Monday, November 17, 2008

Dotcom World-20: "You-Tube to play full-length movies legally"

Good news for movie-lovers! SiliconIndia reports, quoting IANS, that the Google-owned video website, You-Tube, has signed an agreement with MGM for screening their movies free of charge. Movie-lovers can soon view their favourite moviews on You-Tube and rejoice.

Courtesy: http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/48579

Detailed Wikipedia article on "You-Tube":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You-Tube

Grateful thanks to IANS and SiliconIndia and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Mobile World-20: "GSM Mobile Subscribers in India"

India adds a record 7.7 million GSM mobile users in October 2008.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express, Tiruchy, November 12, 2008.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "GSM":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM

Grateful thanks to The New Indian Express and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

How To-61: "How to Increase the Life of a Digital Camera"

How to Increase the Life of a Digital Camera

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Technology moves at a pretty fast pace. You can buy a brand new computer or camera, and it is, almost instantly, outdated. However, you can increase its lifespan by taking proper care of your camera.

Steps

Lens Care

The lens of your digital camera is its eye or window to the outside world. It is easily the most important component in any camera. To take care of the lens, make sure that you never, ever touch directly with your fingers. Also, make sure that you put on the lens cap when not shooting pictures.
If you really need to clean the lens, use good lens cleaning equipment. Investing in such equipment is really important. Always use a good lens brush, lens blower and lens cloth to do the job.

Temperature

The other thing to look out for is the temperature under which the camera is stored. You should always keep the camera out of sun. One mistake that newbies always make is to store the digital camera in the extremely hot temperatures (e.g. the car boot [trunk]). Don’t ever do that. It’s also important not to store the camera in extremely cold temperatures either.

Storage

When storing your digital camera, you need to keep it away from magnets of any form. Magnets will affect the circuitry of your digital camera and should not be placed near it.
Another point to note is to use silica gel to combat condensation. Many electronic products come with silica gel capsules. Keep these and put them in your digital camera storage box. It will prevent condensation.
The batteries of the camera should also be removed if you intend to store the camera away for a long time. The reason is that batteries can have corrosive leaks over time.

Protect Delicate Components

1. You also need to protect those delicate components. In particular, watch out for the
memory card (whether it is a CompactFlash, SD or MMC card). Handle them with care
because they are small and delicate.

2. Camera panels are also very delicate. In my Canon PowerShot S500, the panel for the USB
connect and the battery is a tad flimsy. Make sure to handle it with care whenever you
open it.

Conclusion

Your digital camera cost a lot of money and it pays to take care of it. Remember to apply the above tips to preserve your camera and it’ll last you a long, long time. Good luck!

Learn to Take Beautiful Photos

If you want to improve your digital photography skills, you may want to take a look at Digital Photography Success. This e-book package includes excellent step-by-step instructions on how to take pictures of beautiful landscapes, people, nature, fireworks, night scenes, etc. Learn how to shoot professional photos - just like those you see in glossy magazine covers.
You can also look around. Search on Google or your favorite search engine. One web site, with a lot of free, helpful tutorials[1] is very informative.

Warnings

. Do not drop it.

Do not get food all over it.
Do not ever touch the Lens.
Do not get sand in it.
Do not get it near a magnet.
Do not get it wet.

Sources and Citations

↑ http://www.geofflawrence.com/

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Increase the Life of a Digital Camera. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-60: "How to Improve Digital Photo Quality in Photoshop"

How to Improve Digital Photo Quality in Photoshop

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Have you ever wanted to improve the quality of a photo? Maybe you took it with a disposable camera and scanned. Or, maybe you took it with a digital camera, but it still doesn't look right. Here's a quick way to drastically enhance the quality of a digital photo.

Steps

Open your photo via Photoshop. If you need to, crop your photo using the CROP tool on the left tool bar. This can help remove any unnecessary background that may be in there.

Once cropped, if you cropped it, click on IMAGE at the top and select ADJUSTMENTS/AUTO LEVELS. Once you have done that, back to adjustments and this time select AUTO CONTRAST. And again, under adjustments, run AUTO COLOR.

After you've got those three down, bring up the curves palette with Ctrl+M. Drag that diagonal line until you get the balance that you like. You can drag it twice.

Finally, on your main image layer, click the FILTER menu. Open the SHARPEN sub-menu and run UNSHARP MASK. 100%, one to two pixels and two to ten threshold levels will make your images look much sharper.

Tips

Don't try to overdo it. Sometimes adding too many effects to a photo can ruin the photo completely. People will be focused on how jazzed-up it is rather than the subject of the photo.

Things You'll Need

Photoshop, Digital camera

Related wikiHows

How to Organize Your Digital Photos

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Improve Digital Photo Quality in Photoshop. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-59: "How to Transfer Digital Photos from Your Digital Camera to Your Computer"

How to Transfer Digital Photos from Your Digital Camera to Your Computer

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

It can be a hassle and can take a lot of time for an inexperienced user to transfer digital photos from digital camera to a personal computer. However, once learned, it will take only a matter of minutes to transfer your photos from your digital camera to your computer. This lesson will help you achieve quick and easy photo transfer from a digital camera to a computer.

Steps

Plug the USB cable into your camera.
Plug the other end of the USB cable into the USB spot on your computer. On most laptops the USB spot is located on the back, for desktop computers it is usually on the front.
A screen will then pop up asking what action you wish to take. Choose the option "Copy pictures to a folder on my computer using Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard." Another screen will then pop up indicating that the pictures are being copied.
Click NEXT on the screen that pops up.
Check off which pictures you'd like to have copied. If you want them all copied to the computer then keep all of the boxes checked. If you'd rather select only certain pictures, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click "CLEAR ALL." You can then go through and check the pictures you wish to have copied.
This is the trickies step. The screen will ask you to type a name for this particular group of pictures. Label it however you wish. For example "Beach Trip 2006." It will aslo ask you where you'd like the pictures to be saved. As a default, My Pictures should already be in the box.
On the bottom of the page there is a box that suggests deleting pictures from the camera after copying is completed. If you wish for your pictures to be deleted from your camera click this box. If not, leave it blank.
The following screen shows that the copying is in progress and long until it is completed.
The next page to pop up will ask you what you'd like to do next. There are three different options to choose from. However, selecting the last option "Nothing. I'm finished working with these pictures." is the best option. You can then view your pictures and decide what to do from there.
The last page to pop up will state that the Camera Wizard is done. Click FINISH at the bottom of the screen.
Your pictures will then appear in the folder that you selected earlier in the process and you can then view them.

Tips

Make sure to follow all of the steps correctly!
Just follow the directions and you will have no problems!

Warnings

Make sure that you do not choose to erase your pictures off of your camera if you are not 100% sure you want them gone. There is no way to get them back on!

Things You'll Need

Digital Camera
USB cable for the camera (usually a universal one will work)
A computer (laptop or desktop)
Camera Wizard on the computer (most computers come equipped with it)

Sources and Citations

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/dig ... otography/takeit/transfer.mspx
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/usb_minicables.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Transfer Digital Photos from Your Digital Camera to Your Computer. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-58: "How to Take a Picture with a Digital Camera"

How to Take a Picture with a Digital Camera

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

A simple guide to taking pictures with sometimes complex digital cameras.

Steps

Find the "on" button (usually on top of the camera) and press it. Wait for it to turn on and load.
Adjust settings if necessary (refer to users manual).
Look into LCD screen on back of camera to aim the camera at whatever your target is. Zoom in or out if necessary.
Find the photo button (always on top right of the camera).
Once target is in the screen how you want it, hold the camera still, press and hold in the button until the camera flashes.
View your picture by using the playback button on the back of the camera.
Insert your memory card or attach your USB cord to your computer and upload your pictures onto your computer to print or save.

Tips

On most digital cameras, if you press the photo button (the on that takes the pictures) halfway, it will focus the picture so the image will look nicer.
If you are taking pictures in a dark environment you can turn on the flash so it is easier to see the picture. Most digital cameras have a mode to do this automatically.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Take a Picture with a Digital Camera. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-57: "How to Make the Most of Your Digital Camera"

How to Make the Most of Your Digital Camera

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Digital cameras are extremely versatile. More softwares and features are being designed for them every day. Whether you have a top-of-the-range model or a low-end solution, digital cameras can do one-million-and-one things. Here are the most fun, easy, and effective things that anyone can do.

Steps

Shooting a video
Plug the cable into the USB port.
Open Windows Movie Maker (WMM) or another form of video software. There are many other packages such as PCCam, Quicktime, but I will demonstrate with WMM.
Select Capture from video device on the left panel and follow the on-screen instructions. Then press Start Capture and record! Of course, press Stop Capture to end your session.
To copy to DVD for playback on your television, access My Documents > My Videos and press Copy all items to CD after inserting a blank disc in the drive.
Set up a webcam.
Again, establish a connection from your digital camera to your PC.
Open up MSN 6.0+ and click Options > Webcam Settings. Adjust the brightness, contrast, etc.
Set up a conversation with one of your contacts and press the webcam icon below your display picture. This will initiate an invitation to view your webcam.

Tips

Explore! There's so much out there on the Internet, you may even unlock a whole new world to your digital camera.
Don't be afraid to try out new things, as long as it's approved of and you're using a quality accessory. For example, if you have a Bluetooth phone, install the hardware on your computer and access your photos on the PC!
Always read the manual that is packaged with your camera. They have lots of handy tips and tricks that you never thought you could possibly do with a gadget.

Warnings

Make sure with any software you use that it is safe for your PC and your camera. It is highly recommended that you virus-check everything you download or install.

Things You'll Need

A digital camera
Windows Movie Maker
MSN Messenger 6.0 +
Windows preferably

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make the Most of Your Digital Camera. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-56: "How to Blur the Background of a Digital Image"

How to Blur the Background of a Digital Image

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Maybe you have taken a picture of a group of people, and now you want to highlight one individual? Or perhaps you thought you've taken the perfect picture, except something in the background is distracting from the photo?Learn how to enhance your digital photos by blurring the background with GIMP or Adobe Photoshop.

Steps

Use a graphic editing application such as Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, or GIMP.
Open the image file. Choose an image with a good resolution to blur the background.
Determine which areas you want to stay in focus (the foreground), and what areas you want to have blurred (the background). Set the zoom to see the entire image on your monitor. This will help you get an idea of where to make your selections. To zoom in and out, use the Ctrl- and Ctrl+ keyboard shortcut in Photoshop.
Click and hold on the Lasso tool (it looks like a rope lasso), then select the Polygonal Lasso tool in Photoshop. Other graphic editing applications may have this option accessible as a "point to point" feature in a "Tool Options" toolbar.

If the Lasso tool is not visible in Photoshop, click on the "Window" menu and select "Tools".
If the "Tool Options" toolbar is not visible in Photo Shop Pro, enable it from the "View" -> "Toolbars" menu.

Zoom in on the image until it appears pixelated. This will give you finer control over your selection, but you may have to scroll around the image while using the tool.
Select the foreground.

Click once with the Lasso tool to set a point.
Move your cursor to the next point to make a line, then click again.
Repeat until you have a somewhat accurate selection of the foreground.
Make sure the shape you create ends where you started so that the entire foreground is selected. If so desired, make multiple selected areas using the Lasso tool.

Use the studio quality method to create a professional result. A faster method is described later in this article.

Copy the foreground selection by pressing Ctrl-C.
Paste the foreground selection over top of the existing image.
Select the Move tool which looks like a cursor arrow, then drag the newly pasted foreground to line it up over top of the existing image so that they match. The newly pasted foreground and the original image should match.
Select the Background layer that contains the original image. This is available from the Layers toolbar. If this "Layers" toolbar is not visible in Photoshop, select it from the "Window" menu.
Select the entire image by pressing the Ctrl A keyboard shortcut, or using the "Select" menu and "All" command in Photoshop.
Apply a "Blur More" filter to the selection. In Photoshop, select the "Filter" menu and choose "Blur" -> "Blur More".
Repeat this Blur More command until you achieve the desired effect. In Photoshop, the Ctrl F keyboard shortcut will repeat the last filter command.
Alternatively, use the "Gaussian Blur" effect instead and try different pixel radius values. This will give you a deeper control over the blur effect.
Flatten your image's layers by selecting "Layer" from the menu, and "Flatten Image". If your foreground appears too sharp, you may either undo some of your Blur More commands (from the "History" toolbar) and try again, or change how the two layers combine. To do this:

Try changing the newly copied foreground layer's "Opacity". This is visible in the Layers toolbar. A good opacity level to start at is 50%, then move up a little at a time until you find a good blend.
Try changing how the layer combines with other layers by changing its property, also available in the Layers toolbar. For example, try "Darken" instead of "Normal" for an artistic sketch effect.

Blur the edges of your in-focus foreground using the "Blur Tool", which should be on the same toolbar as the "Lasso Tool" in Photshop.

Set the blur tool's strength to somewhere around 33%.
Set your brush size to a comfortable level such as a radius of 5 to 15 pixels. If you don't see a brush size option, select "Brushes" from the "Window" menu in Photoshop.
Use the blur tool to touch up the outside edge of your foreground, especially where the image seems pixelated. This will help to create a sense of transition between your foreground and background that is easy on the eyes.

Use the "Quick & Dirty" method if you're looking for something faster and easier:

Inverse the selection by pressing the Ctrl Shift I keyboard shortcut in Photoshop, or by selecting "Inverse" from the "Select" menu. For Paint Shop Pro, this may be the "Invert" command from the "Selections" menu.
Apply a "Blur More" filter to the selection. In Photoshop, select the "Filter" menu and choose "Blur" -> "Blur More".
Repeat this Blur More command until you achieve the desired effect. In Photoshop, the Ctrl F keyboard shortcut will repeat the last filter command.
Alternatively, use the "Gaussian Blur" effect instead and try different pixel radius values. This will give you a deeper control over the blur effect.

Save your image under a different name (to keep your original separate) by using the "Save As..." option in the "File" menu.
Share your new image with friends and family!

Video

This video features two ways of blurring the background of an image, plus a few tips.

Tips

The higher the megapixels of your camera, the better your image resolution will be. It is difficult to enhance a picture with a lower resolution.
Be very precise in outlining your foreground, especially when using the "Quick & Dirty" method. Otherwise, your foreground will look choppy or it will also include part of the background that may be in focus as well.
Before making any alterations to a photograph, make a copy, then convert the copy to 16 million colors, if it is not already set for 16 million colors. All of the algorithms in these digital darkroom programs work better in 16 million colors than in other modes.
When using the lasso tool, you can make the edges blend better by changing the feather amount at the top. It is normally set to 0 but you can change it to more like 3-7. It gives a softer edge.
This technique produces somewhat artificial looking images. If you want a more natural look, blend your blur so it truly only affects items in the background. In the example above, if the grass in front of the child were still sharp it would more accurately simulate a narrow "depth of field", which would look more natural.
Some digital editing programs have a feature known as zoom blur that allows you to pick a point in your image and blur out from that point.
Using digital editing to blur the background does not create true depth because it blurs everything in the background uniformly rather than independently based on distance from the lens. If you are using Photoshop CS2 it now offers a 'smart blur' option in the filters sections under blur. The filter takes into account the depth of field and perspective and applies more blurring to pixels it interprets as farther away and less to pixels perceived as closer to the subject. The filter is also adjustable so it is better to gradually add the effect until you have the look desired.

Warnings

Make sure you do not save over your original file! Once your image file is overwritten, it is gone for good if that was your only copy.

Things You'll Need

GIMP, Paint.NET, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements or Corel Paint Shop Pro (formerly from JASC)
A digital image of adequate resolution
A drawing tablet is also a recommended tool to make precise selections.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

www.gimp.org GIMP's site.
www.adobe.com Adobe's site.
www.corel.com Corel's site.

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Blur the Background of a Digital Image. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Friday, November 7, 2008

How To-55: "How to Increase Website Traffic"

How to Increase Website Traffic

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

One of the Internet's strengths is its ability to help consumers find the right needle in a digital haystack of data. ~ Jared Sandberg
There are many creative ways to increase traffic to your website. Some will cost you money, and some won't. Below you'll find many legitimate ways (ranging from free to costly) to boost the number of visitors to your website. But if you don't have so much as a cent to spare, read How to Increase Website Traffic for Free.

Steps

Offer free, original, and quality content on your site. This is the most effective means for increasing traffic to a website; offering people something that they cannot obtain elsewhere, or at least, not to the level of quality that you are offering it. Ways in which to ensure that your content is of higher quality than competitors or is unique include:

Creating content that is helpful and useful. Simply cobbling together information from another website will not generate traffic. You need to offer visitors the information they need to achieve a goal, solve a problem, be entertained, find out quality news or have a good laugh.
Keep it fresh. For repeat visits, it is crucial to provide regular updates to the website, especially in frequently viewed zones. Add fresh content every few days if possible; at a minimum, weekly.
Outsource article writing. If you hate the thought of generating content yourself, or your team is not writing-savvy, consider outsourcing this end of the task. Depending on the length, content, specialization and quality required, prices can start as low as US$5 per article. However, don't neglect attempting to write your own work - who better than you knows your own business, hobby or club and can express precisely what needs to be said? Just sit down and start writing an article. You may be impressed when you're done!
Get a proofreader. Poor spelling and grammar reflect badly on the services and information being provided; avoid unwarranted negative judgments by getting the writing in order prior to publication online.
Avoid content generators. While these were once the delight of a fledgling web industry, they are no longer useful. Putting your own team's creativity online is what is useful.
Never copy and paste from another website - Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines are too smart for this nowadays and will detect copied and unoriginal content, sending you to the bottom of the pile.

Improve your search engine ranking by focusing your content on keywords related to your topic. This is called search engine optimization and will help people find your website when they're searching the Web. Make sure the keywords flow naturally with the text and when you are brainstorming for good words, ask around for words that come naturally to people of all ages when looking for your type of site. To help you understand better, realize that the keywords not only go into headings and page names but also into "meta tags". "Meta tags" are the software code that website visitors do not see but search engines do. Finally, don't overdo the keywords; over-stuffing keywords will result in a very low search ranking for your website. Also, be very careful not to place key text inside graphics; search engines cannot pick up graphics.
Get linked. This is a very important part of website management. Exchange links. Trading links with other websites that are closely related to the subject of your website can bring you more website traffic. These are two-way links because you must provide a link to them, too, and linking to low-quality websites can threaten the credibility of yours. Only link to sites that are dead on topic, and truly help your visitors. Instead of trading links, you could also trade banner ads, half page ads, classified ads, etc.
Advertise your presence. Besides using links, you must make use of numerous other ways to increase web traffic. Sit down and write a list of all the ways you can think of to get your web address noticed and clicked on. For example:

Use e-zines. Make your own that relate to your website and form a regular reminder each issue for people to visit your website. Submit all the free e-zine directories on the internet.
Submit your articles to e-zines, websites and writing sites that accept article submissions. Include your business information and web address at the end of the article. This is a good way to create one-way backlinks to your website. This is the most effective way to get listed on any search engine. Usually, the more relevant links you have pointing to your site the higher you will rank.
Go beyond the electronic medium and into the print medium. Advertise in local newspapers, business brochures, magazines, nationwide publications and mail-drop literature. And don't forget the perennial favorite, the good old Yellow Pages™ - printed version naturally!
Small business cards left in cafés, on signboards, exchanged at meetings etc.
Use local resources such as clubs, libraries and community centers for non-profit website awareness raising.
Participate on message boards. Post answers to other people's questions, ask questions and post appropriate information. Include your signature file containing your website's URL at the end of all your postings.
Start your own online discussion community. It could be an online message board, e-mail discussion list or chat room. When people get involved in your community, they will regularly return to communicate with others.
Use word of mouth. Tell everyone you know about your website, give out business cards to passers-by in the street, and so on. You might even want to run a guerrilla marketing program!
Use your car, especially if your website is area-specific (e.g. a website detailing local events or selling local services). Get some vinyl decals or bumper stickers created and turn your car into a moving advertisement, literally driving traffic to your web site!

Give freebies. Who doesn't like a freebie?! Online freebies are commonplace and they leave the visitor wanting more when they are well written and informative introductory materials. Consider such freebies as:

Giving away an eBook with your ad on it. Allow your visitors to also give the freebie away. This'll increase your ad exposure and increase web traffic to your website at the same time;
Holding free online classes or seminars. They could be held in your website's chat room. The idea of "live" information will definitely entice people to visit your website. You will become known as an expert on the topic.
Giving visitors a free entry into your contest or sweepstakes. The prizes should be something of interest or value to your visitors. Most people who enter will continually revisit your web site to get the results.
Letting visitors download free software such as freeware, shareware, demos etc. You could even turn part of your site into a free software directory. If you created the software, include your ad inside and let other people give it away.
Targeting specific groups who might worry about using the internet with free classes in using it on your site - senior citizens, busy workers etc. might find these convenient and alluring.
Offering free online services or utilities from your website. For instance, they could be search engine submitting, copywriting proofreading etc. The service or utility should be helpful to your target audience.
Giving free consulting to people who visit your website. You could offer your knowledge via e-mail or by telephone. People will consider this a huge value because consulting fees can be very expensive.
Offering a free start-up package that has a finite time; enough time for the customer to practice with your online product and like it enough to pay for continued use.
Sending out free CD-Roms, CDs, DVDs etc. that contain starter packs or teasers to encourage the customer to use your site more.
Offering free screensavers or templates for business cards, cards, writing paper etc., anything that a customer can print out.

Be patient. Search engines need a lot of time to index a new website and domain. They need time to index all your content; it's worth the wait and should be factored into your website profitability and/or popularity timeline. In the meantime, continue to add high quality content to your website and keep it up-to-date and relevant.

Tips

Start right here on wikiHow. Read up on how to publicize your website on wikiHow without breaking the rules. If you can provide quality content, you can create a win-win relationship where you share knowledge and get publicity in return.

Warnings

Never, ever spam. Your credibility will be gone before you know it, and with it will go your traffic.
Don't get caught up with website generators and internet tricks. All these "black hat" tricks will only work temporarily. Your business needs to be set up for the long term.
Do not be fooled by those traffic sellers promising thousands of hits an hour. What they really do is load up your URL in a program, along with a list of proxies. Then they run the program for a few hours. It looks like someone is on your site because your logs show visitors from thousands of different IPs. What happens in reality is your website is just pinged by the proxy, no one really sees your site. It is a waste of money.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Increase Website Traffic. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-54: "How to Market Affiliate Products Online"

How to Market Affiliate Products Online

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Don't want to work for someone but wish to make an income at home selling their profits for high commisions? Affiliate marketing is for you.

Steps

Learn about the product use it and see what its like. Rate it out of 10 and decide if other people would want it.
Set up a domain and webhost so you can market their product.
Join various programs you would rate 9/10 and begin marketing them online, set up webpages and use google adwords to promote your site.
Write compeling sales speeches that hypnotised your clients into buying. Get them thinking " I must have this product or else!".
Promote, promote, promote keep promoting your site till you get a flood of traffic.
Monitor your results 8 weeks later.

Tips

Write articles that review the product and then send the reader to your web page.
Driving traffic to your affiliate site is done just like any other site. Advertise your website, make sure that it is search engine optimized with good, specific keywords, and keep it up to date. As you are visited, your site will get more and more hits that will drive it higher in the search engine rankings.
Another way to drive traffic to your website is via PPC (Pay Per click). All you have to you do is find a a good PPC network and start sending traffic to your site for as low as 0.05$ USD per click. If you use PPC engines monitor closely what you are spending

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Market Affiliate Products Online. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-53: "How to Market Your Website"

How to Market Your Website

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

An overview of internet marketing and what every business should know about effective web promotion.

Steps

Get a website - if you don't have the budget ($2500 - $5000) for a custom designed website, get a starter website that includes everything you need to get your business online in a few days. It will not offer as many options, but will be far cheaper. See External links below. Great options available for renting a website, see http://www.renthttp.com. This will allow you to add eCommerce, Blog, Photogallery, forum etc. at no additional cost.
Proofread your website: There's no point in marketing it like crazy if it has silly errors in it. Make sure it's ready for the professional world.
Register a great domain name: Find a domain name that has the type of business in the name. Ie, a dog walker might register www.sanfranciscodogwalking.com.
Search Engine Optimize your site: Make sure your site has the necessary meta tags (description, title, and keywords), alt tags, title tags, and copywriting. If these are new terms for you, visit http://www.sadiedesigns.com/blog.shtml for a basic web marketing glossary.
Add your site to local searches: Most of the search engines have local search functions, and you should definitely appear there. Visit www.local.yahoo.com, www.local.google.com, and www.superpages.com to list your site.
Register your site with search engines: Submit your site to the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN) and directories (DMOZ).
Build links: Ask other related sites to link to your site. You'll have better luck if your site offers solid resources, tools, or tips for readers. Also submit to related directories.
Write articles: Write articles about topics relating to your site, and publish them on your site. Also submit them to as many article directories as you can find. Just do a search for "Article Submit".

Tips

Make it easy for people to contact you from your site by adding a Contact Us form, not just listing your email address.

Warnings

Listing Email with 'mailto' tag can create problem of SPAM flood. Try to convert your email address in 'Human Readable' format.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Market Your Website. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-52: "How to Publish a PowerPoint Presentation Online"

How to Publish a PowerPoint Presentation Online

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Want to bring a PowerPoint to web and share with some friends but can't figure out how?
Here are two solutions. The first is to put the presentation on a site directly as a normal PowerPoint PPT or PPS file. The second is to convert the presentation to a web-friendly files like html and flash.

Steps

Publish the presentation as a PPT or PPS file to web

Create a presentation in PowerPoint
Save the presentation as a PPT or PPS file

file->save as->PPT or PPS

Upload the presentation to a server by a uploader like ftp
Put a link to this presentation in another webpage

Publish the presentation to web as a HTML

Create a presentation in PowerPoint
Save the presentation as a HTML

file->save as->HTML

upload the html presentation to a server by uploader like ftp

Publish the presentation to web as Flash

Download a PowerPoint to Flash conversion tool PPT2Flash Professional from http://www.sameshow.com/download/powerpoint-to-flash-download.html
install PPT2Flash on the computer as a PowerPoint a plug-in
Launch PowerPoint and import the presentation
Configure the Publish Settings in PPT2Flash
Add some multimedia content to the presentation with “ Record narration” “import audio” “insert flash” features
Choose one publish modes from publish to web, publish to Learning Management System (LMS), publish as an EXE, publish via email. in “ Publish” feature
Convert the presentation
Upload the flash presentation to web directly or insert it in a webpage then upload the webpage

Tips

advantage and disadvantage of solution 1

Advantage:

This solution works well if the presentation has a lot of animations in it.

Disadvantage:

Visitors will need PowerPoint or PowerPoint viewer to play the presentation. New animations in new PowerPoint version can not be correctly played in the old PowerPoint version. The linked multimedia may not play.

advantage and disadvantage of solution 2

Advantage:

Easy to do

Disadvantage:

Animations or multimedia content can not work correctly.

advantage and disadvantage of solution 3

Advantage:

Flash has a small file size, greater web capability and accessibility. With the multimedia content preserved, the presentation can be interactive. And flash prevents the presentation from being copied at will.

Disadvantage:

None found at present

Warnings

There are surely other solutions to this problem.So do not limit yourself to the above figure-out.

Things You'll Need

PPT2Flash Professional

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Publish a PowerPoint Presentation Online. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-51: "How to Get Live TV on Your Website"

How to Get Live TV on Your Website

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Everybody wants live tv to make their page cool.

Steps

Get your webpage up in an editor.
Start copying the code below where it says <--BEGIN. and stop copying where it says CODE -->.
Paste it into your web page.
Save your page and view it in a web browser.

Code

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get Live TV on Your Website. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-50: "How to Create a Flash Banner for Your Website"

How to Create a Flash Banner for Your Website

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Create a stunning flash banner has never been so easy. Just follow me steps by steps to make your own flash banner.

Steps

Get flash software from Google,
Download and install the software Flash Slideshow Builder, then run it.
http://download.flash-slide-show.com/fssb_trial.exe
“Browse”. Import your photos. You can import the photos which are pre-processed before by using some professional Image Processing Tool, say Photoshop, or just import the original photos then process them with the built-in editing tool, which include some basic functions like crop, rotate, filter, etc. Especially, you can add a hyperlink for each photo here. Below is my original photos.
Select “Theme” & “Effect”. Here I choose the default theme “RedRight” and “Fade” transition effect. After that, right click on one photo on the Story Board to set the “Duration Setting”. Set “Picture Duration” as 2 sec and “Transition Duration” as 1 sec, then check the option “Apply all settings to all pictures”.
“Decorate” your photo with texts. Click “New Text” to add texts, select font, size, color, text effect, etc. for your photos. Here I select Font “Happy”, Size “22”, Color “Gold”, Effect “Fade”.
“Publish”. Modify some “Publish Settings” to make the flash banner the best. Click “Publish Settings”, first change the Slideshow Size as the same as your photos’ size then other settings like play control, preloader, you can just leave them if you don’t need to change. Here I select “Square” preloader in “Preloader” Tab and set a text hyperlink for my entire banner in “Hyperlink” Tab. After done these, click “Create SWF Movie” to publish your flash banner.
Add the flash banner on your website. It’s the best eye-catching than ever before.

Tips

Add link for each image to different URL, double click the image to lanch "Image Edit" window, then you'll see a "Hyperlink" Tab at the right side, please set the link for each image there.
Add link for whole slideshow to a URL, you needn't follow the way above to set every image. Please move to "Publish"-->click "Publish Settings"-->click "Hyperlink" -->check "Image" or "Text to display" option to set the URL for whole slideshow, and you can set the position for it by dragging it easily.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Create a Flash Banner for Your Website. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-49: "How to Create a Free Website Using Frontpage Express"

How to Create a Free Website Using Frontpage Express

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Ever wanted to know how to make a website using Frontpage Express? You've come to the right place. This is how to create a free website for all you budget handlers out there.

Steps

Go to a free website hosting like www.freeservers.com or www.mysite.com. (which literally are the same website).
Register your domain name for free - if you are using a subdomain name, otherwise there's a fee for it.
Use the FTP uploader; before you do that, make a website folder in My Documents or wherever you choose.
Open Frontpage Express and start the process.
Go to "Save As" and save it in your website folder, after you're done with each page.

Tips

While creating a free account, you have the opportunity to choose your subdomain name. To make the web address look professional, you can choose a shorter subdomain such as 8k.com or gq.nu.
If you would like to purchase an actual domain, you can simply upgrade your account. (This is found on the main menu, after logging onto your account).

Warnings

Don't create any website that has something to do with selling illegal stuff, or giving out free immigration papers. That's just wrong, and could lead up to an estimated 20 years in prison and/or a $200,000 fine.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

http://www.zoomshare.com/

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Create a Free Website Using Frontpage Express. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-48: "How to Create Website Audio"

How to Create Website Audio

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Creating website audio isn't as difficult as you may think. It's as simple as linking the audio so that everyone may hear it. There are two types of audio on a web page. Remember, they each have their own format, so pay close attention to this when linking.

Steps

Create audio on your computer. It can either be a download or something you've saved using a microphone.
Assuming you have a website, log in to your website and upload the audio.
Go into the page you want the audio to appear on and enter the following code (Note: Use no spaces at the beginning and end (the ) and replace the 'myaudioname.mp3' with the name of your audio ALONG with the extension (the extension is the ".mp3" part)): Click here to listen
To embed music into your site so it starts playing automatically every time someone enters your page, you simply enter this code:
Again, change the spaces at the beginning and end and alter the file name.

Tips

You can upload all kinds of audio, including these formats: mp3, wav, midi, wma, and many, many others. Be sure to make note of the extension (format) and place it in with the name when you're adding music to your site. Otherwise, it won't play.
Audio can take up a lot of space. Sometimes, people will add audio on a different server and then link to it on their website. It plays and downloads just the same.

Warnings

You can't link audio from your computer to a website. It just doesn't work, because not everyone can access your computer 24 hours a day. It MUST be uploaded to the website server.
Audio takes up a lot of space, and some free servers don't allow some audio/video formats. Be sure to take note of what they do and do not allow. Your site might be deleted if you ignore the rules!
Some computers may freeze up when audio is embedded in the site. Add a simple, short audio.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Create Website Audio. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-47: "How to Add to an Existing Wikipedia Article"

How to Add to an Existing Wikipedia Article

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Have you ever tried to add to a Wikipedia article that could use your help but you don't know how? Well, wikiHow is here to help!

Steps

Go to Wikipedia, and select your language. Then search if there is an article already about the subject you want to write about. If not then see How to Write a Wikipedia Article.
Search for the article and select the language you prefer. In the article in the top right hand corner of each section, there will be a button that says "edit". Click on it and start to edit.

Tips

If you are on wikiHow right now and you know how to edit one of the articles here then you should do fine.
Remember to cite questionable information.

Warnings

There are requirements for an article to stay up, just like wikiHow.
If you do not know anything about the subject then don't write about it.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Add to an Existing Wikipedia Article. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-46: "How to Access Useful Web Development Tools"

How to Access Useful Web Development Tools

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Have you ever seen a neat feature on a web site but do not know how to imitate it yourself? Well by using a nifty little tool from Mozilla Firefox you can view the source code and style sheets for any website you like!
The HTML in the source code and style sheets can help start you in the right direction.

Steps

Download and install Mozilla Firefox. Click on this link Firefox Add-ons.

Click on the "Extensions" tab
Click on "Developer Tools" - located on the left hand side of the window.
Type "Web Developer" in the search box .
Click "Search."

Scroll down the screen until you see "Web Developer 1.0.2." Click on "Web Developer 1.0.2."
Click "Install Now" after a window prompting you to install appears. Close the Extensions box that appears after download is complete. Close all open Firefox windows.
Open new Firefox window.# Navigate to the site whose source code and style sheet you would like to view.
Click "View Source" on the tool bar and click "View Source" on the menu that drops down.
Look to see a window with the HTML source code for the present page appear. Next view the style sheet for the page.

Click "CSS" on the tool bar.
Click "View CSS" on the menu that drops down.

Notice that a new tab opens in Firefox with the style sheet code.

Tips

After you restart Firefox, if the web Developer ToolBar does not automatically appear, right click on the address bar and click "Web Developer ToolBar."
Once you are comfortable viewing and analyzing source code and style sheets, try out the other development tools available in the tool bar such as playing around with a web site's images (making them invisible) or using the outline feature to see what parts of the web site are in tables.
If you just want to view the HTML you can use any text editor and most browsers.
For just seeing HTML in a browser it should be under either right click, view or options.
For seeing HTML in a text editor just direct your chosen editor to open the html web page.

Warnings

Be sure to close all Firefox windows after the download is completed. The Web Developer Toolbar will not appear until after Firefox is completely restarted.

Things You'll Need

A computer with Internet capabilities
Mozilla Firefox as a web browser(for all listed features) OR almost any internet browser OR a text editor(one as simple as notepad will do).

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Firefox Add-ons

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Access Useful Web Development Tools. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-45: "How to Start an Online Discussion Community"

How to Start an Online Discussion Community

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Online message boards and BBS systems can be a great way to connect people who share similar interests. By following a few easy steps, you can create a thriving online community which will provide you and your membership with many entertaining discussions.

Steps

Choose a specific community topic. If you plan to manage the community yourself, pick something that you are knowledgeable about and interested in. Because there are already so many online discussion forums available, it's best to serve a well-defined niche. For example, "Buddhist Republican Forum" will probably work better than "Religion & Politics Forum."
Select a hosting package. If you have some webspace and a good bit of experience with web development, you can set up your own message board using a software package. If you are unable to set up your own hosting, you can use one of the remotely hosted forum services such as EZboard, or Proboards.
Create your forums (discussion areas). Ideally, you want 5-10 separate forums, each dealing with some aspect of your community topic. For example, you can have a "General Discussion" forum, a "Science" forum, a "Political Discussion" forum, etc. Try not to over-categorize. Ask yourself if each subforum you add will make your community better by facilitating new topics or if it will detract by spreading content too thin and forcing the users to search for content they are looking for.
Advertise your community. If you have some online friends with similar interests, send them a quick e-mail to let them know about your "grand opening." If you have a website, announce your new community to your visitors. Whatever you do, avoid "spamming" (advertising to strangers without permission). Spamming will ruin the reputation of your community before it has a chance to get started.
Select moderators. Each separate discussion forum within your community should have its own moderator. The moderator keeps the discussions fresh by starting new topics and removing inappropriate content. Community users who are knowledgeable about the subject matter of the forum and willing to spend a few minutes a day helping the community grow will make good moderators.
Manage the community. You and the team of moderators should agree on some basic rules of conduct (such as "no personal attacks"), and enforce them. Occasionally, you may need to ban a disruptive user from your community in order to prevent problems.
Make strategic alliances. Exchange links with other communities with similar interests in order to grow your user base. As your community increases in size and activity, you will have more opportunities to create strategic partnerships with other websites.
Develop a community atmosphere over time. You need to foster a sense of loyalty and "belonging" among your membership, or they will eventually go somewhere else. Games, contests, custom titles for users, and other "gimmicks" work well, but simple friendliness and respect are even better.

Tips

You may want to have a place for users to forward spam and post random garbage: for most forums, it's going to happen anyway, so it's best to make a subforum where people can do it without distracting from the main content of the bulletin board.
Don't expect overnight success. It takes time to build a large and active membership. Keep at it, and the word will eventually get around. It may take several years before the discussion community becomes self-sufficient.
Tailor your rules and standards to your subject matter. For example, a religious community will probably have much stricter rules than one about making prank phone calls. Your community standards should be neither too strict or too relaxed for your target audience.
Keep staff and forums proportional to the community. If you only have thirty members, you do not need twenty moderators or fifty forums. Only add staff and forums when necessary - you should not make people into staff just because they are your friends or they asked, and you should not make an entire forum for Pokémon on a political discussion board just because you enjoy the games.

Warnings

If you choose to have someone host your forum for you they may force your forum members to view advertisements. This is the case with most free forum hosts. You can usually remove the ads for a small fee. You can, however, sometimes find a free forum host without forced ads. Choosing a host without ads gives your forums a more professional look that your visitors will enjoy.
As a community administrator, be prepared to encounter some occasional harassment. Disruptive users are a sad fact of internet life, and many of them do not take kindly to being banned from the community. If you are highly sensitive to criticism, you may want to consider letting someone else run your community for you.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Start an Online Discussion Community. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-44: "How to Write Successfully for the Web"

How to Write Successfully for the Web

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Online readers love free information. They scour the Internet daily looking for specific information to solve their problems, help them be successful, live longer or get healthy. You should join the information revolution too! Publish your free, helpful solution-oriented articles to the web.

Steps

Make your article scan ready. A study by Jakob Nielson, publicized as the guru of web page usability by the New York Times, revealed that only 16 percent of his test users actually read the copy they found online; 79 percent of them simply scanned it. Your impatient web readers will want important information to jump out at them. Some practical ways to make your text scannable:
- headings
- sub-headings
- bulleted lists
- numbered lists
- easy steps
- typeface variation
For example, compelling headlines are considered an art. Are you drawn to the author's article as "How to Write Web Articles" or "5 Tips to Write Winning Web Articles?" However, overuse of any or all of these elements may bring the quality down.
Keep it short. Get and keep the attention of web readers by delivering short messages. You put effort into gaining your web reader's attention; now make their click worthwhile with brief compelling copy in bite sizes. Start with the conclusion. Your readers may not make it to the end of your piece to get it. Web readers don't want to get bogged down in long blocks of text. So get to the point early and use the rest of your article to support that main point.
Make your title sizzle. Dull titles will not capture your readers' interest. It will make your article fade into the sea of other boring articles listed in article banks these days. You have to create a title that will reach out and grab your reader by the collar. Make it short. Create interest. Include the main benefit or solution in your title.
Talk to your target audience. Your information is not for everyone. Avoid generalities. Choose a friend or family member that's interested in your topic. Write your article to them. Writing to a friend will make your copy personable and friendly. You won't come across as a fussy hen, do this, do this, don't do that. You will connect with your readers as a friend giving advice. Your article will do a better job of building credibility for you.
Add substance. Resist fluffing your articles. Include practical, valuable information in your copy. Everyone loses when you don't take the time to impart substance. It increases the reputation of the web being an unreliable source of knowledge. Additionally, lack of substance will block your road to profitable referrals. Do the research and/or draw from your knowledge and experience to illustrate. Your stories and real life examples will meet your reader's need for practical information and connect with their emotion. It's a known fact emotions will move people to action. Whether you desire them to act by signing up or making a purchase, add substance and improve your reader responses.
Make it web professional. Create a more web professional look by using short sentences, then format your page to approximately 65 characters per line. Long stringed sentences that stream from side to side of the web page look visually unprofessional. Select a layout for your article from several short article formats that include the how-to, tips list, question-answer, problem-solutions and interview. Make your introduction and summary short but do add one. Your web readers don't want just a list of boring facts and information. They want to connect with you by reading your personable introduction and practical tips with a definite ending or summary. Remember, excited readers become enthusiastic buyers and enthusiastic buyers will refer your product or service to all their friends.
Don't spice the article with "optimized" keywords to flatter search engines -- this how-to is about how to write successfully for the web, not search engines, after all. Usually, the search engines will follow the links of real readers, who actually liked your content.

Tips

Long paragraphs are usually acceptable for print media; they are not for the web.
You may use these guidelines for all kinds of web copy. The same elements (using keywords, making your article professional, adding substance, keeping it short and making your copy scannable) will improve the quality of your articles. Practice these simple principles and write winning articles to distribute on the web everywhere.
Keep the writing short, simple and on point. Jakob Nielsen recommends using half the word text online compared to print.
Print a hardcopy of your article and read it an hour later in a different setting. Ask someone else to review it, both online and in print.
Use diagrams or photographs to help illustrate your points. Useful content can and should go beyond basic clip art to draw on the reader's imagination.
Avoid the use of technical jargon except where necessary. If you must use it, include links or definitions for uncommon words or industry terms.
Make sure that the color of the font contrasts with the background, and that the font color is much darker than the background color. For example, don't use a yellow font on a green background. Even if you make the letters big and bold, the readability of your text suffers.
Avoid making readers scroll across. People would much rather scroll down than scroll across, so make your text space adjustable to the reader's window size.

Warnings

Flashing text, marquees, animated gifs, rollover buttons and other effects serve to distract the reader from main text on the page. While they can be used in moderation, overuse of these features will irritate the user more than impress him/her.
Remember that you are writing for a reader who has no compulsion to go on reading the page.
BE NORMAL - It is better to avoid using Letters in upper case or all caps.
Write for the readers, search engines are bound to follow

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Write for the web! Use the tricks you just learned in this wikiHow to start writing articles for the web. GetBeautyTips.com has regular article publishing contests. Topics change each month. Winners get published online! Great opportunity for budding writers. Check it out at http://www.getbeautytips.com/

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write Successfully for the Web. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.