The disaster rate amongst affiliate internet marketers continues to remain high which is a good reason for you to take a step back and analyze what successful people are doing. Let’s start off by taking a look at the things that are not working when it comes to affiliate marketing.

Listed below are five ideas to help you avoid the disaster factor in affiliate internet marketing.

1. Begin by searching for a market that people are already spending money in, it is much easier if the product you are promoting is one that is in demand by the public. Choosing the wrong market is a sure way of setting yourself up for failure as an affiliate internet marketer.

It is quite incredible that some of the top markets somehow never seem to reach saturation. You will see people starting new websites and making money almost from day one. This certainly applies in niches such as golf, weight loss, diet and health just as a few examples.

Your chances of success are far greater if you choose affiliate programs to promote in these types of niches.

2. It is best initially if you focus on a specific product. Don’t spread yourself too thin by taking on too many products and try to promote them all. The result is that the website becomes overcrowded with so much that you will end up not making any sales at all.

Focus on one product and as you begin to profit from it add another, do it gradually for better results.

Take Action Today!

3. A common mistake made by affiliate marketers is that they tend to jump all over the place from one affiliate program to another and never make any money in any of them.

Make sure that you have one website up and running profitably before adding any more.

4. Make your website unique, if you use the website provided for you by the affiliate merchant you are not differentiating yourself in any way from your competition. Your website will just look just the same as everybody else.

5. By not using landing pages and sign-up forms you will not be able to build a list, this is a very common mistake made by affiliate marketers. The most successful affiliate marketers know the importance of list building for future follow up whatever niche they are in.

You will need to build as large a list as possible and build a relationship with your subscribers. You cannot expect them to purchase anything from you until they get to know and trust you. Once you do this you will have an asset that you can continue to tap in to for many years to come.

To avoid affiliate internet marketing disaster, follow these five tips and watch your business grow and prosper. If you see someone failing with affiliate marketing, chances are they are not doing these five tips.

Michelle Jayes
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/how-to-avoid-disaster-as-an-affiliate-internet-marketer-714248.html

Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, blizzards – nature has its fury days from time to time, not to mention the man-made threat of international terrorism. No-one is exempt from the possibility of being personally affected by such a disaster. You cannot prevent one but you can prepare for one.

1) Pre-emptive Planning

Vaccinations: make sure your pet is up to date with his/her vaccinations. Your veterinarian usually informs you when the annual booster is due, but this is not guaranteed to happen. Rabies vaccination is essential in addition to the standard multi-vaccine.

Identification: make sure your pet can be identified in the event that you are separated. A microchip or tattoo are important forms of identification but this should optimally be combined with a collar tag of some sort, as not all rescue personnel will be equipped with microchip scanners or quick access to tattoo/microchip databases. Likewise if a member of the public comes across an animal with a collar tag on they are more inclined to attempt to trace its owner. The collar tag should ideally contain a rabies tag, your home address, a phone number where you can be reached, and an out-of-state number of someone that you will be in contact with during or soon after the disaster/evacuation.

Recent photo: it is a good idea to have a recent photograph of your pet(s) in a safe place so that if the worst did happen and you were separated, you have the materials to hand to immediately make posters etc. Make a note of any distinguishing marks or features on your pet so you can provide a more accurate description.

Food: have at least a 2 weeks supply of pet food (and water) stored at all times. Store dry food in watertight containers, and if you store canned food do not forget to store a can opener nearby! A few treats should also be stored if possible to provide them with some comfort.

Medications: always keep a back-up supply of your pets medications. Your veterinarian will be closed for business during a disaster so your pet has a serious medical condition, you may not be able to obtain those crucial tablets for a few weeks.

Transportability: make sure you possess a secure pet carrier for small dogs, cats, rabbits and small mammals. Use the carrier at home before disaster strikes, so your animal is used to it. Larger dogs must have a secure leash or harness. In a panic, your pet may try to escape so secure transport is essential. If your dog rides with you in your car, keep a leash in the car so your dog can be safely controlled if you have to leave your vehicle.

Identifying a pet shelter: for public health and safety reasons, most emergency shelters do not accept pets. In case disaster strikes a small area that just happens to include your home, make sure you have numbers handy of hotels and motels in your area that accept pets. In the event of a wider area being affected, or a mass evacuation, you will need to contact your local emergency management office, animal shelter or animal control office. Remember, pet shelters may only accept your pets if you can provide proof of vaccination so keep your vaccination card somewhere safe.

Start a buddy system with a friendly neighbour: arrange to check on each others pets in the event of you not being home when disaster strikes. You will need to provide them with a key to your home. Brief your buddy on any medications necessary, discuss mutual evacuation plans and agree to care for one anothers pets in your/their absence. Inform your veterinarian of this arrangement and have your buddys number put in your file at the vets just in case.

Pet survival kit: consider packing a pet survival kit to have available if disaster strikes. The kit should be assembled in an easy to carry, waterproof container and stored in a cool, dry area. Food and medications will need to be replaced from time to time in accordance with their use-by dates. Some medications may need to be refrigerated. It is wise to keep an emergency first aid guide together with your survival kit, such as our downloadable Pet Doctor Online Pet Emergency Guide.

Suggested components of Pet Survival Kit:

2 week supply of food (dry and canned)
Can opener
Spoon
2 week supply of water in sealed plastic bottles
Food & water bowls
Secure pet carrier for each pet, labelled with your contact information
Copy of medical history, including vaccination record
List of emergency contact telephone numbers
Disaster preparedness guide
Emergency First Aid guide (see above)
Emergency First Aid kit (see below)
Flashlight
Radio
Batteries (radio, flashlight)
Medications
Instructions (notification of allergies, medications, veterinarian details)
Muzzle
Comfort items (toys, blankets, treats)
Spare collar, leash, harness
Cat litter, tray, pooper scooper
Paper towels
Trash bags for waste disposal
Maps of local area
Recent photo of each pet

Pet First Aid Kit: Your local vet clinic may well be closed due to the disaster. In fact, if the whole region is affected you might not have access to any veterinary care for a while as relief teams will prioritise human casualties. This is when having your own pet first aid kit can keep you one step ahead.

Suggested components of Pet First Aid Kit:

Oral rehydration powder (for reconstitution with water)
Antidiarrheal tablets/liquid
Activated charcoal (in case of poisoning)
Medications specific to your pet
Routine preventative medications (e.g. heartworm, fleas, ticks)
Antiseptic scrub (Betadine, Nolvasan, Hibiscrub)
Saline solution (for rinsing wounds)
Sterile eye rinse
Antibiotic eye ointment
Antibiotic ointment for wounds
Hydrogen peroxide
Styptic powder (clotting agent)
Alcohol wipes/prep pads
Gauze pads and rolls
Latex gloves
Ice cream sticks (can be used to splint fractured bones)
Elastic bandage rolls
Cotton bandage rolls
Cotton wool
Non-adherent bandage pads
Bandaging tape
Scissors
Tweezers
Syringes
Thermometer
Towel and washcloth
Tourniquet

Matthew Homfray
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/disaster-preparedness-for-your-pet-part-1-68560.html

Duration : 0:3:35

Technorati Tags: comedy, dangerous, disasters, fall, funny, ian, Lee, lucky, parachute, skydiving, sports, stupid, survival

Thanks.

Could you give me your perspective on the disaster.
What were the first signs the ship was in trouble.
How will you cope now.

This Kit will help a lot during natural disasters.

FAMILY PREPAREDNESS
Preparing for natural disaster, whether it’s a hurricane, tsunami, flood, or some other event can mean the difference between life and death. Taking the time to assemble a Disaster Supply Kit before a disaster strikes will help cope with the temporary loss of everyday conveniences. What would you do without food, water, and electricity? Your supply kit should be built around basic items that help cope with these and other potential personal hardships.

The time to prepare a disaster supplies kit is now. During an emergency, supplies are in high demand and stores run out of inventory quickly. Once disaster hits, there isn’t time to search for supplies.

The American Red Cross recommends six basics to stock at home: water, food, first-aid supplies, clothing, bedding, tools and emergency supplies, and special items. A good rule of thumb is to have enough supplies to cover your household for at least three days. Keep items you would most likely need during an evacuation in an easy-to-carry container.
For more information, contact your county civil defense agency or local chapter of the American Red Cross.
Below are guidelines to consider for basic disaster supplies.

WATER
Store 1 gallon of water per person per day (2 quarts for drinking, 2 quarts for food preparation and sanitation). Keep at least a 3-day supply of water for each person in your household.
To purify water for safe drinking supply:

• Boil vigorously 1 – 3 minutes; or
• Use purification tablets available at most drug stores. Follow package directions; or
• Use household bleach (must contain 5.24% hypochlorite.) For one gallon of water, add 8 drops if water is clear; if water is cloudy, add 16 drops (1/4 teaspoon). For five gallons of water, if water is clear, add ½ teaspoon; if cloudy, 1 teaspoon. Let water stand at least 30 minutes before drinking.

FOOD
Store at least a 3-day supply of nonperishable food. Select items that don’t require refrigeration, preparation, or cooking, or require little or no water. * Include selections from the food list below in your Disaster Supply Kit.
Ready -to -eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables. Canned juices, milk, soup. If powdered, store extra water. Staples – sugar, salt, pepper, etc. High energy foods – peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars, trail mix. Vitamins Foods for infants, elderly or persons on special diets. Do not use left-over baby food if not refrigerated. Comfort foods -cookies, hard candy, sweetened cereals, instant coffee, tea, etc. Extra pet food

WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT
Without electricity, food in refrigerators and freezers will spoil. If you know in advance that power will be shut off: Use perishable foods in refrigerator and freezer first. Make extra ice. Freeze extra freeze-pack inserts and keep them frozen for emergencies.
Buy a cooler. Freeze water in plastic containers, do not fill to top before freezing – allow for expansion. Know where to buy dry ice. 25 lbs. of dry ice should hold a 10-cubic-foot freezer cold for 3-4 days. Note: dry ice may be limited on some islands.
FOOD SAFETY
How long food remains frozen in the freezer depends on the amount, type, temperature, and freezer insulation. Keep freezer door closed for as long as possible to prevent loss of cold air. Large cuts of meat or poultry will stay frozen longer than baked goods or small items. In fully-loaded separate freezers, food may remain frozen for 48 to 72 hours. Food thaws quicker in a refrigerator/freezer, but should remain frozen about 12 hours or longer in a side-by-side unit or up to 24 hours in a top or bottom-mount freezer.

Use refrigerated foods as soon as possible. It is difficult to make general recommendations about food safety as this depends on the type of food, its preparation, and handling. Some guidelines:

Butter, margarine, and hard cheese are safe unless it has mold or a rancid odor. Fresh fruits and vegetables are safe as long as they are not mushy or slimy. Eggs will be safe for several days if shells have no cracks. Fresh meat, poultry, luncheon meats, or frankfurters should be discarded if allowed to warm to room temperature for more than two hours. Milk and cream will probably be sour after eight hours without refrigeration. Commercial (purchased) mayonnaise should be kept refrigerated once opened. Discard if left without refrigeration for more than two hours. Vinegar and oil salad dressings, jellies, and jams may be left unrefrigerated unless poultry or meat juices have contaminated them. Discard mustard, catsup, and pickles if moldy.
Previously frozen foods: Meat, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables can usually be safely refrozen if they still have ice crystals present or are very cold (40 degrees F or lower), but there will be some loss of quality. Refrozen foods should be used as soon as possible. When cooking, remember that refrozen foods have been thawed once. If thawing is necessary, do it in the refrigerator or microwave, not by thawing at room temperature.

Discard any food that has an off color or odor, or food that has warmed to room temperature for an unknown length of time.
Generally, if in question about the food safety, discard it.

FIRST AID KIT
Assemble a First Aid Kit for your home and one for each car. Each kit* should include:
Sterile adhesive bandages in assorted sizes 4 to 6 two-inch sterile gauze pads 4 to 6 four-inch sterile gauze pads Hypoallergenic adhesive tape Triangular bandages (3) 2-inch sterile roller bandages, 3 rolls 3-inch sterile roller bandages, 3 rolls Scissors Tweezers Needle Moistened towelettes Antiseptic Thermometer Tongue blades (2) Tube of petroleum jelly or other lubricant Assorted sizes of safety pins Cleansing agent/soap Latex gloves, 2 pairs Sunscreen
Non -prescription drugs
Aspirin or non-aspirin pain reliever Anti-diarrhea medication Antacid for stomach upset. Syrup of Ipecac used to induce vomiting if advised by the Poison Control Center. Laxative Activated Charcoal, use if advised by the Poison Control Center.
For prescription advice, see your family physician.
Contact your local American Red Cross chapter to obtain a basic first aid manual.

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES
Mess kits, or paper cups, plates & plastic utensils Emergency preparedness manual Battery operated radio and extra batteries Flashlight and extra batteries Cash or traveler’s checks, change Non-electric can opener; utility knife Fire extinguisher, small canister, ABC type Tube tent Pliers Tape Compass Matches in waterproof container Aluminum foil Plastic storage containers Signal flare Paper, pencil Needles, thread Medicine dropper Shut-off wrench to turn off household gas and water Whistle Plastic sheeting Area map, if needed for locating shelters.

SANITATION
Toilet paper, towels Soap, liquid detergent Feminine supplies Personal hygiene supplies Plastic garbage bags, ties – for personal sanitation uses Plastic bucket with tight lid Disinfectant Household chlorine bleach

CLOTHING AND BEDDING
Include at least one complete change of clothing and footwear per person. Sturdy shoes or work boots. Not slippers. Rain gear Blankets or sleeping bags Sunglasses

SPECIAL ITEMS
Remember family members with special needs, such as infants, elderly, or disabled persons.
For Baby
Formula Diapers Bottles Powdered milk Medications
For Adults
Heart and high blood pressure medication Insulin Prescription drugs Denture needs Contact lenses and supplies Extra eye glasses
Entertainment – games and books
Important Family Documents Keep these records in a waterproof, portable container. (Important documents and valuables are best kept in a bank safety deposit box.)
Will, insurance policies, contracts, deeds, stocks and bonds Passports, social security cards, immunization records Bank account and credit card numbers, companies Inventory of valuable household goods, important telephone numbers Family records – birth, marriage, death certificates

SUGGESTIONS AND REMINDERS
Store your kit in a convenient place known to all family members. Keep a smaller version of the Disaster Supply Kit in the trunk of your car. Keep items in air-tight plastic bags. Change stored water supply every six months so it stays fresh. Rotate stored food every six months. Re-think supply kit and family needs at least once a year. Replace batteries, update clothing, etc. Ask your physician or pharmacist about storing prescription medications.

YOUR FAMILY EMERGENCY PLAN
Getting started… NOTE: Most shelters in Hawaii are not equipped to provide meals, beds, or emergency care. You must bring food, clothing, bedding, and special items with you. Pets are not allowed in shelters. Contact your local humane society or vet for information on how to care for pets and livestock in a disaster.

Contact your local civil defense office or American Red Cross chapter for information on preparedness. See the Emergency Information section in the white pages of telephone directories for information and instructions.
Meet with family members to discuss what to do in an emergency.
Plan how your family will stay in contact if separated by disaster.
Pick two meeting places:
a location a safe distance from your home in case of fire;
a place outside your neighborhood in case you can’t return home.
Choose an off-island or out-of-state friend or relative as a “check-in contact” for everyone to call.
Post emergency telephone numbers by every phone.
Show responsible family members how and when to shut off water, gas, and electricity at main switches.
Install a smoke detector on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms. Test monthly and change batteries at least twice a year.
Contact your local fire department to learn more about fire hazards.
Learn first aid and CPR. Contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross for information and training.
Hold neighborhood meetings to plan how the neighbors can work together after a disaster. Practice and maintain your family emergency plan regularly.

Pacific Disaster
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/creating-a-disaster-supply-kit-64929.html

Duration : 0:3:24

Technorati Tags: Allen, british, Cajun, cbsepisode, cbsoilspill, Coast, Conference, Fish, Fisher, Guard, gulf, Mexico, new, obama, of, oil, orleans, Petroleum, Plume, president, Press, spill, Tar, Thad

No sound business large or small can afford to loose their data or the ability to use their computing assets without a potentially heavy reputational, opportunity or financial loss.  Usually in the event of a disaster you lose a bit of all three.  The recent panic about on and off line security of data is testament to the risks and consequences.  Though it seems worrying about security is fashionable and protecting from disaster is not and therefore often forgotten.  However I would urge you both are just as catastrophic and perhaps disaster is more likely these days! 

More and more people are now realising just how much protecting against disasters applies equally to individuals as well as businesses.  Could you do without access to your bank account, reference to that critical email correspondence, access to your home budgeting finance software or spreadsheets. At the very least it’s hugely inconvenient at worst it could lead to heavy financial losses or liability.

For the purposes of very small businesses or home users protecting and managing disaster scenarios really merges the three industrial IT fields of disaster Recovery, High Availability and Backup.  Using best practice from industry and modern desktop PC’s with sophisticated hardware and software it’s amazing just how much we can do.  Protecting against disaster essentially comes with two key strategies:

• Disaster Prevention – by using redundant components so that a single critical component failure doesn’t compromise the whole systems ability to function i.e. extra power supplies, redundant disk arrays (RAID1, RAID5 etc), protected uninterruptable power supplies, dual network cards (NIC), dual processors, even dual machines (clustering) etc.
• disaster recovery (Backup & Restore) – periodically taking snapshots of the whole system and changed parts of it are the as ‘old as the hills’ way of being able to recover from any disaster scenario.  This used to be done to an offline media like tape or cartridge but now online media are becoming so cheap and far faster its more convenient to perform online backups to a low cost per GB data store (i.e. external hard drive or USB stick for domestic or home professional users).

Surprisingly some of these industrial IT tools and techniques are now available to the home user or professional.  High quality desktop computers all now come with RAID providing redundant disk drive support.  So how come you have never heard of any this or many of the other techniques?  Not many PC vendors can be bothered making it available as an option, configuring and supporting it or understanding how to do it right.  For the average risk adverse PC vendor this just open’s up a can of worms that seems like more cost or risk of cost on the wafer thin bottom line.  So they just cross their fingers and hope you don’t ask about it…

Practical things you can do to reduce your exposure

The following is a five step list of inexpensive things you can do to protect yourself from disaster and minimise the impact in the event it happens, roughly in priority order:

1. Protecting your live data – The most unreliable piece of equipment in your PC is the only bit that moves, an awful lot, the mechanical hard drive.  Almost everyone will at some point experience one failing and lose data and time as a consequence.  An extra disk in your PC need cost no more than US$40 these days, even an extra terabyte is only US$90.  Almost all good quality desktops support RAID levels that will protect your data.  The most basic of these is mirroring (RAID1) which simply copies the contents of one disk directly onto another simultaneously, should one fail the other can take over.  This all happens automatically in the RAID controller (either on your desktop motherboard or in a separate controller card).  More sophisticated is RAID5 which uses parity across a minimum of three drives (so an extra two are required but you can add more to increase performance).  RAID10 (1 + 0) expands on the RAID1 mirroring concept combined with RAID0 striping to improve performance but requires a minimum of four drives.
2. Backing up your data – Windows Vista Business or Ultimate come with effective backup software for both a complete image backup of your PC (a snapshot of the whole machine and its configuration) and to backup your individual data files incrementally.  These editions of Vista only cost about an extra US$50 or so over the basic edition and are well worth the extra if only for Backup & Restore.  They have a number of other professional and business features worth having.
3. Feed your PC clean reliable power – for around US$20 you can get a simple surge protector and filter for your mains supply.  In the event of a brown out or lightning strike this might save your PC.  For US$100 or more depending on how sophisticated you get you can have a full clean uninterruptible power supply (UPS) which will keep your machine running for a few minutes even after the power has failed by switching to the built-in battery and a power converter circuit.   This few minutes allows you to shutdown your system in an orderly fashion saving files, closing applications and finishing work off neatly and without risking any corruption that a sudden power off might.
4. Keep your PC cool – it never ceases to surprise me where people put their PC’s, under the desk, in a cupboard, next to the heating radiator are all bad places.  Largely gone are the days where computers need air conditioning to function reliably but you do need to make sure they get adequate ventilation and are sited in a generally cool location.  Not doing so will likely shorten its life and worse still reduce its reliability.
5. Preventative maintenance – to keep its insides cool your PC sucks in cool air at the front and blows out hot air out the back.  When we get PC’s back for upgrades or maintenance it’s not unusual to find a thick layer of dust and dirt over the fans, grills, motherboard and key components.  This radically reduces their cooling effectiveness and can at worse actually seize fans up or short out components.  You really will do your PC a lot of good if you periodically blow the dust out and vacuum it up with one of the pointed flexible plastic hose attachments.  Also make sure your filters on your case if you have any are regularly cleaned.

Security

Not really in the list as it’s a whole topic in itself (and its covered by another article) is general security and virus protection.  Many tools on the market today are way over the top for what you need.  You want something basic and unobtrusive so that it gets the job done but doesn’t interfere or hog the performance of your machine.  In my opinion many of the small niche security software suppliers and not the big market players are the better tools in this regard.  You should be able to get something completely FREE that does all you need.

Standby machines

Another option to consider is what the industry would call a ‘warm standby’ machine.  Have another similar if not identical machine ready to take over your critical work if your main machine dies.  Using an image backup or a hot swap disk from the dead machine to the new you can be back up and running in minutes.  With the low cost of commodity machines these days you could quite inexpensively have a reduced power [cheaper] machine ready to take over the vital work in an emergency.

Conclusion

All the ideas I’ve described in this article are all best practice that industry has been doing for business for years.  Now modern PC hardware and software within the reach of the domestic and home professional opens up some powerful options to make any pain due to hardware failures or data corruption completely unnecessary.  Do yourself a favour and get it done for your own data no matter much you think it will never happen to you, you will sleep more easily.

Alan Johnson
http://www.articlesbase.com/hardware-articles/is-your-critical-pc-data-adequately-protected-from-disaster-727102.html

No one knows when disaster may strike, but getting prepared beforehand will help you survive. No matter whether it is natural disaster in a local area, like an earthquake or hurricane, or man made disaster, terrorist attack and fire, you require having disaster survival kits with proper emergency supplies. The disasters will force you vacate your neighborhood, place of work or school or will detain you to your house.

Having the right first-aid kits, survival kits, and emergency supplies ahead of time is just like having spare tire in a trunk of the car: You think not to have the flat tire, but it is good to know that the spare tire is there, ready for the use to keep you going. The emergency preparedness is necessary now.

What is the disaster survival kit?

Disaster survival kits are one type of kit that you and your family fill with necessities for the survival in an event of disaster and these include food, water, clothing, first aid supplies, bedding and tools and some emergency supplies.

Why prepare for a disaster?

The hope of something “disastrous” taking place will scare us all. However, reality is, there is the chance that all of us can be involved in a disaster and emergency. The services like water, gas, electric, and telephones can be cut off. In an event of large disaster, the emergency staff will be very busy helping people in need of the immediate medical and rescue attention, and will not assist you.

Events of 11th September, Hurricane Katrina, Mumbai terrorist attack in India as well as shocking Tsunami in Indonesia as well as surrounding regions have affected us emotionally, physically, and morally. Thus, preparation for all kinds of disasters should be the fact of life. So why leave it on fate and take a chance that you and your loved ones will suffer unnecessarily during and after the disaster?

The emergency preparedness experts have designed the disaster survival kits that have the most reliable disaster food, water, communication, and shelter, lighting, as well as sanitation supplies accessible so they are prepared when and where you require those.

Choose an easy method to keep the items stored and ready while you need it is to divide between two or more easy to carry containers, like camping backpack or duffel bag. Place canned foods in dry place where the temperature is very cool.

Martin Applebaum
http://www.articlesbase.com/camping-articles/disaster-survival-kits-can-save-lives-714527.html

Duration : 0:3:49

Technorati Tags: 15.april, 1989, disaster, football, forest, heysel, hillsborough, lane, leppings, liverpool, nottingham, rip, sheffield, soccer, tragedy, Truth, ynwa