Thursday, April 2, 2009

Digital Photography Tips

By Jim Pam

A good photo editor will allow you to fix common problems with pictures such as getting rid of red eyes, whitening teeth,enhancing the photo's coloring, adjusting the background, and being able to lighten or darken the photograph as needed. You should also use one that will allow you to easily sort and find your photo's.

When you get a new digital camera the first thing you should do is read the guide and instruction book. Then try out all the settings and buttons to familiarize yourself with your camera. Practice, take some shots and see how everything is working. Have fun and enjoy yourself.

If you are serious about taking good landscape photographs, a tripod is a requirement. I cannot stress this enough. I use a tripod, even in the middle of a bright sunny day. I also use a shutter release cord, to ensure my camera is absolutely as still as possible. Even with your camera on a tripod, pushing the shutter button can cause a slight vibration, which will make your image less sharp.

Some digital photography tricks are very simple, try something as easy as changing your angle. Move directly above the subject and shoot the picture looking straight down. Zoom in to reveal only a portion of their face. Get creative, that is what makes photography fun.. While looking at the subject and the entire surroundings, think about what other photographers would do and create a different way to capture the picture. - 15790

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Car repair scams

By Cheryl L. True

People often have no idea they've been ripped off. It starts when some unethical mechanic convinces a car owner that unnecessary repairs are needed.

Because an average person really doesn't know about cars, this makes proving auto repair fraud difficult. Even those that suspect they've been scammed don't know what to do in order to make their case.

Below are some of the most common auto repair scams. Please keep these in mind the next time you need to have your car worked on.

Highway bandits - This is one of the oldest auto repair scams in existence. These "highway bandits" own or work for service stations. They prey on motorists who stop for gasoline or air or water. There are numerous ploys they use to separate the unsuspecting motorist from his or her money. Some of them puncture tires, and cut water hoses and fan belts so that the motorist will have to buy new ones. This is a common danger for travelers.

Maintenance hook schemes - Repair shops will advertise check-ups or preventive maintenance service at very reasonable rates. But some use these maintenance specials to "hook" and deceive their customers. A simple oil change and lubrication process can turn into expensive and unneeded repairs. They cause damage during inspection and enhance their income by "discovering" new car repair needs.

Intentional misrepresentation of repair needs - Modern automobiles are complex, highly technical machines. The average person has no idea how to repair or maintain his or her own vehicle. It's very easy for an unethical auto shop or mechanic to deceive the average consumer. Beware of the mechanic who seems a little too pat at explaining the particular problem with your car and always consider getting a second opinion and an estimate of costs before authorizing the repairs.

Counterfeit car parts - Some unscrupulous repair shop owners cut costs by using counterfeit car parts instead of original and high-quality replacement parts. The price difference is significant but you cannot save on that. Instead you will be charged the full price of original parts without knowing it. This can actually put you and your family in danger because counterfeit auto parts are often of inferior quality. The sad part is detecting counterfeit auto parts is difficult because the counterfeiters often duplicate trademarks or alter them so slightly that it takes an experienced eye to notice the difference.

Part replacement problems - A lot of dishonest mechanics have charged customers for parts that weren't used. In addition, the mechanic will charge you for the labor required to install the non-existent replacement. It's a double rip-off! The old used part switcheroo is another common car part related scam. Used parts are a viable option for many repairs. However, some mechanics charge customers for new, premium parts after installing substandard or used car parts. Always ask for your old, damaged part back after it's been replaced. It helps keep your mechanic honest.

For quick and affordable repairs, visit Auto Repair Service Lorain where the service is good and the price is even better. - 15790

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Drive Traffic to Your Landing Page

By Steve Blalock

Driving traffic into your landing page sounds easy, but it's not. And no matter how great your landing page is, it wont matter if no one ever reads it. Furthermore, if everyone in the world other than your target audience reads it, it also wont matter. This is why you need to find media through which you can drive targeted visitors to your landing page.

One way you can drive traffic to your landing page is through natural search engine optimization. This is the slowest process, but it is also one of the best ways to ensure a continually-increasing stream of traffic over time.

Generating natural search engine traffic generally entails getting links to your site. While reciprocal linking was once the best strategy, many experts now believe that major search engines are devaluing reciprocal links in favor of one-way links and triangular links (which search engines can't really detect).

Another way you can get natural search engine traffic is by optimization your website for certain keyphrases. You can do this by creating pages that specifically focus on one keyword on your given niche. You can then set the page extension to that keyword and optimize the content at a 1.5% density for that keyword. You will also want to use it in header and title tags.

Now, in addition building natural search engine traffic, you will want to consider using pay per click advertising. You can do this by opening an account with Google Adwords.

As mentioned earlier, successful Google Adwords campaigns do two things: they group keywords into multiple, small, related groups " and they send leads to multiple, tweaked landing pages.

This means to start with some careful keyword research; and you will then have to alter your landing pages to match that research.

These are some of the most commonly used tools for driving traffic to a landing page; however, they are not always the most effective.

In the beginning of this article, we discussed driving traffic into your landing page using pay per click advertisement and natural search engine optimization. Now, both of those methods can be effective, but they both usually have rather high barriers to entry and require a lot of work.

Luckily, you do have another option: human connections. And this is where most Internet marketers fail. They don't realize the power of human connections because they are so caught up in the idea of making transactions and collecting massive checks without having to deal with customers and clients.

One quick way to get traffic through human connections is a joint venture. You can enter into a joint venture by compiling a list of possible partners -- or people who might be able to assist you in some mutually-beneficial way. This list might include other list owners in your niche, site owners in your niche, and experts.

There's only one important thing you should keep in mind when contacting joint venture partners " and that is to make it as quick, easy, and beneficial for them as possible. If there is no incentive for doing it, they probably wont even reply to you. And if it isn't easy, they'll accept other joint venture offers over yours.

Another way to drive traffic to your landing page is through blog and forum posting; however, it is important that you do not spam, as many businesses do. Instead, actually participate on the forum, provide people with something of value; and, after a while, post your product in your signature " and try to network with people on the forum who work in similar fields.

Your approach to blog posting should be similar. Include a signature file that links back to your landing page, but don't spam. Instead, post useful comments. This is not only more ethical, but it is plainly more effective. Spam gets deleted. Good comments get praised, inducing people to follow your link and check out your products. - 15790

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Can You Find Cheap Last Minute Travel Deals?

By Bobbie McKee

6 Ways How...

The early bird gets the worm. This is why if you book your flights or hotel room early, you get good deals for your punctuality. But sometimes, last minute travel can't be avoided. And we know what that means since you're booking flights last minute, you sometimes have to pay more. So can you still find cheap last minute travel seats and accommodations? Here are tips to make sure you do:

Use your frequent flyer status. Membership does have its advantages and it is even more so in case you need to make cheap last minute travel arrangements. If you are a member of an airline's frequent flyer program, then you will be considered as a privileged passenger. That means you can take advantage of an age-old practice that airlines are still upholding today - reserving a few tickets for their VIPs.

If you need to make last minute travel, go ahead and flash them your card. You also get to earn a few bonus points in the process.

Go online. Yep, these days, whenever you need anything, you go online. If you need cheap, last minute travel deals for an airplane ticket, go to the airline's website. There are many of them that display leftover tickets for a particular flight. These are seats that have remained unsold even as the airplane is getting ready for takeoff. You'll get some nice discounts for filling up the seats.

You could buy the tickets online but be ready to dash off to the airport or boarding gate. If you want last minute travel this cheap, you better live up to it.

Got a credit card? Use it. Some credit card companies offer air miles programs on their cards. Check if yours is affiliated with an airline company. You can take advantage of these offerings in case you need to travel pronto. Plus, you might even collect rewards points as well.

Check if it's that time of the year. Airfare and hotel prices fluctuate, depending on the season. If you want cheap last minute travel deals, go off season when there are fewer travelers and companies are raring to fill their seats and rooms. You could get a great discount if you only choose to travel when business is slow.

Buy bundled. Many travel agencies purchase multiple flights and use them to promote package tours. In case your destination is included in these bundles, consider buying a seat. Although most of these trips sell fast, you could find cheap last minute travel with these agencies. This usually happens as the date of departure approaches. If there are packages that have remained unsold, you can be sure that they will be sold at highly discounted prices.

The advantage here is that you not only get to cover the airfare, you also get accommodation (and probably breakfast) thrown in. All in all, that should be way less than the cost of a regular flight and hotel booking.

Sign up for e-mail alerts. Many airlines and hotels send out alerts regarding great deals on their products. You could take advantage of these in case you need to travel last minute cheaply. Check your e-mail boxes regularly if there's a good deal currently active around the time you have to travel. Just be careful, though.

If you go this route, make sure you really are going to travel. Most of these companies offer these deals as non-refundables. - 15790

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Forex Trading with Control

By Bart Icles

The important of consistency in trading is huge. You can score big once but if you dont know what you are doing then you take that money and wait for luck to come back and help you. Luck is more unpredictable then the weather and so if it is the tool you rely on when you are trading then your account will suffer.

If you want to survive forex trading you have to be willing to learn the basics and work hard to study them. It takes a dedicated mind and a wide range of skills that you are willing to analyze and perfect. The basics of forex are where it is at. You shouldnt have a strategy that makes you wonder what is going on, you should understand the strategy from top to bottom and feel confident in it.

A consistent standard of excellence is what is going to turn you into a forex trader and not just a gambler. You have all kinds of emotion and struggle to overcome, such as greed, fear, frustration, and more. In trading you have to be at the peak of your game, ready to make decisions based on what you have studied not on what you feel or think should happen.

One of the hardest lessons for young traders to learn is that the market is going to do what it wants. You cant sit and try and manipulate it, instead you have to respect and play by its rules. Thinking clearly is critical. I would strongly recommend not trading if you are really tired, really sick or really emotional. Those extremes will make your mind weak and you will make decisions you otherwise wouldnt.

If you learn to control your emotions and your fears then you will be able to be very successful in forex. As a forex trader you will face a multiplicity of emotions because of how closely money is tied to many of the activities we are involved in. When we learn to look at money that we are trading as an asset and resource rather than a lifeline a lot of the stress we have will decrease and we will begin to trade moe unbiased.

Money management is the true name of this game in trading. Mastering money management will give you the edge over many and most of the traders out there. Most beginner traders jump into a trade without really thinking about the strategy they have been practicing instead only about the emotion, excitement and adrenaline they feel. Trading with the basics and by the rules you set will be a powerful skill for you. - 15790

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