Vol 4 #51
Web Sm@rts
from Paradigm Web Design
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In This Issue

  • My 2¢ Worth.
  • Feature Article.
  • Rate our Feature Article on a 5 point scale.
  • Our weekly Web design tip.
  • Comic.
  • Second Article.
  • Download of the Week.
  • Comment on this publication.
  • Recommend us!
  • Unsubscribe information.

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My 2¢ Worth

s we usher out 2003 and prepare to welcome 2004, it's a good idea to review the past year and perhaps make some resolutions for the new year.

any people resolve to quit smoking, lose weight, eat healthier or exercise more. That's not what I'm talking about. If you wish to make those kinds of resolutions — that's your business and I wish you well.

owever, if you're operating any kind of online business, you need to take stock just as a typical brick and mortar business would. Were your sales low in 2003? Maybe there's nothing wrong with your product/ service or your prices. The problem is your Web site.

s your navigation scheme clear, concise and easy for your visitors to use? Are there broken links on your site? Do your pages take hours and hours to load? Poor Web page design sends a clear message to your prospective clients — just not the message you wish to send.

our Web site should invite customers to experience all you have to offer! So this year make a resolution to get your Web site fixed. And as always, you can rely on Paradigm Web Design to get the job done for you.

ave a happy and prosperous 2004!







Software we use
Adobe Photoshop 5.5
Thumbs Plus
Paint Shop Pro 7.0
Spot IT 2.0
CoffeeCup Image Mapper
Net Studio 2000
GIF Movie Gear
Animagic GIF
Xara 3D 3.0
Banner Maker Pro
WS_FTP LE
CSE HTML Validator
QuickFTP
Net Sketch
Pixel 3D
Just Buttons
Dispenser
Art-O-Matic
PhotoMix 1.00
GIFfyBatch
ShoeString Picture Dicer
BrowserMaster
Zip Office 98
EditPlus
Anchek FontPeeper
Screen Calipers

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Feature Article

An Online Marketer Meets A Normal Person


by: Cathy Bryant
homebizjunction.com

Often I get the feeling that normal people (you know, the ones that don't spend hours on end lurking behind their computer screens) think those of us who earn our living online are just, well...different.

For example, here's a composite of the type of conversation I have at an ordinary, everyday gathering of normal people:

Normal person: "So what do you do for a living?"

Me: "I own and operate an online business."

Normal person: "Really! So what exactly is it that you do online?"

At this point the normal person is showing genuine interest in learning more about my business. But when I attempt to answer their question about "exactly" what I do, that's when the fun REALLY begins.

Me: "I operate a website that helps people earn an income from home."

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I know this doesn't really answer their question, because their REAL interest comes in their next inquiry:

Normal person: "So how EXACTLY do you make money doing that?"

Now, for those of you who work online, you KNOW how difficult it can be to explain that to someone who has absolutely no knowledge of how internet marketing works. And if they've had a drink or two, well...forget it.

But I try.

Me: "I publish a newsletter and review various products and resources that help people earn an income from home. In my newsletter I warn people of the enormous number of "work at home" scams that exist and keep them informed about the best products, opportunities, and resources available to help them create a home-based income. I feature a wide variety of items and because I own them and use them myself, I can recommend them as high quality products. I then make a commission on the items I sell because I am an affiliate of the companies that own them."

If you market online yourself, you know what comes next.

The polite smile.

Or the blank stare.

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But more often than not, they feel compelled to respond, even though by this time you've lost them. Completely.

Normal person: "So what did you do before you started this online business?"

Translation:

Have you ever had a "real" job? If so, let's talk about that because it's something I can understand. If not, I'm going to have to excuse myself and go get another drink because I'm clueless here and I sure don't want to admit it.

Me: "Oh, do you mean did I have a regular nine-to-five job? One of those ones that meant fighting horrendous traffic five days a week, putting up with difficult bosses and grumpy co-workers, and not being able to take time off when I wanted to or needed to? Yea, I had one of those once."

Suddenly, the normal person begins to understand that you aren't so different after all. A knowing expression creeps across his or her face. Then they ask their final question:

"Do you happen to have a business card?"

**************

Cathy Bryant escaped the rat race several years ago. Visit her website at www.homebizjunction.com and see what she can offer those who wish to do the same. Subscribe to her newsletter to stay informed about the best products available for those who want to create a home-based income.

**************

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide quality content, we
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Too short 1.   2.   3.    4.   5. Too long
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This week's TIP

Easy Image Rollover

Think mouse-overs are tough? Think again ... here's a totally easy way to change an image when the user hovers over it. The following code will require you to have two images, one that appears on page load, and one that appears when users hover or roll over the first image with their mouse. Finally, we also specify a return to our original image when the user mouses back out. customize the fields in red with your own links and images.

Step 1. Make a Link:

<a href="page1.html" onMouseOver="imagename.src='pic-2.gif'" onMouseOut="imagename.src='pic.gif'">

onMouseOut tells the browser that when the mouse is NOT over image imagename, then display pic.gif, which is the original image. If this piece is not there, you will get an error message.

Step 2. Add the Image:

<img src="pic.gif" name="imagename" border=0></a>. The NAME attribute is important - as the Javascript uses it.

You have now completed your image rollover. Pretty easy, huh?

NOTE: If you do not want the image to be clickable, remove "page1.html" and replace it with a "#" sign.


* Get these syndicated tip feeds for yourweb site, free. *


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Second Article

5 Ways to Speed Up Your PC


by: Jim Edwards
TheNetReporter.com Online E-newsletter

No matter how fast your processor and regardless of how much ram you carry, there comes a time when you realize your computer just doesn't run as fast as it did when you bought it.

Windows loads slower, programs take longer to launch, and, in general, your computer drags like it just came off a 2-night drinking binge.

If this sounds like your situation, these 5 tips should help you get some extra speed from your PC.

Disk Cleanup Utility

You may not realize it, but just because you finish with a file doesn't mean your computer does.

In many cases, if your computer's hard drive were a garage, you would have unused junk files piled 20 feet high and spilling out into the street.

Everyone should use the Windows "Disk Cleanup Utility" to delete old, unused, and temporary files that clog your hard drive.

Click Start, point at All Programs (or Programs), Accessories, System Tools, and click Disk Cleanup. Analyze your hard drive for files you can eliminate and it may shock you to see how much hard drive space (and speed) you can free up with a few clicks.

Defrag

Imagine a properly maintained hard drive as room the size of Wal-Mart filled with filing cabinets.

Now imagine ripping open every drawer of every filing cabinet, slinging the contents onto the floor and trying to find one document -that's a fragmented hard drive.

Sometimes lack of speed simply results from your computer working too hard to find the files it needs.

You can solve this problem by "defragging" your hard drive.

Click Start, point to All Programs (or Programs), Accessories, System Tools, and click Disk Defragmentor. Choose the disk you want to defragment and expect to let the program run for several hours.

Uninstall Unused Software

We all maintain software on our systems we rarely, if ever, use.

That software can steal system resources. Click Start, Control Panel, and "Add Remove Programs" to pull up a screen that allows you to remove old programs you don't use anymore.

Simply select and uninstall all programs you know for sure you don't need or want.

Buy More RAM

Increasing your RAM, a computer's memory, can dramatically increase speed when running certain operations or programs.

RAM costs so little now that you should install the maximum amount of memory your system can handle.

"Stop Them At Startup"

This operation requires a bit more technical savvy than the other four, so proceed with caution.

Many programs load into the system tray in the lower right of your computer's desktop and consume system resources even if you never use them.

Click Start, Run, type in msconfig, and press Enter. Click the "Startup" tab to see a list of programs that automatically start with Windows.

Clear the check box next to programs you know you don't want to load at startup.

But don't clear any checkbox unless you are 100% certain of a program's purpose.

Once you finish, click OK and it will prompt you to restart Windows.

**************

Author and co-author of several highly successful ebooks, including "How to Write and Publish your own eBook... in as littl as 7 Days" www.7dayebook.com. Writes a syndicated offline Newspaper Column - www.thenetreporter.com - focusing on ebooks, tips, tricks, expert interviews, & more!

**************

Download of the Week

The time it takes for your Web page and its graphics to download can be of critical importance. If it takes too long, your visitors will give up and go to your competitors site.

WebSpeed is a freeware program which will analyze your page and tell you how long it will take to download using various modems.

Download WebSpeed




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