The internet has created numerous opportunities for home-based businesses. It is now possible to start your own company in your home and earn a steady income. Entrepreneurs have become very successful in a short period of time due to the worldwide marketplace created by the internet. If you are thinking of starting a home based company, there are several directions you can take and many profitable business ventures that you may want to take advantage of.

A home-based business is built upon a foundation of hard work and good planning. Once you have decided which type of business is right for you, you will need to build your customer base. Regardless of what type of product or service you are marketing, a reliable customer base is the key to your success. In order to keep your customers informed and aware of your services, communication is critical. You will want to keep in contact with your customers and potential customers regularly and reliably. You can do this through the use of a newsletter, blog, or mailing list. It is also very important that you respond to emails promptly. You will need to know who is contacting your company and respond to them immediately.

An autoresponder can do wonders for your business and your ability to track and keep in regular contact with those who visit your web site. You will be able to add your own leads, create custom HTML and text messages, and create subscriptions easily. An autoresponder can reply instantly to inquires and send messages to your mailing list at intervals set by you personally. Many autoresponders are available for a fee, but the fact is you can get a great autoresponder loaded with features absolutely free. You will instantly be able to communicate with your customer base and interested individuals in a highly effective, reliable manner. Check into the various autoresponders available to you and choose the one that offers you the most for the least amount of money - or better yet, for free.

You can now sign up for a FREE Autoresponder account. We’ll Give You Autoresponders To Automate Your Follow-up, Increase Your Sales and Drive Your Profits into Overdrive! 100% FREE! Sign up for your Free Autoresponder at: www.freefollowup.com

If you are a result oriented person, you have to definitely read one book. The title of the book is “Thinking for Results”. It was written by Christian D Larsen. The book was published in the year 1912. Thousands of readers have benefited by reading the book.

The book starts with a positive note: “That man can change himself, improve himself, recreate himself, control his environment and master his own destiny is the conclusion of every mind who is wide-awake to the power of right thought in constructive action. In fact, it is the conviction of all such minds that man can do practically anything within the possibilities of the human domain when he knows how to think, and that he can secure almost any result desired when he learns how to think for results.”

It is easy to see the vital importance of thinking validly. If we don’t, in all probability we may not get the correct results.
The powers of thought are developed by right thinking.
Man is as he thinks he is, and what he does is the result of the sum total of his thought. The average person however thinks at random and therefore lives at random and does not know from day to day whether good or evil lies in his path.

Have a plan and see it through.

Give your whole life to it.
In thinking for results all circumstances should be viewed as opportunities because that is what they are in reality.
Think positively. Think scientifically. Every thought is a power in the life where it is created and will either promote or retard the purpose of that life.

Thinking is an art. You can master it by learning the secrets.
To think is not expensive. It needs no apparatus, no personnel and no premises. There is no cost involved in thinking! The practice of thinking remains, not only man’s highest and noblest activity, but also one of the few pursuits he may follow without having to pay for it.
The only equipment is one’s head; the gears and pinions of the brain, and the lever that sets them turning.

Do not think of weakness.

Do not think of possible failure.

Do not think of obstacles.

Think of the tremendous power within you. Think how you could turn on the full current of that power so that what you want to accomplish positively will be accomplished.

The Christian D. Larsen’s way is a sure way to: thinking for the best results! One should read the book: Thinking for Results.

S. Nagarajan is a vehicle body engineer by profession. He has written more than 1300 articles in 16 magazines and published 18 books. He is revealing Eastern Secret Wisdom through T.V. Programmes, magazine articles, seminars, courses. His email address is: snagarajans@gmail.com. His articles on Yoga, laughter, efficacy of mantras and sound, Hypnotism, Tele Kinesis, Power of Prayer, Vastu and Feng Shui, Auto suggestion, Success Formula, Out of Body Experience etc are regularly appearing in ezinearticles.com. So far more than fortyfive articles have been published in ezinearticles.com.

This is a little “beauty” of an idea if you want to grow a massive list QUICKLY! But some are wary of trying it. They worry it turns customers away.

Well here is what I think of that, if the person was never prepared to give you their email address in the first place then chances are they were just a tyre pusher not looking to buy anything from you anyways.

I have tested both methods in a few different niches I have running. This is the type of result I received from using no “name squeeze” and actually using a “name squeeze”. I found that by using no name squeeze my sign up rate to my newsletter was around 20% when I started using a name squeeze I jumped up to 50%.

Without a doubt this “name squeeze” begun to increase my sales dramatically. And not only through my emailing list but also from the initial “impulse buy”. From making my site so exclusive that you must enter an email address has made an impact on the “importance” of the hidden information that’s tucked away on the other page.

When I saw these results I can assure you that any doubt I originally had of this “name squeeze” turning people off or turning them away quickly left my mind! If your not sure if the name squeeze for you, why don’t you at least trial and test it for a week or two or even split test it! I doubt you’ll be disappointed!

© Joanne King - http://www.joesy.com

Get your Free book on “Affiliate Marketing – Quick Start Guide” by visiting http://www.joesy.com.

You are welcome to reprint this article on your website or send to your mailing list however it may not be edited and the link in this bio must stay active. Cheers =)

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about blogging. When
you start sharing the fascinating blogging facts below, your
friends will be absolutely amazed.

Picture these three scenarios:

You are at a costume party in a room full of strangers. You are
dressed as an 18th Century dandy; you’ve studied the mannerisms,
have affected the perfect accent and you charm every partygoer
you meet. Beneath the facade, outside the realm of this party
you may be a banker, a steel worker or an unemployed poet but
here and now you are Monsieur Baudelaire, the fop who speaks of
temperament and style as the be-all and end-all of a meaningful
existence.

You are at work where you are always the no-nonsense
professional, respected by peers and underlings and depended
upon by your manager to perform your tasks with skill, technical
proficiency and a pleasant demeanor — an expectation that is
hardly ever unmet.

You are at an informal get together with family, close friends
and neighbors; you talk about sports, literature and fashion
with people who know you and who understand your opinions, your
quirks and your few flaws — there is no facade, no pretense,
you are unabashedly you!

These scenarios that represent three versions of you in the real
world are also three (of many) approaches you can take to
presenting yourself to your readers in the virtual world,
through your blog: as a character of your creation, as the
professional at whatever you do, or as the real, unadulterated
you, complete with flaws. Your blog and your blogger persona are
your creations and are limited only by your choices. Consider
also that whatever it is you write, in whatever form, even if it
is spoof or satire, it will be considered by your readers as an
expression of your true feelings.

See how much you can learn about blogging when you take a little
time to read a well-researched article? Don’t miss out on the
rest of this great information.

People express themselves in many ways and for a growing number
of people the need for some sort of public expression of
thoughts, feelings, style or creative expression is filled by
blogging. Expressing your thoughts in written words, however, is
not as simple a task as it may seem to be; many people, in fact,
find that it can take hours to accurately transfer the most
seemingly simple thoughts to the written word. Thoughts and
feelings do not require the organization or structure that is
required by the expression of those thoughts and feelings.

Some things that make the task of expressing yourself through
your writing much easier are improving your grammar, improving
your vocabulary and practice, practice, practice.

Grammar! As a rule you should always write to your audience –
they are the ones who need to understand you. Perfection may be
necessary when you are writing for an audience of scholars and
grammarians who require it but, regardless of your audience, the
better your grammar the better you will be understood and the
easier it will be for you to transfer those thoughts to paper.
There are literally hundreds of English grammar guides available
online and very reasonable English grammar guides available in
bookstores; good grammar is a tool you will never regret
learning to use.

Vocabulary! Finding the right words to express your thoughts is
much easier when you have more words in your armory to choose
from. You may be tempted to learn some suitably obscure words to
impress your readership but too much of that will only confuse
them and turn them away from your writing. Research has shown
that the average adult in the U.S. reads at an eighth-grade
level so arming yourself with a recondite vocabulary will not be
helpful (nor was our reference to a ‘recondite vocabulary’
unless you knew that recondite means “difficult to understand”).
Arm yourself, instead, with a good dictionary/thesaurus.

Write Often! Practice makes perfect or, to be honest, it at
least helps you approach perfection. Try to make a meaningful
entry in your blog every day, that may not always be possible
but do try! Two of the wonderful things about blogging are its
flexibility and availability — your blog will always be there
(baring computer problems) when you need it and you’ll find that
the more you write, the easier it will be to write. Keep in
mind, however, that even a professional writer who writes for
hours every day is seldom completely satisfied that the words
that came out adequately express the thought that went in so
don’t allow yourself to get too frustrated, take a short break
and then try again.

That’s the latest from the blogging authorities. Once you’re
familiar with these ideas, you’ll be ready to move to the next
level.

Articles for
Website Content
SEO
Tips

What’s your company doing to set itself apart from all of its competition and build a sustainable competitive advantage? Many companies struggle with defining what makes them different from their competitors, even though they have core strengths that do set them apart. In today’s crowded marketplaces, when prospects and customers go looking for a vendor, what usually causes them to investigate further into the possibility of buying from a specific company is what sets that company apart. Companies that define and develop their messaging around their unique selling proposition have a much better chance of accelerating their sales and gaining customer attention and traction.

It’s very easy to actually develop your company’s unique selling proposition. This starts with a strategic marketing planning process which includes analyzing the positioning of your company and its messaging. If your company is an also ran in its market today, why not sit down with your marketing and sales team and define what makes you different? Better yet, why not bring together a group of your customers to ask them why they buy from you, versus your competition. Using a listening process with your customers and your sales and marketing team to understand what sets you apart can usually be a strong step towards defining your sustainable, competitive advantage, and creating statements that differentiate yourself easily from your customers.

There’s a big difference between a company that sells on features and benefits and a company that sells and markets itself on what makes it different from its competitors. Companies are made up of people and people are always interested in something new and different. Innovation is part of the American spirit and it’s no different when it comes to innovation as related to marketing. If your company needs help defining its unique selling proposition, there are many marketing and sales consultants out there who can help you with this process. It doesn’t have to be expensive and it’s relatively quick to do. A USP can set your company on the path towards improving its marketing, improving its market penetration, gaining greater attention from potential prospects through your marketing efforts, and shortening your sales cycle by getting customers wanting to buy from you. What are you doing to improve your unique selling proposition?

About Cube Management:
Cube Management provides sales acceleration services to emerging growth and mid-market companies in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. The experts at Cube Management work across the entire spectrum of marketing, sales and business development to provide customized solutions that drive revenue and profit growth. Cube Management combines Strategy, Process & People to produce winning results.

Find out everything you need to know about buy to let. Learn what to buy, where to buy and what not to buy. All this information about buy to let won’t cost you a penny.

buying

• If the area is full of buy to let property investors the supply of property to let might outweigh tenant demand and create pressure to reduce rents.

• Consider established areas with good communications links

• Research tenant demand as your highest priority. Find a letting agent to discuss this.

• Consider ongoing costs, e.g. maintenance, service charges etc.

• Be prepared to buy tired investment properties and refurbish them.

• Build a team of reliable tradesmen so that you can react quickly.

• Find a good buy to let mortgage provider. Finding the correct buy to let mortgage is crucial to your success when you are buying and selling investment property.

To Buy or Not to Buy an investment property for sale?

• As soon as you find a property you would like to buy, run a To Let advert in the local press. If the phone rings a lot buy it. If not walk away.

• A variation on the theme would be to run a display advert “Seeking long term tenants” I am a portfolio landlord. You find your perfect property and I will consider buying it and letting it back to you”

Demand and professional guidance

Find a letting agent and discuss the demand for properties in the areas you are interested in. They should also be able to indicate the level of rent you could expect to achieve and what type of tenancy is more suitable for the property and area.

University Lettings

Talk to Student letting officers – build rapport so they promote your property above others. They too can give you good advice on demand, i.e. where, why, how much etc.

Buying Privately

* With more and more people turning to the internet to source suitable investment property for sale and for sellers looking to save on selling agent fees, more people are having the opportunity to buy and sell privately. The main difference being that you will liaise directly with the seller of the property. This may be via email or telephone. Viewings will be arranged directly between the buyer and seller and the negotiations regarding the price will be dealt with directly between the buyer and seller. However, you will still need to both appoint a solicitor to act on your behalves.

Buy to Let Mortgages

Finding the right buy to let mortgage is crucial to your success as a property investor. Unlike other forms of property investment, a lot of the capital you invest into a buy to let investment property is likely to be borrowed. Over the last few years, the buy to let mortgage market has boomed, with more and more lenders bringing out products making borrowing money to invest in this way even simpler than before. There are a number of different buy to let mortgage products available from fixed rates, discounted variable rates, base rate trackers to name a few. It is worth remembering that different products may be suitable for different investment properties.

However it is very important that you get the correct guidance with your finance. Questions that are worth considering when finding a suitable buy to let mortgage:

1. Do they have access to lots of different buy to let products in the market place?

2. Do they have the ability to create a long term investment property strategy for you?

3. Are they able to secure exclusive buy to let products?

4. Are they able to arrange buy to let mortgages within 10 working days?

Most lenders will offer a maximum loan of 85% requiring you to fund at least a 15% deposit. The buy to let mortgage industry is very competitive with new products being launched on a very regular basis.

Some brokers may charge a brokerage fee up to 2% to arrange the buy to let finance for you but don’t let this put you off because if they do have the ability to secure exclusive buy to let products for you, it could be very beneficial to your cashflow as a landlord. Plus, if they are able to reach formal mortgage offer stage in a very short space of time, this could result in you being able to secure investment property at very competitive prices if you have the ability to tell the vendor that you can have the deal completed within a matter of a few weeks. Find out more about buy to let mortgages, landlord inventories, tenancy agreements, landlord insurance, landlord tax, furnishing your buy to let and credit checking your tenants
and see how you can start your investment property portfolio.

There are a few simple steps to remember:

• Make sure you have done your research

• Source a good buy to let mortgage provider and make sure that your own personal credit file is clean.

• If you are unsure, then you can request a copy of your personal credit file on a number of different websites which allow you to download a copy instantly.

• Once you have agreed an offer for the buy to let investment property for sale with the vendor, you will need to appoint a solicitor and exchange solicitor details with each other.

• At this point your respective solicitors will then begin the necessary legal work on your behalves to arrange the legal ownership of the investment property to transfer to the new investor.

• Contact your buy to let mortgage provider and confirm the purchase price and loan amounts required.

• A surveyor will then need to visit the investment property for sale to carry out a valuation of the property and a rental assessment. Some buy to let mortgage brokers can arrange this on your behalf. Other buy to let mortgage companies will advise you when this will take place. However, it is worth bearing in mind that if a buy to let mortgage provider is a fully packaging company then they may be able to reduce the timescales that it takes for your formal buy to let mortgage offer to be issued.

• Whilst waiting for the valuation report on the investment property for sale to be returned, use this time to complete all the legal paperwork that your solicitor will forward to you for completion and the application forms which will be forwarded to you from your buy to let mortgage provider.

• If the valuation report comes back and is satisfactory, you should then receive your buy to let mortgage offer shortly afterwards. On occasions, you may be requested to obtain specialist reports which may include a structural engineers report, damp and timber report and coal mining report.

• A copy of the buy to let mortgage offer should go directly to you and your solicitor.

• Your solicitors will then liaise with each other regarding suitable exchange and completion dates and will arrange to do the necessary completion paperwork for you on your new buy to let property.

Buy to Let Insurance

• Insuring your buy to let property is just as important as insuring your own home. As a landlord you have certain liabilities so make sure you get the necessary cover that your investment property needs. There are a number of different options available depending on the type of investment property you have for example if it is an apartment, block of flats, commercial property etc. But do shop around to make sure you secure the best buy to let insurance product.

Preparing to let the investment property yourself?

• This is an investment and cashflow is the key factor. Stick to neutral colours that will go with anything. For example, a red sofa might not match a green carpet, however, all colours look good on beige.

• Carpets - light beige looks great when clean. Light colours make room look lighter, brighter and bigger. They also encourage cleanliness and are easy to justify cleaning when a tenant vacates. Look for felt backed bleach cleanable carpets which do not require underlay. Replace carpets every 3-5 years, clean every tenant change and debit from damage deposit.

• Check with the local letting agent whether there is more demand for furnished or unfurnished property in the area.

Join your local Landlords association

• This is the easiest way to keep up with legislation and to obtain advice on getting your paperwork right.

• Other landlords in your area will be keen to share good and bad experiences. Learn from their experiences rather than making your own mistakes.

Tenant Application form

• Obtain full details including names, addresses and contact numbers of referees and emergency contacts. Also obtain previous addresses, NI numbers, employer details and proof of earnings. This makes life easier if you ever need to track down an absconding tenant.

• If possible, fill in an application form at the prospective tenants home. This will at the same time allow you to see how they look after it.

Credit Check your Tenant

• It is now possible to credit check your tenants on-line. Just because they are of smart appearance and drive a nice car doesn’t guarantee that your rent will arrive each month. We all know how easy it is to get credit these days so it is important that you have peace of mind that your tenants have the genuine ability to pay.

Fees

Charge a fee to tenants of around £100 for completion of tenancy agreements, referencing, inventory etc.

Deposit-take 5 - 7 weeks rent plus one months rent monthly in advance

Tenants often cancel standing orders on the month prior to final payment – if this happens you still have some money to cover damages

Landlord Inventory

Get prepared. As much as we all like to think we can trust everyone, it is very important that ‘buy to let’ landlords protect their investment property as thoroughly as possible. Having an inventory in place will protect you against unnecessary costs and ensure that you are maximizing your profit at all times. For example; if your teaspoons kept going missing and the curtains kept leaving the poles when the tenants vacated, this could start to add up.
Imagine if you had freshly decorated the buy to let property in a very neutral magnolia colour throughout to discover that your tenants had become creative one day and turned their hand to a bit of decorating to brighten the place up! Not only will this cost you in paint, but could potentially lose you income on rent whilst you are having to leave the investment property empty whilst it is being redecorated. And most importantly how can you prove that the property was that colour or condition in the first place. Its simple. A Comprehensive Landlord Inventory.

• Purchase a Landlord Inventory On-line Now - include everything including starting colour, condition of walls, ceilings, doors, fixtures & fittings etc and get it signed so you can prove damages when the tenant vacates. The more detail the better, even include the colour of light switches and door handles and what they are made of. Comments like “carpets have just been professionally cleaned” or “walls are freshly painted” will also help to prevent disputes on checkout.

• Ensure that you arrange a check out inspection and make sure the tenant is present – get them to sign to agree to any damages and/or required repairs.

• Complete utilities meter checks and ensure the incoming/vacating tenant signs to confirm meter readings.

• Inform the utilities companies and local authorities in writing of incoming/outgoing tenants and any applicable meter readings

Tenancy Agreement

You will need to purchase a tenancy agreement. This will protect you and your tenants. There are a number of tenancy agreements that can be purchased off the shelf but it is important that you check the tenancy agreement to make sure it is suitable for the type of tenants you have. For example whether it is a family let or a property being let to sharers where they could be joint and several liability. A good solicitor would be able to draw up a suitable agreement and for your own peace of mind, this small investment could be a very worthwhile exercise.

Look after your tenants – They are a valuable asset to your investment property!!

Happy tenants will respect your property and will refer other potential tenants to you.

If the above is not cost effective or convenient for you then you should seriously consider employing the services of a property/Lettings manager.

Find out more about buy to let and how you can start.

Jennifer Tweed is the founder of buytolet4sale.com, one of the UK’s first property portals dedicated to all types of investment property for sale and everything you should need for your sale and purchase. Learn more about buy to let.

Learn more about the faxless payday advance here.
One of the common charges by interpreters of the no credit check payday advance trade questions the rate of interest p.a. laid on a short term payday bridging loan which may pile up to twohundred percent or more.

The Annual Percentage Rate or “APR” is a classic indicator determining the entire amount of interest a borrowing customer would be paying carried forward to one full year. This supplies us with an accepted mechanism to determine which device involves a higher/lower ultimate expense to the asking client, along with secondary expenses that might be levied.In point of fact, APR is acknowledged to be a decidedly pertinent tool bearing upon financial obligations covering a span of at least one full year .But, respecting short term investments the annual rates of interest are undeniably beneficial.

Rather, I prefer to compare a payday loan to jumping a taxi to get home from the office meeting. It may set you back by forty dollars to get home this way. Now obviously forty dollars qualifies for a lot of money to spend on getting home in spite of which people do it daily for the simple reason that it is convenient and accommodates a demand. Now we all know that there’s an alternative: rent a car for an entire day for only forty dollars to drive unlimited miles.

So let’s just assume we do that- namely, rent a car and drive four hundred miles during the day we’ve rented it. The proponents of APR are likely to affirm that everyone needs to annualize these numbers to rack up a reasonable comparison… So for argument’s sake we take the price of this taxi ride ($2/m times 400 m) resulting in: exactly $800. The “APR” equivalent of the hired car versus the taxi hire equates to $40/$800. Now we’ll have to point out that this car rental of ours really would not have constituted our best option, in spite of how much more expensive the “APR” would have been in this particular case.

It’s exactly the same with payday advances. Remember that short term payday advance loans are restricted to two weeks only, they’re not annual loans. The obviously high “APR” aren’t to be relied upon considering that this breed of loan does not stretch across a full year. The borrowing fee will be 15-25% for the loan. A payday cash advance is a pretty penny solution and should not be taken without reviewing all reasonable alternate possibilities.

Getting married is the greatest day for 50 percent of couples.
The other 50 percent get divorced. Perhaps the marriage tax
penalty has something to do with it.

Family Values - Hardly

For all the chatter from politicians about family values, it is
ironic that the tax code actually penalizes people for getting
married. At its heart, the tax code is designed to modify
behavior. Deductions and credits are given in areas the
politicians wish to promote and taken away in areas considered
less positive. Home ownership is viewed as a good thing, so
mortgage interest is deductible. Cigarettes are bad, so they are
taxed like no tomorrow. If you buy this argument, one must
wonder why married couples suffer under the tax code.

A recent study found that by getting married, couples are forced
to pay roughly $1,500 in additional taxes. Known as the marriage
penalty, one must wonder what the government is up to. Is it
trying to promote family values or not? The numbers would seem
to indicate not.

The marriage penalty is a nasty little development for
newlyweds. The penalty occurs because married couples must pool
their earnings when they report taxes. Typically, this means
their pooled earnings move them into a higher tax bracket and
they pay more taxes. For instance, assume husband makes $45,000
a year as does wife. As a married couple, their pooled income is
$90,000 with the accompanying tax consequences. For really
doomed couples, the combined income will actually kick in the
alternative minimum tax. The AMT more or less voids many major
deductions. In the tax industry, there is a nickname for this
situation - the divorce tax.

The marriage penalty has existed for years, yet the politicians
have failed to find a fix. They pay lip service to the idea, but
no major changes have been made to fix the problem. The best
they have come up with is doubling the standard deduction for
married couples, but this has had little impact since most
couples itemize their deductions.

It appears the marriage tax penalty is here to stay for the
foreseeable future. One has to wonder why our family values
President didn’t include a fix in his tax cuts.

Being a coach is such a rewarding profession. The enormous impact you have on other people’s lives always astounds me.

Let me share with you John’s story…

John is a partner in a financial planning practice. He’s always worked long hours and when he finally went home, he was buggered. Apart from his work, there was no energy left over to contribute to his health and personal relationships. He was fortunate to have a wife who put up with this. In fact, it was a wonder that she ever got pregnant, as he was so depleted of energy and spent so little time on his marriage.

His whole life changed when he was struck down with a life-threatening illness. One day he was busting his guts at the office and the next day he was lying in a hospital bed contemplating whether he will live or die.

John’s young, only 35 yrs old! Stress, pressure and complete lack of self care all contributed to his illness. To top this off, his wife was pregnant. Was this a wake up call or what?

Slowly John recuperated until he was ‘back to normal’ (or close to it). Unfortunately he eventually got sucked back into the old way of doing things…all work and no play. He felt he had to keep up with the other partners in his practice. They worked all hours of the day and night and he felt he had to follow them… even though he had been so close to losing his life. He felt guilty. That was until he woke up to himself and realised this was no way to live his life. He wanted to change his behaviours and needed help in doing so. That’s when he approached me to undergo coaching.

John transformed over the ensuing weeks. Many of the challenges he faced stemmed to his lack of self-esteem. He tried to please everyone, was worried about how other people saw him. John had difficulty saying ‘no’. He also had challenges around his communication. John was a perfectionist so he didn’t delegate because no-one could do the tasks as well as him.

He learned that if he delegated to people who were capable of carrying out the tasks, trained them where necessary and communicated effectively he could easily save himself 2 hours a day. Being able to effectively communicate to not only his work partners and employees but also his wife. Time management was a big area we also covered as John had limited skill in this area.

He’s now going to the gym three times a week and eating healthily. His energy levels have dramatically risen and the “pot belly” has disappeared. He’s feeling great.

John has made and continues to make positive changes in his life. Week by week through the coaching process he is learning so much about himself. He has finally recognised that he is responsible for his life and that he has the power to change it.

The Final Word

It’s taken a few weeks to clear out the clutter and for John to find out what he really wants. This week at the end of one of his sessions he discovered that “being home in time to bath his baby girl” is really what makes his life worth living. How’s that for someone who originally cited ” making $$$” as one of his key goals.

It’s not about the money is it?

About The Author

Lorraine specialises in working with businesspeople showing them how to dramatically boost their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess in their lives and have more time for enjoying their life. www.office-organiser.com.au, lorraine@office-organiser.com.au

What’s good on TV these days? Gone are the golden days of half-hour gameshows and soap operas, with the exception of maybe Hollywood Squares and General Hospital. So what’s new in the menu? Come the new millenium, the world is slapped with some programs never before seen on television. Here, I would like to compare two of television’s recent prized possessions.

Lost
If given only one word to describe this incomparable piece of fiction, it would be ‘unique’. You won’t be able to find a similar show anytime soon; it’s genre ranges from mystery to suspense and maybe even thriller. Taking place in a faraway jungle-island, Lost is a depiction of several very different characters together, or sometimes separately, facing the dangers the island has to offer. How could one fabricate an intricate, believable story with this setting? The creators of Alias managed to pull it off with impressive results.

Adding to its uniqueness is that every episode focuses on one character, a portion of his/her past (with cleverly placed flashbacks), and how each of them overcomes the difficulties in their hearts. While the plane crash survivors deal with conflicts within themselves, the secrets of the island slowly unfolds. None of them could imagine what lies beyond the sandy beaches and the green jungles. There is even a hint that all of them might be there because of destiny. (I would not call these spoilers, there is so much more to the story)

The first season has earned itself an astounding array of awards, much deserved undoubtedly.
If shows like The O.C and Smallville are breaths of fresh air, Lost would be an oxygen tank. Even through half of season 2, the end doesn’t look anywhere close. So much of open space for story-telling, a whole island, in fact. Five full stars, hands down.

America currently awaits episode 15 of Season 2 while Malaysia anticipates its third episode on AXN-Asia.

American Idol
An ocean-consuming success that has gained world-wide following even up the fifth season; this is American Idol. Reality TV has no prouder offsprings. This twice-a-week (now thrice) show attracts at least two kinds of people: the aspiring stars and their fans. Every year, thousands of hopefuls went the extra mile to take that one shot at stardom, or to simply make fools of themselves (intentionally or not).

The first section of American Idol sees the process of finding the needle in the haystack to pick the best of rest by three contrasting (though not necessarily contradicting) judges. This is one thing never before conceived, never before televised method of making stars out of singers. The filtering process gives a chance for the people at home to start liking some of the lads and lasses they see on the tube. Once the jaded shows begin, fans can vote for their favourite performers to keep them in the competition week after week. A system like this gives the audience a chance to determine the outcome of the show, making this television show a two-way transaction. Hence the mass appeal.

Everything about this show is absolutely, or relatively new in the face of the world. Singing competitions often don’t get televised, viewers only get to sit and watch before this, and they don’t have to adore fictional characters anymore. It’s the real thing: the winner proves him/herself to be the most likable (nobody said it’s a talent show, it’s all about America’s chosen one). All in good effort to produce albums that people would rush to the stores to buy; a profitable collaboration of television, record companies, and the phone company.

Comparing these two very different television shows may not be give you a new outlook on them. But my conclusion is that the realm of TV has expanded its borders tremendously over the past decade. Entertainment through the same medium cannot be generalized anymore; it’s a whole new world with different continents.

A communications student at HELP University College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A Chinese urbanite making sense of the world and noting observations. Just a amateur blogger aiming for the sky.
http://www.wongkeenhing.com