Web Site Planning and Preparation

The World Wide Web, also referred to as the Internet, offers businesses yet another media through which to educate, promote or sell their product or service, giving businesses and consumers instant access to one another 24/7. Can you believe it was once projected that the Internet would peak in the early 2000s? Today, statistics show that nearly one million new web sites are launched in the U.S. every year.
Having a web address and online presence has become as common place, and expected, as having a logo and business card. Business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing places a great demand as well as dependence on having a domain name (web address), company email address and web site. Why? They instill consumer confidence just like a physical office or store front, mailing address, phone number and business card.
It is a mistake for any business to overlook the value and importance the Internet plays in business success, not just globally but regionally too. Free web email addresses are acceptable for personal use but using them for business undermines credibility. Many businesses can exist and be successful without a web site however few can operate without email access. It is highly advisable that all businesses purchase a domain name and set up and use a company email address. Free web mail providers such as Yahoo.com make it easy and affordable to set up an online business identity without the cost of hosting, developing a web site or buying an email program.
At some point your business will be ready to enter the World Wide Web. When it is, be aware and prepared that your web site, if used to generate traffic and sales, is like running another business. Planning and preparation are both critical in setting up your web site, maintaining it and marketing your business online. Do your homework or you will be sorry. Research web hosting providers, packages and web design firms, know the fair market rate in your area and for the type of web site you desire. If possible consult with a marketing professional to determine your goals for the web site before your purchase hosting or web design services. Acquire a basic understanding of internet marketing before your web site is designed. Both design and content are critical to your online marketing, especially in Search Engine Optimization.
If your web site is going to be heavily content managed consider purchasing a web site building software or select a hosting provider and plan that includes a free web site builder. Note, this advice is not for everyone. There is a huge learning curve and time commitment to do it yourself, many free web site builders will not allow full customization of the template or graphics, and you will need to learn how to use web administration tools. This is not a feasible option for everyone.
If you select a web design firm or freelance web designer for your web site get everything in writing, all components and details of the design services, hosting and domain name registration as well as time frame to complete the project. It is the consumer's responsibility to know and understand what services are provided by the web designer and what items you are expected to provide, such as content and graphics. Be aware that not all web designers are graphic designers, and vice versa. Do not expect the web designer to educate you on marketing your web site, including keywords and search engine optimization. These services may, however, be available through the web designer at additional cost.
Once published, your web site becomes a living, breathing entity that you will need to take care of: market, update or refresh, and maintain. If used correctly, your web site will continue to evolve as an integral part of your business, if not your sole business.

How To Set Up A Professional Website On Your Own Using Web Templates

To create professional websites is not an easy task by any means. There are many things that you got to take into consideration like easy navigation, strategic links, clean coding, professional layout, easy downloading, scanability, usability and so on. These are the elements that differentiate a professional website from a mediocre one. So in a way it’s not designing the website that counts but how the website is designed.
The only option that most of us have in order to design a good website is to hire a web- designer. Web-designers can help you come up with a great website that looks professional and is coded to perfection, but what about the time factor, leave alone the costs. Here’s where web templates come to the rescue.
What are web templates?
Wondering what web templates are? Well, to put it in simple terms, web templates are semi-finished, pre designed web pages that can be used to create and host websites in less time. They are coded and have everything from graphics to logos and can be customized if required to add new pictures, content etc.
Why are web templates considered semi finished WebPages?
Web templates are semi finished in the sense that they are not ready to upload as they are. You need to add certain elements to make them look complete. Some of the main elements that you need to add include

1. Links
2. Page content
3. Page titles/header/footer and tags
4. Company Logo, images etc

After adding these details the web template becomes ready to be uploaded using a web host for the world to see.
What is the price range of web templates?
Web templates range in price depending on the type of templates, terms of usage, package deals, membership deals, files provided etc. Typically a professional template with non-exclusive rights could cost you anything between $20 to $100. This is way lower as compared to what a web designer would ask you for designing your website, not to mention the time factor. Copyrighted templates with exclusive rights could cost you anywhere between $350 to $1800 per template. Some template providers like http://www.buytemplates.net can offer you high quality templates for much lower costs.
What are the files I should get with the purchase of a template?
The files that you get on the purchase of a template differ from vendor to vendor depending on the type/feature of the template. Regardless of the type of template some files that should accompany your purchase are as follows,

1. Index.html file
2. Jpeg/gif image files, font files
3. External CSS Style sheets
4. PSD files

In addition to these some other files such as .js file (for templates that use JavaScript) and readme.txt files can also be provided. Generally these files are provided in a .zip format and you may need to unzip them for usage. You can make use of unzipping software like WinZip to unzip the files. This software can be downloaded from winzip.com.
What kind of rights do I get over the web templates?
Basically there are two types of templates; exclusive (copyrighted) templates and non- exclusive (non-copyrighted) templates. An exclusive template gives you ownership rights over the template whereas a non exclusive template does not give you ownership rights but only usage rights. Exclusive web templates are a bit costly and will ensure that the template is not resold to any other customer. You may use the template as your like and even resell it to other customers. A non-exclusive template on the other hand is cheaper and gives you only usage rights over the template. This means you can modify the template as per your needs but cannot resell them to a third party. Non-exclusive templates also mean that the same template can be resold by the template provider to more than one customer.
How do I edit the web templates?
Basically editing involves inserting the content, changing the style and adding/changing graphics. This can be done using the psd, index.html and other files that the web-template provider gives you on purchase of specific templates.
Editing images and graphics
You would require PSD files in order to edit images and graphics like change image color; add/remove image layers etc. PSD files are those created using Photoshop and can be edited using Photoshop, ImageReady, imac or other image editing software programs. You can also change images to your liking. The best place to look for quality images for your templates is 'gettyimages.com'.
Editing content
If you only need to change/insert content of the template, you can go for editing the index.html file. The index.html file is provided by all template providers and can be edited using Html editors like FrontPage, Dreamweaver, Golive etc. You can also edit content using text editors. Index.html can also be used for removing/replacing images, changing links, adding meta-tags, adding alt texts, adding title and changing image sources.
Editing layouts and styles
For editing layouts and styles you would require a CSS style sheet. A CSS style sheet is a document that lets you make changes like text color, text/paragraph spacing, headings, links etc to multiple pages. Always ask your template provider to give external CSS style sheets as they are easy to edit. CSS can be edited using any HTML or text based editors.
In case you find the editing part difficult you can make use of web template customization services that are provided by most template providers.
Domain registration and hosting
Domain registration and web hosting are crucial for your website to appear online. There are many template providers who offer allied services like domain registration and hosting. Some even provide services like content development and search engine optimization. So be sure to buy templates from template vendors who offer these additional services. Some template providers like ‘buytemplates.net’ offer template related services irrespective of where you actually purchased the template from.
Where can I find quality web templates?
The internet is filled with websites that offer web templates. All that you need to do is insert a keyword like ‘corporate web templates’ in google or yahoo! to get a SERP crammed with web template providers. But finding quality templates from this crap is a bit difficult. A template many look glossy on your screen but may contain bad coding and low grade graphics. Some may be cheap but will have bad or no service associated. So how to find the best web templates in this heap load? The best way is to ask your-self these seven questions before making a buying decision.
Questions to ask before buying web templates

1. Are the templates conversant with my company objectives and goals?
2. Will they appeal to my end users?
3. What kind of support does the web template provider offer?
4. Does the web template provider offer complimentary services like hosting, customization, SEO etc?
5. Is the template compatible with all editing software programs?
6. What kind of files does the template vendor offer me?
7. What are the membership options available?

Best web template providers online
Some of the best web template providers online who offer high quality web templates at affordable costs are www.buytemplates.net (Buytemplates.net offers quality templates at affordable rates. They also provides allied services like template customization, content insertion Search engine optimization and web hosting), http://www.templatemagic.net (offers quality affordable templates), designgalaxy.net (this site also offers logo designs, flash intros, Photoshop designs and PowerPoint templates along with web templates.) and interspire.com (This site is a must visit for anyone looking for free website templates. Their free templates are of good quality and are updated regularly. You can also get hold of free newsletter templates and logo designs here)

High Technology and Human Development

Some basic premises – often fashioned by leaders and supported by the led – exercise the collective conscience of the led in so far as they stimulate a willed development. The development is usually superior but not necessarily civilized. The premises in question are of this form: “Our level of technological advancement is second to none. Upon reaching this level, we also have to prepare our society for peace, and to guarantee the peace, technology must be revised to foster the policy of war.” Technological advancement that is pushed in this direction sets a dangerous precedent for other societies that fear a threat to their respective sovereignties. They are pushed to also foster a war technology.

In the domain of civilization, this mode of development is not praiseworthy, nor is it morally justifiable. Since it is not morally justifiable, it is socially irresponsible. An inspection of the premises will reveal that it is the last one that poses a problem. The last premise is the conclusion of two preceding premises but is not in any way logically deduced. What it shows is a passionately deduced conclusion, and being so, it fails to be reckoned as a conclusion from a rationally prepared mind, at least at the time at which it was deduced.

A society that advances according to the above presuppositions – and especially according to the illogical conclusion - has transmitted the psyche of non-negotiable superiority to its people. All along, the power of passion dictates the pace of human conduct. Whether in constructive engagements or willed partnerships, the principle of equality fails to work precisely because of the superiority syndrome that grips the leader and the led. And a different society that refuses to share in the collective sensibilities or passion of such society has, by the expected logic, become a potential or actual enemy and faces confrontation on all possible fronts.

Most of what we learn about the present world, of course, via the media, is dominated by state-of-the-art technology. Societies that have the most of such technology are also, time and again, claimed to be the most advanced. It is not only their advancement that lifts them to the pinnacle of power, superiority, and fame. They can also use technology to simplify and move forward an understanding of life and nature in a different direction, a direction that tends to eliminate, as much as possible, a prior connection between life and nature that was, in many respects, mystical and unsafe. This last point does not necessarily mean that technological advancement is a mark of a superior civilization.

What we need to know is that civilization and technology are not conjugal terms. Civilized people may have an advanced technology or they may not have it. Civilization is not just a matter of science and technology or technical infrastructure, or, again, the marvel of buildings; it also has to do with the moral and mental reflexes of people as well as their level of social connectedness within their own society and beyond. It is from the general behaviour makeup of people that all forms of physical structures could be created, so too the question of science and technology. Thus, the kind of bridges, roads, buildings, heavy machinery, among others, that we can see in a society could tell, in a general way, the behavioural pattern of the people. Behavioural pattern could also tell a lot about the extent to which the natural environment has been utilized for infrastructural activities, science and technology. Above all, behavioural pattern could tell a lot about the perceptions and understanding of the people about other people.

I do believe – and, I think, most people do believe – that upon accelerating the rate of infrastructural activities and technology, the environment has to recede in its naturalness. Once advancing technology (and its attendant structures or ideas) competes with the green environment for space, this environment that houses trees, grass, flowers, all kinds of animals and fish has to shrink in size. Yet the growth of population, the relentless human craving for quality life, the need to control life without depending on the unpredictable condition of the natural environment prompt the use of technology. Technology need not pose unwarranted danger to the natural environment. It is the misuse of technology that is in question. While a society may justly utilize technology to improve quality of life, its people also have to ask: “how much technology do we need to safeguard the natural environment?” Suppose society Y blends the moderate use of technology with the natural environment in order to offset the reckless destruction of the latter, then this kind of positioning prompts the point that society Y is a lover of the principle of balance. From this principle, one can boldly conclude that society Y favours stability more than chaos, and has, therefore, the sense of moral and social responsibility. Any state-of-the-art technology points to the sophistication of the human mind, and it indicates that the natural environment has been cavalierly tamed.

If humans do not want to live at the mercy of the natural environment – which, of course, is an uncertain way of life – but according to their own predicted pace, then the use of technology is a matter of course. It would seem that the principle of balance that society Y has chosen could only be for a short while or that this is more of a make-believe position than a real one. For when the power of the human mind gratifies itself following a momentous achievement in technology, retreat, or, at best, a slow-down is quite unusual. It is as if the human mind is telling itself: “technological advancement has to accelerate without any obstruction. A retreat or a gradual process is an insult to the inquiring mind.” This kind of thought process only points out the enigma of the mind, its dark side, not its finest area. And in seeking to interrogate the present mode of a certain technology according to the instructions of the mind, the role of ethics is indispensable.

Is it morally right to use this kind of technology for this kind of product? And is it morally right to use this kind of product? Both questions hint that the product or products in question are either harmful or not, environmentally friendly or not, or that they do not only cause harm directly to humans but directly to the environment too. And if, as I have stated, the purpose of technology is to improve the quality of life, then to use technology to produce products that harm both humans and the natural environment contradicts the purpose of technology, and it also falsifies an assertion that humans are rational. Furthermore, it suggests that the sophisticated level that the human mind has reached is unable to grasp the essence or rationale of quality life. In this regard, a peaceful coexistence with the natural environment would have been deserted for the sake of an unrestrained, inquiring human mind. The human mind would, as it were, become corrupted with beliefs or ideas that are untenable in any number of ways.

The advocacy that is done by environmentalists relate to the question of environmental degradation and its negative consequences on humans. They insist that there is no justification for producing high-tech products that harm both humans and the natural environment. This contention sounds persuasive. High technology may demonstrate the height of human accomplishment, but it may not point to moral and social responsibility. And to this point, the question may be asked: “In what ways can humans close the chasm between unrestrained high technology and environmental degradation?”

Too often, most modern humans tend to think that a sophisticated lifestyle is preferable to a simple one. The former is supported by the weight of high technology, the latter is mostly not. The former eases the burden of depending too much on the dictates of the natural environment, the latter does not. The latter tends to seek a symbiotic relationship with the natural environment, the former does not. Whether human comfort should come largely from an advanced technology or the natural environment is not a matter that could be easily answered. If the natural environment is shrinking due to population growth and other unavoidable causes, then advanced technology is required to alleviate the pressures to human comfort that arise. It is the irresponsible proliferation of, say, war technology, high-tech products, among others, that are in need of criticism and have to stop.

Top 40 Health Quotations

1. "Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year."
   -- Franklin P. Adams
2. "He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything."
   -- Arabian Proverb
3. "To get rich never risk your health. For it is the truth that health is the wealth of wealth."
   -- Richard Baker
4. "There's lots of people who spend so much time watching their health, they haven't got time to enjoy it."
   -- Josh Billings
5. "Health has its science, as well as disease. "
   --Elizabeth Blackwell
6. "Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. "
   --Erma Bombeck
7. "Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do practice? "
   --George Carlin
8. "The poorest man would not part with health for money, but the richest would gladly part with all their money for health. "
   --Charles Caleb Colton
9. "As I see it every day you do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself."
   --Adelle Davis
10. "Preserving health by too severe a rule is a worrisome malady."
    --Francois de La Rochefoucauld
11. "You can set yourself up to be sick, or you can choose to stay well."
    -- Wayne Dyer
12. "Give me health and a day and I will make the pomp of emperors ridiculous."
    --Ralph Waldo Emerson
13. "The first wealth is health."
    -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
14. "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
    -- Benjamin Franklin
15. "Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing."
    --Redd Foxx
16. "Health is not valued till sickness comes."
    --Dr. Thomas Fuller
17. "A Hospital is no place to be sick."
    --Samuel Goldwyn
18. "Health is not simply the absence of sickness."
    --Hannah Green
19. "Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos - the trees, the clouds, everything."
    --Thich Nhat Hanh
20. "A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his illnesses."
    --Hippocrates
21. "The groundwork of all happiness is health."
    -- Leigh Hunt
22. "The oneness of mind and body holds the secret of illness and health. "
    --Arnold Hutschnecker
23. "Health is worth more than learning."
    --Thomas Jefferson
24. "We cannot seek or attain health, wealth, learning, justice or kindness in general. Action is always specific, concrete, individualized, unique."
    -- Benjamin Jowett
25. "One out of 4 people in this country is mentally imbalanced. Think of your 3 closest friends-if they seem okay, then you're the one."
    --Ann Landers
26. "To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life."
    -- William Londen
27. "It's no longer a question of staying healthy. It's a question of finding a sickness you like."
    --Jackie Mason
28. "Quit worrying about your health. It'll go away."
    --Robert Orben
29. "What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet, isn't much better than tedious disease."
    --George Dennison Prentice
30. "The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results."
    -- Anthony Robbins
31. "Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."
    -- Jim Rohn
32. "Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory."
    --Albert Schweitzer
33. "A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools."
    -- Spanish Proverb
34. "People who overly take care of their health are like misers. They hoard up a treasure which they never enjoy."
    -- Laurence Sterne
35. "Measure your health by your sympathy with morning and Spring. "
    --Henry David Thoreau
36. "Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."
    --Mark Twain
37. "The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease."
    --François Voltaire
38. "Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it."
    -- Unknown
39. "Time And health are two precious assets that we don't recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted."
    -- Denis Waitley
40. "Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God and value it next to conscience; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of, a blessing money can't buy."
    --Izaak Walton