Counter Assertion

A couple of weeks ago, the news headlines mentioned lightly the new “Israel, Arabs agreement to save Dead Sea:“

Jordan , Israel and the Palestinian Authority said they had agreed terms for a feasibility study on transferring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, to save the world’s lowest sea from vanishing.

The two-year study, costing 15 million dollars, will investigate the social and environmental impact of conveying large quantities of water through a 200-kilometer (120-mile) conduit between the two seas.

Following the feasibility study, the project will take around five years to complete. But the project in its second phase involves building power generation and water desalination plants to supply electricity and fresh water to Jordan, Israel and the Palestine.

Ok, so what’s in it? If I’m not mistaken, this means the following:

1. If the feasibility study starts now, that is June 2005, it will finish June 2007.
2. If the feasibility study say go, and being optimistic the project starts by Jan 2008.
3. Trusting that funds will not be disturbed like the ‘Disi Project Funds‘ (Arabic), phase one should be ready by 2013.
4. No news when phase two is suppose to finish!

Will the Dead Sea “live” until then?

Well, when the Ein Gedi Spa opened in 1986 to pamper visitors with massages, mud wraps and therapeutic swims, customers walked just a few steps from the main building to take their salty dip in the Dead Sea. Nineteen years later, the water level has dropped so drastically that the shoreline is three-quarters of a mile away. A red tractor hauls customers to the spa’s beach and back in covered wagons. See full article by John Ward Anderson, in Washington Post Foreign Service.

The water level of the Dead Sea has declined over 21 m from 1930 to 1997, and alone 12 m in the last 20 years. In less than a century the water level has fallen by approximately 25 m. In the past few years, the water level fell at a rate of 80-100 cm per year, with the average rate of fall accelerating in recent years. As a result, the Dead Sea surface area has shrunk by about 30% in the last 20 years.[source]

At the current rate, the more shallow southern part of the sea will be gone less than 50 years.

Several projects have been proposed over the years to save the Dead Sea, and the one that now seems the most likely to be carried out is that of a pipeline from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. This plan is not new. Already in the 19th century, when the actual level of the Dead Sea was first measured, plans were developed to use the height difference to create a hydroelectric power plant. Most plans focused on a canal from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea.

Even though these plans to save the Dead Sea have been well received by many, there are also drawbacks. What will happen if water from the Dead Sea and from the Red Sea are mixed? There are studies that suggest that the Dead Sea would turn white, or even pink. Withdrawing large bodies of water from the Gulf of Aqaba might seriously upset and possibly destroy its already fragile ecosystem. Ecological investigations have only just begun.

And what about the archaeology of the region? One aspect that has received virtually no attention so far is the impact that the construction of a pipeline, let alone a canal, would have on the Wadi Arabah and especially the hill country between the bottom and the eastern plateau, which is an area with a rich history covering every period from Palaeolithic to late Islamic. Hundreds of sites have been found here in a number of surveys, and since the area has still only been partly surveyed, hundreds of sites are still waiting to be discovered. Therefore, regardless of what route the pipeline/canal will take, it is bound to affect tens, maybe hundreds of archaeological sites, many of which have only been recorded in surveys, but never extensively investigated.

Even if the project takes place, there is maybe a 20- to 30-year lifetime for this project because that is how long it will take for the Dead Sea to regain its natural level. On the other hand, when you consider the vast capital costs, the economic and political sense is not clear. Also, because the desalinated water will need to be pumped long distances and to a high altitude to get where it is needed, the cost of the water will be very high.

Countries with less than 500 cubic metres of water per year are described as suffering from scarcity of water. The UK has around 1,500 cubic metres per person, Israel 340, Jordan 140, and the Palestinian Authority only 70.

The Red Sea-Dead Sea canal is expected to generate 850 million cubic metres of drinkable water, almost the existing annual water use of Jordan, which would be divided between Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. (more…)

Increasingly the ideal for many people is to work from home and the Internet has made this a real possibility for thousands of us. There’s a lot to be said for avoiding the daily commute and the stresses of the workplace but working from home brings its own problems and to be successful in your home based business managing your day effectively and efficiently is essential. Use the pointers below to make sure you are making the most of your time.

Identify And Organise Your Work Area

One of the major problems that can arise is that the distinction between work and home life becomes blurred. Create a separate work area (ideally a separate room if you have space) that is used solely for that purpose. If necessary the corner of a room is fine but avoid the general living area of your home - it’s difficult to focus on the task in hand when someone else is lounging around watching TV! Make sure that the tools you need (files, reference books, paper, pens, etc) are close to hand but stored in an organised manner. Set aside 5 minutes each day to tidy your work area. A cluttered desk or work area is depressing and the chances are you will waste a lot of time looking for papers, etc. There are those who maintain that they like a messy desk and they know where everything is - when put to the test this rarely turns out to be the case!

Establish And Maintain An Efficient Electronic Filing System

Most of us who do business on the Internet are bombarded with Emails on a daily basis. Set up folders within your Email system and file the mail you receive just the way you would a paper document. Give your folders meaningful relevant names but only create as many as necessary. Never leave Emails lying in your Inbox - in no time at all it will become cluttered and unmanageable. Move them to the relevant folder as soon as they are opened. Consider also creating a “Today” and “Later” folder for Emails that require action.

There is a tendency to regard Emails as urgent just because they are there on your computer but if something does not require immediate action your time is possibly better spent dealing with other things. Once you have dealt with mail in these folders it can then be filed in the appropriate folder. Note that some Email systems (Outlook for example) allow you to set up rules to automatically move an Email to a specific folder as soon as it is received. This is a great tool if set up correctly so if this option is available to you it is worth investing the time to get it organised.

Set Daily Tasks

The Internet is full of distractions and it is easy to waste hours of your valuable time browsing or being completely sidetracked from your purpose. Before you start work set yourself two or three tasks that you want to complete that day. Write them down and stick them up beside your PC. If you come across something that interests you but is not relevant to the tasks you have to accomplish that day bookmark it and go back to it later when your tasks are completed. I am not a big fan of huge “To Do” lists. I am by nature a procrastinator and I have tried to use them many times in the past without much success. Personally I find it a little demoralising to sit down everyday to a long list of tasks that never reduces in size - there is always something else to do! I find that just focusing on two or three tasks a day produces much better results and more often than not I accomplish more than I set out to do anyway.

Set Aside Time For Dealing With Routine Tasks

Establish a daily routine for dealing with routine tasks and stick to it! By routine tasks I mean things like reading and filing Emails or paper mail, updating your electronic diary, surfing the Traffic Exchanges, reading E Books or other information relevant to your business efforts. Set aside blocks of time in your day to do these routine tasks instead of haphazardly dealing with them in between doing other things. This minimises the likelihood of distractions as mentioned above but more importantly ensures that these routine tasks actually get done on a daily basis.

I also suggest you set aside blocks of time for making telephone calls. This can be tricky to do if your contacts are in a different time zone, etc. but with a little planning it should be possible to accommodate these differences. Type up this daily schedule on a piece of paper and hang it beside your PC as a reminder to yourself of what you should be doing. Important Note: one daily task you should always make time for is backing up your files to disc. Anyone who has ever experienced an irreparable PC crash will testify to the importance of this. I know from bitter experience how long it takes to get back to normal if you have not backed up your work regularly - never again!

Prioritise Your Tasks

To prioritise your tasks correctly you need to understand the difference between effectiveness and efficiency, urgency and importance. Effectiveness means being productive, getting results or, put simply, doing the right things at the right time. Efficiency means functioning effectively with the least waste of effort. To be effective and efficient you should be doing what you need to be doing in a way that optimises the outcome. An urgent task may have an impending deadline - it has to be done by a specific date. On the other hand it may be that until you complete a specific task you will not be able to do other things. In that case you may well consider it urgent that the task is completed even though there is no deadline as such. An important task must be done well and needs an adequate amount of time allocated to ensure completion but it is not necessarily urgent. Bearing all these points in mind when you are prioritising your workload ask yourself the simple question “What’s the best use of my time right now?”

And finally ………..

Going To Work In Your Pyjamas

This is a cute concept for a sales letter but the reality is different! I remember the days when I first started working from home and I embraced this idea so completely that I would find myself still in my robe in front of my PC at 4 o’clock in the afternoon - no shower, hair unbrushed, surrounded by coffee cups and breakfast plates … you get the picture. Take your business and yourself seriously. I’m not suggesting you put on a suit every morning but when you report for work (albeit you are reporting to yourself!) be washed and dressed and ready to face the day ahead. Having structure in your day focuses the mind and apart from that if you spend your working days living like a slob what are you going to do on your days off?!

***About the Author***

Lorraine Simpson is a Director of Fifth Ace Ltd based in Scotland. Fifth Ace Ltd own and/or promote a number of websites/programs.
http://www.fifthaceonline.blogspot.com

More or less a decade ago the belief of a wall-hung TV may possibly have seemed like an electronics heaven. It was out of the grasp of the majority of avid buyers, with very high prices that requested taking out a 2nd mortgage to have the funds for these ultra sleek tellies. Nonetheless, over a period these astonishing television products reached the level of attainability. Yet, still not something you could just go out and purchase, it has recently increasingly become much more of a possibility. Prices for these flat panel High-Definition Television sets are at the present declining more rapidly than new home prices, & have made the electronics vision a certainty. Find Cheap 26″ LCD TV?s. Great brand Tellies at reduced prices from Digital Direct!

These Days there are 2 competing flat-panel products; plasma and LCD. Despite the fact that each product gives a good picture and these TV sets do look similar from the front, the components on the inside is greatly different. And whereas LCD televisions have been limited to 37 inches & smaller, television sets with the liquid crystal display technology are at this moment in sizes as huge as plasma.

However, regardless of that, a lot of buyers discover plasma to deliver numerous fundamental advantages over LCD TV’s. The largest selling points is that plasma sets classically incorporate deeper black levels-endorsing that the blacks are truly black & not only just a dark side of gray. This in turn means that the colours are much more bright and credible. The most recent models from Sharp and JVC have in fact taken the black levels to undreamt of depths, and therefore have provided the greatest pictures we’ve watched to date.

Regardless of the rumours that plasma television sets “needs to be recharged” after five-thousand hours, nothing could be far more from the truth. Today’s flat panel plasma TV’s would often last for sixty-thousand hours or more, offering years of first-class telly viewing. Even though there has been an unease over issues like that of burn-in (rightly so, as this could possible ruin that expensive TV), the current products feature equipment to handle image retention, supplying pixel alter functions that gradually move the whole display, and more significantly, take away any ghosting should static pictures in fact “stick” the picture. This consists of a white wash mode on top of an inverse mode to take-away all the burn-in.

A popular vacation choice for most tourists is the beach inclusive Mexico resort deal. Lots of tourist hotspots in Mexico offer this deal. The great thing about beach inclusive Mexico resort deals is that you only pay a single price for everything. With a beach inclusive Mexico resort package, you can just relax and have everything at your disposal.

Here are two of the hotels and resorts in Mexico that offer beach inclusive Mexico resort vacation packages and deals.

The Allegro Payacar is a beach inclusive Mexico resort and part of the giant Occidental chain. This beach inclusive Mexico resort stands on a beach that is just a twenty minute walk or five minute taxi ride from the busy tourist town Playa del Carmen. Some features of this beach inclusive Mexico resort include welcome cocktail, all meals and snacks, unlimited local alcoholic beverages, room service for continental breakfast, and much, much more.

Located just an hour south of exotic Cancun, the beach inclusive Mexico resort that is Bahia Principe Akumal offers an area with a great lagoon for snorkeling. The hotel itself has over 1,000 rooms, occupying only half of the total property area, while the rest is filled up with the beautiful sandy white beaches and a shopping or entertainment area.

Whether you are traveling with your family or traveling as a single, beach resort all inclusive Mexico resorts have it all for you. There are beach resort all inclusive resort Mexico vacation packages to meet every need, including family, adult only, adult oriented, couples, honeymoons, golf, scuba diving, and more. Most of the resort hotels in the Caribbean and Mexico offer beach resort all inclusive resort packages just for you.

Family Oriented All Inclusive Beach Mexico Resort Packages

If you’re traveling as a family or with your kids in tow, beach resort all inclusive Mexico resorts provide vacations with activities tailored for the whole family. A family oriented beach resort all inclusive Mexico resort features entertainment, activities, dining, and excursions for every family member.

Adult Only All Inclusive Beach Mexico Resort Packages

Beach resort all inclusive Mexico resorts may also be for adults only. This is when the all inclusive features of the hotel resort have age restrictions. Adults only beach resort all inclusive Mexico resorts provide you with activities tailored just for adults, including entertainment, dining, and excursions. Some beach resort all inclusive Mexico and Caribbean resorts that are restricted to adults only include Couples, Sandals, El Dorado, Sans Souci, Super Clubs Grand Lido, Secrets, Villa Premiere, Golden Crown Paradise, and some Breezes.

There is also a sub-category to adults only beach resort all inclusive Mexico resort. Adult oriented is different from an adult only resort because there are no age restrictions, even though the activities and hotel features mainly attract adults.

Couples Only All Inclusive Beach Mexico Resort Packages

An intimate setting for a relaxing adult vacation is what couples only beach resort all inclusive Mexico resorts offer. The beach resorts that are all inclusive are often restricted to traditional male/female couples, providing a typical array of services and facilities, such as dancing and evening entertainment, excursions, high quality dining, spas, piano bars, and more. There is also a variety of water and land sports available just as they are available in any other beach resort all inclusive Mexico resort.

When booking your all inclusive beach Mexico resort vacation package be sure to have your travel agent give you the details of any resort you are considering. You don’t want surprises while on vacation.

Brushing and combing out the Shih Tzu coat of hair is the most
laborious and time-consuming chore in Shih Tzu dog grooming. A
knowledge of some “tricks of the trade” will help cut down on
this labor time, especially so in cases of badly matted Shih Tzu
coats. The longer the coat of your Shih Tzu, the greater the
potential for matting.

If your Shih Tzu’s coat is very badly matted and tangled there
is no alternative but to strip the coat of your Shih Tzu.
Stripping the coat of your Shih Tzu means to remove the entire
coat with clippers fitted with a fine blade, right down to the
skin. If the coat of your Shih Tzu requires stripping,
obviously, there is no need for brushing and combing.

Coat conditioner: If your Shih Tzu’s coat is not so bad, does
not require stripping and can be saved, but still bad enough to
require considerable brushing and combing, you can saturate the
Shih Tzu’s coat with an oil-based coat condition to loosen the
knots and tangles and ease the brushing chore. Coat conditioners
that contain an oil base are beneficial for both the coat and
skin. Mink oil is probably about the best Shih Tzu coat
conditioner on the market and especially for a matted Shih Tzu
coat. There are other methods professional groomers and handlers
use for dealing with matted Shih Tzu coats. This becomes a
matter of personal preference between you and your Shih Tzu.

Universal brush: The Universal brush is a German import and is
convex-shaped with fairly long, hard, wire bristles. Its shape
and density enable it to pull out the dead hairs of your Shih
Tzu more efficiently than any other brush. Unfortunately, it
will also pull out the live hairs of your Shih Tzu’s coat and
therefore should never be used for a show coat of a Shih Tzu.

Oster mat comb: The “Oster mat comb is a major product that cuts
down on grooming time of your Shih Tzu. The comb is specially
designed to cut through knots and tangles and much less time is
spent in brushing and combing your Shih Tzu.

The Oster mat comb is used in the following manner: Grasp the
mat comb firmly with thumb resting on the thumbrest and the
other fingers around the wooden handle. Place the mat comb
directly behind the mat with the teeth flat against the skin.
Pull the mat comb forward towards you. If the Shih Tzu coat is
heavily matted, try pulling the comb through the Shih Tzu coat
with short vertical strokes that should result in slicing the
big mat into several smaller ones. Continue the process until
you can comb through the coat of your Shih Tzu without catching.

Use your soft wire slicker or Universal brush to brush out all
the remaining small mats and comb through the Shih Tzu coat once
again, until the comb runs through the shih tzu coat smoothly.

Brushes and combs: The brush you use to brush your Shih Tzu is
most important. A soft wire slicker brush is a happy medium
between the too-soft brushes used for Shih Tzu show dogs and the
too-harsh slicker brushes sold in most pet stores.

The Universal brush or a fairly large slicker brush with hard
fibers is used in cases of badly matted Shih Tzu coats. This
type of brush is harsher than the normal slicker and may take
our more hair than desired.

The comb of choice for general Shih Tzu use consists of half
fine and half coarse teeth and does not have a handle. The best
of these types of combs were formerly manufactured in Belgium
but American companies now make equally fine combs. The comb can
be used for roughing out to finishing touches of your Shih Tzu’s
coat.

The mat comb is a companion to the Universal brush for coping
with badly matted Shih Tzu coats. The mat comb is heavier with
wider-spaced teeth and is not to be confused with the Oster mat
comb, which is a tool especially for dealing with very badly
matted Shih Tzu coats.

If you’re in a sales position of any sort, or you’re a customer
or client of someone “selling” you, you know that the most
common response to an objection or concern from a salesperson is
to cut price.

I know. I’ve been “in sales” since the age of eleven. And, when
it got tough to sell what I had to offer, the very first thing I
did was cut the price on the very thing of value I was offering.

It wasn’t that I didn’t think what I was offering was valuable.
It was that I just never thought to give the “reasons why” they
would benefit from what I was offering.

Well, I’m here to tell you that if people percieve you as being
like everyone else, all they have to go on is comparing price.

The job then, is to educate your prospects on the enormous value
you deliver. Otherwise, it seems, you’re just another company
delivering another commodity product or service.

The secret to establishing value for your product or service and
building credibility with your prospects and customers is
simple: Tell the truth.

* If your product or service costs more than your competitors,
tell them why. It will create value that they didn’t see before.

* If your product is made with a stronger material than your
competitor’s, tell them why. It will let them know that your
product is more durable than your competitions.

* If your guarantee is longer than the competition, tell them
why. It will show that you truly believe in your product and are
willing to stand by it no matter what.

* If you’re having a private sale for existing customers, tell
them why. It will show them how special they are and how much
you care about them.

* If you do business differently than anyone else in your
industry, tell them why. It’ll show that you’re not just another
commodity and copy-cat business.

* If you’re selective about who you’ll do business with, tell
them why. It’ll revere them as special and increase their
confidence in doing business with you over and over again.

You see, it’s very simple. Educate them. Tell them the reasons
why, and you become not only the leader in your field of
expertise, but you become the resource that your customers want
to follow and respect.

How many businesses you do you know that actually tell you the
“whole truth” about a product or service or special they’re
offering? Not many. And the one’s that DO explain the “method to
their madness,” are the one’s that are very successful.

Honesty and education breeds credibility and trust. Avoid being
vague when you communicate an offer. The truth and nothing but
the truth will help you become the business leader you know you
can be.

Purchasing a Vehicle From a Staten Island Acura Dealer

Acura is a popular vehicle make that comes with a large selection of models and different vehicle styles. It is likely that there is at least one Acura vehicle that will fit all of your vehicle needs. If you live in or around the Staten Island area there are a large number of Acura car dealerships in the area. If you are interested in purchasing an Acura from a Staten Island Acura dealer there are a number of important things that should consider.

One of the first things to consider before purchasing from a Staten Island Acura dealer is whether you want a new or used vehicle. If you are searching for a used Acura it may be a good idea for you to consider visiting used car dealers first. If you are unsure whether or not you want to purchase a new or used vehicle you may want to think about visiting a new Staten Island Acura Dealer. Selecting a dealership that houses new and used vehicles will allow to review the selection of both kinds.

The next important thing to decide on would be an Acura model. There are a number of different ways to learn about the multiple Acura styles and models. You can take the time to visit a number of Acura dealers in the Staten Island area. The model name or model numbers should appear on the vehicle or the dealer documentation. Although an Acura dealer has a wide selection of vehicle models it is possible that they may not have all of them. The majority of Acura dealers should have brochures or pamphlets that will list or show a selection of all of the available models.

If you would like to be aware of the different available models before visiting an area Staten Island Acura dealer you can use the internet for help. The internet will allow you to do a search to find all of the Acura models. Once you find an Acura model that peaks your interest you can then go and visit a Staten Island Acura dealer. It is possible that a dealership may not have your selected model in stock. If this is the case you should not give up right away. It may be possible for a Staten Island Acura dealer to order the vehicle of your choice.

Once you have found an Acura model that you wish to purchase you may want to consider price comparing other dealers. Unless you are completely satisfied with the service of your current Staten Island Acura dealer you should check the prices of others. It is possible and highly likely that multiple car dealers are charging different prices for the exact same vehicle. Price checking a number of dealerships may prevent you from paying more money then you need to.

Finding and purchasing a vehicle from a Staten Island Acura dealer is a fairly easy process. There are a large number of Acura models that are sure to fit all of your vehicle needs.

Justin Ross is a writer for Springfield Acura where you can find information
on choosing a Staten Island Acura Dealer

When you find your teenagers MySpace and it happens to be set to “private”, you need to ask yourself, what doesn’t my child want me to read?

MySpace has this option for younger teens, if you log on and tell them that you are 14(they never verify age)then they are automatically set to private. When your child has his/her account set to private, it will not allow you to read anything in this account, basically you as a parent have been blocked unless you have been accepted by your child as a “friend”. If your child has a head’s up that you are concerned or that you are looking on his MySpace, then they more than likely will set it to private. This makes it a bit more difficult as a parent to just nilly willy read what’s going on.

You have 2 options if you hit this roadblock.

1. You can be satisfied to just read what your child writes to his friends (but since you can’t get onto their friend’s list you have to just keep trying different friend’s names) it’s kind of a hit and miss game, and you won’t be able to read what the friend’s are replying back with. So it really is just a one sided conversation and you might not be able to get all the facts you need.

2. You can be sneaky and sign yourself up for a MySpace account under a disguised name and age (pretending to be a peer from another school district) and ask your teen to become a “friend”. Then you would have access to all information. The problem with doing this, is that you have to come up with pictures (supposedly of yourself) of teens and this can become difficult.

My recommendation is that if your child is using MySpace and is set to private. Then a sit down conversation is in order with your teen. If they want the privilege of using MySpace then they need to get out of private mode or lose the account. But this would give the teen a tip that you are aware and monitoring. So it’s your call.

If you are concerned that your teen is hiding things and they are set to private and you don’t want them to know that you are trying to get into their MySpace, there is another option. Buy a good spy software that will monitor everything your teen is doing on the computer and download it to your personal email.

Parents of teenagers who want to be informed visit our website and learn how to stay one step ahead of your teen.
MySpace for Parents.com

The Most Important Thing About Your E-Zine Is Its CONTENT

In e-zine publishing CONTENT IS KING. If you provide content of a consistently superior quality, your e-zine will be a success.

>>> What forms of content should you use ? Feature Articles

A feature article is the most common - and one of the best - forms of content in most e-
zines.

Here are some tips for writing good feature articles for your e-zine:

Articles shouldn’t be too lengthy. While there aren’t any rules, it is perhaps safe to
keep feature articles below 1200 words long.

Articles should be relevant to the topic of your e-zine.

Articles should educate or inform. Try and limit the message of a piece to one or two new ideas.

Articles should be original. The originality should preferably extend to the idea, the
concept behind the write-up as well. Don’t simply rehash an article you’ve read elsewhere. By publishing an article that hasn’t been already featured in many other newsletters, you enhance the value of your own e-zine. This however means that you must

- Write your own features: It’s hard work, but rewarding. And it assumes you can write reasonably well.

- Get someone to write articles specifically for you: It’s difficult to arrange, but the
long-term benefits are enormous. You could offer to

a. pay guest authors for their article or

b. contribute an article of your own to their publication in return. This way, you are
adding value to readers of your e-zine by providing them with another (your guest author’s) point of view, without doing any ‘extra’ work yourself. A fringe benefit is that
you might hook some new subscribers from your guest’s list!

- Articles should be exclusive. If someone else writes for you, make sure the same article won’t be submitted to dozens of other e-zines. Benefits from publishing exclusive content include

a. syndication opportunities in other publications, online and off b. no risk of readers leaving you to find your content elsewhere

Reprint articles only if you have to. Even then, add value by putting your own ’spin’ on
the content - maybe introduce the subject, or comment on the author’s opinions or conclusions.

Caution - do NOT ‘edit’ the original article without the author’s permission. Avoid articles that have been reprinted many times before in other publications.

=> News Clips and Stories

Staying informed of the latest developments and happenings in areas of interest is becoming increasingly difficult and time consuming. Your e-zine can offer a solution to
this dilemma by providing timely news on topics that might be of interest to your readers.

You may create a separate section to deal with industry news. Or you might devote an entire issue to news updates. By this you are adding value to your subscriber, and ensuring that your e-zine is read every time.

There are many ways of presenting news:

as a feature article
a short news clips, with a link to the full story on a website as news stories, where each item is explained at length

Whichever way you choose to present the news, make sure to stamp it with your own personality. Make it interesting, personal, chatty, fun, unique, or all of these - with
your style of writing, or by adding your point of view.

As with feature articles, news clips should be

relevant
useful to your reader
timely. Remember, old news is no news!

=> Aggregating the best content

Finding, tracking and regularly visiting informative websites on a specific topic is difficult and time-intensive. Many readers will appreciate a listing of the best resources
on a subject. Website picks are therefore a valuable content idea for your e-zine.

As an expert on your topic, you can evaluate sites and other resources (e-zines, directories, books, offline publications) for the best. And then list them, along with
your rating and opinion of the site, with a link to the site itself.

Many excellent and very large e-zines follow this success model - you can too.

=> Reviews

Here’s your chance to help your readers by guiding them to the very best - books, websites, music or other products and services. You, the expert, tell them what is good and what isn’t.

Why should you present reviews?

A guiding principle in writing reviews is that the reader’s need comes first. In a review,
you share something that will be of interest and benefit to them.

If you read a great book, or surf into a wonderful website, then tell your e-zine subscribers about it in a review.

How to write a review?

Some tips:

Be brief. Provide contact / ordering information for those who want to know more.

Be relevant. Limit your reviews to the topic and subject of your e-zine.

Be selective. Set high standards for the products you review. A review in your e- zine should become an honour people will vie for!

Be analytical. Tell your reader specifically what is good or bad about the thing you
review.

Don’t go overboard. Restrain your impulse to offer extremes of praise and criticism.

Be balanced. Point out the good and bad aspects with equal emphasis.

Offer Recommendations. At the end, say what you think about it. Is it good ? Or bad ? Should your reader buy the product, visit the website, order the service ? Tell them.

What should you review?

Anything - as long as it is relevant to the topic of your e-zine, and of interest to your
reader. Here are some ideas:

Books : Surely there are books on your e-zine’s topic. If you’ve read any good ones (or even bad ones), or an author/publisher sent you a copy to review, you could write about it for your e-zine.

Websites : If you have a favourite website, or run across one that is useful, entertaining or informative, review it for your e-zine. You could analyse it in depth,
highlight it’s strengths and weakness, focus on the benefits it offers. Your readers will
love you for this. Indeed there are some great e-zines made up entirely of website reviews !

Products and services can also be grist for your mill. Just remember to stay within the guidelines - relevant and useful to your reader.

=> Website Updates

An e-zine is an excellent way to get readers to visit your website again, and thereby create “stickiness” to your site.

Why should you encourage repeat visits?

There are two major benefits from running a “sticky” website:

if you sell advertising space on your site, the repeat visitors would generate more page views, and therefore additional revenue

if a visitor comes to your site again and again, and becomes loyal to your service, he or she is more likely than others to respond to offers on your site, and to buy products from you.

=> Interviews

Publishing an interview with an expert is exciting, valuable content. And it is easy to
conduct one via e-mail.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1

Identify your expert

Step 2

Learn more about your expert - special interests, experience, achievements, status in field, etc. This allows you to modify your interview to suit the individual.

Step 3

Decide upon a topic for the interview. Prepare a set of questions you’d like to ask.

Step 4

Contact your expert with an interview request. Most experts would be happy to participate in your interview. For those who seem hesitant, mentioning the exposure they would get from your publication is enough to get them to agree!

Step 5

E-mail a copy of your questions to the expert and review the reply.

Make editorial changes suitable for your readership. Rearrange the questions so that there is a smooth flow of thoughts.

By intelligently interspersing additional queries and comments, you can make it appear as if the interview was carried out in person!

Ask additional questions, or for clarification when necessary.

Step 6

Get approval from your expert for the final version of the interview.

Step 7

PUBLISH !

=> Interactive Features

What sets apart the Internet and e-mail from traditional media (television, radio, newspaper and magazines) is the potential for “two-way” communication, or reader interactivity. And this is even easier with an e-zine.

Why should you interact with readers?

Easy. To improve your e-zine’s quality.

You can establish closer, more personal relationships with subscribers You can find out about their preferences, likes and dislikes You can listen to their complaints and suggestions You can request their feedback on your performance You can collect valuable demographic data on your audience

AND…. you can get fresh content to use in your e-zine!

All of this allows you to make improvements, additions and enhance the value and utility of your e-zine to your reader.

Leveraging Interactivity for your E-zine

By employing interactive tools, you can generate content to use in later issues of your
e-zine. There are many different ways to do this. Here are a few ideas:

=> Polls

Survey your readers. Ask a question. Request a vote on an issue or topic.

About what?

an article in the e-zine - “Did you find this week’s feature helpful ?” current events - “Will you vote for the GOP in the next election ?” a controversial issue - “Do you believe in religion in schools ?” user preferences - “Would you like to receive this e-zine every week ?” demographic data - “Do you have young children ?”

Be imaginative and creative.

Some guidelines:

Be brief. Ask no more than 7 or 8 questions

Offer choices. Frame the questions to have a YES/NO option

Provide an incentive to reply. A discount, a freebie, a trial membership

Compile the results and announce them to the list. Your readers will enjoy hearing about what their peers think and feel about these issues.

Show that you are acting on the feedback received

=> Feedback

Reader feedback is extremely valuable - if you listen to it with a mind open to change,
and act on it.

Criticism can stimulate you to improve standards. Questions and requests can indicate areas where you must provide content that helps your reader.

A good feedback loop between e-zine publisher and subscriber is worth a lot - probably
as much as the trans-continental cables that wire the world together!

How can you get feedback from your reader?

Make it obvious that you welcome feedback.

In every issue, ask them to write back with their comments, opinions and suggestions for improvement.

Provide an e-mail address to write to, or send them the URL for a web-based feedback form they can submit.

How do you turn feedback into content?

Use your creativity to come up with new ideas. Here are some suggestions:

Write a feature article that answers the questions your reader asked

Print out the questions or comments your reader sent in, and answer them. Take care to request their permission to use their words. Most often, they’ll agree - especially when you promise them a moment in the spotlight by mentioning their name, e-mail id or website URL in your post!

Act upon the suggestions readers make; then write about these changes

=> Discussion Lists

Building a discussion group around your e-zine is another way to promote interactivity
while generating usable content in the process. While feedback is a one-to-one communication, a discussion group permits many-to-many interaction, since every e- mail sent to the group is distributed to each member.

Here’s what you can do:

- Create a discussion group using one of the free or pay-services.

- Announce it on your e-zine and invite your subscribers to participate.

Readers could debate controversial articles and news stories, discuss other issues related to your topic and share their views and opinions with other readers.

The material generated in such lively debate could again be used as the seed to grow content for your e-zine.

=> Forums

One more method of growing an online community around your e-zine and promoting interactivity is a Forum or Bulletin Board.

An electronic bulletin board is a website where a visitor can read messages posted by others, and respond by writing another message on the board. This reply is also displayed for others to read, producing a growing list of discussions on related topics.

After a reasonable period of time, the messages under a particular topic could be encapsulated into a feature article or other form of content on your e-zine.

Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian, M.D. Editor, THE HEART BEAT Health-E-Zine http://www.DrMani.com/ezine/heartbeat.shtml E-ZINE LAUNCH: the e-book to jumpstart your e-publishing career How to Create, Publish and Market YOUR OWN Profitable E-mail Newsletter on the Internet!

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