Top 10 Beginner Tips

Reasons to Buy Lee Jeans for Women

2010-01-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

My Top 10 Reasons to Buy Lee Jeans for Women

1. Available in lots of dark colors

2. Zipper-front, no bunch up in the front

3. Fit perfect at your waist

4. Straight leg cut

5. Fair amount of stretch in these jeans

6. Fabric is so soft, even squatting down feels like doing the same movement in normal pants

7. Did I already mention extremely comfortable and fit well

8. Less than $50 for a perfect pair of jeans

My favorite pair of Lee Jeans at less than $30 plus Free Shipping too!

9. True to size, fit great even over big thighs

10. Wash and wear well with no fading even after tons of times in washer

11. Available in Short sizes also

Setting Up a Website on a Budget

2010-01-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

Top 10 resources I use when setting up a website on a budget:

Blogger is free and belongs to Google and it takes less than 5 minutes to have your blog. With at least 10 ready-to-go templates to choose from, all you have to do is find an available domain name and off you go. Cost: Free

If a standalone domain is what you need then Wordpress is the easiest route to set up a blog or website quickly. Any decent shared hosting company such as HostGator or I use HostMonster will have 1-click Wordpress setup function in their basic package. Cost: HostGator is $9.95 per month or HostMonster I pay $83.40 for a year for as many websites as I can set up.

When I need to make a quick but still professional-looking header or banner for my websites, I use GFX Writer, an inexpensive header, banner, ecover graphic software that is easy to learn and fun to use. Why spend money for something like Photoshop when I know I won't use more than 1/10 of its functions. Cost: $19.95

When you need to post some articles but don't have time to write, you can always make use of article directories such as EzineArticles, GoArticles, and many others. Just make sure to post really good articles specific to your website topic and always keep the author's resource box intact. Cost: Free

If you need an inexpensive autoresponder to keep in touch or promote your products or services with your blog or website readers, try Imnica Mail, the only autoresponder I know of that allows single opt-in for now.That just means you don't have to force your readers to double opt-in to receive your newsletters or updates if you want to. It's also cheaper than all the other autoresponders that I know of such as GetResponse and Aweber. Cost: I pay $15 per month for Imnica Mail and use it on as many websites and blogs as I want.

If you have to invest in any software for setting up your website or blog, I recommend Micro Niche Finder, a keyword research tool that helps pinpoint what to focus on as topics for your posts or articles. Why bother setting up a website or blog when no one cares enough to read what you wrote. I use this software everyday and it's updated so often it's awesome. Free video to show you step by step how to use Micro Niche Finder so you'll know for sure if this is for you or not. Cost: $97 one time purchase.

For free quality images to use for your website or blog, you definitely want to bookmark PhotoRack.net This website is so generously giving you tons of cool and professional-quality images to use without any requirement to provide a link back but you should anyway. Cost: Free

Setting up a blog or website is simple enough but I still get stuck once in a while. Save money by Googling for the solutions. There are some extremely talented and generous souls out there, you know who you are :) Cost: Free

If your goal is make money as well as save money with setting up your blog or website, then the easiest way is to incorporate Amazon Associate program into your posts or articles. Blogger now has a real easy way of doing this, just click on the Monetize Tab in your blog dashboard. Cost: Free

Promoting your blog or website is an ongoing effort. I submit videos to YouTube, articles to article directories, and build back links to lead traffic back to all my websites and blogs. Cost: Free if do it yourself, $25 one time purchase if using automation such as ArticleBot to submit articles to 400+ article directories at once.

How to Help Your Children Research for School Projects

2010-01-02T18:57:00.000-08:00

When helping my children with researching for school projects, I try to these tips in mind:

Refine what data to research will save time on the actual research.

Don't just settle for whatever Google brings back as searched results; explore library databases and other online services whose results don't show up easily through Google searches.

Not all blogs and websites are created equal; make sure only to use accurate and authoritative data.

Keep a notepad or text page open to record links and notes as needed.

Avoid downloading or printing random (unrelated to current researched project) stuff as you find them for later use.

Be selective, there are quality data and materials out there.

Keep track of your kids' research progress; watch out for them simultaneously surfing on "fun" websites such as games, chats, etc., while "searching online".

Make sure your virus protection software is updated frequently.

Don't forget to log off online accounts when you're finished using any registered websites and not just closing the windows down.

Don't do your children school projects for them.

My favorite books that help with improving student research skills (mine too) are these two books:

Research & Writing Skills Success in 20 Minutes a Day by Learning Express Editors. Their chapter on helping you learn how to narrow your topic is excellent and easy to understand.
The Curious Researcher (6th Edition) by Bruce Ballinger. This is written toward more adult writers but I love the writing exercises. They're fun and innovative. Another plus for this book is how the author teaches the readers over and over again how even the most mundane and ordinary subject can be turned into a great research paper.