Sooner or later, something terrible will happen to your hard drive. That’s not a very happy thought, but the good news is you can survive a hard drive failure with only minimal inconvenience — if you back up your files.
Hard Drives Are Not Forever
They can fail without warning, a virus could wipe out your data, fire or flood could damage the drive, or it might even get stolen. You might accidentally delete a file or an entire folder of important files with an errant click. And it’s not only emergencies that make backups important… if you buy a new computer, a backup can make it much easier to copy your files from the old computer to the new one.
Backup Strategies
Do you need to backup all your files, or just certain ones? That depends on how you use your computer, how important your data is, and how much you want to think about backups. If your drive fails, you can reinstall the operating system and all your software. But the data you’ve created and stored (word processor documents, spreadsheets, emails, photos, music, etc.) may not be replaceable.
So at a very minimum, you should decide which are your most important files and make backups. Here are some easy ways to back up a set of files:
* Attach the files to to an email and send them to friend. Or open a free web-based email account, and send the files to yourself.
* Copy them to another computer on your home or office network.
* Upload them to your website, or free web space.
* Burn them to a CD.
* Copy them to a flash drive or external hard drive.
Do this often – daily, weekly or monthly – you decide based on how often you update the files and how critical it is to have access to the most recent data in the event your hard drive crashes and burns. But be warned that recovering from a hard drive failure will be a nuisance if you opt to backup only your data files. It will take quite a few hours to re-install your operating system and all the software that you had. If you downloaded software, you might have lost the license or registration keys along with your data, too.
Backup on Auto-Pilot
I strongly advise automated full system backups, because EVERYTHING is safely squirreled away, and restoring your data can be accomplished with a few clicks. You could back up your data on a bunch of CDROMs, but you’d need a LOT of them to back up a modern hard drive, which can store 100GB or more. CD-ROM disks hold about 700MB of data, so even with compression you’d need over 100 of them to get the job done. Not very convenient, especially if you ever need to restore the data.
Since hard Disk drives are cheaper than ever, I recommend you get an external hard drive and use it as a backup device for one or more computers. You can buy a large capacity external drive for well under $1 per gigabyte. The Iomega 33xxx series and the Maxtor OneTouch get high marks from reviewers and users, but other manufacturers such as Seagate and Western Digital make good products as well. Look for a drive that supports a USB 2.0 connection, or the faster FireWire hookup if your system supports it.
Backup Software
Backup software is also recommended, to help you automate the process of making automatic full or incremental backups, and to restore just one deleted file or the entire drive. A good backup program will even allow you to store multiple versions of a file, so you can go back in time and restore a file to the way it was a day, a week or a month ago.
I use Acronis True Image (Windows) but have heard great things about Retrospect (Windows/Mac), which comes free on the Maxtor OneTouch drives, and SmartSync (Windows).
Losing data that you’ve spent countless hours creating is one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a computer user. When it comes to backups, don’t think too hard about whether or not it’s worth the trouble. It takes only a little time and money to set up automatic full system backups that give you peace of mined and protection from data disasters.
BOB RANKIN… is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin’s website for more helpful articles and free tech support.
According to Frank Azzolino, President and CEO of aPriori, “Our strategy is simple: enable discrete manufacturing companies to identify and assess costs from the conceptual design through production, and provide the means to leverage the existing infrastructure and systems of record. As companies grasp the flexibility and scalability of aPriori’s solution, they will significantly reduce COGS by accurately assessing and managing costs early enough in the product development process to affect the critical decisions that impact and control costs.”
Realizing hard savings is only possible if discrete manufacturing companies can satisfy today’s demand for a direct and measurable reduction of COGS. A clear and undisputed characteristic of product delivery is that as much as 70% to 80% of the total product cost is a direct result of the design decisions made in the first 10% to 15% of the product development process.
Based in Concord, MA, aPriori (www.apriori.com) is the technology leader providing innovative cost management solutions to the discrete manufacturing industry. aPriori’s Cost Management Software Platform enables manufacturers to better understand product cost decisions early and throughout the product lifecycle. aPriori’s Cost Management Platform empowers manufacturers to lower cost-of-goods sold (COGS), provides real-time visibility to “cost-critical” decision information, and builds critical cost knowledge to go on the business “offensive.” aPriori’s patent-protected cost management platform allows companies to assess, control, and reduce cost of goods sold by whole percentages. The aPriori Platform truly enables “Cost Knowledge Before it Matters.”
Contact: John Busa aPriori 978-371-2006 jbusa@apriori.com
So often we find academic fakers, they are just poor little humans with out a clue to reality. Someone or some institution gave them some scientific degree for years of study and payments to attend. Then as these morons reach their certificate they plan a project, some research and but into the research they go without a theory in hand and a religious bias in mind. They are of no value to science and of detriment to the forward progression of the species. Recently in discussion a topic with someone like this, she dismissed all prior research in a particular field, to hold onto her particular beliefs. In dismissing all the evidence contrary to her little ridiculous religious beliefs, she stated;
“I personally would not recommend that anyone accept theories simply because they are accepted by a majority vote.”
Of course this SOB was so religiously biased she would not be able to reason her way out of a paper bag and another think tank member challenged her and stated: “You have nothing, you do not have a theory, you have not stated one. You have no research. You deny all the top leading scientists who have duplicated proof and evidence. You deny DNA, evolution, even when it the evidence is right before you. You have no theory only psycho-babble and BS. Any politician, two-bit scoundrel lawyer or master manipulator plays these mirror games. Put up or shut up. State your theory. How can anyone trust you or your theory when you carry on like this, denying all the evidence, proof, observations and research for some pie in the sky; theory, which you say you have but have not put forth? Are you afraid? Know deep in your heart it is not right? Or is it some religious BS you put forth on behalf of some payee to your research who is of religious last ditch effort trying to save face? Yes or no. And when will you tell us oh noble one of your theory?”
If you are some moronic religious kookoo bird, please stay out of the field of science and find meaningful work doing something else. There is no place for such belief systems in science and research. You are screwing up the results, doctoring data and many of you are committing outright academic fraud and you know it. Don’t give me any lip service. It is time you faced up to your lies and psycho-babble. Consider all this in 2006.
“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Hearing aids have certainly come a long way since those first wooden devices from the 1500’s. If you look at the history of hearing aids, you will find an amazing evolution of technology. In the 21st century, it seems almost everything has gone digital, and hearing aids are no exception.
With at least 22 leading manufacturers of digital hearing aids, it is safe to say there has been a massive increase of demand for high-quality products. Many companies are in the process of developing even better digital technology; some are working on fourth and fifth generation digital hearing aids.
The first digital hearing aids on the market came out in 1987. Because only two manufacturers supplied the digital products, and also because they were very large and used a substantial amount of energy, consumers were less than receptive to the new idea. Since the end of the 1980’s, more advanced technology has increased the quality of digital hearing aids.
More recently, digital hearing aids have gained tremendous success. Because they are smaller and more functional, more and more audiologists are recommending them to their patients. New digital hearings aids are available in both behind-the-ear and inside-the-ear models. Though these models are rather pricey, consumers are eager to take advantage of the new systems and enjoy a better quality of life.
The functioning of digital hearing aids is similar to the older, analog versions. Experts suggest that it is impossible to completely separate the two from each other. Digital technology merely implies that sound waves that were previously captured in analog form are now converted into a string of numbers that creates more precise hearing functions. Experts say that the digitalized versions are not better simply because they are digital, but because digital technology enhances the process of converting sound waves.
Because of digital hearing aids, persons with auditory disabilities have the option of living a more comfortable life and the ability to hear the sounds of loved ones’ voices. Assuming that technology continues to rapidly advance, it is likely we will see more digital advances in the not-so-distant future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hearing Aids provides comprehensive information about digital, programmable, behind-the-ear, discount, wholesale, and cheap hearing aids, as well as child hearing aids, Medicare and hearing aids, and reviews of best hearing aids. For more information go to http://www.e-hearingaids.com and/or visit our affiliate site at http://www.growthink.com.
Apache, MysQL and PHP for Windows could be a nice nice thing to have on your Windows workstation. You could try and experiment with all kinds of nice PHP and MySQL based applications right on your Windows desktop running Apache, instead of having to access a full-featured server.
Most people have Windows as their workstation and it can be sometimes difficult to switch to another operating system. So, you may have always wanted to run PHP applications on your Windows machine but wondered if it is too difficult to install or if the hassle will be worth it.
This article gives you the essential information to get started right away. Even if you are a seasoned PHP, MySQL and Apache guru, the checklist below will still be helpful in your installation process.
There are lots of 3rd party software that bundles Apache, MySQL & PHP in one package and installs them on our computer. We do not recommend this and suggest that you directly get Apache, MySQL & PHP from their official sites.
Apache
1. Get Apache 1.3.33 from here: http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi.
2. Choose a mirror close to you and in the same page, look for the Win32 Binary (Self extracting) file: apache_1.3.33-win32-x86-no_src.exe.
3. Download the file and save it on your hard disk. Run the installer and the self-extracting wizard will guide you through the rest of the steps. Choose all the default settings and run Apache as a service.
4. Remember to put “localhost” when asked for a Server name/Domain name. Use “administrator@localhost” when asked for the administrative email account.
5. Now point your browser to: http://localhost and you should see an Apache Test Page.
6. You can change this page by creating an “index.html” page here “C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\htdocs”.
7. You can manually start and stop the Apache server. In a Windows command prompt, type “net stop apache” or “net start apache”.
MySQL
1. Get MySQL 4.1.7 from here: http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/4.1.html
2. Under the Windows downloads section, choose Windows Essentials (x86) and click on the Pick a Mirror link.
3. Download the file mysql-4.1.7-essential-win.msi and save it on your hard disk. Run the installer and the self-extracting wizard will guide you through the rest of the steps. Remember the root password when prompted for it in the installation process.
4. Once the installation is done, on your Windows toolbar, go to “Start->Programs->MySQL->MySQL Server 4.1->MySQL Command Line Client”.
5. Type the root password and you should be logged in to the MySQL shell.
6. Type “show databases;” to see the list of databases. Type “quit” when you are done.
PHP
1. Get PHP 4.3.10 from here: http://www.php.net/downloads.php
2. Under the Windows Binaries section, choose the file: PHP 4.3.10 zip package size 7,405Kb dated 15 Dec 2004.
3. Download the file and save it on your hard disk. Unzip the file and rename the extracted folder to “php”. Now move this folder “php” and place it under “C:\Program Files\”.
4. Move all the files under “C:\Program Files\php\dlls” and “C:\Program Files\php\sapi” to here: “C:\Program Files\php”.
5. Copy the file php.ini-recommended to “C:\WINDOWS” and rename it to php.ini
6. Edit your Apache “httpd.conf” configuration file located here: “C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\conf”.
7. Add the following lines in httpd.conf:
LoadModule php4_module “C:/Program Files/php/php4apache.dll”
AddModule mod_php4.c
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
8. Now stop your server by issuing the following command in Windows command prompt: “net stop apache”. Then type “net start apache” to start your server. We are now going to test the PHP installation.
9. Go to “C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\htdocs” and create a file test.php
10. Edit test.php and add the following code:
<? php
phpinfo();
?>
11. Point your browser to http://localhost/test.php and you should see a lot of PHP configuration information.
Congratulations! You now have Apache, MySQL and PHP installed in your computer. Now you can install your favorite script right on your Windows workstation.
About the Author
Sanjib Ahmad, Freelance Writer and Product Consultant for Business.Marc8.com – Best Selling Business Books. You are free to use this article in its entirety as long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content, and include the resource box listed above.
The Vitamin B complex is one of the most important vitamins that can have a great influence on a person’s health as well as on one’s physical and mental performance concerning the nervous system. It is a part of the group of nutrients which are responsible for the creation of some of the most basic structures in the nervous system.
In order for a person to actually have a healthy well-being, one must always remember to have an adequate daily intake of the prescribed vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that your body needs in order for it to stay healthy and fit.
Unfortunately, due to stress and the increasingly fast-paced environment that we’re often subjected to, it’s quite easy to neglect one’s body, most importantly one’s health. It is actually alarming how a lot of people just seem to not actually mind the damage that they’re bringing to their bodies. However, obesity and heart failure is starting to cause a big dent on the American population. It’s high time that we act on this problem right now.
Starting with the various vitamins and minerals that directly influence the nervous system’s proper functioning and health as well as to keep note of the importance of just taking it on moderate levels.
The Vitamin B complex is one of the most important vitamins that can have a great influence on a person’s health as well as on one’s physical and mental performance concerning the nervous system. It is a part of the group of nutrients which are responsible for the creation of some of the most basic structures in the nervous system. Vitamin B12, also referred to as cobalamin due to its cobalt content, has a highly significant role in both the formation of the nervous system as well as in the maintenance of its proper functions. It also helps in the formation of the nerve cells themselves, the most basic of the nervous system structures.
A person lacking in vitamin B12 can actually suffer from irreversible spinal cord degeneration when things get out of hand. Adults need 2.4 micrograms of Vitamin B12 daily – while pregnant and breastfeeding women should increase their intake to between 2.6 and 2.8 micrograms daily. Children, depending on their age and physical size, should have between .9 micrograms and 2.4 micrograms of Vitamin B12 per day. The other B complex vitamins important to the nervous system include B9 also referred to as folate or folic acid which in addition to its role in the upkeep of the adult nervous system is also involved in the production of neurotransmitters. Adults are actually required to have 400 micrograms of folic acid daily while pregnant women should increase their daily intake to 600 micrograms however, breastfeeding women should only increase their daily intake to 500 micrograms. Depending on size and weight, children should take in between 150 micrograms and 300 micrograms of folic acid each day. Among the minerals that serve to help enhance the functioning of the nervous system is calcium. In addition to its other equally important health benefits, calcium also has a role in keeping the nerves healthy as well as to ensure their ability to communicate effectively. While magnesium is the mineral which can help the body make use of calcium most efficiently, it has a very important role in the upkeep of the nervous system. The lack of magnesium in the body can actually contribute to nervousness and confusion, while a lack of potassium can lead to nervous disorders.
Proper nourishment greatly affects every aspect of the body’s efficiency and function and in turn, has a positive effect on the quality of one’s life. The body functions based on a delicate balance of system from chemical reactions. The nutrients that you put in your body actually make up a large part of these essential chemicals and it is highly important to have a conscious effort in trying to trying to maintain the proper amount of certain vitamins, minerals and nutrients in one’s body. Nutritional supplements are a good way to help ensure one’s healthy well being, however, one must never rely on these supplements to actually give you all the nutrients that your body needs. A conscious effort to stay healthy is also being able to keep a healthy, well-balanced diet, a happy disposition and regular exercise. However, if unsure of the best dietary supplements for you or if you are somewhat overwhelmed by the countless dietary supplements that are available in the market today, a consultation with a licensed nutritionist can actually help you devise a personalized nutritional supplement plan that is best suited to your individual dietary needs and health goals.
Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR’S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about Vitamins, please go to: http://vitamins.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/
The recent patent application filed by Google details numerous items the search engine uses to rank web pages. The specific application is summarized as:
“A method for scoring a document, comprising: identifying a document; obtaining one or more types of history data associated with the document; and generating a score for the document based on the one or more types of history data.”
The patent application sheds significant light for those pursuing search engine optimization with Google. Patent applications can be difficult to understand, so following are highlights that you should consider for your SEO efforts.
Update Your Site
Updating your site is important when it comes to maximizing your rankings on Google. In addition to the manipulation of keyword density and meta tags, the patent application reveals that Google places significant value on how often your content is updated. The more often you update, the timely and relevant your site will appear to Google. In turn, this leads to higher rankings.
To appease mighty Google, consider the following plan of action:
1. Update pages frequently,
2. Add new pages to your site,
3. Interlink the new pages with others on your site, and
4. Add new pages on a weekly basis instead of all at once.
When Google returns to the site, you want to make sure that there is new content. The high rankings of blog sites are evidence of this approach.
Google’s Looking at Your Domain
In a new twist, Google claims that it analyzes the number of years of domain registration as part of the ranking process. The application suggests that domains that are registered for longer periods of time are given more value because such a commitment shows the site is not a fly-by-night jump page. It is recommended that you extend all domain registrations for as long as possible as part of your search engine optimization efforts. It is difficult to tell how much the registration process impacts the ranking process, but every little bit helps.
Google claims that it also digs deeper into domain names to evaluate the legitimacy of the site. Factors in the evaluation include the web host and the “who is” information. According to the patent application, Google maintains a database of hosts that facilitate spamming of the Google search engine. While such hosts are not detailed in the application, pray to God that you are not using one. You should evaluate your host if your optimization efforts are not producing results.
If your search engine optimization efforts for Google are failing, the patent application may provide answers. Talk about a perfect E-book!
About the Author
Halstatt Pires is with http://www.marketingtitan.com – an Internet marketing and advertising company comprised of a search engine optimization specialist providing meta tag optimization services and Internet marketing consultant providing internet marketing solutions through integrated design and programming services.
The GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) format was invented in 1987 by
Compuserve to allow images to be displayed. This format allows for 256
colors (which was a lot at the time), compression, interlacing and
animation. It is a very powerful format, suitable for many different types
of images.
Due to the limited number of colors, GIF is primarily useful in images with
a distinct separation of colors. A cartoon, for example, is ideal for the
GIF format.
When you save an image in GIF format, you have the option to specify how
many colors will be saved. By doing this you can decrease the size of an
image even further. All of the tools which are available to optimize GIF
images work by reducing the number of colors to the bare minimum. This can
produce astounding results in the size of the finished file.
Unlike JPEG, GIF uses a non-lossy compression algorithm. This means that
images do not loose bits when they are decompressed. In order to accomplish
this, GIF uses a proprietary encoding/decoding scheme called LZW (Lempel Zev
Welch). LZW is an excellent compression algorithm which typically results in
very small files (in comparison to fully expanded BMP files).
This compression method is actually the cause of a bit of controversy. As it
turns out, LZW is owned by UniSys, and over the past few years they have
made some attempts to collect licensing fees for products which save in the
GIF format. These attempts have had mixed results, and has caused the
development of a new non-proprietary standard called PNG.
You may indicate that a color in a GIF image is transparent, meaning
whatever is below the image will show through.
The GIF89a standard included animation, which basically allows multiple
images to be included in a single GIF file. In that image you can specify
the timing that the frames are shown and whether or not the animation stops
or loops forever.
Interlacing is a cool feature which allows graphics to be “faded in”.
Initially a very low quality image is displayed, and bits are slowly added
as the entire image is received. GIF supports this feature, which is useful
for displaying very large images quickly.
An interesting albeit little known fact about GIF images is that they can
include comments, which take up space and make the graphic larger. There are
a number of products which will remove these comments. I found that the
freeware program called GIFclean is simple to use and works well.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This
website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet
profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
Web Site Address: http://www.internet-tips.net
Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm
Daily Tips: mailto:internet-tips@GetResponse.com
Nothing creates a more frustrating online experience than
pulling up your favorite search engine to find something
simple and coming away empty handed after an hour of
searching.
Search engines – those sites that allegedly help you find
what you want online – can cause no end of grief if you
don’t know some simple tricks that will vastly improve your
search results.
Suppose you wanted to find information regarding 1954 Ford
truck parts. Most people would search this subject by going
to their favorite search engine and typing in 1954 Ford
truck parts. The search engine would hopefully return
results for sites that matched those keywords.
However, search engines usually also return results
including sites containing only some of the words in your
search. So in this example you would also get sites not
only about 1954 Ford truck parts, but on 1954 Fords, Ford
trucks, truck parts, and trucks.
Virtually everyone knows the frustration of typing keywords
(the topic of your search) into a search engine, clicking
the search button, and then facing the prospect of sorting
through a million pages (literally) to find what you want.
For everyone experiencing search engine frustration, these
suggestions should quickly improve your results.
Tip #1 – To aid you in searching more efficiently, most
search engines allow surfers to perform “Boolean” searches.
This feature narrows the results to only those websites
containing all the words specified, but not necessarily in
the exact order.
Those searching for 1954 Ford truck parts would enter 1954
AND Ford AND truck AND parts into the search box to find
sites containing all of those words.
Tip #2 – Using quotation marks around keyword sets yields
even more specific results.
“1954 Ford truck parts” should produce only those websites
containing this exact phrase somewhere in the website.
Tip #3 – The more specific you get right up front, the
better.
If you want to look for antique car parts for your 1954
Ford truck, start your search with “1954 Ford truck parts”
and work from there.
Don’t start with “1954 Ford” because you’ll probably just
waste time sorting through everything from cars to
magazines to collector clubs.
It would also help if you searched by the model and any
other specific information.
If refining your searches doesn’t get you where you want to
go, several programs exist to help you search more quickly
and effectively.
Copernic (www.copernic.com) examines multiple search
engines then compares each engine’s results against the
rest to determine the best sites.
The program then ranks the resulting sites and displays
them for the user. Copernic’s free version allows users
unlimited searches for websites.
Web Ferret (www.ferretsoft.com) also offers a free program
that queries multiple search engines and displays the
ranked results in the user’s web browser for easy surfing.
With the addition of millions of web pages every week,
continuously honing your search skills represents one of
the smartest investments of time and energy any serious web
surfer can make.
About the Author
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-
author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to
use free articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted
visitors to your website or affiliate links… “Turn Words Into Traffic” reveals the secrets for driving
Thousands of NEW visitors to your website or affiliate
links… without spending a dime on advertising!
Click Here> http://www.turnwordsintotraffic.com
Ten reasons why online surveys are the future of marketing Customers are tough cookies. They’re extremely media aware and increasingly cynical – it’s a clever marketeer who can get under their skin.
Online surveys reinvent the traditional format and offer a unique way of interaction – all the benefits of the internet without the programming. Here are ten reasons why they may be the silver bullet marketeers’ need, complete with
examples supplied by Martin Day, managing director of Survey Galaxy – one of a new breed of websites making online surveys quicker and cheaper
1. It’s cheap as buttons
Select the right survey website and creating surveys can be free of any
charge and the cost to publish is minimal.
Useful information harvested from surveys can be reused and repackaged in
other marketing and PR for use in press outlets making it a very efficient form of information gathering.
2. It’s easy peasy
Anyone can develop an online survey. Survey sites allow people who are
interested in the benefits of surveys, rather than technicalities, to side-step the required programming skills and create relevant up-to-the-minute surveys,instantly – surveys that are even easier to complete than they are to make.
3. Anyone can play
Once the survey is online it’s a simple step to promote it, either through email (with a link enclosed), via a link from a website or referenced by other forms of
advertising. Anyone who has the link can be connected instantly to the survey, at a time that’s convenient to them, 24×7.
4. We’ve all got an opinion – and we like to give it
Customers like surveys – they’re not seen as spam, but as an empowering
opportunity to make their voice heard and a chance to have an impact on a
brand. They can be particularly good for broaching sensitive subjects with
concerned employees; a survey asking a workforce on their opinion of change
allows the key issues to be raised in a positive way and encourages employee
participation. Online surveys allow the message to reach each individual and invite feedback in a manageable form.
5. Get inside their heads
You can lead a customer to an advertisement but you can’t make them think. Surveys actively engage the respondents, who think about the question before giving their response
6. Beautiful relationships start here
It needn’t all end at the end of the survey – while you have their attention and are in the mood you can ask if they want to sign up for more information or a regular newsletter – making the most of the window when you have their interest.
7. If you like this, you’ll love…
Perhaps one of the strongest elements in a survey is the ability to make
inspired or useful connections instantly to other areas. By including links within the survey to websites that offer detailed information you are able to reinforce the marketing message.
8. Subtly does it
Surveys can be used to associate a product with positive attributes.
By listing the many features of a product and asking the respondent how
important they are, regardless of their response, the product will be
associated with the features; if they are rated as important the positive impact is endorsed by the customer.
9. It’s not just about selling
A survey is an effective, quick and easy method to promote and gain
acceptance for a difficult proposal; maybe a public body trying to gain
acceptance and support for a particular scheme. Take the example of a city trying to gain support from the general public for their bid to host a future Olympic Games. A survey can explain each benefit putting the respondent in a much better position to appreciate what the real advantages are that might just combat any negative headlines. As well as
promoting the cause, useful feedback is gained that can be used to fine tune
the overall marketing strategy.
10. Fresh topics engage interest
Thinking laterally a lively and imaginative approach to surveys can provide the ‘hook’ to engage respondents. The survey subject can be focused towards a particular group on a subject close to theirs hearts. The survey’s marketing message can take the form of a simple brand awareness message by stating that ‘this survey was sponsored by brand name’, or by finding a link from the subject matter to the product – something that is surprisingly easy and highly
effective.
Discover the benefits of including in your website a Public Survey section as
many people who enjoy completing crosswords and doing word puzzles enjoy
completing surveys. Having a public survey notice board as part of a website is a low cost and automated method that helps to increase traffic and establish a loyal and returning following. Unlike discussion boards there is no opportunity for people to disrupt the site by inappropriate remarks as the survey results are displayed in summary form enabling them to dispense with moderators free and maintenance.
Many of the techniques and a few more to boot are contained in the following
sample survey:-
http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=956&source=direct,document,marketing,onlinegen
For an example of a Public Survey area please click on the following link:-
http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublic.asp
For more information or to discuss how online surveys can help you with you
marketing contact surveys@surveygalaxy.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Owner of www.surveygalaxy.com.
