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Finally you've caught the perfect fish. Now, do you know how to fillet your fish?

You can't be happier. You have finally caught the perfect fish. Do you know how to fillet your fish? Once you become an expert at fish filleting, you probably will be asked to fillet everyone else's catch.

Firstly, get a good knife and a cutting board or hard surface and lay the fish down on it. You must cut the head of the fish off right to the rear of its gills.

Secondly, holding the fish by its tail, take the knife with the blade pointing away from your body and toward where the head was; slice the body of the fish crosswise. The backbone of the fish can be used to direct the knife through.

Thirdly, take one half of the sliced fish and place the fish piece flesh side up. Holding the fish piece by the tail, place the knife between the skin and the flesh and run the knife down the length of the fish piece to remove the skin cutting in the direction of the tail to the head area. Now there. A perfectly filleted fish.

# posted by blogs71375 : 11:45 PM  0 comments

It is not easy to deal with your fears, bipolar, or anxiety problems. The first step is that you should talk to a professional who can get you started in the right path of getting better. Getting help from a counselor or other professional is very important and can provide you much help and insights in dealing with your current problem. In addition, here are some techniques a person can use to help manage their fears, bipolar, and anxieties.

Learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of worrying about how you will get through the rest of the week or coming month, try to focus on today. Each day can provide us with different opportunities to learn new things and that includes learning how to deal with your problems. Focus on the present and stop trying to predict what may happen next week. Next week will take care of itself.

A good way to manage your fear is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts that make your fearful or anxious, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense.

Sometimes, we may be nervous doing a certain task that may be scary. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind. For instance, you and your team have to play in the championship hockey game in front of a large group of people in the next few days. Before the big day comes, imagine yourself playing the game in your mind. Imagine that your playing in front of a large audience. By playing the game in your mind, you will be better prepared to perform for real when the time comes. Self Visualization is a great way to reduce the fear and stress of a coming situation.

Remember that there is one power that is stronger than your fears and that is the power of God. A person does not have to be religious to use the power of God. When the going gets tough, talk to God about your problems as if you were talking to a friend. Review the Bible and pray hard. Be persistent and be open in the avenues that God may provide to you in solving your problem. It is not always easy, however God is in control and he will help you if you ask him.

As a Layman, I realize it is not easy to deal with all of our fears, however there are all kinds of help available. The key is to be patient and not to give up. In time, you will be able to find those resources that will help you with your problems.

# posted by blogs71375 : 11:35 PM  0 comments

Believe it or not, but the modern day soccer owes its origin to the barbarous war mongering nature of human beings.

There is no proper documentation that can state the date and place of origination of the most popular modern day sportSoccer. However, depending on the socio-historical facts and data we can assume that some type of a ball game was played somewhere in this planet for at least over 3000years now.

The earliest evidence of soccer was found in Kyoto, Japan where a field marked to play a ball-kicking game was found.

There is also proper documentation that supports the fact that the Chinese military forces around 2nd and 3rd century BC (Han Dynasty) played a game that involved kicking a ball into a small net. This was then an essential skill building exercise for the armed forces.

Historical evidence also shows that some form of Soccer was played also by the Greeks and the Romans, however, the primitive form involved a larger team on each side. At times the team strength would go up even to around 27 people on each side. The Greeks were playing four different forms of the ball game, namely "Episkyros", "Ourania", "Pheninda" and "Keritizein". Episkyros was the closest to football. In this 2 equally numbered teams, would try to throw the ball over the heads of the other team. There was a white line between the teams and another white line behind each team. Teams would change the ball often until one of the team is forced behind the line at their end.

Now, how many of you would believe that the modern day soccer actually originated as a war game?

Unbelievable, but true! The first Football (as Soccer is called in Britain) game was played by the locals of east of England, where they started a game, kicking around the severed head of a Danish prince whom they have defeated in a war. That marked the origination of Football as a war game.

After this, for a long time, football was played by rival towns and villages where the objective was to move the ball to a predetermined spot. Hundreds of people would take part in these games and a single game could last a whole day. Punching, kicking, biting , everything was allowed.

The savage nature of this form of football was not much appreciated by the rulers and the Royalty took all possible steps to stop these games. King Edward III of England, passed laws in 1331 to stop the game, he was followed by King James I of Scotland in 1424. The Queens were not far behind, rather, had a more strict approach. Queen Elizabeth I of England, enacted laws that could sentence a football player to jail for a week followed by penancing in a church.

However, in spite of all their best efforts and intentions they could not stop the game. It was too popular among the masses and they loved the game.

The first approach to regularize and give a civilized form to this game was taken by the famous Eton College of England in 1815 when they established a set of rules for the games. These rules were accepted by the other schools, colleges and universities. Later, in 1848, these rules were further standardized and a new version was adopted by all the schools, college and universities. This new set of rules was known as the Cambridge Rules.

At this stage, there were actually two set of rules that were being followed in this game. Some organizations preferred to follow the rules of the Rugby School, that allowed tripping, kicking and carrying the ball, whereas the Cambridge rules prohibited all this methods.

In October, 1863, The Football Association was formed, when eleven London schools and clubs came together to establish a single set of rules to administer any football match that were to be played among them. On 8 December 1863, Association Football and Rugby Football finally split onto two different organizations.

In 1869, these rules were further amended to exclude any handling of the ball beyond the scope of acceptability and that created the foundation for the modern day sports maniaSOCCER !

# posted by blogs71375 : 11:27 PM  0 comments

The voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines are designed to move environmentally friendly home building concepts further into the mainstream marketplace. Currently, there are approximately thirty communities throughout the U.S. that have green home building programs in place or in development. By developing the set of voluntary national guidelines, NAHB intends to help facilitate the adoption of green home building practices and the formation of additional local programs in the parts of the country not currently served by programs.

In the spring of 2003, NAHB approved a resolution supporting green building. In response to NAHB members requests to provide the membership with technical guidance to support the new green building policy, NAHB tasked the NAHB Research Center to manage a project to develop national green home building guidelines.

The NAHB Research Center worked together in an open, public process with over 60 Stakeholder Group members from the home building industry to create those guidelines. The guidelines contain six primary sections:

Lot Preparation and Design - With lot preparation and design, the builder has opportunities to demonstrate environmentally sensible construction practices. Even before the foundation is poured, careful planning can reduce the homes impact on vegetation, soil, water, plus a homes long-term performance can be enhanced. Such preparation can provide significant value to the homeowner, the environment, and the community. Included for the end user, especially developers, is a Site Planning Appendix that closely mirrors this section and provides additional guidance.

Resource Efficiency This section shows how certain framing techniques and home designs can effectively optimize the use of building materials. Construction waste management concepts are also discussed. In addition, information is provided on how a homes durability and the amount of time and money needed for maintenance are affected by how certain materials are used.

Energy Efficiency This is the most quantifiable aspect of green building. The information on this section will help a builder create a building envelope and incorporate energy efficient mechanical systems, appliances, and lighting into a home that will yield long-term utility bill cost savings and increased comfort for the homeowner. It contains the only requirements to participate in this voluntary program: compliance with the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code, use of ACCA manuals to size HVAC equipment, and 3rd party plan review to verify compliance with the section.

Water Efficiency/Conservation Although, the relative importance of water availability and usage varies from region to region, the concern with adequate supply of water is becoming more widespread geographically. Experience also shows that employing the line items from this section of the guidelines for indoor and outdoor water use can decrease a homeowners need for water and thus reduce utility bills, regardless of location.

Occupancy Comfort and Indoor Environmental Quality Details in this part of the guidelines will indicate how to effectively manage moisture, ventilation, and other issues in order to create a comfortable indoor living environment.

Homeowner Education - Given the level of effort a homebuilder goes through to create a well thought out home system, it would be a shame not to give the homeowner some guidance on how to optimally operate and maintain the house. Line items from this section show a builder how best to educate homeowners on a variety of homeownership matters.

Each section contains a set of provisions that explain how a builder can incorporate green building concepts into a project. In addition, local builders and green building program developers may apply points to the provisions to further define green building through a scoring methodology currently being developed. Local homebuilder associations will be given a user guide that will provide additional information and guidance on ways to customize the guidelines to accommodate local conditions.The draft presented at Fall Board in Columbus, OH was a piloting version for dissemination amongst HBAs and builders for accuracy and practicality. A number of HBAs and High Production Builders have expressed an interest in helping NAHB to pilot test the document. The deadline for pilot testing was December 1st and the final version will be rolled out during the 2005 IBS in January in Orlando, FL. Currently, NAHB staff from the Energy and Green Building Dept. are traveling throughout the country presenting the guidelines to builders and HBAs who have expressed an interest in implementing green building in their respective businesses/communities. To date over 20 HBAs have voiced their interest and support, with many more to follow in the new year.

In summary, the voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines are for the mainstream home builders, many of whom are already incorporating some green building methods and materials into their construction practices. These voluntary guidelines will help systematize the green design and construction process and assist the builder toward incorporating more green building features into homes. As NAHB Research Center data indicates that there is a growing number of green homes built annually, it is expected that these voluntary guidelines will help builders meet the needs of this growing market.

# posted by blogs71375 : 11:18 PM  0 comments

You can make a fortune in business without really trying, however, most people do nothing of the kind. Many more people try really hard and make little or nothing. Why does this happen. In many cases its because although they work hard, they fail to work smart. They expend far too much effort for meager returns. Perhaps this is you. Youve tried everything. Online business, offline business, eBay, you name it, youve tried it. Why has nothing worked?

It doesnt matter weather you are just beginning a home based business or have been running a business for years, there are certain things you must do in order to become successful. The first is planning. Its often been said that those that fail to plan, plan to fail. Do a business plan. A good business plan will cover all aspects of your business. It should include your service or product line, your marketing plan and a timeline for the future. You should have a good financial plan as well. Where will your revenue come from? Where will it go?

Do you need capital to begin or expand your business? If you plan on seeking financing, either from conventional sources, such as banks, or other sources such as private investors, they will want to see how you plan to spend their money. This will help them evaluate your chances of success. After all, your ability to repay the loan or increase the value of their shares depends upon how you will be using their money.

A business plan will also enable you to plan for contingencies so you can effectively deal with them. The more you can plan for risk, the better you will be able to mitigate them. You dont want to be waylaid by something unexpected that could cost you dearly. Youll never be able to anticipate all business problems, but you can plan for as many as possible.

The next thing you need to do is execute your plan effectively. Many great plans, in business, sports and war have been undone by poor execution. Youll probably need to make changes to your business plan due to unforeseen circumstances or opportunities. These are similar to the halftime adjustments made by a football coach. Its often the coach or business owner who makes better adjustments that is the most successful.

The third thing you must do is test everything. You should test your marketing and advertising to determine what gives you the best R.O.I. If you are doing pay per click advertising or other online advertising, you have an advantage in that you can very quickly see the results of any changes you make. Youll probably see big differences from small changes. For example, headlines can often give very different results from just one or two word differences. The only way youll know is through rigorous testing. Test different product mixes to see what sells the best to your market. Do lots of research and find a good niche to market to and then test, test, test.

These three things, planning, execution, and thorough testing combined with the resultant changes, can make you a fortune in your business. Failure to do any of these things properly can limit your profit and chances for ultimate success.

# posted by blogs71375 : 11:14 PM  0 comments

Fantasy football league enthusiasts play for different reasons. Some play for pride, while others play for money. Some fantasy football league members play for mega money, though, and the money is all these fantasy football nuts care about. Witness these two amazing fantasy football leagues.

A fantasy football league in Las Vegas pits players from 12 different leagues in a World Championship Fantasy Football league. These guys compete for a grand prize of $200,000. Other huge monetary prizes are handed out as well. This quest to be a fantasy football league world champion illustrates what this game does to people.

Further witness a differend kind of fantasy football league. In The League, first-ever published work of fiction based on a fantasy football league, sixteen wealthy, powerful men from Wall Street, create a unique fantasy football league. This remarkable group plays for a winner-take-all fantasy football league championship trophy of $30 million.

The idea for The League was born from conversations between the author and other fantasy football league participants who believe that the lust for power and money can get out of hand, if people are not careful. Fantasy football makes a great vehicle for this hunger for money.

The League is a fictional work that has been called a cautionary tale about what can happen, if fantasy football league enthusiasts are not careful to keep their competition and desire for prize money in check. Anyone participating in a fantasy football league can learn a great deal about how the game can get out of control by reading about a fictional fantasy football league in the novel, The League.

# posted by blogs71375 : 2:52 PM  0 comments

Now that you have caught your dream fish, do you know how to clean?

Good job. You must be so proud of yourself. You have just landed the biggest fish of all. How do you clean it? You certainly don't want those ugly fish scales all over your wife's clean kitchen. Now what to do. What about cleaning the fish before you leave your fishing spot.

You will need a great knife to start with-a fish fillet knife. Spread out some old newspaper. Use a fish scaler or knife and work against the grain of the scale. Once all the scales are removed, you can toss the newspaper and rinse the fish.

Now it gets even messier. Do you know how to gut the fish? The less mess the better. Take your knife with the blade pointed toward the fish's head, poke the stomach and slit the fish moving the fillet knife towards the fish's head. Do not cut deep.

Secondly, take the fish fillet knife with the blade pointing toward the fish's tail and open the stomach. Remove all the fish guts.

Thirdly, remove the gills and lastly, wrap up the messy newspaper and toss. There you have it. A perfectly cleaned fish.Vonaage Broadband
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# posted by blogs71375 : 3:37 AM  0 comments

I love people, so lets get that right out of the way. Therefore, Im not anti-social: it's more like selectively non-social. Whats the difference? Well, let me describe my previous life. I was married to a social butterfly. My wife liked company all the time.

Not that I wasnt a good partner, its just that there was only one of me. She preferred multiple contacts in every situation possible. We began going to church shortly after my daughter was born. But we did more than simply attend: we got involved. That meant, becoming members of various groups. The Bible-study group, the newcomers group, the planning committee and so forth. Not only did we go to Sunday service, we had additional meetings every week. This continued for several years. During that time, she also got us into neighbor watch programs, Bunko groups and work-related events. Every weekend meant a new commitment at our house or someone elses.

I had to adapt to this new lifestyle where our social-base grew exponentially at an alarming rate. We barely had a free evening for time by ourselves. My wife reveled in her friends and enjoyed the chance to talk and mingle. I was content to follow her lead and joined in the fray. But it took its toll. Initially I didnt mind the whirlwind interactions and found many of our friends interesting and compatible.

But not everyone. I found I didnt mesh with some of the church people. Oh, I was accepted, but with whom I had nothing in common. This was true for a proportion of some of our neighbors. They were polite and accommodating, but not really interested in us as friends. Perhaps our social status or other issues muddied the waters. In any regard, we werent quite up to their standards.

At various parties, we or they would host, I noticed that I would ask them a slew of questions about their work or life without a single question about myself coming in return. This occurred with an increasing frequency. Conversations were always about their latest exploits or work. They talked about their travels. They talked about their children. They talked about their hopes, dreams, and successes. If I even attempted to interject something about myself, it was tolerated for mere moments until they lost interest. Then it was back to their world.

I know that this goes on for everyone reading this article. Its just that perhaps its a best-kept secret no one likes to admit or discuss. I realized how much I began to dread the endless social scene when we changed churches and got even more involved, if it were possible. We were founding members and threw ourselves into every aspect of that institution. We helped with fundraising, activities, the music, the administration, the search for a new building, and the promotion. We were part of many groups and our social endeavors widened even farther.

Now I practically had no individual life and was ruled by a calendar. If it was Friday, it was the Jones. Saturday, the Smiths. Sunday was church, followed by a church lunch. Then Bible study in the afternoon. Wednesday was Bunko night, Thursday a birthday party, friends retirement or anniversary. Add in just plain dinner parties every weekend and there you have it. I was not relishing the days that were flashing by filled with a sea of faces, small talk, hor douvres, and constant chatter. I was burned out.

Then tragedy struck out of nowhere. My wife died and everything changed in an instant.

Its now years later, and Im lucky enough to have found a new love and remarried. I miss some of the old friends but none of the hectic pace. My first wife loved the social gatherings and I thank her for the journey into that life. But now I have a few select friends I really care about and thats okay with me. The days of endless socializing are done and Ive moved on. I imagine there are other people that can relate to my account and I have some words of wisdom. I went along with my wifes way of living because I loved her and it made her happy. That was my mission as a good husband. But I could change anything, I would have made my position known years ago and perhaps spared myself of many uncomfortable situations. So talk to your significant other if you are trapped in a social quagmire and dont be afraid to be honest. I promise, theyll still be your friend.

# posted by blogs71375 : 3:28 AM  0 comments

I might be running 33 years late but Im certainly making up for lost time. I am undergoing a most demanding induction course into the automobilia world and steering me unflinchingly, while barely peering over the dashboard, is my eight year old son. Whisper it softly but I do vaguely recall a passing infatuation with cars at that age. The passing soon passed, however, and I became deeply immersed in footballing ephemera instead. It wasnt enough for me to simply play or even, from time to time, attend a big match. I can remember still the pinch of excitement as I opened my new packets of football stickers, sharing joy and pain with my friends, concocting shady transfer deals behind closed doors and wondering if I was ever going to see George Best again. This was but a prelude to a more sinister development, whereby I started recording the results of imaginary matches in my exercise books, complete with scorers, half times, crowds and league positions, if appropriate. Oh, I did things properly. If theyd handed out prizes for footballing obsession, Id have hoovered up every time.

There is often a thin dividing line between passion and obsession and my son is already starting to exhibit some disturbing parallels with his father. My relationship with cars hitherto has been strictly of the A to B variety. In other words, as long as I can reach my destination safely, securely and speedily, Im a pretty happy bunny. I am strangely unmoved by upholstery, sound systems, alloy wheels and other delights. I have never spent an afternoon washing my car. My son, however, spent an hour painstakingly polishing and sprucing his car yesterday. And as for the remote control, glad you asked, a solid ten minutes checking the electrics.

Yet it all started so innocently. An occasional reference to a car in the street was an entirely natural form of curiosity. My mumbled acknowledgement was usually enough and we went on our merry way but I felt a frisson of alarm as my son started to recognise cars hed seen before and ask me about them too. The first time this happened I thought he was talking to someone else until he looked me in the eye with a quite disarming sincerity and repeated the question. Dad, did you see that red Porsche, isnt that the one from the end of the street I showed you last week? That was so cool, how fast did it go? Can we go in one?. Well, theres off guard and theres on the canvas. As I groggily sought to compose myself, I nonetheless realised that my son had achieved a major landmark. Hed entered football sticker country.

No longer would my studied nonchalance suffice. My son was already in second gear while I was groping for the ignition. I could have handled simple car spotting but my son started to display a much wider repertoire, engaging in a running commentary on every journey and inviting from me, normally at a moment of maximum inconvenience, some expert analysis on the virtues of the latest BMW convertible

Frankly, I was rocking. I was all over the place when, quite serendipitously,echoing that unforgettable proverb that Ive unfortunately forgotten, I got very lucky indeed. I was sitting in a sushi bar intermittently dabbing at a proof I was reviewing while watching a conveyor belt, with all the contours of a Scalectrix track, pass before me carrying an assortment of dishes. It all looked pretty tasty but the tastiest thing of all was the ingenious billing process. Nobody took my order so I just helped myself as, indeed, did everyone else. As I munched away, while simultaneously tiptoeing around the proof, admiring the female population, worrying about Arsenals recent form and staring vacantly into space I believe its called multitasking I had a sudden epiphany. Each bowl was painted with a different trim around the rim. There were pink or green or blue or whatever stripes around each and they all had a different price, reflecting their contents. At the end of the meal, you might tot up three green for 3, two red for 4 and an orange for 5. As I ruminated upon this creative thinking, a familiar face sidled up to the stool next to me. It was none other than Robert Brooks, chairman of Bonhams and a doyen of the classic car auction market. We exchanged small talk before my eye was inextricably drawn to the catalogue he had evidently intended to read over lunch.

The catalogue related to a forthcoming sale by Bonhams of classic cars and related automobilia. As we chatted away, I hinted that my son was leaning that way and the conversation dramatically moved on to an altogether higher plane. I then let slip, accidentally on purpose, that my father in law had been a racing driver of some repute in the 1950s, notably for Jaguar and Allard, and that his old AC might still be lurking in the garage. Instantly, the catalogue was thrust into my hand as was an open invitation to join Bonhams at the next Festival of Speed at Goodwood. As this famous circuit is but a mile from our house in Sussex, even I may struggle to find any logistical obstacles to our future attendance, unless Arsenal obligingly have a home fixture that weekend. I suddenly felt a hot flush at the prospect of my son and I fighting off the groupies as we were ushered into the pits to mingle with the cognoscenti and talk race tactics. Then again, probably a belated reaction to those Japanese pickles.

I could tell my son was very impressed. His knowing look told me Id found first gear. He pored over the catalogue, enthralled by the wonderful photographs, and I had to admit that there were some fabulous motors. The mechanical aspects left me stone cold but the voluptuous lines of many of the post war sports cars warmed me up considerably. Although I wouldnt recognise a camshaft if it introduced itself to me personally, I can certainly recognise a thing of beauty when I see it. I could quite understand why so many of these models, with their gorgeous styling and lush interiors, have become design icons in their own right.

Then I took a quantum leap. I bought a copy of Classic Car. There was plenty for the obsessive, ranging from the rebuild of some obscure, but paradoxically important, car to fantastically detailed classified advertisements. The most interesting revelation for me, however, apart from my conspicuous failure to correctly identify two cars in succession, was the coverage of auction activity. I discovered that Coys were conducting a sale in ten days time but a mile or two up the road in the grounds of Chiswick House, formerly a family home of the Duke of Marlborough and now owned by English Heritage.

The sale started at 10am. I had loosely intimated to my son that wed aim on a 9am departure but, in the manner of excitable eight year olds everywhere, he took it all too literally. As ever, morning had arrived about three hours too early for me and, when I eventually stumbled downstairs, I found him almost consumed by anticipation. I gathered my bits, took a bottle of water to cool his engine and we were on the road. I had a reasonable idea of the location of the house which was just as well, since the map I had printed off told me everything and nothing at the same time. It was a largely uneventful journey, punctuated only by my impatience with sleepy drivers and my sons impatience with sleepy me. Then, lo and behold, a sign and we were there. We followed a dribble of middle aged men walking along a wide path to nowhere whereupon, looming beyond the trees, we were confronted by two enormous marquees. There were cars dotted all around and my son was so enraptured that I almost had to frogmarch him inside for the main event. I buckled under the weight of the catalogue, truly a labour of love, gathered myself and entered.

There must have been some twenty five cars in immediate view. The vintages were redolent of museum pieces and, though we prodded and probed, I cant say we lavished them with attention. Conversely, I was intrigued by the rows of old bicycles while my son, realising you were actually encouraged to handle the goods, was caressing a silver Aston Martin as he cast his eye at all the other wonders that awaited him. I decided to register as a bidder as even the wildest optimist in me knew that it would be nigh on impossible to leave unscathed with an increasingly passionate eight year old by my side. I picked up my paddle, scanned the horizon for my son, and salvaged him from the undercarriage of an admittedly dashing Jensen.

Admiring, touching, caressing, yes, that again, we ambled into the auction itself. I wouldnt say the joint was jumping but the sale moved pretty swiftly. I looked at the catalogue and it dawned on me that this would be an all day affair. The main event later in the afternoon would be the sale of some fifty cars and I expect the arena would then have filled out appreciably. We were participating in the undercard but it was entertaining enough simply being there. My son pottered about viewing memorabilia, cups, toys and so forth while I took the opportunity to properly read the catalogue, enjoy the banter in the room and vainly hope that I might pick up some pearl of wisdom from the assembled enthusiasts.

As one lot followed another and I resolutely clasped my paddle to my breast, I sensed my son was becoming a little agitated. There were still about 700 more items to go under the hammer but, after numerous skirmishes, including a very near miss with a replica piston pump, a cock up of Berlusconiesque proportions, I ultimately succumbed. My son was the proud owner of a 1970 odd limited edition Ferrari. I was much more fascinated by its accompanying box that not only further legitimised its authenticity, as does a dust jacket to a book, but also told me that it had been cared for by its previous owner. I liked that.

Two further lots invited particular scrutiny. The first was an exceptionally scarce game dating from the late 19th century, formed around famous cyclists of that era. It was circular and painted and possibly French but my lingering thought was that, much as I could not afford it, it should go to a good home. The other lot I could afford and I bought it with my father in mind. This was an amusing and uncommon promotional pamphlet from the late 1920s for Alvis that adapted the style of The Man Who series by H.M.Bateman. It is one of my fathers understated regrets that he sold the Alvis he owned some thirty years ago and that, when he came to reverse that decision, he discovered the car was no longer in production. It struck me as faintly ironic that the pamphlet was entitled The Terrible Fate Which Befell The Man Who Did Not Buy An Alvis. As we wandered back to the cashier to settle our purchases, my son insisted on sitting in virtually every car we passed. He was in his element, joy unconfined, as he twiddled with the knobs and spun the steering wheels, while luxuriating amid the resplendent wood panelling and upholstery. His joy became my joy, his beaming smile suffused with the magic of the moment. Wed come a long way together.

More prosaic matters then presented themselves, over a somewhat shorter distance, as we contrived to get lost seeking the car park. My legendary sense of direction ensured we had a very pleasant walk through the pergola but took a most circuitous route back. By this stage, I was ready to lie down, preferably in a darkened room, somewhere quiet and remote. Instead, I had to grapple with the fact that we were on the wrong side of the dual carriageway and needed to be home for the rest of the clan in the next fifteen minutes. After executing a quite masterful three point turn which surprised me, let alone my son, we were off and running. I had a nagging suspicion, however, that I might have peaked a little too early in my induction course and, boy, were my instincts hot.

A week later came another day of reckoning. Acknowledging that his recent acquisition was not equipped for a run in the park, especially minus any batteries, my son decided we should take his other model instead. It was supposed to be a quick twenty minute spin around the park, testing it for speed, durability and a few fancy tricks. It was all a bit humdrum after a while so I decided to spice things up a bit. In what I can only describe as a moment of madness, I suggested a game whereby we had to direct the car along the pavement towards the nearest lamppost within a specified time. My son made it look easy. I made it look very difficult.

It was difficult enough remembering which way the controls moved without having to contend with divots, litter, pedestrians and sundry other obstacles. Although my son generously extended my handicap, I was already 5 0 down by the time we were alongside the tennis courts. And it was precisely here that I delivered my coup de grace. My abject performance thus far encouraged me to at least sign off with some aplomb and so, at full speed, I charged off. I was actually making a decent fist of it for once when my concentration was shattered by a whoop of delight on Court Six. A pulsating rally was over and, distracted by the hubbub, I witnessed the car pirouette and turn sharply. As if transfixed by this remarkable manoeuvre, I watched, disbelievingly, as it rotated a full 360 degrees and trundled, almost apologetically, under the wire and straight on to the aforementioned court. I wasnt sure if the applause was directed at the players or at me but then my sense of direction, as you may be aware, leaves much to be desired. Ill be wearing my L plates for a while yet.

# posted by blogs71375 : 3:20 AM  0 comments

Question: I have a sign-up box on my web site to collect names for my marketing list, but I am hardly getting anyone joining my list! I already get lots of traffic, but what can I do to get more sign-ups?

Answer: You're right to be worried. After all, if these first-time visitors leave without joining your list, chances are you'll never see them again, and all the time -- and money -- you spent attracting them to your site will go down the drain.

But I'm getting a sense of where the problem may lie from the way you phrase your question: Why would any of your visitors want to join a marketing list?

People value their privacy -- and their information -- so you have to offer them something compelling in return. A regular newsletter, aimed at their interests, for instance, or a free eBook on a subject they've told you they're interested in.

However, let's assume you are already offering something valuable in exchange for their e-mail addresses. If you're still not getting many sign-ups, it's likely your pitch that needs polishing.

To convert more of your visitors to subscribers, you're going to need to write a really compelling subscription offer. I'm still astounded when I see a web site with an opt-in box that says Subscribe to our Free Newsletter.

What am I subscribing to? Why should I subscribe to it? How often will I get it? Who is it coming from?

Without answers to at least a couple of these questions, there's no way people are going to sign up. So how do you convince them that your newsletter is worth signing up for? You have to promote it!

Say your web site sells football memorabilia. Here's an example of some copy that's guaranteed to get a great opt-in response:

The End Zone is a weekly NFL newsletter that's absolutely jam-packed with all the week's hottest news, stats, and stories. Interviews with your favorite players, the inside scoop on next week's games, PLUS a chance to win an autographed jersey from the team of your choice. Click here to Subscribe Now!

That's a little more compelling than "Subscribe Now," isn't it? And the best part is that it takes just minutes to pump up the copy!

Here are some more sure-fire ways to boost your opt-in rate:

Tip 1: Include a small link to your privacy policy when you're asking visitors for information. This lets people know that you are committed to protecting their privacy and makes them feel safe leaving their e-mail address with you. It's a small thing, but every little bit helps.

Tip 2: Sell the benefits, not the features. If you said "Download our FREE eBook, written by a state-certified housing inspector," you'd be advertising a feature. You'd be telling your visitors a fact about your free newsletter.

Here's how it reads if we decide to emphasize benefits instead:

Certified Housing Inspector John Smith reveals the 10 things you MUST look for when buying a home -- to avoid costly repairs down the road! Click here to read this FREE eBook!

That's a pretty dramatic difference, isn't it? You've hooked your visitors by letting them know how they will benefit by signing up for your offer. In this case, you've promised to help them avoid costly home repairs.

Tip 3: You've got to give your offer prime real-estate if you want to draw in subscribers.

So what's the best location? If your homepage contains a long sales letter, you'll want to put the opt-in box somewhere around the second page. You should have grabbed your visitors' attention by then and shown them that your site has some valuable information.

If your homepage doesn't have a long sales letter, you'll want to place your opt-in box above the fold (i.e. the first section of your web site that is visible to a visitor without scrolling). People's eyes are generally drawn to the top left-hand part of a page first, so the top or left is a good place to put your opt-in box.

Here's a powerful third option to double your daily newsletter subscriptions! Set up a pop-up window that prompts your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter right when they enter your web site.

Remember: This is not a question of where your opt-in form looks best. It's all about where it works best, so I would encourage you to test a few different locations. Whichever pulls the most opt-ins is the best place for your offer.

# posted by blogs71375 : 2:57 AM  0 comments