Replacing Windows

Clinton Maxwell

If you are going to pursue a big project such as replacing your windows, you don't want to go about it in a half-cocked way.It is important to take the time necessary to know all of the options open to you and what the specific benefit of each
window type is.

Are you interested in controlling light? Do you want more or less ventilation? What about security? And is privacy an issue for you?

Are you trying to make a small room larger through the use of windows? All of these questions need to be answered before you can begin to think about the decorating and architectural aspects of the window. But these are also very important aspects. How the windows look on the outside can add a great deal to the curb appeal of the house, and it has been shown that new windows add significantly to the value of a home. Before you get started, you will also have to make sure you are familiar with the building code in your town or county. Once all of the basics have been addressed, you can start to think about installing your windows. This is a project that even a do-it-yourselfer can manage. There are any number of books and sites on the internet that can give you step by step directions on installing replacement windows. Just remember these tips when you are choosing your windows. Insist on quality. If you choose good quality from a reputable manufacturer, your windows will last forty to fifty years, so make a worthwhile investment. Use a window with a good energy efficiency rating. If you live in a cool climate, buy windows that are either double glazed or double layered with gas filling. They afford the greatest energy efficiency. Look at all of the decorating and architectural magazines and websites to find the right kind of windows for your home. Top names may be expensive, but with research you may be able to find lesser known brands of very good quality. If you are able to check out the materials and craftsmanship, you may be able to save a lot of money and still have a top quality product. For years, windows were nothing more than a pane of glass inserted in a wood frame. Today's energy consciousness has meant that windows are now highly engineered. The old single panel types of windows will only work in the mildest of climates. If you live in a colder climate, you have to use energy efficient windows, such as double paned models that create a sandwich does not allow as much cold air to leak into the house. These windows also provide sound absorption for sounds both inside and outside the home. Even more energy efficiency is attained if you have argon gas between the layers. And even more engineered than those are the double paned models that have a coating of low emissivity film between the layers to further reduce transfer of energy. The frames for the sashes of all windows can be constructed of wood, wood clad aluminum or vinyl, vinyl and fiberglass. Wood is the easiest and most traditional to use. Wood clad aliminum or vinyl is a good choice in an area
where there is high humidity or a lot of damp weather.

Homes in these areas also do well with vinyl windows, since they do not absorb moisture. Vinyl and wood clad vinyl are the lowest maintenance materials of all window frame materials. After the
type of window and type of frame is chosen you still have another choice with the type of glass you want.

Clear or tinted?

Do you want a level or bevelled edge? What about tempered safety glass? YOu can also consider films that can be applied to your windows that will help save energy costs and also provide an extra measure of privacy. Read More .....

Windows Xp Tips

This guide provides the basic tips on computer networking, hardware, security, troubleshooting and configurations in the Windows XP Professional. These tips can also be applied to Windows 2000/2003 and Windows Vista.

How to Determine the IP address of the Computer

You can determine the IP address of the computer by the following method.

Start Run > Type CMD > Type Ipconfig at the command prompt.

In this way you will get the IP address your computer.

How to Determine the Computer name ?

Start Run > Type CMD > Type Hostname at the command prompt.

You will get the computer name by this command.

How to convert FAT32 to NTFS?

If you want to convert your system’s drive to NTFS use the following command

Covert [drivename]: /FS:NTFS

This command will convert the file system of any specified drive to NTFS. NTFS provides more advanced features as compared to FAT32 such as security, disk quota, encryption and other features.

How to Enable/Disable Firewall in Widows XP?

Firewall is useful for blocking unauthorized access to your computer network as well as blocking the certain applications, URLs and IP addresses on the internet. Windows XP Professional has built-in firewall in it and if you want to enable it, do the following steps.

Start > Control Panel > Double click Windows Firewall icon

Turn on or off Windows firewall according to your choice.

How to Add/Remove Programs from the Start menu?

Click Start > Right click on the empty space > Properties > Click start menu > customize

Here you can increase or decrease the number of programs that appear on the start menu.

Click advance for more options on the start menu.

Removing the programs from Start up?

If can limit the number of programs that loads when Windows starts up.

Click Start > Run > type Msconfig > go to start up and uncheck the programs that you don’t want to load when Windows starts up. You can increase the Windows loading time by decreasing the number of programs at the time of startup.

How to install Net Meeting in Windows XP?

Netmeeting is installed by default in the Windows XP and you can load it by the following method.

Start > Run > type Conf

Netmeeting Window will appear and now you can get connected with your friends family and colleagues.

Hopefully these simple tips will help you out with you working in Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000/2003. More tips, how tos and IT tutorials will come soon. Read More .....

Security For Your Windows

There are a few things you need to consider when you are shopping for window locks for your home. It isn't as easy as it may sound. You want a lock that gives you the desired level of security, but you also want to make sure it goes with the décor of your home, and you do not want to break the bank in obtaining them.

If you are doing a home improvement, that may be the perfect time to consider installing window locks. It will improve the appearance of your home and give added protection.But you have to pick the right lock for each window in each room. You do not want to scrimp on an item like this. It is more important to get good quality that will work for protection than worrying about style.

You can get both if you shop around and are knoweldgeable about what you need. Quality in locks can vary greatly, so make sure you get your locks from a well respected lock manufacturer. You may be able to get some advice from the police. There are different types of locks for every type of window. Shop around until you can find the best quality that also fits in with the decorating scheme of the room.They come in just about any metal, including brass and nickel, they come in other materials such as PVC or plastic. There is a different type for each type of window.


For example, sash windows require a different kind of lock than windows that have latches, such as casement windows. There are also sliding locks, locks with keys and many more. One of the best ways to get the widest choice of styles available in the highest quality is to shop on the internet. There, you can see every possible combination of material the lock is constructed of, the type of lock such as sliding or latch, the kind of decorating such as plain or decorated. The best way to insure you are getting top quality and the right design is to look through a large selection of choices as can be found on the internet.Usually home warehouses have a good selection, but the selection cannot be compared to what can be found online.

There is also a wide range when it comes to prices. Shop the sites of the most reputable manufacturers so you know you are getting good quality and then you are free to choose styles because you know you will be getting quality. Once you have chosen they type and style that is best for your window, you can very easily order and pay for it online. Usually, online purchases are delivered within days, and you can install them quickly and have the security of new locks in your home in no time.

There are a few things you need to consider when you are shopping for window locks for your home. It isn't as easy as it may sound. YOu want a lock that gives you the desired level of security, but you also want to make sure it goes with the décor of your home, and you do not want to break the bank in obtaining them. If you are doing a home improvement, that may be the perfect time to consider installing window locks. It will improve the appearance of your home and give added protection.

But you have to pick the right lock for each window in each room. You do not want to scrimp on an item like this. It is more important to get good quality that will work for protection than worrying about style. YOu can get both if you shop around and are knoweldgeable about what you need. Quality in locks can vary greatly, so make sure you get your locks from a well respected lock manufacturer. You may be able to get some advice from the police. There are different types of locks for every type of window. Shop around until you can find the best quality that also fits in with the decorating scheme of the room.

They come in just about any metal, including brass and nickel, they come in other materials such as PVC or plastic. There is a different type for each type of window. For example, sash windows require a different kind of lock than windows that have latches, such as casement windows. There are also sliding locks, locks with keys and many more. One of the best ways to get the widest choice of styles available in the highest quality is to shop on the internet. There, you can see every possible combination of material the lock is constructed of, the type of lock such as sliding or latch, the kind of decorating such as plain or decorated. The best way to insure you are getting top quality and the right design is to look through a large selection of choices as can be found on the internet.

Usually home warehouses have a good selection, but the selection cannot be compared to what can be found online. There is also a wide range when it comes to prices. Shop the sites of the most reputable manufacturers so you know you are getting good quality and then you are free to choose styles because you know you will be getting quality. Once you have chosen they type and style that is best for your window, you can very easily order and pay for it online. Usually, online purchases are delivered within days, and you can install them quickly and have the security of new locks in your home in no time. Read More .....

Replacing Windows

If you are going to pursue a big project such as replacing your windows, you don't want to go about it in a half-cocked way.It is important to take the time necessary to know all of the options open to you and what the specific benefit of each
window type is.

Are you interested in controlling light? Do you want more or less ventilation? What about security? And is privacy an issue for you?

Are you trying to make a small room larger through the use of windows? All of these questions need to be answered before you can begin to think about the decorating and architectural aspects of the window. But these are also very important aspects.


How the windows look on the outside can add a great deal to the curb appeal of the house, and it has been shown that new windows add significantly to the value of a home. Before you get started, you will also have to make sure you are familiar with the building code in your town or county. Once all of the basics have been addressed, you can start to think about installing your windows. This is a project that even a do-it-yourselfer can manage.

There are any number of books and sites on the internet that can give you step by step directions on installing replacement windows. Just remember these tips when you are choosing your windows. Insist on quality. If you choose good quality from a reputable manufacturer, your windows will last forty to fifty years, so make a worthwhile investment. Use a window with a good energy efficiency rating. If you live in a cool climate, buy windows that are either double glazed or double layered with gas filling. They afford the greatest energy efficiency. Look at all of the decorating and architectural magazines and websites to find the right kind of windows for your home. Top names may be expensive, but with research you may be able to find lesser known brands of very good quality. If you are able to check out the materials and craftsmanship, you may be able to save a lot of money and still have a top quality product.

For years, windows were nothing more than a pane of glass inserted in a wood frame. Today's energy consciousness has meant that windows are now highly engineered. The old single panel types of windows will only work in the mildest of climates. If you live in a colder climate, you have to use energy efficient windows, such as double paned models that create a sandwich does not allow as much cold air to leak into the house. These windows also provide sound absorption for sounds both inside and outside the home. Even more energy efficiency is attained if you have argon gas between the layers. And even more engineered than those are the double paned models that have a coating of low emissivity film between the layers to further reduce transfer of energy. The frames for the sashes of all windows can be constructed of wood, wood clad aluminum or vinyl, vinyl and fiberglass. Wood is the easiest and most traditional to use. Wood clad aliminum or vinyl is a good choice in an area
where there is high humidity or a lot of damp weather.

Homes in these areas also do well with vinyl windows, since they do not absorb moisture. Vinyl and wood clad vinyl are the lowest maintenance materials of all window frame materials. After the
type of window and type of frame is chosen you still have another choice with the type of glass you want.

Clear or tinted?

Do you want a level or bevelled edge? What about tempered safety glass? YOu can also consider films that can be applied to your windows that will help save energy costs and also provide an extra measure of privacy. Read More .....

All About Blinds For Your Windows

Window blinds are essential for anyone who wants to safeguard their privacy, at home or in the office. While it is true that some people prefer to use curtains, window blinds have the advantage in that you get to control the amount of light that comes in. One reason for the choice of curtains over blinds is the ease of installation. Some types of window blinds are, in fact, a bit more difficult to install … but this alone shouldn’t be the deciding factor. Blinds can add a touch of the exotic, or the elegant, to any room.

There are some factors to consider when figuring out what type of blinds to buy.

The first factor is the style of the window blinds. The most popular are the Venetian blinds, which have horizontal sections made of wood or metal. These panels can range in width from 16 to 50 mm. There are, of course, many different types of window blinds. Here are a few of the more well-known varieties.

In contrast to Venetian blinds, vertical blinds are aptly named since they have vertical panels. These sections can be completely separated if you want to have the look of natural sunlight. Vertical window blinds are not confined to wood and metal, but can be made of many different fabrics.

Roller shades typically consist of a complete sheet of treated material, such as vinyl. These blinds roll up or down and can completely block sunlight. If you can’t visualize this, think of those old Tom and Jerry cartoons. You know, the ones where Tom gets wrapped up in the window blinds? Those are roller shades.

Honeycomb shades look like, well, honeycombs. The effect is generated through layering opaque fabric. A special quality of these window blinds is that their layering allows them to insulate the room by not letting heat or cold in.

Finally, there are the decorative wood woven shades. These blinds are usually made from interwoven bamboo and don’t have an actual adjustment. They are best used in situations where you would like your blinds to block direct sunlight from coming in, but you would still like to have a little natural light.

When hanging your window blinds, you need to remember to leave enough space so that they can hang freely when extended. The great thing about modernization is that you don’t actually need to hang your blinds yourself. Many of the home furnishing stores will install the window blinds for you, sometimes at a very low cost. If you’re not sure that you can install your window blinds yourself, the best thing is to hire a professional. Read More .....

How To Speed Up Windows XP

The default install of Windows XP includes features and processes most users don't need. If you're involved in gaming or multimedia, and you can't afford a top-of-the-range PC, here are a few tips to get the most out of your machine.

For beginner users:

1. Go to: Start > Control Panel > Display > Settings.
Select: Resolution 800 x 600 pixels and Colour Quality Medium (16 bit).
Click: Apply.
What it does: Reduces system overhead. Less work for your CPU.

2. Go to: Start.
Right click: My Computer.
Select: Properties > 'Advanced' tab > Performance > 'Settings' button > 'Visual effects' tab.
Select: Adjust for best performance.
Click: Apply.
What it does: Removes unimportant cosmetic effects, thereby reducing system overhead.

3. Go to: Start.
Right click: My Computer.
Select: Properties > 'Advanced' tab > Performance > 'Settings' button > 'Advanced' tab.
Select: Processor scheduling > Programs.
Select: Memory usage > Programs.
Click: Apply.
What it does: Prioritises _your_ programs over those that XP _thinks_ are important.

4. Go to: Start > Control Panel > Display > Themes.
Select: Windows Classic.
Click: Apply.
What it does: Cleans up the desktop.

5. Go to: Start > Control Panel > Display > Desktop.
Select: Background - None.
Click: Apply.
What it does: Cleans up the desktop.

6. Go to: Start > Control Panel > Display > Appearance.
Select: Windows Classic Style.
Click: Apply.
What it does: Cleans up the desktop.

For Medium Users:

7. Go to: Start
Right click: My Computer.
Select: Properties > 'Automatic Updates' tab.
Select: Turn off automatic updates.
Click: Apply.
What it does: Stops Microsoft messing with your computer at inconvenient times. You can re-enable this when _you_ feel like an update.

8. Go to: Start > Run.
Type: msconfig
Select: 'Startup' tab.
Action: Untick all boxes, except those you are certain you need to start when XP boots up.
Click: Apply.
What it does: Stops programs starting when XP does. Frees up system resources.

For Advanced users:

9. Run your favourite program.
Click these buttons on your keyboard simultaneously: ctrl + alt + del (Control + Alt + Delete).
Click: 'Processes' tab.
Right click: The process of your favourite program.
Select: Set priority > Realtime.
What it does: Diverts CPU resources to the selected program.

10. Go to: Start > Run.
Type: services.msc
Right click: Any service you are sure you won't need, like 'Automatic Updates', 'Help and Support' or 'Indexing Services'.
Select: Properties > 'General' tab > Startup type > 'Manual' or 'Disabled'.
Click: Apply.

What it does: Stops processes starting when XP does. Frees up system resources.
Warning: Change one setting here a day. Reboot your system after each one. Run your most popular programs. If they're running normally, try disabling another service the next day. This is to make sure you don't turn off something important. If you're not sure, leave them alone.

Related programs:

Tune XP http://www.driverheaven.net/dforce/
This is freeware and simple to use.

X-Setup Pro http://www.x-setup.net/
This has a 30 day trial, and is for more advanced users. Read More .....

Windows Security

A list of essential steps to protect your computer.

If you dont have FireFox browser I highly recommend it.

Follow the next few steps in this Knowledge Base Article to see STEP by STEP on how to protect yourself from having your identity stolen, credit card thieves and cyber punks.

Step 1
Make windows ask you for a password EVERY time you logon.

Start > Settings > Control Panel
User Accounts
Select your user account
Create a password

make it 8 characters long using Letters, Numbers, and Symbols $%�
make the password hint something ONLY YOU WOULD KNOW
dont share your password

Firefox Tips and Tricks (taken from version 1.5)

(If you want INTERNET EXPLORER, thats next)

-Open Firefox
-Tools > Internet Options

General Section
You can change your homepage in this section

Privacy Section
-CLEAR BROWSING HISTORY NOW erases your tracks for hackers
-SETTINGS allows you to set a HOTKEY to auto-erase your tracks
-In the PASSWORDS tab, un-check "Remember Passwords" its the most common way for hackers to get your bank account access or steal your identity UNKNOWN to you
-In the cookies tab "for the originating site only" to stop some popups

Internet Explorer Tips and Tricks (taken from version 6)
-Open Internet Explorer
-Tools > Internet Options

These tips show you how to change your IE settings to protect yourself and your computer.
If you want to update IE now (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) follow this link.
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

General tab

DELETE FILES to delete your IE cache memory that holds your private info sometimes
CLEAR HISTORY in this page to erase your tracks
Enter a new homepage here in case of it being stolen

Privacy tab

BLOCK POPUPS make sure you click this...
You can set your privacy to MEDIUM-HIGH at maximum, any more is too high

Content tab

DISABLE your auto-save passwords, as this is most common way hackers gain access to your banks or personal computer information.

Click Auto Complete button, and un-check "user names and passwords on forms" then ok

Under Content Advisor click ENABLE to block bad websites for kids

Setup the following window, along with its tabs. Create a password there, and do NOT give it to the child. Press OK

Change the Windows Services that start with your computer

Start > Run > Services.msc
This opens a window listing all windows SERVICES that start up with your computer.
A service is like a program, but instead of a file, its part of windows.
Services allow functions on your computer, while others allow security holes.
To change a services properties, double click.
Automatic = Starts up everytime with your computer
Manual = Starts up as needed
Disabled = Will not be started up

Find this service on your list and make sure they are DISABLED.
Messenger
Netmeeting Remote Desktop
Remote Registry

If something doesnt work now, simply undo this manually.

These are for more advanced levels of privacy, and for more advanced users.
Use these at your own risk!
Enable ADVANCED Security Features
Click Start > Run
%SystemRoot%system32secpol.msc /s
Enter the above line in the window and run
Local Policies > Security Options
Change the following settings by double clicking:

Accounts: Administrator account status *DISABLE* (as long as your username is NOT adminsitrator)
Accounts: Guest account status *DISABLE*

These disable two accounts that allow access to your computer. If you dont have an administrator password, you are in BIG trouble with this enabled. Read More .....

How To Use Itunes And Your Ipod On Windows XP & Vista

When iTunes is mentioned it can refer to the software or the music store. For Mac users, iTunes is like what PC users have, the Windows Media Player. However, when the iTunes music store was launched Apple started offering iTunes for Windows XP. This was, of course, logical since Apple knew how small of the market share Mac users are. By offering iTunes to everyone including PC users, the market of iTunes have of course broadened as well.

iTunes for Windows XP Enhances iPod Use

If you are a PC user and you have an iPod, you can easily sync your iTunes playlist to your iPod as often as you want. You can buy individual songs and albums from the iTunes music store. The more songs you have on iTunes the more enjoyable.

Well, using iTunes is easy because it’s easy to navigate and its interface is very straightforward. And yet it still comes stylish and easy to the eyes. There are actually three parts of it. On the left side, you’ll see your music library and playlist tools; then the main part of it in the middle is the list of the songs you have in your PC. And on the top, you have your playback and search tools. You will truly appreciate the ease especially when you have hundreds or thousands of songs on your playlist.

Buying Music through iTunes Means Buying Better Music Quality

On the other hand, what’s good about the iTunes music store is that you can listen to a 30-second sample of a song first before you actually buy it. This is quite a very useful tool so you can ascertain for yourself if you will really like the song. While some would argue that hearing the complete song first is needed, the 30-second sample is highly appreciated by most. Another thing you have to really like is that songs bought from iTunes can shared up to 3 computers in your local network. You can also copy the song to and fro your computer and your iPod as many times as you like. Not only that you can burn them into CDs up to 10 times.

When you buy songs from iTunes, they come in good sound quality because they come in Advanced Audio Codec (AAC). It comes clearer than MP3s. Still MP3 can be included on your iTunes playlist. And aside from AAC and MP3, iTunes also has Apple Lossless which is said to be even better than WAV. What is not supported though is the WMA (Windows Media Audio). But PC users shouldn’t be discouraged because you can always convert WMA files to AAC. You will still be able to listen to these songs and you can still load it to your iPod.

So what iTunes for Windows XP really offers is being able to play, to shop and to enjoy music with ease and control. Even if you are not a Mac user, you can still take advantage of the quality of music experience iTunes can bring. And with your iPod, iTunes really then gives you portability.

Willhelm(at)appleipodaccessoriesguide.com Read More .....

Tip's Windows XP

Backup and Restore Your OE Mail, News and Settings

Manual Backup:

Your safest bet is to move the OE Mail Store to a new folder, on a different partition, if available and export a few Registry keys to back up all your settings.

1) In Outlook Express, go to Tools, Options, Maintenance. Select the Store Folder button. Change the location of the OE Mail and News store folder to a drive/partition/folder that will not be affected by the uninstall or re-install. This is especially true if you plan to reformat the system drive. You will be prompted to log off/back on, or reboot, do so. For a small utility that will locate, and optionally open your mail store folder, click here (Find and Open the OE Mail Store)

2) Do a Find on *.wab and copy all WAB files to a folder on the same drive/partition you used in Step 1. This can even be the same folder that you moved the Mail Store to (recommended).


3) Open Regedit and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name. Modify the value to point to the folder you copied your WAB file to.

NOTE: If you only have one available partition, complete steps 1 through 3. Then backup the contents of the folder(s) that you moved the Mail Store and WAB files to. This can be to floppy media, CR-R/RW or whatever you prefer.

4) Now export the following 4 Registry keys to a location that will be available after your reinstall, or whatever (a floppy will work for the REG files). If you're going back to a Windows 9X OS, you need to ensure you select Win9x/NT4 in the Save as type pull down.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name

5) Uninstall XP and/or reinstall your desired OS.

NOTE: DO NOT open Outlook Express until you completed this procedure

6) Recreate the folder(s) you used in steps 1 and 2, making sure the path is the same. NOTE: If you were required to backup your Mail and WAB files to other media, you can restore them now.

7) Open Regedit and delete the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities key.

8) Locate the 4 REG files you exported in Step 3 and import them into the Registry.

9) Open OE and enjoy.

Note: Your passwords for mail and news accounts will have to be reentered. These are not saved in the Registry.


How to Share OE over Multiple Operating Systems

Start in Win98, open OE and use tools/options/maintenance to move the OE store folder to a share drive (*Note*, this drive must use the same drive letter in both OS's, while Win98 will not allow you to reletter drives, WinXP will, so plan accordingly).

Once you have it moved to a "share" drive, click Start, Run and enter REGEDIT. Navigate to each of these keys and do a file/export of the key to the share drive (call each whatever you wish):

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express

For the address book:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name

Once this is accomplished, restart in WinXP. Before starting OE, open REGEDIT and go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities Right click on the Identities sub key and select Delete. Then locate the 4 REG files you exported in the steps above and double click each one to import them into the XP Registry. Answer yes to the import prompt.

Note for the personal e-mail: If you're exporting the keys from XP to 98, then you need to ensure that you select Win9x/NT4 in the Save as type dialog. After completing this, OE should open up with the same settings, folders, mail, and news as you had in Win98.

Note: This works in reverse as well if you prefer to use the WinXP settings, however, when you export and save the WinXP registry keys, you must change the file type from .reg to Win9x/NT4 reg file.


How to Share OE (Mail/News/Address Book) between Users in Windows XP

If you don't mind having Signatures, Rules and all the other settings the same, this method works.

From the user account that is already set up: Click Start, Run and enter REGEDIT

Locate the following 4 branches of the Registry

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name

Right click on each branch above and select Export and save the REG files to your hard drive.

For each account you want to have the same mail settings, log into that account. Click Start, Run and enter REGEDIT. Locate the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities branch, right click it and select Delete. Next open Windows Explorer and locate the 4 REG files you saved above. Double click each one and answer yes to the import prompt.

Now you can open OE in any of the User accounts, and all the settings, accounts, will be the same. This was tested with the Mail and News Store on a FAT32 drive. I can't guarantee it will work on an NTFS drive.

Note: You will need to re-enter the passwords for mail and news group accounts.

Note2: If you use Signatures, you should put them in a text file and change OE's settings to use them. Signatures are often corrupted during the import. This is due to the Unicode storage of the signatures in the Registry.


Sharing the Outlook Express Address Book in Windows XP

While logged on to the user's desktop that has the address book you want to use: Click Start, Run and enter REGEDIT:

Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name

Note the path to the WAB file in the (Default) entry. Log into the other desktop and open REGEDIT there. Navigate down to the same location as above. Double click the entry for (Default) and make it match the entry for the first user.

Copyright 2004 - Doug Knox

Read More .....

Cable Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Recognizing that they knew far more about the television business than the Internet, leading cable TV companies pooled their resources a few years ago to create Internet service providers (ISPs) that can offer cable modem services.

The largest cable ISP was @Home, which ceased operations on February 28, 2002. Another ISP, Road Runner, was created by Time Warner Cable and MediaOne, which AT&T purchased in 2000.

Cable companies serving 80% of all North American households signed exclusive service agreements with @Home or Road Runner. The fallout of the @Home bankruptcy is ongoing and the future of cable modem ISPs is unclear. AOL and Microsoft are both eyeing this field and could be big players in the future.

How It Works

Cable modem service is offered through a partnership between the ISP and your local cable company. Typically, you'll be charged for broadband service on your cable bill, rather than paying the ISP directly. Whether this will continue to be the case is unclear.

Your cable company is responsible for installing the cable modem and maintaining the quality of your service over the local cable network. At the main network office -- commonly referred to as the "headend" -- you're connected to the cable ISP's national backbone. It, in turn, is linked to the Internet.

If your cable modem service runs into a problem, you're best advised to call the cable company. A technican will probably be dispatched to your household if there's a cable network problem. If there's an ISP problem, the cable company will route your call to a technical support center to try to resolve the issue.

If you want to subscribe to cable modem service, your cable company will require you to use Road Runner or another ISP of its choosing. You'll still be able to link up with another ISP, such as America Online, but it may cost extra.


Want to learn more about cable ISPs?

Read on ...

• @Home
• Road Runner
• ISP Channel
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Broadband Cable Modem Internet Basics

According to recent surveys, more than 73 percent of Americans use the Internet. And with the introduction of DOCSIS 3.0 wideband technology, cable modem Internet providers now offer virtually unmatched speeds.

If you currently subscribe to a frustratingly slow dial-up Internet service or DSL, the time has never been better to check out the special offers and blazing fast speeds available with cable modem Internet. Here are the basics:

Cable Modem Internet Speed

Cable modem Internet speeds now reach an incredible 50 to 60 Mbps. These speeds have been introduced in many markets across the U.S., with more areas being added continually. And cable Internet providers expect speeds to go even higher over the next few years. If you switch from dial-up technology, you'll be able to download large Internet files such as movies, videos, and music files in a matter of seconds instead of minutes. In fact, just browsing websites can be nearly instantaneous compared to what you're probably experiencing now. And since cable modems are always connected to the Internet, you don't have to wait for the computer to dial access numbers in order to get a connection. Just click on your browser and you're on. No waiting. No busy signals.

How Does Cable Modem Internet Work?

Dial-up and DSL services utilize telephone lines. This means you may not be able to use your phone and computer at the same time, and your service may be distance-sensitive, so the farther you live from the phone company's central office, the less reliable your service may be. Cable modem Internet is delivered directly to your home over advanced digital or fiber-optic networks. These networks provide highly reliable service to subscribers and make the higher speeds possible.

What does Cable Modem Internet Offer?

Cable modem Internet subscribers receive the incredible speeds necessary to enjoy today's diverse broadband experience - watching HD movies and TV shows, playing complex games online, downloading music, uploading photos, browsing the Web, and more. Cable Internet providers give their subscribers security tools to protect your computer from threats such as data breaches, spyware, malware, and viruses. Most also offer packages that include multiple email addresses with storage, personal Web space, and a variety of features to enhance your online experience.

How to Subscribe to Cable Modem Internet

To sign up for cable modem Internet, find out which Internet service providers are available in your area. Visit our cable internet service availability page to check what cable providers have service in your area. Cable Internet prices have never been more competitive and you should find a number of special offers for new subscribers. Also check into bundling your services to save even more money. After you subscribe, the cable provider will take care of the rest and you'll be enjoying the world of high-speed Internet before you know it.

Any More Questions about Cable Internet?

Do you have more questions about cable Internet services? Check out our Questions & Answers area. You can also surf to our Cable Modem Message Board page to discuss your questions directly with other prospective and active cable modem users.

To learn even more about the basics of a cable modem broadband connection and why you'll benefit, check out Broadband 101.. Read More .....

Cable Modem Tweaks - Boost Your Connection Free

Don't you find it annoying that whenever you are in a middle of research or online surfing, the connection suddenly stops? If you've experienced that a number of times, perhaps the problem might lie with the cable modem. And what you can do perform a few tweaks on the cable modem in order to optimize its operation.Justify Full

Say the cable modem on your computer gets disconnected after a few minutes, then here's a cable modem tweak that can help you address the issue. One reason this thing happens in your computer is that this is Windows XP-related. On the Windows XP, there is an option that allows the computer to turn off the USB device in order to save on power. Now what you can do is to disable this option. Just click on the start button and highlight the My Computer icon and select the option that says properties. A window will then appear with the system properties. Navigate the window by clicking on the hardware tab and press the device manager button. Expand the serial bus controllers and double click on the USB root hub. You'll now see the Power Management tab and uncheck the 'allow the computer to turn off the device to save power'. If the computer displays a number of USB root hub, then make sure that you repeat the same steps for that same number of hubs. Often a cable modem that disconnects after a few hours can be remedied by performing these two steps. One cable modem tweak that is possible is by disabling the hibernation. You can right click on the desktop and click the screen saver tab. You'll notice the power button of the display properties dialog. Click that one. Another dialog box will appear and you'll be shown the hibernate tab. Use this box to uncheck the box beside the enable hibernation. Another good step is to disable the Windows Messenger. On the start button, select run and input the words gpedit.msc. Proceed to the Computer Configuration then select the Administrative Templates, then straight to Windows Components and on to Windows Messenger. Don't run the messenger, just go to the properties and check the box near it to enable.

Another thing that computer users can do is to configure the modem delay time. This is true usually to Motorola and Rockwell modems. And this issue always happens right after the user has installed the Windows 2000 drivers on the XP Pro. In order to address the problem, here's a little tweak that you can do. But as a precaution, make sure that you back up your registry even if there will be no problems. Again, click on the run and type the words 'regedit'. Then you have to select the HKEY current user/remote access/profile/"your isp". Then you to need to change the value of the disconnect idle time from 14 to zero. Following these simple steps can address the issue of internet disconnection every few hours. For a specific cable modem tweak, then a talk with the technical representative of the company can bring results. Read More .....

Windows 7 Compatibility

With the next iteration of the Windows client, Microsoft is hard at work from day one to ensure that the development of every element of Windows 7 has Application Compatibility at its core, even though this was synonymous with changed features and designs that needed retouching. Grant George, the corporate vice president for testing in the Windows Experience team, has revealed that as far as Application Compatibility goes, Microsoft has just one purpose with Windows 7, namely ensuring that all the programs that currently work with Windows Vista will also work with its successor.

“Our engineering process includes automated quality checks to assure public APIs don’t change, and our test engineers have the right tools, engineering time and information that is used to find application issues as early as possible in our development cycle. Telemetry information is collected to assess and prioritize the breadth of applications our users depend on, paired with market data and install base information, across a wide variety of software categories to make sure they work as expected in our new OS version,” Grant said.

At the same time, Microsoft is carefully handling the fabric of Windows 7 in order to make sure that the evolution of the platform will not impact compatibility. One illustrative example in this regard is Legacy Code Removal. Stripping down legacy code in Windows 7 is a process involving extensive documentation, as well as Microsoft working directly with application developers that are impacted in order to resolve the issue. The Windows engineers also build automated tests designed to evaluate applications that are flagged as problematic from telemetry data.

“Throughout the development process we are running tests in the background creating an ongoing validation of new code relative to application compatibility,” Grant explained. “As code is getting ready to be checked into the main build, if a compatibility failure is detected in an automated regression test the checkin is halted. At that point the code is scanned for known compatibility issues and if an issue is detected the developer is asked to fix the problem. Of course we also develop new tests throughout the course of developing Windows 7 in order to broaden our coverage of third party software.”

But Microsoft is by no means limiting the app compatibility testing of Windows 7 to third party programs alone. The Redmond company also analyzes middle tier technologies including Java, the .Net Framework, and so on and so forth in order to ensure that they will all play nice with Windows 7. What the software giant is doing is actually isolating approximately 4 to 6% of applications belonging to the same family, namely with similar technology, data processing, etc. By ensuring compatibility with the set of 4-6% of applications in a certain family, the company provides assurance of compatibility for all similar apps.

“In addition to 3rd party stand alone applications we test a subset of OEM pre-installed software and their inbox applications for compatibility. The software tested come from the engagements we have with our OEM partners and their submitted installation images. These images are tested on clean installations of Windows 7 and upgrades from Windows Vista on OPEM standard hardware. This level of coverage allows us to best replicate the initial experience with Windows 7 for many of our customers. Because many of these applications are closely aligned with the OS, hardware and drivers, it is not unusual for an OEM to provide updates to this software with a new OS release,” Grant stated.

But in the end, Microsoft has also equipped Windows 7 in order to help end users deal with the compatibility issues that will get away. The next version of Windows will be able to detect failed application installations due to incompatibility problems. Following such a failure, the operating system will provide the user with a wizard designed to help identify a compatibility mode for a problematic app. Read More .....

Windows 7 Beta Application Incompatibility Behavior

Microsoft is not only serving Critical security updates designed to patch vulnerabilities in pre-release versions of Windows 7, but also refreshes meant to boost the operating system’s compatibility level. With Win 7, the Redmond company placed a strong focus on delivering backwards compatibility with Vista-tailored software and hardware products, and even went as far as labeling the next iteration of the Windows client with version 6.1, while its precursor was just 6.0. Still, compatibility, just as security, is an ongoing effort, and Microsoft is ready to start improving Windows 7 as early as Beta Build 7000.


In this regard, the software giant made available for download the first compatibility update for Windows 7 Beta and Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta. “Install this update to resolve issues with non-compatible applications for Windows 7 Beta,” Microsoft informed, indicating that the bits were also delivered through Windows Update, even if also available via the Download Center. It is important to note that in Windows 7 refreshes aimed to improve compatibility will be delivered under the same model as in Windows Vista.

“Application compatibility updates cause several types of behavior in Windows 7 Beta. The following are the three most common behaviors: Hard Block – the update puts a hard block on the application (a hard block prevents an application that is incompatible with Windows 7 Beta from running on the operating system); Soft Block – the update puts a soft block on the application (a soft block provides notification when an application that is incompatible with Windows 7 Beta starts to run); Update – the update improves the application’s functionality in Windows 7 Beta,” Microsoft stated.

The Redmond company failed to reveal the exact issues that the first application compatibility update for Windows 7 Beta resolved, however, the software giant is bound to continue providing such refreshes in the future.
- Download the Update for Windows 7 Client Beta (KB967062) package now.
- Download the Update for Windows 7 Client Beta for x64-based Systems (KB967062) package now.
- Download the Update for Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-based Systems (KB967062) package now.
- Download the Update for Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems (KB967062) package now.


Read More .....

Windows 7 Performance and Productivity Tips

1. Find bottlenecks

From what we’ve seen so far Windows 7 is already performing better than Vista, but if your PC seems sluggish then it’s now much easier to uncover the bottleneck. Click Start, type RESMON and press [Enter] to launch the Resource Monitor, then click the CPU, Memory, Disk or Network tabs. Windows 7 will immediately show which processes are hogging the most system resources.

The CPU view is particularly useful, and provides something like a more powerful version of Task Manager. If a program has locked up, for example, then right-click its name in the list and select Analyze Process. Windows will then try to tell you why it’s hanging - the program might be waiting for another process, perhaps - which could give you the information you need to fix the problem.


2. Keyboard shortcuts
Windows 7 supports several useful new keyboard shortcuts.


Alt+P
Display/ hide the Explorer preview pane

Windows Logo+G
Display gadgets in front of other windows

Windows Logo++ (plus key)
Zoom in, where appropriate

Windows Logo+- (minus key)
Zoom out, where appropriate

Windows Logo+Up
Maximise the current window

Windows Logo+Down
Minimise the current window

Windows Logo+Left
Snap to the left hand side of the screen

Windows Logo+Right
Snap to the right hand side of the screen

Windows Logo+Home
Minimise/ restore everything except the current window

3. Faster program launches

If you’ve launched one instance of a program but want to start another, then don’t work your way back through the Start menu. It’s much quicker to just hold down Shift and click on the program’s icon (or middle-click it), and Windows 7 will start a new instance for you.

4. Speedy video access

Want faster access to your Videos folder? Windows 7 now lets you add it to the Start menu. Just right-click the Start orb, click Properties > Start Menu > Customize, and set the Videos option to “Display as a link”. If you’ve a TV tuner that works with Windows 7 then you’ll appreciate the new option to display the Recorded TV folder on the Start menu, too.

5. Run web searches

The Windows 7 search tool can now be easily extended to search online resources, just as long as someone creates an appropriate search connector. To add Flickr support, say, visit I Started Something, click Download the Connector, choose the Open option and watch as it’s downloaded (the file is tiny, it’ll only take a moment). A “Flickr Search” option will be added to your Searches folder, and you’ll be able to search images from your desktop.

6. Schedule Media Centre downloads

You can now tell Windows Media Centre to download data at a specific time, perhaps overnight, a useful way to prevent it sapping your bandwidth for the rest of the day. Launch Media Centre, go to Tasks > Settings > General > Automatic Download Options, and set the download start and stop times that you’d like it to use.

7. Multi-threaded Robocopies

Anyone who’s ever used the excellent command-line robocopy tool will appreciate the new switches introduced with Windows 7. Our favourite, /MT, can improve speed by carrying out multi-threaded copies with the number of threads you specify (you can have up to 128, though that might be going a little too far). Enter robocopy /? at a command line for the full details.

8. Really remove the sidebar

At first glance you might think Windows 7 has got rid of the sidebar, but don’t be fooled. Gadgets are still hosted by the Sidebar.exe process, it’s just that this is now launched automatically when Windows boots. If you don’t plan on ever using gadgets then you could delete the Sidebar Registry entry at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, and recover a small amount of RAM. That might be a little risky, though, as we’re not quite sure what else the sidebar process does in Windows 7. The safest approach is to disable it temporarily by launching MSCONFIG.EXE, clicking the Startup tab and clearing the box next to the Startup entry. Now reboot and test Windows 7 for a day or two to confirm everything is still working, before finally deleting the sidebar Registry entry.

9. Load IE faster

Some Internet Explorer add-ons can take a while to start, dragging down the browser’s performance, but at least IE8 can now point a finger at the worst resource hogs. Click Tools > Manage Add-ons, check the Load Time in the right-hand column, and you’ll immediately see which browser extensions are slowing you down.

10. An Alt+Tab alternative

You want to access one of the five Explorer windows you have open, but there are so many other programs running that Alt+Tab makes it hard to pick out what you need. The solution? Hold down the Ctrl key while you click on the Explorer icon. Windows 7 will then cycle through the Explorer windows only, a much quicker way to locate the right one. (And of course this works with any application that has multiple windows open.)

11. Block annoying alerts

Just like Vista, Windows 7 will display a suitably stern warning if it thinks your antivirus, firewall or other security settings are incorrect.

But unlike Vista, if you disagree then you can now turn off alerts on individual topics. If you no longer want to see warnings just because you’ve dared to turn off the Windows firewall, say, then click Control Panel > System and Security > Action Centre > Change Action Centre settings, clear the Network Firewall box and click OK.

12. Parallel defrags

The standard Windows 7 defragger offers a little more control than we saw in Vista, and the command line version also has some interesting new features. The /r switch will defrag multiple drives in parallel, for instance (they’ll obviously need to be physically separate drives for this to be useful). The /h switch runs the defrag at a higher than normal priority, and the /u switch provides regular progress reports so you can see exactly what’s going on. Enter the command

defrag /c /h /u /r

in a command window to speedily defrag a system with multiple drives, or enter defrag /? to view the new options for yourself. Read More .....

How Seo Consultants and Seo Experts Create Great Content

Submitted By: Joel Mclaughlin

No matter what subject your web site addresses, your content is the primary driver when it comes to search engine results. If you want to rank high on search result pages, find SEO Consultants to help you build a content-rich website that meets these basic requirements:

Every Page has a Unique Title and Keyword Phrase

Page title is the most important signal to search engines that a web page is unique and important. The title describes the content search engines and web travelers will find when they arrive at your page. SEO Experts know that web searchers click, they are more likely to go for search engine results that exactly match the search terms they selected. When other sites link to your page, they will probably list your page title for the link, making it more likely that you achieve a high search engine rank.

Pages are Easy to Scan – Content is Easy to Understand

Reputable SEO Consultants know that headlines and bulleted lists are the best ways to present your information in a way that both search engines and visitors can quickly scan and absorb. The crawler and the human eye are drawn to headings and bullets. The faster the visitors grasp your information is important to them, the more likely they are to stay on and return to your web page.

Content is Relevant and Focused

Experienced SEO Consultants will tell you that search engines strive to find the most relevant information. They’ve invested a lot of time and money in formulas that judge what text is relevant and important. The best way to rank high in search engines is to make sure your web page content is consistently on topic and focused. Remember to place your keywords more heavily in the first and last paragraphs of your text. Staying focused helps you create many different content-rich web pages that search engines recognize and remember.

Web Site Contains Many Internal Links

The best SEO Consultants will advise you to include links from one web page to another within your site. The links should be relevant to content and make sense to web travelers and search engines. Linking keywords within your text to your other pages will help build relevancy scores and guide search engine crawlers quickly through your site.

Pages Invite External Links

The most reputable SEO Consultant will know that a major factor in search engine rank is the number of external links to your web site from other sites, forums, and blogs. When your content adds value to other web sites’ content, you’re more likely to get those important external links. The higher the quality of your web site, the more unique and relevant the content, the more likely others will link to your pages. Making it easy to link to you is the best way to collect lots of external links. SEO Experts will offer assistance regarding optimized HTML codes that can be copied into your website pages, one-click bookmarks, and other tools to build your bank of external links. Read More .....

Latest SEO Tips on SEO Service and Web Development

Submitted By: Sarfaraz Khan

What kind of Internet users may not be aware that every time they enter a keyword search term into a search engine such as Google, Yahoo or MSN, there are hundreds of thousands of websites in competition for this keyword phrase. It is absolutely essential to do everything possible to web pages within the top twenty-20 results, this is the first 2 pages, from the search engines as a general rule of thumb are 10 sites on each side by search engines. Internet users may not be aware of it, but every time they are on the results page, after the implementation of a Web search, they show a tendency to visit the sites listed in the first two pages.

Because users transport is essential for the success of a website, many website owners and web development specialists, are serious about business via the Internet will do everything they can do to top rankings in search engines. The most effective strategy for achieving this is through the submission of the site search engine optimization (SEO) and the rule of setting the SEO firm to do the SEO service for them.

How does an SEO firm implementation of the SEO services it offers? SEO services are always two-fold, and these two sides always go hand in hand. One side is the SEO side, while the other deals with the off-page SEO.

When we speak of on-page SEO services, we are talking about how a SEO firm would optimize the content of the site itself. The article on the site in a manner that the relevant keywords to what the site. The key words are also embedded in the ALT tags and the meta tags used coding of the site. Keywords are important, because these are among the components that search engines are looking for when they read a website.

Off-Page is part of SEO services and called on the other side seo of website as with link building. Search engines also assess how relevant a site is limited to certain number of key words, a user on the links to a Web page contains in relation to the keywords, and the quality of these links. To achieve this, SEO companies work on the link construction and exchanges link to sites which they develop.

Because of the tightness of the competition on the Internet for top search engine rankings, SEO services are in demand and run a business SEO turns as a very lucrative business.

SEO A Company can easily top ranking promise for a client, the Web site, the question is:

Would the SEO firm in a position to implement it?

A website owner should always be careful in picking a SEO company, the implementation of the SEO services that they need. Track record and reliability are the necessary qualities to all SEO companies. Choosing the right SEO firm to carry out the necessary SEO services can make or break the success of a website. Read More .....

Fail to Apply This in Your SEO and Prepare to Lost Money - SEO

Submitted By: Nitin Mainro

There are literally millions of websites on the internet today. It's becoming easier and easier to put an website on the net. But how can your website be seen within all the competition?

Search engine optimization aims to achieve the goal of getting more visitors to a website by helping it get higher rankings in the search engines. This simply means that search engine optimization’s goal is to make a website appear on the first pages, if not the first page of a search done through the search engine.

There are two ways to be able to get noticed by search engines. One is through pay-per-click-advertisements. A good example of a pay-per-click system that is employed by search engines is the Google Ad words system. It has created a hype and has given Google around 5 billion dollars in terms of revenue per year. Webmasters can place their bids to be shown when a keyword is searched by a surfer. The highest bidders will get their sites to appear first when the search is being done.

The second way of getting high rankings from search engines is through organic searches. Search engines evaluate websites by using what they call “spiders.” These programs scan the websites and collects information about them. They then collate the information and pass it on to the search engine. This area is primarily the main arena of search engine optimization. It utilizes a set of methods to be able to get search engines to list the website on high ranks.

Traffic

The main purpose of search engine optimization is to increase the traffic generated by a website. Websites are built to be seen by Internet surfers and search engines can help it achieve this goal.

The power of the search engine should not be underestimated. It is one of the building blocks of the foundation of the Internet. A survey showed that 90% of all Internet users employ search engines to aid them in their Internet-related activities. Google, the dominant player in the search engine industry, generates 70% of all search-related Internet activity.

People and Search Engines are alike

Search engines behave like people. They like websites which contain substantive information about a certain topic. The best sites usually appear first in search engines because people like them as well as the search engines.

Search engine optimization does not only generate traffic, it helps maintain the traffic. The behavior of the search engine is indicative to the behavior of the people who visit the website. Search engine optimization leads to the optimization of a webpage or a website. It will lead to a website which is more organized and a website which contains substantive information.

Target Audience

The use of the search engine to be able to target one’s target audience is one of the most effective Internet marketing strategies. It is not like other on-line marketing techniques (such as email marketing) which can lead to a lot of leakages in terms of targeting the right audience.

Search engines segment the market and connect the right people together. People search for topics which they are interested in and this is the main strength of search engines in connecting markets together.

Cost Effectiveness

One can do search engine optimization under the assumption that he knows what he is doing. Search engine optimization is a full-time job and has a very long learning curve. This is why most people would resort to out-sourcing the job to experts who are good at what they do. One of the best SEO company I will like to recommend is www.website-control.co.uk . Search engine optimization is a very cost effective way of getting more people to know about one’s products or to know about a certain issue or event that a website is disseminating.

SEO is a vital part of any internet marketer or webmaster, period. SEO will bring you the traffic you need, and traffic is equal to money. So without traffic, no cash-in. Never give up learning seo. Read More .....

Seo - Is Joining A Blog Ring A Good Seo Tactic?

Submitted By: Chris Angus

A blog ring works in exactly the same way as a web ring. You go to a blog ring site and then join the ring that is most closely matched with your topic. You place an object on your page that allows visitors to click on the link to the next blog in the ring. In turn other sites send their traffic to you.

To choose a good blog ring make sure that you check the statistics as to how many visitors that blog ring actually generates. The blogging host usually provides these totals. It is not worth it to join a blog ring with low numbers as the code that is used to generate the link boxes can take up a lot of space on your site.

The easiest way to find the blog ring that is best for your business is to type blog ring and then your general topic area into a good search engine such as Yahoo or Google.

However blog rings are not always the best idea. For one thing many of them require that you upload huge flashy images, banners or links on your site. This is a bad idea, especially if the banners or links have flash animation in them as a search engine spider can encounter this and read your site as broken or as having dead space.

While joining a blog ring is cheap they can cost you. . First of all there is no grouping of links you might find yourself linking to sites that you would rather not be associated with – such as adult content or even your competition’s site.

The point is that not all traffic that a blog ring brings may be wanted on your site. If you don’t focus your keywords and ads you will end up attracting a lot of surfers and window shoppers. The problem with these types of visitors is that they exhaust your bandwidth and sometimes leave spam or nonsensical content on your pages. Read More .....

Seo - Tips On Making Seo Blog Content Look Good

Submitted By: Chris Angus

It is highly recommended that you SEO your blog content. It is not recommended however that you make your blog sound stiff and technical for the sake of attracting search engines. When it comes to actually incorporating your keywords into your blog copy keep in mind that the best blogs are the ones that sound casual. Nobody wants to read a robotic repetitive piece of copy.

One key to keeping your blog looking neat and readable is to keep the content less than 300 words. 250 words per blog is idea. Keeping them looking reasonably uniform and the same length is also more visually eye catching and more likely to keep curious eyeballs on your page and not someone else’s.

Another thing you need to note is the way the headline of your blog article looks. Shorter is almost always better. Long search engine optimized blog titles don’t work if they are cut off at the end. Make sure that any blog headlines that you have are.

You should also make sure that your blog headlines are not too commercial or corny sounding. For instance a blog title such as “Make thousands a day using SEO!” is not going to work as well as a subtler phrase such as “How SEO Let Me Quit My Day Job.” Corny headlines look like spam to a lot of people when they get them on their RSS feeds so their eyes simply glaze over when they see something like “Hoodia Miracle Weight Loss Drug!” or “Grow Bigger Breasts in Three Days.”

Unless the acronym is very well known you are also supposed to stay away from using them as headlines in your blog. However this is not advised if your SEO title is too long as in “Valuable tips for Utilizing Search Engine Tips for Blogs.” It is much better to keep the language very simple as in “Top SEO Tips!” Read More .....

SEO - Insider Tips To Creating SEO Keywords And Phrases

Submitted By: Chris Angus

If you have been practicing search engine optimization you probably already know that it is a good idea to include quotes in your keywords and keywords phrases to make your web copy more attractive to the search engines. You probably also know that is a good idea to put things that your site specifically sells in quotes so that the search engine spiders see you as having exclusive or specialized content or information. However there are a few more tips that come along with creating SEO keywords and phrases that are less well known.

Many SEO experts advise practicing word stemming. This means that when you do find a keyword that works that you should not hesitate to use it in the words different forms. For example take the phrase “SEO optimization”. You might also want to use phrases such as SEO optimizing, SEO optimized and SEO optimizers which branch out linguistically from your original keyword.

Another big tip is to avoid using what are called kill terms. This is just a phrase for conjunctions and prepositions that are largely ignored by the search engines. Common kill terms include a, an and, at, by, for, in, it, of, the too, to, web and with.

Yet another tip is to be aware of case sensitive keywords. When in doubt you should always submit them in lower case. However when it comes to names and places you might also want to put things in their proper cases. For instance if you are searching for Frank Kern you will want to put in Frank Kern as well as frank kern. Some experts even advise putting in a keyword all in caps as in FRANK KERN as many individuals have stuck capital key caps when they search. The search engine that is thought to be most sensitive to case is Alta Vista.

Chris Angus is a SEO and website promoter, he can be contacted at sales(at)brilliantseo.com Read More .....

SEO Benefits from Blogs

Is blog optimization part of search marketing? Absolutely! Blogs are web site content management systems with additional functionality such as comments, trackbacks and RSS. Blogs are really no different than web sites.

If you can optimize a document and that document gets indexed, categorized and ranked by a search engine, it’s part of search marketing in my book. As such, marketers should be aware of how these kinds of channels can be used within the overall online marketing mix. Blogs are one of many platforms that benefit from optimization.

I sincerely believe using blog software to manage certain kinds of content on a web site such as an online media room, to archive newsletters, post frequently asked questions and to provide product updates can make a site that is otherwise very search engine un-friendly, become a viable source of great rankings. This applies to both regular search engines as well as blog search engines. These are applications for a blog besides the common use as a platform to increase credibility and communicate a more personalized voice for a company.

Blogs are no silver bullet though and require working hard and smart - especially smart. However the payoff can be significant.

Online Marketing Blog receives the majority of it’s traffic from search engines. I can’t mention any of our clients, so I’ll risk being a bit vain and offer a few of our own examples. This is a blog after all and these are very practical, verifiable ranking examples.

The top referring search phrases in the past month for this blog include “marketing blog“, “online marketing“, “rss button” and “social bookmarks“. Even more niche phrases bring in quality search traffic such as, “blog optimization“, “press release optimization” and “social media optimization” which are all services our SEO firm provides.

Of course the rules can change slightly over time, but here are a set of benefits I often find myself explaining to people wondering about the search engine optimization benefits of having a blog.

1. Structured content - Blog software with category features allows the aggregation of content according to themes. This makes it easier to algorithmically categorize content. If you can make it easier for search engines to understand your content, you have a much better chance of ranking well on those topics.
2. Crawlable URLs - Most blog software offers uncomplicated URL structure, making it fairly easy for search engine spiders to find and crawl blog content.
3. Internal links - Blogs that post product or service related information can deep link anchor text to product information or purchase pages deep within the web site. This is very beneficial for ranking on long tail phrases.
4. Inbound link magnet - One of the biggest benefits, blogs link freely to each other - much more than web sites do. Blogs are also a significant source of many posts to social news and social media web sites. Text, audio and video are all easily supported for syndication by blogs. The more media available, the more likely it will attract incoming links. Additionally, there are many widgets and plugins that make it easy to share blog content, thus encouraging links and traffic.
5. RSS - Links to RSS feed urls that use the blog domain name will assist in building link popularity and when RSS content is syndicated or cited by other blogs, any embedded links will also assist in sending traffic.
6. Fresh content - Both readers and search engines reward fresh content with repeat visits. From a search engine perspective, that means your site can be crawled more frequently, allowing your new content to become searchable more quickly. Fresh content is also indicative of a more authoritative web site.
7. Active community - Comments and trackback features in blog software encourage interaction. An active blog community creates the kinds of citations or signals from other sites (annotated and contextually relevant links) that search engines tend to reward in the rankings. Loyal blog readers can boost a site’s visibility through advocacy on other blogs, in forums offline at conferences as well as on their own blogs and within the comments of your blog.
8. Non-Search traffic - I think the greatest benefit of having an active blog has little to do with improving your search engine rankings though. The best thing about blogs is that they allow you to generate substantial amounts of traffic via RSS and links that have NOTHING to do with search engines. My recommendation to marketers in 2007 is to pursue traffic alternatives to search engines as aggresively as their budgets and marketing programs will allow. The result will be incremental increases in site traffic with search engine referred traffic an added bonus, if not correspondingly enhanced.

Bonus benefit of a blog:
Blog & RSS Directories - With a blog and corresponding RSS feed(s), your site can now benefit from visibility within blog and RSS search engines. Web sites without feeds (your competition maybe?) are not included in these kinds of directories and search engines.

Here are a few additional blog marketing tips from this blog as well as a recent blog optimization article on Search Engine Land.

So there you go. A basic list of practical reasons a blog can be beneficial as a site optimization tool and for improved web site traffic. What SEO benefits have you found from having and promoted a blog?

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