Media Jobs Board - US employers & job-seekers

Hi people

As you know I virtually never blast out a bulletin or deluge you with 'buy, try, go there now' messages

... this is a quick genuine share for US media employers and job seekers in this volatile sinking market - whether you're still hiring, or out there job-hunting.


My client Media Jobs Network is a specialist niche jobs board for media pro's - public relations, online marketing, marketing and direct marketing, advertising, media and journalism.


A ton of you on my friends list are in this biz, so may want to check out mediajobs. net and either check out the low rates/high value for the employers over the big jobs sites, or list yourself as a candidate.



Quick facts 'n figures:

All-round value: 6.74 million quality US media candidates and over 2 million active resumes save employers fees, time and searching.


For job-hunters: US network of 15,000 employment sites powered by the big respected Beyond. com network - get yourself seen and found by 3 million unique visitors and 20 million page views monthly.


Drop into mediajobs. net and see what we can do for you, you;'ll find us too under Media Jobs Network profile on LinkedIn. com if you want fresh updates. We’re part of the Beyond group so have deep reach...

Hope we can help you !

Teri

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... C: wait... SD: wait...

Reserve your username all over the web - big timesaver

Apart from the time factor as those nice Mashable people point out with a groan - there goes the afternoon! this site will surely save you time over the longer haul.

With time in such short supply for most of us, any site or service that brings more 'shortcuts' is a fit for me!

Read the Mashable story -http://mashable.com/2008/10/11/usernamecheck/

and to visit direct - http://usernamecheck.com/

New social community - Business Exchange

Business Week has just launched a new social community, Business Exchange. The new network will create communities around subject and news areas of interest, tapping into its online partnership announced with LinkedIn.com and others.

A Business Week spokesman blogged that the company see Business Exchange as a distant cousin to Wikipedia, and a closer relative to Digg and LinkedIn. Both North American and international business types online will be keeping an eye on its growth and reach in months ahead to see what kind of traction yet another business community gains against its more established competitors.

Follow the tab in the top menu bar at businessweek.com and explore if the fit is there for you and your company.

Personal Single Sign On To The Entire Web

I've just found MashedLife.com. It's exactly what I need so I'm sharing it around. It's an encrypted online password storage facility and tracking functions all in one.

Here's what's drawn me on board, their quick summary

-Why Mashed life? -

Dozens of interesting web 2.0 sites pop up every week. You are getting oodles of invitations from your friends. How do you keep all your logins and passwords straight?

Mashed life is a true web-based secure password management service, free & incredibly simple. More than username & password management –Mashed life keeps adding additional services that help you get a handle on your online life.

Do you post articles to multiple news sites? With Mashed life you post just once and reach all your news sites with just one click.

Sharing accounts with friends? Your web 2.0 communities getting out of hand? Use Mashed life to tame your login and password jungle.

More features are appearing quickly.

I'm always looking out for shortcuts, back-up services, tracking, password retrieval with security built in. I'm testing out now.

Learn How to Leverage Social Media for Your Business with this Social Media Marketing Kit

Giveaways are always great.HubSpot's free Social Media Marketing Kit gives you the tips and tricks you need to harness the power of the social mediasphere - facebook, digg, del.icio.us, twitter, and many others - to get found by more potential customers, develop meaningful relationships with others in your industry, and position yourself as an expert in your field.

In video and PDF download format, they cover -

- Why social media is important for your business
-How to start engaging in social media to reach customers and the media
-What and how to measure results from your social media marketing efforts

How to Use Social Media for Business:
http://www.hubspot.com/social-media-marketing-kit

Some of it you'll know, I found some good information in the slide presentations - there's always more to learn...

Vale Dr. Randy Pausch

Worldwide we are paying tribute to Randy Pausch, dead at only 47 last week, some five months after the six months he announced he had been given to live.

Dr Pausch of Carnegie Mellon University gave the now famous 'Last Lecture' that has had such a profound impact that on so very many people.

He has touched millions.

Four top online sites to use daily

Today’s blog is a straightforward share of my “top sites I couldn’t do without daily and weekly at work”. There are easily 10-15 sites that I rely on heavily and visit in high rotation, but if I had to nominate my most frequently-used services this small group wins out immediately.

Skype – What business wouldn’t want free phone calls worldwide to slash costs? The phrase ‘what’s your Skype username?’ is now becoming a standard business question, with users including it on business cards & communications, email signatures and other marketing materials.

In the past 2-3 years, Skype has quietly become the undisputed leader in offering calls from your computer to other users and last year added on cheap calls to other phones and mobiles. Quality is good, connecting with existing and new contacts is made easy, and you can choose to use their instant message function as well as phone or video calls.

Just download the software and set up your headphones and voice mic and you’re plugged in. If you’re addicted to hands-free and the ability to roam while conversing, remind yourself of the cost savings and buy a more comfortable and ergonomic desk chair. As an add-on benefit, business travelers worldwide are using Skype to check in with their partners and families while on the road.

www.Skype.com

Google Analytics – The invaluable information we still have to pay for offline is at your fingertips for free and works just as well for solo businesses and multinationals.

This is where you go to find out which referring sites your visitors arrive from, where they spend their time, what keywords brought them here, which pages are most popular and converting profits or inquiries, where your visitors are coming from worldwide; and which pages are performing abysmally in converting visitors.

Drill down and get familiar with the site’s functions and you have the facts, figures and trends to study and implement in your marketing and business activity. All for nothing and totally ‘real time’.

For active online marketers you can measure keywords across multiple search engines as well as Google, campaign or email metrics, re-seller and affiliate activity, referral pages, etc. Businesses running Google Adwords campaigns can track performance and metrics through the two services’ integrated interface.

Anecdotal business feedback points to Google Analytics numbers usually underperforming your own tracking data, but with that factored in, the service still provides independent statistics of your traffic and visitors and the ability to benchmark against competitors who have chosen to make their own metrics public.

www.google.com/analytics/

Alexa.com – Alexa remains the online leader for monitoring and tracking traffic and site performance and the phrases “Our Alexa ranking is…” and “What’s their Alexa ranking?” are part of business vocabulary. I go there automatically to check out new partners or sites, as well as check traffic and data for my own projects and client sites.

Nielsen and Comscore remain financially out of range for the vast majority of small to medium businesses. Hitwise data relies on businesses signing up for that paid service, while sophisticated competitors like Compete.com and Quantcast.com remain US-oriented, so can’t offer Alexa’s international overview. Alexa has made adjustments to its panel-based structure in 2^nd quarter 2008, satisfying some critics and upgrading accuracy in its reporting.

I regularly use its graph function to benchmark against competitors over recent months, or research competitor traffic, corporate presentation, user reviews and ‘related links’. Its ‘top sites’ listings break out by either category or language.

www.alexa.com

Delicious – Web-based ‘social bookmarking’ and tagging are part of the business landscape online now. Personally this cyber-tracking takes the worry out of losing all my valuable links and bookmarks if my computer goes down or meets a laptop thief on its travels. For ease of use and reference it wins hands down over toolbar bookmarks and the multiple folders with complicated titles I used to keep on my system.

Another free service with a toolbar button, even your CEO can use it without a tutorial. Save any page that you’re on – an article, business site, video story, white paper etc – just by clicking the toolbar link and adding in tags and keywords for quick retrieval when needed.

Go deeper and cross-reference with other members’ favourites and shared links to get a broader picture or deeper information of that business sector or topic under peer discussion. When you need that information again, you can pull it up from any computer with online access. Share tools let you upload your tags (one word or phrase bookmarking words) and bookmarks to other social media sites or your blog or home page. Competitors include StumbleUpon.com and Reddit.com.

http://del.icio.us/

Two finger typist? Faster than the speed of light?

Having had shorthand and typing mercilessly thrust upon us at journalism school years ago, I've been touchtyping for years and been eternally grateful for those forced lessons, as computers became a way of life.

But have only now found this cool little typing race (complete with hot cars and traffic lights) site to see what speed I managed to keep up at! Good for both a giggle, curiousity; and motivating your colleagues or kids to practice a repetitive skill they're going to need whether they want it or not!

Excessive punctuation does you in if they give you a tough sentence. Typo's slow you down because you have to go back and correct... I guess that's only fair ! Funny site.

Facebook sends out viral marketing guide

Facebook has sent out a viral marketing guide to its Facebook Pages group - http://www.facebook.com/FacebookPages with no fewer than 28 pages full of advice on viral ways to get your message out both on Facebook and taking it wider.

Now doing the wider rounds already on the web.

Tips and tools for your video career online

Flagging up a really helpful article today from TechCrunch for newbies wanting to get started with videos online -

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/17/tools-for-your-video-career/

This is a really good starting point to get to know the basics. Combine it with this great toolbox from the Mashable guys recently -

http://mashable.com/2007/06/27/video-toolbox/

And you'll be a video star within days. Seriously, there's so much good information here to work with however you're weaving video into your online strategy or activities, it's worth sharing widely they've done a ton of research.

If nothing else you can learn some tricks not to embarrass yourself on YouTube.

Beta - Google Earth 4.3 is out

The gracious and good Googlers have today delivered to us the new Beta upgrade of Google Earth.

Thank you to the Googleplex geeks and I'm off to find my home beach in New Zealand and see if you've put our new house on it by now!

http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/04/introducing-google-earth-43.html

Google LatLong: Introducing Google Earth 4.3

New ad-supported blog community site - another alternative

Out of Beta phase and out on the market today and picking up some buzz is AdRoll, aiming to fill the gap between AdSense and specialist competitors such as BlogAds.com, FederatedMedia.net, AdBrite.com and Pubmatic.com.

Remuneration for the millions of bloggers online continues to evolve and AdRoll adds to the online offerings, with individual bloggers signing up to AdRoll able to state their prices in an auction-type system, grouping themselves within the site's communities with aligned blogs on the same or complementary topics to present advertisers with a niche audience in Adroll communities clustering together similar blogs and subject areas.

Advertisers place a bid for that niche inventory and if the AdRoll rate betters the current AdSense rate, AdRoll ads appear in the banner space where Adsense or competitor networks run. With a reasonable 20% commission for the house system, that still leaves a respectable amount for the bloggers.

Small blogs and individuals will be able to work together in creating shared communities and commanding a better ad rate than their page views would allow individually. Guaranteed it won't yet make you rich, but with new options coming onto the market regularly such as AdRoll, blogging may just pay decently yet for more than the handful of top bloggers or early adopters worldwide.

Copyscape

I respect and use this system to protect my work online.

Pitching Your Story To The Media

Or ‘How Not To Have Your Story Binned’

Both online or offline, you’ll sometimes find yourself steeling yourself to pick up the old-fashioned telephone and dial the media to attempt to interest them in your story.

It’s something most people find tough to do. Up there in the same league perhaps as public speaking, which is another nerve-wracking ordeal for many business people or non-professionals. And no, you can’t rely on emails, with unknown email addresses regularly now intercepted by spam filters

It’s most effective if you have the name of the editor, producer or journalist. Call the switchboard first and ask the operator. Then when you call back you can ask for that person in a confident professional manner by name, rather than be blocked by the switchboard or receptionist. If you have a particularly distinctive accent or voice, mask it a little or have someone else quickly make the first call, so the operator doesn’t join the dots immediately that it’s you again!

If you do end up dealing with the receptionist or secretary, be extremely courteous with these ‘gate-keepers’. They are used to handling these approaches regularly and can often decide whether to ‘green-light’ your story idea or turn it away on their bosses behalf.

Some guidelines to help you through the cold-call exercise:

· Be natural in your delivery, as you would in any conversation. Speak clearly and stand up - it helps your voice to project authority. Even though you’re on the phone, gesture and use facial expressions – actions you would normally use to enhance/sell in a message in person.

Keep it Together!

Stay focused – do not do anything else during the call or get distracted. Concentrate totally on the conversation.

Think. Be deliberate and don’t gabble. You have a very brief window of opportunity (this also applies if you’re writing in) to make a persuasive, low-key pitch.

Don’t come on like a car salesman and over-sell. Do say that you think they’ll find it interesting and relevant (obviously if it isn’t, you’ll get very short shift. So put yourself in their shoes before you call and have your key points ready).

· Ask if you can get them information to glance over by email and then give a quick call back to check whether they’re interested. They’ll often say yes, sure.... it gets them off the phone and buys them time to look at your information quickly in their own time. Ask for the correct spelling of their name and that they quickly tell you their contact details. Getting these things right is all-important and means you don’t get email bounce-back.

· Give them time to read the material before calling back - you’ll get a hostile or incredulous response if you call ten minutes later and think your story is a big priority. When you call as promised, be succinct and friendly and ask if they are in fact interested in your proposed story angle?

· Reinforce your key messages a couple of times in good clear language to make sure the editor/journalist have taken them on board. But unless you have a very receptive audience or an opening to develop the story idea, don’t over-stay your welcome. Keep it concise and respect that the journalist has to field literally hundreds of calls like yours every week.

Take No for an Answer

If the answer is unfortunately no on this occasion, thank them and say that you’ll try and get them a good relevant angle or story when one next presents themselves (eg. a local interview).

Be professional and leave the door pleasantly open for making another contact when it’s appropriate. If they haven’t bitten your head off, ask if there’s a particular angle that they would be interested in following through on instead?

Take ‘no’ for a complete answer. You can re-think your strategy once off the call, but arguing your case or trying to prolong the call at this stage is not going to win the day. And they’ll also remember next time that you were a pain to deal with. Media relations is a long-term approach where like any other business area, working relationships are developed and pay off over time!

Which Needs Run Your Work Life?

Human needs are an important part of human nature. Values, beliefs, and customs vary internationally, but all people have similar needs.

If you’re leading a group, divisional team or company, understanding these needs allows you to motivate people more powerfully in the workspace. Understanding needs gives you greater perception about your interaction with people around you, or in relationships. This can mean the difference between a project's success or failure, or a division that works well together rather than being torn in different directions because the members remain unaware of what is driving or influencing their co-workers.

Abraham Maslow’s views are as relevant today as when he put them forward. Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs states that the basic human needs are arranged in a hierarchical order. He based his theory on healthy, creative people who used all of their talents, potential, and capabilities. Presumably this is you, or you want it to be, you've got ideas for the next Google or Facebook?

There are two primary sets of human needs: basic and meta needs. Basic needs are physiological, such as food, water, and sleep; and psychological – eg. affection, security, self esteem. These basic needs are also referred to as deficiency needs because that person works hard at overcoming the deficiency until they are met.

The higher needs are called meta needs or growth needs –justice, goodness, beauty, order, unity, etc. Basic needs take priority over these growth needs. People who lack food or water can’t concentrate much on justice or beauty. Let alone business or career wins or creativity.

These needs are listed below in descending order. The needs on the bottom must be met before the more advanced needs can be met. The top four can be pursued in random sequence depending on a person's wants or situation, once all the lower needs are met.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

8. Self-transcendence - a transegoic * level that emphasizes visionary intuition, altruism, and unity consciousness.

7. Self-actualization know exactly who you are, where you are going, and what you want to accomplish. A state of well-being.

6. Aesthetic - at peace, more curious about inner workings of all.

5. Cognitive - learning for learning alone, contribute knowledge.

4. Esteem - feeling of moving up in world, recognition, few doubts about self.

3. Belongingness and love - belong to a group, close friends to confine with.

2. Safety - feel free from immediate danger.

1. Physiological - food, water, shelter, sex.

* Transegoic - a higher spiritual state of development. trans relates to transcendence, ego equates with the personality. In Maslow's model, the ultimate goal of life is self-actualization - almost never fully attained, but to always strive towards. This recognizes the human need for ethics, creativity, compassion and spirituality, without which we are simply animals or machines.

Maslow believes that people want and are always trying to meet goals. Because the lower level needs are more pressing, if not satisfied, they dominate unsatisfied higher needs and behaviours and must be satisfied before you can move on up the hierarchy.

Knowing where a person is located on this hierachy scale aids in defining what will motivate them effectively. Virtually no-one remains stuck at one particular level for an long period. We continually seek to move on up, even while simultaneously forces outside our control work to push us down.

In the workplace, in motivating and leading others, our objective is assisting people to achieve the skills and experience that will propel them up to higher levels, permanently. People who have covered off on their basic needs are much better at their work – they can focus clearly on visualising and getting to success, instead of being distracted about how to simply make ends meet.

Once you can recognise and deal with what’s pulling you off track, it becomes infinitely easier to fast-track to where you truly want to be, at work, at home, wherever your focus is. And to get there much more quickly and easily, with less stress and effort.

Cancer and Health - The Future is Food!

Sometimes we’re so committed to finding smart or high tech ‘shortcuts for success’ that we overlook the source of problems and our own ability to tackle them. Fundamental to how we each define success is our gratitude for having good health.

This article looks at basic diets – probably the greatest single factor in the epidemic of cancer, now the No#1 killer in the USA (although the statistics and commentary are from the US, the problem is worldwide, particularly in developed countries).

Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, head oncologist at New York’s Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center and one of the leading cancer researchers in the U.S., was quoted in a Newsweek article on the future of cancer research. His conclusive comment in the lengthy article was..."we have seen the future, and the future is food." (Newsweek, 11/30/98)

A recent quote by Dr. Philip Lee, Professor of Social Medicine and Director, Health Policy Program, University of California, San Francisco " . . . As a nation we have come to believe that medicine and medical technology can solve our major health problems.

The role of such important factors as diet in cancer and heart disease has long been obscured by the emphasis on the conquest of these diseases through the miracles of modern medicine. Treatment, not prevention, has been the order of the day. The problem can never be solved merely by more and medical care."

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 2000 - Only 2 out of 10 Americans today follow the nutrition guidelines established to prevent cancer."

American Cancer Society, 1999 - Researchers tell us that the majority of cancers we face in this country are preventable, not through new drugs, or major breakthroughs, but through simple lifestyle choices.

American Institute For Cancer Research, 1999 - This year, 175,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. An estimated 50% of breast cancers could be prevented through diet."

American Cancer Society, 1999 - The introduction of healthful diet and exercise at any time from childhood to old age can promote health and reduce cancer.

The following shocking excerpt is taken from the website of the American Cancer Society: (http://www2.cancer.org/cid/6077.00/index.htm) - "Many dietary factors can affect cancer risk: types of foods, food preparation methods,
portion sizes, food variety, and overall caloric balance. Cancer risk can be reduced by an overall dietary pattern that includes a high proportion of plant foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans), limited amounts of meat, dairy, and other high-fat foods, and a balance of caloric intake and physical activity.

Many Americans and western country residents do not follow such healthful practices. Indeed, trends indicate an increase in caloric intake, greater use of high-fat convenience foods, and a decline in physical activity among Americans. The campaign against rapidly rising obesity and its huge social impact is now supported by governments and states in both the US and other countries struggling with an increasingly heavyweight population, like Australia.

We believe that such unhealthful trends are due in part to shifts toward consumption of food outside the home, to more sedentary lifestyle patterns, and to the advertising and promotion of high-calorie foods. The committee is especially concerned about the effects of such trends on the long-term health of children, who are establishing lifetime patterns of food intake and physical activity."

Despite the strength of the evidence associating consumption of fruits and vegetables
with decreased cancer risk, intake of these foods is low among many adults and
children.

Concern about low intake levels has led to a countrywide initiative--the
National 5 A Day for Better Health Program--to increase fruit and vegetable intake to
five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. This recommendation applies to
foods in their fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juice forms, but does not apply to specific
nutrients or other substances that might be extracted from them.

Vegetables and fruits are complex foods containing more than 100 beneficial vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other substances. Scientists do not yet know which of the nutrients or other substances in fruits and vegetables may be protective against cancer.

The principal possibilities include specific vitamins and minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals--carotenoids, flavonoids, terpenes, sterols, indoles, and phenols--that are present in foods of plant origin.

How fruits and vegetables exert their protective effects constitutes an active area of scientific inquiry. Until more is known about specific food components, the best advice is to eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. There is a lot of literature and information around on ‘whole foods’ and their ‘cellular signatures’ that you might want to research to understand why eating the fresh food itself is critical – rather than pulped juices lacking the fibre, or extracts that have undergone processing or cooking.

Grains such as wheat, rice, oats, barley, and the foods made from them constitute the
base of healthful diets as illustrated in the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. Healthful diets
contain 6 to 11 standard servings of foods from this group each day. As shown in Table
2, standard portion sizes are defined as quite small, and this number of servings is not
difficult to achieve.

Grains are an important source of many vitamins and minerals such
as folate, calcium, and selenium, all of which have been associated with a lower risk of
colon cancer. Whole grains are higher in fiber and certain vitamins and minerals than
refined flour products. Since the benefits of grain foods may derive from their other
nutrients as well as from fiber, it is best to obtain fiber from fruits, vegetables, and
whole grains rather than from fiber supplements.

Beans are excellent sources of many vitamins and minerals, protein, and fiber. Beans are legumes, the technical term for the family of plants that includes dried beans, pinto
beans, lentils, and soybeans, among many others. Beans are especially rich in nutrients
that may protect against cancer, and can be a useful low-fat but high-protein alternative
to meat.

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO INVESTING – THE BASICS!

For those of us who intend to have something to retire on…..

An investment utilises existing capital to grow your money, whether this is achieved through investing in financial vehicles that generate income, or alternatively create capital gains. Among the many investment classes on offer are cash, shares, trusts, bonds, managed funds, property, art or business opportunities for shrewd financial players such as venture capital. Planned diversification across a number of investment areas is a time-honoured route to long term wealth creation.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF INVESTING?

Everyone has different financial goals, which again differ at various stages of life. A student leaving university will have very different ideas about handling their finances than parents raising three children on one salary with mortgage commitments.

One common purpose is having enough money saved for retirement years. With most of the world’s Western countries’ populations aging and birth rates steadily dropping, there is a shrinking workforce to contribute to retirement pension schemes. For the large numbers of baby boomers moving towards the latter part of their working lives, and living longer with lifestyle and healthcare improvements, investing individual savings is therefore a necessity in order to accumulate retirement funds.

To establish your own investment goals and strategies, take stock of factors including your current assets and debts, your earnings now and your income projected over future years. Factor in any funding sources you may have ahead, such as a family property, long service pay-out, or an inheritance (lucky you!).

Think about goals that are important, which might include going back to study, starting a business, or paying for a child’s post-university overseas trip. How much will they cost? What level of funds will you need set aside for your own retirement?

When deciding on an investment strategy, there are a number of factors to bear in mind, including what level of risk is comfortable to achieve desired returns, the time-frame available and how tax impacts on the selected investment classes. Look at whether you need to access funds in the interim, on your way to long term savings.

INVESTMENT OPTIONS

Educate yourself on the various investment classes and options that are available on the market. Remember that diversification is one of the fundamental rules for successful investing. By spreading, and therefore minimising risk, across various investment types that will individually perform with different degrees of success, the chances of good returns are maximised.

Managed funds provide small investors with the opportunity to combine their respective funds in a sizeable diversified portfolio. The fund is then managed on their behalf by a qualified fund manager or investment team. These funds can be structured to pay in as little as $100 monthly, after an initial $500 - 1,000 investment, providing access to sectors that were previously out of reach for smaller investors. The funds’ assets are split into units divided between its investors, with profits redistributed regularly to these investors, who can opt to accept the income or reinvest their earnings to build their investment growth. Managed funds primarily invest in the major asset classes of cash, local or international shares, property and bonds.

Shares, which are part-ownership of stockmarket-listed companies, are traded on the Stock Exchange, allowing investors to maximise their initial capital investment. Because of their potential for strong returns, shares are regarded as growth assets. Compared with other investment classes, shares traditionally perform better over the longer term and surpass inflation rates, offering investors the potential for higher profits, dividends declared from the company’s post-tax profits and tax benefits via imputation credits on those dividends.

Trusts pool investors’ funds to establish a sizeable fund investing in sectors that investors could usually not access individually. The trust is professionally managed by a fund manager who is responsible on its investors’ collective behalf for all investment decisions. In a trust, each person’s funds are calculated equally and referred to as units, with the unit price dependent on the performance and accordingly, the value of that particular trust’s investments. The unit price will fluctuate in response to market movements for these investments. There are a wide selection of unit trusts available to individual investors, some specific to one sector and others, sometimes called managed trusts, covering a mix of asset classes.

Venture capital is investment, through equity or sometimes debt arrangements, to fund primarily private companies requiring financial backing to grow. In return for their financial contribution, the investor receives a negotiated stake in the company and usually a seat on the company’s board. In addition to funds, investors also usually invest further by advising the company’s management and sharing their own skills and knowledge, while they share in its future revenues and growth. A venture capitalist is looking for a business that has a strategic fit with their investment criteria, is in its early development phases and has strong growth potential. A common objective is to see their investment yield a high capital gain on exiting.

Property is a common investment choice, with its established returns of income and capital gains. Investments in real estate can be a house or unit as a home, an investment property or holiday home, industrial properties, commercial offices and office buildings, or retail outlets and shopping centres. Investment can be direct, or via alternative methodologies including property trusts, property syndicates and direct shares in property companies listed on the stock exchange. Other types of real estate, such as residential and commercial rental property, have the potential for regular rental income and long-term capital gains.

Futures

Futures are a contract that specifies a future date of either delivery or receipt of a specified quantity of an underlying asset or product, at the price that was contractually agreed. Futures provide a hedge against unfavourable price fluctuations, protecting investors against such adverse shifts in share prices, or interest rates. There are international futures markets in financial instruments and in commodities including oil, wheat, soybeans, metals and pork bellies. Financial futures available to investors include futures in bank bills, Share Price Index (SPI) futures and government bond futures. As well as investors, futures markets attract speculators seeking out profits from price movements.

Options

An option is an investment type that gives its holder the right to buy (a ‘call’ option) or sell (a ‘put’ option) a specific derivative security at an agreed price within a specified timeframe. The call option holder is looking for the stock price to rise, while the put option holder wants the price to fall, in both cases by a margin below the ‘strike price’ which provides the profit that the investor is seeking when the option is exercised. Retail investors are able to buy and sell options on various financial and futures products. If the option is not exercised during the timeframe, the investment is lost.

Debt

Debt is the generic term for bonds, mortgages and other financial instruments that have been loaned and are structured for repayment. Known as ‘fixed interest‘ investments, these attract investors looking for an investment offering greater security than shares or property, while providing stronger returns over time than cash investments. Fixed income securities promise the investor with periodic income, with interest normally payable on a semi-annual basis.

Collectibles

High net-worth individuals and serious collectors also choose to accumulate wealth through planned acquisition of ‘collectibles’ that can later be sold, often at a much higher value if their original investment was well-considered (or lucky). Some collectors invest or trade in fine art, contemporary art, antiques, vintage cars or jewellery.

SOURCES OF INVESTMENT ADVICE

Investment goals can be achieved without outside advice, but the majority of investors will seek advice from professionals, whether on an ongoing basis for their investing strategy, or on a one-off basis regarding a specific product or investment class.

Qualified financial planners help investors on an individual basis to work towards financial security and build wealth. There are many stages of life when people seek out the advice and support of a financial planner. These can include wanting to make astute financial decisions, identify financial products that address specific tax requirements; or leverage a major sum for healthy growth. Advice from financial planners can be sought just for their opinion on one particular investment product or asset class, or to handle a specific transaction. But as larger sums and goals are being considered, professional financial planning is usually a wise decision.

Accountants are similarly an excellent source of professional investment knowledge. Tax advice is primarily the focus for qualified accountants, as only a registered taxation agent can provide full tax advice. Chartered accountants are not legally permitted to provide advice on specific financial products on a fee basis, and their focus is not on wealth creation.

An experienced, well-regarded broker can provide in-depth and astute information on securities that will help build wealth and achieve either or both capital gains and / or income over the long term. There are many brokers that work with individual clients, providing their clients with regular advice, share tips, broking services and market education.

It is the individual investor’s ultimate responsibility to research and understand their investments. There is a wealth of information in the marketplace to help retail and small business investors, from the daily financial papers to Internet investment sites packed with information on financial matters, books, courses and advanced studies. Educating yourself on investing and financial markets will give you a good basis for planning out your long-term investment strategy.

Don't like Chiropractic? Try Bowen Therapy

This ‘shortcut to health’ is one that I’ve personally tested over some months, after hearing about Bowen Therapy over recent years. At the risk of sounding cliched, its results on my long-term back and shoulder problems have been almost instant and I’m committed to going on with treatment.

I believe it may work just as strongly for many readers, as conditions that respond well to Bowen Therapy include back pain (in particular), sports and accident injuries, frozen shoulder, stress disorders, whiplash, muscular-skeletal pain and imbalance, organic complaints – respiratory – digestive – menstrual – hormonal, acute and chronic fatigue; and strokes.

Bowen facilitates the balancing of a broad range of problems (with medical supervision where appropriate) as the treatment is holistic. Bowen produces an integrated body response, and consequently improves circulation, lymphatic and venous draining, assimilation of nutrients and elimination of toxins, joint mobility, posture, clearance of dysfunctional debris, normalisation of cellular physiology and tissue integrity.

Putting it in context, even as someone fit and healthy, I’ve lived with back pain for some 20 years, trialing everything from massage therapy to osteopaths, acupuncture, float tanks, gym and specific back exercises, physiotherapy etc - even consulting a surgeon regarding a shoulder operation.

I haven’t been able to sleep on my right side for well over 15 years. (An ironic anecdote – one unorthodox treatment that surprisingly helped afterward awhile was breaking my collarbone in a high-speed fall in a road cycling race. Strangely enough, I don’t recommend this methodology to others unless you’re fond of losing a lot of skin and hospital casualty wards!)

Bowen technique is being practised and taught in the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Europe and Australia, where it was developed by Tom Bowen.

Bowen is a dynamic, remedial body technique, extremely gentle and very relaxing. It empowers the body’s own healing resources achieving balance and harmony, resulting in fast and lasting relief from pain and discomfort. Bowen is an all embracing vibrational energy therapy, safe to use on anyone, newborns to the elderly.

A treatment comprises sequences of small gentle moves, each at a specific site on the body. There is not forceful manipulation, just a light cross-fibre manoeuvring of a muscle, tendon or ligament, pleasant to the recipient.

The precise location of the Bowen moves correlate markedly with the latest research into the meridian energy system, acu-points and myofascial trigger point therapy.

Observation also suggests the lymphatic system is greatly affected by this technique.

This gentle and effective modality brings substantial relief frequently after the first session, and generally clients only need two or three treatments, usually one week apart. Treatments can be done through clothing when preferred, as no oils are used. Treatment sessions can last from 10 to 50 minutes.

Tom Bowen made healing his life’s work in Australia. Without undertaking formal medical training, he practised massage locally from the 1950s, evolving his gentle and instinctive technique until his practice grew so large, he was obliged to dramatically expand it.

A mid-1970s Australian Government survey into alternative healing in the documents him as treating approximately 13.000 patients annually. Bowen’s technique was a simple energy correction procedure to instigate a change in the body’s balance, bringing the body’s innate healing abilities back into action. Tom Bowen taught his technique to about six people before his death in 1982.

For more background on Bowen technique, from Australia, visit The Bowen Therapists Foundation of Australia at: http://www.bowen.asn.au/. USA residents can find out more on Bowen Therapies at: www.usbowen.com, while UK and Europe residents can visit: www.TheBowenTechnique.com or www.bowentherapy.fsnet.co.uk.

Bring in the hired guns - Outsourcing could save your business

Whether you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur, or already a seasoned veteran in your corporate field, your success will depend on how you maximize your own strengths and talents. People who go far often shine in more than one area, drawing on their accumulated business knowledge, education and hands-on experience.

But all that experience can also be a drawback. Buoyed by previous successes or the enjoyment of a business area, executives often have a blind spot when it comes to delegating or outsourcing. After all, who could do it better than you can? Aren’t you closer to a sophisticated understanding of your business than anyone else?

The successful business operators are those who can bury their pride in asking themselves these questions and arriving at honest answers. They know where their time is best spent and when to bring in the hired guns for outsourced support.

They also know that in a competitive business environment, being a time poor multi-tasker is far less effective than assembling and motivating a winning team of specialists and suppliers.

Audit your strengths

So whom should you hire from among the massed ranks of consultants and advisors out there? Start by ‘auditing’ your strengths. What do you know and do best? What role should you be playing in developing your career or your business?

Note down your main strengths and skills, and then be honest in acknowledging where you are not as strong. Be objective in recognizing where a supplier with complementary skills could add value, freeing you up to concentrate on areas that you excel in and enjoy.

Think of team sports, where under the combined leadership of the captain and coach, each player is positioned where their particular abilities make the most valuable contribution. Who do you need on your winning team?

Run an ‘ego-check’

If you’re up to it, do an ‘Ego-Check’ exercise as well! Ask yourself:

· Is there only one way to do things – your way?

· Do you take on board constructive suggestions from others? Are you able to accept help?

· Are you working long hours to get through everything? Evenings and weekends?

· Do you feel anxious if you’re not in control of all the facets of the business?

· You know how hard you’re working – but results are frustratingly elusive?

· Do you have time to spend on growing the business and for strategic thinking?

It takes maturity to admit that you’re not ‘the answer to everything’ - that your energetic input across a range of tasks could be holding you back, rather than catapulting you forward. But by being honest with yourself, you’ll be both on a faster track for business wins and getting more balance in your life – which may rescue your health, sanity or even career.

Hired guns for small businesses

Starting out, the vast majority of new entrepreneurs and business start-ups don’t have an unlimited budget – in fact you might not even have any latitude in budgeting at all. Funding constraints make it hugely tempting not only to cut corners, but to try and be all things to all people until you are up and running successfully.

One warning sign that you need to delegate - or bring in the hired guns – is feeling swamped, overwhelmed with what’s on your plate and feeling you can never get it all done. It’s hugely flattering to believe that you’re the only one who can get it right – but it makes for an exhausting working day to soldier your way through, week after week…after week...

Hired guns that nearly all small businesses need:

· Secretarial support – part-time or full-time, either in-house or by hiring a ‘virtual assistant’ who works with you virtually via telecommunications and web technology.

· IT consultant. There’s no IT department to rescue you from computer crashes in a start-up business! Hunt down a good IT consultant who charges reasonable hourly rates and leaves their cell phone switched on out of hours for client crises.

· Web designer/web hosting company/web copywriter. If you are lucky, this set of skills might be found in one supplier, or your web guru can recommend other suppliers.

· Lawyer/ Tax lawyer. From the outset, you need to know your legal parameters and obligations. Mistakes made can cause havoc, so get it right at the start!

· Bookkeeper / Accountant. Sometimes one supplier can fill both roles; otherwise, find yourself two excellent professionals to handle your administration obligations.

· Other areas where external support can be effectively outsourced include public relations and marketing expertise, raising venture capital, or even office cleaning.

In deciding what to outsource, ask yourself what value you place on your skills and knowledge. For example, if your main skill is selling your marketing consultancy skills at $70 an hour, you will make much more money if you devote most of your time to that. Outsourcing your bookkeeping to a contractor who charges $35 an hour will free you up for profitable marketing.

Outsourcing at the ‘big end of town’

While some larger firms and corporations handle everything from payroll to graphic design in-house, many others choose to focus on their core business and bring in the hired guns for the services that their business needs.

There are U.S. call centres for example using operators from other countries with lower labour rates, as far afield as India.

Closer to home, many large companies are hiring staff who work virtually from rural areas, where lower living costs let them supply business services at competitively priced rates.

The majority of consultants and contractors keep your bills low through contracting out their services on a cost-effective project basis, commissioned and paid for only as required. Ongoing relationships with trusted suppliers benefit the company, which doesn’t have to carry healthcare, insurance and other expenses, or salary costs in quiet work periods.

Hired Guns that larger companies bring in include:

· Accountants to advise on company investments, remuneration, tax, pension fund and all other financial issues.

· Insurance advisers across premises, contents, operating requirements, compensation, directors and officers liability, etc

· Graphic artists who work on company logos, advertising, marketing and promotions, publications and packaging, signage etc

· Business coaches who work with potential leaders, top management, teams, project groups etc, to enhance communication, grow skills and improve company performance.

· Trainers and facilitators, who run seminars and programs on management skills, IT capabilities, conflict resolution, team building and many other areas.

· Marketing and PR consultants, who work with you to promote the company, present a polished and consistent corporate image, position your organisation professionally in your marketplace; and develop strategies for campaigns or managing issues.

· Speechwriters. A handful of top managers have the free time and communications flair to write their own speeches. But the majority bring in experienced writers and speechwriters to ghostwrite their important speeches.

· Management Consultants. Contributing objective analysis and strategic advisory services, consultants are regularly brought into many companies, working with divisions or across the organization.

· Personal organiser – some outsourcers laughingly or seriously call themselves ‘an extra wife’. Time-poor busy professionals, working couples and CEO-types these days are practically (and without drowning in guilt) outsourcing some chunks of their home life – to dog-walkers, virtual assistants, cleaners, lawn-mowers, gardeners. If you have the money, why not?

· Professional image consultants. While giving you dazzling new fashion sense, image consultants can also often offer professional speaking tips or other advice.

· Handyman or Fixer. All big businesses have at least one on call – it’s not just the computers that break down when you can least afford the business interruption.

· Travel agent. Little explanation needed here, although some organised companies and executive assistants now regularly book their business travel online.

· Commercial cleaner. Again, little explanation needed!

Tired of carrying the load yourself? Pick up the phone to the outsourcing experts and start to build your own winning team for long-term success.