Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Whos Making Money

Another day, another honking big funding for another online start-up (and yet another broken embargo too!).

It’s like Groundhog Day in Silicon Valley as usual.

Today, Cambridge, Mass.-based HubSpot wins tech’s version of the lottery, grabbing $32 million from Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures and also Salesforce.com.

It is unclear what the valuation for HubSpot is now, although it is likely high given it has raised $65 million now.

HubSpot makes marketing software for businesses, who use it to find prospects and generate leads, along with tools to analyze the process. It claims it has “4,000 customers, over 50 percent market share, five million leads managed, and 70 million page views tracked monthly.”

The Series D financing included HubSpot’s existing venture investors–General Catalyst Partners, Matrix Partners, and Scale Venture Partners–and part of it will be used to cash out existing shareholders. In previous rounds, the start-up has raised $33 million.

Here is the official press release:

Sequoia, Google Ventures, and Salesforce.com Invest $32 Million in HubSpot

Marketing Software Company Attracts New Strategic Investors

CAMBRIDGE, MA–(Marketwire – March 8, 2011)–Today, for the first time ever, Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures and Salesforce.com all invested together in one company, providing HubSpot with a Series D round of financing through a $32 million investment. HubSpot provides all-in-one marketing software used by over 4,000 businesses to get found by more prospects, convert them into leads and sales, and analyze the entire marketing process.

“The fundamental way that people shop, learn, and buy has changed radically in the last few years. HubSpot helps transform the way businesses market from outbound marketing (cold calls, email blasts, and direct mail) to inbound marketing (Google, blogs, social media, mobile, etc.),” said Brian Halligan, co-founder and CEO of HubSpot.

Sequoia Capital has a long history of partnering with founders to help them build long-term, multi-billion dollar companies, including Google, LinkedIn, AdMob, YouTube, Yahoo!, Apple, and Oracle. “We back companies that are transforming their industries,” said Jim Goetz, General Partner at Sequoia Capital. “HubSpot is the emerging category leader in the SaaS marketing sector. Their customer base exceeds that of all the other relevant marketing software companies combined, including Eloqua, Marketo, Genius, and Manticore.”

“Today, every company needs to succeed in search, social, sales, and marketing–I can’t think of a more powerful trifecta than Google, Salesforce.com, and HubSpot. With 4,000 customers, HubSpot is already a clear marketing leader–now, with this new infusion of capital and recognition by Google’s venture arm and Salesforce.com, HubSpot has a great opportunity to separate itself from the pack and become the leading marketing platform in the small and medium business space,” said Brent Leary, co-founder of CRM Essentials.

Google Ventures Partner, Rich Miner (formerly co-founder of Android) said, “We agree with HubSpot’s belief that search engines, social media, and mobile devices have fundamentally changed how businesses should market themselves. We’re thrilled to support their efforts to help thousands of small and medium businesses reach potential customers.”

Dharmesh Shah, co-founder and CTO of HubSpot commented, “We founded the company based on a simple premise: Businesses want an easy-to-use, complete and integrated marketing platform that helps them get more leads and customers. We plan to use this new capital to further invest in this ambitious vision and further our existing lead in the marketing software category.”

Blogger Andrew Trench recently presented a theory on the threshold of when Internet penetration starts to matter, writing:

Social networks have also been given plenty of credit for the revolution unfolding in Egypt.

So I went and had a look at the numbers over on www.internetworldstats.com to see what they could tell us about these two scenarios. Well, fascinatingly, both Egypt and Tunisia have seen a massive growth in internet users and internet penetration over the last 10 years.

Both have now got internet penetration of over 20% and in Tunisia's case it was as high as 34%.

While it is clearly simplistic to over-state this factor and there must be many more drivers contributing to such a rapid political uprising, it is obviously a factor as evidenced by the Egyptian regime pulling the plug on the country's internet access to try and block the rising tide of revolt.

My back-of-napkin theory is this: that a rapid increase in internet penetration in a repressive regime does play an important role as it provides an unfettered channel of communication allowing disaffected citizens to share views - and more importantly - to rapidly organise and mobilise.

If Egypt and Tunisia are valid case studies, it looks like internet penetration of around 20% is the mark.

Geopolitics & Macroeconomics adds:

Internet penetration: Social networking sites were critical to sustaining the momentum in the recent protests. The internet penetration in Egypt is 16%. In Libya, it is a meagre 5% [1]. The unrest in Libya has thus far remained concentrated in regions that are geographically distant from the seat of ‘real' power (see more on this below). The dependence of momentum on internet communication is far greater in Libya than in Egypt where protests began in Cairo itself.

Taking the conversation to Pakistan, Sabene Saigol writes, on BrandRepublic:

Perhaps one reason for this is that we're still not that used to communicating via the ‘net - maybe we need greater broadband and internet penetration. Personally I think it is more to do with culture - while Pakistani internet users are savvy to using social media to connect with friends, I feel they have not yet ‘crossed over' to seeing SM as a means for professional communications - or even wider social communications that go beyond their immediate circle. Yes, there are no doubt savvy people - both within marketing and tech circles, and outside - however, these people are likely a tiny proportion of the total number of ‘net and social media users.

Surface Encounters

Josh Pastner of Memphis Tigers gets new 5-year deal

Memphis coach Josh Pastner receive a new five-year contract Tuesday.

Surface Encounters

autosport.com - NASCAR News: Raikkonen to compete in NASCAR

Former Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen will make a surprising move to NASCAR this year, the Finn joining the series with a new team.

Surface Encounters

No confirmation of radioactive water overflowing into sea: agency ...

2's tendency to spew highly radioactive water,'' said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the agency, at a news conference. Given that serious damage to fuel rods from overheating could lead to the release of enormous amounts of ...

Surface Encounters

For Apple, the mobile market is a cash cow. The company’s iPhone and iPad are proving to be the top mobile companions for people around the globe. Apple has sold over 100 million iPhones. Its iPad sales have hit 15 million. The company understands the mobile market and it knows how to capitalize on it.

But what about the living room? It has the Apple TV, sure, and the Mac mini is often times connected to an HDTV, but what else has Apple done to push the envelope in the living room? It still hasn’t launched the long-rumored television we keep hearing about, and it seems that offering a game console — a hope for many Apple fans over the past few years — won’t happen.

I fully realize that Apple can’t be everything to every customer. It delivers computers, smartphones, tablets, personal media players, two operating systems, wireless routers, and much more. But I also realize that Apple is an entertainment company. It’s about trying to give people more opportunity to enjoy their lives through technology. And it would only make sense if it doubled down on the living room.

Let’s turn our attention to the Apple TV for a minute.

Prior to its announcement in September, rumors were running rampant over what the former “hobby” would offer. Folks thought it would deliver gaming, interface with DVRs, include Apple’s App Store, and much more. They thought it would be a sizable update over its predecessor.

Instead, Apple offered a stripped-down alternative.

The second-generation Apple TV comes with the ability for users to stream Netflix content. It has Flickr and Internet radio. And it allows users to stream their music over their home network to their televisions. It offers movies and television shows, as well, but most would agree that it’s slim pickings for now.

At that event in September, Steve Jobs said that Apple’s research showed customers didn’t want everything a company could pile into a device. They simply want the ability to consume the content they enjoy without the fuss that might come along with something like Google TV-based devices.

But by delivering the bare minimum, Apple did itself no favors. The company took the easy way out and pretended like it no longer views the living room as a hobby. The only issue is, the Apple TV is still a hobby. It’s a device that lacks all the functionality we’ve come to expect from Apple — a company that typically prides itself on offering the best value for the cash. And at least so far, it leaves me wanting more.

So, what am I looking for? I want to see Apple improve the Apple TV by bringing its App Store to the platform. I’d also like to see some kind of gaming component come to the device, either through the App Store or as part of a more-capable platform.

And perhaps most importantly, I’d like to see Apple think beyond its set-top box and deliver products that try something new. I’m not sold on the possibility of Apple offering a groundbreaking television, but if it can surprise me, I’m all for it.

Simply put, I’m looking for Apple to be Apple. Right now, it’s just like every other company in the living room; it’s content to have a presence but not dominate.

That needs to end.

No single company can stake claim to the living room right now. Steve Jobs just needs to take advantage of that void and do something special.

But first, he needs to take the living room — and its revenue potential — seriously.

Dirty Percent

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

It’s not hard to make the case that Apple’s new in-app subscription system offers numerous benefits to users, developers, and publishers. But whatever those benefits, they stem from the mere existence of these new subscription APIs. What’s controversial is the size of Apple’s cut: 30 percent.

No one is arguing that Apple shouldn’t get some cut of in-app purchases that go through iTunes. And, if Apple were taking a substantially smaller cut, there would be substantially fewer people objecting to Apple’s rules (that subscription-based publishing apps must use the system; that they can’t link to their external sign-up web page from within the app; and that they must offer in-app subscribers the same prices available outside the app).

The reasonable arguments against Apple’s policies seem to be:

Apple should be taking less, perhaps far less, than 30 percent.

Apple should not require subscription-based apps to use the in-app subscription APIs. If it’s a good deal for publishers, they’ll choose to use the system on their own.

Apple should not require price-matching from subscription offers outside the app. Publishers should be allowed to charge iOS users more money to cover Apple’s cut.

Apple should consider business models that simply can’t afford a 70/30 revenue split.

Let’s consider these in reverse order.

Apple Should Consider Business Models That Can’t Afford a 70/30 Revenue Split

Apple doesn’t give a damn about companies with business models that can’t afford a 70/30 split. Apple’s running a competitive business; competition is cold and hard. And who exactly can’t afford a 70/30 split? Middlemen. It’s not that Apple is opposed to middlemen — it’s that Apple wants to be the middleman. It’s difficult to expect them to be sympathetic to the plights of other middlemen.

Some of these apps and services that are left out might be ones that iOS users enjoy, though. This is the leading argument for how this new policy will in fact hurt users, and, as a result, Apple itself: it’ll drive good apps off the platform. Frequently mentioned examples: Netflix and Kindle. For all we know, though, Netflix may well be fine with this policy. Apple would only get a 30 percent cut of new subscriptions that go through the Netflix iOS app, and that might be a bounty Netflix can live with in exchange for more subscribers. Keep in mind, too, that Netflix and Apple seemingly get along well enough that Netflix is built into the Apple TV system software.

Kindle, and e-book platforms in general, are a different case. For one thing, Kindle doesn’t use subscriptions. Kindle offers purchases. Presumably, given Apple’s rejection of Sony’s e-book platform app last month, Apple is going to insist on the same rules for in-app purchases through apps like Kindle as they do for in-app subscriptions. If so, something’s got to give. The “agency model” through which e-books are sold requires the bookseller to give the publisher 70 percent of the sale price. So if the publisher gets 70 and Apple gets 30, that leaves a big fat nothing for Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, or Kobo, or anyone else selling books through native iOS apps — other than iBooks, of course.

But leaving aside the revenue split, there are technical limitations as well. The existing in-app purchasing system in iOS has a technical limit of 3,500 catalog items. I.e. any single app can offer no more than 3,500 items for in-app purchase. Amazon has hundreds of thousands of Kindle titles.

Something’s got to give here. I don’t know what, but there must be more news on this front coming soon. I don’t believe Apple wants to chase competing e-book platforms off the App Store.

Apple Should Not Require Price Matching

Why not allow developers and publishers to set their own prices for in-app subscriptions? One reason: Apple wants its customers to get the best price — and, to know that they’re getting the best price whenever they buy a subscription through an app. It’s a confidence in the brand thing: with Apple’s rules, users know they’re getting the best price, they know they’ll be able to unsubscribe easily, and they know their privacy is protected.

Credit card companies insist on similar rules: retailers pay a processing fee for every credit card transaction, but the credit card companies insist that these fees not be passed on to the customer. Customers pay the same price as they would if they used cash — which encourages them to use their credit card liberally. (Going further, many charge cards offer cash back on each purchase — they can do this because the cash-back percentage refunded to the customer is less than the transaction processing fee paid by the retailer.)

So the same-price rule is good for the user, and good for Apple. But Matt Drance argues that Apple could dissipate much of this subscription controversy by waiving this rule:

The requirement that IAP content be offered “at the same price
or less than it is offered outside the app,” combined with the
70/30 split, means developers must make less money off of iOS by
definition. They can’t price their IAP content higher to offset
the commission, nor can they price their own retail content lower.

If I am interpreting this correctly, I can’t bring myself to see
it as reasonable. […] I think a great deal of this drama could
go away if Apple dropped section 11.13 while keeping section
11.14: Your prices on your store are your business; just don’t
be a jerk and advertise the difference all over ours.

And I agree with him. Yes, the same-price rule is good for users and for Apple, but waiving this rule wouldn’t be particularly bad for users or for Apple, either — and it would give publishers some freedom to experiment.

I suspect one reason Apple won’t budge is that their competitors — like Amazon — insist on best-price matching.

Apple Should Not Require Apps to Offer In-App Subscriptions

I’m sympathetic to this argument, too. “If you don’t like our terms, don’t use our subscription system.” But it has occurred to me that this entire in-app subscription debate mirrors the debate surrounding the App Store itself back in 2008 — that 30 percent was too large a cut for Apple to take, that it shouldn’t be mandatory, etc. The same way many developers wanted (and still want) a way to sell native iOS apps on their own, outside the App Store, many publishers now want a way to sell subscriptions on their own, outside the App Store.

The fact is, the App Store is an all-or-nothing affair. You play by Apple’s rules or you stick to web apps through Mobile Safari. This alternative is no different for periodical publishers than it was (and remains) for app developers in general. A lot of these demands boil down to a desire for more autonomy for native iOS app developers. Apple has never shown any interest in that.

There’s one striking difference between the subscription controversy today and the App Store controversy in 2008: with subscriptions, Apple is taking away the ability to do something that they previously allowed. There was never a supported way to install native apps for iOS before the App Store. Subscriptions sold outside the App Store, on the other hand, were allowed until last month.

Apple Should Be Taking Less, Possibly Far Less, Than 30 Percent

Another difference between the App Store itself and in-app subscriptions is that with apps, Apple hosts and serves the downloads. Apple covers the bandwidth, even for gargantuan gigabyte-or-larger 99-cent games. The OS handles installation.

With in-app subscriptions (and purchases), however, the app developer is responsible for hosting the content, and for writing the code to download, store, and manage it. So — one reasonable argument goes — given that Apple is doing less for subscription content than it does for apps (or for music and movies purchased through iTunes), Apple should take less of the money.

Taken further, the argument boils down to this: that for in-app subscriptions and purchases, Apple is serving only as a payment processer — and thus, a reasonable fee for transactions would be in the small single digits — 3, 4, maybe 5 percent, say. More or less something along the lines of what PayPal charges.

Apple, I think it’s clear, doesn’t see it this way. Apple sees the entire App Store, along with all native iOS apps, as an upscale, premium software store: owned, controlled, and managed like a physical shopping mall. Brick and mortar retailers don’t settle for a single-digit cut of retail prices; neither does the App Store.

Seth Godin argues that Apple’s 30 percent cut is too big to allow publishers to profit:

Except Apple has announced that they want to tax each subscription
made via the iPad at 30%. Yes, it’s a tax, because what it does is
dramatically decrease the incremental revenue from each
subscriber. An intelligent publisher only has two choices: raise
the price (punishing the reader and further cutting down
readership) or make it free and hope for mass (see my point above
about the infinite newsstand). When you make it free, it’s all
about the ads, and if you don’t reach tens or hundreds of
thousands of subscribers, you’ll fail.

Godin’s logic strikes me as questionable. For one thing, he freely switches between a newsstand metaphor (arguing, perhaps accurately, that the App Store is too large for publishers to gain attention from potential readers in the first place — you won’t read what you never notice) and the economics of subscriptions. But subscribers are the opposite of newsstand readers. Newsstand readers are buying a single copy, often on impulse. Subscribers are readers who are already hooked, and who know what they want. Put another way, the size of Apple’s cut of subscription revenue — whether it were higher or lower — has no bearing on the “attention at the newsstand” problem.

Second, the problem facing traditional publishers today is that circulation is falling. Newsstand sales and subscriptions are falling, under pressure from free-of-charge websites and other forms of digital content. The idea with Apple’s 70-30 revenue split is that developers and publishers can make it up in volume — that people aren’t just somewhat more willing to pay for content through iTunes than other online content stores, they are far more willing. The idea is that Apple has cracked a nut no one else1 has — they’ve created an ecosystem where hundreds of millions of people are willing to pay for digital content. Thus, potentially, publishers won’t just make more money keeping only 70 percent of subscription fees generated through iOS apps than they are now with 96 percent (or whatever they’re left with after payment processing fees) of subscription fees they’re selling on their own — they stand to make a lot more money.

I’m not guaranteeing or even predicting that it’s going to work out that way. I’m just saying that’s Apple’s proposition.

Godin’s assumption is that iOS in-app subscriptions won’t significantly increase the number of subscribers. If he’s right about that, then he’s right that Apple’s 30 percent cut will prove too expensive for publishers. But Apple’s bet is that in-app subscriptions can dramatically increase the number of subscribers. Consider the app landscape. Apple’s 30 percent cut didn’t drive the price of paid apps up — the nature of the App Store drove prices down. It’s a volume game.

The App Store itself proves that Apple might be right. Like with app sales, in-app subscriptions won’t work for every publication. But it could work for many. It really is possible to make it up in volume.

And if a 70-30 split for in-app subscription revenue doesn’t work, the price will come down. That’s how capitalism works. You choose a price and see how it goes. I’ll admit — when the App Store launched in 2008, I thought Apple’s 70-30 split was skewed too heavily in Apple’s favor. Not that it was wrong in any moral sense, but that it was wrong in a purely economic sense: that it might be more than developers would be willing to bear. Apple, clearly, has a better sense about what prices the market will bear than I (and, likely, you) do.

Competition vs. Anti-Competition

One last argument I’ve seen regarding these in-app subscription rules is that it’s further evidence of anti-competitive behavior from Apple. That makes sense only if you consider iOS to be the entire field of play. Apple, though, is competing at a higher level. They’re competing between platforms: iOS vs. Kindle/Amazon vs. Android/Google vs. Microsoft, and in some ways, vs. the free web. Why should publishers make an app rather than just a mobile web site? For happier customers and more money.

Sony has a platform for e-books. Amazon has a platform for e-books. Barnes & Noble has a platform for e-books. Apple has a platform for e-books. But Apple is the only one which allows its competitors to have apps on its devices. And Apple is the anti-competitive one? I’m no lawyer, but if the iTunes Music store hasn’t yet been deemed a monopoly with Apple selling 70+ percent of digital music players, then I doubt the App Store will be deemed a monopoly for a market where Apple has never been — and, according to market share trends, may never be — the top-selling smartphone maker, let alone own a majority of the market, let alone own more than a single-digit sliver of the phone market as a whole. As for ruthless profiteering, consider that Amazon, with their e-book publishing, originally took the fat end of a 70-30 revenue split with authors.

One question I’ve been asked by several DF readers who object to Apple’s new in-app subscription and purchasing policies goes like this: What if Microsoft did this with Windows, and, say, tried to require Apple to pay them 30 percent for every purchase made through iTunes on Windows? To that, I say: good luck with that. Microsoft couldn’t make such a change by fiat. The whole premise of Windows (and other personal computer systems) is that it is open to third-party software. Apple couldn’t just flip a switch and make Mac OS X a controlled app console system like iOS — they had to introduce the Mac App Store as an alternative to traditional software installation. If Microsoft introduced something similar to the Mac App Store for Windows, Apple would simply eschew it. If Microsoft were to mandate an iOS App Store-like total control policy for all Windows software, they’d have a revolt in their user base that would make Vista look like a success.

iOS isn’t and never was an open computer system. It’s a closed, controlled console system — more akin to Playstation or Wii or Xbox than to Mac OS X or Windows. It is, in Apple’s view, a privilege to have a native iOS app.

This is what galls some: Apple is doing this because they can, and no other company is in a position to do it. This is not a fear that in-app subscriptions will fail because Apple’s 30 percent slice is too high, but rather that in-app subscriptions will succeed despite Apple’s (in their minds) egregious profiteering. I.e. that charging what the market will bear is somehow unscrupulous. To the charge that Apple Inc. is a for-profit corporation run by staunch capitalists, I say, “Duh”.

If it works, Apple’s 30-percent take of in-app subscriptions will prove as objectionable in the long run as the App Store itself: not very.

Surface Encounters

Surface Encounters

The major legislative item on the agenda in the Senate this week will be The Small Business Reauthorization Act (S. 493). Republicans plan to use this bill as a platform to promote critical pieces of legislation through the process of non-germane amendments to the bill. Here are some vital amendments that will be debated and voted on throughout the week:

Senator Mitch McConnell is offering an amendment (S. AMDT 183) to prohibit the EPA from promulgating any regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. There is perhaps no force that is more destructive to our prosperity, consumer freedom of choice, and job creation than onerous cap and trade schemes. There are many red state Democrats who are up for reelection in 2012 and will be hard pressed to go on record as supporting policies that are an imprecation to the interests of their states. Make sure to call Senators Claire McCaskill, Joe Manchin, Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson, and Jon Tester in particular.

Senator David Vitter is offering an amendment (S.AMDT. 178) forcing the federal government to sell off unused and underused property. This is a serious issue. The federal government owns over half of the land in some western states and has been using it to stifle energy development. Selling unused federal lands would also serve as a prudent means of generating revenue without raising taxes.

Senator Rand Paul is using the SBA bill as a platform to offer his signature budget bill (S.AMDT 199) which would slash $200 billion in spending for fiscal 2011. Paul’s plan slashes funding by 50% to the Departments of Energy, Education, and HUD. This amendment represents real limited government and budget austerity and will separate the men among the boys in the ranks of the Republican Conference.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is forcing a vote (S. AMDT 197) to delay the implementation of ObamaCare until a final resolution is reached in pending lawsuits. Unlike other bills that are designed to merely ameliorate ObamaCare, this amendment would completely halt it during the ensuing legal battles.

Senator Tom Coburn has filed an amendment (S.AMDT.184) to force federal agencies to compile comprehensive lists of all of their programs

Make sure that all of your Republican senators are on record supporting these amendments, especially Rand Paul’s budget proposal. Also, let’s see which faux moderate Democrats will commit to supporting anyone of these commonsense initiatives. Needless to say, I didn’t waste time calling my senators; Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin!

Senator Mitch McConnell is offering an amendment (S. AMDT 183) to prohibit the EPA from promulgating any regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. There is perhaps no force that is more destructive to our prosperity, consumer freedom of choice, and job creation than onerous cap and trade schemes. There are many red state Democrats who are up for reelection in 2012 and will be hard pressed to go on record as supporting policies that are an imprecation to the interests of their states. Make sure to call Senators Claire McCaskill, Joe Manchin, Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson, and Jon Tester in particular.

Senator David Vitter is offering an amendment (S.AMDT. 178) forcing the federal government to sell off unused and underused property. This is a serious issue. The federal government owns over half of the land in some western states and has been using it to stifle energy development. Selling unused federal lands would also serve as a prudent means of generating revenue without raising taxes.

Senator Rand Paul is using the SBA bill as a platform to offer his signature budget bill (S.AMDT 199) which would slash $200 billion in spending for fiscal 2011. Paul’s plan slashes funding by 50% to the Departments of Energy, Education, and HUD. This amendment represents real limited government and budget austerity and will separate the men among the boys in the ranks of the Republican Conference.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is forcing a vote (S. AMDT 197) to delay the implementation of ObamaCare until a final resolution is reached in pending lawsuits. Unlike other bills that are designed to merely ameliorate ObamaCare, this amendment would completely halt it during the ensuing legal battles.

Senator Tom Coburn has filed an amendment (S.AMDT.184) to force federal agencies to compile comprehensive lists of all of their programs

Surface Encounters

Small Business News: Social Media Brand

What is your social media brand? Do you have one? Sure, many small business owners and entrepreneurs are coming around to the enormous importance of social.

Surface Encounters

Surface Encounters

Surface Encounters

Small Business News: Social Media Brand

What is your social media brand? Do you have one? Sure, many small business owners and entreprene...

Surface Encounters

personal finance and budgeting

This post is from staff writer April Dykman.

As many of you know, before I was a GRS staff writer, I was a GRS reader and active commenter. I’d say the bulk of my early personal-finance education came from this website, and it’s most definitely the resource I credit for spurring me to get serious about paying off debt and saving money.

So last year when J.D. started talking about falling off the tracking-every-penny wagon, I winced. I haven’t been tracking my spending, either. Ever since our income went up last year, I’ve been satisfied that we’re saving enough — more than 55% of our income. We have no debt, we have targeted accounts for irregular expenses, and we pay our credit card bill in full every month. We’re definitely doing well, but the more J.D. wrote about getting back to basics, the more I started to think that my reasoning was just a cop-out. He’s always a few steps ahead of me, it seems!

Tracking for peace of mind

Like J.D., I don’t like the “financial black box” of not knowing where our money is going. Did we spend more on groceries than usual this month? Approximately how much are we spending on gas? I have no idea!

I don’t need to account for every penny, but I’d like a general idea of how we’re doing. It’s too easy to dismiss expenses because we’re doing relatively well with our savings, or because we forgo a lot of extras like cable TV and eating out regularly.

Also, it’s less fun to spend money when I don’t track it. I believe that money is a tool, and that some of it should be saved for the future and some of it should be enjoyed now. But when I’m not exactly sure how much “fun money” we’ve been spending, it’s harder to enjoy spending it. Last week, for example, I made a couple of purchases and felt a little buyer’s remorse, but only because I worried that I was forgetting about other expenses. If I knew we’d allotted, say, $200 to freely spend, and I was within that limit, I wouldn’t have given the purchase a second thought. I could have just enjoyed it.

Past tracking attempts

I’ve tried more than once to stay on the money-tracking bandwagon. I tried Quicken, but it did so much more than I needed it to do and categorizing each expense and reconciling accounts got tedious (maybe the newer versions are more user-friendly?).

I tried Mint, but some accounts wouldn’t update, and there were major glitches that threw off my numbers in a big way. For example, my “personal items” category, which is under $50 each month, mysteriously showed more than $400, but when I tried to view the itemized expenses, the system would time out. When I added it up by hand, it was nowhere near $400. I contacted customer service, but after weeks of waiting, there was no fix and no help, so I quit using Mint. I tried again several months later, but one of my accounts updated so rarely that, again, it wasn’t worthwhile.

I feel like I’ve spent far too much time downloading, uploading, troubleshooting, and e-mailing customer service reps. Tracking my money does not need to be this complicated (though I thought using technology would simplify the process). No wonder I keep dropping the habit — it’s been tedious and time-consuming!

Keeping it simple

Starting February 1st, I decided I’d track my expenses again, but this time, I’m keeping it simple. No software, no web, no syncing — just a small notebook tucked in my bag. In it, I have a page dedicated to each spending category (groceries, gas, bills, etc.) and on each page I record the following information about each purchase:

Date

What I bought

Cash, check, debit card, or credit card

Running total for the month

I plan to keep the spending categories broad, since all I’m after is a general idea of where our money is going, and since a complicated system doesn’t seem to work for me in the long-term. I think that’s the key: Experiment until you find a system that works for you. That’s the only way you’ll stick to it. I quit when I got tired of uploads and downloads or when I encountered a glitch. But finding the right system takes trial and error, and I gave up too soon on something as important as tracking my spending.

I’m feeling good about the new plan, and I’ll report back after trying it out for awhile. Until then, what different methods have you used to track your expenses? What systems did you drop, which have you maintained, and why? And, more to the point, do you have any tips for low-tech expense tracking like I’ve been trying to do?

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some awesome articles on tax tips for your 2010 return, personal finance tips to teach your kids, and ways to stay positive during your job hunt.

Monday, March 28, 2011

SEO Services Vancouver For A Better Marketing Solution

When you start your own website there are many ways you will have to sell it off and one the best way is by using SEO services Vancouver if you happen to maintain that area. The SEO or seo services would be the top method of getting good traffic to your site and therefore making more sales.

Now, you need to know that you will not use SEO service if you are no online business - but then again, if you do not have an online presence if you are an offline business, then you will not make it very far.

It's a popular fact that if you are going to make it in the offline world you need to have an online presence. This is something that all people are learning the hard way. Something that you should also know is that it is not as simple as just establishing the web site and leaving it to do its things.

This can be done in all sorts of ways, however these companies usually make use of multiple methods to create the perfect marketing technique online. You will be able to employ them to write articles for you, post on forums and blogs, create meta data and meta descriptions, clean up the code, add alt tags towards the images and much more.

It is crucial that you simply do this because otherwise the company you have worked so hard for could wind up losing all the money. If you have an internet site that you want to create, then you will also employ the expertise of an SEO company, which stands for search engine optimization company. What the corporation does is basically go ahead and take best parts of your website, check the code, create keywords and write various articles and documents to ensure that your website is placed close to the the surface of the list for the major search engines.

As a result the SEO company cannot only improve your traffic, but also ensure that your website is fully optimized for that search engine spiders that'll be brought to it. These spiders are used to analyze your website and put it in a few positions determined on certain keywords.

If you want to make use of the SEO services Vancouver then all you've got to complete is find the top companies. It's through these that the SEO gets done effectively and efficiently. Because of so many SEO companies to choose from you have to be sure that the main one you're going for is reliable. You ought to be in a position to request a failure of what you need, and the company should also have the ability to tell you know long they have been operating for. This can limit their email list to reveal the top ones.

SEO Services Offered by Different Vancouver Web Companies

The Vancouver SEO company services are very beneficial for business growth as they provide quality services. If you are planning to produce a website for the internet business, then you've come to right article when i is going to be explaining below how Search engine optimisation Vancouver company services can improve your website ranking and make it popular.

Before that, you need to know what Search Engine Optimization is. It's not that complicated and i am sure you will get a grasp of it reading my article. The primary goal of SEO is to get more traffic to your website and audience. It is a good decision to choose a Vancouver SEO company that specializes in this kind of work, so that your website can be listed in search engines.

There is no reason for you using a website without any website ranking whatsoever while you won't have any business and profits to outlive. It's a very tough atmosphere available because there are so many internet business people exactly like you, who want their share of pie. You have to be familiar with the fact that nearly 85% of internet traffic could be got from internet websites.

When a user types in a keyword or keywords for which he/she really wants to know in various sites, these use crawlers to obtain web sites using the relevant content and index them based on algorithms. It's not necessary to worry about the algorithms which these sites use as that is not important.

To look in the first page from the search result, you will have to hire professionals and experts who can perform the needful to keep your site among the good books in these websites. These professionals can optimize your website content to ensure that your site gets more traffic.

Once the traffic gets high, it is a sign that you're obtaining a service that will get you more revenues. SEO Vancouver company do the next to create your site appear inside the first page of search results.

Use keywords which are popularly used on search engines on your website content.
Possess a web design for the website that is simple because top sites are allergic to flash and weird designs.
Submit your website to directories.
Submit your website to directory websites.
Postings on blogs and forums with back links to your websites. This really is considered as an effective method of getting more traffic to your website as many internet users use blogs and forums.

SEO Vancouver company also perform site diagnostics which is a significant part in online optimization as research and analysis on finding keywords is the way to start a SEO campaign. So, make sure you select the right SEO Vancouver service company.

Are you searching for more info regarding SEO Vancouver? Visit http://www.seo4vancouver.com/seo-services.asp today!

What to anticipate When Hiring a Roofing Contractors

When it comes time to repair or substitute your homes roof, it can be a daunting job to locate somebody that is actually qualified for the job. There are many roofing contractors available, however the types who will do a congrats for a reasonable cost are not often easy to find. If you're in the marketplace for a service provider, make use of the ideas below for interviewing and employing the right one.

Job interview as well as Consultation

Most roofing companies provide free consultation services. This is particularly important, because it gives them an opportunity to evaluate what your roof requirements, and it gives you an opportunity to evaluate them. As with all of companies, believe in intuition about the people you let upward onto your roofing. No issue exactly how good a contractor's status or even recommendation, he or she ought to start by presenting you having a company greeting card. If a service provider arrives looking and talking within an less than professional method, most likely the task he's going to do will also be unprofessional. This is not to express that you should expect companies to reach in fits. They will be hiking on your roofing, so the majority of will be dressed in jeans and work footwear or sneakers. If the actual contractor seems to be more interested in talking on his mobile phone while on your roof compared to he is within analyzing your own roof's needs, that may be another sign that he is not the one to do the job. For your lawful protection, be certain that the contractor has sufficient legal responsibility insurance coverage.

Roofing Evaluation

Anticipate the service provider will be rising in your roofing. In fact, any contractor who not need to increase on your roof to evaluate the problem ought to be instantly discounted. Those who're seriously interested in their function may either create a sketching of your roof's surface and mark trouble spots on it because they go through their own evaluation, or even they'll take pictures or even video of the surface while they are available online for. This is a very essential step, since it enables you to observe just what the troubles are and understand how they will be fixed.

Estimate

The next phase would be the created estimate. The contractor will require out their calculator and are available up with an itemized estimate. Some contractors will go out to their own truck or truck as well as write up the suggestion, while others may crunch the numbers for the job in front of you. Once you're because of the suggestion, make sure that you comprehend which products is going to be used, how long the task will require and if you will find any additional or concealed expenses that may occur throughout the repair from the roof. The service provider should be able to solution many of these concerns effortlessly as well as forewarn you of any additional costs that might be sustained should the roof's ethics end up being damaged within.

After you have received a few written estimates from roofers, assess exactly what every organization or even service provider would like to offer you for that price. Do not necessarily low cost the greatest bid, because occasionally the highest bet will in reality function as the service provider who does the task properly. Also, be skeptical of prices for bids that are not nearly as expensive others. They might be using inferior products or be unethical about the chance of hidden costs. Most importantly, believe in intuition as well as opt for the actual contractor that makes you feel quite comfortable regarding giving more than your hard earned money.

Seven Uyghurs Sentenced to Death

2011-03-23

Critics of the sentences say China has politicized the robberies as acts of terrorism.

AFP

A Uyghur man walks past armed Chinese security forces in Urumqi, July 17, 2009.

Chinese authorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang have ordered the executions of seven ethnic minority Uyghur men convicted of "violent" crimes, official media said on Wednesday.

The death sentences were handed down by the Supreme People's Court in recent days, according to state media in the regional capital, Urumqi.

The men were accused in connection with three separate attacks late last year in the Silk Road city of Kashgar, according to the news website Urumqi Online.

According to another website, the Xinjiang-based Tianshan news site, Aimaiti Tuheti, Yiming Dawuti, and unnamed "others" killed a security guard at a pedestrian mall as part of a failed Aug. 7 robbery attempt.

In a separate incident on Oct. 12, it said, Nuermaimaiti Aobulikasimu and 11 others broke into a house, bound and killed the couple living in it, and took their possessions.

It said the group also broke into the homes of two brothers, robbed them, and killed six people in a Nov. 11 attack in Kashgar.

The report gave no information about the victims or the schedule for the executions.

Three of the men were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, a sentence that is normally commuted to life imprisonment in China's judicial system.

They were convicted of deliberate homicide and armed robbery by the Kashgar Intermediate People's Court in the first instance.

'Strike hard' campaign

A Han Chinese resident of Urumqi surnamed Yang said a reference to "terrorism" in official news reports on the case showed that it was being politicized by the authorities, who have launched a series of "strike hard" campaigns in Xinjiang following deadly ethnic violence in July 2009.

"There is an implied political meaning; that they were somehow engaged in separatist activities or ethnic divisions," said Yang.

Exile Uyghur groups said the trials had been conducted behind closed doors, with scant opportunity for public scrutiny.

"The entire process against these men, from the trial through to the judgment, was opaque," said Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress.

"There was also very little reasonable evidence to convict them on a legal basis, because all the evidence came from one side of the case," he said.

"We strongly condemn the Chinese government for continuing to pursue their policies of ethnic division," said Raxit.

"We are also strongly opposed to the death penalty in this case."

Earlier cases

Last month, the Supreme Court sentenced four Uyghurs to death for alleged involvement in an Aug. 19 bomb attack in Xinjiang’s western Aksu city.

The World Uyghur Congress pointed to concerns over lack of transparency in those cases too.

The Aksu blast left eight people dead, including two of the bombers, and 15 wounded after a man riding a three-wheeled vehicle threw explosives at a group of uniformed patrolmen. Four Uyghurs were arrested shortly after the attack.

State media characterized the cases as acts of terrorism and unrelated to longstanding ethnic tensions between Uyghurs and Han Chinese in the region.

Exiled Uyghur dissident Rebiya Kadeer has warned that attacks like those in Aksu will continue to occur until Beijing addresses the underlying source of tension in the region.

Millions of Uyghurs—a distinct, Turkic minority who are predominantly Muslim—populate Central Asia and Xinjiang.

Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness despite China's ambitious plans to develop its vast northwestern frontier.

Those frustrations erupted in July 2009 in deadly riots that left nearly 200 people dead, by the Chinese government's tally.

At least 26 people, mostly Uyghurs, were sentenced to death in the aftermath of the riots, many of whom have been executed, according to state media.

China is believed to execute more people each year than the rest of the world’s countries combined, although the government does not publish official figures.

Rights groups say Beijing may execute as many as several thousand prisoners annually.

Chinese authorities blame Uyghur separatists for a series of deadly attacks in recent years and accuse one group in particular of maintaining ties to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

New training scheme

China on Wednesday also announced a training scheme which places ethnic minority graduates from Xinjiang in work elsewhere in China.

Governments of the destination cities will spend 450 million yuan (U.S.$ 69 million) for the program, while Xinjiang will spend 400 million yuan (U.S.$ 61 million), the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The program targets some 60,000 jobless college graduates in Xinjiang, around 80 percent of whom are from ethnic minorities, and 60 percent of whom are women.

However, some commentators see the move as an attempt to assimilate non-Han Chinese into mainstream Chinese culture.

"From the point of view of ethnic minorities, the graduate work scheme is really taking the cream of youth from the minorities and using them to 'further cultural development,'" wrote one ethnic minority user on a popular microblogging service.

"In fact, the culture that is being advanced is Han culture, and this group of young people will have been totally brainwashed," the microblog update said.

An Urumqi resident surnamed Li agreed.

"They have run senior high school schemes like this before during the past few years," he said.

"Whether it's high-schoolers or graduate training programs, these are measures that are aimed at thought control and brainwashing, and the 'Partification' of their education," he said.

Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.

Wikileaks and also the Uyghurs

through holly on Dec Twenty, 2010
Henryk Szadziewski, Manager, Uyghur Human Rights Project

Whether it had been actually uncertain, information acquired through the whistleblower web site, Wikileaks, offers verified Chinese federal government worries over its ongoing control of the location it phone calls Xinjiang, also is referred to as East Turkestan. The actual leaked out cables through U.Utes. diplomats demonstrate the actual extent to which Chinese authorities make an effort to convince governments globally to adopt it's stance on problems impacting Uyghurs. The wires additionally display the U . s . States' concerns and sights concerning the on going repressive steps in the region.

The majority of lighting associated with Chinese language government stress are the cables pointing in order to Chinese language frustration, or the specter associated with Chinese language ire, over the release of Uyghur detainees within Guantánamo to third nations. A Dec Twenty nine, 08 cable television relates exactly how Chinese Helper Foreign Reverend Liu Jieyi fulfilled with the U.Utes. Ambassador to The far east in order to voice Beijing's strong competitors of release to any kind of country apart from China, which when the Ough.S. did certainly accede for this request it might "avoid harm to bilateral relationships and to cooperation ‘in essential areas'". Furthermore, a February '09 cable explains how the Chinese language Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Zhang Yannian, regarded as the feasible discharge of Uyghur Guantánamo detainees because "an unfriendly behave toward us" along with a "slap within the face". The U.Utes. government was firm within not really releasing the detainees in order to China demonstrates the degree of the politicized nature of the Chinese language judicial system. Genuine issues more than terrorism are easy to understand, however in the actual Ough.Utes. government's view the detainees would probably face torture as well as delivery when they returned to The far east

Chinese language federal government pressure regarding the Uyghur Guantánamo detainees wasn't just applied to the actual U.S. government, but also to Brand new Zealand along with a handful of Western governments which were considering resettlement. Albania, Indonesia as well as Finland, as well as European Union member states all appear to have borne the actual brunt of Chinese language federal government unhappiness. In the case of Indonesia, that was initially willing to consider 2 Uyghurs on solely humanitarian reasons, Uyghur Guantánamo instances had been much less better than additional detainees due to the unwanted effects accepting Uyghurs would have upon relationships along with The far east. A May 8, 2009 cable relates how "German Ambassador Erina Schaefer documented that Indonesia experienced informed China of the U.S. request to accept a few Uighur detainees held at Guantánamo and had been subsequently cautioned by China associated with ‘a heavy burden upon bilateral relations' in the event that Germany were to simply accept any kind of detainees".

The diplomatic wires also talk about the actual unrest within Urumchi, the actual local funds, within This summer '09. A This summer 13, 2009 cable discussing mass incidents in The far east states:

"Ethnic riots such as those in Xinjiang This summer 5-7 as well as in Tibet in March of 2008 differ substantially in origin as well as nature through mass incidents, XXXXXXXXXXXX stressed to PolOff [Political Officer] upon XXXXXXXXXXXX. Both existing serious trouble for the actual Party, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, but the Party leadership would not wait to open fire on Uighurs or Tibetans when they deemed it essential to recover purchase. Mass occurrences pose a different type of risk, he said, as the management is ‘afraid' to fire on Han rioters for fear of causing huge public outrage that will change against the Party."

This can be a chilling viewpoint, particularly when one views the evidence offered in two reports released this year through the Uyghur Human Privileges Project (UHRP) as well as Amnesty Worldwide that detail eyewitness accounts from the utilization of deadly live fireplace against Uyghur protestors within This summer '09. In addition, the declaration which fire would not be deployed against Han Chinese language protestors offers resonances for the different approach taken through Chinese security causes in Urumchi to Han Chinese direct orders in September '09. Throughout those direct orders, then Celebration Assistant, Wang Lequan, tackled protesters, who had required he let them know regarding federal government responses to security issues. An identical request to satisfy using the Party Assistant by Uyghur demonstrators in July wasn't met.

The actual broader repercussions from the unrest additionally noticed a brief discussion about the effect it might have upon Iran-China relationships, and on relationships with Sydney following Globe Uyghur Congress President, Microsoft. Rebiya Kadeer, talked in the Nationwide Press Club in Canberra within July '09. Within the second option case, the Chinese federal government "privately warn[ed] a major Australian bank which sponsors the nation's Push Membership to use its impact to block a Kadeer talk there".

The actual U . s . States' concerns concerning the scenario in the Uyghur area also come via in the cables. Inside a dialogue on plan direction in Tibet, U.S. authorities clarify that it'll be not possible with regard to Chinese language leaders to consider the softer line "if they appear like doing this under international pressure". The cable television dated 04 Sixteen, 2008, 30 days after the outbreak associated with unrest within Tibetan areas, also relayed the actual observation "that domestic balance continues to be leadership's main concern above all else, which means there'll ‘almost surely' be no rest of the current difficult line upon Tibet or in locations like Xinjiang." The info included in the cable television also storage sheds gentle about the extreme sensitivity that china federal government views territorial ethics, and also the feasible spill more than of unrest from Tibet.

The prospect associated with methods to tensions in Tibet and Xinjiang arising from municipal culture tend to be discussed in a Feb Twenty-four, 08 cable television. While suggesting that China's economic achievement increases its potential to deal with democratic reform, the cable additionally discusses exactly how Chinese language frontrunners begin to see the effectiveness associated with "a restricted expansion of civil culture, such as enhancements in the rule of law along with a more powerful role with regard to authorized beliefs, NGOs, non profit organizations along with other stars in areas which bring about social stability and don't problem Communist Party guideline." This can be a notable alternation in thinking, which has observed Ough.S. officials promote the idea that Chinese financial improvement, as well as economic relationships with China brings about a progressively democratic culture; nevertheless, more belief seems to be put into the grassroots motion compared to one which begins from the best levels of the Chinese language federal government. Nonetheless, the cable concludes that "[i]n places for example Tibet and Xinjiang, the fear of separatism leads to tight restrictions about the development of civil culture." This approach is viewed as counter-productive through the official, who shows that the Ough.Utes. government "should continue to express...serious issues over Beijing's individual privileges report and appeal to China's growing awareness which higher regard with regard to individual rights, spiritual independence and the guideline of law assists to promote the very development as well as sociable balance which China seeks in addition to to enhance China's worldwide image." Such a technique might take considerable diplomatic skills thinking about "China's paranoid concern the Usa secretly promotes routine change and ‘separatists' in Taiwan, Tibet as well as Xinjiang".

The wires offer understanding of the every day business of diplomacy that is hardly ever afforded to everyone, which is fascinating to notice the amount of function done behind closed doors on Uyghur issues. The importance of the role of the us as a keep track of associated with Uyghur individual privileges problems in private discussions is made obvious, and contrasts with its tactful open public stance. Employees of the Uyghur Human Privileges Project is actually well aware of pressure china federal government exerts upon Uyghur activists; nevertheless, the details associated with Chinese language government stress upon it's counterparts is illustrative of the degree that Chinese officials attempt to control contradictory stories. With more revelations to come through Wikileaks, issues more than Uyghurs may not get the head lines, but the wires have get rid of brand new gentle about the documentation of human privileges conditions within the Uyghur region.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Search Engine Marketing And Article Marketing Will Place Yourself Page 1

Search engine marketing and marketing with articles are two of the most powerful strategies that can be used in promoting your website and get the revenue and success that you need for your internet business. These two everything has been around for any really long time already nevertheless they still remain to be really effective. In fact, these have helped a lot of people free themselves in the traditional means of money-generating options of society.

In this post, I will be showing the ways on how you are able to properly execute search engine optimization and article marketing for the betterment of one's small business website. Furthermore, I will even be discussing different points that you must look out for when you're using these two online marketing strategies to market your website and get customers. Despite the fact that article marketing and Seo have been established for a long time already, you need to know that the trends and choices regarding how they are carried out are continually changing, which is why you need to remain up to date with these items through the help of Search engine optimization forum sites so that you can quickly adjust and learn to make your strategies more effective.

In the past marketing with articles to different web-sites used to be so simple the effects that they produce for web sites was powerful. However, everything has changed a whole lot today. Nowadays submitting the same article to various websites has stopped being a good idea because engines like google have now changed to some huge extent in the way they rank pages. They no longer rank contents that are identical like they accustomed to in the past. This really is the most effective examples of changes that exist in web marketing trends. This change has given birth to wide plethora of methods that online marketers are using today. The majority of online marketers now produce articles and publish them in really popular article directories and await targeted prospects to make their pages. Be thought of as that most reliable Seo strategy that can be used. Aside from being effective, this provides positive benefits frequently. A small problem with this technique is that the caliber of traffic that you will get out of this will not be so good unless you do proper keyphrase research beforehand and use in-links. You need for carrying on these two things before you decide to submit your posts so that you won't end up losing considerable amounts of targeted prospects. Which means that you need to practice good amounts of diligence if you would like your advertising initiatives to function.

Aside from articles, you can even use blogs, which is another really powerful form of online marketing strategy today since it is highly popular with the major search engines. In this technique, you are able to choose to create a single blogging site that specifically targets your chosen market otherwise you can contribute to other weblogs that are labeled as experts in your niche.

Learn effective Vancouver seo techniques in the Vancouver SEO website.

Roofing Contractors Vancouver BC

There are several things to consider when looking for the roofing contractor. Cost, experience, and also referrals are some of the things you'll likely be concerned about. Keep reading for even other great ideas.

Finding a Roofers

Before hunting for a roofing contractor, make sure you have a standard idea of the job that you need to have done. By no means is it necessary to be an authority. If you have a Roof Certification, read it completely to find the information about your current roof. Unless you have a Roof Certificate, make reference to documents authorized during closing to locate your homes roof Inspection linen. These files should give you everything you need to know about your roof. Prior to contacting any roofing contractor, you have to have a list of specifications and specs to help you choose exactly who would work for your roofing project. Make sure to write down each potential roof covering contractor's answers and check these people against the other. If you'll find any inacucuracy, be sure to notice this as well as take this into consideration when creating a final determination. There are no surefire ways to pick a roofing contractor, but if you take take to the data provided, your odds of a successful roofing project tend to be greatly superior.

One of the best methods for finding a roofing contractor is by word of mouth. Try inquiring a friend or relative that has had covering work done, and was satisfied with the task. Get the brand of the business and their own contact data. If you have no word of jaws referrals, attempt first hunting in the telephone book and internet-based. A large ad or elegant website just isn't necessarily an indication of the top quality of work, but can be a good tool for measuring just how long and commitment they have placed in their particular profession. Also, try discovering current worksites and look at the roof covering work that is done or perhaps in the process of being finished. In case you are visually impressed, ask the house manager for the name of the roofing contractor as well as their speak to information.

Preliminary research

When looking for the roofing contractors, it can be imperative to first do the background research. Purchasing in the phone book or on the web is a suitable place to find a service provider, finding relevant information on these kind of businesses will likely be found in several other areas. 1st, check with places like the Bbb, city, express, and region public records, and local licensing agencies. Request your roofer if they are a part of any roofer associations. These kinds of precautions will certainly mitigate your current risks. Furthermore ask them what forms of roofing they will specialize in. In addition ask your roofing contractor regarding any guarantees they offer on the installed roofs. Find out what safety measures they take to avoid harm done to the rest of the home by simply workers. Items such as gutters, exterior siding, and chimneys are close in proximity and therefore susceptible to unintentional damages.

Make sure all of this info is included in your published contract. Determine if you need a roof covering permit and/or authorization from your homeowners association ahead of time. These people will let you know that's responsible for obtaining these allows and authorizations. If it is the duty of the roofer, also have this included in your contract. If it's your accountability, get said permits along with permissions collated using the estimated covering project and also have it clearly posted or readily available.

Certification and References

Roofing Contractors are not forced to be qualified in all claims. Contact neighborhood licensing businesses that rule general construction contractors for any list of demands. Once you have obtained the requirements, develop a list of thorough questions to ask the potential roofing contractor. This simple record should right away help you to discount the skilled from the unqualified roofing companies. Qualified companies should be able to easily answer questions or perhaps tell you that they should do additional research prior to giving the definitive reply.

Even if any roofing contractor features all needed licensing, you ought to ask to view pictures involving completed roofing jobs and also speak to pleased clients. Have a list of queries handy to ask recent consumers, such as the nature of the work, timeliness, and total satisfaction. Make certain these are current clients as well as cross reference point if possible. In the case of commercial roof covering, make sure that your roofing contractor is bonded. Checking these references is another added measure of stability to define the list regarding potential roofing contractors.

Seo Through Content creation

Article writing could be an extremely powerful type of Seo for the company website. Quality written articles manage to enhance your websites SERP and add quality for your company website. Writing informative keyword rich articles is important in gaining new backlinks for a business website. Articles can and really should be written on topics which can be unique to your business or industry. The articles can discuss a multitude of issues and ideas within your industry. Articles that offer the reader which has a resource are always the most popular and many likely types of articles that will cause backlinks aimed at your website.

Focus your articles on the potential readers or customers. Seo articles should address real questions that are asked by current or best buyers. Each article you're writing to suit your needs company should include detailed analysis and Seo keywords which can help associate your internet site while using content seen in the website. Focus your articles on as much as 3 keywords and do not stray from them. Consistency is important when writing Seo articles. In case you are writing about Vancouver Seo make certain your still come up with information strongly related the keyword.

Give each one of your Seo Articles an engaging Title that may encourage people to see and bookmark your posts. Ideally, the articles you are writing can become as links off their websites which are similar to yours. This can help improve the power of every link all of which will aid in increasing your SERP. Make sure to end each article which has a keyword anchored link (see Easy Small company Search engine optimization). This link will assist you to improve your rankings in Google as well as other major search engines like yahoo to the keyword coupled to the link. Submit the articles to your free article directory and Voila! Before you know it, your site could possibly be on the first page of Google.

Appreciate your reading. Can't wait to talk to your Search engine optimization articles!

Vancouver Search Engine Optimization Company Aims For Google Places With Overall Success

When people type in looking term trying to find a business of their local area, they'll find that Google places and Google maps is showing listings of local businesses. It's very eminent to enable them to be optimized and listed on this first page when they desire to generate business. Vancouver SEO companies should be educated in this area for their clients.

There will be a lots of new Vancouver SEO companies establishing, simply because the requirement is there. Finding a search engine firm containing the client's interest at heart may be tedious. The number of keywords will they optimize for? Which are the keywords and the corresponding amount of searches? Do they understand how to optimize for Google places? And so forth. Search engine optimisation may be the business of landing at the pinnacle and Maxim Edge you can get there.

"My wife and i also started our Vancouver Seo agency by accident. We now have learned from the school of hard knocks and trial and error how to use the web to promote any business. We began while using website, then the competition, and of course building quality back-links to push an internet site up within the rankings. It isn't really pushing some control and watching what are the results type of business. It takes a lot of effort, a lot of research and a lot of commitment. We strive for our clients and that we are very proud of a high retention rate." Randy Neale says.

For really information about Michael, a Vancouver Seo agency, please visit the website today at seo4vancouver.com

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Uyghurs from Eastern Turkistan

In the center of the desert landscapes of Taklamakan, in the northern-western part of China, the province of Xinjiang is a least populated land while it covers close to a sixth from the country's area. Having resisted while in centuries the Han Chinese control, Xinjiang, or Old Turkistan, fell within the Chinese Han control in 1949. From then, its population is mainly Uyghur People and Turkish - speaking System.

Muslim mainly, the Uyghur people have a strong religious identification that, in specific, permitted them to preserve a strong difference in opposition to the Chinese invader. Without a doubt, the Uyghur Empire of Mongolia knew a excellent civilization, until its absorption by the Mongolian Empire in the XIIIth century.

During their background, the Uyghurs successively taken on Shamanism, Manicheism, Buddhism and the Nestorianism before lastly moving to Islam when the Arab conquerors beat the Chinese in year 751 BC., as a result opening the way to the Islamization of the whole Central Asia.

Under the influence of the beliefs which they adopted, the Uyghurs taken successively, and sometimes in a competing way, a large number of written forms (turco-runic, brahmi, tokharien, soghdien) before developing their own unique graphic system.

The entrance of Islam was a great modification simply because it was accompanied by the absorption of the Uyghur land in the enormous Turco-Mongolian and Muslim Empire. Thus, the descendants of Genghis Khan slowly replaced their writing by a Arabo-Persan alphabet, still used nowadays.

If their own writing, their own language and their religion mark a real big difference with the tradition of Chinese Han, Uyghur People also are different from their characteristic, so aspect of Central Asia's people. A shiny skin, eyes representing a whole pallet of colors, from black to deep blue, features going out to the Mongolian, Turkish or Uzbek roots of these men and these women.

For a few years, China has integrated the proper identity of these remote people, although they represent only 8 million inhabitants - a little for this kind of large region. Therefore, Uyghur people are now part of the 56 racial minority groups having been well-known in an official way by the People's Republic of China.

This particular law will allow these people a few privileges in a land where their difference is very often repressed. Thus, Uyghur families escape the "single child policy" and their language is recognized as the second official language in Xinjiang.

The integration of the Uyghurs and their culture in the People's Republic of China, however, looks very illusory. The presence of natural sources in Xinjiang, and its closeness with countries acknowledged as sensitive, strongly encouraged the government to increase the sinicization of this area. Million of Han thus came to settle in this new Chinese eldorado, monopolizing the higher responsibility jobs.

In reaction to this true will to assimilate the Uyghurs into the Chinese culture, an independent party like East Turkistan Islamic Movement(ETIM) was born in the early 1990.

Asserting more flexibility, but primarily the acceptance of their true identity, this movement was seriously repressed by the power authorities in place Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The events of September 11, 2001, were the perfect occasion for the Chinese government to justify true reprisals: they declared the "Uyghur freedom fighters" as dangerous terrorists linked to Al Quaida because of their Muslim origins and their proximity with Pakistan and Afghanistan... However, the terrible repression which followed did not calm down the anger. The Uyghur population continues today to proudly hold their identification and their culture , though they become a minority on their own land.

For additional information and facts about the Uyghurs, you can visit a Uyghur website called Uyghur News at http://www.uyghurnews.com

ation|Web optimization|Website seo|Seo optimization|Seo optimisation} Expert Advice - Getting Ahead Using SEO

When it comes to success, one of several mot significant things is planning far ahead of time. Simillar to in anything else, preparation is the vital thing. Once you prepare with determination choosing able to get before competition, even in the world of internet business. Websites nowadays are trying to do the most beautiful to get ahead of competition for targeted key words through careful planning. Search engine optimisation is the better tool used in order to achieve your goals and fortunately, the Search engine optimisation expert advice and tips which have been discussed here will make things simpler for you.

Website seo is necessary today

One of the primary reasons why lots of people today are seeking Search engine optimization expert advice is because it's one of the few strategies that usually work today online. Search engine optimisation can be extremely effective in terms of getting a higher site ranking on search engines, increasing the variety of visitors on location and improving the level of profits and purchases. Although most people and anything good Search engine optimisation expert would tell you that it is a lengthy and complicated process, Seo is really a skill that could be learned. Should you employ the assistance of an expert or if you utilize tricks utilized by experts for own sites, it would be easier for you to understand the thought and put it to use to your own site.

Taking an SEO course

Several businessmen an internet-based website owners today are taking Seo certification from experts today mainly because it turns out to be quite great for them. There are lots of short certification courses on Search engine optimization on the market which can show you the basic concepts and supply you a grip about them. These trainings are often given by those people who are experts within the field. Through training, these experts share their knowledge using the course participants, help them learn the essential methods for better optimization of web sites which will help these to promote their business. These courses can educate them market and keyword research so that they can select the greatest keyword and obtain a better chance to rank higher about the search engines.

Search engine ranking optimization training can be very helpful

Through Seo training it is possible to learn several concepts and tips like placing keywords inside right put in place the content of web sites. Another topic that's often tackled by such courses is linking strategy since it will also help you rank higher. These Search engine optimisation trainings and courses could be taken either online or even in the traditional format in classrooms, depending on your own some time and preferences. It will be possible to help your site and enjoy better traffic and profits with the concepts which might be taught by these courses by an search engine optimisation expert wales.

The author is fulltime Seo Expert, you'll be able to know more about him and services they feature on their website http://www.seo4vancouver.com/.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Making Money Secrets

I have a 15 year old cousin with autism, whose parents are trying to plan for the future when they're not around to take care of him anymore. My uncle is in his mid 60's, and my aunt is somewhere in her 40's. I'm 24. My cousin will be classified as a disabled adult upon turning 18, and will probably have to be institutionalized at some point.

I received a call from my semi-estranged uncle asking if I'd be willing to administer the cousin's inheritance. I haven't seen these relatives for a few years. Semi-estranged due to family drama (which I'm not directly involved in) over the uncle's treatment of his other child. This mess also means that my uncle's other child is probably out of the running to look after my cousin with autism. I'm willing to consider acting as trustee, but I need a lot more information.

So .... if you have any experience with this sort of thing, I'd love to hear from you. I'm wondering about:

1) What kind of support does the US give to disabled adults? If it matters, cousin lives in TX. I'm still in graduate school, with no idea where I'll settle. Will my cousin be provided with somewhere safe to live, or is he out on the street as soon as my uncle's money runs out? Or does it make sense for the money to run out sooner, so government help kicks in (as seems to be the case for some instances of elder care)?

2) Is there any way for me to wind up on the hook for my cousin's care? I have no intention of agreeing to this if I will wind up legally responsible for supporting my cousin out of my own earnings. I also have no intention of ever being a physical caretaker.

3) My uncle pitched this as my only job being to control the investments and cut checks when necessary. What other duties am I likely to wind up with? What types of decisions will I have to be making, and what degree of involvement with my cousin's day-to-day life will be required?

4) Do professionals exist who do this for a fee, or does it always just fall onto family?

5) What about the other cousin? What are the legal ramifications of leaving an unequal inheritance?

6) What other questions do I need to be asking my uncle? I will have no problem asking awkward questions, or saying no to this request.

Before I sign onto anything, I'll definitely be consulting a lawyer, but that's a way into the future. I have on the order of a year to make this decision.

Anonymous because these really aren't my secrets to spill all over the internet, and it's easy to figure out my identity from my posting history.

I will be following this thread, and can answer questions through one of the admins. If you want to contact me directly, I can be reached at autistic_cousin@hotmail.com.

I have a 15 year old cousin with autism, whose parents are trying to plan for the future when they're not around to take care of him anymore. My uncle is in his mid 60's, and my aunt is somewhere in her 40's. I'm 24. My cousin will be classified as a disabled adult upon turning 18, and will probably have to be institutionalized at some point.

I received a call from my semi-estranged uncle asking if I'd be willing to administer the cousin's inheritance. I haven't seen these relatives for a few years. Semi-estranged due to family drama (which I'm not directly involved in) over the uncle's treatment of his other child. This mess also means that my uncle's other child is probably out of the running to look after my cousin with autism. I'm willing to consider acting as trustee, but I need a lot more information.

So .... if you have any experience with this sort of thing, I'd love to hear from you. I'm wondering about:

1) What kind of support does the US give to disabled adults? If it matters, cousin lives in TX. I'm still in graduate school, with no idea where I'll settle. Will my cousin be provided with somewhere safe to live, or is he out on the street as soon as my uncle's money runs out? Or does it make sense for the money to run out sooner, so government help kicks in (as seems to be the case for some instances of elder care)?

2) Is there any way for me to wind up on the hook for my cousin's care? I have no intention of agreeing to this if I will wind up legally responsible for supporting my cousin out of my own earnings. I also have no intention of ever being a physical caretaker.

3) My uncle pitched this as my only job being to control the investments and cut checks when necessary. What other duties am I likely to wind up with? What types of decisions will I have to be making, and what degree of involvement with my cousin's day-to-day life will be required?

4) Do professionals exist who do this for a fee, or does it always just fall onto family?

5) What about the other cousin? What are the legal ramifications of leaving an unequal inheritance?

6) What other questions do I need to be asking my uncle? I will have no problem asking awkward questions, or saying no to this request.

Before I sign onto anything, I'll definitely be consulting a lawyer, but that's a way into the future. I have on the order of a year to make this decision.

Anonymous because these really aren't my secrets to spill all over the internet, and it's easy to figure out my identity from my posting history.

I will be following this thread, and can answer questions through one of the admins. If you want to contact me directly, I can be reached at autistic_cousin@hotmail.com.

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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Dirty Percent

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

Apple Should Consider Business Models That Can’t Afford a 70/30 Revenue Split

Apple Should Not Require Price Matching

Apple Should Not Require Apps to Offer In-App Subscriptions

Apple Should Be Taking Less, Possibly Far Less, Than 30 Percent

Competition vs. Anti-Competition

Top 5 Articles

Other Essential Reading

Monday, March 28, 2011

Job interview as well as Consultation

Roofing Evaluation

Estimate

'Strike hard' campaign

Earlier cases

New training scheme

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Website seo is necessary today

Taking an SEO course

Search engine ranking optimization training can be very helpful

Wednesday, March 16, 2011