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Overview of Various Image File Formats
2007-09-17 15:00:00
There are many different image file formats in use on Web pages today. Each file format has its advantages and disadvantages, and can be used for specific images. For those that use digital cameras you may be familiar with one format, while you may have heard of others.In this post I will provide an overview of the different formats including their advantages and disadvantages.GIF FormatI will begin with one of the oldest formats in use on the Internet today. The GIF name is a acronym for Graphics Interchange Format, and was first introduced by Compuserve in 1987. This is a popular format next to the JPEG format and is still used on Web pages today. Digital cameras, however, don’t use this format because it only supports 256 colours.There are currently two versions of GIF in use: GIF87a (the original version) and GIF89a. The GIF89a version supports multiple images in stream which allows you to create animated GIF images.Advantages - One advantage to a GIF is that it uses lossl...
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Network Glossary of Terms
2007-09-14 15:00:00
I have written several posts regarding networking your home computers to the Internet. With more and more people using broadband as their Internet connection, it is becoming more common to see home LANs to allow multiple computers to connect to one Internet connection. To setup a network, it is also important to understand some of the terminology used so you have a better understanding of what is involved in establishing a home LAN.In this post I will provide a glossary of networking terms (alphabetically) that you will see when creating a home network. This will be helpful when you configure your router but are unsure of a specific networking term.Network ing Term inologyAES – An acronym for Advanced Encryption Standard. A symmetric encryption algorithm used to protect data. This is aimed at replacing DES. It is one of the encryption options for a wireless network when WPA or WPA2 is used.DHCP – An acronym for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. This is a communications proto...
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Network Glossary of Terms
2007-09-14 15:00:00
I have written several posts regarding networking your home computers to the Internet. With more and more people using broadband as their Internet connection, it is becoming more common to see home LANs to allow multiple computers to connect to one Internet connection. To setup a network, it is also important to understand some of the terminology used so you have a better understanding of what is involved in establishing a home LAN.In this post I will provide a glossary of networking terms (alphabetically) that you will see when creating a home network. This will be helpful when you configure your router but are unsure of a specific networking term.Network ing TerminologyAES ? An acronym for Advanced Encryption Standard. A symmetric encryption algorithm used to protect data. This is aimed at replacing DES. It is one of the encryption options for a wireless network when WPA or WPA2 is used.DHCP ? An acronym for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. This is a communications protocol ...
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Vista Power Saving Settings - Increase Laptop Battery Life
2007-09-12 15:00:00
In a previous articles titled Conserving Your Laptop Battery Power I listed several tips you can use to help conserve your laptop battery. The tips in that post can be applied not only Vista, but also previous versions of the Windows operating system.In this post, however, I will discuss a new utility within Vista to help you get even more time out of your laptop battery.Vista Power OptionsSimilar to the previous versions of Windows, you can access the power options for Vista from the control panel. To access the options use the following:Click Start Menu->Control Panel->Mobile PC->Power Options.Within the dialog you will see several default power options. You can simply click one of the options to use the power settings associated with it. Each power option has different battery life and performance features.When you increase the battery life you usually take a performance hit. When you increase the performance of your laptop, you will usually reduce the battery life of your la...
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Vista Power Saving Settings - Increase Laptop Battery Life
2007-09-12 15:00:00
In a previous articles titled Conserving Your Laptop Battery Power I listed several tips you can use to help conserve your laptop battery. The tips in that post can be applied not only Vista , but also previous versions of the Windows operating system.In this post, however, I will discuss a new utility within Vista to help you get even more time out of your laptop battery.Vista Power OptionsSimilar to the previous versions of Windows, you can access the power options for Vista from the control panel. To access the options use the following:Click Start Menu->Control Panel->Mobile PC->Power Options.Within the dialog you will see several default power options. You can simply click one of the options to use the power settings associated with it. Each power option has different battery life and performance features.When you increase the battery life you usually take a performance hit. When you increase the performance of your laptop, you will usually reduce the battery life of your la...
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Securing Linksys WRT54G Wireless Router
2007-09-10 15:00:00
I discussed securing your wireless network in a post titled Securing a Wireless Network. I currently have a Linksys wireless router model WRT54G. When I work from home I use this router to connect to work through VPN, and have done it with out any problems.The big issue with wireless networks is security. As anyone with a wireless network card within a few hundred feet of your router can connect to your router. To prevent this from happening, it is important to secure your router.Securing Your Wireless Router To secure your Linksys WRT54G wireless router, follow these steps:Open your Internet browser and enter the following in the address bar: http://192.168.1.1.Note: If you have changed the IP address of your wireless router, enter that into the address bar. By default, the address is 192.168.1.1.Enter the user ID and password for your router. If you haven’t changed it, the default password is admin. We will change it later if you haven’t already changed it.You should now see...

Securing Linksys WRT54G Wireless Router
2007-09-10 15:00:00
I discussed securing your wireless network in a post titled Securing a Wireless Network. I currently have a Linksys wireless router model WRT54G. When I work from home I use this router to connect to work through VPN, and have done it with out any problems.The big issue with wireless networks is security. As anyone with a wireless network card within a few hundred feet of your router can connect to your router. To prevent this from happening, it is important to secure your router.Securing Your Wireless RouterTo secure your Linksys WRT54G wireless router, follow these steps:Open your Internet browser and enter the following in the address bar: http://192.168.1.1.Note: If you have changed the IP address of your wireless router, enter that into the address bar. By default, the address is 192.168.1.1.Enter the user ID and password for your router. If you haven?t changed it, the default password is admin. We will change it later if you haven?t already changed it.You should now see the...
More About: Security , Windows , Networking

Stop Programs from Running When Windows Starts
2007-09-07 15:00:00
One of the many complaints users have of Windows is the slow start times they may experience. Some of the time, the slow start time is due to the number of programs that are loaded when Windows starts up. These programs will sometimes create an icon in the system tray near the time in the lower right part of the screen. Others may load but give no indication that they are loaded, except when viewing the processes.There may also be times when one of the applications causes your system to crash. The reality is that most of those programs don?t need to start up, but are there to make your life easier. In this post I?ll explain several ways of preventing those programs from loading when Windows starts.Microsoft System Configuration Utility (MSConfig)This is one of the handy utilities included with the Windows operating systems. It was first included with Windows 98, and it is also included with Windows ME, and Windows XP. For those on Windows 2000, you can copy the msconfig.exe versi...
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Stop Programs from Running When Windows Starts
2007-09-07 15:00:00
One of the many complaints users have of Windows is the slow start times they may experience. Some of the time, the slow start time is due to the number of programs that are loaded when Windows starts up. These programs will sometimes create an icon in the system tray near the time in the lower right part of the screen. Others may load but give no indication that they are loaded, except when viewing the processes.There may also be times when one of the applications causes your system to crash. The reality is that most of those programs don’t need to start up, but are there to make your life easier. In this post I’ll explain several ways of preventing those programs from loading when Windows starts.Microsoft System Configuration Utility (MSConfig)This is one of the handy utilities included with the Windows operating systems. It was first included with Windows 98, and it is also included with Windows ME, and Windows XP. For those on Windows 2000, you can copy the msconfig.exe v...
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What is a Device Driver?
2007-09-05 15:00:00
You have probably connected several devices to your computer, a printer, scanner, or digital camera, and sometimes Windows would recognize the device without difficulty. Other times, however, the device was now recognized by Windows, and you couldn’t use the device.The reason Windows couldn’t recognize the device was because it didn’t have a device driver for it. This is required by all devices that are connected to your computer, both internal and external. In this post, I will describe what a device driver is, as well as what it does.Interacting with HardwareThere are many types of hardware that you can connect to your computer. Hardware such as video or sound cards are connected directly to the motherboard inside of your case, while printers and scanners are connected externally into one of the ports. The problem is how does an operating system know how to talk to the hardware if it is all different. Answer: through the use of device drivers.A device driver, or just dri...
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What is a Device Driver?
2007-09-05 15:00:00
You have probably connected several devices to your computer, a printer, scanner, or digital camera, and sometimes Windows would recognize the device without difficulty. Other times, however, the device was now recognized by Windows, and you couldn?t use the device.The reason Windows couldn?t recognize the device was because it didn?t have a device driver for it. This is required by all devices that are connected to your computer, both internal and external. In this post, I will describe what a device driver is, as well as what it does.Interacting with HardwareThere are many types of hardware that you can connect to your computer. Hardware such as video or sound cards are connected directly to the motherboard inside of your case, while printers and scanners are connected externally into one of the ports. The problem is how does an operating system know how to talk to the hardware if it is all different. Answer: through the use of device drivers.A device driver, or just driver, i...
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How to Organize Your Digital Photos
2007-09-03 15:00:00
If you are like me, then you probably have thousands of digital photos stored on CDs/DVDs or a hard drive. There doesn?t appear to be any problems with the way you store you digital photos, until you need to find a specific one. At this point you remember how you stored your old printed photos in a shoebox in a closet somewhere and had no idea where a photo could be found.In this post I?ll explain the method I use to organize my digital photos in an easy and efficient manner. I am able to find a specific photo or all photos of someone within a few minutes, if not seconds.Photo Organ izing SoftwareBefore beginning to organize your digital photos, it is important to first get photo organizing software. This type of software usually saves your photo information in a database for quick retrieval. The organizer may also have the ability to backup, edit and print your photos. In this post I?ll just discuss the organizing portion of the software.There are many applications that are capabl...
More About: Organize , Photos , Digital Cameras , Digital

How to Organize Your Digital Photos
2007-09-03 15:00:00
If you are like me, then you probably have thousands of digital photos stored on CDs/DVDs or a hard drive. There doesn’t appear to be any problems with the way you store you digital photos, until you need to find a specific one. At this point you remember how you stored your old printed photos in a shoebox in a closet somewhere and had no idea where a photo could be found.In this post I’ll explain the method I use to organize my digital photos in an easy and efficient manner. I am able to find a specific photo or all photos of someone within a few minutes, if not seconds.Photo Organ izing SoftwareBefore beginning to organize your digital photos, it is important to first get photo organizing software. This type of software usually saves your photo information in a database for quick retrieval. The organizer may also have the ability to backup, edit and print your photos. In this post I’ll just discuss the organizing portion of the software.There are many applications that are ...
More About: Organize , Photos , Digital

Understanding Digital Camera Features
2007-08-31 15:00:00
Digital cameras come with many features that can affect the quality of your pictures. All digital cameras have a set of standard features, while the more advanced cameras also include additional features. I will discuss some of the important features that affect your pictures, and recommend settings that you should use.Picture SizeDigital cameras usually allow you to adjust the size of a picture. The size of the pictures is usually specified in pixels and usually in the format length x width. For example, a 6 megapixel picture will be indicated as 3000x2000.There are many reasons you may want to select a smaller picture size. One reason is to fit more pictures on you memory card. The smaller the picture, the less storage space it needs. The second reason is to target a specific output device. You may want to take smaller pictures if the pictures will only be sent via e-mail or displayed on the Web.I recommend that you always take pictures at the highest possible setting. The pri...
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Understanding Digital Camera Features
2007-08-31 15:00:00
Digital cameras come with many features that can affect the quality of your pictures. All digital cameras have a set of standard features, while the more advanced cameras also include additional features. I will discuss some of the important features that affect your pictures, and recommend settings that you should use.Picture SizeDigital cameras usually allow you to adjust the size of a picture. The size of the pictures is usually specified in pixels and usually in the format length x width. For example, a 6 megapixel picture will be indicated as 3000x2000.There are many reasons you may want to select a smaller picture size. One reason is to fit more pictures on you memory card. The smaller the picture, the less storage space it needs. The second reason is to target a specific output device. You may want to take smaller pictures if the pictures will only be sent via e-mail or displayed on the Web.I recommend that you always take pictures at the highest possible setting. The pri...
More About: Digital Camera , Camera , Features , Digital Cameras , Digital

Digital Camera Memory Cards
2007-08-29 15:00:00
The digital camera has changed the way people take pictures. It is now easier to take a picture, decide if we want to keep it, and delete it if we don?t. Some cameras even allow you to apply effects to your pictures, such as colour replacing. How are digital cameras able to do this? Pictures are stored as files on a memory card that you load into your camera.There are many types of memory cards on the market today, and different digital cameras require different memory cards. Some cameras even allow you to use two types of memory cards. What is the difference between all the types, and which one is better? This post will describe the various popular memory types and discuss their differences.What is Flash Memory ?Before we look at the various cards, it is important to understand what I mean I say flash memory. You may be familiar with computer memory (RAM) or hard drive space, which have been around for many years. Both of these storage mediums have their advantages and disadvanta...
More About: Technology , Digital Camera , Camera , Digital Cameras

Digital Camera Memory Cards
2007-08-29 15:00:00
The digital camera has changed the way people take pictures. It is now easier to take a picture, decide if we want to keep it, and delete it if we don’t. Some cameras even allow you to apply effects to your pictures, such as colour replacing. How are digital cameras able to do this? Pictures are stored as files on a memory card that you load into your camera.There are many types of memory cards on the market today, and different digital cameras require different memory cards. Some cameras even allow you to use two types of memory cards. What is the difference between all the types, and which one is better? This post will describe the various popular memory types and discuss their differences.What is Flash Memory ?Before we look at the various cards, it is important to understand what I mean I say flash memory. You may be familiar with computer memory (RAM) or hard drive space, which have been around for many years. Both of these storage mediums have their advantages and disadvan...
More About: Digital Camera , Camera , Digital , Cards

Types of Digital Camera Batteries
2007-08-27 15:00:00
I mentioned in a previous post, About Digital Camera s, I mentioned that you should always buy two sets of rechargeable batteries. In this post I discuss the two most common rechargeable batteries used by digital cameras, although there are other types of rechargeable batteries on the market.Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH)Although research into the NiMH system began in the 1970s, these batteries first began being used commercially around 1990 and are currently used in digital cameras in AA form. In the early days of NiMH batteries, the metal hydride alloys were unstable so the desired performance characteristics were not achieved.In the 1980s, new metal hydride alloys were developed that were stable enough for use in a cell. By the late 1980s, the energy density of the NiMH batteries had gradually improved.The metals used in NiMH batteries are environmentally friendly and have a high energy density, which have contributed to its success.The fast charge time of a battery is 2 to 4 hours...
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Windows Vista Web Sites
2007-08-24 15:00:00
I recently bought a laptop with the Windows Vista operating system. I have used most of the Windows operating systems in the past and currently use Windows XP on all my systems, but because Vista looks and feels different, I have had to relearn a few things. I decided to search the Web for information regarding Vista, and have compile a list of links that will hopefully help you.I realize that there are many more out there, but I will update the list if I discover more links.Microsoft Windows Vista Home Page – The official Microsoft Web page for the Vista operating system.Black Viper’s Web Site – A great site with a lot of information about the Vista services. It also provides step-by-step instructions on how to install Vista. I highly recommend you check out the site.Windows Vista Tips & Tricks – A PC magazine Web page that lists 15 tips for Windows Vista. It’s not a comprehensive list, but does provide some good tips.Vista Made Easy: 50 Tips And Tricks – This pag...
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What are Web Feeds?
2007-08-22 15:00:00
A Web feed is used extensively on the Web especially for those who own a blog. They provide a means to distribute the contents of a Web site to subscribers. There are, however, two main types of feeds that can be used to send the sequentially and updated content from a Web site. This post will describe the two feed types and how someone can use them.RSSThe RSS (Really Simple Syndication) (RSS 2.0) feed started out first as Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91), which then became RDF Site Summary (RSS 1.0 and RSS 0.90). All formats are specified using XML.The first version of RSS was first used in March 1999 on the My Netscape portal and has since been modified by various people and corporations. This has led to some incompatibilities and issues between the various versions, which I won’t go into detail here.AtomThe second popular type of Web feed is the Atom feed. Similar to RSS feeds, Atom feeds are also specified in XML. This type of feed was developed because of the many incompatible ...

Conserving Your Laptop Battery Power
2007-08-20 14:22:00
Do you ever wish that you can get more out of your battery? Maybe you would need just a few minutes to finish that long document you have been working on? You may already be carrying the power cord and an extra battery, but if you won't be near AC power for the next several hours, wouldn't you like to get the most out of you battery?This post will provide several easy tips that can help you get more time out of your battery.Change your power plan. Windows allows you to select various power plans for when your laptop is plugged in or when you are connected to AC power. These plans will usually include the ability to power down the display or the entire PC after a specific length of time.Reduce display brightness. The display consumes more power than any other hardware in your laptop. You can reduce the amount of power consumed by the display by reducing the brightness. Just make sure that you are still able to clearly read the screen without difficulty.Turn off WI-FI if you don't ...
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How Long Will a CD-R Last?
2007-08-17 14:08:00
I recently wrote a post called Backing Up Digital Photos where I outlined the various backup media you can use. I discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the various media. After the post I decided to talk more about the longevity of a CD/DVD, since that is probably the most used media for backups.Parts of a CD-RBefore discussing how long a CD-R will last, it is important to discuss what a CD-R is made of. The most obvious component of a CD-R is the clear plastic disk, which is usually made from some kind of polycarbonate.The reflective part of the CD-R comes from a metal foil that is glued to one side of the polycarbonate. A protective paper or plastic label will usually cover the foil in the expensive CD-R, while the foil may be the top portion of the CD-R for lower cost brands. This foil can come in many colours, but silver (aluminum) or gold are the most common.The data on the CD-R is stored on a dye that is between the upper surface of the polycarbonate and the reflective...
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Understanding White Balance
2007-08-15 15:00:00
When taking pictures with a digital camera you may notice that sometimes your photos have a colour cast to them. Many people keep their cameras on the auto setting, which attempts to remove the colour cast, but may not always work.Digital cameras have the ability to change what is known as the "White Balance " (WB). This setting attempts to offset the colour produced by a specific light source to make the colours as true as possible. This post will discuss what white balance is, and how to use it.Auto White Balance (AWB)When a digital camera is set to auto one of the settings that is automatically adjusted when a picture is taken is the white balance. In many situations, this setting can produce good results, but in others it may not.Auto white balance can produce great sunny, cloudy and fine indoor shots under normal circumstances. Under abnormal circumstances, such as a winter scene with a lot of snow or a white sandy beach, the pictures may not produce the best photos. T...
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How Encryption Works
2007-08-13 15:00:00
Everyday there are possibly millions of transactions made that involve the exchange of personal information. Obviously, those that provide that information would like to know that the information they send is safe and secure. On the Internet making information secure is handled by encrypting the data before it is sent, and decrypting it once it reaches its destination.This post will describe the encryption process and how it is used to keep information safe.Definition of Encryption Encryption is the process of encoding data to ensure that unauthorized parties cannot view it. When data is encrypted, the data is first passed through an algorithm and is converted into cyphertext, which is the encrypted data. To accomplish the encryption, a key or code provided by you is used to encrypt the data, which will make the encryption difficult to crack.There are two systems used for encryption: Symmetric-key encryption and Public-key encryption (asymmetric). The next section will discuss the tw...
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How Digital Cameras Work
2007-08-10 15:00:00
Over the past few years the digital camera has become very popular with everyone from the amateur photographer to the professional. The digital camera provides the ability to instantly view a photo and either delete or keep it. How is a digital camera able to take and store a photo without the use of film? This post will explain how a digital camera is able to do that.The Image SensorDigital cameras include a digital sensor that converts light into electrical charges. There are two types of image sensors found in digital cameras: charged coupled device (CCD) and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). Most digital cameras use a CCD image sensor so we’ll focus on that type.The CCD has millions of elements that are light-sensitive. Each one of these elements represents a single point in the picture, which is called a pixel in computer terms. For example, a 6 megapixel camera would have approximately 6 million pixels. A megapixel is equivalent to 1 million pixels.When light...
More About: Work , Digital Cameras , Cameras

How to Buy a New Computer
2007-08-08 15:00:00
Buying a new computer can be very confusing if you don't know what you are looking for. There are many components that make up a computer, and you may not know exactly what you need to include in your computer. For example, how much memory or hard drive space will you need, or what type of graphics card?In this post, I will discuss the various components of a computer and provide a rough guide as to what you will need for each component.MotherboardIf the processor is the brain of your computer, this is the heart. Everything in your computer connects to this single board of chips, which makes it the most important piece in your computer.When it comes to a motherboard, I tell people to make sure they get a brand name motherboard, as cheap motherboard could cause problems in the future. Brand names include Asus, Abit, Intel, and Gigabyte. If the motherboard in your computer is from one of these companies, then you are off to a great start.Recommendation: If you are not into gaming, ph...
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Backing Up Digital Photos
2007-08-03 15:00:00
There is much discussion on the Internet about the best method for backing up digital photos. Some say CD/DVDs are the best media, while others prefer hard drives or tapes. In my opinion there is no right way to back up digital photos as each method has its advantages and disadvantages. I will discuss the various media and their advantages and disavantages in this post, and then discuss the method I use to back up my digital photos.Optical Media (CD/DVD)CD/DVDs are perhaps the most popular method for backing up digital photos, as most computers now come with a burner and software. Most photo organizing software also include the ability to burn your photos to a CD/DVD.Advantages: Very little cost to storing your digital photos, as your computer probably includes a burner. You can buy CD/DVD spindles that include hundreds of blank discs for a few dollars. A single layer, single-sided DVD can hold up to 4.7GB, which means you can store thousands of photos on a single DVD.Disadvantages...
More About: Photos , Digital , Backing

Converting Digital Photos for E-mail or the Web
2007-08-01 15:00:00
There have been many times in the past when someone has sent me an e-mail with picture attachments. I don't mind picture attachments, if they are resized. Many times the pictures have not been resized and I end up downloading 5 files that are a combined 10MB. Even on broadband this can take some time.In this post I will outline the steps I use to resize my digital photos so they can be easily sent by e-mail or posted to a Web site. The steps outlined are general enough where they can be used by most photo editors as they all have the needed features.First thing to do before starting is to move the digital photos to a folder on your computer, if you haven't already done so.Next I create another folder called E-mail which will eventually contain all the photos that I will send. Moving the photos to this folder will help prevent overwriting the originals.Note: I always make a backup of my original photos to both a CD and external hard drive. I treat my original photos as my negatives...
More About: Mail , Photos , E-Mail , Digital , Vert

How to Make Money Online
2007-07-30 15:00:00
There has been much talk on how to make money on the Internet. There are many ways to make money, and I will discuss some of the ways in this post.Advertising on a Web SiteIf you have an existing Web site this is perhaps the easiest method to implement. There are many advertisers on the Internet that you can sign up with, and they will in turn provide you with code to add to any Web page. Once you add the code, advertisement will then start appearing on the page, usually specific to the topic discussed on the Web page. Many people choose Google's AdSense for the advertisements, although there are many other companies that can also provide advertisments. After doing a search on the Internet you will find many people who have had great financial success with advertising on their Web site.See also Auction SellingI decided to name this point as "Auction Selling" and not "eBay Selling." I did this because there are many other auction sites online that many people have chosen over eBay, ...
More About: Money , Make Money , Make Money Online , Online , Make

How To Generate Web Site Traffic
2007-07-27 15:00:00
There is much discussion on how to generate traffic to your Web site , but I decided to list a few points on the methods I like to use.It's All About ContentYou may have heard that "content is king." What does this mean? Visitors to your site like to read updated and unique content. This means you must update your Web site on a regulary basis to keep your visitors coming back for more. Search engines also love unique content. The more content you have the more you will get listed in search engines. When you first start a site search engines may be your main traffic generator so it's best to get listed in them. Also remember to check your spelling and grammar.Write Content For Your VisitorsWhen writing your content, write it for your visitors and not search engines. This means don't load up the content with keywords that is hard to read and understand. You need your visitors to keep coming back and not the search engines. If you write unique content the search engines wil...
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