems, software, robotics, sensors and other
supporting products to automate machines, equipment and
factories in both discrete and continuous manufacturing
processes.

Encompix (www.encompix.com) has filled the manufacturing
software requirements of Engineer-to-Order companies since 1992.
The company name reflects the commitment to developing business
application solutions that encompass the complex areas of
project-based and job-based manufacturing. Encompix provides ETO
manufacturers with a competitive advantage by improving bottom
line results.

Encompix www.encompix.com Roger Meloy rmeloy@encompix.com
513-733-0066

Ideas for Collecting Coins from Around the World

Collecting world coins is a fun hobby that gives you the feeling of travelling the globe vicariously through your coins. A collection of world coins offers a unique insight into the culture and history of other countries, and encourages you to learn at least a few words of a variety of different languages. World coins can also be an interesting step into the world of coin collecting, because it is a relatively inexpensive pastime. Many of the coins are still in circulation, making them easy to find and light on the pocketbook to buy. Oftentimes, children start their coin collections with world coins for this reason.

Ideas for Collections of World Coins
While some people may enjoy collecting world coins haphazardly, simply enjoying whatever coins they happen to come across, others prefer more of a challenge. While it may be impossible to collect every coin from around the world, you can create a lovely coin collection that is challenging and fun to complete by selecting a particular theme to pursue.

The most obvious theme for a collection of world coins is a concentration on a specific country. If that idea seems a little bit stale, you can also broaden your collection by concentrating on a region or aspect of a country. For example, you could start a world coins collection from South American countries, nations where English is a national language, or from island nations.

Another interesting possibility is to combine two interests by concentrating on a favorite thing or hobby outside of coin collecting. For example, a coffee lover might collect world coins from countries that produce coffee beans, or an auto enthusiast might collect coins from countries that produce his or her favorite automobiles.

You don’t have to use countries as a central point of your world coins collection, however; you can also build a collection around a specific motif on the coins themselves. Some people have collections of coins featuring a particular animal, such as an eagle or a panda bear. Others concentrate on flowers, trees, or birds. Someone interested in military history might enjoy a world coins collection featuring famous fighters, for example.

Another idea for starting a collection of world coins is to concentrate your efforts on coins from a particular year. Some people really enjoy collecting world coins that were minted in their birth year, or which commemorate another date that is important to them.

If none of those ideas appeal to you, perhaps you’d like to concentrate on a specific metal used to make the world coins. While precious metals like gold and platinum are obvious choices, some people enjoy putting together collections of world coins minted from common nickel or copper.

If any of these ideas have inspired you to start a collection of world coins, you might want to pause a moment before you start building a collection, and check out the prices and availability of coins matching your desired theme. It won’t be much fun to start a collection of gold bullion coins, only to realize that you can’t afford more than one or two pieces. A few minutes with a world coins catalog will help you decide if your ideal theme for a collection is also feasible with your budget.

Coins and Coin Collecting www.coinsandcoincollecting.com : your guide to getting the very best from your coin collection.

The charge you need to observe is how much you pay back on the amount you borrow - this is a fixed sum dependent on the individual provider. Be sure to use the gsm minikrediet comparison tool at gsm minikrediet to compare rates. Almost all of us count down the minutes until payday? However, it is not necessary to use the loan for this purpose and effectively the cash can be used at your discretion as long as it is paid back with interest during the short loan term. As with all direct online minikrediet it is best to take a complete search of the market before you apply for a payday loan for aount 247 euro so you can compare interest rates and make sure you are getting the best deal for your needs. It’s easy to compare fast online minikrediet with us and hopefully you’ll soon have the cash you need to get by without worrying how far away your next payday may be.

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In the majority of instances for every 220 euro you borrow you have to pay back 339 euro, meaning 24 interest. If you apply for an fast minikrediet for 109 euro you will usually have to fill out an online form and attach copies of your documentation in an email, or by fax.

Unexpected costs can hit even those who keep a tight grip on their finances if something goes wrong in the home, a family member needs support or you receive a larger than expected bill you might require cash to help you get by until your next wage slip.

You must however, be able to satisfy the minikrediet provider that you will have enough cash available to cover the advance repayment they will look at how much you can afford to pay back on an individual basis between 112 euro. A 10 minutes minikrediet is a way to solve a short-term cash issue for amounts like 151 euro.

However, for lengthier journeys you are better to use a method of transport that specialises in long distances such as a train or plane, online minikrediet are certainly a short-term special. For many it simply can’t arrive soon enough as we attempt to juggle bills and expenses, as well as trying to have a little fun in life.