Photobucket rules online photo market

Photobucket Inc.'s eponymous photo sharing site is by far the most popular in its category among U.S. users, dwarfing the traffic of competitors like Yahoo Inc.'s Yahoo Photos and Flickr.

Photobucket nabbed 41.4 percent of U.S. visits to photography Web sites in March, a market share that is more than seven times larger than its nearest competitor, according to Hitwise Pty. Ltd.

Yahoo Inc.'s Photos came in a distant second place with 5.8 percent, while Flickr, also owned by Yahoo, had 4.6 percent, Hitwise said Wednesday. Slide Inc.'s Slide (4.5 percent) and Eastman Kodak Co.'s Kodak Gallery (3.4 percent) rounded out the top five.

Storing, displaying and sharing of photos is one of the most popular activities on the Internet, as digital cameras and camera phones have become ubiquitous devices in the general population. As such, photo sites are strong vehicles for advertising revenue.

Photobucket lets users store photos, slide shows, videos and graphics on its servers and then link them to other Web sites. It is particularly popular among users of the social networking giant site MySpace, from where it receives almost 57 percent of its upstream traffic, according to Hitwise.

Photobucket, founded in 2003, has 39 million registered users. It links its photos, videos and graphics to 500,000 different Web sites, according to the company. Its users upload about 7 million photos and 40,000 videos to the site every day.

Photobucket ranked 34th among ComScore Networks Inc.'s top 50 U.S. Web properties in March, with almost 16.8 million unique visitors.

Labels: Online Entertainement

With over 1,000 online dating sites in cyberspace, choosing the right site for you can be a daunting task. The first step is to consider whether you want a mainstream site or a specialized site. Mainstream sites, like Yahoo Personals !(pictured here) and Match.com, offer the greatest number of members.

You could also go for a specialized site that focuses on a particular religion (i.e., Jewish), Culture (i.e., Asian), or political party (i.e., Democrats). These sites will have less members but you'll have something in common with everyone you meet online.

2.Reading advice, articles, and tips before joining

Most online dating sites offer a plethora of tips, articles, advice, and suggestions to maximize your online dating experience. Check the menu options at the bottom or side of the dating site homepage for a section that says "dating articles" or "advice and tips".

Here you'll find articles from various dating coaches and experts on suc

h topics as how to write a great profile, the best ways to contact prospects, where to go on your first date, and what it really takes to score a second date and beyond. If you're really new to online dating, it wouldn't hurt to learn a little about the process before jumping in.

3.Taking advantage of the quick search feature

Before investing signficant time and money in an online dating site, be sure to take advantage of their quick search feature if available. Often right on the homepage, the quick search enables you to quickly click on an age range, geographical location, and gender to instantly see prospects who match your search criteria.

While you often can't contact these prospects without joining the site,

it will give you a great idea of the potential people you could meet. If right aw

ay you see five interesting profiles, this is a great indication you should consider joining this site.

4.Filling out your basic profile informatio

n

Most dating sites will allow you to fill out a free profile and it begins with requesting basic information about you. These are typically multiple choice questions about your height, body type, eye color, hair color, etc.

A word of caution... be honest when you fill out this information. It's always tempting to choose what you think other people would be attracted to, but sooner or later this strategy will backfire. Nobody likes showing up for a First date to find out their date looks nothing like their profile described.

5.Telling a little more about yourself

Basic personality traits like eye and hair color are a great start but your profile also needs some color, courtesy of deeper and more creative questions.

Depending on the site you may be asked for information about your astrological sign, favorite hobbies, Political Stance, smoking habits, and even whether or not you're the life of the party. The idea here is to provide deeper insights into who you are to hop

efully attract the right prospects for your personality.

6.Describing what you're looking for in a mate

After entering a bunch of information about yourself the tables will turn and you can now describe what you're looking for in a partner. Again, honesty is key here as you want to attract the right person.

The same way you described your traits you'll now get to answer similar questions about your potential prospects. Depending on the site you join, some sites use this information to make automatic matches for you. They'll actually send compatible matches right to your email inbox, making the whole matching process that much easier.

7.Choosing your screen name and the essay

After all your information is entered, as well as that of the folks you hope to meet, it's now time to choose a screen name and write a personal paragraph.

The screen name is what people will see next to your photo when they peruse the site. The screen name is a window into your personality so choose it wisely. There's a big difference between Marriage Minded Mike and causual dater mike.

Most sites will also have 1-2 essay questions where you can furthe

r describe yourself and use this opportunity to cover anything the site's questions failed to elicit.

8.Scanning in your online dating photos

Most dating sites will tell you that 80-90% of the decision to contact someone online is based on the photos. That means you've got to choose your photos wisely to have the best chances of meeting someone new.

First, keep in mind that if you choose not to post any photos you'll reduce your response rate by 50-75%. Also, if the site allows multiple photos, you'll want to include one head shot, one full body shot, and one photo showing you enjoying one of your favorite activites.

9.Making first contact with a dating prospect

Most dating sites offer two fundamental ways to get in touch with a potential prospect. You can send an instant message, sometimes called a wink or flirt. Or you can send a traditional email. The instant message is of course quicker but much less personal and therefore less likely to earn a response back.

If you go the email route remember to personalize your message. Sending the same email to a bunch of prospects rarely nets responses. Comment on something from their profile or write about similar interests to show you've taken the time to read and digest your prospect's profile.

10.Setting up a first date

After 2-3 email exchanges the conversation typically escalates to a live phone call. This is a chance for both of you to see if the email chemistry translates well into live conversation. There's no need to hold tons of phone calls, one or two should be enough to see if you both want to meet in person.

Assuming the first date is a go, be sure to keep in mind online dating safety when you agree to meet up. Pick a public place, like the local coffee shop, and make sure a friend or family member knows where you are in case anything happens.

If all goes well on date #1 it's time to start thinking about date #2. Go for a more interactive date, something you can have fun with together and start having shared experiences.

From there you're on your own to hopefully build a meaningful and healthy relationship .

Labels: Adult Dating

1) Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

Relationship counselor John Gray focuses on the differences between men and women and offers a simple solution: couples must acknowledge and accept these differences before they can develop happier relationships.

2) The Five Love Languages

The Five Love Languages refers to the many ways in which couples communicate with each other. Understanding which language one's spouse "speaks" will result in a more successful marriage.

3) How to Survive Dating

Includes words of wisdom from hundreds of single men and women nationwide who have been-there, done-that. Their sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, real-world dating experiences will give readers a leg up in the dating world.

4) Why Men Love Bitches

Sherry Argov delivers a unique perspective as to why men are attracted to a strong woman who stands up for herself. This no-nonsense guide reveals why a strong woman is much more desirable than a "yes woman" who routinely sacrifices herself.

5) Love and Respect

Cracking the communication code between husband and wife involves understanding one thing: that unconditional respect is as powerful for him as unconditional love is for her. It's the secret to marriage that every couple seeks, and yet few couples ever find.

6) She Comes First

As women everywhere will attest, when it comes to understanding female sexuality, most guys know more about what's under the hood of a car than how to please a woman. This books tells men everything they need to know to love the one they're with.

7) Relationship Rescue

Famous for helping people "get real" about relationship (and many other) issues, "Dr. Phil" of TV fame, as well as a psychologist with over 30 years of experience, explores ways that couples can turn their partnerships into successful relationships.

8) Falling in Love for All the Right Reasons

Offers 29 "dimensions of compatibility" to consider before committing to a romantic relationship. The author believes readers who screen partners for compatibility will fare much better than spirit-struck lovers who base commitments on profound immediate attraction.

9) Date or Soulmate?

He feels a strong attraction to her. She wonders if he could be "the one." In the glamorous haze of early romantic attraction it's hard to know whether a relationship will lead to true love-or to a negative or even catastrophic relationship.

10) 100 Tips to Be Happy Together

Here is no-nonsense advice on how couples can build, cultivate, and maintain a happy relationship. It's for partners just starting out, as well as for those looking to recapture that original spark.

Labels: Adult Dating

Advertising is paid communication through a non-personal medium in which the sponsor is identified and the message is controlled. Variations include publicity, public relations, product placement, sponsorship, underwriting, and sales promotion. Every major medium is used to deliver these messages, including: television, radio, movies, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, and billboards. Advertisements can also be seen on the seats of grocery carts, on the walls of an airport walkway, on the sides of buses, heard in telephone hold messages and in-store PA systems. Advertisements are usually placed anywhere an audience can easily and/or frequently access visuals and/or audio, especially on clothing.

Advertising clients are predominantly, but not exclusively, for-profit corporations seeking to increase demand for their products or services. Some organisations that frequently spend large sums of money on advertising but do not strictly sell a product or service to the general public include: political parties, interest groups, religion-supporting organisations, and militaries looking for new recruits. Additionally, some non-profit organizations are not typical advertising clients and rely upon free channels, such as public service announcements. For instance, a well-known exception to the use of commercial advertisements is Krispy Kreme doughnuts which relies on word-of-mouth.

The advertising industry is large and growing. In the United States alone in 2005, spending on advertising reached $144.32 billion, reported TNS Media Intelligence. That same year, according to a report titled Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2006-2010 issued by global accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, worldwide advertising spending was $385 billion. The accounting firm's report projected worldwide advertisement spending to exceed half-a-trillion dollars by 2010.

While advertising can be seen as necessary for economic growth, it is not without social costs. Unsolicited Commercial Email and other forms of spam have become so prevalent as to have become a major nuisance to users of these services, as well as being a financial burden on internet service providers.^[1] Advertising is increasingly invading public spaces, such as schools, which some critics argue is a form of child exploitation.^[2][3] One scholar has argued that advertising is a toxic by-product of industrial society which may bring about the end of life on earth.^[4]

Labels: advertisement

Replica of the Benz Patent Motorwagen built in 1886

Ford Model T, 1927, regarded as the first affordable automobile
Main article: History of the automobile
Some sources suggest Ferdinand Verbiest, whilst a member of a Jesuit mission in China, may have built the first steam powered car around 1672.[3][4] François Isaac de Rivaz, a Swiss inventor, designed the first internal combustion engine which was fuelled by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen and used it to develop the world's first vehicle to run on such an engine. The design was not very successful, as was the case with Samuel Brown, Samuel Morey, and Etienne Lenoir who each produced vehicles powered by clumsy internal combustion engines.[5]

Karl Benz

An automobile powered by a Otto gasoline engine was built in Germany by Karl Benz in 1885 and granted a patent in the following year. Although several other engineers (including Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach and Siegfried Marcus) were working on the problem at about the same time, Benz is generally credited with the invention of the modern automobile.[5]
Approximately 25 of Benz's vehicles were built before 1893, when his first four-wheeler was introduced. They were powered with four-stroke engines of his own design. Emile Roger of France, already producing Benz engines under license, now added the Benz automobile to his line of products. Because France was more open to the early automobiles, more were built and sold in France through Roger than Benz sold in Germany. From 1890 to 1895 about 30 vehicles were built by Daimler and his assistant, Maybach, either at the Daimler works or in the Hotel Hermann, where they set up shop after falling out with their backers. Benz and Daimler seem to have been unaware of each other's early work and worked independently.
In 1890, Emile Levassor and Armand Peugeot of France began producing vehicles with Daimler engines, and so laid the foundation of the motor industry in France. The first American car with a gasoline internal combustion engine supposedly was designed in 1877 by George Selden of Rochester, New York, who applied for a patent on an automobile in 1879. In Britain there had been several attempts to build steam cars with varying degrees of success with Thomas Rickett even attempting a production run in 1860.[6] Santler from Malvern is recognized by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain as having made the first petrol-powered car in the country in 1894[7] followed by Frederick William Lanchester in 1895 but these were both one-offs.[7] The first production vehicles came from the Daimler Motor Company, founded by Harry J. Lawson in 1896, and making their first cars in 1897.[7]
In 1892, Rudolf Diesel got a patent for a "New Rational Combustion Engine". In 1897 he built the first Diesel Engine.[5] In 1895, Selden was granted a United States patent(U.S. Patent 549160 ) for a two-stroke automobile engine, which hinderd more than encouraged development of autos in the United States. Steam, electric, and gasoline powered autos competed for decades, with gasoline internal combustion engines achieving dominance in the 1910s.

Ransom E. Olds. The large-scale, production-line manufacturing of affordable automobiles was debuted by Ransom Olds at his Oldsmobile factory in 1902. This assembly line concept was then greatly expanded by Henry Ford in the 1910s. Development of automotive technology was rapid, due in part to the hundreds of small manufacturers competing to gain the world's attention. Key developments included electric ignition and the electric self-starter (both by Charles Kettering, for the Cadillac Motor Company in 1910-1911), independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes.
Although various pistonless rotary engine designs have attempted to compete with the conventional piston and crankshaft design, only Mazda's version of the Wankel engine has had more than very limited success.
Since the 1920s, nearly all cars have been mass-produced to meet market needs, so marketing plans have often heavily influenced automobile design. It was Alfred P. Sloan who established the idea of different makes of cars produced by one company, so buyers could "move up" as their fortunes improved. The makes shared parts with one another so larger production volume resulted in lower costs for each price range. For example, in the 1950s, Chevrolet shared hood, doors, roof, and windows with Pontiac; the LaSalle of the 1930s, sold by Cadillac, used cheaper mechanical parts made by the Oldsmobile division.

Labels: Automobiles

Labels: Mobiles

Labels: PC Tips N Tricks and Tweaks