Realising the operational benefits of Virtual Maintenance Training Systems

Author : Martin McAllister

"view_date">May 3rd, 2007

Coin Collecting - A Fun Hobby

Author : Susan Daniel
Over the years, collecting coins has grown from being just a hobby to becoming a full-blown enterprise with numerous Internet sites devoted to coins. Over the next several weeks, I will give you a little background about coin collecting to help those who want to pursue this as a hobby and maybe even make some money in the process.People have been collecting coins for centuries, because of their beauty, their value, and their history. When you hold an old coin in your hand, it allows you to take a step back in history to the time of the coinage. For over 2,500 years, man’s history has been reflected in coins. From the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the British Empire, the California Gold Rush, and US coins, man’s achievements have been depicted in coins.Coin collecting, called numismatics, has become one of the most rewarding and popular hobbies in the world today. Over a period of time as you begin to add more coins to your collection, you will be pleasantly surprised at the hours of enjoyment your collection will bring. If you have taken time and care with your collection, not only will it be of value to you and those you pass it on to, but could also be an investment for the future.Please check back for future articles where we will be discussing early coins, 19th and 20th century coins, commemorative coins, gold coins, determining the value of coins, and buying coins.Copyright © 2005 Susan Daniel and Debbie OverstreetAbout Susan and Debbie: Susan and Debbie are internet marketers. You can review more articles and Web sites on coin collecting by visiting http://www.showmerarecoils.com.
Category : Domains

How To Improve Your Open Rates And Click-Thru Rates In Your Email Campaigns

Author : Dejan Bizinger
In this article I will give you several tips that can help you in improving your open and click-thru rates.1) Open rateIn order to your email campaign be successful the first necessary thing is that people open and read your email newsletter. Online publishing is very similar to traditional publishing. When you buy a daily newspaper, you probably don’t read everything. You don’t have that much of free time and not every subject is equally interesting for you. If you are a sports fan you will read the sport section but you might skip an article about latest movies . In most cases you will decide what you are going to read upon subject titles.Same thing with email newsletters. One of the two most important factors that influence whether or not your subscriber will open your email newsletter will be your subject line. In order to have good open rates and click-thru rates you have to know your audience. Your message has to be well targeted.There are several rules you have to follow in order to make effective subject lines.Subject linesYour subject lines should be short and snappy to get attention of your subscribers. Many people receive dozens of emails every day and some other people that have web sites and often make posts on different places like web forums, discussion lists, publish articles, can get more than 100 emails per day. So your message will have a very big competition in your subscriber’s inbox. That’s why your subject line has to grab attention of your subscriber. This doesn’t mean that you have to use usual spam techniques. On the contrary. Avoid using words FREE, GUARANTEED, Make Money Fast, Limited Offer and other get-rich-quick schemes words. Not just because of your subscribers. If you use these words it is most likely that your emails will never even reach them. Their ISP will take care of that with their spam filters. Also don’t capitalize every letter and don’t put several times exclamation. You don’t need to shout, people will “hear” you if you know how to “tell” them your message.So your subject line has to be short and snappy, best thing is that you include one title from your articles in your subject line. It can be some breaking news or exlusive interview. People like to read breaking news or exclusive interviews that can’t be found anywhere else. Also, people often read how-to articles (for example - How To Choose The Right Email Marketing Software) or so called “number” articles (for example â€" 7 Tips For E-publishers On A Shoestring Budget).Good thing is that you put your newsletter name in brackets, at the beginning of your subject line in order to be easily recognized from other emails in inbox.Please bear in mind, that your subject line has to be consistent. What do I mean by that? Of course that you will change the title in your subject line but you have to find the best subject form and stick to it. For example:[NewslettterName] Your Subject Title, Issue #x, DateDon’t forget, in order to make effective ads and this apply to subject lines, as well you have to remember 3 words â€" test, test, test! You have to experiment with different models and find out which work best for you.From fieldBeside Subject line, From field is another info that your recipients will see in their inbox. People have to trust you in order to decide to read your emails. You don’t open your doors to every person who knocks, don’t you?If you are well-known person, trusted expert in your industry, for example some reputable Internet consultant and you are the only person that is involved in creation and publishing of the newsletter put your name in From field. If several people are involved in that process and if it is a corporate newsletter, use your company name.Most important thing with From fields is that you don’t experiment with it. Choose one From field and stick to that. It is very un-professional that you often change your From field and beside that, in that case, your open rate will decline.Useful tip is that you ask your subscribers to make a filter rule for your email newsletter, based on your email address, From field or some part of your Subject line. For example, they can put [YourNewsletterName] in a filter rule for your newsletter or your From field name so every time they get the email newsletter that matches that rule it will be moved to a specially designed folder, for example YourNewsletterName. So this way your newsletter won’t end in their Bulk folder. That is also one of the reasons why you should be consistent with your From field and subject line.2) Click-Thru RatesClicks come once your email newsletter is opened. With good open rate you have finished only one part of the job. Now, your newsletter has to be well designed with appropriate content and concept, and most important, well targeted in order to have a decent click-thru ratio (CTR). You have to know your audience. You can increase your CTR if you put your most important articles and ads at the top of your email newsletters. Don’t write too long articles. It is better to write articles where you will list several tips. Also, don’t overload your newsletter with ads. People want to read useful things and not lots of ads.Also, you know that a picture is worth more than 1000 words, so it is good that if you publish a HTML newsletter that you include photos that will be relevant to your articles and that are clickable. Click-Thru rates get higher if you give some value-added services to your subscribers. You have to make a good relationship with them. Treat them well, write useful articles, give exclusive discounts to your subscribers and they will show their appreciation.Different types of email newsletters have different click-thru ratio. Click-Thru ratio is important, but it is not the most important. Just because many people click on your follow-up article or offer doesn’t mean that they will actually buy your software or service. In some cases, lower CTR can get you more sales than some good CTR. Think about that next time you start your email campaign.Dejan Bizinger is a Contributing Editor for Infacta. Infacta is email messaging services company providing powerful, yet easy-to-use award-winning Group Mail, software for sending highly-personalized email messages and Group Metrics, software for email tracking. For more information visit: http://www.infacta.com
Category : Current Events

The Lore And Beauty Of Turquoise

Author : Lee Dobbins

Turquoise has been sought after for centuries for its beauty and healing powers. Well known for its uses in Native American jewelry and carvings, it has been used for centuries and dates back to ancient Egypt as evidenced by turquoise jewelry found in the ancient Egyptian tombs.

This popular stone can range in color from vivid sky blue to a yellowish green color and is found in mines all over the world. Although quite porous in nature, most turquoise has been stabilized for use in modern jewelry which renders it less apt to chip and protects it from discoloration due to exposure from body oils. Turquoise can be strung as beads, carved into animal fetishes and combined with a variety of other stones to make striking handmade jewelry.

Turquoise gem stones are reputed to have powerful healing properties. This stone is said to help with public speaking as well as enhance calmness and creativity. The wearer of turquoise my also notice improved wisdom and honesty as well as a new sense of empathy. It has also been used to help enhance relationships, strengthen the bond in friendships and allow one to have a better connection with their inner self. Its healing properties are associated with the respiratory, skeletal and digestive systems and has long been used to cleanse the body of toxins.

Turquoise is mined in many places around the world including Iran, China, Turkey, Persia, Egypt adnNorth America. The color of the stone depends on the minerals that are in the ground. Blue stones are found where copper is present, green stones are found where iron is present a yellowish green stone which is quite rare is found where zinc is present and the White Buffalo turquoise found in Nevada is mined where there are no minerals present.

If you wear turquoise jewelry, take care to clean it carefully. This porous stone can be easily damaged if submerged in chemical cleaners. Never use steam or ultrasonic cleaners for your gemstone jewelry. The gentlest method of cleaning is to dip a Q-tip in warm soapy water and wipe the stone with that - wipe again with plain water to remove any soap residue.

About the author:

Lee Dobbins is owner and editor of Artisan Jewelry Online where you can learn more about turquoise jewelry.

Category : Fashion

Bali - Coffee on Island of the Gods

Author : Alun Evans
Bali is known by many names to those who have visited the island. Many Indonesians refer to this slice of paradise as “Pulau Dewa” or “Island of the gods”. Since October 2002 the island has seen a marked downturn in the number of foreign tourists arriving to enjoy the scenic, cultural and religious diversity found here. Hopefully with a peaceful election campaign behind us, Bali will again see tourists returning in numbers.Our visit to Bali in March was not a holiday, but rather a visit to look at the cooperative growing system for Arabica found in the highland areas of central Bali. Traditionally Balinese coffee was of the robusta variety. This is the coffee that many tourists visiting the island experience and love. The origins of Robusta here can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century or earlier. Commercial Colonial plantations never made an impact in Bali because the Dutch did not get any degree of control over the island until the 1900’s. By this time the big plantations in Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi were already well established. The Robusta in Bali most likely came via traders from Ampenan in Lombok. The growing conditions in Bali are ideal for coffee trees, and small-scale production quickly spread in the cooler, higher altitude areas of the Island.In recent times, with Robusta prices falling, Arabica has been planted in several areas of the Island. Some of these plantings are in commercial plantations, however the bulk are beans grown by small-holders in a number of villages saddling the volcanic peaks. Our visit was to examine the drying and processing facilities for this mountain grown Bali Arabica.As in the rest of the coffee world, the small-holders make up the bulk of the growers, but receive little real financial reward for their efforts. Our concern is always to look for a way in which to help these small growers to improve their picking, drying and sorting processes in order for them to be able to market their coffee to the specialty coffee market outside of Indonesia. In most cases the growers are more than happy to listen to ideas on how to improve the finished quality of their product. In Bali the yields from the trees in raw cherries is very good. Most coop growers are uncertified organic- the costs of pesticides against the price for the finished bean do not make sense. The small holders almost universally follow the dry method of processing the beans. This involves laying the fruit out under the sun in large, flat concrete drying pens. The coffee is raked regularly to ensure the drying proceeds at a constant pace. Prior to drying the cooperative removes poor quality cherries- usually berries that are not ripe, have evidence of surface fungal diseases or berries that have been damaged by birds or other pests. After drying and removal of the remaining mucilage, the beans are again sorted. This time beans are sorted based on whether there is evidence of damage by borer, discoloration, black beans or split and broken beans. This is the extent of sorting- there is no screen sizing done by the cooperatives at origin, as normally the beans are on-sold to big producers who then sort further.We like the early season greens that we saw in the highlands of Bali. The colours and firmness of the bean are good, as was the general quality. Test roasting resulted in us deciding that the dry-processed bean had some characteristics reminiscent of the lower altitude Java Arabica beans. A very mellow, slightly honey-dew taste…..We are looking forward to later in the year when we will be in Bali for the harvest of the bulk of the 2004 crop.Alun Evans is a New Zealander living and working in sepcialty coffee in Indonesia. He has lived here since 1998 and is working towards a goal of promoting and devloping sustainable coffee in Indonesia.
Category : RSS

Surviving the Economic Downturn!

Author : Lorraine Ball
In tough economic times, raise the bar, change the bait, find new methods to propel your team beyond its current status.To gain market advantage during an economic slowdown, here are a few survival tips to consider when mapping out your action plan.Engage in DialogueRemember what Sam Walton said: Trust your customers. Go talk to them. They have all the answers, and all the money.Next, talk with the rest of your important constituents: employees, suppliers, shareholders. Keep them in the loop--and they'll keep you informed as to what's happening in their world.Reduce Cost WiselyCut what is non core. Invest in what is.Don't cut your culture. It will not recover easily. If you have to reduce your staff, be sure to recognize the efforts of those that remain.Reexamine FundamentalsAsk yourself what you want to look like when the recovery comes. Then drive your business towards that outcome.Do what you already know is right -- only this time, really do it. Don't just pay lip service to change, make the hard calls and change the things that do not work!Believe in your own business. Remain positive and focus on what you do well. Your attitude will be contagious. If you believe there will be an upturn, your team and your customers will as well.A twenty year veteran of corporate America, today Lorraine Ball helps small business owners use planning and creative thinking as a starting point for growth and change.Active in the local business community, Lorraine is the recipient of 2005 Rainmaker of the Year Award. She serves on the boards of Rainmakers and the Network of Women in Business
Category : News-and-Society:Economics

Your Ideal Guide to Dentist New York

Author : Erzana Jones

Dentist! Does the very word makes you frightened? If yes, then you need to face this to have the perfect dental health. Overcome your fear of the dentist, his office and the dentists chair if you really want to have strong and healthy teeth. If you happen to be residing in New York then you have an excellent chance to get services from the best dentist in New York. This is simple because New York dentists are fully capable of doing what is required for perfecting and correcting the dental heath of individuals. So find out the best dentist in New York if you are encountering any kind of dental defects. Dental problems can be of several types. So if you want to find out exactly what kind of ailment ails your tooth, the dentist is the best person who can help you out of this condition. There are many technologically advanced types of equipment that are used by dentists to find out the exact cause of a dental defect. The dentist will conduct several tests to determine and find out the exact condition of your dental health. After completion of the tests, the dentist will prescribe you what treatment methods should be undertaken to correct the condition.You can find several dentists in your city, but if you want to undergo the best treatment you will surely have to find out the best dentist operating in your locality. Talking with people who have undergone any kind of dentistry procedure, either cosmetic or restorative is a good way of setting yourself to find out a good dentist in your area. These people have undergone the treatment procedure and are in the best position to guide you towards finding out the best dentist.The internet is also a very good source to find out a good dentist who will help you in treating any kind of dental condition. Finding out information about a dentist on the web is very simple. Just type in the keyword with which you want to make a search about the dentist. After you type in the word and make a search, you will be literally flooded with information on the web. Make a careful analysis of the information that you have in hand and search out the best dentist who will perform the dentistry procedure on you.While finding out all you can about the dentist, make sure to check out the album of the dentist. In the album you can check out the pictures that show the results on a person of the procedure undertaken. Also make sure that before you settle down for any procedure to be undertaken by the dentist, you have proper knowledge about the procedure. Dental ailments affect almost everybody at some point in their life or other. So keeping your teeth clean and healthy goes a long way in preventing you from encountering any kind of dental problems. Feel comfortable while discussing anything with related to your oral health with your dentist. After all, the dentist is the best person to help you in curing your dental conditions and he must know all about the condition that you are facing. Erzana Jones has special interest in dentistry and health related topics. She has been working for Manhattandental SPA since the last 3 years. She has written many articles related to teeth whitening and cosmetic dental services. For more information about Dentists New York, teeth whitening,dental implant, veneers or any kind of dental emergency visit www.manhattandentalspa.com

Category : General Medical: Dental