Very easy to install, just upload, activate and then give your readers a link to a url like this one: http://blog-op.com/?random

Obviously replace my URL with your own and you’re off and running. I’ve linked mine up to a button on the top right of my blog, so if you fancy viewing some of my random posts, click away.

The Top 10 Blogs – Who Cares?

A bit harsh maybe, but there’s a valid point in there somewhere, let me see if I can dig it out.

I was just having a look through Technorati, and came across the Top 100 blogs ranked according to incoming links, and though I’d see which ones I read. It struck me that of the top 10 I have read exactly none of them. Here’s the Top 10 when I looked at it this morning, along with my thoughts as I visit for the first time:

•     Engadget: A tech blog with news on the latest gadgets, gizmos and tech news. Rather a lot going on, on the front page, with dozens of outgoing links to other blogs on the Weblogs Inc network. First impression: Cluttered.
•     Boing-Boing: A completely random blog/magazine with no apparent focus on any one thing (nothing wrong with that). Dozens of posts on the front page, hemmed in tightly by what I assume are ads. First impression: Fluid width design anyone?
•     Gizmodo: It calls itself the gadgets weblog, and appears to be just that. Nice clean design, good use of images,  sensible number of posts, uncluttered. First impression: I like it.
•     TechCrunch: A blog that concentrates on the latest  internet products and companies. A clear WordPress blog with only 6 posts on the front page (which encourages you to read further) and some interesting articles with news of a new WP plugin that I like the look of. You would think he’d keep his version of WordPress up to date though… First impression: Green! But I think I’ll subscribe.
•     The Huffington Post: Unsurprisingly laid out like a newspaper, the blog is tucked into a narrow column, although it does exist in it’s own right on another page. News and opinion on any topic you care to mention. First impression: I hate the homepage layout-it may work on paper, but not on my screen.
•     Lifehacker: Recommends the software, downloads etc. that help to make you more productive. A relief on the eyes after the Huffington Post, and an engagingly written, interesting blog. First impression: The blocks of ads overlaps the sidebar. First thing I noticed I’m afraid.
•     Ars Technica:Everything technology related, with articles on IT, gaming, internet and related law. A little cluttered, with few images and the right ’sidebar’ is way too intrusive for my tastes. First impression: Is this on Blogspot? (Sorry, it’s the template).
•     PostSecret: People write a secret of theirs onto a postcard and mail it to the blogger, who posts it up. The most drab template you can imagine, on Blogspot of all things and yet utterly compelling. Unequivocal proof that content is what counts, and a couple of blogs further up the list could learn from letting the content of the posts speak for itself. First impression: Wow.
•     Daily Kos: Hard to sum up in a few words, but comes across as very personal given the number of different contributors. A political blog very firmly centered on the US, it is nevertheless an interesting read. A clean simple layout, which allows you to concentrate on what’s been written. First impression: Simple, and straight to the point.
•     Michelle Malkin: Very little actual writing, just an awful lot of cutting and pasting. Probably appeals to the opposite camp to Daily Kos, I should imagine they lob dead woodchucks at each other over the Technorati fence. First impression: Blockquotes ahoy!

I suppose you’ll be wanting a point now?

Simply this; there’s very little outrageously special about any of the blogs on the list above: Probably only PostSecret is anything outside of the ordinary, but it’s effectively written by the people posting the cards. There is absolutely no reason why your blog couldn’t be on this list one day.

Of these I’ll probably only be subscribing to one, maybe two of the blogs. Five of them I almost certainly won’t visit again. For those of you starting out, or feeling depressed at a lack of progress, keep going: longevity is almost as important as quality in the cases of some of these blogs – I know that I read better blogs daily from people who have yet to reach this level of linkage.

One other thing I noticed whilst going through these, is how some of the ‘absolutes’ of blogging that get beaten into you when you start simply don’t apply: Tell me what niche Boing-Boing sticks rigidly to? Uncluttered layouts? Prominent RSS icons? No, be true to yourself, visit and participate in other blogs, and you’ll get the level of success you deserve.

Which is why I’ll probably still be plowing this lonely furrow years from now

The only Top 100 blog I read with any regularity is No.57, The Dilbert Blog. How about you? Do you read any of the Top 10 on a regular basis?

Up until about a week ago, I was firmly against post excerpts – Where you have a small amount of post visible and a ‘Continue reading’ or similar button to click and view the whole post (an example is shown at the bottom of this post). Fair enough if your post is particularly long, but using it on every post? No thanks.

But then I read this article on post excerpts by Francesco and I must admit his points are bringing me around, in summary:

People subscribed to your feeds will never see them, as the post won’t be excerpted.
New visitors may prefer it as they are able to skim more of your blog posts on first arriving, hooking them in.
If they get in a ‘clicking mood’ they may click further on your blog, and explore more of what you have to offer.

Along with some other very valid points I’ll let you read on his blog. But before you go, please vote on this poll:

If you cannot see the poll, please temporarily turn off your ad-blocker. Thanks.

My nosing into peoples financial success was quite interesting last week, as it seems quite a few of use have made some money from blogging.

64% of voters have made over $100 with another 27% making at least a $1 putting to bed the notion that paid hosting is out of reach – You can get a decent package for around $80 a year which will pay for itself very quickly.

At opposite extremes, one person doesn’t want to make money from blogging, and one has made over $5000 – wonder who they were?

To all those seeking to make a dollar or three from blogging: Good Luck!

Defining Participatory and Representative Democracy

Participatory democracy is a form of direct democracy, which is a type of government where the final decision belongs to the public rather than government officials. In a participatory democracy, every citizen participates actively to ensure that proposals satisfy their needs and requirements before they are approved and legalized.

On the other hand, representative democracy doesn’t require the public’s intervention at all times. In this form of government, officials are elected by the people to make decisions on their behalf and serve their interests. However, there will be times when the representatives won’t be able to satisfy everyone, because the needs of the many can overcome the needs of the few.

Why Participatory Democracy is Best

Advocates of participatory democracy claim that it is the best form of government because:

• It allows the public to have an active role in the decision making process, therefore ensuring that people’s opinions are heard and guaranteeing their satisfaction with their government.
• There are fewer chances of corruption because power won’t be in the hands of politicians. Because the public will have the power to overturn proposals, businesses and organizations won’t be able to bribe them for their own benefit.
• Citizens will have multiple opportunities to make their voices heard. Therefore, they won’t be limited to the elections taking place every four years.
• Decisions will be made to satisfy people’s requirements rather than those of well-off individuals and businesses.

Why Representative Democracy Can be Ideal

Though the points supporting participatory democracy are strong, the advantages of representative democracy shouldn’t be neglected.

• Unlike the common man, an elected government official is more interested in politics and well aware of its secrets. As a result, they can make better decisions that are free from personal interest.
• Though supporters of participatory democracy claim that decisions made by people are quicker, elected officials’ slower decisions can prove to be more effective. The reason behind this is that politicians put more thought into solutions and analyze them through different tools to ensure that they work for a long time.
• Representatives consider what people want but do not ignore the requirements of the rest of the community. Because the business sector is a major contributor to the economy, it will be unfair to ignore its needs or to put those of the people above them.
• Individuals can become biased to certain factors such as color of skin. On the other hand, representatives do not consider those factors while making decisions because they believe that the public as a whole elected them.

Both participatory and representative democracy are essential today. However, people can practice the prior form of government only when they can work together and can put the needs of the community over their individual requirements.

The term dry cleaning itself can be a bit misleading since it does utilize a certain amount of water no matter how small that amount might be. Basically, dry cleaning involves applying a powdery mixture to the clothing. The solution itself consists of some detergent, absorbent and a little amount of water to mix it up. The powdery mixture itself is smeared on the item (like a carpet). After that, machines are used to infuse the solution into the fibers. The powder is effective in sticking to the dirt and debris on the item after which it is extracted via an industrial vacuum.

Other than that, as compared to wet cleaning, dry cleaning won’t damage your clothes in the long run. It ensures that the colors remain intact and that the material remains soft. Just remember that the quality of the cleaning methods might differ between different dry cleaning services. In other words, it depends on the types of machines and solvents the cleaning service uses. [Bonita Springs Dry Cleaners]

Always remember that dry cleaners are trained professionals. This means that they know what they are doing and are equipped with all the tricks of the trade that will be tantamount in getting rid of the most stubborn of stains and grime. They will also take your concerns into consideration before starting on any cleanup job.

Other than that, dry cleaning is also the cleaning method of choice for most when it comes to wool. Rugs or other woolen items can suffer irreparable damage if they are cleaned through any other cleaning methods.

However, it is best that you figure out whether you need to resort to dry cleaning. In other words, you should first consider the costs it would take to dry clean your carpets and draperies as compared to cleaning them yourself. Having your clothing dry cleaned all the time is liable to make it less durable after every wash.

If you are confused on which service to try, don’t be afraid to ask around. See whether the people you ask are satisfied with their own dry cleaning services. For example, ask whether the services they use utilize state of the art machinery and equipment. Also ask if they have a competent staff and competitive prices.

Also make sure that you look out for specials. There are dry cleaners who offer two-for-one deals on certain days of the week. No matter which service you choose, make sure that you keep the distance in mind. Saving a few bucks on specials might be an ideal choice however it is ridiculous to travel ten miles in order to utilize these types of perks.

Fort Myers Internet Design can develop a site that works. They are able to create passable text and put it up with a couple of images and maybe throw in a video from YouTube. Then they are able to market and permit that web page to be seen by hundreds, potentially thousands, of individuals.

The problem is functional isn’t enough at this time. Viewers have thousands upon thousands of web sites to select from and they’re no longer impressed by bare-bones web sites. They want a lot more.fort myers web style

If your web-site is functional, don’t sit back satisfied.  Make sure it does all 5 of these factors at the same time ahead of you call it beneficial enough:

1. Introduce & Brand

Your site need to introduce your business, your topic, or yourself to everyone who clicks into the site. They need to get a sense of who you are and what you have to offer and that must happen very soon after clicking onto your site.

Be sure there is a unique flavor or a splash of personality to the site. Be certain everyone feels genuine, like it is coming directly from someone who cares enough to share with others. Professional is great too, but don’t make certain you are so corporate that your target visitors cannot relate to you.

2. Leave an Impression

Visitors will need to leave your internet site with a favorable impression. They should remember your site above all others because it has something special. Just functional just isn’t going to leave an impression.  You don’t necessarily need to go the way of big flash presentations, but there will need to be something that makes your site memorable to those you want to be memorable to.

3. Educate & Inform

Visitors come to your site looking for information. They want to validate what they already know, learn something new, or even be proven wrong on something they’re thinking. Most are not just blowing time. They want to learn much more about something or make a decision on purchasing a product or doing something different in their life.

If you do not answer their questions and give them the information they really want and need, they’re going to go elsewhere. This is extremely important. Pay close attention to your content and what it teaches your visitors. Inform them, even if your ultimate goal is to sell something.

4. Relax & Comfort

Your visitors ought to not come to your internet site and feel confused, frustrated, upset, or anything negative. They must feel comforted, relaxed, and reassured. Even if they are looking for solutions to serious problems weighing on their minds, you must make them feel as if there is reason to have hope and remain positive in thinking.

If you make them feel worse about their situation, they aren’t likely to visit you again in the future.

5. Easily Navigate

Your website can’t do any of the things listed above if it isn’t easy to navigate. It doesn’t matter how reassuring and informative your content is if no one can get to it. If they are stuck on the homepage for 5 minutes trying to figure out how to get where they want to go, they’re a lot more likely to click away to another site than to hang in there and keep trying.

Ensure that your web page is much a lot more than just functional. Make it memorable, easy to navigate and packed full of valuable content that sends visitors back time and again.

Just what is a lanyard? It is a cord or strap that individuals wear around their neck. It can hold small objects such as a whistle or an identification badge. Lanyards can be of any type or color, and these objects are attached to the lanyard’s bottom.

There are a variety of materials that lanyard are composed of which may include nylon, cord, cotton and polyester. Some people who desire to wear beaded lanyards because they want to make a personality statement. Because there are so many kinds of lanyards that are available for purchase on the market today, it is relatively simple for a person to find a custom lanyards that will match his own personality.

Here are just several of the designs that can be found today: polished stones, crystals, clear or frosted glass, glow-in-the-dark beads that may or may not have alphabet letters on them, gemstones, colored glass, fake pearls and beads that come in a silver or gold tone.

In past times, beads were typically round in form; however, in today’s world this is not the case. Beads can come in just about any form you can imagine. Some of these shapes include the following: octagonal, square, oblong and other forms that take the shape of angels, dolphins, animals, stars and many more that are too many to list.

This trend is just not for women but men as well have numerous options they can choose from such as sports lanyards that can come with their favorite sports teams’ colors. Since their price is inexpensive, one can readily purchase and own multiple lanyards.

Types of Beaded Lanyard Patterns

• Metallic – Since they are so simple and cheap, these types of lanyard patterns of different lengths and colors allow the owner to keep little objects attached to these lanyards.

• Jeweled Beaded Lanyard – These types of lanyards can also be worn as jewelry just as the name alludes to. These beads are crafted by hand by specialized artisans and can become quite expensive if valuable materials are used. These lanyards can be made out of glass beads, crystals, seed beads and gemstones that all come in colorful patterns. The multi-colored, black and blue beads that all come highlighted with gold and silver are getting to be more and more popular. Those beaded jeweled beads that are more costly are those that are composed of Swarovski crystals or semi-precious beads.

• Creative Lanyards - These kinds of lanyards are manufactured out of metallic beaded chains, sparkling crystals or colored plastics.

• Popular Lanyards – Some very popular types of these lanyards are those that are used to keep eyeglasses around the owner’s neck. They are usually called necklaces or eyeglass holders. If you buy one of these lanyards, make sure they are sturdy enough so that they do not break and you find your eyeglasses somewhere on the floor.

Since you now have all of the knowledge you need about these items called lanyards, you will easily be able to find one that is a reflection of your personality and is both affordable and fashionable at the same time.

On stargazervideochat.com, you will find free video chat rooms hosted by a friendly community who each sort of create their own video room. You could easily broadcast your webcam to anyone wherever they are in the world and even invite them for an online date all for nothing. Meanwhile, you can view webcams they are using and you are free to leave or rejoin the chat room.

There is no time limit on how long you can continuously chat online via video on stargazervideochat.com. There are basically two ways of enjoying the online video chat experience. You can register, in which case you will be able to access multiple webcams and also be able to create private video chats, or you could just chat for free as long as you don’t need such extras. What’s more, on this website you do not require downloading anything. So, there is no need to worry about filling up your hard disk space on your personal computer. You won’t really need a webcam or microphone to video chat either, making the process so easy as to enable you to virtually click a few buttons and you are online video chatting.

The convenience of video chatting is just immense. That business meeting you had with colleagues or your boss, that date backpacking somewhere near Mt Everest or that missionary helping out orphaned children in South Africa is just a few clicks away with the bare minimum of tools – just your laptop with a stable connection to the internet and a click onstargazervideochat.com. With online video chatting, your physical presence doesn’t really matter as long as the communication need is met.

If you have been looking for a way to entertain yourself as well as spend quality time with friends and colleagues, free online video chat is perhaps the easiest to use. You could make friends, kill boredom and learn as well. Stargazervideochat.com does not just offer that. On this website, all you need is to create a quick profile. You don’t need to put in your real name over there, of course. Actually, a nickname is much better. Then, for clarification purposes you can check on a few buttons to confirm you are an adult (at least eighteen) and choose your gender. Once you assent to the terms, you will be logged in as a guest. This will mean you do not have many obligations. Alternatively, you could create a chat profile which will enable you to use the same profile later.

Simple problems of difference in location and costs of making international calls do not need hard, thought out plans. With such simple to use and free facilities like stargazevideochat.com, you can solve all of that.

Sterling Oaks homeowners have full access to a 10,000 square foot clubhouse, which includes a state-of-the-art fitness facility, locker rooms, saunas, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and hot tub, and a sun deck next to the pool. There are 12 Har-Tru tennis courts available for play, and an on-site tennis pro heads up a teaching academy that is sure to improve your game.

Sterling Oaks location offers residents convenient access to two of southwestern Florida’s most exciting cities. Naples features an enviable amount of dining, shopping, and entertainment options. Naples is home boutiques, museums, shops, art galleries and anything else you can think of.

The sun-drenched beaches of the gulf coast are a short ride away. There are also a number of golfing options available in the area, as Naples has more golf courses than you could play in a year. To the north, Sterling Oaks residents can travel to the city of Bonita Springs, a city known as a charming, southern beach town offering people dining and entertainment options year-round.

Sterling Oaks has single-family homes and condominiums available for purchase. Those homes range in price from $109,000 to $419,000. These prices are kept keen by the sub-tropical Florida climate, enviable location and on-site amenities.

Worthington is a beautiful Club with lush-green landscapes and all homes have great lake views. It is conveniently located near Fort Myers, the Gulf beaches, Naples and the International Airport. Disney World is only 4 hours’ drive away.

Worthington is close to the very best restaurants in the vicinity. It is within easy reach of the area’s popular shopping areas like the Gulf Coast mall, the Coconut Point mall and the Waterside mall in Naples.

Worthington has one of the finest golf courses in Florida designed by Gordon Lewis. It has recently undergone a $9 Million renovation by Chip Powell and really tests good golfers. Members of the club can have their own personal golf carts or have them on lease from the club. Every home buyer gets a country club membership for 2 persons.

Other amenities consist of a large clubhouse, a dining room which is formal and can be split up for private functions or meetings, a grill room, five lit-up tennis courts, heated spa and cabana, modern equipped pro-shop, pro instructors for tennis and golf, a large common swimming pool and 6 other swimming pools in various areas, fitness center and Jacuzzi. There is also a whole range of social functions round the year.

Worthington is a great home for condos, villas, condo carriage homes, and single-family homes in a variety of floor plans in a gated and secure community.

Price range for Single family homes is $300,000-$500,000, Villa’s from $200,000, Carriage homes with garage from $170,000 and Condo’s from $100,000.

While these are still valid marketing methods, they ignore a massive potential market that no businessman can afford to ignore. There is a worldwide audience out there, and while the competition is global, so are the opportunities. So what to do?

First thing was to get a decent website with a good portfolio. Designers seem to have the best websites in my opinion because they can use them completely as a showcase for their work. This allows them the freedom to ignore convention and rules to create something truly original and quite often, amazing. I had to get someone to do mine for me, but fortunately they wanted some work doing too so we did a skills exchange. I know time is money so it did cost me, but it didn’t cost me cash I didn’t have, and I had no work to speak of anyway.

Once the website was finished I had to promote it and put a portfolio together. I had some stuff from college which I could add but nothing else. I decided to go all philanthropic and offer my services free of charge as long as I could use the end results in my portfolio. So I went to some business websites and began offering free business card designs. Cards were small enough that it wouldn’t take me too long to do a few, and used in business enough to perhaps get me some extra publicity.

This offer went down a storm, it seems everyone, no matter their status or income loves the word “free”! I was getting several orders a day for my business cards and I was barely keeping up. In situations like these, you have to take the long view. I was working hard but not making any money. I couldn’t keep it up forever, but the longer I did, the more my name was out there.

Eventually people were contacting me for other things, and I was slowly able to add fees to my work. I had to scale the free stuff back because I began falling behind in my fee paying work, eventually stopping altogether.

“Free business card designs” still brings a smile to my face. It was what got me started, got me known and made me a successful designer and businessman. I’m sure there’s a lot of established knowledge out there that says you can make money from nothing, but I’m living proof of it. I still make business cards now, but I charge for it. I have a lifestyle to maintain!

1. Visual Presentation
2. Functionality for the Site User
3. Technical Requirements to Fulfill Items 1  2
4. Hosting/Transaction Fees

The look and feel of the website is very important and should be given a great deal of consideration before a single finger is raised to start the web development process. Often best achieved by visiting a number of existing websites, one can determine which website format is the most attractive to the eye, which sites appear to be the easiest to navigate, and which websites seem to be the most thoroughly developed in terms of product or information offerings. It should be made clear that one design and format does not fit all and one needs to pay close attention to the primary purpose of the website. Developing a storefront website is very different from developing a website as a blog site. Great caution needs to be taken to match the web design style with the intended purpose.

When looking at the functionality of your website, again your primary purpose will play a major role in how you need to set the site up. Setting a site up for blogging will mean that sections of the site will be needed to archive previous posts, prominently display new information, and perhaps include sub-groupings by topic. A storefront website on the other hand will need to meet a completely different set of criteria including the development of the ability to process orders, invoice customers, and a variety of other much more technical developments. While developing the website, one should touch and feel the site on their own, kick the tires a little, and play what if to see if you really believe that the site is easy to use, or if it still needs to be tweaked.

Technical requirements for the development of a website can run from paying out of pocket to have someone else develop the website for you, to paying access fees to software programs that have been developed specifically to provide artificial intelligence that will assist you in creating the site, to doing it the old school way and learning everything there is to know about HTML programming. Which level is best for you depends on your ability to pay versus your technical abilities to produce. Many are opting to take the middle ground of finding a software development source that has created point and click canned processes incorporating the HTML requirement within them so you do not have to spend an inordinate amount of time learning about HTML programming or paying the costs associated with hiring a web developer.

Lastly, there is no way around it; you are going to have to pay some type of web hosting fee for linking to your website. These fees can vary significantly depending on the level of site support that you are looking to maintain going forward. Varying from a small fee for just providing a web address to access the World Wide Web to larger monthly fees for continued support through software that will allow you to continue to develop the website going forward, hosting fees are an expense that should not be ignored. In addition to hosting fees, other transaction costs can be incurred for supporting the ability to process orders or transactions and additional separate fees will be incurred for being able to accept credit cards.