Camping Tips for the Outdoors

Camping Tips for the Outdoors

 

By M K Khan  |   Submitted On November 17, 2014

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Expert Author M K Khan

The holiday season is quickly dawning upon us, which means that it's time to book a camping spot if you haven't already done so. I guess that is the first tip - book a camping spot before you do anything else. In this article, I will reveal a few tips that will ease your trip and enhance your camping adventure.

Pack lightly but include the essentials. This sounds contradictory but it's important. Find lightweight versions of the camping equipment that you need. Such as an easy-to-assemble tent with fibreglass poles and a sleeping bag with hollow fibre filling. Using lightweight camping equipment will make your camp visit more relaxed because you won't have to lug around heavy equipment.

Pack non-perishable foods wherever possible. You might be far from a refrigerator so packing something that needs to be kept frozen or cool may not be such a good idea. Also, you won't be able to put everything in a cooler bag. Include foods such as canned baked beans, canned vegetables, or other canned foods that you like. You could include meat but you'll have to prepare it on the day you arrive if you don't store it in a cooler bag.

Use a cooler box. For the items that you need to keep cool such as meat, invest in a quality cooler box. Also remember to include the frozen packs before you leave home. Keep the meat in the cooler box until it's needed and ensure that opening the cooler box is kept to a minimum.

Drink lots of water. This is something that many people underestimate when packing. This is not an item that should be skimped on. We all need plenty of water to remain hydrated while outdoors, especially on those warm and sunny days.

Use sunscreen. While we're on the subject of warm and sunny days, ensure that you include a sunblock with a high protection factor. You want to enjoy your holiday and tell the story after, not be sunburnt afterwards.

Be prepared and have a contingency plan. Wherever you have prepared a food item or have packed your camping equipment include a backup for that item. Alternatively you need to have a plan where you are able to source that camping product or food nearby if needed. So have sufficient cash at hand (not too much) in case of emergency.

These are few camping tips that will make your journey a pleasant one. So get your family together and camping gear loaded and have fun.

Totai is geared to meeting dynamics of increased demand, with products and services to cater for every need. There is a wide range of Totai Domestic Gas cookers, heating, water heating, catering and camping appliances as well as all the accessories imaginable.

Visit our website and contact us on 0861 1TOTAI or email mk@totai.co.za.

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5 Different Storage Ideas for DVDs

5 Different Storage Ideas for DVDs


By Keerthana Ramachandran  |   Submitted On November 13, 2014

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Are you looking for a way to eliminate the DVD clutter in your home or workplace? When you store all your discs together, it becomes easy to locate and access them. There are various disc storage options available in the market to help you sort out and organize your DVD stash. These storage items save a significant amount of space and also protect your discs from dust and scratches.

Here are a few storage items that provide practical and economical ideas to all your DVD storage problems:

Wallet cases:

The storage capacity of a wallet case depends on the number of sleeves it has. Some wallet cases have a number of pages and look like a book. As each of these pages have 4 disc slots, you can store hundreds of DVDs in a single wallet. Small-sized cases containing 4 to 6 sleeves are also available. They are compact and make disc access simple. Some wallet cases are as big as briefcases and are provided with zips.

DVD tins:

DVD tins are storage cases that provide high-end, professional packaging. Some DVD tins have a window through which you can see the title of the disc and other information. Some of them come with a tray for convenient storage of multiple discs. These tins come with a removable lid. DVD tins are usually made of metal or plastic and can be used when you have many discs to store.

Multi-way cases and Plastic tubs:

Multi-disc storage items are available in the form of tubs and cases. Multi-way cases contain swing trays or booklet clips that allow an inlay to be inserted. These cases can hold a maximum of 10 to 12 discs. Clear plastic tubs are good for organizing loose DVDs. They come with a central pole (spindle) and can hold up to 50 discs which can be placed one over the other.

Spiders:

DVD spiders are usually made up of strong, rigid styrene. These spiders consist of a self-adhesive plastic clip and are easy to peel and place. Spiders can be used to attach DVDs onto brochures, letters, promotional material etc., and are an effective tool to hold your disc firmly in place. DVD spiders are available in black, white and clear variants.

Sleeves:

Sleeves are convenient storage units for both professional and domestic use. Sleeves come with a creased flap (which may or may not contain adhesive) to protect discs from falling out. As a sleeve is thin and transparent, it is easy to read the label of the DVD which is inside. 1 or 2 discs can be inserted easily in a sleeve. A DVD sleeve is so sleek that it can be carried around between 2 pages of a book.

Managing your DVD collection:

The way you arrange your DVDs depends on the size of your collection and personal preferences. DVDs can be organized in alphabetic order (by artist/movie name), or categorized based on genres, age groups (kids and adults), mood (rocking, relaxing etc) and other criteria of your choice. By doing so, you save a lot of time and energy, which would otherwise be spent in searching! Remember to put your DVDs back in their right places when you finish using them. Make use of labels to locate discs easily when you have your collection arranged in shelves or drawers. In addition to protecting your DVDs with suitable storage cases, it is important to handle them carefully when you take them out for use.

Choosing the right storage solution for your DVD collection

Before thinking of the type of case you want to buy, find out the number of DVDs you need to store. Compare the costs of DVD cases sold by different retailers online and select one that fits your requirements and budget. Look for websites that offer discounts on bulk purchases. Read customer reviews to choose a suitable retailer from whom you can purchase high-quality, durable DVD cases at affordable prices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keerthana_Ramachandran

Contact Management Software: Work With a Thousand Hands

By Srashti Kamthan  |   Submitted On November 05, 2014

To ensure that his company starts generating profits soon, an entrepreneur needs to observe and make a clear note of vital expenses, cheaper options if any for the company. This he must do in the early years of his business.

However, in many cases, the enterprise, say a multichannel contact center, is being managed by a person who is so young that it is not possible that he can possess the required experience to run the business. In such cases, the entrepreneur who has to manage the entire show may get confused and make judgment errors as a result. He may not be able to decide what investments are good for his business and which he should avoid. Lack of experience in contact management and indecisiveness on part of the enterprise owner thus is the cause most businesses end up missing out on a qualitative, reliable and efficient contact management software.

According to experts, contact management is important from the earliest stages of a company's development. The contacts need to be sorted, grouped, detailed and shared using the contact manager, or a CRM software. But these contacts are not necessarily names and numbers of clients. It can any information or clue which can take the manager to a prospective client, or even an entirely new market. It may also lead to a new distributor that can provide the company with cheaper products and services.

The way a web based contact management software can be useful in smoothening the functioning of small businesses is simply amazing! It provides all the support and help a company of this size requires, especially because the needs and expectations of small businesses are invariably complex than the ones which are transnational.

Now, what exactly does a web contact management software do? It has numerous features to perform several functions, the most important ones being those with which the user:

• Can complete the client's contact details such as details of his work place, e-mails, and even home addresses
• Can save and transfer the contact details, electronic conversations
Can store histories about orders and other transactions
• To merge several e-mail accounts into a single one
• Schedule reminders for users regarding appointments, meetings, web conferences, etc.

Every company, in order to grow, must go for Web Based Contact Management software. This will save it the money which is otherwise spent in hiring additional personnel to take care of the administrative chores.

Srashti Kamthan is a professional writer who usually writes on topics such as contact center management, real estate, digital marketing and much more. Stay tuned with more knowledgeable articles.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Srashti_Kamthan

Time-Saving Tips to Help Students Secure Financial Aid for College

Time-Saving Tips to Help Students Secure Financial Aid for College


By Kris Alban  |   Submitted On November 07, 2014

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Expert Author Kris Alban
Very few things freak students out as much as financial aid woes. Some students just give up, thinking that they can't possibly qualify for grants and scholarships. They quickly turn to private lenders for student loans, not realizing the consequences of doing so.

Some students do persevere and submit their Free Application for Federal Student AID (better known as the FAFSA), but misconceptions and misunderstandings often lead to mistakes in the application. These mistakes are not cheap; they could easily lower the grant amount a student receives by thousands.

Here are some tips to help you file your FAFSA and get the best possible financial aid for your education.

Tips on Filing Your FAFSA

GATHER THE DOCUMENTS YOU'LL NEED BEFORE YOU START

The form requires a lot of information, ranging from your Social Security number to your parents' income information. It's better to have all the documents at hand before you start filling out the form. You don't want to be running around looking up documents when you're halfway through entering details. Some documents you'll likely need for the FAFSA form are your Social Security card, driver's license, bank statements, income tax returns, and other scholarship or financial aid documentation.

USE THE IRS DATA RETRIEVAL TOOL

Once your form is submitted, it will be verified and any errors found could negatively affect the total aid you'll receive. As such, it's important to make sure that all your information is correct before you submit anything. The online FAFSA form will allow you to use the IRS Data Retrieval tool that will automatically populate the relevant fields with data from your latest tax returns. This eliminates the possibility of errors and improves your chances of getting a better financial aid package.

USE THE ONLINE FORM FOR SUBMISSION

As mentioned earlier, the online form has the IRS Data Retrieval tool to minimize the potential for mistakes. Another benefit of the online form is that it has built-in edit checks that will make sure you catch errors more easily. If you print out the form and try to fill that out instead, you'll have to proofread more thoroughly.

PIN, SIGN, AND DATE

You'll have to sign the form with your PIN number to verify before you submit. If you're a dependent, your parents will need to have their own PINs and sign off the online form, too, before submission. You'll need the pin for not only electronically signing your FAFSA but also to complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Student Loan Entrance Counseling, both of which are required before any federal financial aid will be awarded or disbursed. After submitting online, print the signature page, sign it, date it, and then send to the FAFSA office via mail.

MAKE SURE TO SUBMIT YOUR FORM EARLY

Some students make the mistake of waiting for the deadline. Don't wait! Because the FAFSA budget is finite, the earlier you submit, the bigger the likelihood that you'll get a substantial aid package. Of course, remember to take note of the deadlines imposed by the universities you're applying to, as well.

KEEP YOUR PERTINENT DETAILS IN A FOLDER FOR NEXT YEAR

One thing most students overlook is the fact that the FAFSA application is not a one-time thing. You will have to reapply each year, and circumstances in your family financial situation can affect the aid you receive. Keep the important details for your application in a folder so you can easily retrieve the data for next year's FAFSA form.

Common Financial Aid Mistakes

Not submitting your FAFSA at all. If you don't submit your FAFSA form, you lose out on the opportunity for financial aid. Don't be discouraged. Submitting your application is always an option.

Rushing through student loan entrance and exit counseling. Whether through traditional loan counseling methods or new innovative and interactive video-based student loan counseling, there is a reason why this is a required step. It is important for students to fully understand what responsibilities are associated with student loans prior to disbursement and after graduation. Some students rush through the counseling as if it is a burden and just part of the process. Do yourself and your students a favor and invest in fully understanding the student loan process and obligations.
Using a temporary address instead of your home address. When renewing FAFSA applications, some students list temporary addresses, such as dorm rooms. It's better to use your home address to ensure safe correspondence.

Not including yourself in the household size. Some students forget to include themselves when listing down the household size. Remember that you are a member of the household and a student, so take note of these details when filling out the form.

Entering nicknames instead of legal names. This seems like a very simple reminder, but you'd be surprised by how many people tend to forget their second names. Use the name that is printed on your social security ID.

Using the incorrect federal school code. When you use the wrong code, the FAFSA evaluation will be affected and you likely won't get the aid you expect.

Not including step-parents in the form. When you fill out your form, remember to include the income information of the step-parent in your custodial home.

Leaving items blank. Don't leave any field unanswered.

Forgetting to sign the form. This is important. As mentioned above, get a PIN and submit your online form. Print it, sign it, date it, and mail the signature form.

Submitting late. They say better late than never, but not in FAFSA's case. Late submissions mean you've likely missed out on better aid packages, so be sure to submit early.

For additional resources about the financial aid process and financial literacy please visit http://www.iGrad.com.

iGrad was developed by a group of former financial aid professionals who realized that many college students and graduates do not have access to the tools needed to succeed in the real world. We collaborate with over 600 colleges across the country to provide a comprehensive and customized financial literacy program.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kris_Alban

Stop Living in Denial About Your Website Conversion Rate

Stop Living in Denial About Your Website Conversion Rate


By Jon Kreps 

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Expert Author Jon Kreps
Did you know that the average conversion rate can vary between 1.5 -6.0% depending on the specific niche in which your site operates? As a conversion rate optimization expert, I can't even tell you the number of times a client has told me they have a "solid conversion rate" of around 2% or whatever--in an industry where the average rate is more than double that. Here, just take a look at the average conversion rate (for all of 2013 on Google AdWords traffic) for some of the top niches:

Retail/Consumer Shopping: 3.6%

Electronics/Computers: 4.8%

Telecom/Internet: 6.3%

For a full listing of the average conversion rates for the primary niches on the Internet, just check out the AdWords Performance Grader and compare to your own conversion rate.

So if your c/r is literally ½ of the industry standard for your niche, then you aren't just leaving some money on the table each month: You are leaving an entire lifestyle on the table every month! Seriously, just imagine how much your online profits would shoot up if you could generate double the number of conversions you have now-with the exact same marketing budget.

It's a game changer, simple as that. For this very reason, companies like Sony, Netflix, and even mighty Apple have all hired conversion rate optimization firms. Now the reason they have to hire outside firms to fix their low conversions isn't so simple because it could be caused by any one of these issues:

Wrong Price Point or Business Model (for website)

Weak or Ineffective Marketing Funnel(s)

Poor Keyword Research and Targeting in Traffic Campaigns

Inconsistent Offer Throughout Your Sales Funnel

Bad Programming Which Kills SEO, Slows Load Times, and Causes Site Glitches

Poor Copywriting

Confusing Site Navigation, Layout, and Overall Design

Improper Configuration of Plugins, Software Platforms, Shopping Carts, etc.

All told, a website has 1,000's of components. From the lines of copywriting to the lines of programming, any one mistake can kill conversions. However, a website owner can't afford to just shut the site down and start over or afford rounds of endless split testing to try and isolate the problems. Instead, and not knowing where to start, most website owners simply concentrate on driving more traffic to the site to boost sales when the c/r is, and always has been, the real reason they can't generate decent profits.

A CRO expert, however, uses web traffic analysis to find all of the issues that are killing your online profits. To do so, they employ software tools like Google Analytics, Optimizely, or even Crazy Egg. Once identified, the conversion rate experts will fix the problems and then verify the new, higher conversion rate, via testing over a large sample size. Once fixed, not only will the site generate more sales from the same traffic volume: The increased sales will continue rolling in for up to years after the project has been completed.

To be honest, hiring a conversion rate optimization company may not make sense for your online business at this time. However, at least click on the link above and check to see where your c/r stands compared to the benchmark rates for your niche. At least that way you'll know if fixing a low conversion rate or getting more traffic is the key to generating those online profits you want and deserve. But don't guess-just click on the link and find out for sure!

Jon Kreps is a conversion rate optimization specialist who boosts online sales, reduces marketing costs, and dramatically increases online profits for his clients. To learn more about how CRO services can deliver far higher ROI than SEO, PPC, or social media marketing, visit: http://www.conversionomics.com.au today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Kreps

7 Ways to Make Money Online From Your Home

7 Ways to Make Money Online From Your Home


By Amit Ganguly  |   Submitted On October 23, 2014

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Expert Author Amit Ganguly
There are many great ways to make money using the internet. Some of the opportunities are fairly simple while others are difficult. Some opportunities offer faster paychecks than others. Here are 7 ways you can make money online and build your fortunes.

1. Selling on eBay

eBay is one of the most popular online stores where you can list your own things for sale that you no longer need, but that someone else is interested in buying them by paying it. The best way to make money quickly on eBay is to list your items on a one or two or three day auctions. You should price your items as low as possible to encourage a sale.

2. Blogging

If you have a passion for blogging, it is a brilliant way to start your online business. You can start up a blog at a very minimal costs and register for Google AdSense program which posts relevant contextual ads on your blog, if you already have a traffic and good readership. There are several programs you can join like Chitika or Bidvertiser. Google AdSense is the best well known program. You will have to put in the ad code on your blog, and every time someone clicks on the ad links, you will get paid by Google.

3. Affiliate Marketing Programs

Online affiliate programs are the marketing of products produced by someone else. It can be easily being completed within the context of blogging. A link is fixed in the blog including an affiliate code. When a reader clicks on the link they are intended for a site where they receive a marketing message. When they buy a product or service as a result of this process the blogger/marketer gets a commission in return.

4. Freelancing

If one is fascinated in freelancing, he must have more knowledge than any random blogger. There are many freelance writing positions available on the net and if you have the potential, experience, and knowledge to execute the writing jobs effectively, a lot of money can be made. In addition, you cannot simply make profit by freelance writing, but also by freelance graphic designing or programming. These jobs as well have a good amount to present and allow a person to earn quite a heavy amount in a matter of weeks.

5. Domain name flipping

Domain name flipping is a lucrative method to earn cash online. Flippers try to find sites that are badly maintained and out-of-date and purchase them. They then repair the site and make it more user- friendly and cause extensive updating. After repairing the site, it usually sells off for a much higher cost than it was originally bought for and gives the flippers a vast amount of profit. Time and effort is required.

6. E-book Creation

The self publishing idea has seen huge levels of development in the past few years. Authors no longer have to publish books on their own sites, as books can purely be posted on Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Ergo, individuals who have a talent for writing can select any genre they like and write a book on it to assess their luck. The commission rates range from about 70% of these sites, so if the book that you have written turns well-liked, some really enormous amounts of money can be made.

7. Online tutoring

If you are skilled tutor then you might earn money by training students on the internet. In fact, you can get a lot of students if you can build your reputation as a tutor who gifts students to get good results. Over time, you could also build a good base of students who want to sign up for your webinars.

The various methods named above endow you to make money online using your personal skill and time. You can make quite a bit of money on the internet as long as you lay in the necessary effort. Many people have multiple streams of business to ensure a regular income.

This article is for information purposes only.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amit_Ganguly

The Top 5 Statistics You Have To Know For Your Website

The Top 5 Statistics You Have To Know For Your Website


By Dave Wedge  |   

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There are now over 1 billion websites on the Internet according to traffic monitoring sources. This is getting on for four times as many as there were in 2010, by any standards that is enormous growth.

This means that whatever market you are in you probably have a lot of website competition, and you can expect it to keep getting ever more competitive.

Your website is a complete waste of time, effort, and money - if you don't attract visitors and retain them long enough to take action. It's hard work getting visitors to your website if you want free traffic, and it can be very expensive if you are paying for it.

Either way you need to be very sure that you make the most of the traffic you do get. Otherwise it is rather like running the bath without putting the plug in, no matter how much is coming in you won't get much of a result.

Remarkably few website owners actually track what their website visitors do or what attracted them to their site in the first place, and understanding this can make a massive difference to your website success.

When you definitively know this information you can make way more from your marketing and advertising, and you can modify your content and site layout to maximize your income.

As an example if your site is about pets you may think most of your visitors are looking for information or products related to dogs and cats, and your website content would be set up accordingly. If it turned out that more visitors were actually interested in rabbits or birds would you want to make some quick changes to your site?

So you need to measure where your visitors are coming from and establish what they are looking for. If you don't know the basic statistics here you are leaving a lot of money on the table.

The first step is to get a tool which provides you with the capability to measure what I am about to take you through. I highly recommend that you set up Google Analytics, it is free and very powerful, and will provide everything you need.

Each of the following sections outlines a key piece of information to measure, pull these together and you will be in a great position to beat your competition and start to dominate your market.

If you are running paid advertising such as Pay Per Click this data is essential to have or you are likely to be wasting a lot of money.

Traffic Source

The information given to you in Google Analytics under 'Traffic Sources' is very important. It tells you where your visitors came from, ie how they found you.

This tells you what marketing and advertising effort is working. It will split out social media sources such as Twitter and Facebook etc, and show links from other sites, as well as showing you how much traffic specific adverts brought in.

You will be able to see how listings on directory or advertising sites such as Yell.com are performing, and whether any activity you may have in forums or on other blogs is having any impact.

If you are putting effort in to search engine optimization (SEO) activity you will also be able to see how well this is doing, and how much organic search traffic you are getting from Google and the other search engines, it will also show you which search terms brought visitors to your site

Device

It is no surprise that websites are receiving more and more traffic from mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. As these devices get more powerful and better designed for surfing websites this is a trend that can only increase.

Analytics will tell you how much of your traffic comes from desktop computers and from mobile devices.

Do you know how your website looks on a mobile device? If not you should go and check. It should be what is known as 'responsive', this means that it scales automatically according to the device it is being displayed on. This is the difference between it being usable or having the visitor give up and leave immediately.

So if your website renders badly on mobile devices, and you can see that you are receiving a significant volume of your traffic from them, you now know that you need a responsive version of your site.

Bounce Rate

This measures how many of your visitors exit your website from the same page through which they enter. You can see this for every page on your site.

Unless your objective is to send them somewhere else straight away, eg off to an external site where you have an offer, then a high bounce rate is generally a bad thing. It tells you that you are not engaging your visitors.

Maybe your visitor found what they were looking for straight away, but if not you just lost a visitor who will probably never return.

Only you know exactly what you want your visitors to do, and if it is to go to another page on your site to buy something or maybe become a subscriber you can see here how well each of your pages are working to achieve this.

If you are getting a high bounce rate that you don't want the message is clear, you need to have better content or copy writing on the page to engage your visitors.

Also be aware that Google is less inclined to rank sites with high bounce rates, it is a signal to them that you have poor content and are not giving visitors what they are looking for. This will make you much harder to find in the search engines.

Behavior

This section tells you which pages the visitors originally landed on and which ones they visited.

You may be surprised at which pages are getting the most traffic, or conversely which ones are not doing well. From this information you can make changes and better utilize the traffic to take the actions you want.

All your top visited pages should have an easy to find 'call to action' so that you can make the most of the traffic you do get.

Average Visit Duration

Obviously you will normally be looking to engage your visitors for as long as possible, particularly if you want them to come back.

So if this statistic shows that a lot of visitors only stay for seconds or a very short time, you know you need to make some changes.

As with the Bounce Rate statistic your site's overall average visit duration also affects your SEO, another good reason to have really good content.

Summary

Unless you understand these traffic statistics you will never get the most out of your website. If you can't measure it you can't manage it.

Of course you will need to put a little time and effort in to this, but it really will pay dividends and can give you the advantage over your competitors.

If you want to make more of your website and your marketing activities, visit http://youralternativefuture.com now for many more free articles and reports.

Dave is a successful consultant who has held senior positions in corporations all around the world. He has clients from start up businesses through to large international companies who he assists with websites and strategy. One of his current clients is a dragon from the Dragons Den TV series.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Wedge