Do You Text Chat (IM) Online?

IM (Instant Messaging) - man, we thought we had it made in the shade when we stumbled over this unique way to communicate! Outside of talking person-to-person on the phone, IM was the next best thing. Texting talk was endless and cost was nonexistent. Well, those were the good old days of yore - you know, those days of glorious innocence.

Just as we were getting oh so comfortable, happily IMing away to each other, then came the cloak-and-dagger entrance of the treacherous "IM villains". With their ominous arrival, the party abruptly ended. It seemed like overnight, our instant messaging (IM) turned into instant mercenaries, and the carnage was strewn all over the Internet.

First, it was one by one, then the numbers increased and starting growing exponentially, as friends began receiving, and inadvertently sending, viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Then it went from bad to worse, as report after report surfaced describing the grisly results of innocent victims losing their identity because these villains had accessed their personal and confidential information. Truly this was the darkest of times for all IMer friends - regardless of the IM service we were texting on.

How could this have happened? And more importantly, how can we protect ourselves?

Well, I found out that these villainous hackers had accessed a nifty little program originally designed to benefit us, and twisted it to intercept our conversations traveling across the internet. They now have a profitable tool to use that intercepts our data packets and sends us a virus, and duplicates it by sending the same ugly bug to everyone on our Buddy List.

Once a hacker has gained access to our Buddy List, they trick our friends into thinking WE, (a trusted source), are sending them a file to download. Then when our friends innocently download the file, these villains can then access their computers as well, and use the personal and confidential information gathered to line their own pockets. How it affected businesses whose employees used IM to communicate…well, I will just let your imagination take over from there…because the hackers let theirs do the same.

A lot of us were thinking that we had nothing to worry about because we had anti-virus software on our computers, and that provided the protection we needed. Wrong!

Anti-virus software is not designed to protect our data packets traveling across the internet. There are still no anti-virus applications that directly monitor IM traffic. This is due to the difficulty in finding IM traffic as it is often embedded inside http packets. And what is worse yet is that Forrester's, Root stated that "In 2005 and 2006, we expect IM to get hit with some serious attacks…"

But, don't despair! I have discovered a cure!

In fact, I discovered the best of both worlds. What I have found is a computer phone (in "techy" terms known as VoIP - voice over internet protocol) that is optimally secure. One of the many features of the computer phone is the IM that is built into it. Thus, the IM instant messages are sent over optimally secure lines rather than openly public lines on the Internet -- AND I can also actually talk to friends from my computer phone any time I want. The "good old days of yore" are back with even more !!!

Here's what a computer phone is all about.

The computer phone was the creation resulting from taking the convenience and features of the telephone and combining it with the power of the Internet. Pretty ingenious I think! Although most computers have a built in microphone, some do not. Mine was one of those computers that did not. So, I ran down to a local store and bought one for $5. Then, much to my delight, I found out that it easily plugged into the back of my computer.

Here is what is really incredible about a computer phone. I can talk, IM, make 3-way calls, transfer a call to my cell phone if I am running out the door, and much, much more.

Actually, I have become so accustomed to the convenience of the features on my computer phone, that it actually becomes frustrating when I cannot IM a friend I am talking to on their cell phone or telephone. You see, often times, I find great sites to share with my friends, so I have to slowly spell out the location over the phone and repeat the letters so they get the right site, then wait for them to repeat it back to me, rather than quickly IMing them the site and letting them click on it right then and there.

One final word of wisdom -- over 90% of all computer phone (VoIP) services out there do not operate on secure lines. The one I am using is optimally secure because they have their own proprietary high end encryption codec (code) with patented technology that is hosted in a professional facility. You just can't get any better than that!

Want to try a computer phone out for yourself?

You can download the software and try it out for 7 days absolutely free and without any contract, obligations, or hassles. Here's the place to visit http://www.free-pc-phone.com Oh, and yes, you will love this….if you use a dial up connection to the internet, these computer phones work too, in addition to satellite, cable, and wireless connections.

Dee Scrip is a well-known and respected published author of numerous articles on VoIP, VoIP security, and other VoIP related issues. http://www.free-pc-phone.com

Chat: What You Should Know About Internet Chatting

With the advent of technology, chatting has become one of the favorite pastimes of people. What is there to hate about chatting? It is fun. It is anonymous. It can be done at the comforts of your own home.

This is perhaps the reason why people are going gaga over chat channels and websites. A number have already cropped up, from the ever-popular Yahoo Chat! to the downloadable chat program MIRc.

Millions and millions of people are logging on chat channels everyday, exchanging messages and thoughts. It has become so immensely popular that it has even sparked some spin-offs like the Yahoo Messenger, where Yahoo users can chat through instant messages.

But while fun, anonymity and home-based are the very reasons why people are enjoying chat rooms, they are also the very reasons why chat rooms have become dangerous. Before you chat, make sure that you know everything about the dangers of chatting.

Facts are not facts

Not everything that people say over chat is the truth. While there are some who reveal their true age, gender and location, many chatters conceal their true identities.

Some even assume different identities and personality traits over the Internet. One should not believe everything that people type in their computers. Remember that anonymity of chat rooms provide much courage for people who would like to deceive other people.

Of course, this is not to say that all chatters are deceitful. Some are basically honest but will not yet reveal much about themselves especially to newcomers in the chat room. For some, chatting is like building relationships with people. You also have to invest time and effort.

Eyeballs and invites to meet

Some who have already been chatting for quite some time may decide to meet in person to continue the association. Though most personal meetings are legitimate, some criminals use chat rooms to lure young women from their homes. There have been numerous cases of kidnapping that started in chat rooms.

If you want to go and meet a person that you have been chatting with, make sure that you meet the person in a crowded place and in the morning where people can see you. Keep the meeting short and do not let the meeting last until nightfall.

Another thing that you should not do is to let the person lure you away from crowded areas. It is important that you exercise caution as these are people that you do not really know.

Virus attack

Chat rooms have become very sophisticated nowadays. Not only do people chat but they also play music, share picture and music files and exchange all kinds of files from their computers. This leaves your PC vulnerable to virus.

To avoid being contaminated with a virus, make sure that you only accept file downloads from sources that you trust and know. When there are unsolicited pop-ups that ask you to click on their links to view photos, do not click on them. Most often that not, these links contain viruses that may harm your PC.

It is also a good idea to always activate your virus protection and firewall whenever you are chatting. This will sufficiently protect your PC from viruses that may enter your system when downloading files shared by other chatters.

James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of ChatCountry.com and writes expert articles about chat.

How to Come Up with Cool Chat Up Lines

Lots of singles who become members of Dating Services websites are faced with a series of impediments in initiating or entertaining online conversations. Just like in real-world situations, fresh dating website members and inexperienced chatters usually find approaching singles in chat rooms difficult due to poor self-confidence and the omnipresent fear of being rejected. However, once you understand the basic rules behind online chatting, become aware of its simplicity and find the right ice-breaking lines, online chatting suddenly becomes a fun and stimulating experience.

It's the simple, fun and non-demanding nature of online chatting that has turned it into a common practice these days, attracting increasingly larger numbers of people and enabling them to interact freely in chat rooms. First of all, online chatting is by far less challenging than regular, face-to-face conversations, as it eliminates a series of constraints and barriers, enabling chatters to act naturally and be themselves when having a fun, interesting dialogue with other persons. Secondly, online chatting enables singles to meet and know hundreds of potential dating partners quickly, effortlessly and in a relaxed, safe and entertaining environment. Thirdly, online chatting is renowned for its great potential of bringing people together. Thousands of singles have found their dating partners, long-term relationship partners or even life companions via online dating chat rooms. Considering these facts, feel free to actively participate in chat rooms and take full advantage of their offered benefits!

Most people are permanently looking for 100 percent reliable icebreakers, considering that the lines used for initiating online conversations can decide whether they are accepted or rejected by persons of the opposite sex. However, these beliefs are totally unfounded! As long as you don't use any offensive, debasing chat up lines and you don't bore your chat partners to death, there is absolutely no reason for you to be rejected in online conversations. It is important to note that there is no guaranteed-to-work approach to online conversations and even the "catchy" chat up lines that work for some people may fail to produce the same results for others. The only key to successful, entertaining and captivating online conversation is to be relaxed, honest and make full use of your personality!

The following collection of popular, commonly used chat up lines should be considered as a guide for initiating first-time conversations with singles of the opposite sex. Their main purpose is to familiarize you with the 'dos' and 'don'ts' behind online chatting and to help you come up with your own original chat up ideas. First of all, let's have a look at the clichés of chat up icebreakers, lines that aren't very likely to produce any desirable effects.

Avoid using ineffective lines such as: "Hi! Do you know any cool opening lines?", "You seem like a man / woman who knows how to talk to women / men!", "You've got to tell me your name, ‘cause last night in my dreams I could only call you baby", "What's a great girl / boy like you doing in a place like this?"; or very offensive and tasteless lines such as: "Given that God is infinite and that the universe is also infinite, would you like a shag?". As long as you stay away from such cheesy, ridiculous chat up lines, and you come up with more interesting, fun icebreakers, things can't possibly go wrong!

Some of the most commonly used chat up lines that have produced great results among both male and female chatters are the following:

- "Hi! How are you doing?" - simple, predictable yet very efficient icebreaker!

- "Excuse me, do you know how to spell the word ..." - asking for someone's opinion is a great trick for initiating conversation!

- "Can you tell me what's the best way to …"

- "Nice weather we have today, isn't it?"

- "I really like the way you introduce yourself"

- "This is an interesting / fun thread, can I join you?"

- "You sound bored so I thought I'd cheer you up!"

- "Someone as lovely as you deserves to talk to someone much better than me…" - modesty is always appreciated; however, there is the risk of being regarded as unconfident!

- "10 ton penguin…" - wait for a response and then reply: "Well, I had to break the ice somehow!"

- "I've lost my phone number, can I have yours?"

- "What's your sign?"

- "Hi, you don't know me, but I dreamt about you last night and I thought it would be fair to introduce myself."

These are commonly used chat up lines that have produced favorable results and can be successfully used in most dating chat room conversations. Feel free to experiment with them and don't hesitate to create your own imaginative and ingenious icebreakers and chat up lines! Remember that originality always pays off so spend some time developing your own irresistible lines!

So if you want to find more about online personals or even about internet dating, you should visit these links.

Free Webcam Chat

So you have been chatting exclusively for a few months now with someone in particular, but apart from the tiny picture she has sent you, you really have no clue as to what she looks like! Won't it be great to see her facial expressions while you talk? How would you like to see her laugh at your jokes and not just the typical "LOL?" Would you like to see her really wink at you and pucker up when she blows a kiss and not just read her typed words?

Free webcam chat will let you have the closest thing to interactive chatting as you can get. Distance can be a real strain not just for people who will be apart for a long time but also for people who are just getting to know each other and really do not have a clue as to his or her chat mate's physical attributes.

Using free webcam chat allows you the simulated proximity along with an enhanced interaction that would otherwise be unachievable if you confine yourself to just chatting. The great thing about this is that there is no additional cost for chatting with a webcam. You can get a free webcam chat host at just about any free chat site. Of course you may have to purchase your very own webcam or use one from an Internet café, but once you are online, you can have free webcam chat for as long as you want!

Free webcam chat is the next step in meeting friends and getting closer to people who are far away from you. Even if your family is thousands of miles away, even if you are living in a different time zone, you can still feel their presence by using free webcam chat.

Free Chat provides detailed information on Free Chat, Free Chat Rooms, Free Webcam Chat, Free Phone Chat and more. Free Chat is affiliated with Merchant Account Service Providers.

I Have a Little Chat with Adam and Eve

I sent a postcard to Peter to see if I could have another chat with God. He said that I would have to wait my turn which would occur in 2788. He added that I would be dead by then but I might be able to catch Him on the bicycle path once I got there. He said that would be between 4:17 and 4:19 a.m. except on Sundays when he has about a trillion zillion prayers to answer. However, Adam was available.

I found myself standing in front of Peter at the Gate and he pointed and said, "Adam wants to meet you in the park. He likes the outdoors."

Of course, I was flashed there and found Father Adam sniffing a huge red rose blossom. The fragrance was strong and made my head spin. Wow!

Adam didn't look up at me but said, "I'm sorry you are not getting The Grand Old Eternal today. I'll have to do. He is just too busy to handle everything. He depends on the rest of us to help him. Like on earth, he doesn't impose on us. We have to want to help out. Not everybody does."

I said, "Do you mean that those who live in Heaven defy God?"

Adam looked up at me with his translucent blue eyes and said, "No. Never! They just don't always do what he wants when he wants it. What is it that you want? I hope it is not great wealth, good health, or peace in the world. Those things are so ephemeral. Don't you have something important for me today?"

I said, "If those that live here are not doing God's will, is there a chance for another war in heaven? I don't want to come to Heaven if you are going to have another war. I've had too much of that on earth."

Adam said, "There are no belligerents here. There will be no war. There are those here who have decided that their heavenly reward should be doing what they want to do when they want to do it. They are off half the time taking space cruises. On the earth, they spent their time on sea cruises. They are not bad, just very useless."

I said, "I've always wanted to go on a sea cruise. I haven't because they are expensive, you eat too much, the ship is crowded with other eaters, and you might catch the bubonic plague."

Adam laughed. Then I heard a woman laugh. Adam said, "Is that you, Eve?"

Eve came out from behind the rose bush. Adam said, "You weren't Eve Dropping were you?" Then he laughed.

I though it was a pretty funny too but I decided to keep a straight face less Mother Eve was offended.

Adam said, "This is Taylor Jones, the hack writer."

Mesmerized by Eve's beauty I just nodded. Eve said, "I've been reading your stuff on the Internet. I like your UFO articles. There is one correction, however, Xrytspet from Fanton in G10009845788899990766 does not fly an FnL7 Time Craft anymore. She has the newer FnL7-A Time Craft."

I said, "That little snit. She told me that she didn't know where God lives. She's been here hasn't she?"

Eve smiled, her brown eyes shining. "That could be right, Taylor Jones, the hack writer!"

Adam said, "That's what you wanted to talk to God about, isn't it? You think you are going crazy. Well, worse things could happen to you. No use taking being crazy too serious. It might even lead you to greatness. Einstein had the delusion that if you put a large object into space, that space would be distorted around it."

I got Father Adam out of earshot from Eve. I said, "Was Xrytspet from Fanton in G10009845788899990766 really here?"

He laughed again. "No, Taylor Jones, the hack writer. Eve likes to snoop around. She saw the briefing sheets on my desk saying that you had been writing a zillion articles for http://www.ezinearticles.com. That's where she learned about Xrytspet from Fanton in G10009845788899990766."

I said, "I've got to get back home. My wife wants to go shopping tonight. Oh, and Einstein was right wasn't he?"

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine, Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success. He calls himself "Taylor Jones, the hack writer."

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success books and kits and business newsletters / TopFlight flagpoles)

Chat Room Etiquette

Another piece of online dating advice written about a lot is chat room etiquette, how to behave while online in a chat room and how to use the room wisely, not giving out any bits of information about yourself which could be used to find you outside of cyber space, etc.

While most of this advice can be taken by anyone, there are some bits of chat room etiquette that are specific to online dating sites, where the objective is to eventually meet someone in the real world.

In other online chat sites, a crazy or funky screen name may be funny, but in an online dating service, you had better be careful which screen name you choose. Trying to get a date with a vulgar screen name won't cut it, you'll probably get insulted out of the room, or the system operators could expel you from the member's only site.

Unless you are in a chat room which only accepts caps, do not type in all caps, this is considered shouting. Also, refrain from using wild, off color (like yellow) or hard to read font. Other users will not take you seriously, remember, you are in an online adult dating website, not one of your gaming sites.

It is also considered rude to try to engage someone in cyber sex while in an adult dating chat room, unless you're a member of one of the many cyber sex specific websites. A regular singles online getting to know you chat room will not allow cyber sex, and you could be censured or kicked out, so find out the rules of the dating online chat room that you are in before propositioning anyone.

Online chat room dating tip number two, is be nice to newcomers. Just as if you were invited to a party at a person's house whom you had never met, think of how the new person feels trying out an online adult dating site for the first time. Introduce them around and be friendly. Keep online with these etiquette tips and some one will notice you!

Erick Shipmon has been an online marketer since 1997. He currently is the President and CEO of http://www.eDatingPlanet.com which is quickly becoming the hottest and most desirable online dating community on the planet.

eDatingPlanet.com online dating services include: E-mail, Live Chat, Live Video Cam, FREE VoIP Broadband Long Distance, and more!

Try Live Chat

Live chat is a great way to communicate with business associates witout having to go through the hassle of e-mail or phones. Phones are instant communication, but you cannot send files over the phone, and emails are wonderful if they happen quickly. However, often times email can take a long time, and there are mistakes involved. With mass amounts of junk mail, people tend to erase things they need, or important emails can get lost in the bulk folder. Therefore, instant messaging is the perfect business software solution. Instant messaging offers avatar operators, and other avatar help ans well as hlpful 24/7 services. While it's true that the web allows you to push your online brochure to people all over the world, most websites fail to offer any form of interaction whatsoever, and having a webcam at your desk to allow people to watch you work is hardly the cutting edge of professionalism is it?

If, however, you can offer some form of live sales and/or support from your website, then you're offering the visitor a very useful means of contacting you with their questions. The problem is that setting this sort of thing up on your server is usually a horribly technical and time-consuming process.

The software allows you to not only monitor your live website traffic in real time, but offers auto-greetings, saved transcripts, pre-chat questionnaires, proactive chat invitations, and more. It is beneficial to know that it is limited up to viewing five visitors at once)The free version is genuinely completely and utterly free, contains no adverts, adware or spyware, and will not time out.

AliveChat is one company that is available to the public for promotion purposes. The more people that use AliveChat, the more WebsiteAlive can ask its user base in developing new features, and providing better services. It is the ideal solution if you'd like to offer live chat, but are not available at all times, are looking to dip your toes into the live chat waters, or are simply looking for a live chat support solution with no strings attached.

WebsiteAlive also offers higher end versions which provide more functionality if your web site is part of your core business. Additionally, AliveChat will work under any Operating System platform (i.e. Windows, Mac, or Linux) that supports Internet Explorer 6+, Netscape Navigator, and Mozilla Firefox. Since the service is fully managed and hosted, there is never anything to download as everything is accessible via an internet connection. It is a wonderful way to have fast and easy communication with coworkers, family and friends.

If you want to find greater resources regarding Live Chat or Auto Chat or even Live Support please click these links.

Local Customers Know Where to Find Local Businesses... the Internet

Through search engines and directories, the Internet provides a quick and easy place to choose a local merchant or business.

Just because the Internet is worldwide doesn't mean local businesses can't benefit from having a website and a presence in the search engines. Realizing the benefits of local searches Google recently launched "Google Local." This feature allows searchers to enter in their zip code and search using keywords. When the results are returned they provide the address and phone number of the businesses. Google and MapQuest have partnered to provide maps and directions to the locations that are returned in the search. Yahoo, AOL and MSN also have local capabilities.

The Kelsey Group and ConStat have found that 70% of US households use the internet to shop for local products and services. http://www.imediaconnection.com/news/5319.asp

More and more people are turning to search engines and online yellow pages to search for local companies. A website allows for business owners to provide more information about their products and services than a full-page ad ever could.

An important update to make for your site is adding your physical address to your site pages, in the footer perhaps. This will ensure that the search engine's indexing spider or bot pick up the address for inclusion in the search engine. Search engine optimization (SEO) is also important so that not only is your address being pulled for inclusion in local results, but your site is found for the correct terms that describe your business. SEO can be performed on an existing site or as part of the development of a site.

Alyssa Duvall is an Internet marketing and a Search Engine Marketing Specialist. She provides proven results for Website promotion. More articles can be found at http://bigoakinc.com/seo-articles/seo-articles.php

This article may be freely reprinted as long as all links and author information remain.

The Latest Craze: Local Search, 7 Steps to Being #1 in Your Local Market

Anyone would agree that it is much easier to be number 1 out of 100 or 500 then 1 Million or 200 Million. With these 7 Steps you should have no problem being number 1 in your Local Market or Markets

A Recent Search on the Term Book Store Yielded over 200,000,000 Million Results in the Yahoo Search engine. Using the Same term for the local Yahoo Search engine in the city of St. Louis Yielded only 133 results. The Same local search in the city of New York Yielded only 1233 results. What do you think would be Easier being the First out of 200 Million or Being First out of 133 or maybe 1233.

Step 1 Determine Your Local Market

If you are a Dr. or a Lawyer your local market may be very different then a Restaurant. People will travel further to a Restaurant then they will to see a Dr. Of course if your Restaurant specializes in Take-Out or Delivery that would be a determining Factor.

Step 2 Find all the Zip Codes and/ or Cities in your Local Market.

A Dr in Florissant MO may also be local for people in Hazzlewood, Blackjack or Spanish Lake.

Step 3 Online Yellow Pages

Get Listed in Online Yellow Pages and City Guide Directories

Step 4 Find Your Keywords

What are your target Keywords. If you are a Lawyer. Accident Lawyer or Bankruptcy lawyer are more targeted then just Lawyer.

Step 5 Get Listed in Local Search Engines

All the Major search Engines Yahoo, Google and MSN have Local versions sorted by Zip code or City, State

Step 6 Extend your Local Presence

Some Businesses like Encyclopedia Salesmen may have a much larger Local Area. Consider getting a local phone number in cities and towns within a 100 or 200 Mile Radius.

Step 7 Get an 800 Number

If your Local market spans area codes consider getting an 800 number.

Following the above 7 steps and With very little effort you can get local.

About The Author: Mike Makler has been Marketing Online Since 2001 When he Built an Organization of over 100,000 Members Get Mike's Newsletter: http://ewguru.com/newsletter More Articles by Mike: http://ewguru.com/tips Permission Based E_Mail Marketing Methods http://ewguru.com/hbiz/amazingoffer.html Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler the Coolest Guy in the Universe

Local-Search Upgrades Affect Traditional Local Businesses

Have you used Yahoo!'s new local-search function? If you haven't, you owe it to yourself to check it out. They've upgraded it with fantastic features geared to make searching for local businesses and services a breeze. Some of these features include user recommendations and reviews of businesses, real-time updates on local event information, and the ability to search for businesses, events, and more within specific neighborhoods rather than forcing the user to wade through the search results for an entire city. In addition, the search engine company has also upgraded its mapping capabilities.

Users also have the option to receive updated search information via RSS - Rich Site Summary, otherwise known as Really Simple Syndication - feeds. This particular feature has, arguably, impacted the scope of the heavy-hitting search engines in Internet users' lives the most. The race between Yahoo!, Google, MSN, and AOL for market share is never-ending, and each has added its own brand of improvements. The major search engines' new local-search features are all fantastic for the end user, but what do they mean for local businesses?

In the history of local search, there has been a lot invested in the form of user-friendly improvements by search-engine companies, but these improvements haven't yielded a noticeable return-on-investment (ROI) for the companies. You might recall search trailblazers Citysearch and MSN Sidewalk - these two engines were an early example of the race to improve search functionality - then again, you might not remember them at all. It wasn't until Google's explosion onto the search scene in recent years that the general public really became aware of the power of search on the web. Now "Googling" is a verb.

Much of the public awareness of Internet search comes from Google's innovations in technology, but until recently, local search wasn't really a consideration for most Internet users or the businesses featured in search results. However, the improvements that the major search engines are adding are changing that, and if you're an owner of a traditional local business, you should be paying attention.

More functionality for users means more accountability for business owners. Now that patrons can voice their opinions about the establishments that they frequent, potential customers have an all-access pass to virtually unlimited information about a business before they ever step foot inside the door. The days of businesses relying on a fancy façade and some good ol' TV ads are quickly fading. Now businesses have to be accountable for just about every step they take, no matter how large or small they are. If a patron of a restaurant or theatre or dentist or landscaper has a bad experience, they have the ability to tell a lot of people all about it quickly and easily.

The prospect of being scrutinized at every turn might seem like a frightening one at best, but there is a definite upside. Just as negative views can spread like wildfire, so can positive perspectives. If you're putting a concerted effort into your customer service and integrity is integral to the way that you conduct business, you're bound to get good feedback. And, now more than ever, good feedback with go further than it ever has before.

Perhaps more importantly, though, it's up to traditional local businesses to make sure that they have online presences. I live in a mid-sized community, and I was surprised to find as many reviews about local eateries, mechanics, and events as I did. It's not just businesses located in large cities that need to take heed. The proliferation of the Internet - and local search capabilities - is affecting communities far and wide. Since more and more people are utilizing the web to find the goods and services that they want, it only stands to reason that you should ensure your business is in front of them. These folks are your potential customers, after all.

There are a lot of ways that you can improve your online presence, but the first step of putting yourself in a position to grow your traditional local business is being aware that the Internet will affect your business one way or another, negatively or positively. It's up to you to take control of which way you want things to go. Take some time to surf the web. Use the new features that the search engines are rolling out. Pay attention to what customers are saying about traditional local businesses. Accessing that information now will be invaluable to your success later.

© 2005 Low-Hanging Fruit

Author: Tom Swanson Web Site: http://www.lowhangingfruit.com Email: tom@itimeinc.com Phone: 563-323-4609

Tom Swanson's experience in sales, design, marketing, copywriting, multi-media advertising, and publishing have given him incredible insight into the world of marketing both online and off. Combining creativity with real-world, hands-on experience, Tom writes articles to help local businesses learn to strategically leverage their Internet presence and capture easy online profits. His articles include thoughtful, down-to-earth explanations of various marketing media and philosophies, and local businesses can take away simple tools, ideas, and techniques that they can implement to shape their local Internet marketing efforts.

If you're looking for some high-impact content that's chock full of information, look no further than the articles of Tom Swanson.

© 2005 Low-Hanging Fruit

Local Search Makes Your Business a Big Fish in Your Local Community

The Internet Contains Billions of Website Pages - All Clamoring for Attention

With so many competing websites, it's unlikely that yours could stand out among them. Until recently, you faced near-impossible odds. Search engine results lost the "little guys" in back pages, where no one ever looked.

But Local Search is changing that in a dramatic way. Small stores and service businesses are gaining additional revenue from being found by locals who went to the Internet before deciding where to buy (70% of buyers, according to research by The Kelsey Group).

Google and Yahoo are pushing hard to make their Local Search results as relevant as possible. (MSN is playing a catch-up game.) They're under pressure to work out the bugs, so this rapidly accelerating trend becomes more reliable.

The public wants to find information about products or services with the ease and speed they've come to expect from search engines. However, when people are ready to spend their money, they prefer to spend it close to home (where 80% of purchases are made). So the only suppliers they care about are those located nearby. A Google query for "plumber" that delivers 2.3 million pages does them no good at all.

Buyers are Driving the Popularity of Local Search

A person conducts a Local Search when they add a geographic term (like town, region, zip code) to their search engine query. The results (SERPS) only include businesses within that geographic area. For example, entering "Seattle + plumber" in Google only delivers a list of plumbing firms in Seattle. Those results are also displayed on a city map, so it's easy to spot the most convenient ones.

Unfortunately, not all of the plumbers who ought to be included appear in the results. Those businesses that are left out miss out. It's also a drawback for the searcher, when they can't find the information they're looking for. Unfortunately, too much of what they get isn't relevant to them. The quality of results are sure to improve as more businesses climb aboard.

Relevance indicates how well the information a person expects to find matches what they actually get from their search. There's still plenty of room for improvement. Even so, already Local Search queries make up almost 40% of all search queries.

The Stages of Business Local Search Savvy

You don't want your enterprise left out of consideration when customers are making up their minds. Many more buyers rely on online information than on traditional methods, like newspapers and Yellow Pages anymore. Make Local Search an integral part of how you connect with customers, old and new.

1. Get listed in appropriate data bases so your business shows up in search results. Find out whether your operation is already listed in key places.

http://www.localsearchresources.com/getlisted.html

2. A simple site supports the rest of your marketing efforts (but you don't need your own website to start with). Realize that it's not for making online sales, but to assist your being found - by the search engines, as well as customers. Even a small website builds credibility, and encourages additional traffic to your place of business.

3. Modify your website (if you have one) to rank high with Local Search. Learn how at http://www.localsearchresources.com Make your website useful, so it provides answers that your customers routinely ask about. Tell about your services, product brands and specifications, hours, payment methods, how to, etc.

4. Optimize your website for keywords and in-depth search terms. While a small business may show up in Local Search results, there's a marked advantage to being in the front of the list. For example, in search results showing 30 rug cleaners, those closest to the top/front are more likely to be chosen.

5. Build your website into your store activities and business policies. Make it an extension of how you conduct special promotions, develop customer loyalty, and announce new products.

Cause a Ripple in Your Community "Pond"

Brick and mortar operations are often delighted to discover that the Internet is sending a steady stream of new customers, with little effort on their part. Capitalize on the convenient ways to connect to customers online.

It's said that there are only three ways to boost business revenue.

1. Increase your number of customers

2. Sell more to customers each time they buy

3. Sell to them more frequently

Your Internet exposure can help you accomplish all three. It can also makes you a bigger fish in the pond where you live and conduct business. And that deserves your serious attention.

Copyright 2005 Off the Page

--Dr. Lynella Grant An expert in Yellow Page ads and Local Search. Stand out online and offline, so you capture more Internet-savvy buyers for your brick and mortar business. Free resources http://www.localsearchresources.com 719-395-9450

How to Attract Women in Chat Rooms

The Internet gives access to chatting rooms where one can find people of one's own age and make new friends. This is a very interesting concept and has most of the youth of this generation hooked on to it. This is a real new and innovative way of making friends, with no strings attached, and it's a lot of fun too.

How to attract women in chat rooms? First of all, if you are looking for a standard set of rules that will work with all women, forget it. If anyone claims to have such a magic formula, he must either be extremely ignorant or fraudulent. Each woman is different and what attracts one woman might even annoy another.

Is there no way, then, by which you can equip yourself, and improve your chances of attracting women online? There certainly is, but the point is that one can only give general guidelines about how a majority of people react. You still have to use your common sense and your faculties to fine-tune your approach as you go along.

Now let's look at what generally attracts women to men - online or not. There are certain major differences between a man and a woman particularly when it comes to being attracted to the opposite sex. A woman is less influenced by physical appearance and more attracted by personality traits. A woman is also slower in building a relationship but prefers to sustain it over a long term. In other words, a woman looks for signals of traits that she values, takes time to allow the relationship to mature and looks for a lasting relationship.

The concept of online chat rooms has basically opened up an arena where one gets to meet new people and get to know them with no strings attached. The whole point is to have some fun and make new friends. There is nothing serious in this entire scheme of things. But then girls can't totally shed their natural inhibitions and they do expect some seriousness in the opposite person.

In an online chatting situation, the first point to remember is that the other person doesn't get to see you. The opening lines should show you as a fairly serious guy open to a bit of fun. Since you really do not know the person at the other end, you must be careful to use a false name, to start with. This throws up a number of possibilities as well as problems. On the brighter side, it gives you an opportunity to think of an attractive name that suggests just a touch of boisterousness without being frivolous. On the downside, this may portray you as not very dependable, when the truth is known. So you'll have to work out ways to handle that.

Many studies have shown that women like a sense of humor. So, once you have broken the ice, see if you can show yourself up as a guy who can create a little laughter, but remember not to show yourself up as a flirtatious person, at least not to start with.

In the beginning, one should try not to use pick up lines and ask for one night stands from a female. There are possibilities that this might ruin your chances of attracting the female. It is always good to get the girl to a better comfort level with you before becoming closer and maybe more explicit. You should also have the necessary confidence, and exhibit it through your words to woo the female. It is the confidence that is perceived through your words and manners, while talking to a female that attracts her to carry on chatting with you. Remember, during online chats nobody is seriously wanting to have a relation; so make sure that you don't make cliché love statements at the very start of the chat, this usually turns off the female instead of attracting her.

In the final analysis, it's one's own style and manners that stand out and attract a female. Although nobody can give you standard rules to follow, there are a number of tips that we can give.

To sum up, a woman looks more at the personality traits of a man, takes time to build a relationship and looks forward to a more lasting relationship. In the virtual world of chat rooms, you have to portray yourself as the guy who meets these requirements through your words and approach. You start by selecting an appropriate online name, show just a touch of humor and a hint of naughtiness, proceed slowly without becoming overt and explicit too fast, and maintain a posture that reveals you as a responsible but fun loving individual. Above all, be sensitive to the signals that you yourself receive and be prepared to make mid-course corrections. Best of luck and happy wooing.

Did you know the biggest mistakes guys make on the first date? To find out how to attract women and seduce them easily visit Attract Women - Free Seduction Tips. Unusual seduction strategies and product reviews available.

Yahoo Closes Chat Rooms

As a concerned adult who has been involved in online chat for almost six years, I was pleased to see the article regarding the closure of privately owned rooms on Yahoo. My concerns for children and teenagers online have grown over the past years as I have come into contact with people online that I, as a parent, would never have wanted my children to be around, even just on the Internet.

The anonymity of the medium is the biggest cause for concern. This is a whole new world, growing everyday, whereby people can meet and chat without ever having eye contact, or the advantage of reading body language. I heard recently a figure of 350 million people entering one particular chat server each month. This is astounding to someone who lives in a country like Australia where there is such a small population compared to the big wide world out there. The fact that you can chat without anyone seeing who you are, also opens a huge window of opportunity for those that get a 'high' out of manipulating the minds and emotions of the naive and vulnerable of our society. And the naive and vulnerable probably make up a large proportion of those online, because of the anonymity factor, because of the lack of eye contact, and the lack of body language. These people find it hard to interact in their real lives, and yet online, they come out of themselves because no one is there to make fun of them or deride them. All they need do is hit the X up in the corner and they can move on from perhaps someone who is verbally abusing them in a room, to a safer room.

The problem I have with chat rooms is that in spite of a room being labelled 'teenage' or a Peers age room, anyone can go into those rooms and do whatever they like in private. I advocate everyone naming the nick in public that comes into a room and starts to click on other nicks for private conversations. And yet, if you do that where I used to chat, you are warned and often kicked out of the room, or you are told to take your problems private. I am strongly in favour of networking to weed out the sleazes from chat, and yet again, this is frowned on. It doesn't take much nouce to work out that someone who comes into a room only to priv people, comes in with a motive other than pleasant chat with those already in the room. These people should be outlawed.

The Australian server I spent my time with quite recently changed their rules regarding room ownership. They opened the chat scene up so that anyone can now own a room, whereas for the first five years or so I chatted in there, you had to apply to open a room and it had to be run on Telstra rules. Chat is dying on that server since they changed the rules; people have moved out of the main rooms into small isolated rooms and the whole concept of chat has changed. This is a shame as chat can be wonderful for many people who don't look below the surface and see what is beneath that isn't so good. It can be, and is, a lifeline for many and the demise of the quality of chat is sad. People are wary of entering a room where only one of two others can be seen as often the impression is there is something wrong with the room or the two people are having a private meeting. As in most things, humans like to be around groups where they feel a degree of safety and belonging.

Whilst Yahoo is doing the right thing in only having rooms open that they monitor, I must say here that I have only ever visited Yahoo a couple of times, and the language and abuse I saw in the rooms I visited, scared me out very quickly. I can understand from what I saw, why there is now a problem regarding chat rooms for children/teenagers. I don't see how closing those rooms down will achieve much unless Yahoo are going to instigate hosts into each and every room on Yahoo and run the server with strict rules and guidelines. A room without hosts is a room that can be taken over by unsavoury people and who will police it?

Whilst I am not an advocate of heavy handed, control freak hosts, I believe if the owners of chat servers paid people who had qualifications to host rooms, on the proviso they follow the guidelines set down by the server, then things would improve. No one wants to go online and enter a chat room run by a control freak host, but there is a feeling of safety if there is a host in a room. I personally believe all owners of chat servers should be forced to ensure that every chat room in their server is monitored 24x7, or is only allowed to be open during the hours there is a host to monitor the room.

I now chat on a new server in Australia and this server has no rules really, just guidelines for safe and decent chat. There are no swear filters like there are in the other Australian server, which is perhaps a mistake as it now opens the door for unsavoury and unnecessary foul language and abuse in those chat rooms. Anyone can open a room and own it, and my friend and I now have four rooms. I have my own room secretslieschat where I advertise my website and my book, two things I couldn't do on the other server as it was considered I was indulging in free advertising, and we have the Peers50, Peers60 and Peers60+. We took those rooms over from the owners of the server in an effort to get back some decent chat rooms where people will like to chat. It's early days yet with few visitors, but we have opped ourselves in the rooms and plan to monitor them to try our best to ensure that there is fairness and decency in the rooms.

I applaud the efforts of Yahoo. It is good to read that people who can make a difference are now working to do just that. You only have to surf around the Net using a few keywords and you will find many websites dedicated to safety online, to weed out the unsavoury users, to handle issues of abuse, harassment and stalking by using legal options. No matter how many people like to bury their heads in the sand, those that care and are aware know the truth. We have to protect the young because those of us, who have been around the Internet for a while, know that there are things happening online that even adults need to be protected from. If we don't teach the young the right way to act online, the rules for safety for themselves and their families, then chat will end up destroying itself as a place for enjoyment and companionship for the lonely. All of us who chat learn everyday from those we come in contact with, and the people online can have important rules of life and wisdom they can share.

In my own small way I am trying to make a difference too, and will continue to do so. Long live chat.

I am an Australian writer, living in Sydney. My first book has been released in the USA titled 'Secrets, Lies & Chat' and is the story of my personal experiences from an addiction over a three-year period, to chat online and online dating. I wrote the book with the hope that others would read it and learn from my mistakes. My passion is children online, and the very real dangers I know exist on the Internet that they will undoubtedly, at some time, be exposed to.

Living In Chat Rooms

Heading into internet chat rooms can be the solution to so many of life's problems. It happens all too often that there is a question nagging at you that you just can't find an answer for. It's so easy nowadays just to pop onto the internet and ask someone to figure it out for you. What movie was that song in? Go to a music or movie chat. What do you need to fix the kitchen sink? Find yourself a plumbing chat.

Those unfamiliar with the wonderful sub culture of internet chat rooms usually assume they're all about sex. That's pretty much the kind of chat the internet got built on, so the prejudice is always there. While it's safe to say that the majority of organized internet chat is rooted in sex, there is still a lot more out there.

When my neighbor moved in, for instance, he was dreaming of all sorts of renovations. He wanted to take this wall down, put these lights up and build a deck and whatever else. Before he made phone calls to contractors and visits to building supply stores, he did his research on the world wide web. His first stop was regular websites that offered tips and advice. From there he discovered a variety of chat rooms dedicated to topics about renovating. There people vented about problems, professionals hung around to answer question and in the end he wound up more prepared then most people in his position.

There are places like this online offering chats about anything. Food, cars, collecting , photography and, yes of course, dating. For people sharing any of these interests it can make for a wonderful place to hang out. It also makes for a pleasant distraction from the computer tasks you're supposed to be doing. This makes chat rooms a thorn in the side of a lot of companies who think their employees are spending far too much time… well… virtually socializing.

Do it responsibly, or at least don't get caught, and sharing your expertise or interest with others can really pay off. Even if it's not a professional topic, such as the construction example, socializing online with people of similar interests is good networking. Nowadays when you ‘know a guy who knows a guy,' you may be talking about a person you only know through an internet handle. Heck, I've got work like that. I even got help finding an apartment after meeting someone from a city I was planning on moving too.

Obviously there is a definite need to be careful with these situations. Chat rooms regularly warn not to give out personal information over the internet. For the most part they're referring to things like credit card numbers. Watch you don't give away things like phone numbers, addresses or place of work either. Eventually you may find yourself in a chat with someone you've grown to trust and want to get to know better. Meeting people from the internet happens all the time and it doesn't have to be dangerous. Just be sure that you talk to them outside of the chat room before you start talking about personal information.

Lastly, don't be afraid of those Dating chat rooms. Whether you check them out with serious intent for a relationship or just out of sheer curiosity, they can be fun places to go. Especially when you just want to talk to someone and all your real world friends have gone to sleep.

Christopher M. Luck has an extensive background in working exclusively with the top online chat rooms of the internet today and is now offering his free chatroom secrets to the public. If you are at all interested in Christopher's closely guarded advice, tips, or secrets, you can visit his chatroom blog

Chat Rooms: Can We Talk?

What is a chat room?

It's an area of a website set aside for people to chat in 'real' time. In other words, messages appear on a screen as soon as they are typed, and are responded to immediately.

Let's go to an established chat room for our first visit -- Yahoo Chat. Go to http://www.yahoo.com After the home page loads, click on the 'chat' link, at the left side of the page right by Connect.

You will first have to register, if you don't have a yahoo email address. If you already have a yahoo email address, then you can go straight to the chat room.

Under the 'Enter Chat Room' link, there are two 'Featured Rooms', you can choose instead. After you have made your choice, enter.

You will then be asked to enter your Yahoo ID and Password. The chat room will then begin to load.

Note: You can also download Yahoo Messenger. It's a Free messaging service that allows you to communicate with friends and family and others. It's useful by letting you know when certain people come online. You will download the messenger to your computer.

The messages will have the senders name in front of them, so that you will know who they come from. You type your message in a box at the bottom of the screen, then hit send.

It's fun to chat but beware, Chat Rooms Can Be Addictive!!

If you find that you truly enjoy the chat rooms, limit yourself to one or two hours per day at them.

About The Author

Jane Fulton is Owner & Webmistress of: http://janes-place.com

If you like this article, then subscribe to her newsletters: http://janes-place.com/sos.htm, http://janes-place.com/woman2woman.htm; webmistress@janes-place.com

License to Chat - Using Chat Rooms in EFL Teaching

Chat rooms or "chats" are one of the most interactive areas on the Internet and they are regularly visited by children and teenagers. Putting it plainly and simply, a chat room is a place on the Internet where people meet to talk about various subjects. Conversation is simultaneous,synchronous and written. A user writes a message onto the computer and the message is immediately displayed on another computer. From a teacher's point of view, chat rooms may turn out to be one of the best places to engage our students in real and meaningful language practice. From a student's point of view, chats are an exciting means of communication and an enriching opportunity to communicate with native or non-native speakers in English.


Generally speaking, chat rooms provide students with a stress-free and uninhibited language practice but most importantly they foment linguistic interaction. Much has already been said and written about the utter importance of interaction in the learning and acquisition of a second language. It has already been proved that the more the student (meaningfully) interacts, the more opportunities he/she will have to learn language and the more language the student learns, more input can he/she can solicit in order to learn more language

So, in order to increase students's interaction in the English language, we can include chat rooms in our lessons. Students's active participation will allow them to experience and experiment language as a real thing. This type of interaction, although written and not face-to-face, will prove more authentic than a conversation with the teacher, especially because in a chat room language is no longer a goal but an instrument to pursue other (real) goals

Precautions However, despite the inherent advantages of using chat rooms for educational purposes, one must be conscious of some dangers:

* Students often have a difficult time using computers, which might endanger the activity. A good solution is to provide students with the basic computer skills (using the keyboard, reading from the screen)

* Chat rooms users often use acronyms and slang that students may fail to understand. A good way to solve this problem is to introduce students to those particular expressions (for instance, prepare a lesson based on Netiquette, which includes specific vocabulary items used on the Internet).

* Students may be confronted with harassment situations and/or verbal confrontations. This is why it is of utter importance to develop your activities in a moderated chat room and to create your own chat room.

* A chat room for educational purposes should have published a list of main topics and subjects currently under discussion.

Activities

As an activity, the use of chat rooms has to be considered fluency work; thus, the teacher should only intervene if the students' mistakes jeopardise communication. It is also necessary to keep in mind that the teacher should only act (during the activity) as a prompter and a resource, in order to allow real interaction.

Activity 1: Who's who? Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students should have:

* acquired the necessary knowledge about the basic functioning of a chat room (log in, write and read a message, log out);

* used the English language in a communicative way;

* demonstrated the necessary skills to make and answer questions;

* demonstrated their understanding of the dialogue;

* reflected on their use of the English language.

Procedure:

* Students will be told that they will dialog with their classmates in a chat room and that they will play a game called "Who's who?". Each student will have a nickname, e.g., a fake identity, and that the objective of the game is to guess the true identity behind the nick. Students must also be instructed to keep their nicknames secret.

* Students will then be told the address of the chat room they'll be accessing and, individually, their nicknames. The teacher should help students to log in and make sure everyone is able to send, read and write messages.

* Students should then approach their colleagues and try to find out who is behind the nicknames.

* In the end, students will be asked to come to the blackboard and write down the names behind the nicks.

* It is also very interesting to print and hand out the transcript of one or two dialogues and lead a brief reflection on how students used the English language.