Article Ezines and Directories

I have been a webmaster since the mid 1990's and have always struggled with search engine placement. But now, with the advent of ezine sites and the search engines cravings for content, my life has become a bit simpler. Even a bit less hectic too.

Content that is relevant to certain subjects is the key. In a move to make the internet more informative, the search engine leader Google led the way to making the net more than an electronic billboard. They and others like them seem to be giving more credence to sites that are more informative and packed with relevant information. That's why blogs and articles linked directly to sites are starting to make it towards the top of the search engine queries.

Then the advent of Ezine Article sites. Not that they are really a new web app. No, they've been around for a while but have finally come to be useful to their fullest extent.

These sites do their magic by being a repository for content that the search engines gobble up. And better still, anyone who can write quality content can place their articles on them. What's sweeter is the fact that at the end of the article, you can tell somewhat about yourself and your website.

Submit your articles to as many of these as you can and make sure that you link back to them on your site. Many of these offer decent looking banners and graphics that proudly state as published on such and such a site.

And the final part that is handier than a hay rake on cutting day, placing links back to the article site on the page you have your article on your own web site. This makes a neat back link that is highly regarded by the search engines.

Tim Davis is the webmaster of several popular websites including The Received Text Ebook Directory at http://receivedtext.org and E-Articles R US at http://receivedtext.org/articles. He also writes articles professionally at http://101info.org/articles.

http://receivedtext.org/articles/authoring/article-ezines-and-directories.html

Getting Noticed in a Crowded Internet

Talk about a challenge. Facts are there are a gazillion websites on the net and counting. You may think the odds are stacked against you to even get listed on search engines like Google and Yahoo. And if you do get listed, you get buried in the maze of hundreds of other sites similar to yours. Don't get discouraged. These are the odds everybody face and just because they are daunting obstacles doesn't mean you can't make it.

I'm making the assumption you've already built a site that plainly tells everybody your intentions or conveys your thoughts on what you are wanting everybody to learn. And maybe you've submitted your URL to that site using one method or the other. Wonderful, that is a good start but most people leave it there thinking they are about to get a flood of traffic only to find that after a few weeks, no hits.

Here is why.

Because of the volume of sites similar to yours is probably huge, your site is actually like a drop of water being dropped into a lake full of water. Once the drop hit's the lake (search engines), it's indistinguishable from the rest of the lake. You have to make your site stand out. The way to do this is to author content in the form of articles and blog entries.

Articles, in all reality are simple to compose if they are about a subject you're interested in. Especially easy if the subject is something you have a passion over. Write them and submit them everywhere you possibly can. But don't stop there. Make sure you post those same articles on your own site in your blog.

I did mention a blog didn't I? I even have placed links on my blog or article pages back to where my article is posted on ezine sites. Backlinks are the greatest thing since peanut butter. It never hurts to have some links. What's even more wonderful is when your article starts migrating to other folks pages. Then you have some wonderful and much needed popularity links.

About the Author

Tim Davis is the webmaster of several popular websites including The Received Text Ebook Directory at http://receivedtext.org and House Plan Drafting 101, an online architectural drafting school at http://houseplandrafting101.com

http://receivedtext.org/articles/authoring/getting-noticed-in-a-crowded-internet.html

What is a CAD Program

The acronym CAD stands for Computer Aided Drafting or CADD which is Computer Aided Drafting and Design.

Simply put, a CAD program is a drafting board contained in a computer program. But it's even more than that! The accuracy obtained in these programs can be measured to 1/1000 of an inch, even though this can only be measured by the line thickness of the paper drawing that is eventually output by the program.

Current CAD software packages vary from two dimensional, vector-based drafting programs to three dimensional solid and surface model systems. Modern CAD packages can show views rotated in all three dimensions, allowing you to view desired angle even from the inside of the object.

CAD is used in the following industries: Architectural (houses and buildings), Mechanical (machine and shop), Industrial (plant layout and parts manufacturing), Survey & Topographical (plats, site plans, and topography), and many other fields where accurate drawing are required.

Those that work specifically in this field are called CAD drafters.

There are quite a few tutorials and courses available over the internet where you can learn to use CAD for yourself. Go to http://cad101.8m.com for more details.

When a Bankruptcy Attorney is needed

In todays economy, there are a lot of people getting into financial trouble. Your outlook may even seem grim as the debts keep piling up. However there is a way to get out of the crunch you've found yourself in.

Bankruptcy may seem like your only remedy, but you need to know that there are more solutions than just outright bankruptcy. A good attorney will sit down with you and listen to every aspect of your financial situation and give you viable alternatives.

And then if other means aren't available to you, he should be able to show you how to get the best outcome by filing. In other words they will show you how to keep most of your possessions, stop foreclosures, stop harrassment by bill collectors, and give you some peace of mind with a fresh start on life.

This attorney should be willing to explain all your alternatives, all the terms and conditions, differences in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, Debts that can be discharged and those that can't, etc., and stick with you until the task is completed.

When it comes to personal or business bankruptcy, the main thing that you don't want to do is to wait until bankruptcy is the only option you have left. Attorneys experienced in handling cases such as yours may be hard to find in your area. You need to let an experienced bankruptcy lawyer provide you with an initial consultation about your situation and begin to help you toward the fresh start you need.

About the Author

Chuck Pope is an attorney in the McMinn County, Tennessee area that can help you with these financial problems. His experience has helped many to obtain a new start. His website is at http://popelaw.org.

Back Links for Link Popularity

It looks like I may have found a way to get traffic finally. Back linking to the sites I post my articles on not only on the pages where my articles point to but also using the url to my article on the article submission sites. In other words if I post a link to my article on another page, I don't point to my page on my site that has my article, I point to where my article is also published on the ezine site. For some crazy reason beyond my comprehension, Google and Yahoo seem to like this.

Example:

In my bio on whatever article I've written, there's a link to the site I want folks to visit. Say it's one of my more popular articles like "Do you want to draw your own house plans". Then the link from the article will point to http://houseplandrafting101.com.

Then, where my article is on my site, I put a link to where the article is published on the ezine sites. But I didn't stop there. Every single place I published that article was then listed below the first link strictly in raw form as shown below:

This Articles Links
http://receivedtext.org/articles/architecture/do-you-want-to-draw-your-own-house-plan.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Do-You-Want-to-Draw-Your-Own-House-Plan?&id=935949
http://pcimunity.blogspot.com/2008/10/do-you-want-to-draw-your-own-house-plan.html
http://www.ideamarketers.com/?Do_you_want_to_draw_your_own_house_plan&articleid=388170
http://www.jnqiumi.com/?p=230
http://www.articlefinders.com/home-improvement/do-you-want-to-draw-your-own-house-plan/
And So On!

In effect, this creates effective back links that the search engines seem to love. I would guess because it reinforces their link popularity criteria. See if it works for you...

Tim

Promote Your New Ebook

It doesn't matter if your ebook is free or not, the first thing you need to be doing is submit it to ebook directories. The main reason is you will have the advantage of visitors from these sites. And it's not just any random visitors. These sites send you visitors that are actually interested in what you've written.

Another reason is that these sites give you quality back links that get the attention of search engines like Google and Yahoo. That is of course if you link back to the directories from your page. It's amazing how simple back links can inprove your ranking and better rankings mean higher placement in those search engines.

Blogs are a wonderful tool for promotion too. Make sure it is directly linked to your ebook page. From here you can post tid bits about your ebook that the search engines will pick up on. A question and answer script on your site would be even better as you can answer various questions concerning your ebook which the search engines will also scarf up. All those who visit your website are looking for important and useful information. Make sure to place relevant content that is rich with keywords on your webpage and blog.

One really effective method of promoting your ebook is to join message boards that are similar in topic to your book. Some will even allow you to place a link to your page in your signature. Be careful with this as you don't want them to think you are there to spam them. That would be a bad thing. Post on the board and participate in the conversations. Be an active part of their community. Don't just be there to plug your ebook...

The author is the webmaster of the Received Text Ebook Directory which would be a great place to start promoting your ebook. The URL is http://receivedtext.org.

Beginners Guide to Understanding a Set of House Plans

Depending on how much detail your builder or local building inspector requires, the minimum set of plans should include the floor plan, exterior elevations, foundation or basement plan, and a roof plan drawn to scale.

Just so you'll know, a scale is nothing more than a shrunken ruler so that 1' -0" (12 inches) is now 1/4 inch long as far as your drawing is concerned. So here then is an example. If we use a scale to draw an 8' line. in reality the line is only 2 inches long on the paper in real life.

So let's see what's included in a set of plans:

A Floor Plan is a view of a house that would be seen if you were to take a knife and slice the house to see the walls, windows, doors, etc. from the top about mid ways down the walls. This is also called the dimensional plan. Most all floor plans are drawn at the scale of 1/4" = 1'- 0". It should include all the dimensions (measurements) of the wall, window, and door locations, door and window sizes, stair locations, room labels, locations of exposed beams, cased opening sizes and locations, bathroom layout showing sink vanity, tub, and toilet, kitchen cabinets with appliances & sink fixtures, and construction notes.

Some floor plans include the electrical symbols showing the receptacles, light switches, light fixtures, ceiling fans, cable connections, telephone jacks, and meter base locations. These can be included in the dimensional plan but many opt to have it on a separate drawing.

The Exterior Elevations include all four (4) views of the home which are front, left, rear, & right drawn also at 1/4" = 1' - 0" scale. The are some plans that have the front elevation drawn at 1/4" scale and then the left, rear & right at 1/8" = 1' - 0" On these views are notes about what type of siding or veneer, the roof pitches (angles), grade locations, finished floor & ceiling locations, and a roof plan showing the house from the top view. The roof plan is usually drawn at 1/8" = 1' - 0" scale or 1/16" = 1' - 0".

The Foundation or Basement Plan is the same type as the floor plan showing wall types, footing sizes, floor joist or truss locations, support beams, pilasters or piers, and ventilation vents & openings. The foundation or basement plan is also a dimensional type drawing. Most of these plans are drawn at the scale of 1/4" = 1'- 0".

If the plan is more detailed, then we would see sectional details showing the wall and roof construction of the home, HVAC plan, plumbing plan, and cabinet elevations. Even more involved plans would show the types of mouldings, pediments, & trims in greater detail.

Tim Davis is a veteran Architectural Designer who teaches a full course in Residential Drafting with his new Ebook, "Learning to Draw House Plans in a No Nonsense Way" at http://homedesign.8m.com/101ebook He also has several ebooks out on similar subjects that can be found at http://receivedtext.org including a free ebook on Drawing a Simple Floor Plan on the Drafting Board.