If you are trying to build up your website to get more traffic (and who isn't ?)
then one of the ways to increase your search engine ratings is with links .
I get bombarded with offers of hundreds or thousands of links for all kinds of prices - but I don't take any of them up ..!
Firstly most of them are from what's known a link farms where you exchange links but you pay to get their link to you - those kinds of links get discounted by search engines.(they can even get your listing dropped if too heavily connected with gambling or other unlistable sites)
What you need is REAL links - either from other people in the SAME LINE OF BUSINESS as you are - or from a proper link exchange (my favourite is currently
www.linkmarket.com) but there are several proper link exchanges - what to look for - a proper link exchange service lets you approach other members to add you to their links in exchange for their link on your site (you'll need a basic html knowledge to be able to do this)
Please don't just accept all and sundry who approach you (you'll get lots of requests from gambling and viagra type companies who desperately need links - but these get you unlisted by some search machines so don't do it !) Stick to companies either people who are (strangely enough) direct competitors or who supply your industry or use your product/service.
Search engines like genuine links - not made up ones !
For instance - I do lots of photography so I like links from photgraphers. photo processors, camera and accessory companies ,background paper companies and even car hire companies - because those are companies I use regularly.
Think about your business and what you use regularly - then email the companies and request a link - but offer yours in return. Do not make this a mass mailing though - an individual email get a much better response and you won't get banned for spamming ! Go to the companies website and get the name of the person responsible and email them ... that's the way to get good links.
Another good way to get links to your company is to open an ebay store - all the major search companies monitor ebay listings and you get links from those ...
Happy linking !
Keith
Halloween
Although we comonly think of Kids going round door to door collecting sweets,
Halloween has a much older and deeper history.
Over here in Ireland it was formerly known as Samhain
(It is still on the Calendar and many calendars over here still have the Irish names for each month -many of which relate to the Wiccan Major Festivals)
Fireworks and bonfires are just one of the celebrations common worldwide
(Although unlicensed private fireworks displays are currently banned in the Republic of Ireland)
Generally nowadays its a time for feasting,drinking and storytelling - ghost stories being really popular.It's also called Pooky Night (Pooky being a local term in many parts of Ireland forSpooky kinds of goings-on ) and it's also comonly know as All Hallows Eve - the night when the Earthly World and the Spirit World merge - and the reports of ghostly happening increase tenfold .
(Of course people EXPECT ghostly happenings on Halloween so maybe thats not surprising)
Lots of people have Costume parties with the traditional bobbing for apples and carving of Jack o'lanterns
(Tesco seem to have cornered the market in plastic ones though and that takes some of the fun out of the proceedings as it used to be a bit of a competition to carve the scariest one !)
Over here it's also traditional to have a Halloween Barm Brack (a kind of fruit loaf) in which a ring or coin wrapped in apiece of rag is hidden and it bring good luck to the recipent... unless he/she breaks a tooth .. and a glass of Poteen !
In Ireland we don't really have the garden displays that they have in the USA - where I've seen fabulous outdoor tableaux of tombs,vampires,skeletons,even whole graveyards and chapels sometimes.
Instead it's more of a family occasion with a slight bonus for Pagans who often use some of the many Stone Circles here for their revels.
Here's my own True Ghost Story for Halloween ...
It was a warm and balmy Late Summer afternoon in Thaxted Churchyard -
the bees lazily droned from flower to flower and a golden light whispered through the trees down to the tombstones below.
It was a pleasant day and a plump robin hopped across the path in his search for insects.
I heard a scratching noise up near the Church and wandered up toward it only to see the figure of an old man kneeling down scrubbing at a gravestone with an old-fashioned scrubbing brush. He was a kindly looking man with a face like a wizened apple and a wry sort of smile.
Dressed in rather old-stylemoleskin trousers and a grandad shirt with red braces and boots he looked every inch a farm worker.
I stood and chatted a while with him about the day and he told me "I'm just scrubbing the Grave - I use vinegar and washing up liquid"
We both agreed that he'd done a fine job and the soap bubbles hung off the graven inscription.
As he struggled to his feet I noticed that he was liberally sprinkled with earth over all of his trousers.
He grinned at me and said - Well that's that job done for this year - I must be off now" and bent over and picked up his zinc bucket and his scrubbing brush.
The Robin flew to the Stone and began to sing.
I watched as he trudged up towards the Church and as he stepped into a pool of golden sunlight under the chestnut tree he seemed to dissolve into millions of golden particles which shimmered and then disappeared.
It wasn't very scary but I did realise that I'd just spent ten minutes talking about how to clean your grave with a real Ghost !
There really was no sign that he'd ever been there - except for a few crumbs of earth on the footpath,soap bubbles on the tombstone and the Robin that continued to sing.
Oh You're back - good !
OK - you'll have your own ideas about digital and 35mm cameras -
I happen to have been a Nikon fan so it made sense to use the lenses,flash etc that I already own.
You really need 2 camera bodies when shooting travel photos - Cameras have a habit of breaking down at critical moments - even the best ones.
With Digital Cameras there's always the problem of dust - unless you actually ENJOY retouching each picture. Some cameras are more prone to dust than others.
The reason I take a film camera is really just a belt and braces job.. It's getting harder to find good film processors and I suggest you only get film processed in your native town.
Never use a new processor abroad ,,... I saw a so-called pro lab in Paris drying transparency fim with a hairdryer in the front office !
The way I work is to make a list of the shots I want to take from research on the internet
and in books/magazines.
I do NOT slavishly copy the photos from those pictures - I know other people do but thos are not always the best viewpoints.
Always carry a camera with you - even a pocket digital 5Mp - one day you will be really glad you did... Great shots turn up at the least expected times.
I then group the pictures in areas of the town/city that I can cover in a day.
Some towns are easy and have very few saleable viewpoints - others like Berlin take days and days to cover properly.
Markets are usually very colourful - especially fruit & veg markets and stallholders will be flattered to be photographed. Secondhand markets though are often selling stolen goods and I'd generally avoid photographing these.
If you work in any other way you will get confused you will also get very tired criss-crossing a city - often in hot weather. By the way always have a Sports bottle of water with you whne shooting - dehydration has very unpleasant side effects.
It also makes you careless and prone to mistakes and takes the edge off your concentration.
If you need to shoot a view at another time of day write that down in your notebook - with the time you should return !
Also write down the number of places under scaffolding or renovation - saves a return trip.
In fact it's a Great Idea to keep a daily log of each location and the time you photograph it as this will help you in the future when you come back to reshoot another time.
I shoot a low resolution picture first on the Digital then view it and then reshoot in High Res. A screen shade may help in very sunny positions but they can get in the way sometimes (Especially if you have - like me ! - a large nose !!)
If it looks like a great shot then I back it up with a film shot.
Check the High Res version is OK . Then look around and shoot variations of the view/subject.
When you get back to your hotel, download the digital photos to your iPod.
Depending on how many shots you have taken, have a cd/dvd made daily of your shots at an internet cafe - THEN CHECK THEM before you delete them from the camera.
And DO write on the dvd what they are !
Use a proper dvd pen.This gives you instant backup to the iPod and the cd/dvd and film.
(Essential if your iPod gets stolen ... make sure its insured for foreign travel !)
Keep the dvd/cd in your suitcase at the hotel with the exposed film.
I chain my suitcase to a radiator or bed with a cycle chain and lock .
Hotels notice if thieves take their furniture or fittings away !
I carry the iPod with me as they are very stealable.
What's the baseball cap for ? - to keep the Sun off of course !
article continues in my ebook ...
This article is part of my new ebook on Stock Photography and is Copyright (C) 2006
It may NOT be reproduced or copied in any form.
Please visit my advice site at
http://www.goldenyearscash.com/
Travel Photography Equipment list Part 1
First I'l give you the list - then in Part 2 I'll explain why !
Digital Camera Body (Fuji S2)
Film Camera Body( Nikon F90)
24mm Lens for wide angle shots
70-200mm zoom lens
Macro Lens
Spare Cards/Microdrives for Fuji body
3 Sets of rechargeable batteries for Digital Camera
Charger for batteries and mains adaptor
Ipod Photo with leads
Lead for Digital body to PC
4 x Spare batteries for Digital Body (L123)
Spare Batteries for Nikon Body
Notebook & pens
Passport (with a photocopy in your suitcase and another in your wallet)
Visa
Airline/Ferry Tickets
Credit cards
Money/Travellers cheques
Small Tripod and head
Dedicated Flashgun & Leads
10 Rolls 35 mm film Velvia 50 or Provia 100
Guidebook
Photographers Vest
(I have a Game Rangers vest from S Africa - bigger Pockets)
Map and Compass
Research Documents
DVD/CD writing pen
Lensbrush
Guidebook for Digital Camera
Blank CD's
Baseball Cap
Small set jewellers screwdrivers
sellotape
Filters - Graduated, Sunset,Colours
You should check everything is working at least 2 days before you leave
This article is part of my new ebook on Stock Photography and is Copyright (C) 2006
****** It may NOT be reproduced or copied in any form. *******
There are many articles on Photography on my website at
http://www.fotos4web.com
