So you have finally planned to invade the magical world of Internet. All captions ready, all information gathered, all details penned down. What next? Your next important step is finding the Web Host for your site, The Right One.. A web host is a service provider that places your web site on a computer that is connected to Internet. This then gives people who surf Internet a way to access your website. Finding the best host for your company's Web site is one of the most important steps when taking your business online. Not only will your host be responsible for placing your company's site on the Internet; it will also be responsible for keeping it there and being available to potential customers. Now, let us take a look at the steps to be followed when choosing the right web host: 1. Create an online plan for your site. What you are going to sell, number of items, methods of payment and the features of your site. Then determine the possibilities for your site's expansion over the next six months, the next year and the next five years. Look into these factors before short-listing your probable host. Disk Space/Storage refers to the amount of space given by a web-hosting plan for your web site's pages, images, and any additional files. Take this into consideration when determining the total number of files you will be using for your website and their sizes. If you are planning on creating a website with a lot of video or audio files, you will need a lot of disk space. Check whether your host can meet this requirement. Programming Languages such as ASP, PHP, Perl/CGI, JSP and ColdFusion are used to create a lot of popular scripts (software) to help your website function. Make sure your web host supports the language used by you. Also, if you are planning on selling services or products from your website, make sure the web hosting plan you choose offers some type of ecommerce solution. 2. Now that you have checked out all your requirements, pick your top five responses. Surprisingly, many of the hosts you submit a request for a proposal to won't respond by your set deadline. Ignore them and look at the responses you receive and pick the five best. 3. Ask for references. Take your short list of hosts and ask them for the names of some of their clients -- then pick up the phone and see what the host's clients have to say. Be sure to inquire how good the host is at making the site available online. 4. Test their customer service. Pick up the phone and call customer support at 2 a. m. Drop customer support an e-mail to see how fast they respond to you. Do what it takes to feel comfortable with your service provider before you enter into any type of business relationship. Choosing the right Web host is easier if you approach it the way you would approach any other major purchase for your business. It can mean the difference between success and failure for your online venture.
Wednesday, 28 September 2016
More women now choose pain relief during labor
More women are opting for some type of pain relief during their labor and delivery, according to a study by the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. A survey of 378 hospitals showed that only 6 percent to 12 percent of women did not request pain relief, compared to 11 percent to 33 percent nine years prior. Regional analgesia, including epidural, spinal or combined epidural-spinal techniques, accounted for 76 percent of the anesthesia services provided in the larger hospitals and for 57 percent in smaller hospitals. There are two types of regional pain-relieving drugs - analgesics and anesthetics. Analgesia - pain relief without total loss of feeling or muscle movement - is typically administered to women in labor. This treatment blocks pain by numbing the nerves around the spinal or epidural space that encases the spinal cord. Anesthesia blocks all feeling and movement. In the past, doctors debated the safety of using an epidural during early labor in first-time mothers. But newer research shows that those who are concerned about receiving pain relief during early labor may be able to rest easy. Spinal-epidural analgesia during early labor does not increase the cesarean delivery rate in first-time mothers, according to a study by Dr. Cynthia A. Wong, associate professor of anesthesiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. This study also found that analgesia via combined spinal-epidural techniques resulted in better pain relief and a shorter labor when compared to pain medications administered by other routes such as intravenous or intramuscular injections. "Mothers have come to expect the kind of pain relief provided by regional techniques," said Dr. Brenda Bucklin, associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. "With recent studies showing that having this type of anesthesia early in labor will not increase chances of a cesarean delivery, I think their popularity will continue."
It marketing establishing credibility
How do you best establish credibility if you only have a couple of references and you're just getting started in the consulting businesses? This article will show you how to maximize the effect of the references you have and to get new ones. For starters, make sure those references are as strong as possible and that you get them in writing-on your client's letterhead. They should also talk of specific benefits, like: How you saved them money How your technology solution generates more revenue How you've enabled them to close out the month faster How you've improved their productivity How it allows them to communicate with tele-workers, with suppliers, and vendors more seamlessly. For IT marketing, it's important to make your references as strong as possible-if you only have a few of them. IT Marketing: Getting Your First References If you don't have any references, get them by volunteering. Pick a nonprofit or two that you feel really passionate about and set up some kind of deal that is close ended. You don't want to be volunteering your services for too long. As part of your deal, ask them to write a testimonial for you. Nonprofits are usually well known and their recommendation will help you. How Do You Ask for Referrals? Many people are shy about asking for referrals. We don't want to push our clients and we don't want to look needy. They are useful for our IT marketing efforts, though. So, what is the best way to ask? Always ask for a referral when someone gives you a compliment. If you walk into an office or you're finishing up a project and someone says, “This stuff is amazing. I can't believe that I can sit in the conference room now and get my network drive and surf the Web and do email.” or “This is amazing. Our remote offices can talk to each other and we cut down on $5,000 in leased line charges and we're doing it all over inexpensive DSL. You guys are terrific.” This is your time to act. This is your golden opportunity to ask for An updated testimonial (or any testimonial if you don't have one) Ask if they happen to know anyone else who might be able to benefit from your services The Bottom Line on IT Marketing One of the best forms of relationship IT marketing is asking your current clients for testimonials and referrals. Don't be shy. Your clients will not mind endorsing you if you do good work. Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Biz Tech Talk. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
How to handle the occasional oop see
Q: My company is really in hot water with one of our best customers. I can't reveal exactly what happened, but suffice it to say that we really dropped the ball and the customer is furious. I'm not even sure we can save the account. What's the best way to get back in a customer's good graces after making such a mistake? -- Charles W. A: Without knowing the full story, Charles, I can't give you a specific course of action, but let's start at the sharp end of the uh-oh stick and work our way back to see if we can come with up some advice that might help. First off, it's important that you understand that the magnitude of your mistake will determine the course of action you take to make amends. If your company's error was such that it caused your customer a significant amount of lost time or revenue, embarrassed them publicly, caused damage to their reputation, or otherwise negatively affected their bottom line, you may face legal repercussions that saying "I'm sorry" will not deter. If that's the case you should consult an attorney immediately and prepare for the worst. Whether or not the worst comes is irrelevant. You must be prepared for it. Now on to dealing with more minor offenses. As anyone who has read this column for any length of time knows, I'm cursed with daughters. I used to say I was blessed with daughters, then they learned to walk and talk. Blessed quickly became cursed. Now my oldest daughter is an inch taller than me and getting all lumpy in places I'd rather not think about. She's a sad case, really. The poor kid needs an operation. She has a cellphone growing out of her ear. But I digress… When she was a toddler she coined the phrase, "Oop-see!" Whenever she did something innocently destructive, like knock over a glass of orange juice on my new computer keyboard or shove a Pop Tart in the VCR tape slot, she would look at me with her huge brown eyes and say, "Oop-see!" My wife says there is a reason God made kids cute. Oop-see moments are evidence that she is right. Oop-see meant, "Uh oh, I didn't mean to do that. I was wrong. I'll never do that again. Forgive me? Love me? Buy me toys… Oop-see worked like a charm every time. Now, I certainly don't expect you to bat your eyes at your customer and say, "Oop-see!" but consider the effect her words had on me. Instead of screaming at the top of my lungs like I wanted to do (hey, have you ever tried to dig a Pop Tart out of a VCR) I immediately softened and found myself actually taking her side. "Aw, it's OK, really, we all make mistakes…" What my daughter had figured out is that it's hard to stay mad at someone who admits a mistake, sincerely apologizes for it, and vows never to let it happen again. Little did I know this was only one of many tactics she would employ over the years in her never-ending quest to wrap her daddy several times around her little finger, but that's a whole different column. Dale Carnegie said it best: "Any fool can try to defend his or her mistakes - and most fools do - but it raises one above the herd and gives one a feeling of nobility and exultation to admit one's mistakes." Carnegie and my daughter were basically saying the same thing: When you (or your company) make a mistake, no matter how large or small, the best thing you can do is quickly admit the error of your ways and face the consequences, come what may. Here are a few things you can do to help set things right with your customer. Assemble the facts. The very first thing you should do is find out what went wrong and why. Meet with your key people and gather the facts. Ask specific questions like: What was the mistake? What caused it? Who was involved? What could have been done to prevent the mistake from happening and what can be done to prevent it from happening again in the future. Put yourself in your customer's shoes. I've been on both ends of the uh-oh stick and neither is very comfortable. My company has dropped the ball on occasion and we have also been negatively impacted when one of our vendors did the same. Put yourself in your customer's shoes and consider what could be said or done to remedy the situation from their point of view. Take responsibility for the actions of your company. In my role as a company president there have been times when I've had to call up a customer and confess that a mistake was made, and as president it was also my responsibility to take the heat for it. Remember, you're the head cheese, Charles, you get to sit behind the big desk and take home the nice paycheck. You're also the one that gets to mop up when your employees makes a mess. It just goes with the job. Do not place the blame on specific employees. No matter how tempting it is to put the blame on specific people in your organization (even if that's where the blame lies), do not do it. It is unprofessional, counterproductive and can backfire on you, especially if the person you're blaming reports directly to you. Saying something like "My sales manager is always making mistakes like this!" is not going to make your customer feel any better. To the contrary, such statements will make the customer question your leadership ability and the quality of all your employees, not just the one that made the mistake. If you don't have faith in your company and employees, why should your customer? Don't deny that a mistake was made, especially when there is clear evidence to the contrary. You're not Richard Nixon, for petesake, so don't try to pretend that the mistake didn't happen or stage some elaborate cover-up to try and dodge the blame. Admit your mistake. This may sounds trite, but you must admit your mistake before you can move ahead and start to make amends. Don't be so afraid to take this step. I doubt your company is the first one to screw up with this customer and I can guarantee you certainly won't be the last. Apologize for the mistake. The one thing that could make the situation better is often the thing that companies find hardest to do. I don't mean to sound like Dr. Phil, but simply saying you're sorry is often the best way to get a business relationship back on track. Ensure the customer that it will never happen again. After you have taken responsibility for the mistake and apologized in a sincere and professional manner, you must then start the process of rebuilding the trust that was lost. Promising that such a mistake will not happen again is a good way to start. Compensate the customer for his loss. Even if your mistake didn't cost the customer a dime, he will appreciate an offer of compensation. This can be something as simple as a lunch on you or a discount on his next order. The size of the compensation offered should be in direct proportion to the size of your mistake. A word of warning: don't let the customer bully you into overcompensating him for your mistake. That can be more detrimental to the relationship than the mistake itself. As my daughter understood all those years ago, Charles, a sincere Oop-see can help make things all better. Here's to your success!
Teak dining tables more than just patio decor function
A teak dining table is an absolute must have in every patio deck or pool area. For just enough added class and comfort without taking anything away from your existing dining ensemble. Teak furniture is well crafted and made to last for generations. So, do not be surprised if your dining table becomes a family heir loom. You can purchase a teak dining table with as simple or complex a design as you so choose. They are available with engraved chairs and siding from a claw foot design to a simple straight leg. Regardless of your personal style, it is virtually impossible for you not to find the ideal teak dining table to fit your every need. As well as complement your existing dining room decoration and specific theme. Thus, making it the perfect purchase among all of the available dining room tables. The teak dining tables vary in size and shape. You can purchase a smaller table to fit in smaller dining rooms all the way up to find one to perfectly accent your formal dining room. A teak dining table can perfectly and comfortably seat anywhere from two to twelve adults and still give you the much needed elbow room that many other dining tables do not allow for. For the individual household that only does large entertaining on occasion, you can find a teak dining table with a leaf or to hidden. The hidden leafs give you the ability to entertain as many or as few guest as you choose. For those unexpected guests during the holiday season, you can now be sure to have ample room to seat all of your company comfortably. A dining table is so much more than a dining table. Now days they are and need to be multifunctional. From having enough room to spread out the bill, during bill paying time, be the meeting table for family discussions and the place everyone gathers to enjoy a delicious meal, as a family. A teak dining room table will meet and far exceed all of your expectations as well as the expectations of next owner. This should be an easy purchase for all individuals, satisfying as well, just at the thought of being able to pass your exquisite teak dining table to grandchildren or even great grandchildren and watch as your teak dining room table becomes a family heir loom right before your eyes. The satisfaction that one can feel is indescribable. If your dining room is used for many different purposes as they often are today, then teak is the way to go. Since teak dining tables a made to last for such a long time and are durable enough to be left outside and still maintain their original beauty, you can be positive that when your children are doing homework on top of your teak dining table it will still look great. They can still be as exquisite as they day you bought it, even after all those school projects, homework assignments and holiday entertaining.
The tightly guarded secrets of top professional bass anglers finally revealed
Copyright 2006 Karin Manning Pound for pound largemouth bass are one of the best fighting fish in the world which could explain why largemouth bass is the most sought after freshwater fish in North America and why bass fishing is so popular worldwide. Yet time and again, cast after cast anglers just can’t seem to get a bite. There are some simple bass fishing tips that will have you catching trophy bass nearly every time you go bass fishing but you have to be prepared to ask for bass fishing help. Thankfully there is bass fishing help available, whether it’s actually paying for a bass fishing guide (which can be very expensive), or looking for the latest bass fishing secrets and tips online (which can be very time consuming). Why spend all that time surfing the net when you could be bagging massive trophy bass? If you’ve lost one too many wall-mount trophy bass then you need to learn the fishing secrets of pro bass fishermen. One thing pro bass anglers have learnt and understand is why bass fish strike. Some fisherman would say it’s because of hunger. There are however three different reasons why bass strike. 1. Suction feed strike The larger a bass fish gets the more it uses this type of approach. That’s because that is the type of strike they use when feeding on sculpins and crayfish. 2. Ram-feed strike Bass will use one of three different methods of striking, depending on which prey they are trying to catch. When bass are trying to catch free-swimming prey they rely on the ram-feed approach. They simply lunge forward and strike hard. 3. The survival strike Bass of course need to feed to survive. Their protective and territorial instincts are very large and if they’re not hungry you can tease a bass to strike just because you’re in his territory. Bass will violently and aggressively protect their territories in particular in the weeks after spawning. They will also behave this way just because you have really annoyed them. Largemouth bass are not picky eaters. As long as it’s smaller than itself it’s good enough to eat. They eat all types of prey, including young bass, leeches and frogs, and have even been known to swallow baby ducklings. If you own a few bass fishing rods then why not take the approach of professional anglers who you rarely see changing bass fishing lures? Have about 8 or 10 rods already set up so they’re ready for use at any time in any situation. Largemouth Bass tend to travel in schools when they are moving from one location to another or hunting for food so don’t move on straight away after you’ve caught one bass as chances are if you keep working the area you’ll catch yourself a whole bass family. When fishing for largemouth bass ask yourself these three questions: 1. Is it the ideal temperature? 2. Does it provide adequate cover? 3. Does it provide a food source for bass? If you can answer yes to these three questions then you may have just found the latest and greatest bass fishing hotspot that will ensure you get a trophy bass before you go home.
Six largest mistakes made when hiring a cabling contractor
Cabling of data and voice systems is often ignored by many companies until the last minute just before relocation or new building takes place. Many information systems professionals view it as a low priority or something that just takes away from their budget for real network components such as servers or software. However having a state of the art easy to manage cabling system is just as important as good reliable servers on a network. Cabling is the backbone of any computer network; it ties all the components of the network together therefore it should receive as much careful consideration as any other network component. Mistake number one – Blindly choosing the lowest bidder This is the most common mistake made when installing voice and data network cabling. Often the lowest bidder is the contractor who is the smallest, has the least experience or the one that made a mistake on their bid. Prior to making this decision you should know your contractor. Find out how long they have been in business, visit some of the large installations they have done and by all means go visit their offices and warehouse. A site visit to their office will tell you most of what you need to know about an organization. Make sure your contractor has completed jobs of similar scope and size. Mistake number two – Choosing the manufactures product that will be installed Many companies have tried to standardize on a particular manufacture of cabling system. Some of the larger manufactures are Belden, Comscope, Ortronics, AMP and Leviton. You can’t go wrong with any of these big names. However IT managers and corporate executives get hung up on trying to standardize because they believe it will make things easier for the IT staff. The reality of the situation is that if you choose any of the larger names the only components that might not be interchangeable are the faceplates. Of course there are performance criteria as well and they all claim to be the best. Do your own research and choose a manufacture that you feel has a strong company that will be there to stand behind their product should you even need to make a warranty claim Mistake number three – Paying too much for the latest cabling technologies The fact is that today’s network components and network components of the future cannot exceed the specifications of Cat 5E and Cat 6 cabling componentsbine this with the fact that the average company moves every 3 to 4 years. You will find it hard to benefit from future proofing a building you don’t occupy. Look at you current infrastructure, what equipment or applications do you plan to add or upgrade? Is Gigabit or 10 Gigabit Ethernet an option for you in the near future? Mistake number four – Not using universal wiring The EIA/TIA and BICSI both recommend a universal wiring platform for your Communications Infrastructure. In the old days the average install would consist of a single voice grade cable for the phone system and a single data grade cable (Cat 3, Cat5, Cat5E or Cat 6) for their computers. This of course dedicates the usability of these cables to one system type. This is further exacerbated by the termination method used. Voice cables were traditionally terminated on 66 style blocks (66m1-50), which are not user friendly and require a special tool and cross connect wire to make changes. Telephony companies have made a killing for years just performing MAC work (Moves, Adds and Changes) because a customer was unable or unwilling to brave the telephone closet and perform the MAC work themselves. The practice of using a true universal wiring platform is now the standard for all reputable cabling contractors. A Universal Wiring Platform is made up of all data grade components that are downward compatible for all voice applications. A common installation would consist of 3 Category 5E or Category 6 cables all terminated on a 110 type Patch Panel. At the wall plate all cable would be terminated on the matching grade of 8 position modular jack (incorrectly know as an RJ-45). This design not only allows for maximum flexibility were the customer could have 3 computers or 3 phones or 2 computer and 1 phone or any configuration that works for their application. The point is that now the customer is in complete control of their cabling infrastructure and does not need to pay a contractor to come out every time they move an office. In the long run this will also save you money on the overall cabling system as it will shift and flex to meet your needs without having to bring in your cabling contractor. Remember, having the contractor in after construction has completed will involve them pulling out ceiling tiles and standing on desks while you are trying to do business. The elimination of the disruption alone makes it worth while. Mistake number five – No CAD pre installation and post installation CAD drawings. Most customers really have no idea what their cabling platform will look like when they sign the paperwork. They rely on their contractor to “just do the right thing”. Do not make this mistake, if you don’t understand how your infrastructure will work or what it should look like, don’t sign. Your contractor should have the ability to take your building blue print and overlay his cabling plan on top of your electrical plans. This will give you a visual representation of what you are paying for and allow you to ask questions. Likewise, after the job is complete you should receive what is called an “As Built Drawing” showing all of your communications outlets with a standards based numbering system. Some contractor will even provide a scale elevation plan showing were your patch panels are and how much room you have left in each rack for growth and or other equipment. This should be provided to you both hard copy and in AutoCAD format for your architect to incorporate into your final building As Builts. Mistake number six – Not getting a design before the job starts. This seems to be all over the board, some people have no design plan what so ever. Some will pay $10,000 for an engineering firm to write a specification were they charge by the pound for the spec. Don’t be fooled that a large spec is a good spec. Often a specification filed with time consuming exercises for the bidding contractor and unnecessary pricing breakouts will only prevent good contractors from bidding on your project. What you want is a spec that clearly defines your realistic requirements, requires basic qualification with references and does it as quickly and simply as possible. Do not try to write a spec that will cover every contingency, you will drive your contractor away and you will only confuse the process more. Once you have selected your contractor based on an apple s to apple comparison, you can always and should always sit down to discuss the project and other options that they recommend. One more thing, always, always have the contractor provide you with a parts list with quantities, not individual prices, just quantities. This will help you weed out the contractors that did their homework when you start to compare their list of parts. Mistake number six – No cable management All cabling systems will look organized before they are used, that’s easy. Show me that cabling system after 6 months and I will tell you if the proper wire management was used. “Used” being the key word here. Remember, you can have the best wiring management in the world, if you don’t strictly enforce its use with your IT Staff, you will have a mess. That said, your contractor must provide you with a good design. My recommendation is, listen to your contractor, they know more than you do about this. Then, go visit some of the sites that are done the way they recommend. See how they look after being used a few months. Ask the customer how easy it is to keep organized. Don’t underestimate the value of this step. If your patch panels are a mess and you can’t effect changes in a rapid and orderly fashion then you would have been better off paying your contractor to do the MAC work for you.