This is my own personal blog, filled with my own personal views on life, love and loss. Blogs, in general, began as online journals, diaries if you will and in some circumstances, have progressed to so much more. People use blogs now in many ways and for many reasons. Extensions of business websites, as ways to get in on the affiliate market craze, as a method to pass along information, and many other reasons. However, as stated above, this blog is my personal views. I tap in to a wide variety of information when writing my blog posts, but never mention individuals by name. If you recognize yourself in any of my posts then so be it. As I said, I don’t mention names so no one but you and I will know.

Please also keep in mind that, while I do have a very modest number of followers, this blog isn’t exactly like publishing to the New York Times. Anyone who thinks that I put personal business on these pages for all the world to see is sadly mistaken. If that were the case I’d be a rich and famous writer by now. I refuse to censor my post content or my words.

I want to say thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my blog, post comments, subscribe and basically takes an interest in what I have to say. I welcome all questions and comments. I invite you to visit my new blog domain. If you would like me to write something for you (web content, articles, etc.) please let me know. Please visit my business site. Thanks again!

Many of us are already use a form of backup services without realizing it. For example, if you have a Photobucket account your photos are stored on their site and can be easily accessed when needed. This greatly reduces the amount of computer space needed to store photos. And, when you want to share your photos with friends and relatives, rather than email a ton of pictures which would take hours, you can just send them a link to your Photobucket account.

Signing up with a service is easy and the cost is quite minimal. For an affordable price you can have a service back up your files at regularly scheduled intervals, typically once a day and at night when the computer is not in use. In general, the files are collected, compressed, encrypted and transferred to the remote backup servers. There is nothing the customer needs to do, everything is done for them by the service provider.

Online backup services vary in terms of how they perform. Some automatically backup files as they’re added to your computer, some backup according to schedules, some can backup several computers on one account, some are free, some have a minimal cost. There are other factors to consider when choosing a online backup service. Doing your homework and evaluating what your personal or business needs are before deciding is essential to getting the most out of this important service. Leaving your valuable computer files vulnerable and unprotected can have serious consequences. Backing them up online is simple, easy and affordable and shouldn’t be an overlooked precaution.

Most people are familiar with resumes. They’re basically outlines that summarize someone’s work history, experience (personal and/or professional) with corresponding dates. There are different types of resumes, chronological and functional being the most popular. Chronological resumes are ideal for people with a fair amount of work experience because they list past employers in sequential order. You’ll end up with a pretty short resume with little to no work experience listed in this format if you’re new to the job market. If you’re changing careers this format won’t show potential employers that you possess the skills required for your chosen new field. Functional resumes are better suited for this purpose because they focus on your abilities, related skills and strengths. You still list your past employers but they are listed at the bottom of the resume page.

The ideal resume should be one page, but no more than two. As mentioned before, employers sifting through resumes don’t have time to read lengthy resumes. A succinct, concise resume that gets a potential employer’s attention is critical. If writing is not your forte, don’t despair. There are many books written on the subject. A quick online search will lead you to the many resume writing services available to job seekers. A qualified resume writer can create a professional resume for you. Prices vary, but the cost can be well worth it.

Once you have your resume written don’t think it’s time to sit back and relax. Your newly created resume is now your best piece of advertising. Don’t wait to send out your resume only when applying to jobs you’ve seen and read about in your local paper. Upload your resume to online job search sites like Monster and CareerBuilder. Employers regularly make a habit of searching these sites while looking for qualified candidates. Sign up for a free blog site and include your resume in your blog pages, then Tweet about it or share it on your Facebook page.

Don’t forget about writing a cover letter to go along with your resume. A carefully crafted cover letter tailored to each and every job you apply for will help potential employers know who you are and how you can be an asset to their company before they even get to your resume. After the interview, it’s also a good idea to send a thank you email to the interviewer. Let them know you appreciated the time they took to interview and consider you for the position. This leaves a good impression with employers and could very well move you to the top of the candidate list.

Your resume should reflect who you are, where you’ve been and where you want to be in the future.  Your job search, in effect, becomes your primary job and should be viewed as such. Setting out blocks of time to accomplish tasks such as re-working your resume, making cold calls and sending email queries, perusing the want ads, networking with friends and acquaintances and basically marketing yourself is time well spent.

The creation and development of the internet has had a huge impact on society; some good, some bad. Whether you’re 9 or 99, chances are you’re familiar with the world wide web. Most of us use the internet in our everyday lives for business, education or pleasure. New websites are popping up every day. And why not? It allows just about anyone to have their few minutes of fame. YouTube, Ebaumsworld and a host of other video sharing websites can make anyone a star overnight. Blog sites can make you a published writer. Social media sites help keep you in contact with friends, family and business associates. The possibilities are nearly endless. And at some point you might just want to get in on the action by having your own website.

There are many positive reasons for creating your own website. Maybe you own a business and wish to gain exposure by advertising through your own business website. This is an excellent way to make information about your business available to a wider audience. Almost any type of business will benefit from having a website. Whether you sell products or perform a service, an attractive, informative site is a highly effective marketing tool. One click and prospective customers can see who you are, what you sell and how to contact you. A website never closes so therefore it’s available to customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you own a blog on a blog site such as WordPress.com or Blogger.com, but you’re not happy with the site constraints such as not being able to place advertisements on your blog, you might consider purchasing a domain name and moving your blog to your own website. If your blog has become popular, gets a lot of traffic and you have a loyal following you can cash in on the ever-growing affiliate marketing industry. Companies pay you a percentage to allow them to place ads on your site. Every time someone either clicks on an ad or makes a purchase you earn revenue. Terms and rates vary and you have a huge number of companies to choose from.

There are many ways to develop a free website and that’s fine for someone just starting out. But be aware you cannot place ads on any of these. If you wish to develop a professional looking website, but lack the know how necessary you may consider consulting an online company who can design a website for you. However, this can be costly for someone looking to expand an existing business by using the internet. Fortunately there are companies that sell excellent website building software that are easy to use and produce professional results. A good website builder  can have your new website up and running in no time.

After you develop your website and upload your business-related content don’t abandon it. Check frequently to be sure any links are working properly and everything is still in working order. Update your site often. People will not continue to visit or stay long on your site if there are invalid links and old subject matter. You must continually find ways to keep visitors interested and coming back for more. I personally feel any business site can benefit from a blog, so consider including one on your website. This makes your site seem more personable and inviting. It also provides a place for you to share your expertise, post pictures of your work, include links to works you’ve performed and to interact with customers via questions and comments. Consider recruiting friends and family to guest blog to give another perspective.

There are many good reasons to consider developing a personal or business website. They have the potential to make money, share information about you and/or your business and keep in touch with existing and future customers. The cost to create a website has become affordable to most people and the pay off can be have an invaluable, positive outcome.

There are many reasons why you should consider starting a blog. Many free blog sites exist so there’s no financial commitment to make. Register, choose a theme and begin posting. It’s as easy as that. As mentioned above, blogging is a good way to share your life with others. Families set up blogs where each member has a chance to post updates to let relatives near and far know what’s going on in their lives. Include photos and videos and it’s almost like being there with your loved ones. If you’re looking to change careers or are currently out of work you should consider creating a blog. Include a resume page and links to relevant accomplishments and you can advertise yourself via your blog easily with one click. This is definitely an overlooked free marketing strategy for job seekers.

Do you have a business website? If the answer is yes, you should absolutely include a blog on your site. Write articles and how-to’s related to your business field and your customers will appreciate the added information. Let’s say you own a tree trimming business and you have a business website. You can write articles about types of trees to plant, the best time to trim and prune, known diseases prevalent in certain varieties of trees, how to start a leaf compost bin, and on and on. Inviting readers to leave comments and questions gives you the opportunity to put in a good word for your company.

Blogs can be money makers all on their own. Most, if not all, free blogging sites do not allow advertising on blogs. But if you purchase your own domain you can include money-making ads on your blog. There are numerous pay-per-click and affiliate programs available online. By placing company ads on your blog you make money when a visitor to your site clicks on an ad and/or buys a product from the company. You most likely will not get rich doing this but you get paid for doing very little and that’s a pretty good thing. If you have several ads going on each page of your blog you up the ante that much more.

In order to make money from advertising on your blog you need to bring visitors to your site. Submitting your blog to search engines is key. An often overlooked method to bring visitors to your site is to write articles. There are many article network sites where you can submit articles on literally any topic. Your information, including your website address, appears with the article and that translates to free advertising for your site. I will go into more detail on this technique in future articles.

Blogging can be fun, an expressive outlet, a marketing tool and a money maker. Once you start blogging you’ll begin to look at things in an entirely different light. News reports, radio programs, even a trip to the grocery store can all be fodder for your blog writing. Keeping a small notebook and pen with you at all times helps you remember little tidbits of everyday life than can be written about later. Happy blogging!

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It seems Michael’s was recently yet another target of a debit card scam. Seems the arts and crafts chain had no idea what had happened, only finding out when they were contacted by “banking and law enforcement authorities” after they in turn had been contacted by customers. Numerous customers had noticed fraudulent charges made to their debit cards which ultimately had been traced back to transactions made at Michael’s stores. As I read further into the article I saw that the skimming scam had been perpetrated at Michael’s stores across the country. Then I came across a quote stating that several customers at a local Irving, Texas store had had their debit card information compromised. Eeek! That would be me!

I immediately checked my balance online and was relieved to see all was well with my account. Still unconvinced I then called the bank and was reassured that my account was uncompromised and they “had taken care of the informational breach”. Whew. To date, Michael’s claims it has removed all pin pads from all stores, but is still suggesting customers continue to monitor their accounts for suspicious behavior. However and obviously, skimming scammers are getting more and more sophisticated. Actual physical tampering of individual pin pads would have been necessary to conduct a scam like this. How did this happen?

These scams have been around for a few years now, but in the past have mostly been limited to gas stations and ATMS, places that aren’t usually monitored regularly. But the scam is obviously growing and getting more and more advanced. As was the case in the Michael’s scam, crooks were able to slip a tiny device into the pin pads that then allowed them to read the magnetic strip on debit cards as customers swiped them. And then a tiny camera was able to record customers as they entered their pin numbers. Some experts say that the average consumer has a one in five chance of being a victim. Unbelievable. So what are we supposed to do? We need to use our debit cards and most of us don’t feel comfortable carrying only cash. Here’s some excellent advice written by Yahoo Finance contributor, Dan Kadlec:

1. Cover your PIN. Your bankcard won’t work without the PIN. Thieves usually obtain the PIN with a small camera stationed near the card processor. So keep an eye out for anything that seems out of place. It might be a camera. In any event, shield the keypad with your body or free hand when entering your PIN.

2. Be selective with your ATM. Again, look for anything out of place. Any wires exposed? Tape evident? Hardware loose? If so, find another ATM. Use an ATM inside a bank whenever possible. Stay away from ATMs in remote locations or that appear seldom used. These are easy to tamper with and might even be dummy cash machines.

3. Leave some wiggle room. When you insert your card, wiggle it while it’s in the slot. If something seems loose, there might be theft device attached to the swipe hardware. Wiggling the card might jar the theft device from its hiding place.

4. Monitor your accounts. One of the best protections against continued use of your stolen information is to check bank statements regularly. With a debit card, you may be responsible for the first $50 and you must report theft within two business days of discovery and no later than 60 days after the theft for protection. Credit cards have more protections and might be a better choice if you have any reservations about an ATM or processing machine.

5. Look for security cameras. ATMs and gas pumps that are under video surveillance and have cameras aimed directly at the card readers are less likely to be fitted with card-skimming equipment.

6. Keep an eye on your card. When you give your card to a waiter or clerk, be skeptical of any request to swipe it through multiple devices or if they must leave your sight.

7. Be careful at the gas station. Gas stations are among the most prone to skimming. Use a credit card or choose the credit option on your bankcard.

The end of the world? I’d never see my parents again? Never play with my 37 Barbies and one and only Ken doll again? It couldn’t be! When I asked my grandmother if this was true she promptly assured me that the world would not be ending anytime soon and the guy was just a nut who was going to end up blind. This was many years ago but I can still recall the story as if it happened yesterday.

The end of times has been predicted so many times in the past that it’s almost a joke by now. Fanatics who swear they have the inside scoop on the exact date and time are quick to point out all the trials and tribulations inhabitants of the Earth are currently enduring. Like war and catastrophic events are anything new? And, anyone who knows their Bible knows it specifically says no one will know the date or time. They know something God doesn’t?

Honestly, if and when the time comes is there really anything we can do about it? Of course not. I don’t believe any of it for a minute. All the people who’ve been running around with poster board signs declaring today to be yet again the end of the world are going to feel pretty silly tomorrow morning.

Osama Bin Laden probably should have thought twice about leaving his pornography behind in the event of an assassination. The extensive stash of pornographic paraphernalia was found in Bin Laden’s compound after the U.S. raid and ultimate assassination. I could say “what the heck was he thinking?” but the guy obviously wasn’t dealing with a full deck in the first place. But still, as the religious fanatic he portrayed himself to be he really shouldn’t have died with porn under his bed. But then again we’re talking about a coward who used his wives as human shields so how lucid could this nut have been? I’m not sure what kind of relationship Osama Bin Laden had with his mother (a questionable one considering the “human being” he’d become) but in a recent book about Bin Laden’s life it’s described how he’d been estranged from his family for years due to his partying and drinking with prostitutes and his drug smuggling activities. At the time of his birth, Osama’s mother had been ostracized by the other women in the Bin Laden compound because of her own rebellious ways. Osama was raised mostly by nurses and nannies. So even if your mother tells you silly things to motivate or restrain you be glad you had an involved mother who kept you from being a crazy nut. Lesson learned.