The Net’s Most Wanteds

American rap artist, Curtis James Jackson III, or 50 Cent, was born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York on July 6, 1975. His mother’s mysterious death before his teen years sent Curtis to his grandmother.

Aside from selling drugs on the streets at 12 years old, 50 Cent also spent his time in the boxing gym. He eventually competed in the Olympics. His boxing career was cut short, though, as he got arrested several times for offenses related to drug-dealing. He was shot 9 times in 2000 before he was discovered by Eminem in 2002.

After signing a million dollar record deal through the efforts of Eminem and Dr. Dre, 50 Cent came out with his first album in 2003, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which sold 872,000 copies in 4 days. He continued to gain recognition as he spawned one hit after another and branched out to other media forms like gaming, television, and the movies. He also came up with his own label, G-Unit, courtesy of his recording company Interscope.

50 Cent credits the birth of his son, Marquise Jackson, for his change in priorities. Proof of this is his sincerity to his craft which has brought him 11 Grammy nominations. His latest album, Curtis, was released last September 2007.

Kendall Coffey comments on the Michael Jackson case on CNN.

Learn more about Kendall Coffey in his attorney profile and article archive.

This site has collected quotations from former US Attorney Kendall Coffey.

If you are trying to lose or maintain your weight, it is important that you count your calories. This can seem difficult, and like a lot of work, but it is really not. If you eat a lot of the same things, you will begin to learn how many calories the foods have.

Your first step is deciding how many calories you need in one day. This depends on your age, gender, and activity level. Also, if you are pregnant or nursing, you calorie needs will be different. As a general rule, you should never eat less than 1,200 calories on a daily basis.

Once you have decided how many calories to shoot for each day, you will need to find out how many calories are in foods you are eating. You can check the labels on a lot of foods to find out how many calories they have. Also, you can purchase books and calculators that give this information. In addition, try searching the Internet for the information. There is a wealth of ways to count your calories for your favorite foods.

Buy a small notebook you can carry with you to write down your calories for the day. You can also use your BlackBerry or PDA device. Just make sure you choose a device to count your calories that works for you.

Once you have decided how many calories you need, purchased your calorie counting device and journal, then you will be well on your way to a healthier you. Counting calories and regular exercise are the keys to weight loss!

In my book, How To Sell Like A Natural Born Salesperson, I tell a story about what happened to my dear dad, late in life.

He was a career salesperson, who dabbled in producing TV and radio. In his middle 60’s he accepted a sales job that should have been a breeze for him, but for some reason, he just couldn’t seem to “crack the nut,” as he put it, and earn his first sale.

This was excruciating, inasmuch as he was always the top rep and moneymaker wherever he worked.

I talked with him during this time, and occasionally we got together for dinner.

And to his credit, he never got down on himself. In fact, he told me: “Gary, it only takes one!”

I had heard this line before, when he was standing in the bleachers, as I was at bat. “It only takes one!” he would shout as an encouragement.

Of course, he was right.

You just need to put a good swing on a good pitch, and the rest will take care of itself.

Dad came through.

As it turned out, Elvis Presley’s manager, the famous Colonel Parker, gave him a huge order, the prestige of which carried dad on to one success after the next.

It just took one “king” to re-anoint another king, and peace came to the realm, once more.

Let this be an inspiration to you, when things aren’t going well. It just takes one success to turn everything around!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

There are many various multimedia advances happening to the good old blog. Although the blog is only a few years old, technology has kept right up there with it. Now, you have the ability to do a number of fascinating things with it. As the blog owner, this can mean huge potential dollars in marketing. If you are just a blog reader, you can now access your favorites online any time that you feel like it.

There are several areas in which the blog has entered the multimedia world. Here are some of them to think about.

* Text. Okay, so this isn’t anything new. It is the most commonly thought of type of blogging. Simple writings that are done on the blog. * Images. This takes it one step ahead. Now, you can send images to your fellow bloggers, your family or your friends. * Video. Even better, the blogs can now come packed with video from your digital camera or the cell phone that is video enabled. * Podcasts. The latest feature. It allows individuals to receive the information that they want, when they want it. Podscasts allow you to receive both audio and video over the internet.

But, just because you have the ability to use these various types of blogging, what happens to it? Does it just sit on your website in the hopes that someone will actually want it? The good news is that you can now send these multimedia advances to individuals on their Ipods or their mobile phones. This means instant notification when you update the blog and instant access no matter where they are located. In short, it translates into dollars through marketing.

New advances in blogging are occurring all the time. Stay connected to your consumers, your fellow bloggers, and your favorite blogs. The fact that you can do all of this from your mobile phone; just makes it even better. More than likely, you’ll have something to blog right now.

Do you have any idea what your customers have experienced from using the products they have purchased from you? Most of the vendors I work with make a sale and move on. They often don’t bother investing much time improving the products they sell to their customers, much less develop ways to help them better understand how to use them. A very small minority of vendors have continued to send me unsolicited free bonus ‘how to use it’ follow-up emails and publications long after I made my purchase from them. And whenever I receive something like this, it almost always compels me to take another look at the product I purchased – because anything that helps me understand more ways to use what I already own is pretty useful to me.

What this also does is cause me to appreciate that vendor even more for thinking about me. They not only added value to their product, but they helped me see how to use their tool to solve even more of my business problems. It just doesn’t get much better than that.

Does this sound like something you’d consider doing? What if you don’t have your own product? No problem – just create a way to improve someone else’s product, and then sell it or give it away when someone purchased the product you are promoting. It’s a sure way to generate more sales for an affiliate product.

One way you can jump on this is to contact your existing customers and ask a simple question along the lines of: “What results are you getting from using XYZ product, and how can I help you make this product work even better for you?”

Vendors who do send “How To Use My Product” updates to their customers are generally helping their customers experience incredible results. Why? Think about it – how much more value would you be adding to your product if you continued to send your customers updates with more examples and tips about how to actually use your (or someone else’s) product or service more completely, effectively, efficiently, profitably, etc.? Oh yeah – let’s not forget about how eager everyone is to read about cases studies of how others are using a product successfully and profitably.

When you do this, you’re helping your customer actually visualize new ways to use the product you sold them in ways they might never have considered before.

Let me ask you this: How many ebooks do you have sitting on your shelf or on your hard drive that you’ve never even read? And how many people have ever sent you ideas to help you use those products? What would you think of someone who DID do that for you? Are you getting the idea here?

The reason many marketing products never get read or used is because no one helps people understand how to use the information profitably on an ongoing basis. Your product ‘updates’ help to reduce or eliminate these issues, and also provides your customers with an unexpected bonus. Not only that, but, when you show someone how to really use a product you sell, you instill trust because you demonstrate that you truly understand the value of the product. You shift from being perceived as just a product promoter to being a true problem solver. Your customers will suddenly come to realize that you really are worth having around – and their loyalty towards you increases tremendously.

Doing this for your customers keeps any product you sell from turning into a dust collecting trophy on their shelf or taking up extra space on their hard drive. If you make a product truly useful, someone will think twice before deleting it. If you show someone a variety of profitable ways they can actually use the products you sell them, what are they going to think about you? Here are a few things that come to mind:

a) you really rock
b) making a purchase from you was a good investment
c) making future purchases from you will be just as good
d) I want to stay in touch with this person

How would you like to have your customers thinking these thoughts about you? You can make it happen. Start today by choosing a product and start thinking of more useful ways your prospects and customers can use it. Then, write a report or create a video showing them How To use that product more profitably.

© 2005 by Kevin Wirth – allrights reserved worldwide.

Kevin Wirth is the owner of KEVS-KORNER ezine, a free online newsletter offering articles, tips, resources, and insight on over 170 different marketing tactics. He is bringing together a growing community where you can work with others to create and market products online. To discover more about how you can grow your online business with marketing tactics and get a free gift just for visiting, please head on over to http://www.kevs-korner.com.

So you arrive at a wesbsite and start along your merry way, browsing at will. Suddenly, you are confronted by a curious ‘error’ message, denoted by a big red exclamation mark. OK, so I have made a mistake by not including a valid username. But why is the error message in the bottom left of the page when the field for my username is in the top right?

At first, I did not even know what the red exclamation mark was telling me until I scoured the page for direction. Sadly, rather than being the only issue, this example is but one of the many error messages which contrive to frustrate online customers and exacerbate the mistake that should be easily rectified.

On any given website there are usability issues which range from minor to critical. When it comes to proper error messages, what needs to be realized is that they are not just important, they are critical to the user experience.

Whose Job is it Anyway?

In what seems an astoundingly odd move, some sites do not even concern themselves with delivering a proper error message, instead relying on the web or application server to throw up its standard and uninformative messages. At best, this seems nonchalant and at worst, entirely ignorant towards the user. It is up to the company to ensure that error messages are both timely and accurate.

Put simply, and this in no way diminishes the importance of the point, a good error message should tell you three critical things: what went wrong, why it happened, and what, if anything, you can do to fix it.

Unfortunately for web users, these excruciating experiences which exhibit a fundamental lack of awareness by the site designers are all too frequent. From jargon-laden messages which serve only to confuse to others which go no way to actually explaining where you have strayed, proper error messages appear to be conspicuously absent.

The Long and Winding Road

Inconsistent, misleading or just plain bad, this kind of error message can be an infuriating diversion on the road to completing your online goal or arriving at your ultimate online destination. In some worst case scenarios, they are so distracting that they arrest your desire to even complete the transaction if it is not imperative that you buy from that particular ecommerce site. For many users, time is very much of the essence. Time consuming navigation which often seems to lead to an online cul-de-sac is not desirable to anyone.

The sad thing is that, with foresight and an awareness of what your user needs to assist when a genuine error is made, it does not have to be this way. I am sure there are those who consider this to be much ado about nothing but I can assure those doubters, proper error messages matter.

We Can Work It Out

Of course, most online users can always work out what the error messages mean and navigate safely on; the question is, why should they have to? Many of the error messages, like the time-honored classic ‘404′ that we all love so much are clearly written by the technically astute, not for the benefit of the user. When an error occurs, it is imperative to guide the user back to the correct path by the employment of clear instruction, not infuriate them with techno-babble.

When the user has to expend more energy on working out the navigational weaknesses of a site rather than enjoying a seamless experience, you are in grave danger of losing that sale and any subsequent loyalty.

Too many ecommerce websites seem to be forgetting that high quality usability is key to the success of their sales. Considering the immense wealth of online competition in almost every business, seemingly simple things such as continuously irritating error messages can indeed make or break a sale and, ipso facto, lose future sales.

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction

Who among us has not enjoyed the dubious pleasures of error messages with no explanation as to what the mistake even was? All it takes is a clear and concise indication next to the error in question and, preferably, at the top of the page and eureka, the customer is satisfied and the goodwill factor is not eroded by unnecessary frustration. Consistency is a key here. Make sure that each and every conceivable error has an appropriate and easily understood solution.

Consumers do make errors, that is a fact; but it is the speed and accuracy with which these are addressed and corrected which shapes their experience, not the fact that they occurred in the first place. Errors do not mean a disgruntled customer but in many cases, a lack of help from the site most certainly breeds dissatisfaction.

A Hard Days Night

Such imminent frustration can also be found when the customer makes an error but instead of being returned to a form where the correct fields remain full, the entire form is emptied. Constant back and forth form completion and indeed having to click back rather than being directed to the screen where the error can be rectified is something which will test the patience of even the most virtuous and experienced web user.

Working hard to fill in forms is not what online purchasing is supposed to represent. Indeed, the whole idea of online purchasing is the convenience and efficiency it is supposed to deliver.

In Conclusion

When it comes to proper error messages, the conclusion I continue to reach on a regular basis is that not only do they matter, they are crucial. Customer experience is everything and that should never be underestimated.

Ignoring an error message is just like standing in a department store and when confronted with a lost customer, instructing them that you have no intention of directing them appropriately and hoping that a vague, uninformative reply will suffice. Surely, this is not something you would want to encounter in person, so why should you have to meet with such a scenario on the web?

VKI Studios is an Internet marketing and website usability company which has been helping customer experience since 1998.

Eiseman once said that “Of all the forms of non-verbal communication, color is the most instantaneous method of conveying messages and meanings.” He sure is right.

It has been often said that the website’s color must coordinate well. But when you surf the net you can see too many websites that have horrible color schemes. Good color is essential to the success of a website as color adds interest and flavor. It can be used to highlight important messages and it can draw a visitor’s attention to important elements.

Colors have different effects on people. Certain colors can invoke certain emotions to people and these emotional reactions can affect the image of your company. Anything that can evoke responses in people needs to be looked at carefully when designing your website. There are a few things to consider in choosing the right colors for your site to avoid any mishap.

• Use colors wisely. Black and white is best used on text and background colors. Black and yellow can also prove to be very good contrast. However, a site done entirely in yellow or black won’t really be appealing.

• When choosing colors for your background and text, make sure that the colors you choose are contrasting ones. You can use a dark color for text against light color for background. Never use similar colors for your text and background. You should be very careful in contrasting colors as some tend to “vibrate” such as red text on blue background. This can hurt some people’s eye.

• Simple color choices are often better. When having doubts about your colors you can always use black and white as they are easy to read and does not hurt your website.

• Avoid using patterned backgrounds because they appear to be noisy and tends to distract your website. Although they may seem pretty and fun, they often prove very hard to read.

Overall, you have to make sure that the colors that you use are pleasing and attractive to the eye. Select colors that best reflect the image that you want to give your visitors. Do not use normal color intensity images as a background behind text. And ensure that you use uniform color on all your pages to create a brand for your site.

For comments and suggestions kindly visit Web Development Company

Universal Life Insurance is a type of insurance policy that not only provides protection in the event of the insured’s death, but it also serves as an investment option. It may earn money market interest rates. It’s flexible and allows you to increase or decrease the amount of insurance coverage you need throughout the policy term. Although it is flexible, there are certain parameters you must follow. The policy limit may not be decreased beyond a predetermined amount, and increasing the coverage may subject you to underwriting requirements. Always be aware of your policy’s terms and conditions.

How does it work?

With a Universal Life policy you are in control of the amount and how often you pay the premiums.

• You have the option to make lump sum payments which will increase the cash and death benefit value of your policy. The interest on the cash value of the policy grows tax-deferred.

• You may also, at times of financial hardship, lower the premium amount you pay. Realize, however, by doing this, the face amount of the policy will change because the difference between the minimum monthly premium and the lower amount you pay is taken from the policy cash value. Be aware that most companies, if not all, include an expense charge for each premium payment.

• Withdrawals – You may withdraw money from the cash value of the policy. Companies may have limits as to how many withdrawals you may take each year and what the minimum amount can be. Each withdrawal may be subject to fees or charges.

Rates:

Rates vary depending on the company. Some companies guarantee that the account value will earn interest at the company’s current interest rate. Other companies have come out with policies where rates are guaranteed, regardless of the interest rate the insurance company pays.

The best advice is to shop around and always know what’s in the fine print.

View our Recommended Universal Life Insurance Company, a simple site that has an easy to fill out application. It also has a lot of great info about Affordable Home Owner Insurance and Low Cost Car Insurance Online

Documenting and exploring the communications you have with your customers can reveal opportunities for selling and educating them that may not have been apparent previously. It is important to understand the terms that are being used here because they are critical to deriving more sales from each interaction. This will become clearer when we explore the three key elements — influencers, mediums, and expectations.

Customer interaction points represent any communications you have with your customer at any point in the relationship. These points represent a system of selling and educational opportunities. When we talk about exploiting customer interaction points, we are specifically looking at employing the greatest possible advantage for both the customer and your organization – always seek increasing service and providing win-win situations.

Each customer interaction point gives your organization valuable information that helps tailor your services for the customer while teaching them about ways to receive additional benefit. If you do not utilize this opportunity in every communication, you could be missing useful knowledge and future sales. The three key elements mentioned in the first paragraph will make this statement clearer.

The three elements we are referring to are influencers, mediums, and expectations. You must determine what influences your customer to become involved in the interaction. Describe the categories of communications mediums in which your customer interacts with you. Then face the most important part of serving any customer, their specific expectations — learn about their wants, needs, and the benefits desired.

At first, this can be a difficult process, but just start by jotting down a simple flow chart with short notes highlighting the three key elements. Once you have a general idea of where you communicate with your customer, seek to deliver more of what the customer expects and look at ways you can help them to solve their problems.

This forward, but generally beneficial approach will increase your sales while providing the customer those things they need.

Copyright © 2002 Justin Hitt, All right reserved.

Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. Studies show Americans are living longer and enjoying more active lifestyles. Due to advances in food technology, we are only just beginning to discover the many health secrets Mother Nature has placed in simple everyday fruit.

In fact, in early 2005, the U.S.D.A. revealed the updated version of the food pyramid that suggests five to nine daily servings of fruit and vegetables.

Why is simple, everyday fruit becoming so popular? The answer is great-tasting, antioxidant-rich food that can help maintain healthy joints, help support brain function and even assist in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system. All of these health benefits and more are available in the multiple colors, sizes and shapes of fruit.

Apples to Oranges, grapes to strawberries, each offer unique health benefits that that will lead to an active and healthy lifestyle. The multitudes of health components found in fruit are truly a gift from Mother Nature. Here are a few everyday fruits for healthy living:

Cherries – The Supercharged Fruit:

Are cherries truly fruit for a healthy you? Recent studies have revealed that cherries offer an assortment of health benefits including the ability to offer natural relief from joint pain caused from gout, arthritis and joint inflammation. Many are choosing to drink cherry juice concentrate, eat dried cherries or consume tart cherry fruit supplements to enjoy the natural benefits of this tiny red fruit.

Geoff Ficke is a living testimony of the soothing affects of tart cherries on the joint pain in his knees. “After fifteen years playing sports my knees had enough. After a friend recommended Fruit Advantage, I am now able to play sports again. Within three weeks of taking the supplements I am back on the court, what a difference,” says Ficke.

In addition, to Mr. Ficke, consumers across America are reporting relief after using Fruit Advantage Tart Cherry (www.fruitadvantage.com).

Blueberries – Nature’s Top Antioxidant Fruit:
Blueberries emerged as the top antioxidant capacity fruit in a laboratory testing procedure called ORAC – Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity developed by the USDA*. ORAC has become the definitive measurement of antioxidant capacity.

James Joseph, Ph.D, Chief of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, is working with blueberries to examine their potential to help improve motor skills and reverse the short-term memory loss that comes with aging.

“The blueberry has emerged as a very powerful food in the aging battle,” said Joseph. “Given the possibility that blueberries may reverse short-term memory loss and forestall other effects of aging, their potential may be very great.”

Terry Johnson, a resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan, munchies on dried blueberries for the convenience and taste. “I work behind a computer for eight hours a day and I like to snack. I began eating dried blueberries instead of a candy bar from the vending machine. Now I feel good when I snack because I am
eating fruit instead of candy.”

Strawberries:

Studies have shown that strawberries can help promote a healthy digestive system and may help lower cholesterol. A handful of strawberries can go a long way to a helping you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The Michigan-based company Traverse Bay Farms (www.traversebayfarms.com) offers free shipping on all three pound orders of dried fruit including organic dried blueberries.

If you are interested in learning more about the health benefits of fruit visit Orchard of Health website www.orchardofhealth.com . This information-only website contains research articles and information about the natural health benefits behind simple everyday fruit.