Cholesterol Treatment

Cholesterol is one of those health buzz words at the moment, mainly because it can effect anyone no matter what their size and weight. However, it often becomes an issue as we reach later middle-age/ early old age, and it would be sensible to have a cholesterol test during this time just to check that you do not need any cholesterol treatment or adjust your diet to bring down your cholesterol levels.
High cholesterol can affect your heart, so it makes sense to check out your cholesterol level to see if you need to change your lifestyle accordingly.

Google 'gaming'

Changes are taking place in the world of Google, now they are looking at how they can improve on 'apps' that give local information. I have come across reports about apps that can identify pictures taken from a mobile phone camera. The app can recognise a logo, shopfront or landmark and give search results relating to what it can 'see'.
This is a tremendous leap forward in how Google can continue to help people to find what they need, but it has caused a stir amongst webmaster and journalists that are concerned with writing about SEO. However, my take on it is that really it is up to Google to come up with a way to integrate the information that is already there, so in the long term, webmasters are not required to jump every time Google comes up with a new concept or search hysteresis. It seems to me that webmasters are in danger of forgetting that Google has a clientele (primarily the technology-aware general public) to serve and therefore have a duty to bring your website to the attention of their clients where relevant. The idea of gaming the results to get yourself in a high position regardless of relevance is a short-term tactic. For those in for the long-term, my advice is to keep on doing what you are doing and let Google worry about getting your site into the search results - there is still no replacement for good content although there are naturally small things that you can do to make sure your site is optimised. Optimisation is still based on the basic tenets that it always has been, with noticeably less emphasis on PageRank (off-page optimisation), and more emphasis of the following on-page tactics:
Content, content, content - unless you are planning a landing page only (shame on you...), you should really spent the majority of your time on producing good content. I wouldn't even be overly concerned about keyword density because if you write naturally and informatively, your keyword content should be naturally correct.
Tags - it is so simple to add title, alt, keyword and description you would have to be crazy not to do it despite the fact that it is not considered 'sexy' - you would be far better employed doing tags than designing a flash animation for your visitors. It is still a webmaster crime of epic proportions to have a page title come up as 'home', 'index' or 'untitled' no matter how good your page looks if a visitor ever actually found it.
URL's including keywords - still a winner for search results and will continue to be - any page that does not have a keyword in the URL may be a page wasted.
As long as the oh-so simple rules of on-page optimisation are behind what you are doing, I believe Google is obliged to seek you out and put you in the search results... THAT after all is their job, it is not as many believe, Google's job to 'police' the internet.

Diet Pills

Seems like every week there are new diet pills and slimming aids, the latest I have come across is the adipex diet pill although it is apparently based on an active ingredient that has been around for over 50 years as a slimming aid.
Like all supplements and medications that are not prescribed by a medical professional, caution should be exercised when considering using them. If you are considering this type of medication, make sure you read the research into all the pro's and con's beforehand..

Ebay still rocks...

Despite all those who are less than complimentary about eBay, I have to say that I have had a couple of bargains lately and cannot say enough about what a great service it is. Sure, they charge for all transactions and sometimes you don't get as much as you would like for your old cast-offs, but all-in-all I believe eBay provides a great service to buyers and sellers alike.
This is of course helped by the fact that so many online earnings are paid via paypal, so spending on eBay is a bit like spending monopoly money - For the most part it never goes anywhere near my wallet or bank account.
Sadly my old 3.2 megapixel camera died, and I got another from eBay in really good condition for £5.50!! I also bought a brand new 2GB MP3 player for £6.99, and whilst it is no iPod, it certainly does the job and is a really nice item.
I think as long as you are sensible and thoroughly check out sellers, that eBay can be an invaluable part of anybody's life. I certainly buy more than I sell, but on the occasions that I have sold items, transactions have generally been smooth - I have ended up with a few quid in my pocket and a bit more space in the loft... I like the way that eBay has evolved and improved over time and will continue to use it as long as it is there...

Website linking

PageRank is the rating assigned to your site by Google depending on your 'off-site' optimisation - in simple terms, the more links you have coming into your website, the better your ranking. More importantly, the more relevant the linking site (to your own content) the better.
One of the easiest form of getting incoming links into your site is to do some directory submission. This is the relatively simple task of entering your website details into a directory of websites (within a relevant category).
You can trawl the internet looking for directories of course, but there are some sites and software that can help you to speed up the process by automating some (but not all) the tasks.

Eczema treatment

Modern medicine may have defeated the fearsome illnesses and diseases of the past, nonetheless as a species we are now plagued by allergies of which Eczema and Asthma are the most common. Often these two allergy-driven illnesses can be found together, although it is not uncommon for them subside after a number of years. There are both effective eczema treatment and asthma treatments readily available usually in the form of creams for eczema, and inhalers for asthma.

Slow start to the year

The British weather is prevailing against the spirit of endeavour... we are giving in rather easily to the snow that always brings us to a stand-still this time of year.
I had meant to be in a position to demonstrate my new earnings reporting spread-sheet, and whilst it is drafted, I have yet to finalise how I am going to report different types of costs - I am planning to report income as just a single figure regardless of the source. Talking of which, I have had a few cassette to CD conversions to do this week which will certainly boost earnings for January.
The main sources of my online earnings will be:

• cassette to CD conversions
• paid blogging
• adverts/banners
• affiliates
  
• participation in forums/surveys etc..

This last one will cease when payouts are reached in the various sites, I don't plan to pursue the few cents that can be earned via these methods for the future. I am also hoping to off-load some domains, but they will obviously be one-off events if I can manage to do it...

Car Insurance

The current trend is to find the cheapest car insurance that can be found online using comparison sites and the like, but a word of caution... Are you sure that your cheap insurance will adequately cover you? Services like carinsurancelist.com concentrate on offering great value for money inclusive policies that won't leave you high and dry.
For instance a colleague of mine recently bought insurance online and paid a bit extra because he was getting 'free' breakdown cover. Imagine his dismay when he broke down 200 miles from home to discover that the service only tows your car within a 20 mile radius...!
There is nothing wrong with finding the best deal and the cheapest insurance as long as that insurance covers all eventualities.

Blackheads?

It's not a nice subject I know, but do you have trouble getting rid of blackheads? I can't say it ever presented too much of a problem for me personally although plenty of people do suffer problems with their skin. One of the issues I saw recently highlighted on a TV problem I saw, was the long-term damage that can be done to your skin if skin problems are not treated in the right way.

Skin can end up being severely pock-marked and need laser treatment or other procedures later in life in order to smooth out the skin again. Most people may end up with just a few marks, but the more severe cases can lead to bad scarring.

A new resolve

I don't 'do' New Year resolutions, but I am going to use this coming year to achieve some goals which will serve to point me in a more defined direction and be a bit less hap-hazard. My focus on earnings will change although I am resolved to carry on with some paid blogging, some opportunities will be falling by the wayside.
I find now, that there is little to be made from surveys and when I have been paid out for the ones that I have started out with, I will drop them. I think I am just about done with PPP and anything related to IZEA, they are no longer the creme de la creme that they used to be, they have reverted in my opinion to the lowest common denominator. Fine for those happy to fight for scraps, but the uncertainty of whether a post will be accepted along with a hefty minimum payout indicates the general demise of paid blogging. I am not bitter, I have been along for the ride and have enjoyed every cent...
In contrast, PayU2blog are much better for me, they make few demands, pay out twice a month without fail and have so far sent me over $1000, which is far more that I have earned from any other program. In fact it was just last month that the one thousandth dollar from PU2B hit my PayPal account...
Total earnings for December were less than $40 in total, but I have been concentrating on other things, not least of which is my new earnings spreadsheet.
I will be posting about total online earnings from now on and not just blogging, the spreadsheet includes expenditure as well as earnings, and this time, the money doesn't appear until it actually arrives in my account. So for instance, my actual blogging payments for December were over $65, this is because the majority of online earnings are subject to delayed payments.
I have completed the first draft of my spreadsheet and can start publishing figures from it soon, but I think I need to tweak it a little to make it easier to identify the different sources of income and the different elements of expediture (more for my own purposes than for the readers of this blog). When I have defined these a little better, I will start publishing some figures - it will be nothing ground-breaking or breath-taking, it will just serve to make my online earnings a little more transparent.

At home in the snow...

I love the snow, and as it happens, I am off work until Friday anyway this week, so I am not losing any work time. However being confined to the house tends to make you look around and assess your surroundings, and with sale-time in the shops, it easy to start formulating plans to spend heaps of money to improve your home.
I love modern furniture, but I live in a house that has some charming features that are just short of 100 years old. I think the comtemporary look can be pulled of in an older abode, if you can strike the balance right, however with a limited budget, we will need to be very creative.
Having said that, there is still some plastering and other seni-structural work to be done before any new furnishings can be bought, but rest assured, by the end of 2010 I am quote sure that our home will be a step closer to perfection...

Happy New Year

A new year is about to unfold and I would sincerely like to wish any readers of this blog who happen by, a wonderful and successful new year. I have taken some major online business decisions this year and plan to expand operations in my chosen path in 2010 in order to build a continuing passive income.
I will naturally be reporting outcomes on this blog. My major decision this year is to do less blogging and build more websites, along with the plan to gather all my online earnings into a single report which will also be the basis for reporting my income to the tax authorities. This will replace the monthly 'blogging-only' earnings report that I have always posted on this blog.
I am not one for New Year resolutions, but I am resolved nonetheless to tidy up my online dealings and cut off some of those branches that have not borne fruit.
Happy New Year to you and yours, may the new year bring blessings and joy to you and your families.

One of the Good Guys

My parents have an RV and love to take it all over the country and on the continent too. I have discovered a new service today that I was not previously aware of. The good sam motorhome towing service offers roadside assistance specifically for RV's. These vehicles are becoming more and more popular all over the world and it makes sense that you need a specifically tailored roadside assistance package that offers more than the standard vehicle cover.
I will be checking to see if my parents have thought about this type of service when I see them tomorrow (they drove their RV down to visit us earlier today).

Insurance a necessary evil

Everybody hates having to pay insurance because not only is it an expense, it is an expense that already acknowledges that something is going to go horribly wrong at some point during the year...

New Year is as good a time as any to sit down and get the all important insurance quote for your vehicles, your home and contents and maybe even your traveling (should you be fortunate enough to be planning any travel...).
One of the huge advantages of the online world is that things like insurance are now ultra-competitive which means that most of us are paying less insurance than we were a few years ago.
My golden rules for insurance are:

• Do we really need it? (Home and car are no-brainers, everything should be looked at long and hard)
• Have we got the right level of cover? (there is little worse than paying out fpor an insuranec that doesn't actually help you out when things go wrong..).

Happy shopping

Christmas Eve

Relax!
I never mind working on Christmas Eve, because by then, it's really too late to do anything and we rarely receive any calls from clients other than to pass on seasons greetings...
I fact I took last week off work, and went into work for this week because I knew the pressure would be off.
So take it easy today, and just prepare for a day of food and fun, that's my advice. Make sure that you have whatever you need ready, in my case that meant chopping up a few logs this morning to make sure we have a festive fire running through the week... I also have a well stocked 'cellar' that will ensure there are enough bottles of red wine to see us merrily through the season.
If you are a regular or just happen by this blog today... MERRY CHRISTMAS, spend some quality time with the ones you love over the next few days.

On the Treadmill

As Christmas turns into New Year, how many of us will be taking to the treadmill in a desperate attempt to regain our usual trim shape?
Home gyms are increasingly popular especially since gym membership can be so expensive. I don't find the gym to be a great place to get fit, but I think I could be more enthused if the gym equipment were actually in my own house...
The reason I can't get on with a gym is that although you may be in a room with lots of other people, you don't really have any interaction with them, and have to be self-motivated to get any results - I prefer partaking in team sports where the exercise is just a positive side-effect of the game.

Still looking for PageRank?

I am starting to come round to the conclusion that PR is a bit of a self-fulfilling dream... after all, what is it's value?
Does it get you SERP (search engine results position)? seemingly not as I have several sites with little or no PR that achieve first-page results for specific targeted key-words.
Many of us were slave to PR when we started blogging, and the weeping could be heard from afar when Google slapped us all for trying to 'game' PR with viral schemes. Some desperately hung on, determined to show their contrite hearts to Daddy Google by refusing paid posts and removing 'do follow' from their blogs.
Did it make any difference? Did traffic cease or did our sites disappear from the search results? Maybe there were some short-term effects here and there, maybe Google has learned some lessons and maybe there is not so much money being thrown at paid bloggers, but not an awful lot has really changed.
I am promoting a new site at the moment, and have concentrated almost exclusively on 'on-page' optimisation - the type of SEO that doesn't rely on outside links and therefore is not affected by PR. My conclusions are that you can certainly get ranked on page 1 without PR- and most of the time, I am only held off the top-spot by Wikipedia... So I leave you with this... What is the value of PageRank?
And my answer is that you really only need to think about it if you are competing for a very highly sought after keyword. You may easily get SERP for a cleverly thought out associated phrase with virtually no 'off-page' optimisation at all. Of course, if many of those who sponsored posts took this view, they would stop paying for links except for those sickeningly 'popular' recurring promotions (I leave the themes of these to your imagination), so I hope sponsors will ignore my views and continue to send interesting and varied opportunities.

The goose is getting fat....

We are 'stocking' up already for Christmas, and I have already consumed a couple of packets of mince pies. I am looking forward to a very long break as I take all my remaining annual holidays in the next month - in fact I worked out yesterday that I was due to spend just eight days out of the next thirty one in work...
After all the indulgences of the coming festivities, a good supply of weight loss pills, headache tablets and hangover cures will no doubt be consumed too. Excercise is hard to come by as local sports centres and gyms seem to take extended yuletide breaks too. Nevertheless when five-a-side football resumes in January I will be raring to go, hopefully freshly kitted out with new Christmas socks...

Earnings for November

I almost managed to break the $100 barrier again this month would have been a much-needed boost. PayU2blog remain the best earner and I particularly like the un-demanding way in which they operate. I was disappointed with IZEA this month as I had my first ever offer, after I had jumped through all the many required hoops (including anchor texts, embedded video etc.. etc...) for a $20 opp, it took them ages to tell me they couldn't accept the post as it was adjacent to another paid post. Admittedly it's in the t&c's (terms and conditions) but really... who reads those???
Having been much busier with my other online exploits this month, I have seriously neglected my other blogs and need to catch up with posting (either that or get rid of the domains...)
I have even managed to flog some stuff off on eBay this month (a 'previously enjoyed' CPU and motherboard) and there is plenty more where they came from...

Notebook computers

Every so often I dream about buying a new PC and if I were buying one now, I would definitely consider a notebook computer to add to my current collection of desktops.
Notebooks or netbooks are like cut-down laptops offering the kind of features that you are likely to need on the road combined with long battery-life.
If you have a desktop PC to do your main computer-related tasks, then a netbook would be the ideal tool giving you portability and access to email and internet on the move. Those with very specific needs may find that a notebook actually fills all their computing requirements ie. youngsters or the elderly who may only require a browser and email access to stay in touch with friends and family.