Affiliate Wealth Tips � 3 Guidelines To Becoming A Successful Affiliate Marketer

Many people have started their own affiliate marketing business but the fact is that only a minority of them are able to make a good full time income online. The issue is that both successful and unsuccessful affiliate marketers have the same access computers and internet but the results are very different from these 2 groups of people. The main reason is because of the difference in the marketer�s mindset and marketing. Here are the 3 guidelines that you will want to follow.

Guideline 1 � Focus On Understanding The Big Picture View Of The Business

Before you start taking action on your business, you will also want to understand the big picture view of the business so that you will know the right action that you need to take. When you are just starting out, you will want to know as much information as possible about the system and start implementing the knowledge that you have leant. Once you have decided on one system to follow, you should ignore the rest of the system and just follow closely the system that you have selected.

Guideline 2 � Focus On Taking Consistent Action

When you have learned enough knowledge that you can implement on your business, it will be time for you to start taking action. If you are following a system that is proven to work, you will have a list of tasks that you will need to do on a daily basis. You will only get real results when you start taking real action to actively promote your business. Do take note that you should be taking the correct action as spending a lot of time doing the wrong things will not get you any results. Do some planning and have a daily to do list so that you will know clearly the things that you need to do daily.

Guideline 3 � Be Patient About Getting Results

You will need to be aware that the affiliate marketing business is a real business which will requires you to commit your time and effort before you will be able to see some results. It is normal that that it will take some time before you will be able to experience the consistent flow of income to your website.

Here are the 3 guidelines that you want to follow if you want to become a successful affiliate marketer. Following a proven system and taking consistent action is the only true way to earn a good income from the internet.

The Key To Writing Effective Posts For Facebook.

Facebook has become a meeting place for online marketers because of the kind of influence that it has. The best way to utilize Facebook is to make a fan page about your company or your product. This gives you the ability to product regular updates with targeted posts. But, in order to obtain the greatest reply from your posts, you should remember a few things before you make them. In the following article, we will see three simple tips that you can instantly use to write improved and effective posts for Facebook.

Tip number 1, don\'t talk bad about competition in the posts you make because ultimately your aim here is to make your fans believe in your products, bad mouthing another company or a product won\'t get you anywhere in the eyes of your fans. Positivity in every sense of the word will help your fans to not get the wrong impression. Whatever you write, it should be about helping your fans in some way or the other. To ensure that your message is not going to lose the essence of what you are trying to say you should avoid using multiple exclamation points at the end of your sentences. To many exclamation points at the end of your sentence is highly unprofessional. The key is to be as professional as possible which means you can\'t take the slightest risk.

If you are asking the right questions on your fan page the results should be successful for you. Questions that are interactive helps get your fans involved, and will make them feel special. The reality is that everyone wants to get into a discussion and people love giving their views, why not use this to your advantage. You want to use open ended questions. You definitely don\'t want your fans to respond back with a simple yes or no, but give a detailed reply in the comments.

All in all, from the above article we come to understand the importance of crafting out a post the right way on Facebook. There are many times you notice that fan pages make the mistake of not utilizing their updates correctly, which means in the long run they\'ll end up losing a good number of fans. Drive targeted audiences to your fan page with the above tips to see the real benefits.

With Facebook marketing, it makes it effortless to promote your own products.  If you have one, be sure to check out Rapid Action Profits for a comprehensive sales and affiliate system.

3x6 Solar Cells | Build Diy Solar Panel

First, you must acquire solar cells, which are the component inside a solar panel that generates power. Silicon solar cells come in multicrystalline and monocrystalline, the monocrystalline being the more pure and powerful cell. There are other types of solar cells as well, but the most average solar cells used to build DIY solar panels are the 3x6 solar cells or 3\" x 6\" multicrystalline solar cells. These 3x6 solar cells come with about 1.6 - 1.8 watts of power. 36 of these 3x6 solar cells can be used to produce one 60 watt solar panel, which is strong enough to power a laptop. Usually these 3x6 solar cells are sold in 108 pcs and can generate 3 solar panels with a total of 180 watts of pure solar power.

Next, you\'ll need to purchase solar ribbon or PV wires. These wires are used to connect and interconnect your 3x6 solar cells together in an array so they can be used to build your DIY solar panel. These solar ribbons are known as tabbing wire and bus wire. The tabbing wire is thinner in width and is used to interconnect the 3x6 solar cells together. While, the bus wire is wider in width and is used to connect the array of 3x6 solar cells together. The typical length of tabbing wire comes in 50 feet, while the bus wire comes in 10 feet.

When you receive the materials you can finally build your DIY solar panel with the 3x6 solar cells. So, how exactly do you connect the 3x6 solar cells together with the PV wires? It\'s easier than you think. It\'s basically associating the negative terminals to the positives in a huge array of 3x6 solar cells and then you get one set of negative terminal and one set of positive terminal.

To purchase your DIY solar products for low prices and to find more information how to build your own DIY solar panel with 3x6 solar cells, please visit http://www.solar-deals.com. With a customer track history of over thousands of DIYers just like you, Solar-Deals.com has all the DIY solar products you need including: 3x6 solar cells, PV frames, solar batteries, accessories and much more!

Obtaining Inexpensive Netbooks On The Internet Today

Numerous men and women  are certain how they can purchase a laptop pc without having going broke. Laptops have often been identified to be pricey, even so with so numerous personal computer organizations competing, it has resulted casing them to lower their costs substantially so as to remain inside the competition. These days, it really is probable to obtain low-cost laptops which are fit for any kind of spending budget. In addition, their are several choices obtainable which will adjust the cost of the mobile computer.

Inexpensive laptops will normally be a really fundamental type of laptop.They\'ll probably have only the simple necessities set up like an Net browser or word program along with other basics like a sound/graphics gadget or card. It can be essential to realize that when buying a low cost laptop, you\'re not likely going to obtain a high tech, quickly and advanced laptop but you are able to get 1 which will be of great use for simple requirements.The excellent factor about them although is that with most low-cost laptops, you are able to often upgrade a bit at a time as it is possible to afford to. This indicates that in case you require to add extra memory space or work applications, you\'d be able to do so as budget permit. Make sure that you check when buying your laptop that it can be the truth is capable of the updates.

For those who have a slightly greater spending budget set for the obtain of your laptop, you\'ll be able to get 1 that has far more software installed and even 1 that contains a slightly quicker processor. Though, just since your spending budget is tight doesn\'t mean you need to settle for much less than what you\'ll need. A lot of organizations specilise in inexpensive restored laptops, this is 1 approach to get every thing you might be trying to find inside your spending budget. Several of their laptops are economical, and are excellent for those on a smaller spending budget. With some investigation and luck, it\'s feasible that you could get a low cost laptop which is worth double or three times the price of what you\'d be paying for it.

Renovated laptops have been formerly held and re manufactured by the organization who produced them.The bulk of them are insurance coverage statements which have been totally cleaned and reformatted to be like new. You are able to really acquire a ?800 mobile computer for between ?300-400 once you obtain them refurbished. Most stores will provide some sort of working guarantee upon buy too.

The major factor to bear in mind when buying low cost laptops just isn\'t to obtain discouraged. It can be probable to locate a fantastic deal on a mobile computer in the event you search for it. Having a small patience, you might even uncover some thing much better than what you had expected for.

Jesse has been in the field of conveying laptops under 500 for a lengthy time and keeps a web page about laptops under 200 where a person can get answers.

Definition of "hadith:"

Hadiths are regarded as a narration on the Sunnah (lived example) of Muhammad.  It includes reported sayings, actions, and traditions of Mohammad and his companions.
M.M. Azami formally defines \"hadith\" as follows:

\"According to Muhaddithiin [scholars of hadith] it stands for
\'what was transmitted on the authority of the Prophet, his deeds,
sayings, tacit approval, or description of his sifaat (features)
meaning his physical appearance. However, physical appearance of
the Prophet is not included in the definition used by the
jurists.\' \"
\"Thus hadith literature means the literature which
consists of the narrations of the life of the Prophet and the
things approved by him. However, the term was used sometimes in
much broader sense to cover the narrations about the Companions
[of the Prophet] and Successors [to the Companions] as well.\"

The Qur\'an says: \"And
whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he
forbids you, leave it. And fear Allah: truly Allah is severe in
punishment.\"  The Messenger
refers here to the Prophet Muhammad. These writings are not
regarded as having the same status as the Holy Qur\'an, which is
considered to be God\'s word.
The accuracy of Muhammad\'s sayings was
confirmed by his contemporaries -- generally his companions; i.e.
his immediate followers. Some Muslims regard all of the the Hadiths
as being valid. Some historians question the accuracy of some
passages. For example, Historian Bernard Lewis commented on a saying
attributed to the prophet that some scholars believe is invalid:

\"If anyone insults me, then any Muslim who hears this must kill him immediately.\"

Some
terrorists partly believe that, based on this Hadith, all Muslims have a
duty to kill Americans when they have the opportunity.
The great
Islamic scholar Yahya bin Sharaf Ul-Deen An-Nawawi compiled a collection
of 43 of the most important sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
It is is now known as \"An-Nawawi\'s Forty Hadiths\" 

Accept Credit Cards Online Without Opening A Merchant Account

Merchant account has been a necessity for the retailers in order to accept credit cards from their customers online on their websites. Usually you must go to your bank, they evaluate your risks and only then after thorough checks you are allowed to open a merchant account. Opening a merchant account takes a lot of time � lots of paperwork is needed, your credit score should be checked, your websites are checked thoroughly. The acquiring bank can easily decline your application if your product seems a bit risky to them. Such things happen especially when you try to sell your digital products online � ebooks or software. So it can be a quite hard to start processing credit cards online. But today, it is not the only option for the business which is just on the start up move. There are a number of services which does not require merchant account for accepting credit cards. All you have to do is just to signup on one of these companies, add your product details to the system and place payment buttons on your website. They will resell your product � your customers will be able to buy your product with credit cards or Paypal payments � and you will get your earnings paid out directly to your bank account or Paypal.

In order to accept credit cards online without a merchant account you have to:

1.    Search for the existing credit card processors online that would process payments for you. You have to find whether you need a processor to accept cards both in online and offline mode. Then you need to locate whether the processor allows your special product type to be accepted.

2.    Then you must initiate an investigation for the third party payment processors which are available. Some of third party payment processors have comparatively higher transactions fees than others, but on the other hand they provide very responsive services and makes immediate bank account transfers. So make sure you get all information beforehand � processing rates, refund and chargeback fees, a list of accepted product types.

3.    When you find a right company, just signup on it and provide some personal details. All of them require your personal details, bank account information, contact details and an email address.

4.    In some cases you will also need to provide the social security number for applying through the third party processors, depending on the sales turnover and account needs.

5.    The next important stage is incorporating the service into the website. This requires a bit of web development consultations to create some attractive payment buttons for the customers to complete their purchase. Usually once your account is approved, you have to submit products that you are planning to sell for an approval. The processor usually checks your website and product�s sales pages whether you provide enough information about the product, they compare if your website complies to all regulatory rules and then approves your product. Once you get your product approved, you are provided a simple html code to place on your website to direct visitors to your product�s checkout page � to order the product. All you have to do is just to place those payment buttons on your website and you will be ready to go.

Once you have everything set up, all you have to do is just to start advertising your website online to get visitors� Potential customers will read your website and find all payment buttons you provide. They will be redirected to your products checkout pages and be able to buy using their credit cards or Paypal account.

This way you don�t need to open a separate merchant account to sell products online. One more good thing for using 3rd party payment processors is that you don�t have to deal with possible credit card fraud. Such companies will check all your transactions for you, so you can be sure that you will sell your products successfully without any potential risks to your account getting closed.

Egidijus Andreika is a creator Click2Sell affiliate marketing system. Accept credit cards online and get your merchant account within 5 minutes. Merchants � sell and promote your products online, manage affiliate programs at Click2Sell. Get a full fraud protection for your online sales. Visit: http://www.click2sell.eu

Want To Grow Your Affiliate Checks?

Nowadays, people are making a lot of money through affiliate marketing. But, making money through marketing is not simple. In this article I will give you the tactics using which you can grow the number of your affiliate checks.

What you have to do in affiliate marketing is to keep the links of the products of merchant in the website of the web master and the webmaster promotes the links. Whenever somebody clicks the link in the websites, he is directed to the merchant\'s website. If, the customer buys the product, the webmaster (affiliate marketer) gets some commission. Looks easy right? Believe me, it is not so easy.

After building the website and placing the links you have to do a lot of efforts to promote it. Marketing is really important as until unless the products does not come in front of the people, you will not be able to earn anything.

Earning money through affiliate marketing is not a child\'s play. You have to use the tactics to promote the products. Here I will give you the best tactics using which you can grow your affiliate checks:

�    The best way is to promote the products about which you have full knowledge. This is the most important tactic to become an expert marketer. This way you will be able to write good about the products and can include deep information. If, you want to get the product about which you do not have much knowledge then do full research before adding the product.

�    Use a domain name which is short and easy to remember. If you keep a long domain name then there are much more chances that the customer may not visit your website again.

�    Post ads to promote your products. Design professional ads and post it to your site. Anybody who visits your site reads the ads and may buy a product giving you the commission.

�     Participate in forums as you will get a lot of information from there. You can also solve your queries and post ads there. Start chatting about the products and tell about the website. Make business accounts in Orkut, Facebook and other networking sites. Start groups and communities and invite people to join.

�    Write articles and submit it to different publishing sites. Also include the link at the bottom of the website. People who read the article may take interest in the website and click it.

�    Build newsletters and send it to different mail ids.

These are the best tactics using which you can promote your website and grow your affiliate checks.

Charles Greer is an expert in marketing. He can give you the marketing techniques ever used for driving good traffic. To get the best knowledge from this marketing expert just visit the website http://www.chasdgreersr.com

Make Money With Forum

Making money online with forums is great idea. There are many forums in the internet. Many forums have many people who are members of these forums. They are writing and viewing topics. There are several ways for you to make money with forums.

The best way to make money on forums is to have your own forum. You should keep growing your own forum and promoting it. This way you will get some traffic that is important if you want to make money on forum. This will help you get more people on your forum. The subject of your forum should be popular. This will help you get more people on your forum. Put some advertisments on your forum and make money online.

Another way to make money online with forums is to be a moderator on popular forums. Many popular forums pays moderators for keeping an order. There are many spammers and kids who are trying to ruin someone�s forum. So the moderator role is to ban them. To be a moderator you will need to send a message to an administrator of the forum. He will inform you if you are accepted or not. You should have some long experience with forums.

The other way to make money on forums is to write posts. Many popular forums will pay you for each post. They need writers  to keep growing forum. Writing posts on forum will require some writing skills. To be a good writer you need to make no mistakes and write fast. However this is not hard to learn.

I showed you how to make money online with forums. Feel free to leave your comment.

The Benefits Of A Shifman Mattress Review

Prior to investing in something as high-priced as a Shifman bed, spend some time to look through customer evaluations along with other Shifman mattress reviews to make sure you will get value for your investment. Shifman beds are probably the most high-priced US manufactured beds, but mattress feedback may seem to show that they give you a lot for the investment.

The majority of purchaser reviews of Shifman mattresses are quick to point out that they supply a level of extravagance you\'d usually anticipate from just the finest of European mattress makers.

There is a great deal of hand-crafting in every mattress, based on the reviews, from the hand-tied interior springs to the trademarked \'SanoTuft\' hand-tufting which locks each of the mattress elements in place. Mass produced mattresses cannot contend with the style and quality of mattresses which are hand made from the innerspring core to the layered cotton bed mattress top.

In your review of Shifman mattresses, you will see that prices are a major point of criticism.

The truth is, you may anticipate a bed like the Shifman Van Gogh to cost virtually as much as a new sub-compact car. However your Shifman mattress will last you longer than 2 or perhaps three of these cars, and that contributes lots of additional value to the initial cost.

Customer reviews of the Shifman Masters Series allows you to explore precisely how well the company facilitates its warranty for your Shifman Van Gogh mattress. They\'ll also give you top notch experiences from people who have slept on the mattress, and can tell you precisely what to anticipate. As an example, the Van Gogh is a more solid surface, and also the Renoir is meant for those who simply want the softest, most luxurious bed to sleep in.

Essentially, customer reviews of mattresses are usually indispensable to help you make the most knowledgeable selection.

You will see exactly how other\'s experiences have gone, and discover whether you are at ease with the company\'s methods. If there is a continuing problem with one of the mattresses, it is most likely to be discussed in mattress critiques, knowning that may offer you a first warning of a concern which only appears after many years of use.

Shifman mattress reviews are the typical individuals greatest device in shopping for a new bed or mattress. Without leaving the house, and at any time of the day or night, individuals can check out different mattresses, evaluating one to another, and checking into the rankings offered by various other owners of the same product.

It is a clever thing to evaluate and compare mattresses thoroughly well before you even consider making that purchase. There\'s a multitude of terrific mattresses online to look at and it will take you quite awhile to evaluate them but be confident it will be worthwhile.

Matched Betting: A Free Way To Make More Money

Being a student I�m used to having to live on a budget and I know how much just a little more money a month can make a difference. With matched betting I generally manage to make a few extra hundred a month. This makes my life so much easier when something goes wrong I don�t have to panic, I�ve got that little bit of money, I can afford to treat myself , to be generous on a night out and it just offers me peace of mind not to have to be constantly watching what I do and don�t buy.

About a year and a half ago I found out about matched betting, now I�m not much of a gambler (I get too nervous and hate parting with my money) but what I found so appealing about matched betting was you always win; it�s about playing the odds. Obviously covering all you bets means you will have losses, however you cover your losses by using free cash incentives and promotional offers by bookmakers. You do this with an online calculator that works out for you how much to put on each outcome. I love knowing that whatever the outcome I�m going to make some profit, obviously this isn�t a career choice but I make about �200-300 per month and like I said that really helps me out. Another nice thing about this is you don�t have to declare the winnings and they�re tax free, so it�s simple money. There are different websites you can use to help you match bet, the one I use is called the Gold Tiger.

What I like about it is they�re really helpful when you email in with questions and it�s a free website. But it�s worth exploring all your options so I suggest look on forums (like on Money Saving Expert) and see what others say about matched betting. It�s always slightly odd when you place your first bets, daunting even, but when I started I just decided to gamble with �10 and create a couple betting accounts.

By listening to advice and using the calculator on the Gold Tiger I made �25 and �50 by placing just two bets. Now I place a couple bets a week and enjoy collecting my cash; it�s great watching a game and knowing you�re getting money at the end of it no matter what, so I would highly recommend it to anyone.

If you want learn Matched Betting I would recommend the Gold Tiger:http://www.thegoldtiger.com

Benefits of Free Trade

We often get to hear about terms like free trade and protectionism in context of economic policies, but not many of us actually know what these business terms are all about. We don't pay attention to these terms as we believe that we are immune from the effects of these policies. What we don't understand is the fact that even though these policies don't affect us directly, they do affect us indirectly on a long term basis. Simply put, these policies are directed at economic growth and economic growth is closely related with creation of more jobs - something which is beneficial for us. At the end of the day, we are a part of this economic system and we are bound to be affected by the same even if we stay mum. On the contrary, understanding concepts like free trade and its benefits for the economy can help us get a better understanding of financial do and don'ts. Before we move on to see what are the benefits of free trade, let's try to understand what free trade actually means.

What is Free Trade?

In economics, the term 'free trade' refers to a system of trade policy wherein the traders are allowed to function without any interference on the part of the government. This economic concept is typically characterized by trade of goods and services in absence of any taxes, trade barriers or trade distorting policies. While 'trade barrier' refers to any government policy which restricts international trade (including import licenses and trade embargo,) 'trade distorting policies' include taxes, laws or subsidies which give one party an unfair advantage over the other. In a free trade, the traders have free access to market as well as market information and there is free movement of labor and capital in between as well as/or within countries. An area wherein trade barriers are eliminated and trade distorting policies are lowered in a bid to attract new business and foreign investments is known as a 'free trade zone'. Similarly, a group of countries which has formally agreed to eliminate all the trade barriers on most of goods and services which are traded between them is known as a 'free trade area'. While the term free trade zone is quite popular in Europe, similar free trade zones in the United States are referred to as Foreign Trade Zones - an area in the vicinity of a US port which is exempted from Custom restrictions.

Benefits of Free Trade

Everything has its pros and cons, and free trade is no exception. While the advocates of free trade policy are of the opinion that its benefits outweigh its disadvantages with ease, critics of the same don't seem to be impressed by these arguments. Wondering what the benefits of free trade policy are? Given below is a list of benefits of free trade zones in the economy owing to which this trade policy has garnered so much support all over the world.

    * The most prominent benefit is perhaps the fact that reducing trade barriers will result in a boost in international trade.
    * Other than international trade, free trade also boosts business competition, and such healthy competition will make traders put in more efforts to perform well.
    * Other than improving the quality of products, the competition in free trade will also bring down the price of goods and turn out to be beneficial for the consumers.
    * For consumers, free trade will also mean freedom of choice as they will have more options to choose from.
    * The traders will be benefited by the fact that they will have a larger market at the disposal, owing to which they will be able to sell more goods.
    * It gives all the nations a comparative advantage - wherein countries only produce those goods in which they are specialized and export them, while importing other goods from rest of the countries.
    * It results in proper allocation of resources - wherein a country with some products in excess can trade the same with products in which they have a deficit.
    * Similarly, free trade also triggers efficient production - as producers pitch for effective use of available raw material.
    * Free trade will also help in doing away with the protectionist government policies which are believed to be a heaven for corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.
    * The economic growth brought about by free trade tends to create more jobs, more jobs result in more expenditure, more expenditure results in more demand and more demand results in more production - which again result in creation of more jobs - in short free trade has the tendency to set the economy rolling.

That was all the information you needed to know about what are the benefits of a free trade zone in the world economy today. On the political front, such trade relationship also helps in bridging the gaps between two nations - which makes it an important tool of globalization. While these benefits of free trade policy are indeed tempting, one can't afford to turn a blind eye towards its disadvantages. Some of the most prominent disadvantages of free trade include structural unemployment as a result of removal of trade barriers, hike in domestic economic instability as a result of dependence on global markets etc. At the end of the day, one has to weigh these advantages and disadvantages of free trade in order to find out which of the two have an edge over the other - and as of today the advantages of free trade seem to overshadow its disadvantages.

Free Trade Zones in the United States

There seems to be a great deal of confusion in use of business terms such as free trade zones, export processing zones and Foreign Trade Zones - and that turns out to be a major hindrance when you try to compile a list of free trade zones in the US. Basically, you won't find any free trade zones in the United States of America - but you will find a concept which is quite similar to that of a free trade zone which is referred to as a Foreign Trade Zone in the United States. There is a little bit of difference between the two economic concepts, but broadly speaking they serve the same purpose - creating job opportunities and increasing foreign investment while lending a helping hand to international trade. While Foreign Trade Zones are restricted to the United States of America, the concept of free trade zone is common in the developed countries of Europe. In order to understand the intricacies of the entire matter, you need to understand the basics of each of these concepts of economics.

Free Trade Zone

A free trade zone is an area of the country wherein trade barriers, such as tariffs and quotas, are exempted and government policies, which distort the trade, are relaxed in order to attract new business and foreign investment in the country. Simply put, it is an area wherein the concept of free trade - international trade free of government interference, is followed owing to the various benefits it has to offer. Some of the most prominent benefits of free trade include boost in international trade, healthy business competition, efficient production, larger markets, etc. A concept closely related to free trade zone, free trade area refers to a type of trade bloc wherein the member countries do away with certain trade barriers and trade distorting policies for each other.

Foreign Trade Zones in the United States

A concept which is by and large native to the United States of America, the Foreign Trade Zone refers to the special geographic area in the vicinity of a US Port wherein commercial merchandise can be handled without being subjected to Customs duties and other ad valorem taxes. Other than storing, the traders can also assemble, package, clean, test, repair or destroy their goods in the Free Trade Zone - without having to pay any tax for the same. This relief lowers the cost of US based operations of the international trade - while creating job opportunities and capital investment in the country. That being said, this tariff relief is only available for those goods which are restricted to US Foreign Trade Zones. If the goods are meant to be imported and sold in the US market, they will be taxed as soon as they are out of these free trade zones in the United States.

In a Foreign Trade Zone in the United States, goods are treated the same way as they would be treated outside the US territorial borders. This allows the traders to land and store their goods here without having to pay the import duties on these goods. These trade zones are under the direct supervision of U.S. Customs Service. The lengthy list of Foreign Trade Zones in the United States of America has more than 250 members - which includes some of the most prominent names such as FTZ No. 83 Huntsville, FTZ No. 98 Birmingham, FTZ No. 75 Phoenix, FTZ No. 174 Pima County (Tucson), FTZ No. 50 Long Beach (Los Angeles/ Long Beach), FTZ No. 3 San Francisco, etc. Other than these 250 odd Foreign Trade Zones, there also exist around 450 450 Special Purpose sub-zones in the United States.

That must have given you a rough idea as to what a US Foreign Trade Zone is and helped you get rid of all your myths about free trade zones in the United States of America. You can yourself avail the facility of the Foreign Trade Zone in the United States. Even though each of these trade zones have some stipulations of their own, by and large all of them follow the same procedure.

Ideas for Trade Show Exhibit Booth Themes

A trade show acts as a medium between companies and consumers. Trade shows are an option for companies to display their products wherein the consumers can interact directly with the company representatives and also handle products displayed. Trade show promotions are an innovative tool used by advertisers to market products for their clients. The responsibility of planning for trade shows and booth themes along with the design and construction of the displays, rests solely with the event planning agencies. Advertisers and event managers need to come up with innovative strategies to promote brands and products to translate into sales for their clients. Thserefore, event managers give utmost importance to the décor of the trade show exhibit booths. This draws interest and attracts crowds, which can even lead to impulsive buying at such trade show displays.

When the competition is tough, it’s the concepts and the themes that matter to promote a company. Here, we shall take a look at themes for trade show exhibit booths and ways to make the trade show more interesting and eye-catching.

Ideas for trade show exhibit booth themes

Before deciding upon the theme, you need to consider the following points:

    * Budget of the client
    * Total area to be used
    * Product(s) to be advertised
    * Target group
    * The flexibility required in terms of themes and designs (This is useful when the exhibition or trade fair is held in different cities and therefore, would require portable displays.)

Planning for exhibit booth themes will require you to consider many elements to make the booth look as attractive as possible and also establish a connection between the company and the consumer. You can begin by thinking about the logo. A stand-alone board can be a useful addition that displays the logo on the board. The logo can be used creatively and repeatedly in the booth to establish the brand image. You can incorporate the logo on the clothing of the company representatives. The tablecloths placed on the table and the banners used can all display the logo. A logo-based theme will thus help to impress the name of the company on the minds of the viewers.

Color-coding can be used to successfully brand any company or product. Company representatives can wear clothing with colors used in the product or company logo. Similar colored jackets or even shirts are a good way of creating a unity and harmony in design. This can be matched with matching boards and displays in the booth. A simple idea such as balloons can also help to make an exhibit booth look interesting. The colors of the balloons can be chosen accordingly and this is bound to attract visitors.

You can even plan to have international themes for the trade show exhibit booths. This will also depend upon the product to be advertised. You can create a scene of an international location to attract many visitors to the booth. A beautiful set that is based on Italy such as a Venice scene with a gondola will only add to the beauty of the setting and attract visitors to take a look at the product being advertised.

Another option would be to plan an entire theme for the exhibition with innovative structures for the booth. Hollywood is one such popular theme. This can include the lights, posters or cutouts, the red carpet and even the famous Hollywood sidewalk for the flooring. Each booth can then be planned accordingly and can incorporate many such ideas based completely on Hollywood. The booths can include movie set props. Such themes are particularly useful to transform any ordinary area into a beautiful and lavish setting!

Is the product known locally and is competing with well-known brands? Well, then the booths can be given a local flavor in terms of design. If there is a festive occasion, it can be incorporated in the design along with important elements from that particular area. Using slogans in the local language or creating an atmosphere where locals can easily connect and identify with the brand, helps in brand promotion. Using such locally-relevant themes can also help to launch new products and make these acceptable amongst the people.

Trade show exhibit booth themes are thus very important for any company in order to connect with the buyers. Make sure you select an appropriate display to make the booth a complete crowd-puller!

Trade Show Booth Ideas

Trade shows offer a unique opportunity to various organizations to display their products and services to their prospective clients. Trade show promotions are also an opportunity for businesses to make sales and strike profitable deals. But all this is possible only if the visitors to the exhibition are attracted to a company's booth. For ensuring maximum visits to the booth, businesses have to focus on two things i.e. the booths should look professional and at the same time they should promise fun. How? Let's find out by looking at the below given trade show booth ideas.

Creative Trade Show Booth Ideas

Booth Set-Up
The booth set-up should be such that it displays the professionalism of your company. The booth should be well organized and well run at all times. After all, the visitors at the exhibition are your prospective clients so they should form a good opinion of your company. You may read more on importance of branding. Here are some useful trade show booth ideas vis a vis booth layout.

    * The trade show booth table should always be covered with a good quality table cloth as it gives out an upmarket, more official appearance.
    * Add your company's logo and name at various places in the booth such as the center wall, presentation board (if you have one) and even on the tablecloth of the display table.
    * If there are some products to be kept on the trade show display table, make sure that the larger ones are kept at the back and the smaller ones in the front so that all items are visible.
    * Include visual presentations to demonstrate your company's products to your customers. Visual displays always appeal to the visitors more.
    * Have the booth properly manned by booth personnel and make sure that they keep their conversations with the visitors as interactive as possible. The more the booth personnel are able to get the visitors involved, the more likely it is that they will go in for your company's products.
    * If your booth is big in size, keep a separate conference area where the prospective customers can actually sit and talk with the booth personnel.
    * Arrange for necessary things such as pens, notepads, paper tissues, water cooler, dustbins at the booth.
    * Have enough stock of your company's pamphlets, brochures or booklets which can be handed over to all the visitors to your booth who want information on your company and your products. To keep this paper stuff organized and more visible, a good idea would be to keep it on a display rack.
    * The lighting at your booth should be appropriate. So, invest in your own booth lighting, especially around the displays, even if the hall is well lit.
    * Arrange for enough booth personnel so that your booth is never left unmanned. Make sure that the booth staff is trained in dealing with people, friendly and co-operative. You may read further on ideas for trade show exhibit booth themes.

Games and Prizes
One of the best trade show booth ideas that attract visitors is to give away prizes. If you incorporate some fun games and in the end guarantee prizes to all the participants, there is no way that exhibition visitors would let pass such an opportunity. An interesting game that will both help in promoting your company's products as well as in getting visitors to your booth is to plan an easy quiz of your company's products and services. Have the information about your company's products put up on a banner. Do not clutter the banner, just include five to six main points. Have a game show kiosk placed in your booth wherein visitors who have read the information, can proceed to take on the quiz. In the end, keep interesting prizes for visitors who answer all the questions correctly. There are many benefits of keeping such game show kiosks. These can be seen from a distance too and so people who have no plans of coming to your booth or knowing about your products, get lured by the fun and the prizes it promises, plus you get to market your company's products to prospective clients.

Free Gifts
People who attend trade shows, always expect to get some free gifts. This makes trade show giveaways a must. Food gifts such as candies and cookies, wrapped in boxes on which the company's logo and contact information is mentioned is a good option as a free gift. Stationery items such as notepads, pens, etc. and gift certificates which can be exchanged in lieu of your company's products and services are some other options for promotional gifts that you can consider.

One of the most popular trade show booth ideas that is fast catching up is to invite a local celebrity to your booth to pull in the crowds. If you have a budget for this, you can use this strategy as well. Trade shows are a chance for an organization to come face to face, interact and connect with one's future customers. So, do not let go off this opportunity and do whatever it takes (even if it means shelling a few extra bucks) to grab it.

Trade Show Giveaways

The importance of marketing and advertising is escalating owing to the increasing competition and growing economies. Business is all about having the right goods and products and marketing them in the best possible way to increase sales. Marketing is an extensive field, which makes use of several events and ideas to promote a business. Television ads, radio jingles or kiosks and banner ads might be useful but these are all one-way communication channels that do not allow the interaction of the businessmen and the end product users or the retailers and investors for that matter. Interactive events like trade are beneficial for any business since these trade shows allow mutual interactions between the one who sells and the one who would be interested in investing or buying.

About Trade Shows

First of all you need to know about trade shows. A trade show is an exhibition that allows organizations and companies in specific industries to showcase their products and services. While most of these trade shows or expos are open to the public, some only allow company representatives, and members of the press. The trade show is an excellent marketing opportunity and hence companies make a wise investment while participating in such trade shows. The costs incurred during the trade shows include space rental, design and construction of the display at the trade show, telecommunications and networking, travel, accommodation, promotional literature and of course the trade show giveaways.

What are Trade Show Giveaways?

Trade show giveaways are nothing but promotional items or free gifts that are given by a company at the trade show. Trade show gifts are an effective marketing tool that allows companies to promote their new products or spread more information about their existing products and also get a feedback from the customers and fellow traders about the products and services of the company. Companies put in a lot of investment and planning for the trade show giveaways since it is an imperative element of the trade shows.

What are the Benefits of Trade Show Giveaways?

Trade show giveaways are very useful in marketing since they can be used for several purposes. The first use of a trade show giveaway or a trade show gift is spreading information about the product and promoting its use. Second of all if you are using free product samples as trade show giveaways then the people can obviously use the products and provide you their feedback, thus promoting the use of your product. Trade show giveaways can also be a great way to establish or even enhance company’s brand identity. Trade show giveaways help to establish a bond of goodwill and create a positive image of the company amongst the customers and investors. Often when a company is launching a new product or wants to incorporate a big change in its existing product line or services, the trade show giveaways are and excellent options to communicate the changes.

What are the Types of Trade Show Giveaways?

There exist a wide variety of items that can be used as trade show giveaways to promote the business. Starting from the company’s product samples to corporate gifts like pens, pen stands, tote bags or even mints and candies. Here are some of the popular trade show giveaways:

    * Gourmet Gifts: Small tins or containers filled with peppermint or candies can be a great trade show giveaway. You just need to make sure you display your logo prominently on the giveaway items. Small mints and candies are generally great but there a lot of options like microwave-popcorn or other snacks.
    * Company Products: The best option for a trade show giveaway item is the company’s product samples. Product samplers allow the visitors to use and experience your products and provide you feedback. However the only problem is that not every company will have products or services, which can be sampled out to the audience.
    * Stationery Items: Stationery items are handy giveaways that can be imprinted or embossed with your company logo or even some useful information and facts about your company. Diaries, pens, pen stands, paperweights, staplers, notepads are great ideas for trade show giveaways.
    * Fun Giveaways: If you are looking for really unique trade show giveaways you have to think out of the box. There exist a wide range of stress buster toys, which can be fun ideas for trade show giveaways. There also exist a lot of intersecting gadgets that are rather inexpensive but will definitely help you stand out.

While Picking out Trade Show Giveaways

While picking out trade show giveaways there are several things that need to be kept in mind. Here are some of the things that need some consideration before selecting trade show giveaways:

    * Cost-efficiency is the first thing that you need to keep in mind. Remember that you will have to buy the products in bulk and hence you need to lookout for the best deal. Allot a foxed amount of your marketing budget to the trade show giveaways.
    * The next thing that you need to see is analyze whether the product is appropriate for showcasing your brand logo. Using a low quality, cheap product might benefit you but it gives out a wrong message about your brand image. Use cost-effective yet quality products since you will be associating your brand name with that product.
    * Check how you can showcase your brand logo on the selected product. Assess the product from point of view of quality as well as aesthetics. Check which product allows you to highlight maximum information about your products.
    * Always pick an item that will seem attractive/interesting/useful to the visitors. Pick out gifts that are unique and innovative to grab attention. If a person likes or enjoys the giveaway gift, chances are that she/he will read about your product and give your further feedback; hence picking out the right giveaway is important.

Effects of Industrial Revolution

Revolution, in the simplest terms, means a great change. The industrial revolution was a process that started in the middle of the eighteenth century and introduced many changes in agriculture, method and system of production of goods, transport, mining, and economic policies. All these areas were connected, and changes in one resulted changes in the other. Furthermore, these changes metamorphosed the social equations and relations. The process is said to have begun in the middle of the eighteenth century in England with the mechanization of textile production. However, many believe that this was the culmination of many other processes that had begun almost two hundred years ago. Later, the revolution also spread to other parts of Europe.

Starting Process of the Revolution
Surplus produce in agricultural sector is the basic requirement for sustaining an urban population not engaged in food production. In the eighteenth century, English farmers started using farm implements made from metal, instead of the wooden equipment used earlier. Some other improvements in agricultural knowledge led to elimination of the need to keep land fallow for restoring its fertility. This led to surplus agricultural production. Another change in this sphere was the enclosure movement, wherein small farmers were deprived of the common village lands by the rich farmers. As a result, the labor of these small farmers were available for other industries.

Mechanization of production was another important change. James Hargreaves invented the jenny, which allowed an operator to spin multiple threads at the same time. Next came Arkwright, with his water-powered factory. These inventions led to an exponential increase in the production of textiles. Water power, which had replaced manual and animal power, was later replaced by steam power. Changes were also introduced into the system of production. Earlier, production was scattered. People manufactured textiles in their house, using their own equipment. This was a second line occupation practiced by people in their spare time. The system was known as putting out system, where production was decentralized or given out. This was replaced by the factory system, in which the production was done at one place - the factory. Production equipment was provided by the owners of the factory, and the workers worked at pre-determined salaries. Above all, workers had no rights over the produce which was owned by the factory owner. This led to the development of capitalism - the owner provided the initial money, equipment and location for production. He owned the produce and sold it for a profit.

Surplus production would require an efficient transport system, right from procurement of raw materials to transportation of finished goods. This required the development of road, rail and shipping. The steam engine required coal, and fuel and iron would be required to make rails, railway compartments, ships, etc. As a result, mining of coal and iron also saw many alterations.

Effects of Industrial Revolution
The working conditions in mines were horrible, to say the least. Furthermore, women and children were employed as they could be paid lower wages than adult male workers. Child laborers possessed another advantage - they could easily crawl through the narrow passages in mines. The situation in factories was not very different. The workers could not bargain for better conditions and payments, as there was an abundant supply of workers available in the form of displaced peasants and farmers. If one would protest, he would be fired - and there was always someone else ready to replace him. Also, the capitalists were becoming richer by the day. Using their wealth, they were influencing the policies and laws of the government. This influence was naturally harmful to the labor class. This led to the organization of labor unions, and subsequently to the development of the concept of socialism. The migration of such a huge population to cities resulted in the overcrowding of cities and development of slums. The pace of urbanization quickened to unprecedented levels. The migration also broke the social ties the worker (i.e. the former peasant or farmer) was used to in villages. This, along with the deplorable living conditions, caused many other problems like alcoholism, illicit relationships, loneliness, etc. This degraded the quality of life to such an extent that it was said: "the shortest route out of Manchester is a glass of whiskey".

The capitalists emerged from the hitherto middle class. The industrial revolution was an expression of their strength. Their power increased in leaps and bounds. They had the funds to influence the government. They acquired a stranglehold over politics which continues till date. Other customs like the importance of punctuality and taking appointments before meeting people, also started during this age.

The greatest changes of the effects due to the industrial revolution were visible all over the world. A capitalist had two main requirements for making windfall profits. One was cheap supply of raw materials, and the other was a ready market. Both of these were available in colonies. This led to the colonization of many lands in Asia, Africa and South America. The economies of the colonies were comprehensively subordinated to the mother nation. This resulted in a scramble for colonies amongst the great powers of that age. Although England was the strongest power; France, Holland, Portugal, Denmark, and later, Germany and Italy also entered the race. This race led to imperialism, culminating in the two World Wars. English exports were creating problems for the industrial development of other powers. To control this, tariffs were imposed on British goods, leading to tariff barriers. As a result of colonization, events in one part of the world started influencing events in other parts of the world as well. This is the simplest description of globalization.

The revolution also affected many other areas. For one, there was the problems of urbanization during the industrial revolution. There was a lot of migration of the work force to the urban areas. The population distribution everywhere didn't remain equal, like it was before. This lead to the many problems we face even today, like pollution, space crunch, family division, child labor, etc. On the other hand, on a positive note, there were quite a few important inventions of the industrial revolution. Things like the locomotive, steam engine, cotton gin, and many more, were all a result of the revolution. Many of the inventions are in use even today, and many others paved the way for different other technological advancements that we get to enjoy in today's world.

The origin of many modern phenomena and problems can be traced back to the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution was primarily the economic dimension of the change from the middle age to the modern age. This subject, hence, makes valuable study material for anyone attempting to study the modern times.

History of Industrial Design

The art of enhancing the look and value of products, Industrial Design started developing in the 20th century. During the later half of the nineteenth century, the consumer goods industry grew rapidly which necessitated the creation of designer goods, owing to the competition in the market. Consumers were ready to spend more on luxury goods and lush interior decorations for homes. In those times, industrial design wasn't a well-defined professional activity. The craftsmen and artists were engaged in industrial designing activities by industrialists, who promoted the development of prototypes for their products.

Industrial Design History

The bulk of industrial designing during the 1920s was carried out in the field of automobiles, electrical appliances and the new inventions. The engineers though, invented useful items for the public, but lacked the creativity needed to enhance the look of these products. Trained artists from different art schools, were hired for the creation of commercial art, in order to facilitate the designing of industrial products.

The Great Depression of 1929, proved an opportunity in disguise for industrial designers to display their skills. Frederick W. Taylor, a mechanical engineer by profession, played an important role in improving industrial efficiency during this period.

Streamlining
It was an important principle applied in the production of various goods. Basically a concept derived from the science of aerodynamics, streamlining was extensively used in the designing of products such as automobiles, radio, washing machines, etc. The overall effect of streamlining the product designs was so much, that the demand of consumer products increased heavily.

The profession of industrial designing was institutionalized owing to the surge in demand for industrial designers. The institutions, like the American Designers Institute and the Society of Industrial Designers, were established in the years 1938 and 1944 respectively. The two institutions were merged in 1965 to form the Industrial Designers Society of America.

High Modernism
The idea of 'high modernism' governed the industrial design sector between the 1930s and 1960s. Three types of design 'frameworks' or ideas were brought to light by The Museum of Modern Art in America. These three ideas were the 'machine art', 'organic design' and 'good design'. The machine art signified abstract designing while good design was considered to be of reformist ideology. Organic design was the term used for eco-friendly designs.

Those refugees who had escaped Nazism and were associated with Bauhaus, a design school in Germany, which brought new ideas to industrial designing in America. The establishment of the Aspen Design Conference for policy makers and businessmen was the result of the changes in the industrial design sector. The concept of high modernism was also popularized by Mr. George Nelson through a journal called the 'Industrial Design'.

Mr. J. Gordon Lippincott brought forth an idea which promoted the use of designs only for the sake of profits. Harley Earl's styling techniques greatly influenced the appearance of products such as gas pumps, carports and even items such as coffee tables and sectional sofas. The scientific progress in the mid-19th century too had an influence on the designing techniques, which reflected in the form of amoeboid shapes in Georgian architecture.

The competitive markets of the 1980s and 1990s brought about a fundamental change in the field of industrial designing. Earlier, during the 1930s, the challenge before designers was to enhance the look of Machine Age products. However, in the '80s, the situation had changed a lot. The designers were expected to add value to the highly sophisticated hardware and software. The designers in this period, played an important role in deciding the corporate strategies for industries. Thus, from the inception of the concept of industrial designing in the 1900s till date, the field of Industrial Design has undergone a sea change.

Urbanization During the Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution in 19th century, which led to the mass production of goods, resulted in decreased costs of these manufactured goods and improved living conditions for the people, due to the affordable consumer goods. When the living conditions of the people began to improve and there was also a huge requirement of people for various jobs at the factories, there started a mass migration of people, from the rural areas to the cities. This mass migration of people to the cities, is what is referred to as urbanization during the industrial revolution. How this urbanization affected the society, lets try to understand.

Effects of Urbanization During the Industrial Revolution

Harmful to the Environment
To work in factories during the industrial revolution, lots of migrants shifted to the cities. They began to live along with the natural citizens of the city, leading to lots of air and water pollution, caused by the tremendous rise in population.

Class Divide
New social classes emerged due to urbanization during the industrial revolution. The entrepreneurs as well as the business people gained enormous wealth due to industrialization. This led to a class divide, where the workers in the factories became the have-nots and the factory owners, with their huge wealth became the haves.

Low Standard of Living
Because of the large scale immigration during industrial revolution, people who had shifted to the cities, found it very difficult to adjust in the depersonalized city environment. Most of the people were used to staying and working on their own farms, where basic necessities of life, such as water and food, were easily accessible. In the cities, however, due to the unprecedented growth in population, even something as simple as water needs of the people were not met, due to the growing population. Urbanization during the industrial revolution, put a lot of pressure on the economic as well as the governmental systems, which could not handle this rise in population, thus, inconveniencing the people in the process.

Change in Family Structure
Urbanization and industrialization caused a lot of changes in the family structures as well. Men began to work in factories and their wages were comparatively higher than those of women. Children were seen as a source of low cost labor. Due to industrialization, men received the status of a "bread winner" of the family, while middle class women were encouraged to stay at home to look after the children. Reade more on child labor.

Catalyst for Socialist Revolution
Due to urbanization, people who followed different cultures and traditions came together to live in the cities. With time, these cultural values which defined these people, became to fade. The people started feeling a need to associate themselves with something they could identify themselves with. It was this need of people working in factories, which was taken advantage of by the trade unions. Due to the industrialization, people were working in low paying, long hours jobs, and their entire being was at the mercy of the factory owners. Impersonalized city environment, combined with this dehumanizing working atmosphere and the well apparent class divide, were all in a way responsible for the socialist revolutions, all around the world.

Urbanization during the industrial revolution, though had many ill effects on the lives of the people who lived or shifted to cities during that period, yet it had many positive outcomes too. It was due to this large scale immigration of people to the cities that forced the governments to device such policies, that would take care of the people. Governments initiative to take interest in the development works, modernization of the infrastructure opening of schools, providing proper sanitation, health and water facilities, can be all attributed to the large scale urbanization that took place during the industrial revolution.

Romanticism: Characteristics of Romanticism

Romanticism is a movement that emerged as a reaction against Neoclassicism, the age preceding the Romantic movement. The Neoclassical age was also called the 'The age of Enlightenment', which emphasized on reason and logic. The Romantic period wanted to break away from the traditions and conventions that were dear to the Neoclassical age and make way for individuality and experimentation. The Romantic movement is said to have emerged in Germany, which soon spread to England as well as France, however, the main source of inspiration for Romanticism came from the events and ideologies of the French Revolution. Other than this, even the industrial revolution which began during the same period is also said to be responsible for the development of Romanticism. Though Romantic elements were found in art and literature since several centuries, it was the publication of 'Lyrical Ballads' by Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1798 that marked the beginning of the Romantic period. To understand Romanticism better, it is very important to learn about the Romanticism characteristics. Read more on importance of literature.

Characteristics of Romanticism

As literature was the first to be influenced by the ideas and ideologies of Romanticism before spreading to art and music, the characteristics of romanticism in literature are the same for other art forms too. Therefore, let us look at some of the Romanticism characteristics which influenced all the artistic fields of that period.

Love of Nature: The Romantics greatly emphasized on the importance of nature, and one of the main characteristics of Romanticism in poetry is the beauty of nature found in the country life. This was mainly because the industrial revolution had taken man from the peaceful country life towards the city life, transforming man's natural order. Nature was not only appreciated for its physical beauty by the Romantics, but also for its ability to help the urban man find his true identity.

Emotions v/s Rationality: Unlike the Neoclassical age which focused on rationality and intellect, Romanticism placed human emotions, feelings, instinct and intuition above everything else. While the poets in the former era adhered to the rules and regulations while selecting a subject and writing about it, the Romantic writers trusted their emotions and feelings to create poetry. This belief can be confirmed from the definition of poetry by William Wordsworth, where he says that "poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings". The emphasis on emotions was also spread to music created in the Romantic period, and was seen in the compositions made by great musicians like Weber, Beethoven, Schumann, etc.

Artist, the Creator: As the Romantic period emphasized on emotions, the position or role of the artist or the poet also gained supremacy. In the earlier times, the artist was seen as a person who imitated the external world through his art. However, Romanticism reverted this belief. The poet or artist was seen as a creator of a piece of work which reflected his individuality and inner mind. It was also for the first time that the poems written in the first person were being accepted, as the poetic persona became one with the voice of the poet.

Nationalism: The Romantics borrowed heavily from the folklore and the popular art. During the earlier periods, literature and art were considered to belong to the high class educated people, and the country folks were not considered fit to enjoy them. Also, the language used in these works were highly poetic, which was totally different from that which was spoken by people. However, Romanticism changed all this. Their works were influenced from the ballads and folklore that were created by the masses or the common people, rather than from the literary works that were popular. Apart from poetry, adopting from the folklore and ballads is also one of the very important characteristics of Romanticism in music. As the Romantics became interested and focused on developing the folklore, culture, language, customs and traditions of their own country, they developed a sense of Nationalism which reflected in their works. Also, the language used in Romantic poems were simple which was usually used in everyday life.

Exoticism: Along with Nationalism, the Romantics even developed the love of the exotic. Hence, in many of the literary as well as artistic works of that period, the far off and mysterious locations were depicted. Though this was completely opposite from the ideal of Nationalism, they never clashed with each other. The reason for this is that just like the exotic locations, the people did not know about the folklore of their places before, and so they seemed to be as vague as the far away places. Exoticism is also one of the most prominent characteristics of Romanticism in art, along with sentimentality and spirituality.

Supernatural: Another characteristic of Romanticism is the belief in the supernatural. The Romantics were interested in the supernatural and included it in their works. This fascination for the mysterious and the unreal also lead to the development of the Gothic romance which became popular during this period. Supernatural elements can be seen in Coleridge's, 'Kubla Khan' and in Keats' poem 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci'.

As no Romantic writer or artist followed any kind of rules or regulations, it is actually a little difficult to define the Romanticism characteristics accurately. Nevertheless, these are some of the characteristics of Romanticism that reflect in the works of that period. Though many writers and critics have said that Romanticism is irrational, one thing that cannot be denied is that it attempted to portray the world, especially human nature in a new light.

Industrial Revolution Inventions

As the name suggests the industrial revolution, played a major role in modernization of the world. The era of whole-scale industrial liberalization has played a significant role in the scientific advancement of the world. This advancement changed mankind within a time span of just 3 centuries. It all began with the advancement of the liberal thoughts of mankind after the Renaissance, which eventually led to the industrial revolution inventions. Timeline of these inventions span over the 18th and 19th centuries. Often the entire time period is divided into the first industrial revolution and second industrial revolution. The inventions of the industrial revolution have been discussed in the following paragraphs.

Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

If we go on to make a list of industrial revolution inventions, then it is bound to be mammoth. Hence to make matters simpler, a description of three industrial revolution inventions that actually started off the race for riches through industrial processes has been included. In some cases more than one person can be credited to be the person behind the invention and the promotion of technology. So here goes.

    * Steam Engine: Issac Newton proved the many laws of motion and energy and people pondered for a long time over two enslave motion and energy. James Watt was successful in making the steam engine that would successfully operate mine pumps and then the rail roads. Another notable promoter of the steam engine was Thomas Newcomen.
    * Iron Founding: As the ever booming industry needed several parts and machines, the forgers and iron men came up with iron fondling machines. Coke replaced charcoal in smelting and potting, stamping and puddling processes replaced come older conventions. Henry Cort is credited to be the inventor of the famous puddling furnace.
    * Textiles: The textile industry was a very well paying and important industry of the European economy. Water Frame of Richard Arkwright, James Hargreaves's Spinning Jenny and Samuel Crompton's Spinning Mule are 3 important inventions of the textile sectors.

Apart from the aforementioned inventions, there are some landmark industrial revolution inventions that changed the world. Such inventions have been divided according to the continents.

Industrial Revolution Inventions in Europe

If we consider the investors from Europe, then we have James Watt and Thomas Newcomen who worked on the steam engine. Then we have Henry Cort who worked in the field of iron founding. Turning to the field of communications we have Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring, a German scientists who built one of the first electronic telegraphs in 1809. If travel much further through a few decades then we have Cyrus West Field, headed Atlantic Telegraph Company which laid the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic. Turning to electricity, Nikola Tesla is a name that must be certainly mentioned, whose contribution in early 20th century to commercial electricity powered the industry. Alexander Graham Bell should not be forgotten as he is the father of communications. A very very, important invention was the diesel engine of Rudolf Diesel. Francois Isaac de Rivaz, a Swiss scientist designed one of the earliest internal combustion engines in 1807. The father of modern science awards, the Nobel Prize, Sir Alfred Nobel, a Swedish scientist invented the Dynamite in 1867.

Moving on across the Atlantic…

Industrial Revolution Inventions in America

It was not just the Europeans who contributed their inventions. There are some substantial number of landmark inventions of the industrial revolutions, that were contributed by American inventors. Eli Whitney, Jr. a pioneer in textile developments, invented the cotton gin in 1793. Robert Fulton a pioneer of naval transport, invented the steam boat and the first submarine. Samuel Morse pioneered the communication sector with Bell when he invented the single wire telegraph and the, still in use, Morse code. Elias Howe gave tailors and housewives a great comfort with his effective sewing machine. Out of all other inventions, this one is probably the most complex one and also the smallest, by the virtue of size. The design of sewing machine was further promoted by Isaac Singer. Scientific legend, Thomas Edison was the inventor of 3 technologies, bulb, phonograph and motion picture camera. Wright brothers who gave man wings, will always carry the credit of flight. Henry Ford is a must mention because of his assembly line technique, which drives the speed of industry even today.

These industrial revolution inventions have shaped the world in which we live today. There many names and inventions that should have been mentioned, the world owes a lot to them.

Mutual Fund Cost Structure

Mutual funds are among the dominant investment vehicles today. They are marketed to the public either directly by the fund underwriter, or indirectly through brokers. An underwriter possesses exclusive rights to distribute shares to investors, while brokers act on behalf of the underwriter. Direct- marketed funds are traded through various means of communication: Internet, over the phone, downtown offices, mail, etc. However, more than half of the mutual funds are sold through brokers and financial advisors who receive hefty commissions for executing the trade.

Prospectus

Every mutual fund has particular investment policies that are explicitly defined in the form of prospectus. A prospectus is a legal uniform disclosure, describing the key investment objectives, considerations and policies that will govern the asset management of the fund. The prospectus is annually updated to reflect the current economic condition and trends. It also addresses the risk and cost associated with trading the shares of stock within the fund. Mutual funds are not free investment tools. Running a mutual fund involves cost. Basically, there are three general classes of fees the fund is subject to: front- end load, back-end load, and 12b-1 charges.

Front-End Load

A front-end load is a broker commission or a sales charge the investor pay when buys shares. These charges rarely exceed 8.5% of the fund. A mutual fund is characterized as a low-load fund if it has loads that range up to 3% of invested funds, and as a no-load fund if it faces no front-end charges. Undoubtedly, no-load funds distributed directly by the mutual fund are the cheapest and usually the most profitable alternative, suitable for young investors who have a long-term investment horizon.

Back-End Load

A back-end load, also known as "contingent deferred sales charges", is a redemption charge incurred when you sell back your shares to the fund. In most cases, back-end load fee is below 6% as it decreases by 1 percent for every year you keep your money within the fund. Following the pattern, by the fourth year the redemption fee will fall to 3%.

12b-1 Charges

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allows mutual funds managers to use fund assets for both: distribution and shareholders service expenses. A 12b-1 plan is design to cover fund’s operating expenses, such as advisory fees to the investment manager, administrative and marketing expenses, the printing and mailing of prospectuses to investors, as well as shares presented for redemption. 12b-1 fees are usually expressed as a percentage of the total assets of the fund and range from 0.2% to 1%. 12b-1 charges are periodically deducted from the fund assets. The reduced portfolio value results in decreased shareholders’ equity.

Classification

Many funds offer securities rating within the portfolio. The cost structure of these mutual funds is based on shares classification. For example, Class A shares are subject to front-end loads, while Class B and Class C shares usually deploy a combination of back-end load and 12b-1 charges. Make sure you choose the combination of fees that best serves your investment goals and expectations.

Mutual Funds Ratings

A mutual fund employs investment advisors who pool together people's money and invest in stocks, bonds and other securities in accordance with the fund's mandate. People, who invest in a mutual fund, are issued shares that have sufficient liquidity, thus ensuring that the investors can sell shares that have appreciated in value and accrue capital gains. Investors also receive interest and dividend income that may be disbursed in the form of money or additional fund holdings. Although, the fund's investment advisors are registered with the SEC and are expected to have considerable expertise in selecting appropriate investments, the investor has the responsibility of evaluating a fund's prospects before undertaking an investment. This may seem like a daunting task but with a bit of research, one may be able to distinguish a performance oriented fund from a non-performing one. The article on "Mutual Fund Investment Advice" provides a general introduction to mutual funds. This coupled with a good understanding of mutual fund ratings can help an investor choose an appropriate fund.

Understanding Mutual Funds Ratings

Mutual fund rating agencies save investors the time and the effort of having to assess the funds on their own. Generally, people rely on the ratings provided by Morningstar and Lipper. Both Morningstar and Lipper use a ranked system of ratings for mutual funds. The former uses stars while the latter relies on numbers. The stars or the rankings are assigned in ascending order of performance. The best performing fund has a 5 star rating (Morningstar) or ranks 5 on a scale of one to five (Lipper).

Analyzing the mode of assigning ratings to a Domestic Equity fund may help us understand the manner in which Morningstar assigns mutual fund ratings. Morningstar categorizes a domestic equity fund into one of the following 9 categories, viz. Large value, Large blend, Large growth, Small value, Small blend, Small growth and Medium value, Medium blend and Medium growth. To classify the equity fund into one of the aforementioned categories, the underlying stocks in the mutual fund are classified on the basis of valuation and market capitalization.

Relative valuation helps in classifying stocks as undervalued or overvalued. The ratio between the market price of a stock and the earnings per share gives P/E. The P/E of a stock is compared to a benchmark and a stock with a P/E ratio, that is higher than the benchmark, is classified as a growth stock while a stock with a lower P/E ratio is believed to be a value stock. PEG, which is the ratio between P/E and the growth rate of the stock, should be used along with P/E to determine whether the high P/E is really justified by the growth rate. Funds, that demonstrate both growth and value characteristics, are referred to as blend funds. In other words, we have a table with 3 columns, viz. growth stocks, blend and value stocks.

Market capitalization, that is defined as the product of the current price of a share with the number of outstanding shares, is used to classify each of the underlying stocks in a domestic equity mutual fund as large cap (large), mid-cap (medium) or small cap (small). Thus, we end up with a style box that has 3 rows of market capitalization and 3 columns of valuation.

Classifying each underlying stock, of the equity fund, on the basis of valuation and market capitalization culminates with the classification of the fund into one of the aforementioned 9 categories. After categorizing a fund into the style box, its past performance is compared to other funds within the same style box and stars are assigned on the basis of risk adjusted returns. Just like the domestic equity style box, Morningstar offers the international equity style box and a fixed-income style box. It also provides gold mutual funds ratings.

Lipper also categorizes funds before comparison. However, Lipper does not compare the fund to other funds within the same category but compares funds to a benchmark for each category. Moreover, the process of categorizing funds reflects the areas where the fund invests, the amount of flexibility used by the fund manager and the extent to which the fund is aggressively managed.

Limitations of Mutual Funds Ratings

Morningstar and Lipper assign ratings by comparing the fund's past performance with that of comparable funds, within the same category, and with the benchmark for each category respectively. Since past performance is not indicative of future results, it is not prudent to rely solely on ratings of mutual funds.

One needs to look at the performance of long tenured fund managers, the Expense ratio and the Turnover ratio in addition to ratings. Absence of load fees or low load fees in addition to low / no 12b-1 (promotion and distribution) fees are some of the characteristics of a good fund. The ratio between the fund's annual operating expense and the fund's average net assets gives the Expense ratio. A low expense ratio is again a desirable feature. The mutual fund's Turnover is defined as the ratio between the gross sales proceeds and the total assets of the mutual fund. Frequent trading reduces returns on account of high commissions and spreads. Moreover, the shareholder is expected to pay taxes on the yearly capital gains, that are received, thus diminishing return on investment. Hence, a low Turnover ratio is favorable. It's also sensible to investigate whether the fund manager believes in his / her picks and invests heavily in the fund. Going through the Statement of Additional Information (SAI) will help an investor determine whether the fund manager invests in the fund. It's evident that top rated mutual funds need not be the best performers, since past cannot be relied upon to predict the future.

Mutual Fund Investing for the Layman

These days, the term "Mutual Fund" is known to many; whether or not they have parked their money in this investment avenue. However, for the small investor, the understanding of Mutual Funds is limited to the basic definition of "a pool of money invested in stocks or interest bearing instruments" by a team of experts in the field. But that definition alone is not enough to entrust one’s hard earned savings in the hands of strangers, even though many have invested in the mutual fund avenue and quite a few have seen handsome gains.

So what exactly is a Mutual Fund? In broad terms, it is an investment avenue where you can put in a small amount of money to have access to high-priced stocks and bonds through the medium of collective funding. For example, if the stock of Company A is available in the market at, say, $10 per unit, then with an investment of $100 you can get ten of these units. However, odd lot trading, i.e.; buying and selling in quantities lesser that the "lot size" (Minimum number of units that would readily find buyers owing to market and/or statutory restrictions) is very difficult in most markets. Also, if you have only $100 to invest, it is definitely riskier to put the entire amount in one stock – a downturn in the industry to which it pertains could kill the value of the stock in no time. It is in this scenario that the concept of mutual funds comes into play. With, say, a hundred investors pooling in with $100 each, in all $10,000 is available for investing, thereby giving the pool a lot of leveraging power in terms of the type and number of stocks to invest in. This not only minimizes the risk involved as the money is invested in different stocks; it also eliminates the problems associated with odd lot trading.

Types of Mutual Funds

The stock market has evolved a lot since the days of Dow Jones to the Greenspan of today, and mutual funds have ridden this wave of change as a mode of diversification of risk. Based on the risk return approach, a number of sector intensive funds have come up, which can broadly be categorized as follows:

Equity Funds: These mutual funds invest in equity shares of corporations, and being purely driven by the price movements of stocks, they carry high risks though the potential for profits is also higher. Again, depending upon their industry focus, these mutual funds may be sector oriented (such as technology funds which invest mostly in stocks of emerging technology companies or pharma funds which invest heavily in pharmaceutical companies) or they may have diversified portfolios comprising of stocks from different sectors.

Debt Funds: These funds invest heavily in debt oriented instruments; i.e; instruments which carry periodic interest. Thus, these funds invest in G-Secs (Government papers and Treasury Bills) and Debt Instruments such as Bonds, Debentures, zero-coupon instruments, etc. Since they carry a guaranteed return (in the form of interest), these instruments are relatively low risk, thereby generally keeping the capital of the investor secure. It cannot be said, though, that they are entirely risk free – since a bulk of the returns comes from trading profits on such papers, an element of risk is always inherent, albeit lower than equity funds. The returns from these funds are lower compared to that of equity oriented funds, since they cannot take the advantage of market movements.

Balanced Funds: Balanced funds aim to merge the security of Debt funds with the earning capacity of equity funds, and invest in both debt papers as also equity stock in a predetermined ratio (say 60% in debt and 40% in equities). Thus, a portion of the capital is hedged against downturns in the market by investing in debt instruments, the balance being invested in equities to gain the advantage of market movements.

While each of the above funds have their own merits and demerits, the question of where to invest is best answered by the risk orientation of the investor. For a person who is looking at high returns and is not averse to risk, equity funds are the best option. For someone who is highly risk averse, Debt funds are ideally suited.

Price Determination

Now that we have a basic idea of the various types of mutual funds, we need to understand how the prices of the fund units are determined. Broadly, the income of mutual funds is derived from Interest / Dividends and Trading. While in the case of debt securities, interest income is assured, the same is not true in the case of equity stocks as the quantum of dividend depends upon the profits earned by the company concerned, aside from a whole lot of other factors. Again, while the interest income is assured in the case of debt securities, the investor need not go to a mutual fund if he can earn the same amount himself by investing in bonds / debentures. The investor puts his money in the fund in anticipation of a higher earning than ordinary debt papers would fetch him. And that is where a mutual fund is required to trade aggressively in securities. In the case of equity funds, trading is based on the Fund Manager’s perception of the risks and rewards of the stocks in his portfolio and he takes into account several factors such as the impact of the technological/ legislative changes, market competition, etc on his portfolio. In the case of Debt funds, technological changes or market competition carry lesser weightage as the interest stream is not directly linked to profitability; instead, factors such as inflation rate, political stability and the interest rate scenario are ascribed greater importance. For example, if a fund manager is holding G-Secs that carry an interest of, say six percent, and he is expecting that the next issue of G-Secs would carry an interest rate of seven percent, he would try to offload his current holding and invest the proceeds in the new issue. However, since the market in general would also be trying to offload the older G-Secs before the new issue, the laws of demand and supply would hammer the price of the six percent securities down. Whether the Fund Manager can make any gains by offloading his holding of six percent securities would depend entirely on how early he can sell. Similarly, in a falling rate regime, his gains would depend on how early he can take a buying position and/or how late he sells.

Understanding NAV

Mutual Funds declare their Net Asset Value (NAV) on a daily basis. This NAV is nothing but the difference between the total assets and the outside liabilities (such as Creditors for Expenses, Loans, etc.) of the fund at the end of each day, after adding/deducting therefrom the day’s profits/losses. The Net Asset Value is expressed per unit, dividing the total value by the total number of units outstanding. The purchase / sale price is linked to the NAV of the units.

The Investment Decision

With a huge number of mutual funds operating in the market, a thorough study of the funds is essential to make an informed investment decision. But what are the parameters on which an investment decision should be based? Well, while there is no single rule to investing, the following pointers may come in handy while making up your mind:

The Investor’s approach: The first step towards intelligent investing is to know yourself. By knowing yourself I mean understanding clearly and unambiguously the kind of profits that you intend to make and the extent of risk that you are willing to undertake. As already stated, for an aggressive investor, equity funds would be more suited. Again, if this aggressive investor were looking for short run profits and is willing to take a significant risk, he would do well to invest in sector specific funds, which might be riding the boom at that point of time. For example, in the late nineties software and other emerging technology funds were riding the dot com boom, and those investors who managed to get out before the bubble burst made fortunes, while those who stayed on suffered heavy losses.

The Pedigree: The past history of a mutual fund tells a lot about its possible future actions. To look at the dot com example again, some equity funds made steady, moderate profits and were not hit so hard when the bubble burst, while some others lost their capital as fast as they had amassed it. The reason behind different funds performing differently though investing in the same sector is primarily due to the outlook of the fund managers – if a fund manager is conservative, he would not trade as aggressively even in a sector specific fund and vice versa.

Also, the age and size of the fund play an important role in the decision process. New funds or smaller funds may post heavy gains at the beginning when their corpus and portfolio are small, but may not be able to sustain the same rate as the dis-economies of scale crop in. It is always worthwhile to adopt a wait-and-watch policy with regard to new funds unless the promoter group / fund managers are carrying a heavy baggage of reputation with them.

The Financials: Probably the most important factor in decision making vis-à-vis Mutual Fund Investment, the principal things to look into are the past trend of earnings, the effective yield on investments at NAV (and not at Face Value) if the current trend of earnings continues, the percentage of earnings that are eaten away by operating expenses, and the entry/exit loads. Each of these factors are very important; to exemplify, even a 1% difference in operating expenses could bring about a difference of nearly 10% in earnings for the investor over a 10 year period assuming an earning rate of 10%. Again, if there are any entry/exit charges, that much of the earnings is lost.

Diversification: A prudent investor would never put all his eggs in one kitty. Before investing one should always look at the extent of diversification in the portfolio. For example, if you have $10000, it would be unwise to put the entire amount in a sector specific fund. If you are an aggressive investor, you could consider parking say $ 5000 in a sector fund, and the balance could be invested in other equity based funds. A more cautious investor, on the other hand, should invest in partly in debt-oriented funds and partly in equity funds. The key is to invest in a diverse portfolio, so that even if a particular sector suddenly takes a sharp downtrend, the loss is at least partly covered by the investment in the other sectors/categories.

Monitoring: Investing in mutual funds, contrary to the common perception, is not all about letting the experts do their jobs. For one thing, experts are also liable to commit errors, and while a layman is in no position to prevent that mistake from occurring, he can at least analyze the impact the error has on his funds and on his future investment plans. And just how do you go about monitoring your investments? Well, while the periodic accounts are a help, they remain just that – a mere help. For one thing, the accounts reflect the investment pattern and the NAV only on the date of the accounts and no further – the investment pattern might change drastically over as less as a week. Under the circumstances, it is always advisable to follow the NAVs on a daily basis; the cardinal rule being ‘No one appreciates your money as much as you do’.

The above are just a few pointers towards intelligent investing; as already stated, there is no single rule of thumb to guide you along the trend curves. One needs to learn as one goes along, and in this humble investor’s opinion, investing in the intangible markets is a continuous learning exercise.

Mutual Funds for Dummies

If you're a beginner in the field of investment, then firstly, I would like to welcome you in this field. This is certainly an opening for you to save some significant portion of your hard earned money. So, if you have money and capital to invest, then you can surely think of investing in mutual funds. Mutual funds for dummies or beginners is not something that is very difficult and unattainable. In fact, one of the first mutual funds basics, that an investor has to learn is that, mutual fund is more safer option than stock and share markets. Due to diversification of your investments in mutual funds, the risk factor decreases significantly, although it's not negligible. Understanding mutual funds for dummies requires them to exactly know what are mutual funds.

Investing in Mutual Funds for Dummies

Wondering how to invest in mutual funds? Mutual funds are a simple investment option in which a pool of money is created from several investors and then based on total money collected, various investments are diversified in securities options. The profits obtained from these investments are shared among all investors depending on their contribution. This article is a basic guide for mutual fund investing for the layman. Mutual funds for beginners is more about understanding the basics of this investment option as, all they have to do is to invest the money and rest other things are taken care by a group of professionals who are expert in trading and investing. So, if you are looking of some significant differences between mutual funds vs stocks, this is the most important one and is also an advantage of mutual funds. Unlike stock broking where you have to keep an eye on the market prices of your stocks, mutual funds give you the flexibility to invest your capital once and then leave rest in hands of mutual fund firm (where you've invested the money to attain profits). Knowing how to invest in mutual funds demands a detailed study, so, here I enlist an abridged information on steps of mutual fund investing. This will serve as a simple piece of information to mutual funds for dummies.

    * Through various media, you'll be able to know about advertisements of mutual fund investments in several mutual fund firms. Contact any of them after doing some research about their schemes and plans. Take advise of your friends and acquaintances who're already into mutual fund investment.
    * Buy the mutual fund shares of the chosen company. Assign a budget to purchase shares.
    * The money from several contributors/shareholders is pooled in and a capital for investment is created.
    * The money that has been collected is invested into diverse fields like stock markets, future markets, forex market, automobile sector, etc. Your mutual firm's fund manager is the one who decides where all the capital collected has to be invested.
    * The mutual fund managers keep you informed about all proceedings and profits and you are paid dividends by profits that have been made on collective investment of all shareholders.

This was just a brief piece of information on mutual funds for dummies. Beginners who are interested in investing in mutual funds must equip themselves with mutual fund investment advice, so that they can start off on a better note. While understanding the intricacies of mutual funds in the beginning may not be easy for everyone, checking mutual fund ratings is a great tool to get an idea about what is the rating of the firm. Moreover, checking about the firm where you are investing your money and its past history and success can help you to take a wise decision.