Lung Cancer Center

Videos are an excellent way to advertise your organisation’s products. Sure, there are dozens and dozens of other kinds of marketing methods around from content writing to blogging, from press releases to RSS. Though, nothing says “cool, connection, & creativity” like a promotional video.

Each month more & more companies of all sizes are generating commercial videos about their offerings. They’re not only just posting them on their business sites, but they are putting them on their own blogs. To gain global 24/7 exposure, videos are being published to dozens of video-sharing sites like that of You Tube & Kwego. And why not ? it’s economical, easy to undertake, & can have a significant impact, in many cases, on the traffic it drives to your website.

There are many other reasons why video commercials are a fabulous way to advertise your firm.

Internet videos benefit from a large circulation: Videos by their own nature are straightforward to “package” which means they are appropriate to fit into a range of different distribution circulations. You can post them on your organisations site or blog, on the other hand you can put them onto your personal computer & run them over & over again at a tradeshow. You can post them to countless World Wide Web video-sharing social websites. You can burn them onto DVDs & give them away or sell them. You can even forward them via email.

Short format videos are a wonderful way to communicate. As our knowledge of technology changes, so do the methods in which companies like to cooperate with others. Most people are visually oriented meaning that is how they best understand & cooperate with their world. This makes videos on the Web the supreme business strategy to speak with today’s consumers. Vidify can work effectively to deliver white-label online video production and publishing solutions.

These are just a handful of the several reasons why professional videos might be an amazing way to market your company’s services. Discover more about this area to see how you might utilise your valuable time, cash, and energy to speak to your target audience in an inventive and attractive way.

It’s hard to tell where the Internet’s going at this point in time, is every day the Internet seems to make a shift upward into a new exciting round.

Internet marketing is as much a part of shaping Internet as it is writing the Internet’s coattails as a way to procreate itself.

It’s not funny how online marketing works and how it’s evolving into almost a covert technology were people don’t even realize they’re being marketed to and even if they did they would mind because to give you a visual metaphor it would feel like someone giving you a sales pitch wrapped in $100 bill.

Internet marketing is becoming in many ways a game. In the Internet marketing game, online marketing strategies you lies cross platform social networking Web 2.0 technologies diffuse valued information for the marketing approach that feels very much like walking through grocery store and getting a free sample of food that’s cooked right there in the store as a way of getting you to enjoy the dish.

We don’t mind people marketing to us when it comes to giving us free first you prepared food that smells good to us because the benefit is immediate and a marketing pitch is secondary.

And always Internet marketing follows is sort of a format. This is what makes it so exciting.

An Illuminatus Speaks:

You will have to decide if this Illuminatus speaks with forked tongue or not. There is no black and white to the matter as I see it.

I have not read a lot of Alan Watts, because people have always told me I sound like him. I promise that even if you think that someone sounds like you or thinks as you do – this is one book that will challenge many things that we all must question. Here is one of many things said by Watts which I agree with.

“Faith is an openness and trusting attitude to truth and reality, whatever it may turn out to be. This is a risky and adventurous state of mind. Belief in the religious sense, is the opposite of faith – because it is a fervent wishing or hope, a compulsive clinging to the idea that the universe is arranged and governed in such and such a way. Belief is holding to a rock; faith is learning how to swim – and this whole universe swims in boundless space.” – Alan Watts

This next piece is from someone I know to be part of the Merovingian families and a real Illuminatus in the good sense. I think it fair to share this with you and she has told me I may share it and anything she has in web sites. However I do not identify her in this medium because she would not want the ego issues and flack.

“There is quite a bit of material in here on the Illuminati or the word and concept thereof. Now, we do not do the conspiracist’s view of Illuminati. Simple logic tells you that what they consider “Arcane Secret Order” contains info they also will not know. So it is safe to discard these Theories.

Simply put, an Illuminati is a Rosicrucian/Hermetic (and sometimes “other”) who has achieved a certain a certain degree and/or heights of various aspects, an enlightened individual who uses such light for his obligation towards the Universe, balancing it and making it a better place to live etc. The Order involved contains enlightenments of mind, soul and body that they will not reveal simply because “inquiring minds want to know”. One must work towards gaining this knowledge and if they have the stuff it takes then they will gain this knowledge. If a seeker doesn’t have the required prerequisites s/he is not going to be able to comprehend them anyway. This is how the info gets corrupted; misunderstanding and second and third hand info.
*smiles gently*I take my Order(s), seriously, they are not a game nor are the applications taken lightly. Most of the questions answered on this particular subject (including Hermetics and other Arcane Orders) regarding the Sacred Mysteries and Knowledge contained herein, can be answered in one sentence: “Join a Rosicrucian/Hermetic Order and find out the answers for yourself. I have done the work why can’t you?”

I have never seen a book on Illuminati that is accurate. Could we find a hint way in the word “Arcane”? Could the dictionary be purposely throwing the uninitiated off? Or is this definition, like with other words, born of how today’s uninitiated view? It is interesting to view a dictionary published at the turn of the century before the conspiracists and other “unhappies” who didn’t feel it necessary to do the work others have and out of covetousness, jealousy, revenge etc. helped form this newer definition which can be found in any newer dictionary.*shrugs* But they cannot touch light like this. This older definition begins with a “Church” history, those who carried the light in ritual (this in itself is interesting*grins impishly*), then to a “16th century Spanish sect who believed in “mental prayer” discarding all rituales, tools” etc (the Mass etc)*grins impishly again* “The Bavarian Illuminati founded in 1776″ (and one that has taken a lot of hits and is probably the seed for many of these erroneous “theories”) “an anticlerical, deistic republican society, The Order Of The Illuminati”, and “persons who claim to have extraordinary knowledge of enlightenment; chiefly of satirical use.” Buddha is an Illuminati, The Christos is an Illuminati, Mother Theresa is certainly an Illuminati, there are a few Sacred Men in Eastern Traditions who hold this title and some in Western Trads. Even those who may be in an Order (within an Order) considered Illuminati, do not hold this distinct honor yet, but trying to work towards it, most never achieve it. Oh btw, an Illuminatis light will never die.

Illuminatis are those illumined who know that it is their obligation to see that others are also so illumed, they do not see themselves as gaining superior enlightenment that others could never possess. They do, however provide appropriate Paths for others to gain this illumination in their lives or as much as they can possibly get in this lifetime. Anyone who says they are an illuminati is usually not one (unless you are in an Order, then you are privy to more than the uninitiated, but promise you will have to work for it.) And Illuminati does not need to be known, have his/her back patted, nor do they care to or want to. They have dealt with ego issues a long time ago.
*smiles softly* I am not into handing out information I worked hard for, I liken this to my expertise in Siddhi/Kundalini/Ayurvedic Medicine, for which I worked hard and long to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective. I can’t give you a brief overview and a couple of tools and expect you to either fully understand all the dynamics and principles and send you out to heal. It takes a personal quest, study and applications as you work through different aspects.”

Author of Diverse Druids, Columnist for The ES Press Magazine, Guest ‘expert’ at World-Mysteries.com

Copyright 2005 Black Butterfly Press

“Normal day what a treasure you are.”

Dr. Maxine E. Thompson http://www.maxinethompson.com

This placard graced my late mother’s bedroom wall, and until recently, I didn’t understand what it meant.

After spending a normal vacation with my loved ones in Atlanta and Detroit, I reflected how wonderful it is to enjoy adult children and grandchildren when times are normal. No one in the immediate family was in harm’s way. Everyone is being blessed. One friend is moving into a new house. Instead of coming home for a funeral, or a death watch, I was just home to enjoy the moment. Things are looking up. Lesson learned. We have to treasure our moments of serenity.

Now I’d like to paraphrase this saying and add, “Reading to children, what a treasure it is.”

I often speak on the issue of the shortage of African American books for children and teenagers. Too many of our teenagers are reading books meant for adults because of the shortage of book. Still too many African American teenagers are dropping out of school.

Last summer, when my three-going on four year old grandchild, Darius, visited from Michigan and came to California, we developed a ritual of reading at night. I’ll never forget his words, “That was a good book.” This year, when I visited him in Detroit, it was a pleasure to see the light in Darius’s eyes as he recognized colors and numbers in a book. This was especially exciting because I saw his love for reading grow.

My oldest son, Maurice, age 33, told me that he hated when I took them to the library, but now he does this very same thing with his preteen children, so he’s hoping the seed will be planted as it was in his case. Now Reading is one of his favorite pastimes.

So I’d like to encourage African American writers to write more culturally relevant children books and readers to support more Black children writers.

Make use of your public libraries, which is a treasure trove of information, and a wonderful place to get free books for your children.

As parents are reving up for back to school, take time and invest in reading to your children.

1. Reading together builds your child’s vocabulary. 2. Reading helps with your child’s imagination. 3. Reading helps create memories your child will later cherish from his childhood. 4. Reading together is a spiritual endeavor like writing. You may be nurturing the mind of the next Toni Morrison. 5. You will see the return on the back end. As they say, “You pay now, (in terms of time invested with your children,) or you pay later.” Just ask parents who were too busy working while their children were growing up, who now have to deal with these adult children’s drama when they didn’t get the lessons right the first time around.

The scenario…

The company has decided it needs to eliminate costs. Hundreds of jobs are on the line. The executives of each division have been directed to cut costs by 35%. The tension throughout the company is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You know some departments will be totally eliminated because the work can be outsourced to save money.

You are a manager with over 20 years of seniority and you know your department is NOT being eliminated. You breathe a sigh of relief; after all, you do have personal ties to the owners. You show up for a weekly meeting with your boss, and he catches you off guard…your job has been eliminated. Your world changes in an instant! You don’t understand! Your performance reviews have been good for 20+ years! You’ve done your job! Nobody has ever told you that you’re NOT doing a good job! The shock consumes you in the months to come as you try to make sense of it all.

(What you don’t know is that you have long had a reputation of someone who is extremely difficult to work with. Your many internal customers have complained about you all along. You shrugged off the complaints, and your boss chose not to deal with it or reflect it in your performance reviews.)

This scenario is in fact real! Unfortunately, corporations dealt with the same scenario (with a few details changed) over and over again. The lesson learned here…”Inadequate performance management systems” damage individuals and companies.

For the past few years’ companies have furiously worked to upgrade the effectiveness of their performance management systems. They are establishing core competencies, identifying performance objectives and measures, and even talking about ongoing coaching.

A 2002 study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting reveals that ongoing coaching is still in short supply! The data indicates that 78% of employees surveyed said their managers routinely conduct annual performance reviews. It also indicated that 26% said managers routinely provide ongoing performance feedback and coaching.

Reality Check

Could you be blindsided by a scenario similar to the one mentioned earlier?

My personal belief is that managers (at all levels) don’t give feedback or coach on an ongoing basis because they don’t know how.

Today, there are a multitude of training programs and support systems for managers who really want to learn to coach on an ongoing basis. They can get their own coach or they can attend a workshop like “The Coaching Clinic ©”. More info can be found at www.connectionscoach.com.

In the meantime, here are three ways you can begin to manage performance every day through coaching:

Acknowledgement

Make time to acknowledge contributions. Give credit where credit is due. Challenge them to play a bigger game. Inspire them to give the performance of a lifetime.

Development

Partner with them on projects. Do more asking versus telling. Become genuinely curious in their ideas and concepts. Give them the lead role. Support them when they stumble. Encourage them to get up and try again.

Provide Feedback

Be specific about what exactly makes the difference. Teach them how they can make a difference (do more, do less, keep doing). Incorporate “lessons learned” discussions into every project.

If your company is one that says, “Our employees are our greatest assets”, now is the time to walk the talk. By providing ongoing coaching, you’ll be managing performance every day. And most of all, your employees will feel like they are your greatest assets.

About The Author

Lora J Adrianse is the owner of Essential Connections. She is a Coach, Consultant and Facilitator who specializes in the development managers and business owners. She recently left a long-term corporate career to focus on her passion for helping others bring out the best in themselves through the use of Emotional Intelligence. She can be reached through her website www.connectionscoach.com; coach@connectionscoach.com

While focused, strategic networking is usually the most efficient way to build your professional practice, there are many other ways to market your business. Personal networking may not be appropriate in some areas, or for certain types of services, and some people simply don’t like to do it. The following are the Top 10 methods my clients have used to increase sales and grow their practices without networking:

1. Newsletters. There are many inexpensive ways to distribute your newsletter, from buying a “packaged” service, to photocopying and mailing, to use of Internet technology. Newsletters keep your name in front of potential clients, and let you share the information you feel is important in a timely way. Remember to publish frequently, and be dependable over the long term.

2. Writing articles and columns. Every organization has a newsletter, and there are many newspapers and journals that need material on personal growth, health, wellness, communication, relationships and every other aspect of human life. If you enjoy writing, editors are eager for your material, and writing a column brings instant credibility and positive exposure.

3. Have a Website. Increasingly, customers are expecting to find information about professional services on the Internet. A clean, professional website may cost less than $1000 and work for you 24-hours a day, everyday.

4. Teach classes. Community colleges, city parks and recreation departments, churches and many other organizations are looking for instructors to teach classes. Often they will do the marketing and provide all your support services, and even pay you! Teaching is a great way to become known and give the community a taste of your expertise!

5. Volunteer. Whatever your specialty, organizations need your time, your skills and your help. You can volunteer to sit on Boards, answer phones, do their newsletter, or be a consultant – volunteering gets you known, and it can open doors for you!

6. Work with Sponsors. From insurance reimbursement for medical services to a philanthropist sponsoring an art exhibit, anytime someone else is paying the bill, you can expand your services and reach more people. Employers, educational groups, non-profits, foundations and government agencies can all be sponsors.

7. Do research. By designing and conducting appropriate research you accomplish several things for your business: You become an expert, you attract people who are interested in your research, you attract volunteers who want to participate, and when you publish the results you gain credibility and again attract attention as an expert.

8. Groups and Alliances. By combining your skills with a group of other professionals, all of you gain exposure, there are appropriate referrals to others within the group, and over-head costs can be reduced. Often groups are profitable simply by being able to share the cost of renting a large, visible office in a prime location.

9. Bid for Contract Services. Government agencies, corporations and non-profits all contract for services. These are usually announced in local newspapers, and are called an “RFP” or Request for Proposals. One small contract can open the door to others, and keep you and your practice very busy!

10. Advertise. Using the Yellow Pages or placing an ad in the local paper or even on the radio (less traditional, but why not?) will bring you business. I place this last because my experience suggests that for most professionals it’s an expensive way to go, but it does work. Remember, placement and consistency (being seen over and over) will be important, so run your advertising for at least a year.

© Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: “Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It’s all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com

The day is long gone that all any kid really wants for Christmas is their two front teeth! Chances are that high on the list will be a new cell phone, a PS2, iPod Nano or one of the many competing MP3 players, a digital camera, or indeed the latest clutch of computer games. The choice of gifts seems to grow each year, with even a three dimensional pool table making an appearance this year! For those whose kids can’t be pried away from the TV maybe the new OC in a Tin board game may be the answer, or even The Price is Right interactive DVD game?

The sheer range of gift ideas is staggering and tracking them down in the store is a real chore. When you couple this with the truly fickle nature of kid’s crazes and the ever present peer pressure factor, then trying to select what is right for the kids in your life can be a daunting and expensive processnevertheless, did you know that you can get online coupons that can help you cut down on the expenses this Christmas?

The one thing you can count on, as the Christmas season progresses is that the retail toys as well as games and electronic stores will increasingly resemble places under siege as hordes of desperate parents wander aimlessly around trying to find the latest “must have” item. To preserve your sanity and temper why not consider what millions of other sensible shoppers now do and take advantage of shopping online? What’s more, you can take advantage of online coupons and save yourself a hefty amount of cash. That way, from the comfort of your home or during breaks at work, you can have a hassle and stress free shopping experience with the additional benefits of generally being able to buy at lower than typical retail prices because you utilize online coupons. Also, you can benefit from direct delivery. Indeed, you can usually specify delivery to a third party location, which is an ideal method of sending the gift to other family members who are located further away from you.

So whether your kids want to lock themselves away with a hand held Suduko game, their own DVD player or even head outside with a new football, the places to shop with ease is appearing in increasing numbers online. Further, with each place you find online to shop, you will find a growing amount of Internet businesses that accept coupons online. Save yourself the time, trouble and stress of heading for the mall and fire up the pc; a whole world of potential gifts is just a click away along with serious potential savings with coupons. Whether your kids will actually use the gifts beyond Christmas Day is always down to fate and fashion but if you want to give your family a stress free family environment this Christmas, then shopping on the Internet and saving yourself a few bucks with coupons online is the perfect solution.

James Brown writes about savings for families. Learn more at www.LatestCouponCodes.com

After researching this topic for a survive bird flu website, I’m left wondering whether
most of us would have either the money or the will to follow these rigorous
procedures.

Good infection control practices involve meticulous hand washing, cleaning and
clothes washing routines. And just as important, to avoid contact with the bird flu
virus you should wear disposable face masks and gloves.

Realistically though, is this something that most of us could manage for more than
a few days or weeks? How many disposable masks (respirators) and gloves would a
family have to stockpile, to weather the worst of a pandemic?

Away from home, gloves and especially masks would have to be changed often.
Would a dozen masks and a dozen pairs of gloves (per family member) be enough
each day? If the worst of a pandemic lasted for 100 days, that would be a total of
1200 masks and 1200 pairs of gloves, per person.

Protective gear would not have to be worn at home, if no one was sick with the
virus, but if someone at home became ill, it would be a different story. Every time
anyone visited the sick person, a mask and gloves would have to be worn and
discarded immediately after leaving the sick room. Under those conditions, would
two dozen masks and pairs of gloves per day (per family member) be enough? A
100-day pandemic would require a total of 2400 of each per person.

After a look around the internet, the most reliable respirators (ones that have a 99%
particle filtration efficiency) appear to cost around $5 each. A huge stockpile of
these would not be affordable for most households and anything less expensive
would probably not filter out the virus with a reliable efficiency. The worst of a
pandemic might last a matter of months, but future outbreaks could go on for many
years, on a smaller scale. Would many families have that amount of money to invest
in disposable items?

As far as adequate infection control practices go, persuading all family members to
see the importance of good hand hygiene might be a difficult task, depending on
the intelligence and age of the family member. There are so many shared surfaces
in a home – sofas, chairs, floors, toilets, door handles, dishes, pets – the list goes
on – how could anyone realistically impose adequate infection control practices at
home, unless everyone agreed to (and was able to) adhere to the rules religiously.

The biggest problem of all is that a person infected with the bird flu virus is
contagious before the symptoms show, so you can be spreading the virus even
before you look or feel ill. If reliable bird flu vaccines and anti-viral drugs are not
readily available, it begins to look as if the ultimate in infection control – living in
complete isolation – could be the answer. I wonder what I could find to eat out in
the desert . . .

Julia Walkden

http://www.survive-bird-flu.com

Did you know that the keeping of fish dates back to antiquity? It may be true but only recently has the activity become popular among all age groups.

Have you joined the multitudes who have recently contributed to the popularity of keeping tropical fish? It really has become popular as many homes now have at least a small aquarium among its furnishings. They may consist of a few goldfish in a small coldwater aquarium or they may consist of several colorful fish swimming about.

Your aquarium is most likely one of three different types: coldwater, warm water (heated) or marine. If you are keeping tropical fish, you almost certainly have a heated aquarium. Remember, tropical fish come from the tropics where it’s warm. The Amazon, Africa and the south of Asia are where most tropical fish originated.

Most pet and fish stores have all in one packages that include everything you need to get started: aquarium, stand, lights, heater, filter and gravel and other decorative additions. If you’re just starting out, this is a good way to go since you will save money over buying all the components individually.

Be sure to ask the store personnel for advice on which fish are the hardiest and easiest fish to keep. These may include tetras, danios, barbs, Livebearers and Cordyoras. Also, don’t add too many fish at a time as the aquarium needs time to mature and get “broken in”. Adding too many at once will not allow the tank to develop the bacteria needed to break down the fish’s waste.

Finally, a good idea is to visit your library or go on the internet to learn about keeping fish successfully. There are hundreds of books and sites which can offer a wealth of tropical fish keeping information. A good tank, kept properly can give you and your family hours of enjoyment and relaxation..

Eileen Church has had tropical fish ever since she was a little girl. She operates www.tropicalfishfacts.com which is a great resource about tropical fish. Be sure to visit www.tropicalfishfacts.com

Do you experience periods of feast or famine in your business? Do you only think about marketing when you realize you are running low on clients? Do you have some steady clients but you’d love to have more? Or are you still struggling to barely reach your key business goals? If any of these situations describe you, and you are serious about making some changes, I have an idea for you. First, a few more questions.

Be honest, how much time do you spend on business development, activities to sustain and grow your business? How often do you take action to develop your business? Do you do it randomly whenever it occurs to you? If you are like many business owners you are planning to do it later, when you have more time, after you have finished all of the urgent things you are doing that keep you so busy. How’s that working for you?

It won’t happen unless YOU make it happen. The key is to plan it and do it consistently. You’ve probably heard this quote from Einstein before and it is worth repeating here – “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

So what will it take? I am asking you to spend one entire day, each week (even better if it is the same day each week) on business development. This will allow you to avoid distractions, stay focused and get into the flow of what you are doing. If you can’t set aside an entire day, you can break it up. Just make sure you are spending at least 20% of your time on business development which means you will need to track how much time you devote to it.

If you are a solopreneur it is up to you to do this. If you realize that you haven’t been doing enough business development, and you know you never will, consider outsourcing. If you have employees, you can choose to be the one to do this or you can delegate it someone else. No matter what, it must be done and done consistently.

Spending one whole day on business development every week will force you to rethink how you are spending your time. You will need to start thinking about creating solid systems and leveraging everything you do so that you can get more done in less time. You never know, you may even discover that there is much more business than you ever realized and that it is time to add more people to your company!

So what are effective business development activities? Here is a short list to get you started:

- Contact prospective clients with your offer (direct mail, e-mail, call).
This one is rather obvious and yet we somehow always find a way to avoid it. Be courageous and get into action.

- Ask existing clients if they can refer you to new business.
Existing clients are hopefully happy with your products/services otherwise they wouldn’t be clients. Because of this, they are likely to want to help you if they can. It’s your move to ask.

- Check in with previous clients.
If you are on good terms with inactive clients you can ask them if they may be interested in your products/services again or you can offer them something new. You can also ask if they know other people who may be interested in your products/services.

- Contact potential strategic alliance partners.
These are companies who sell different products/services than you do and whose clients fit with your ideal client profile.

- Develop a new product/service and promote it.
A new product/service may be attractive to new clients as well as to existing and inactive clients.

- Contact groups/clubs/associations about speaking for them.
It is critical that you select the groups carefully. Be sure that the members of the groups fit your ideal client profile. Speaking is one of the best ways to let people experience you and what you offer, gain credibility, and build your status as an expert.

- Place an advertisement in a publication that your ideal clients read.
To be effective, run the ad at least 8-11 times. A one-time ad will not do much for your business.

Here are some things that will keep you very busy and may not help you grow your business:

- Cleaning out your files

- Talking about how busy you are

- Thinking about what you could do and not doing it

- Reading books with great ideas that never get implemented

- Buying more books with great ideas that never get implemented

This is about of working ‘on’ your business not just ‘in’ it which is required to create a long-term, sustainable business. Are you up for the challenge? Sure hope so, your business depends on it. It’s time to get cracking and make it happen.

(c) 2005 Stephanie Ward

Life & Business Coach Stephanie Ward helps business owners set their profits on fire! Get your free monthly profit tips plus bonus report at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com