Short Articles on Several Subjects.
Here I have put together some short articles that I have penned over the years and which appear on various sites including articlebase.com and ideamarketers.com
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To Build or Not to Build Your Own Website
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What is a web site all about?
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The Difficulties of Selling in Foreign Languages in Spain
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Adult Kidnapped!
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Enjoy Financial Planning
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Selling and Buying will Save the Planet
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To Build or Not to Build Your Own Website
Have you noticed the huge amount of DIY web design products available nowadays? It makes you wonder if web design by professionals is worth the money they charge. Well is it? I guess the first thing that you need to consider is, do you do all your own DIY at home, or do you sometimes (or always) bow to the experiences of professionals. For example would you fit a new gas central heating boiler, because there are instructions on-line? I think you would be very brave, or daft.
Professional web design has some huge advantages. We have all seen the hobby/enthusiast knock up a cupboard that wobbles and fall apart when it is tested. We also know how long it took to build, and keeps taking to make it work correctly. Generally speaking, we like to get things right - however long it takes, and however much time we waste doing it! Web design is like this. It's OK till it goes wrong, and it can take up so much of your time that you forget your real goal - Your real job.
So how do you pick your web designer? Well their work is clearly visible, and you don't need their permission to view it. However,it is your choice, as to the sort of site you want. When you spot one that you like, the designer usually has his tag somewhere. A few quick clicks on the internet will get you in touch with them.
You will of course need some idea yourself of the cost you can afford, and what you want to tell the world. This is so that when you enter negotiation, you stick to what is important to you, but be prepared to listen to the designer, as they will know what can and can't be done. They will also know what needs to go on in the background to make the site work.
Even professionals struggle to keep up to date with all the changes taking place in design products and design techniques. SEO keeps changing, Google changes daily (or so it seems), when deciding what it likes and dislikes. Specialists work hard to keep up to date with this, and every other aspect of design.
In summary, if you have time and skills, have a go yourself. You may enjoy it, and you may be good at it. If it is likely to take your eyes of your real job, you may struggle if it does not work. Therefore call in a professional from the outset.
What is a web site all about?
I think, a good starting point is to talk about all the bits associated with having a web site.
- The pages.
- The Name(s).
- The distribution.
- The promotion.
The Pages
This is what you see when you type in “the name” of your site into the internet address bar of a computer (I know that bits technical, but that’s what it’s called!!), and it can be a single page, or a number of pages. Think of it being a bit like a cross between a newspaper and a flyer, it tells the world what you want the world to know!
This could be a site about your family and its history, it could be about the business that you own, it could be about the place that you live, it could be about……anything you want it to be about.
The site could include words, pictures, links to other sites, moving pictures, sounds etc. etc. Again anything you want.
The Name
Think of the name as being the internet equivalent of your house address. If someone sends you a letter, they will put your name, your house number, the street where your house is, the district, the town, the county, the country, and the postcode. With all that info, there is a very good chance that you will receive it!!
The internet is no different. You need an address. An internet site address has to be unique; otherwise someone else will “open your letter!”
Companies specialize in selling (or if you use their other services, giving) you an address.
The thing is you get to pick it, and they tell you if it is available, if it is they register it in your name for an agreed period of time. To buy a name can be as little as two pound/euros/dollars a year!
The Distribution
My house address was determined in the past by the town planner, and he told the town hall what it was, so they could send me local taxes etc. (nice guy eh!).
Many other organizations and individuals now have my address as it is a public record.
When you get your internet address, and tell someone what it is, someone (or company) has to let your acquaintance in! This in technical terms is known as the host. You usually pay the host on a monthly or annual basis for hosting you!
The Promotion
This is the bit that can make or break any business that needs to be found by others who are searching for what they provide.
If your website is for your family and friends to look at, then you do not need the promotion company.
The amount of promotion varies from company to company, and offer to offer, but if you need Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves or any other Search Engine to find you, then you must pay the “promoter” accordingly.
The Difficulties of Selling in Foreign Languages in Spain
When you live, own property, or have business interests in a foreign country, it can be difficult when it comes to buying and selling many things. It's ok when you walk in to a business, point and use your fingers to show how many. Most buyers and sellers can make that bit work. What happens though when you have something to sell and you can't meet face to face? What happens when the object of the transaction is not a physical object? You may say, "Learn the language". This however, is often not an option, as the time taken to learn all the possible phrases will be outweighed by how quickly it will be forgotten, as it will probably never be needed again.
The internet is a fantastic way to solve this problem as you can advertise your wares or your needs in your own language and in the country you or your interest is in. One such site has been set up to help with the English speakers who live and work, or have business interests in Spain and its islands. The thing is, most none English first language speakers, have English as their second language. The Scandinavians are, in many cases, so good at English, they are mistaken as being from the states, Australia, South Africa, the UK, and many other English speaking countries. It is not common, particularly in Europe for Spanish to be a language option at school, as it is rarely needed outside of Spain.
Spain has many foreigners living on its mainland or islands, all of whom need to trade from time to time. We all have things that we would like to buy or sell, and don't wish to have them shipped from "back home" at extra cost. This is where a site with these characteristics is a godsend. It allows the selling of most things (as long as it's legal and decent). It puts together buyers and sellers, and does not charge for the adverts, or commissions. You can join as a member and become an expert seller of the things you no longer need, and who knows, you could become so good that you become a business, and you could move up to business membership!
In conclusion, if you live in Spain or its Islands, and you speak English better than you speak Spanish, then an English speaking site could be highly beneficial to you. Good luck with your trading.
Adult Kidnapped!
Why is it, that the moment we discuss things that adults enjoy, away from children, it becomes taboo? The word adult has been kidnapped by hardcore porn sites, a bit like the Union Jack has been kidnapped by far right political parties. The sad thing is, the internet world had allowed the adult kidnapping to happen, whilst the British public allowed the Union Jack to have the same fate. I recently constructed a website, because my experiences tell me that adult's love being with other adults, at certain times. The length and frequency of those periods varies from individual to individual.
Let me make my view on porn very clear, porn is NOT for children, no ifs - no buts, but nor are adult holidays, nor is the hiring of cars, taking out finance, buying and consuming alcohol, playing bingo, using casinos, etc.
My view is very simple, the adult world is only for adults, and we should prevent children entering the world, but by censoring everything associated with adults, so you can "cut out the porn" is not done for the benefit of adults. It is done because of the stupid adults who don't prevent their children seeing what they should not. These people are the very ones that will provide "porn for kids" and the generalised censorship that I and others face is, in my opinion wrong, as it won't stop the "wrong uns" (as my mum calls them!)
Recently, in the UK, there were two young lads who did horrible things to two other young lads (and others), and it turns out that their father allowed them to watch porn, and violence, and that their mother gave them cannabis to make them sleep. No Google or anyone would have prevented this, and the loose screw has now been passed down a generation.
Those of you who have booked a mainstream adult only holiday with a well known holiday provider will have done so for two main reasons;
1 – You don't want children around, and
2 – You do want adult company.
I am a married man (30 years in November), with two adult daughters and 3 fantastic grandchildren. I love seeing my daughters, and my grandchildren, but they have a "slot" in my life. When that "slot" is completed, I move on to other slots. Sitting here, writing this article, I am in my "authoring slot", in a couple of hours I will be in the pub in my adults' only socialising slot.
Now back to my opening sentence "Why is it, that the moment we discuss things that adults enjoy, away from children, it becomes taboo?"
Google, and many other sites, including many who want you to help promote them, will refuse your site when you include the private moments!
So what is porn? This really is open to interpretation, and is a subject that has had its boundaries changed in all directions over the centuries. It varies in different countries, religions and cultures. Is the situation with consenting adults watching other consenting adults' on TV porn? Are a man and his wife making love porn? Is this article porn?
I live in Spain, and for the 1st 45 years of my life, I lived in the UK. At midnight, here in this very catholic country, several channels show, free of charge, uncut adult movies. In the UK there are loads of pay per view channels featuring these films.
The adult world is much more than just sex, but is dressing in sexy clothes the thing you would encourage your 16 year old daughter to do as she "went to her mates house" on a Friday night? However what is wrong with dressing up for your partner in a private moment? Should you have to go to a back street sleaze balls shop or should you be comfortable looking on line and ordering the clothes, shoes and toys that you fancy?
Do you enjoy going out for a drink or a meal and there are no screeching kids? Mentioned above, but worth another mention,adult holidays – club 18-30 and Saga offer adult only holidays, and nearly all other big travel companies offer some form of over 17's only experiences. Would you sit down and do your financial planning with your 9 year old son? Would you buy a bottle of scotch for your 13 year old daughters' birthday? You know the answer!
Enjoy Financial Planning
I remember, as a young lad, being given my weeks spending money, and running to the local post office to deposit some of it for "the future". What that meant to me was for a new bike! The fact that I never got it, does not mean that I failed, it just means that I bought other "big things" such as parts to build a radio, things for my train set etc.
Financial planning is, or should be a pleasure, and you should be able to see the end result, right at the beginning, and like my never achieved new bike, your goals will constantly change. Just a note at this point, for those with daft objections to planning your finances, if your dog is good at putting out fires, and rebuilding your house when the idiot next door tries to turn his gas meter round and blows your house to bits, then no you don't home insurance! If you will never die, then you don't need life insurance.
Having a few grand in the bank, or at least access to a few grand is the starting point for financial planning. Often referred to as an emergency fund, it is your "comfort blanket" and the first building block in financial planning. Having something for a rainy day is something that was temporarily removed from me last year, and it was at that point, the most difficult time of my adult life. Whichever institution I turned to get help closed the door on me, and I was let adrift to fend for myself. These same institutions were the first to send me letters when the status quo was returned! Not to help me of course, but to have me invest with them!
Can I just say that the number of true friends who offered me help will never be forgotten. The thing is I am a Yorkshireman, and I work for what I earn - so work appeared from my friends, that perhaps wasn't really work, but we all felt happy with the situation, and I survived it all.
So, when you have this emergency fund, what next?
Well perhaps of equal importance is ensuring that your death would not stop others from carrying on, at least financially. The most basic cost is a funeral, but beyond that, is allowing those who relied on you, to continue to achieve your joint goals without the "cash generator" around anymore. Things such as your children's future, did you plan for them to go to college? Did you plan to help pay for their weddings? Did you plan a special family trip, did you plan to move house? These can still be achieved by those left behind with good financial planning, and discussing this can be fun, as these dreams are our lives.
Nowadays, many people have the family home mortgaged, and most will have the value of the debt protected, if you don't, you should! See the previous paragraph as to why.
There may be times when your planning will be interrupted as the money becomes unavailable. For example being out of work, being ill, or being injured. Again these areas can be protected, so the future plans do not have to be reduced or cancelled.
The future "biggie" for us all is what happens when we are older and stop working, but at the same time we want to enjoy our lifestyle, this is where early financial planning is essential. Everything still costs the same when you are 65! When you retire, the shops don't offer you 90% discounts, or your new car won't get 90% off, but if you are not careful in your planning, then your disposable income could easily be cut by 90%. Take a look now at your running costs today, a good place to start your reality check is the energy bills. What will happen to them when you are in the house more than you are now? What will change in the food that you eat? Will you still want to socialise, take holidays, run a car, and buy presents for people? These are the enjoyable parts of your life and if you want to enjoy your financial future, you need to sit down and enjoy your financial planning now! If you spend ₤15000 now, why will that change in retirement? It won't is the simple answer. Okay what you spend it on will probably change, but you will still spend it. How many years do you want to live in retirement? Now this may seem like a silly question, alongside questions such as "how long is a piece of string", but it is a genuine important question and at the end of the day we are responsible for the outcome. If you hope to live say twenty years, then you will need ₤15000 X 20 which is ₤300000, so saving ₤20 a week for 30 years just isn't enough (if you have not got there yet, it's only about 1/10th of you needs!)
I am going to digress a little here. If you have a business, that you hope to sell when you retire, be certain that it will be saleable, and that it will provide enough for your future. If what you do in your business needs you as its main ingredient, then your business may have little or no value, for example you are a hairdresser and people come to you for what you do to their hair, then without you there is no business.
My final thought in the field of financial planning, is care in your old age. There is much debate in the UK at the moment, and without being political, it has to be paid for, and those who say "it's the governments responsibility", just remember, all the government do is take your money and distribute it, so if they need more money, then it is YOUR responsibility, as you are the taxpayer, and you will need to pay more now for the care in your future.
Selling and Buying will Save the Planet
Money makes the world go round. Now there's a line from a song that is, and always has been the truth! In this time of severe hardship, the stimulating of the economy is the only way to save our planet from meltdown. The problem of course is that the decision makers tend to be politicians, and generally speaking, they have rarely been entrepreneurs. (But they have all spoken to entrepreneurs that very morning, and understand the issues really well!)
Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and individuals can all play their part in making this happen, lets explore how. Individuals have wants and needs, and have things they own that they no longer want or need. Here, the individual needs to consider selling the items that they no longer have uses for, and use the money to buy what they now desire. The world is always looking for a bargain (look at eBay if you need any form of proof). Imagine how much turnover the world could generate if each family were to sell and buy 6 items this year.
Retailers need to make the buying process simple for buyers; they also need to work with other retailers to bring down their costs, just like the big supermarkets do. There are many examples of this working, and there are many examples of this failing. Government departments are the living proof of this type of sheer stupidity. Why does one school have to worry about which photocopier to buy, when the same one (don't know which one personally, but someone will know), would surely do. One school buying department could then order say 1000, get a really good discount, and have them delivered to all the other schools. No, it does not work this way, and each school wastes hours of time deciding which is best for them, but they don't really know – do they? How many examples can you think of?
Wholesalers are the time saver and money saver for the small business, as they buy in bulk, and pass some of that bulk buying savings on to the businesses. I have one question here. Are the wholesalers well enough organised, and able to get the big discounts that the supermarkets can. If the answer is no, then they need to consider their strategy, and meet up with others in their sector to get better deals for all.
Manufacturers are screwed down by the big buyers, but what do they then do to the small buyer. Sadly and all too often, they make their money from the small guy, and achieve contribution from the big buyer. Is this a good way of doing business? We as individual go crazy when a phone provider charges us one rate, and gives a discount to someone to join them as a new customer. This is the same thing don't you think?
In summary, if we all work together, and we all get buying and selling, then the world economy will burst back in to action. Jobs and wealth will then be created, and let's hope that the gambling bankers are prevented from doing their worst again.