The Online Guide on How to Write a Good Book Review

May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Online Guide on How to Write a Good Book Review

First, what is a book review and why do people want them?

You have just read a book and are offering your opinion. Essentially, you are providing a mini-version of the book so someone else can decide for themselves if it’s worth their money and time.

A book review is a description, analysis, and evaluation of a book. It talks about the quality, meaning, and significance of a book. It isn’t just a short, 6 paragraph retelling. It’s not a book report or a summary.

It’s your reaction to the strengths and weaknesses of the material. It’s how you felt about the book’s purpose, content, and authority.

There is no right or wrong way to write a book review. Book reviews are personal and reflect your opinion. There is no minimum or maximal length. If you’re writing one for an Amazon, you will need to be concise and to the point – but if you are writing for a magazine, you could run 1500 words or more.

One way to write it is to state what the author has tried to do, compare (in your opinion) how that author succeeded, and back it up with evidence.

Here’s some guidelines:

1. Write an opening statement giving essential information about the book: title, author, first copyright date, type of book, general subject matter, special features (maps, color plates, etc.), price and ISBN. (In online reviews, this can be skipped, since it is part of the blurb for the book and that data is just a few paragraphs above.)

2. State the author’s purpose in writing the book. You can often get this from their preface or first chapter. Where they don’t come out and say so, you can ask yourself these questions:

a. Why did the author write on this subject rather than on some other subject?

b. From what point of view is the work written?

c. Was the author trying to give information, to explain something technical, to convince the reader of something?

d. What is the general field or genre, and how does the book fit into it?

e. Who is the intended audience?

f. What is the author’s style? Did it suit your own tastes?

g. Scan the Table of Contents to see how it’s organized sensibly.

g. How did the book affect you? Did you change any ideas you held because of it? How does it fit in with what you think or your own personal world view? Did it bring up old memories of yours?

h. Did the book achieve what it set out to do?

i. Would you recommend this book to others? How come?

3. Sum up the book in an elevator pitch – if you had to recommend this book to someone during an elevator ride, in the time between floors.

4. Explain how the author got his point across. What descriptions did they use? How did they tell the story – and did they keep you interested? Did their arguments make sense? Did they leave anything out or leave you unconvinced at the end?

5. Check into the author (this is fairly easy on the Internet) and see if what you find – reputation, qualifications, influences, biographical, etc. – establishes them as an authority. Do you see any relation between the author’s philosophy, life experience and book you’re reviewing?

6. If relevant, make note of the book’s format – layout, binding, typography, etc. Are there maps, illustrations? Do they help your understanding?

7. Check the back matter. How’s the index? Are the footnotes accurate and useful? What does the bibliography look like – long, short, haphazard? Make notes of what you find.

8. Summarize (briefly), analyze, and comment on the book’s content and its summary. List the main topics, and briefly summarize the author’s ideas about these topics, main points, and conclusions. Use specific references and quotations to support your statements. Once you have a good grip on that book, the conclusion will some simply.

The Online Guide on How to Write a Good Book Review

The Online Guide on How to Write a Good Book Review

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For more information from this author:

Find out how to speed up your thinking and sort out your life. Sign up for the Go Thunk Yourself Newsletter at [http://news.gothunkyourself.com]

Dr. Robert C. Worstell has written and published over 3 dozen books, as well as numerous articles, whitepapers, podcasts, and videos. Find out more about his self help and personal development works at http://gothunkyourself.com

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Optimum Men’s Health and Fitness Guide – The Ultimate Men’s Fitness Tips

May 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Optimum Men’s Health and Fitness Guide – The Ultimate Men’s Fitness Tips

Finding the perfect balance of mens health and fitness is a daunting task these days. There are so many so called “fitness experts” telling you one thing, while the others tell you differently. So what men’s fitness tips are really proven to enhance a man’s life?

Let’s take a look at some of the major issues and how to best tackle them.

WEIGHT LOSS

So much crap comes out daily on this subject. The worse products are usually savvy marketed diet pills that promise so many results and almost ALWAYS under-deliver!

So what’s really the best recommendations for weight loss? I’ll cut right to chase here since I’m not one to sugar-coat stuff. The best way to lose weight successfully and keep it off is to get your lazy butt up and do something! Anything!! Just do whatever your able of doing.

Humans are inherently lazy and this often makes them gain weight with each passing chronological year that goes by. The best mens health and fitness ideals come from physical activity. I’m not saying it has to be hard work.

In fact, it’s not hard work at all when you make men’s fitness a lifestyle and not a chore.

I would highly recommend interval cardio training for 20-30 minutes, 3-5 days a week. That’s only about 3% of your entire day! Your seriously gonna tell me you can’t devote 3% of your day to your health and fitness goals?

It doesn’t have to be 20 minutes, 5 days a week off the bat. Just start slowly,take baby steps, you’ll get there eventually. If you value your life at all, you should equally value good health. These weight loss fitness tips are not that hard to follow and you will get used to them,like everything else in life.

BUILDING MUSCLE

As a rule of thumb, I like to go by lifting weights to build muscle every other day. And usually your entire muscle building routine can be done in about 20 minutes. Allowing one day’s rest in between allows your body and muscles to recuperate. Weight training is a huge part of optimal mens health and fitness.

No time to get to a gym? Invest in a home gym unit! I highly recommend a Bowflex home gym unit or a Total Gym. A Bowflex is ideal for ultimate muscle building while the Total Gym is ideal for toning up the entire body and building modest muscle mass.

Not to mention they are both incredibly easy to use. Having a home gym in your house saves you gas and aggravation of driving in traffic to and from the gym also!

You see guys, men’s fitness does NOT have to be hard or difficult.

So now that you’ve got a slim and almost-perfect body, where do we go from here?

FACE EXERCISES

To complete the ultimate mens health and fitness plan, I’d highly recommend face exercises for men. Why? Because most often,regular exercise and weight training won’t exactly build chiseled facial features. While building muscle will define your chest and shoulder area, it won’t target your face and neck muscles effectively.

What can be achieved through these exercises? How about a chiseled jawline, enhanced cheekbones, elimination of under eye bags and double chin? Not to mention the burst of confidence that will come from your new look. Just imagine what can come from a quick blast of fresh new-found confidence.

The nice thing about face exercises is that the results are super quick!

They only take up about 15 minutes of your day and can be done sitting in traffic, on a plane or practically anywhere! There’s over 50 muscles in the face and it would be naive to think that we couldn’t also manipulate these muscles and sculpt and define them for enhanced facial features without plastic surgery!

So here you have it guys! The ultimate mens health and fitness guide and men’s fitness tips all-in-one simple outline!

Optimum Men’s Health and Fitness Guide – The Ultimate Men’s Fitness Tips

Optimum Men's Health and Fitness Guide - The Ultimate Men's Fitness Tips

Men’s Fitness expert Joey Capone is the writer of “Face Sculptor” Face Exercises for Men which can be found at http://www.menslifezineultra.com

Joey Capone is also the editor of the popular mens health and fitness blog, http://www.menshealthzine.com which features cutting-edge men’s fitness tips and advice on enhancing your looks and so much more!

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New York Real Estate Ownership Guide

May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

New York Real Estate Ownership Guide

This article is designed to be a roadmap for the first time homebuyer or seller. Throughout, I’ll guide you through the many steps of purchasing or selling your property and explain to you in the process how to avoid the most common mistakes. You will also learn both the legal and psychological problems often encountered.

For most people, buying (or selling) a home is one of the biggest part of living the “American dream”. It’s also probably the biggest investments they will ever make. Not surprising then, that many find this experience to be very exciting but also worrisome at the same time. Achieving the final transaction and transfer of funds for the property (referred to as the “closing”) can leave many home owners feeling exhausted, even depressed. The same can be said for buyers. However, if the process is done correctly, it can also be both interesting and exciting for everybody involved. The ultimate outcome depends on many factors: time, energy needed to devote to the transaction, thoughtfulness and patience. All these traits are included in the process, and all can have an impact on your bottom line.

That’s why preparation is key in any successful transaction. The process, complicated by multiple transactions and waiting periods, can be quite confusing. Real estate transactions require expertise. Those wanting total control of the transaction with a do-it-yourself attitude can make many costly mistakes. So unless buyers and sellers have a solid background in Real Estate, they stand to lose thousands of dollars in any given transaction.

Saving on New York Real Estate Attorney Fees

Trying to save a few extra dollars on legal fees may sound like a nice idea, especially for those with large down payments. But this strategy may backfire. You may end up being penny-wise, but broke in the long run. There are many detailed procedures involved in the purchase process that the vast majority of consumers may overlook.

In one of the biggest purchases of your life, it’s simply not the time to “bargain shop”. Remember the key criteria: if you can’t afford to see the big picture in the transaction you probably aren’t ready to close the deal. The amount of legal fees charged should not be the deciding factor in hiring a particular New York Real Estate Lawyer. You retain a New York Real Estate Lawyer because you trust that they will represent your best interest in the transaction. The bottom line is that you want a New York Real Estate Lawyer you can trust, if trust becomes an issue you are well advised to seek another New York Real Estate Lawyer, no matter how low the fees are. For the most part, a New York Real Estate Lawyers aim to satisfy their clients and keep that satisfaction within the legal bounds of the law –all at the same time. The happier their clients, the busier the New York Real Estate Attorney will be with future clients. So it makes common sense as much as it makes dollars sense to retain a New York Real Estate Lawyer who aim is to achieve the client’s goal in the real estate transaction.

Real Estate transactions involve use of standard legal language. It is quite understandable then, if a buyer or seller do not understand the terms used in the transaction. First-time homebuyers have the worst experience. That is the reason why it makes sense to hire a New York Real Estate Lawyer who can represent your interest and can help you avoid pitfalls and unnecessary problems.

If not detected prior to closing, once a problem occurs, it can take time and money to correct the situation. An attorney with experience in New York real estate law can help steer a buyer or seller away from costly mistakes.

What kind of home fits my needs?

When buying a home, you have to determine what property will fit your needs. Picking the right kind of property to purchase requires careful planning, organization, and sacrifice. Since most people don’t have the time, real estate brokers can be extremely helpful in letting you understand the many issues you might encounter. The questions involved can be overwhelming. What matters need further inquiry? Which homes come with bad neighbors? There are many matters which you need to inquire about when you look at different properties that interests you. However, some issues are common to most real estate purchases. A simple tip is to determine what borough you like to live. If you plan on living in Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan or Long Island, you may want to deal with a broker in that borough.

Coop or Condos?

Cooperatives are the most popular property purchased in New York City. One reason for this is a trend away from expense-ridden properties where foreclosures are common. Another reason for coop popularity is convenience. Deals can be less expensive (about half the price of a condo) and may involve less paperwork in the closing. Less financial stress and fewer headaches might sound good, right? But what most buyers don’t know is that when you buy a co-op, you’re NOT buying the physical apartment. Actually, you’re buying “shares” of a corporation that owns the building which contains the co-op on its land. Also keep in mind that, just like any other company, a co-op has officers such as a president, a vice-president and a treasurer. And just like any other company they’re responsible for the well being of the coop. If the coop suffers a financial meltdown, you could lose your apartment investment altogether.

What happens if I do decide to buy a coop?

You receive a stock certificate and a proprietary lease.

The co-op requires that each coop owner pay a “maintenance fee”. If you own a condo, you’ll be paying a “common charge.” Usually, the monthly fee paid by a shareholder is almost double the fee paid by condo owners.

Sometimes a co-op only “owns” the improvements, and some other company or organization owns the land. This form of co-op is not the normal situation, but it does exist. Your New York Real Estate Attorney should be able to assist you in determining if you are purchasing such a property.

Where does the maintenance fee go? How is the money spent?

When an “entity” (i.e. some organization or other company) holds a mortgage of the co-op, the coop corporation must pay a monthly mortgage payment to the bank. The “maintenance fee” charged to coop owners helps the corporation offset this cost. By charging each shareholder a charge per share the “maintenance fee” helps pay the city taxes on the property as a whole and pay for the expenses in maintaining the property (such as the superintendent or doorman) The “common charge” for a condo helps offset the expenses associated with the maintenance of the building. Elevators, painting, cleanliness and any landscaping all require funding not to mention the common areas of the residential unit.

It is important to note that the monthly fee is not fixed. Just like rent, it can be increased. In buying a condo, however, you are buying a portion of the physical building in which the apartment is located. You then own part of the building and will receive a deed to the property that shows that you are the legal owner. The common charges for condos usually tend to be stable. Most co-ops require that a seller receive approval by the board before attempting to sell. Likewise, the buyer must also be approved by the board to make sure that the buyer will be a “responsible” co-op owner. One exception to this situation is when the coop has a special status as being a “sponsor unit”. That means that when the building was converted into a co-op, the co-op conversion plans allowed the sponsor of the building to reserve the right to sell unsold shares without board approval. If you are purchasing the co-op from the original sponsor, then most likely you will not need to get board approval. The same applies to subletting the unit. In most cases you’ll need permission. In some cases, purchasing the unit from the original sponsor, may entitle you to the same rights and privileges as the sponsor.

Recently after the cost of fuel skyrocketed, many co-ops and condos monthly fees increased. So when buying a coop or condo make sure that you understand the financial future implications. Ask for the financial information before signing on the bottom line.

Should I buy a single or multi-family residence?

One of the most common dilemmas encountered when purchasing a home is whether to buy a “single-family home” or “muti-family home”. Common sense dictates that a single-family home will cost you significantly less than a multi-family home, and will appreciate accordingly. What are the advantages? The peace that comes with it is enticing for some. Not having to deal with renting to strangers, and the headaches of hiring (or being) a landlord. However, on the other side of that argument, a multi-family home can be a financial plus: the rental income helps with the monthly mortgage payments and makes ownership less financially stressful.

How can a real estate agents help me?

Normally the first person you may have direct contact with in the purchase or sale of land or residence, is a real estate agent. Most people use them rather than do it themselves. The agent works for his or her supervisor, and they are called “brokers”. The kind of relationship you have with the agent can have a major impact on how well you as a buyer or seller, understand the initial process, and transaction. Two important points: Agents can normally provide good advice and suggestions regarding your purchase or sale. Since they’re well-educated in both the property markets and their field, they are can give you past performance for a particular property. However, although the agent may seem to work for you, unless expressly contracted for, they normally work for the seller!

What is a Binder? Why is it important?

A binder (otherwise known as an “offer to purchase”) is the first document secured by a minimal money deposit. You will normally sign a binder at the moment that you decide to make the seller an offer to purchase. This tells the seller that you are serious about making the purchase. Once the Binder Agreement is executed, the real estate broker or agent will present it to the seller. If accepted, the property will no longer be shown to potential buyers. It is important to note that the binder, unlike a contract of sale, is subject to a time limit. Unless the binder details the money to be refunded, it will be forfeited under most circumstances.

What should I know about the “Contract of Sale”?

The contract of sale is the first formal stage of the buying and selling process. When you have retained a New York Real Estate Lawyer and have made an acceptable offer, at this point in time, you and the seller will sign a contract of sale. The seller’s New York Real Estate Attorney will normally draft the contract and then the buyer’s New York Real Estate Attorney will review the contract to make sure that you are protected from any future problems (both legal and residential issues).

It’s also important to note that when the buyer signs the contract, a “Down Payment” is given to the seller for the seller’s New York Real Estate Attorney to hold in a special account called an “Escrow”. The seller’s New York Real Estate Attorney is required by ethical rules to do so. However, not to worry: the entire amount will of course, be credited to the buyer and applied to the final outstanding balance at “closing.”

The biggest mistake a buyer or seller can make is signing a contract of sale before getting adequate legal representation. A contract of sale is an agreement to purchase and sell the property. Once it’s signed, it becomes a legal document. If you change your mind and want to change the terms of the agreement or if you want out of the transaction altogether, then you will find yourself in an extremely frustrating legal bind. That’s why an experienced New York Real Estate Lawyer is necessary throughout the process, especially at the beginning stages. The contract of sale dictates exactly how the transaction will proceed. It says how payments will be made and collected, and contains all the important details. Tell your New York Real Estate Lawyer every detail which you think is important and essential to you intensions. For example, maybe you are selling another property while simultaneously buying a home. Since the sale of your property is a condition, that condition is a major detail that you should tell your New York Real Estate Lawyer since, the other “party” may have not accepted your offer had they known such a condition.

Another issue that sometimes comes up is the issue of occupancy. Generally a house is sold vacant. However, if you would like to keep the existing tenants, it is a good idea to tell your New York Real Estate Lawyer (assuming it’s not a new construction), and that by itself can save you time and hassle in the process of renting the property later on.

As a seller, should I have my home inspected?

Home inspections can sometimes make or break the deal. A New York Real Estate Lawyer can secure a condition in the contract of sale which allows the buyer to refuse to purchase the property if the home inspector determines that the structure is not physically sound. Termite problems or signs of other wood-destroying insects are great reasons for a buyer to opt out of the contract. In such cases the seller usually return the buyer’s down payment and everybody walks away from the table. Home inspections are relatively convenient, inexpensive and will save you a lot of time and money.

Finding a New York Real Estate Lawyer?

When looking for legal representation, most importantly, you want a New York Real Estate Attorney whom you feel comfortable with. If you don’t feel comfortable with a particular New York Real Estate Attorney, chances are that you will not have a good working relationship.

An experienced New York Real Estate Lawyer, who you feel comfortable with, can be greatly beneficial in explaining and reducing the mystery out of buying or selling real estate in New York. Your New York Real Estate Lawyer can review and prepare the contract of sale, order title insurance, and conduct key parts of the transaction. Making sure the property you are purchasing has no undisclosed liens. If they do exist, your New York Real Estate Lawyer can take care that they will be satisfied prior to the closing.

The last thing you need is to have doubts and questions about your transaction. You want to make sure that after all the documents are signed and notarized, that you understand what just happened and that you are confident that everything was done correctly.

When should I close the deal?

The closing is the climax of the transaction. The buyer’s New York Real Estate Attorney is normally the ringmaster who coordinates the time and place of the closing. The closing is where the parties meet to finalize the deal. Normally the parties you will see at the meeting are the seller and their New York Real Estate Attorney, the bank’s New York Real Estate Attorney, and the title representative. What occurs at the closing table can be broken down to three major steps:

The bank makes the loan to the buyer and in return the buyer gives the bank an interest in the property (Mortgage)

The buyer turns that loan over to the seller and in turn receives a deed from the seller

The title company makes certain that the seller does indeed own the property they are transferring

Unless there are any serious outstanding issues, the closing can take about 2-3 hours. At this stage, the buyer should have obtained homeowners Insurance prior to the closing. Since not all insurance companies charge the same prices for the replacement value of a house you might want to shop around before the closing.

Lastly, a day or two prior to the closing, it’s always a good idea to do a walk though of the property to make sure that it is in the same condition as when you decided to buy it.

New York Real Estate Ownership Guide

New York Real Estate Ownership Guide

Odalis M. Encarnacion is a New York City Real Estate Lawyer in private practice. For more information visit him on the web: http://www.encarnacionlaw.com

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The Ultimate Guide to Commitment Phobic Men

May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Ultimate Guide to Commitment Phobic Men

Commitment phobic men are masters at deceptively keeping you hooked on them.

Just about every woman has dated at least one commitment phobic man in her life. They are the ones who keep you waiting for the day they’ll finally agree to live with you or marry you or commit exclusively to you. But they never do. When you meet them they are hard to resist because they compliment you and appeal to your vanity. And they lie. They lie about being in love with you, they lie about wanting to date you long term, they lie about not wanting just a sexual fling. And they don’t care.

Here are examples of Commitment Phobic Male Behavior:

You date for one week and he tells you he loves you, the next week you never hear from him again

You date for a month and he tells you he only wants to date you, then you find out a friend saw him flirting at a party with someone else…the night he was too tired to go out with you

You live with him for 8 years and he still won’t marry you

He still doesn’t call you his girlfriend and sees his mom more than he sees you, after one year of dating

Commitment phobic men are men who cannot commit to you with the emotional intimacy of marriage or living together because they are emotionally attached to someone or something else that makes emotional intimacy with you impossible.

I know you’re thinking right now, “But how can I avoid these men when I don’t know if a guy is commitment phobic until after we’ve dated for weeks or months?

Actually, it’s easy to spot a commitment phobic man when you first meet him, just by talking to him for a short period of time, before you even date him. You just need to know what behavior traits to look for. You must focus on certain signs a guy gives you that are indications of commitment phobic problems. These “red flags” are glaringly apparent when you know what they are. But even if you know what they are, you must summon the inner strength to ignore a commitment phobic man’s charismatic charm, the appeal of his compliments, and your codependent desire to care for him.

Don’t even give a guy like this a chance by dating him even once, if it’s possible. Once you date him, he’ll trap you with his bag of deceptive tricks, and manipulate you into feeling a comfortable false sense of emotional intimacy by telling you “You’re the woman I’ve always dreamed of finding”.

It’s important to know the ploys and manipulative behavior of these men. They have the ability to make a woman feel a “codependent” need to take care of them by appealing to her need to feel special by taking care of others. They paint themselves as helpless victims of past love relationships, past failed jobs, and parents who abused them; and this makes a woman feel vulnerable to wanting to “fix” their lives and be the one to finally make them happy.

If you were the one in your family tending to the emotional needs of your parents or siblings, you will be easily lured into the world of a commitment phobic man. I highly suggest you read books on codependency by Melodie Beatty and learn what codependency is. It’s important to know if you are susceptible to the charm of commitment phobic men due to your codependent behavioral upbringing.

Commitment phobic men hide behind a persona of charm and adulation towards women that completely camouflages how they truly feel inside. Behind the charming façade of a commitment phobic man’s outer persona, is a man who wants to control, deceive and abuse women. They are unhappy with their lives and often blame a woman in their past for ruining it. Of course, this blame started with their mother, and has now transferred onto another woman in their life. But usually they don’t realize the first seed of hatred towards women, and desperate neediness of them, started with their mother.

These men don’t trust women, like women, respect women or admire women – they hate them. Many of these men are victims of verbal and sexual abuse as children. They have mothers who made their lives miserable, and now they will let out their anger and resentment on you.

When you first meet a commitment phobic man, he will have certain behavior traits that creep into his facade of adulation towards you. It’s important to see these traits as red flags that signal how potentially disastrous dating a man like this can be. These initial behavior traits may seem innocent enough, but they are telltale signs of bigger problems to come. I call them 1st Stage Behavior Traits because this is the behavior you can detect when first meeting or dating a commitment phobic.

1st Stage Behavior Traits of Commitment Phobic Men:

Behavior Trait #1: He will single out insecure women who need attention and compliments to feel good about their life. Then he will say something to a woman that is slightly inappropriate about how sexually alluring she looks. This helps them find the woman who will put up with their problems because her self worth is tied up in someone else’s opinion of her. This is the kind of woman they can control. The woman who doesn’t walk away in disgust is their next victim.

Behavior Trait #2 He will keep the truth about his past life, his finances, his past relationships, his relationship with his mother, and how he truly feels about commitment from you. The real him will be well hidden from your outer view. Most commitment phobic men have deep feelings of shame about themselves and their life and they will hide that shame by doing things to cover up the truth about their life.

One commitment phobic guy I dated didn’t have a decent car, so he used his mother’s car to impress me, but never told me he was using her car until a month of dating him. Another guy I dated took me out to an expensive restaurant on a first blind date and constantly tipped the waiters with large bills. Then I realized on the 2nd date he really couldn’t afford to be so extravagant when I saw his “down and out” apartment lifestyle. He had to give me a false impression about having lots of money, as if that one night would cloud my ability to see his dismal apartment.

There is nothing wrong with a guy wanting to impress you on a date by taking you to a nice restaurant or driving his parent’s car. But there is something wrong with a guy deliberately presenting himself as someone he isn’t just to keep you from knowing the real him. If he has to keep facts about his life from you, he isn’t honest, regardless of the reason he’s doing it. Unfortunately many women who first date commitment phobic men catch a deception, and then they make excuses for why he did it. They don’t realize that once you accept any deception, you will be dealing with bigger lies and secrets to come.

Behavior trait #3: You can never have a conversation with him about what his relationship goals are. He’ll act uncomfortable, and sometimes visibly annoyed. If you sense he isn’t open to a future that includes the kind of commitment you are looking for from a man, don’t consider dating him. Men who won’t commit in relationships will show you by their facial expression and behavior, when you bring up the subject of commitment that it’s one subject they don’t care to discuss. You must realize he has commitment issues when he freezes up when you talk about what you are looking for in a long term relationship. And if he tells you he never wants to get married, he’s doing you a big favor. Believe him and don’t think you can change him, regardless of how much he tells you “you’re the woman of his dreams”. Don’t even consider being the one who’ll be that loving wife he never found. Remember this: with commitment phobic men, it’s not only what they say that matters; it’s their attitude about certain subjects and what you sense they are keeping from you. It’s that unsettling feeling in your gut that this guy isn’t being totally honest with you.

If you do continue to date a guy like this, you’ve accepted behavior that already sets the tone for how he’ll continue to treat you, which will be all about what matters to him. Many women feel it isn’t their right to talk about their relationship needs when they first meet a guy. They feel they will scare the guy away because he’ll immediately think they want to marry him. Wrong! This is the time you must talk about what you want in life. If you don’t tell a guy you want to get married and have kids one day, you will give up your right to expect to get it down the road as far as he’s concerned. Commitment phobic men don’t waste their time with women who declare confidently that they want to get married and have kids. It’s the surest way to watch them disappear.

Behavior trait#4: Another surefire sign that a guy is a commitment phobic is when he will never do anything on time and will always change the time and day of your date or be late for your date. He will also never agree with your suggestion about the date. If you make a decision about the movie you want to see or the restaurant you want to go to, he will want to try a different one. If you accept this behavior, he will continue to act controlling with you, by never focusing on pleasing YOU in the relationship. Of course, you may not notice these first signs when he keeps telling you how beautiful you are and how he can’t wait to make love to you. You won’t be annoyed that he’s always late when he flatters you all the time, right? He is setting up control in the relationship; one that gives him the right to dictate to you what the terms of the relationship will be. And those terms will not include committing to you.

Behavior trait #5: He will make you feel like the most beautiful woman on the planet. He will shower you with his desire for you and give you compliments to an extreme. He will tell you that you are the only woman who understands him, makes him feel such intense attraction, and that he knows he will fall in love with you because you are the woman of his dreams (if he isn’t in love with you already). This is all to distract you from getting to know the real person behind those compliments, seeing all those deceptions and false pretenses.

Behavior trait #6: He will have a dependent personality which means he will need you to take care of him and he will only appreciate you when you do things for him. He will paint himself as a victim of life with bad luck and bad, cruel women. “Thank god he’s finally found you” will be his motto. That is, until he gets bored with you and moves on to someone else. And even if he doesn’t, he’ll never commit to you or fulfill you emotionally. He will lump you in the pile of all those other cruel women who never understand him or care about him. And all you will feel when he moves on is how much you were used and unappreciated.

It’s easy to spot a commitment phobic man when you notice these behavior traits. Usually the first behavior trait is hard to detect until you’ve dated him for awhile and realize the real truth about his life and his past. But the other behavior traits show up immediately: his constant barrage of compliments and making you feel like you are the woman of his dreams; his first comment to you being inappropriate about your physical appearance (or inappropriate touching); his victim mentality about past relationships; his reluctant, almost angry attitude about talking about commitment in a relationship, his constant control of how you both spend your time together by always being late and wanting to change plans and never letting you decide what to do on a date.

These behavior traits may seem harmless and insignificant, but they are red flag signs of serious trouble to come.

See the signs, and when you do, close the door on his opportunity to date you. You deserve a man who offers you so much more.

The Ultimate Guide to Commitment Phobic Men

The Ultimate Guide to Commitment Phobic Men

Beth Cofone

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SharePoint – An Internal Communicators Guide

May 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

SharePoint – An Internal Communicators Guide

Microsoft SharePoint enables important documents and business processes to be stored in a central information hub. It can also be a powerful communication and collaboration tool. However, a SharePoint implementation can also have a disruptive and resource intensive impact on an organization if it is not managed effectively. During times of recession, it is all the more important to find ways to work smarter with less resource.

Follows these tips to maximize the value gained from your SharePoint implementation:

Think of SharePoint as a development platform…not a product

It is a common mistake for people to assume that SharePoint will give them what they want without customization. As a sophisticated software application, SharePoint has many different features and plug-ins which can be confusing. Deployments easily can go wrong if IT teams just turn on additional modules without considering the business case, requirements, and training needed to make them part of an ongoing business process.

The more comprehensive functionality available from SharePoint has to be built by an IT team (or a third party vendor) using SharePoint’s.NET development tools. Hence it is more appropriate to view SharePoint as a ‘development platform’ rather than an ‘out of the box’ product. Representatives from various parts of the business will need to work together with the IT team from the very start of the project. The project team needs to clarify the business requirements and all technical and functional needs of the SharePoint implementation before starting the project.

Try these tips:

Use low cost, plug and play discussion forum tools to enable project teams to share and capture ideas as they crop up prior to, and during, a SharePoint implementation. External discussion forum channels can be simple to deploy, secure, low cost and available on a short term license basis.

Utilise company wide surveys to assess what’s working and what’s not with the existing Intranet and to gather information regarding the tools and resources people would like to see included on the new SharePoint Intranet. Consider using survey tools that can be pushed directly onto employee computer screens so do not get buried in email in boxes. Built in survey reminders can help drive participation which can ensure that all views are represented in the research…including the important but often ‘silent majority’ who perhaps do not have extreme views or agendas and would ordinarily be less motivated to participate.

Target staff surveys to specific groups of employees, for example, managers and heads of departments. Such individuals can be asked questions such as “what specific business value does / could your department derive from an effective Intranet?”, “How might this be quantified?” For example, a sales manager may say it is the number of accurate proposals that sales people are able to produce. This research will provide an important perspective to help you make the SharePoint implementation effective and also help you quantify its value at a later stage.

Start simply and take an iterative approach

Companies that get the SharePoint implementation right, often start simply, with many of the features disabled. Break a SharePoint implementation up into stages and leave the ‘bells-and-whistles’ until last.

For example:

1. Start by simply replacing the existing Intranet. 2. Add document management 3. Add forms management. 4. Add business process and workflow management 5. Start sharing business intelligence dashboards and enterprise reports 6. And so on.

Keep in mind your short term and long term objectives and work with IT while they download SharePoint. Clarify what is required of SharePoint now, what possible extras might be useful and what may be required in the future.

Try these tips

One of the keys to the successful implementation a new technology is to drive user adoption and regularly gather feedback to evaluate progress.

Staff Polls, surveys and discussion forums provide effective ways to gather qualitative and quantitative feedback from staff. Communicating the successive stages of an iterative SharePoint implementation needs to stay interesting for staff, so adopting an engaging and innovative communications campaign is essential.

Promote your evolving SharePoint implementation through multiple channels and monitor readership to make sure you’re hitting the mark

Short ‘news’ articles in Staff E-Mags can inform readers of new information and the availability of new tools, as well as allowing readers to click directly through to specific SharePoint pages.

For project ‘wins’ that you want to profile with more impact, try using digital signage on screensavers. An image is worth a thousand words. For example, an image of a deck chair on the beach with relevant text and a click through link is a powerful and engaging way to notify staff that leave forms are now available via SharePoint.

For messages that need high cut through, consider using Desktop Alerts or Scrolling News feeds on staff computer screens

Fill gaps in functionality

By taking what comes bundled in SharePoint, companies can end up compromising on critical functions compared with best-of-breed tools. Light-weight web 2.0 tools such as wikis and blogs appear to be late addition ‘throw-ins’ with functionality that appears to be considerably less than you might expect.

SharePoint does not provide any ‘push communications’ channels. The closest it gets is ‘e-mail alerts’, that are auto generated and can be easily become buried in inboxes, and RSS feeds, that require staff to opt in. Often due to high work loads or a lack of interest, emails have low cut through and staff fail to subscribe to RSS feeds meaning that important updates may never reach them.

Push Communications channels form an important part of an internal communications strategy. This is particularly the case for urgent or important messages that need high cut through.

Try these tips

Augment SharePoint with other functionality:

Use plug and play’ social media channels specifically built for secure employee communications. Select channels that are low cost, easy to use and require very little IT resource to deploy, customize and implement. Some web 2.0 channels can send automated desktop alerts to moderators which will achieve significantly higher cut through (and faster response) than SharePoint’s email alerts.

Use RSS tools that allows administrators to push out existing RSS feed sources, via an on screen news ticker (or news aggregator), to targeted staff groups. Hence for important RSS feeds you can remove the step within SharePoint requiring users to opt in.

o Snap Desktop Alert provides a means to push out urgent or important communications to targeted staff groups. This desktop alert format bypasses email and pushes content directly onto employee’s computer screens with configurable persistence and recurrence options and helpful reporting features.

Clarify Governance

It is important to clarify the roles and responsibilities for managing a SharePoint site. For example; what are the respective roles of Corporate Communications and IT? Who should ‘own’ the site? Who should be empowered to manage the site? A content management strategy should be developed by a team of representatives from key business areas and cover areas such as:

The metrics for content creation

Policies regarding when to use, and when not to use, SharePoint

The balance be between user generated content, and general ‘corporate’ content

Who will manage what content? How?

Levels of moderation for different parts of the site

How will cross-functional content be managed and monitored?

How much time should staff spend surfing and posting SharePoint content?

Try these tips

Use hosted discussion forums as a quick and easy way to discuss and evolve the governance of SharePoint.

Manage Content

For a successful SharePoint implementation, good site administration and content management are essential. A site administrator needs to manage content, carry out periodic evaluations and act as a facilitator in sustaining participation. An administrator will also need to decommission parts of the site that are no longer required.

SharePoint has relatively light-weight content management capability, additionally, collaboration tools within SharePoint can add user generated content to the chaos. A proliferation of ‘team spaces’ can also serve to create too many silos. The search interface of SharePoint is also considered by some to be weak.

Try these tips

Not all content needs to be delivered by SharePoint. This is particularly the case for content that may have a short ‘shelf life’ due, for example, to it being associated with a specific campaign or project. Prioritize content and think about its ‘shelf life’ and purpose. Does it really need to be on SharePoint or will it simply add to the chaos?

By eliminating non essential content or content with a short shelf life, the search results from SharePoint are more likely to return useful information.

Emags are an excellent way to distribute short shelf life content (e.g. news and admin updates). Chose a format that allows users cato submit their own articles

Desktop Alerts and News Tickers can provide message cut through for urgent business updates.

Provide good training and support

Some internal communicators describe SharePoint as ‘clunky and not intuitive’. To ensure you maximize the value derived from SharePoint, it is important to provide adequate training and support to staff. Training for the IT team and administrators can be expensive and time consuming (probably at least a one week ‘boot camp’). Selected ‘power user’ staff will also require 2 to 3 days of training. Even at the departmental level it is useful to get a few people trained in how to use web parts. Once SharePoint becomes available to the wider staff population, they will also need training on how to use the various features that have been enabled on SharePoint. Think twice about launching a site if you can’t provide this sort of effort and resource in terms of training and support.

Try these tips

Implement a discussion forum as quick and easy means for people to ask questions in an appropriate online ‘helpdesk’. If the format allows it, nominate moderators for each ‘helpdesk’ and set them up to receive desktop alert notifications when new questions are posted (note that SharePoint content alerts are email based which can have low cut through rates and associated response times). Moderators can answer questions directly or point the person to information sources where an answer can be found. Each specific question should be tagged and searchable, meaning that past questions and answers can be easily located in an evolving repository of knowledge.

Use Staff Quizzes as a means to run a SharePoint education program. Business and product focused quizzes can contain links to the Intranet allowing users to research each question before they answer.

Drive adoption and usage

Employees don’t typically seem to like using SharePoint. It’s not intuitive and not particularly exciting. SharePoint pages are often dull and boring. There are some options for making pages more exciting, but pages tend to end up looking similar regardless of customization. In addition, due to SharePoint’s sheer complexity, an implementation can seem to go on forever and users can start to believe that glitches will never be ironed out.

Effective communication is key to acceptance, adoption and effective usage of SharePoint’s features by staff. Changing how people work takes effort. Employees need to be engaged in order for them to use SharePoint effectively.

Try these tips

Liven up the perception of SharePoint by using a range of dynamic ways to promote the site and drive participation:

Digital sigage on screensavers can raise awareness of new information on SharePoint by turning employee screensavers into dynamic interactive bill boards. An image is worth a thousand words. For example, an image of a graduation cap with some relevant text and a click through link is a powerful and engaging way to notify staff that online, self-paced training programs are now available on the Intranet.

Staff E-Mags can deliver news updates in a readable and engaging format which include hyperlinks back to SharePoint content (or other information rsources)

Ensure any electronic communications channels contain click-through hyperlinks links and therefore act as promotional tools to stimulate interest and drive the usage and value of SharePoint. News feeds, desktop alerts, interactive staff quizzes and surveys can be engaging ways to drive traffic to SharePoint content.

Allocate sufficient budget…and watch the hidden costs

Costs can easily expand with a SharePoint implementation so beware of what you are getting into. There are three levels of SharePoint:

1. Basic version of SharePoint which comes free with Windows server, allowing organizations ‘try before they buy’ 2. Paid version (License fees vary depending on the type and size of an organization) 3. Premium version designed to deliver features such as search.

You may end up paying more than you initially anticipate due to confusion about what features reside within the different SharePoint versions and license fee bands. Additionally you may need to buy SharePoint add-ons which were not previously considered or budgeted for. Other things that can blow out overall project pricing include:

Implementation costs

Customization costs

Systems integration costs

Try these tips

You can augment SharePoint with inexpensive tools that do not require IT resource for them to be set up and managed. This allows you to try concepts out, test uptake and evolve the approach without the need for ‘big project’ budget, resource or timeframes.

SharePoint – An Internal Communicators Guide

SharePoint - An Internal Communicators Guide

Article by Sarah Perry. Questions and comments to info@snapcomms.com. Visit http://www.SnapComms.com for innovative internal communications channels, tips and tools.

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A Guide to Celebrating the 20th Wedding Anniversary

May 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A Guide to Celebrating the 20th Wedding Anniversary

The 20th year wedding anniversary is one of the largest milestone anniversaries, and one that is well worth celebrating not only with your spouse and loved ones, but also with anyone in your life who wants to celebrate with you. As you celebrate this truly momentous occasion, you should be taking the time to reflect on the serious commitment that has been made to a lifetime of marriage between you and your spouse. Here is a guide to the ideas and symbols that are normally associated with the twentieth wedding anniversary. Planning a 20th year wedding anniversary is an event that should be taken seriously, and it has a lot more planning involved than simply throwing a celebratory party.

20th Anniversary Traditional Gifts: China is the traditional gift for the 20th wedding anniversary, as it is meant to symbolize the beauty, elegance and delicate nature of your love for one another over a period of the past twenty years.

20th Anniversary Modern or Contemporary Gifts: Platinum is the modern or contemporary choice for a 20th year wedding anniversary gift because it is strong and enduring in many of the same ways as your twenty year old marriage.

20th Anniversary Gemstone: The emerald is the traditional gemstone for celebrating the 20th year wedding anniversary, though yellow or golden diamonds are another available option.

20th Anniversary Color: The colors traditionally associated with the 20th year wedding anniversary are both emerald green and white.

20th Anniversary Flower: The flower normally associated with the 20th year wedding anniversary is the day lily. The meaning normally associated with the day lily is that of coquetry, including playful behavior toward your spouse and flirting.

Another opportunity available to you is to give a rose that is symbolic of this momentous occasion, the twentieth year anniversary. A few of the roses that you should consider include the China Doll rose, the Chinatown rose, the Weeping China Doll rose and the Precious Platinum rose.

There are a number of different ways that you can celebrate your twentieth year wedding anniversary. For example, you may want to consider planning an anniversary party that has a Chinese theme, possibly even making use of Chinese paper lanterns as part of the decorations. If you want to continue the China theme, you may consider planning a picnic using China glasses and plates rather than paper or Styrofoam. Take things to the next level by purchasing tickets to a concert, movie, sporting event or the theater and attend with your loved one. If you want to celebrate in style, which is recommended for this truly phenomenal wedding anniversary, you may even consider vacationing with your spouse to China or Hong Kong, where traditional China gifts can be purchased.

There are a variety of different gift ideas that you can consider when treating your spouse to a gift on your twentieth year wedding anniversary. Consider giving the gift of a Wedgwood china vase containing fresh day lilies or other flowers. You may also consider giving the gift of China plates, china baskets or China cake plates that match the style and décor of your home. If China kitchenware is not your style, China figurines or Chinese style figurines may make an excellent gift for your loved one. If China is not your style, there is always the option to choose platinum jewelry, as platinum is a contemporary gift choice for this particular wedding anniversary.

If you want to create a gift for your spouse rather than purchasing one, you may consider putting a piece of platinum and emerald jewelry, a single day lily, new paper money, love coupons and a love note in a China cup or China bowl, or otherwise combining small, beautiful gifts together in a simple way to show your most special loved one how much you care about them.

The twentieth year wedding anniversary is a large one, and traditionally is the anniversary where couples finally begin to include their friends and family in their celebrations. This does not mean that you cannot celebrate with one another privately, but to have reached twenty happy years with your husband or wife is certainly cause for a grand celebration.

A Guide to Celebrating the 20th Wedding Anniversary

A Guide to Celebrating the 20th Wedding Anniversary

Author: Bennetta Elliott, CEO of Personalized Gift Express, offering a great selection of quality personalized anniversary gifts.

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A Buyer’s Guide – Tips To Buy Techs And Gadgets At Stores

May 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A Buyer’s Guide – Tips To Buy Techs And Gadgets At Stores

No matter what tech and gadget items you buy, first thing first, its important to know how to buy before you actually go to any store and buy it, especially when you are looking for the best buys in techs and gadgets electronics. Below are some great advices to make your techs and gadgets electronics buying process a much easier.

Firstly, you have to estimate your budget. This is important in order to help you avoid problems when choosing your items, which starts by determining your budget. What happens when you are at the store feeling stressed about whether to pick a particular item because you did not expect it to blow your budget? Calculate your budget first before you even begin to hunt for interesting items. Make calculations and estimates based on what you can pay for.

Some stores do not indicate additional costs like tax, warranty and delivery or shipping on their discounted items, so be prepared. Make sure to check everything before you make the purchase.

Other than that, you can also do your own product research. There are many ways to do research about the product you want to purchase. You can either check out techs and gadgets items on the web or gather brochures from trusted consumer electronics stores. On the web, there are many sites that offer helpful resources such as links to manufacture sites, reviews, and price guides. Spend your time to visit these sites. It is definitely worth it.

Apart from that, you can also ask your friends or colleagues for tips and suggestion. It is best to know your alternatives so you can eventually select the best item that you want to buy. With the right information on product features, price and warranty, you can make comparison quite easily and the actual selection can be stress-free.

Make sure to check your items before leaving the store. When purchasing, make sure to have the item tested and check that all accessories are included in the box before you leave the store.

When shopping items that require a not so conservative amount like techs and gadgets electronics, it is always safe to be a smart buyer. After all, your goal is to get the best deal at a cheaper price.

A Buyer’s Guide – Tips To Buy Techs And Gadgets At Stores

A Buyer's Guide - Tips To Buy Techs And Gadgets At Stores

Adger Chase.

Visit the best affordable consumer electronics [http://www.advancedigitech.com] online store.

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The Green DIY Energy Guide – Why This Customer Recommends It

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Green DIY Energy Guide – Why This Customer Recommends It

So after looking around online for a good DIY solar panel guide, I ended up settling on the Green DIY Energy Guide. “Why?” You ask.

Ok, I’ll tell you why I chose the Green DIY Energy guide instead of going with one of the other guides (there are a ton to choose from), and some of the pros and cons of it.

I originally was attracted to the Green DIY Energy guide because it seemed to have the best value for its price tag, which was $50. It seemed to give a lot more value than the other similar priced guides. The thing that stuck out to me was that it featured a tutorial video series that looked interesting. The only other guide that I had seen offer tutorial videos was Earth 4 Energy, and Green DIY Energy came with more videos.

After purchasing the guide I quickly downloaded all the guides and videos (it came with several different manuals, some for solar power and some for wind power. There also were different bonuses, about money saving tips and biodiesels). I was anxious to see if the guide was legit, or it was going to be just a bunch of shoddy writing and blurry images that really wouldn’t help the construction process at all.

I was pleasantly surprised to find clear, concise directions, along with a tremendous tutorial video library. There were seven different videos to watch, and each one covered a different aspect of solar panel construction. They were professionally shot videos and I appreciated the host who did a nice job of explaining and narrating what was going on while he built the solar panel. The camera shots were clear and would get right up close to the action when he was doing something more technical.

The Green DIY Energy guide definitely is legit, I would not worry about spending $50 for it. If you are interested in building your own solar panels, but am not an expert, I would purchase a guide like Green DIY Energy. Besides, it has a money-back guarantee, so if it doesn’t work out for you, you get your money back. Earth 4 Energy would have been my second choice, so you may want to check out that guide as well.

But, whichever guide you go with, definitely don’t give up on the DIY solar panel project! You can do it! And you will not only save money off your monthly electric bill, but you will be helping out the environment by putting less carbon emissions into the atmosphere. You won’t regret building your own solar panels!

The Green DIY Energy Guide – Why This Customer Recommends It

The Green DIY Energy Guide - Why This Customer Recommends It

Jude Angel is a DIY enthusiast and loves taking on new DIY challenges. The Green DIY Energy guide is what he followed for his most recent project, DIY solar panels.

He has reviewed many DIY solar panel guides, but only recommends the one he personally used for his home solar panel system – GreenDIYEnergy guide.

Click on the above link for a SNEAK PEEK inside of the Green DIY Energy Guide, and get the guide at the discounted price!

Start your DIY solar panel project today, and cut your energy costs while saving the environment!

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Real Estate Software – An Agent’s Guide to Software

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Real Estate Software – An Agent’s Guide to Software

Each, day thousands of real estate professionals go online to research real estate software. But what is real estate software, and how can it help you improve your real estate business? These are the questions we will address here.

What is Real Estate Software?

When we talk about real estate software, we’re actually covering a wide spectrum of software products. In general terms, real estate software is any software that helps you manage some aspect of your real estate business.

The “some aspect” part of that definition is important, because to date there is no real estate software that will help you manage all aspects of your business. Instead, most types of real estate software are designed to help you manage a certain element of your business, like contract preparation for example.

Various Types of Real Estate Software

Below, we look at some of the most popular types of real estate software. As you will see, each type of software is designed to help you perform a certain part of your real estate business. Please note that this list is not all-inclusive. There are more types of real estate software than I could possibly cover in this one resource. So at the end of this guide, I’ve listed some additional resources where you can find any type of real estate-related software imaginable.

Content Management Systems

Some types of real estate software are designed to help you manage property listings on your website. Basically, these are content management systems (CMS) that have been adapted for real estate purposes. A good example of such a program would be Realty Manager by Interactive Tools.

Such programs allow you to add, edit or remove property listings (including house photos) within your real estate website — without any knowledge of web coding. If you have listings on your website that require constant management, you can see the convenience of this kind of real estate software.

Real Estate Contract Software

As the name implies, this type of real estate software helps agents prepare real estate contracts. As you well know, contracts are a big (and often time-consuming) part of the real estate business. So anything that can streamline and simplify the process would be welcomed by real estate agents. That’s what contract-management software strives to do.

One of the best features of real estate contract software — a feature you should look for when purchasing this type of software — is the ability to create contract templates by pulling in required disclosures and other commonly used items from your city and state. This way, once you have the real estate contract software set up how you want, you would simply enter new client details and listing prices to generate contracts.

Real Estate CMA Software

Once again, the name tells you what this type of real estate software does. CMA software helps you prepare comparable listings / sales reports that you can show to clients. The biggest benefits of this type of software are time savings, professional appearance, and basic mathematical functions. CMA software will help you produce an attractive and informative CMA report in less time than doing it without software assistance.

Contact Management Software

Contact management software is not to be confused with contract management software. Though they only differ by one letter, these two types of software have nothing in common. Contact management software helps you manage your contacts, or client communications.

Most of these applications are built around databases. You enter client information into the database (with details such as name, phone number, neighborhood of interest, etc.), and then you can easily search the data later.

When choosing a contact management solution, look for one that allows customization of the data fields. You want the ability to create whatever info fields for each contact that’s important to you. All of these programs will let you enter the basics, like name, phone number, address and the like. But what if you wanted to also label people with buyer vs. seller? Or by price range? Or by the neighborhoods they’re interested in? You’ll need this kind of flexibility, and any good contact managements solution should offer it.

Real Estate Educational Software

This is another popular type of real estate software. As the name implies, this kind of software helps you advance your professional education. The most common types of real estate educational software are the test preparation programs. These programs help you prepare for state licensing exams and other real estate-related professional exams. For just about every real estate exam you can imagine, there’s a piece of software that can help you prepare for it.

Virtual Tour Software

Virtual tours are extremely popular among real estate professionals these days. Home buyers love virtual tours, so when you add them to your real estate website, you’ve increased your website’s value for your key audience. The only problem is, virtual tours are not an easy thing to put together. That’s where this type of real estate software comes in.

One way to create virtual tours is to have a virtual tour company do it for you. With this option, you shoot the photos or film footage yourself, and send it to a virtual tour company who creates the finished product. But for the more adventurous agents, there is also the virtual tour software path. Using this software, the agent creates his or her own virtual tours, using photos taken by the agents themselves.

Real Estate Website Software

This software covers a pretty broad spectrum. Real estate website software can help you with many aspects of your website, from creating graphics to capturing leads. But one product rarely does it all. Most types of real estate website software are highly specialized, performing a certain aspect of website enhancement.

Conclusion

So we’ve seen that for every type of real estate business function, there’s a piece of software to help you do it more efficiently and (ideally) more effectively. Does that mean you need all of the real estate software on this list? Obviously not. My advice is to look at the business functions where you spend the most time, and shop for a software product that can simplify that process for you.

It’s also a good idea to play around with different types of real estate software before buying. Most software vendors have either a free trial or an online demo through which you can judge the product for yourself. If you come across a software vendor who offers neither of these trial options, then keep shopping. When purchasing real estate software, always follow the rule of “try before you buy.”

* You may republish this article online if you retain the author’s byline and the active hyperlinks below. Copyright 2007, Brandon Cornett.

Real Estate Software – An Agent’s Guide to Software

Real Estate Software - An Agent's Guide to Software

Learn More
The author has created an ehanced version of this article with links to related resources, software vendors and more. To learn more, visit the author’s guide to real estate software, located at: http://www.learnaboutsoftware.com/real-estate-software.php

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The Lingerie Guide to the Universe

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Lingerie Guide to the Universe

Lingerie does for a woman’s body what seasoning does for food. Just as the spices and herbs enhances the flavor of food, corsets, bustier, gowns, sexy bras and thongs enhances the visual effects of a woman’s body. I don’t know what primitive man first discovered adding herbs and spices to food, but, God bless him. Don’t get me wrong… I believe food can be quite tasty without spices; however, it is even better with them. Same for lingerie.

Lingerie accentuates the shape of a woman. Women are beautiful on their own, but lingerie can give that extra kick that makes them bubble with flavors never before imagined.

As I thought about that, I realized I had just made a connection between lingerie and food. How odd, what a strange connection when you think about it. Is there any real connection between lingerie and food? What about everything else in the universe? I think lingerie is linked with the entire universe, and I am out to prove it. Let’s take a look at food first.

From Lingerie to Food:

1) Lingerie

loose T-shirt made of cotton, polyester, nylon or diaphanous chiffon that can be worn like a Babydoll.

Polyester

[Synthesis / Alcoholic transesterification] ethylene glycol (doubly alcohol-terminated). Multifunctional monomers (i.e., glycerol) result in cross-linking

Glycerin

Glycerin is used in glycerin soap, in cosmetics and creams, in foods, in chemistry, and in glycerin mist.

Hence we come to food

2) Lingerie

French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are eroticised in Western culture.

Eroticism

Paraphilia

Paraphilia

[Other paraphilias] sitophilia: sexual arousal from food.

And here we are at food again.

3) Lingerie

Merry widow

Merry widow -backed hook-and-eye flange, and the whole garment was lined with nylon voile. Nine long spiral wires were cased in black

Nylon

[Historical uses] conspiracy theorists surmise that cannabis sativa was made illegal because the fibres from the hemp plant, used for fabrics

Hemp

hemp (Cannabis sativa”) as a source of oil, food, fibre, etc. Yep, back to food again.

There you go, at least three ways lingerie is linked to food. What about other things?

Well, why not start with some of the obvious ones like sex:

Lingerie to Sex:

1) Lingerie

derived from the French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are heavily eroticised in Western culture.

Undergarment

[History / Present day] at least in advertising. Sex became the main selling point, bringing to fruition a trend that had been building since at least the flapper era

Sex- see, I told you this one was obvious. Want a more obscure one?

2) Lingerie

French maid

French maid

They are a form of ladies’ Fantasywear that depending on design, details can be classified as lingerie

Fantasywear

clothing, usually including lingerie, that people wear in the boudoir for living out Sexual Fantasies.

Sex- Not so obvious that time.

3) Lingerie

Robe

Robe

Worn after bathing or other activities where the wearer is nude to keep warm and/or preserve modesty in times of no immediate need to fully dress.

Modesty

friend or family of the same sex

Sex

Ok, another easy one, love.

Lingerie to love:

1) Lingerie

French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are heavily eroticised in Western culture.

Eroticism

is an aesthetic focused on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity.

Lust

[See also] Virtues: Love, Romantic love, List of ethics topics

Love – See how easy that was?

2) Lingerie

French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are heavily eroticised in Western culture.

Eroticism

Human sexuality

Human sexuality

[Topics in human sexuality] love

Love- Still too easy, lets see if we can make this link a little more challenging.

3) Lingerie

Robe

Robe

a garment made of towel like material and is typically worn at home after a bath or other activities where the wearer is wanting to cover up.

Towel

[Pop culture trivia / Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] the towel can even be used in melée combat. You can use it to hide from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal

Races from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ( this also links lingerie back to the title of this article and Hitchikers guide to the galaxy for which the title was modeled after.)

[Fuolornis Fire Dragon] They often accidentally adored things to bits and hurt the ones they loved because of their rocket-booster breath and park-fence teeth. (That reminds me. I wonder what my ex is up to these days.)

Love

We did love, why not passion.

From Lingerie to Passion:

1)Lingerie

Robe

Robe

A gown worn as part of the religious dress of a cleric, chorister, monk, batizand, etc.

Choir

[Historical overview of choral music / Baroque music] passions and other music. He is also famous for his vast output in chorales, essentially stylistically harmonised

Chorale

passions and other works. These harmonisations are so well known that Bach’s name is virtually synonymous with the chorale in

Passion.

2) Lingerie

Corset by bone

Corset

[See also] Body modification

Body modification

teeth, and/or tongues, including amputation, burning, flagellation, piercing, skinning, and wheeling.

Flagellation

[Association with religion / Slavery] Flagellation of Christ, an episode in Jesus’ physical degradation leading to the Crucifixion. (See Passion) ( I’ll probably get letters on that reference)

Passion

3) Lingerie

Babydoll

Babydoll

it is a common garment for those who indulge in sexualized play-acting around ideas of infantilism.

Infantilism

[The psychology of infantilism / Psychological perspectives on infantilism] infantilism is usually regarded as a type of sexual roleplaying and is often viewed as a variation of BDSM.

BDSM

[Various practices / Switching] BDSM may encompass practices such as erotic spanking, flagellation, such as flogging, paddling or whipping

Flagellation

[Association with religion / Slavery] Flagellation of Christ, an episode in Jesus’ physical degradation leading to the Crucifixion. (See Passion)( Just to make sure I get those letters, and possibly death threats, rolling in.)

Passion.

Since I mentioned Jesus Christ in the last reference lets see how lingerie and the church are linked.

From Lingerie to Church:

1) Lingerie

Chemise

Chemise

[Compare] after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, a revolt by the guerilla Protestant “Camisards”

Edict of Nantes

(1598) and ordered the destruction of Huguenotchurches, as well as the closing of Protestant schools

Church- That’s kind of a negative relationship, lets see if we can find a positive one.

2) Lingerie

Robe

Robe

A gown worn as part of the religious dress of a cleric, chorister, monk, batizand, etc., in various

Choir

Terminology: A vocal ensemble which sings in a church, or sings exclusively sacred music, is called a

Church – Yes that’s much better.

3) Lingerie

Garter

Garter (clothing)

Order of the Garter, which traces its history to the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Middle English

[Literary and Linguistic Cultures] Middle English was one of the three languages current in England. Though never the language of the church, which was always Latin

Church

I have no intention of picking on religion, shall we move on? Let’s try something people do in church, like getting married.

Lingerie to Marriage:

1) Lingerie

Garter

Garter (clothing)

and colorful garters were an object of display. In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, “cross braced” garters are an object of some derision.

Twelfth Night (play)

Olivia asks him to marry her. The play ends in a declaration of marriage between the Duke and Viola, and Olivia and Sebastian

Marriage – Bet you didn’t see that one coming.

2) Lingerie

Garter

Garter (clothing)

Groom’s privilege to remove the garter and toss it to the male guests. The symbolism to deflowering is unambiguous.

Virgin

especially in regards to religious views of retaining one’s virginity before marriage. The term maiden

Marriage

3) Lingerie

Knickers

Knickers

1846 the New York Knickerbockers played the first game of “base ball” organized under those rules, in Hoboken, New Jersey, and were trounced 23 – 1

Hoboken, New Jersey

[Demographics / Post World War II] There are 19,418 households out of which 11.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.8% are married couples living together

Marriage

Too easy so far? Well, I own a lingerie and biker clothing store. Many have wondered what the relationship is, so, shall we try that?

From Lingerie to Motorcycle:

1) Lingerie

Corset by bone

Corset

Corsets are typically constructed of a flexible material (like cloth or leather) stiffened with boning

Leather

[Forms of leather / Leather from other animals] Leather is used to make items which need to be strong but flexible, such as motorcycle gloves.

Motorcycle

2) Lingerie

Chemise

Chemise

is a simple garment worn next to the skin to protect clothing from sweat and body oils. Chemise is the French term. Italians called it a “camicia”.

French language

[History / Modern issues] There is some debate in today’s France about the preservation of the French language and the influence of English (see franglais)

Franglais

old motorcyclist that I loved (play on “mieux vaut tard que jamais” — better late than never)

Motorcycle

3) Lingerie

Chemise

Chemise

is a simple garment worn next to the skin to protect clothing from sweat and body oils. Chemise is the French term. Italians called it a “camicia”.

French language

[Geographic distribution / Modern issues] Also, there are some French speakers in Lebanon, Cambodia, Egypt, India (Pondicherry), Italy (Aosta Valley)

Cambodia

[Transportation / Civil war and genocide] The locals normally use automobiles, motorbikes and buses. Velotaxis are an additional option often used by visitors.

Motorcycle

4) Lingerie

Bedjacket

Bedjacket

bedjacket is a light jacket, usually a peignoir, worn to bed while sleeping.

Jacket

jacket is a light coat.

Coat

The coat as an article of clothing for humans

Coat (clothing)

[Types of coats / Modern coats and jackets] Motorcycle jacket, a leather jacket, usually black, worn by motorcycle riders

Motorcycle

5) Lingerie

Unitard

Unitard

In erotic or costume use, they are usually referred to as catsuits

Catsuit

Unlike a unitard, its use rarely involves sports, and it may be made of leather, rubber, PVC, or velour

Leather

[Forms of leather / Leather from other animals] Kangaroo leather is used to make items which need to be strong but flexible, such as motorcycle gloves, jackets, mask, and skull caps.

Motorcycle

Sorry about the two additional references, they are my passions. My shop is located in Augusta Ga. What is the link?

Lingerie to Augusta Georgia:

1) Lingerie

Chemise

Chemise

[The history of the chemise] women’s shifts did not fall out of fashion until the early 20th century, when they were generally replaced by brassieres, panties, girdles, and

Undergarment

[Underwearing / Present day] The animated cartoon character Homer Simpson is often depicted sitting on his couch in his briefs drinking.

Homer Simpson

[Overview] Dooooh” from the films of Laurel and Hardy.

Laurel and Hardy

[Oliver Hardy] (January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was born Norvell Hardy in Harlem, Georgia near Augusta, Georgia, in the United States of America.

Augusta, Georgia

(bit of a stretch on that one, lets try it in reverse)

1) Augusta, Georgia

[Famous Augustans] Laurence Fishburne, actor

Laurence Fishburne

as well as a recurring role as “Cowboy Curtis” alongside Pee Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) in the CBS children’s television show.

Paul Reubens

[Arrest II] as he stated that he was a collector of “erotic artwork” and he had a sizable collection of vintage erotica.

Erotica

[See also] lingerie (erotic underwear)

Lingerie

That one was a little more difficult. Shall we try something really ambiguous. Say, a Mountain?

From Lingerie to Mountain:

1) Lingerie

Chemise

Chemise

is a simple garment worn next to the skin to protect clothing from sweat and body oils. Chemise is the French term. Italians called it a “camicia”.

French language

[Geographic distribution / Modern issues] Vanuatu

Vanuatu

[Geography] – are also claimed by the French overseas department of New Caledonia. Most of the islands are mountainous and of volcanic origin.

Mountain

2) Lingerie

French maid

French maid

They are a form of ladies’ Fantasywear that depending on design details can be classified as lingerie

Fantasywear

or French Maid or Fraulein outfits ensembles, or by the use of materials such as PVC, Satin or Rubber

Satin

and plain weaves are the 3 basic types of weaving by which the majority of woven products are formed.

Plain

Plains may be more suitable for farming than plateaus or mountains.

Mountain

3) Lingerie

Corsage by elastic

Corsage

bouquet as a fashion accessory attached (usually) to dress

Bouquet

A group of television channels owned by the same company, e.g. British Sky Broadcasting or Turner Broadcasting

Television station

Because some regions have had difficulty picking up over-the-air signals (particularly in mountainous areas), direct-to-home cable or satellite stations provided service.

Mountain

Mountain not big enough? How would we link lingerie to the world?

From Lingerie to World:

1) Lingerie

Camisole

Camisole

camisole is a woman’s undergarment which covers the top part of the body. It is sleeveless and tight fitting in contrast to a loose-fitting

Undergarment

[Related topics / Present day] BVD

BVD

BVD arguably was, and remains, the best known initial trademark in the world

World

2) Lingerie

Stockings

Stocking

but now of knitted wool, silk, cotton or nylon (see Hosiery). The word stock used to refer to the bottom “

Cotton

native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old World and the New World.

New World

The continents were new to the Europeans, who thought of the world as consisting only of Europe, Asia

World

3) Lingerie

Chemise

Chemise

[The history of the chemise] women’s shifts did not fall out of fashion until the early 20th century, when they were generally replaced by brassieres, panties, girdles, and

Undergarment

Undergarments can also have religious significance, as in the special temple garment worn by followers of the

Religion

[Compare with / Related philosophical stances] – essentially an extremely cautious means of building a supportable, evidenced understanding of our world

World

Let’s not stop with this little planet, how about the solar system?

From Lingerie to Solar system:

1) Lingerie

Camisole

Camisole

A Camisole can be worn over a brassiere or without one. Some camisoles come with a built-in underwire bra which eliminates the need for a bra

Brassiere

[Push Up Bras] Some more innovative push-up bras use silicone inserts or water sacks to imitate the fullness of a natural breasts

Silicone

[Chemical terminology] like a ketone group with Si in place of C (the same terminology is used for compounds such as silane, which is an analogue of methane)

Methane

[Methane not on Earth] Methane has been detected or is believed to exist in several locations of the solar system. It is believed to have been created by abiotic processes

Solar system

2) Lingerie

loose T-shirt made of cotton, polyester, nylon or diaphanous chiffon that can be worn like a Babydoll.

Polyester

[Applications] Holograms

Holography

Holograms are common in science-fiction, most notably Star Trek, Star Wars, and Red Dwarf

Red Dwarf

[Invented words / Nova 5] Red Dwarf left the Solar System was apparently the “dollarpound”, divided into one hundred “pennycents”.

Solar system

3) Lingerie

Corset by bone

Corset

garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or orthopaedic purposes

Aesthetics

[Aesthetics in the visual arts] perceived mass, subliminal structure, linear dynamics, tension and repose, pattern, contrast, perspective

Pattern

The planets of our solar system are caught in an incredibly ancient pattern by the gravity of the

Sun

Solar system

Keep Going? Galaxy would be next.

From Lingerie to Galaxy:

1) Lingerie

Corset by bone

Corset

a woman’s corset was usually worn over a garment called a chemise or shift, a sleeveless low-necked gown made of washable material

Shift

derived meanings of change, such as red shift, Great vowel shift, paradigm shift

Redshift

[Introduction] The term redshift is also used for the observation that light emitted by distant galaxies is shifted to longer wavelengths

Galaxy

2) Lingerie

French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are heavily eroticised in Western culture.

Eroticism

Sexual fantasy

Sexual fantasy

of Christian martyrs, many of whom resort to self-mutilation to preserve their virginity or chastity

Virgin

in many Neopagan traditions. The constellation Virgo represents a wide selection of sacred virgins.

Virgo

[Notable deep sky objects] to 10° west of Vindemiatrix (e Vir), this constellation is especially rich in galaxies.

Galaxy

3) Lingerie

Unitard

Unitard

unitard is a skin-tight one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves. It differs from a

One-piece garment

sari

Sari

[The traditional philosophy / Styles] (the body as the world) unites with the ‘sharira-mandala’ ( the whole universe).

Universe

[Expansion and age, and the Big Bang theory] A fundamental aspect of the Big Bang can be seen today in the observation that the farther away from us galaxies are.

Galaxy

Finally, that gets us to the Universe.

From Lingerie to Universe:

1)Lingerie

Petticoat

Petticoat

skirt, dress or sari. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist.

Sari

[The traditional philosophy / Styles] (the body as the world) unites with the ‘sharira-mandala’ ( the whole universe).

Universe

2) Lingerie

Chemise

Chemise

[The history of the chemise] women’s shifts did not fall out of fashion until the early 20th century, when they were generally replaced by brassieres, panties, girdles, and

Undergarment

Undergarments can also have religious significance, as in the special temple garment worn by followers of the

Religion

[The nature and content of religion / Questions that religions address] Creation beliefs, which seek to explain the origin of the universe, the Earth, life, and humanity

Universe

3) Lingerie

French maid

French maid

They are a form of ladies’ Fantasywear that depending on design details can be classified as lingerie

Fantasywear

or French Maid or Fraulein outfits ensembles, or by the use of materials such as PVC, Satin, etc.

Satin

technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibers such as silk….

Filament

In astronomy, it is used to refer to any thread-like structure in the astronomical universe

Universe

There you go, lingerie is weaved into the very fabric of the universe. I knew it all along. Those that have used lingerie probably know it, too. I wonder if lingerie is the very meaning of life….?

Note: Here are a few more links that deserve mentioning.

Lingerie to Couple:

Lingerie

Babydoll

Babydoll

it is a common garment for those who indulge in sexualized play-acting around ideas of infantilism.

Infantilism

[The psychology of infantilism / Psychological perspectives on infantilism] infantilism is usually regarded as a type of sexual roleplaying and is often viewed as a variation of BDSM. In this variation

BDSM

[See also / Switching] Swinging

Swinging

[History] It has consistently found that swingers have better pair-bonds than monogamous couples. The most recent and most thorough study

Couple

Lingerie to Fidelity:

Lingerie

derived from the French language, for women’s undergarments. These garments are heavily eroticised in Western culture.

Undergarment

[History / Middle Ages and Renaissance] urban legend that Crusaders worried about the fidelity of their wives forced them to wear chastity belts.

Fidelity

From Lingerie to Monogamy:

Lingerie

Garter

Garter (clothing)

which traces its history to the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

[Plot synopsis / The Meeting with the Green Knight] Arthur refuses to blame Gawain and decrees that all his knights should henceforth wear a green sash in recognition of Gawain’s courage and honour

Honour

[Honour, sex, and violence] virginity, or at least to preservation of exclusive monogamy.

Monogamy

The Lingerie Guide to the Universe

The Lingerie Guide to the Universe

James Newton and Edie Deween Own and operate a web site and a shop called Hot Stuff Leather and Lace [http://www.sweetdeal4u.biz/catalog/index.php]. Shop is located in Augusta, Ga.

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