The present article has been read by many of our visitors and greatly appreciated. Hopefully you will enjoy it likewise.
Many of us played at gun fights when we were little kids. Games like cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians. These were just a few of the games that we loved to play with toy guns. The best guns that we potential pestered our parents for were the ones that made a shot sound and had fume coming from it. Now the rage is for paintball gun fights. One of the better known paintball guns is that of the angel paintball gun.
This paintball gun has made a number of strides forward in fashioning this one of the better paintball guns that you can bribe on the market. With a speed LED display system you can easy find out what your firing setting is at. You will find that there are Six firing modes, Four loader settings and some other firing controls on this board as well.
Procedure wise the angel paintball gun is very fast. The magnetized trigger is smoothen and there is no side to side movement. You can fire different types of paintballs and you will still be able to pull very fast firing of paintballs non stop. There is a velocity regulator that is very consistent.
The angel paint guns come furnished with an electronic laser beam eye. With this laser eye it doesn't let the gun cycle until there is a paintball actually loaded inside the chamber. Hence you won't find any paintball breakage.
Some of the other features that come with angel paintball guns, is a dynamic ball sensing system, contoured extremely well-off fore-grip, magazine mini regulator, and an electronics pod that comes with a lasting 9Volt electric battery housing. This gives your angel paintball gun secure electric battery retention.
The angel paintball gun ordinarily comes weaponed with a Fly Engine that has a 31bps capability, a Twist-lock low-rise feed, and other features. You will find it very well-fixed to clean and keep up your angel paintball guns. The rotor rear of barrel lets you have loose access to the bolt area. This helps you with cleaning any paint spills Using a battle swab or squeegee.
The other first-class characteristic about angel paintball guns is that they are very Department of Energy efficient. Thus you will have less need to replace the battery. To optimise your angel paintball gun functioning you should consider Using a fast hopper. A volumizer will help with regulation the air flow so that you reach very high rates of fire. You can also purchase a barrel kit that will give you a better ball-to-barrel match.
The angel paintball guns are a very special breed. With this paintball gun you can get great fire power and have playfulness in fashioning unhinge for your enemy team. As this is an low-cost gun you should not have much trouble in choosing this over the other makes. Just so long as your angel paintball gun works and you have play while you're at your paintball wars, nothing else really matters. Except winning of course!
Finally, I'd like to thank you for reading this article and i hope it was helpful information.
Michael Malega presents several angel paintball gun articles for your information. You can visit Michael's WWW site at: http://www.paintball-guns-grenades-pistols.com/Angel-Paintball-Gun.php
About the Author
Michael Malega presents several angel paintball gun articles for your information. You can visit Michael's WWW site at: http://www.paintball-guns-grenades-pistols.com/Angel-Paintball-Gun.php
Monday, April 16, 2007
Tips On Choosing A Car Audio System
Car audio has moved a long way from the old standard AM/FM Radio/Tape Deck combo. Today, in-vehicle multimedia systems include DVD video, television and navigation systems with local hotspot news. Common to all systems is the sound quality.
The quality of sound in a car audio system depends upon a number of factors; the type and quality of the media player system, the type of speakers used, the acoustics of the vehicle and interference from other devices.
Type and Quality of Media Player System
Before we look at the different types of in-vehicle media players it pays to have a basic understanding of audio quality. When deciding what type of audio system to install, and also when comparing one make and model to another, there are two key specifications to consider:
Signal-to-noise ratio [SNR] - a measure of signal strength compared to background noise in the signal or equipment. Measured in decibels. The higher the dB, the better. A car CD player has an SNR of 90 or 100 dB.
Frequency response [FR] - a measure of how much of the audio spectrum, from bass to treble, gets reproduced. It's measured as a range in Hertz, and the wider the range, the better. Look for a CD player with a range of at least 10-20k Hz.
An FM radio, cassette player, and CD player all have different measurements for these specs. To help understand these two specifications, let's compare a car tape cassette player and a car CD player.
Cassette player has an SNR of 50-70 dB. This is much lower than a CD player, so the sound quality degrades at each end of the spectrum. The FR is around 30-18k Hz for a cassette player, so does not contribute as much to sound quality as the SNR.
That's why overall, a car CD player gives a much better sound than a cassette tape player.
Media players in vehicles today are either radio tuner, CD player/changer, or Digital Audio player.
CD Players & Changers
There are a number of options when it comes to playing CD's in a vehicle:
1. An in-dash CD Player - often combined with radio tuner, WMA/MP3 player
2. An in-dash CD Receiver - with a multiple CD cassette / changer located elsewhere in the vehicle
3. Connect a portable CD player to an existing in-dash audio unit using either a cable and adapter or a bluetooth wireless connection.
When choosing a car CD player the first two things to consider are:
1. Will it physically fit into the vehicle?
2. Will it integrate cosmetically with the dash and other electronics?
Most decks have standardized form factors; so fit most cars, but there are exceptions, so make sure that the deck is suited for your car. You are usually pretty safe is the car stereo is made for the same market as the source of your car.
Cosmetic integration is a little more complex, but in many cases easily resolved through customisation features. For instance, many decks allow you to change the faceplates and color of the display.
Digital Audio Car Systems
With most home audio systems and portable players giving crisp quality sound using digital audio, we are no longer satisfied with the flat, bland analog sound from older car audio systems.
If you normally store your digital music files on CD, a compatible stereo or changer is a good option. Up to 10 hours of music [250 songs] can be stored on a single disc and allows use of random shuffling and repeat options. This disadvantage is ease of use, having to load and unload from cassettes located in the boot or under seats, and the limited file formats that your stereo can play back.
So now you have the media player selected, what about the speaker system.
Car Speaker System
The speaker system can be thought of in two parts: the channel amplifier and the physical speaker units.
Car amplifiers power the speakers in your car stereo system to provide crisp sound quality at high volumes. Each speaker requires one channel of amplification. This means a 4-channel amplifier, will support four speakers. And choice of speakers is not limited either. With a range of options for your basic stereo speakers [2-channel], you can supplement the high note quality using a tweeter and the low bass notes with a sub-woofer. This gives you a standard 4-channel sound system that will rival your home audio system.
Adding to a basic car stereo option typically involves adding subwoofers, amplifiers and crossovers to tailor the output sound to personal tastes. This does not mean the result is the boorish, obnoxious bass boom boxing that invades the entire neighbourhood. A subwoofer adds quality and purity to music.
For details of specifications on each part of your system, see Go-Reviews.com - Car Electronics Section
The main factors in selecting car speakers are:
- Design or Speaker Type
- Technical Specifications
- Fitting & Mounting
Speaker design is about the combination of sound drivers for midrange, subwoofer and tweeter. Depending upon the combination, the set is known as a two-way, three-way or four-way speaker system.
Car speaker specifications are similar to home audio speakers; the main difference in technical specification to compensate for the lower power outputs of car stereo receivers. Speaker technical specifications include: sensitivity, frequency response, signal to noise ratio, power handling and impedance. We will look at these specification in more detail in subsequent articles.
The fittings and mountings are selected depending upon where you choose to position the speakers. Car audio speakers are either: top mounted or bottom mounted. Clearance depth is most important when installing new speakers in a non-factory speaker location. So check all of your components carefully before purchase.
With such a range of combinations available the Internet provides a valuable resource in car electronics reviews. Sites like Go-Reviews.com seek out reviews and consolidate the recommendations to give you a quick reference buying guide.
About the Author
Nicola is the product reviewer for Go-Reviews.com. For reviews on consumer and business technology, the latest technology news, product releases and recalls and useful hints on getting the best from your technology.
The quality of sound in a car audio system depends upon a number of factors; the type and quality of the media player system, the type of speakers used, the acoustics of the vehicle and interference from other devices.
Type and Quality of Media Player System
Before we look at the different types of in-vehicle media players it pays to have a basic understanding of audio quality. When deciding what type of audio system to install, and also when comparing one make and model to another, there are two key specifications to consider:
Signal-to-noise ratio [SNR] - a measure of signal strength compared to background noise in the signal or equipment. Measured in decibels. The higher the dB, the better. A car CD player has an SNR of 90 or 100 dB.
Frequency response [FR] - a measure of how much of the audio spectrum, from bass to treble, gets reproduced. It's measured as a range in Hertz, and the wider the range, the better. Look for a CD player with a range of at least 10-20k Hz.
An FM radio, cassette player, and CD player all have different measurements for these specs. To help understand these two specifications, let's compare a car tape cassette player and a car CD player.
Cassette player has an SNR of 50-70 dB. This is much lower than a CD player, so the sound quality degrades at each end of the spectrum. The FR is around 30-18k Hz for a cassette player, so does not contribute as much to sound quality as the SNR.
That's why overall, a car CD player gives a much better sound than a cassette tape player.
Media players in vehicles today are either radio tuner, CD player/changer, or Digital Audio player.
CD Players & Changers
There are a number of options when it comes to playing CD's in a vehicle:
1. An in-dash CD Player - often combined with radio tuner, WMA/MP3 player
2. An in-dash CD Receiver - with a multiple CD cassette / changer located elsewhere in the vehicle
3. Connect a portable CD player to an existing in-dash audio unit using either a cable and adapter or a bluetooth wireless connection.
When choosing a car CD player the first two things to consider are:
1. Will it physically fit into the vehicle?
2. Will it integrate cosmetically with the dash and other electronics?
Most decks have standardized form factors; so fit most cars, but there are exceptions, so make sure that the deck is suited for your car. You are usually pretty safe is the car stereo is made for the same market as the source of your car.
Cosmetic integration is a little more complex, but in many cases easily resolved through customisation features. For instance, many decks allow you to change the faceplates and color of the display.
Digital Audio Car Systems
With most home audio systems and portable players giving crisp quality sound using digital audio, we are no longer satisfied with the flat, bland analog sound from older car audio systems.
If you normally store your digital music files on CD, a compatible stereo or changer is a good option. Up to 10 hours of music [250 songs] can be stored on a single disc and allows use of random shuffling and repeat options. This disadvantage is ease of use, having to load and unload from cassettes located in the boot or under seats, and the limited file formats that your stereo can play back.
So now you have the media player selected, what about the speaker system.
Car Speaker System
The speaker system can be thought of in two parts: the channel amplifier and the physical speaker units.
Car amplifiers power the speakers in your car stereo system to provide crisp sound quality at high volumes. Each speaker requires one channel of amplification. This means a 4-channel amplifier, will support four speakers. And choice of speakers is not limited either. With a range of options for your basic stereo speakers [2-channel], you can supplement the high note quality using a tweeter and the low bass notes with a sub-woofer. This gives you a standard 4-channel sound system that will rival your home audio system.
Adding to a basic car stereo option typically involves adding subwoofers, amplifiers and crossovers to tailor the output sound to personal tastes. This does not mean the result is the boorish, obnoxious bass boom boxing that invades the entire neighbourhood. A subwoofer adds quality and purity to music.
For details of specifications on each part of your system, see Go-Reviews.com - Car Electronics Section
The main factors in selecting car speakers are:
- Design or Speaker Type
- Technical Specifications
- Fitting & Mounting
Speaker design is about the combination of sound drivers for midrange, subwoofer and tweeter. Depending upon the combination, the set is known as a two-way, three-way or four-way speaker system.
Car speaker specifications are similar to home audio speakers; the main difference in technical specification to compensate for the lower power outputs of car stereo receivers. Speaker technical specifications include: sensitivity, frequency response, signal to noise ratio, power handling and impedance. We will look at these specification in more detail in subsequent articles.
The fittings and mountings are selected depending upon where you choose to position the speakers. Car audio speakers are either: top mounted or bottom mounted. Clearance depth is most important when installing new speakers in a non-factory speaker location. So check all of your components carefully before purchase.
With such a range of combinations available the Internet provides a valuable resource in car electronics reviews. Sites like Go-Reviews.com seek out reviews and consolidate the recommendations to give you a quick reference buying guide.
About the Author
Nicola is the product reviewer for Go-Reviews.com. For reviews on consumer and business technology, the latest technology news, product releases and recalls and useful hints on getting the best from your technology.
How To Repair Dell E151Fpb LCD Monitor -No display problem
Dell E151fpb LCD monitor came in with the complaint of no power but upon carefully look at the LCD you could see a very light (blur) white flashes across the screen and the power LED is not lit. Removing the cover was a bit easy compared to other models. As usual whenever the mainboard and power board were exposed, I would look for any bulged capacitor, darkened area, a loosen connector and etc. However this monitor boards looks perfectly okay. The next step was to separate the power/inverter board with the main board. Power was applied to the power board and I could hear a soft 'chip-chip' sound. When I measure the 12 volts line with a digital multimeter, the readout was about 7- 8 volts which was very unusual. In fact this is good news to us because we know what the next step that we should make.
Now we could use a 12 volt automobile brake light bulb to test at which section that is causing the low voltage output problem. If the LCD monitor designed to run on 18 or 24 volts then you could use a light bulb from the big trailer. A defective component in either primary or secondary side could cause low output voltage. Removing the fuse as shown in the photo and connect the bulb between the supply line and the cold ground could tell which section is giving problem. You could use this method but first you must confirm that the secondary filter capacitors, TL431 adjustable precision shunt regulator ic, optoisolators and components surrounding the optoisolator is working before you proceed to use the light bulb.
When the power is on the light bulb still do not lit and the sound still could be heard. This indicates that the primary side is having problem and we can leave the inverter/high voltage area and fully concentrate to locate the faults in the primary section.
This is the time to really test your basic electronics skill because you now know at which area the fault is and you just have to use your skills to locate the exact bad component. There were not much components in the primary side, and you could easily check all of them in less than 20 minutes. After checking all the components I was surprised that all of them tested okay. Primary winding of switch mode power transformer rings 8 bars which indicates good and even the uc3842b PWM power IC replaced the power still won't work! It was quite challenging to troubleshoot this kind of problem where you are hundred percent sure that the primary side is giving problem yet you could not find out the culprit.
Since I had checked all the components and could not locate the fault, the only way that I could do is to direct replace the semiconductor devices such as the diodes, scr, fet, and transistors. From experienced I do encountered semiconductor components breakdown when under full operating voltage. One by one of the semiconductor components I replaced and power on each time I had changed it to see if the bulb light up or not. Guess what, you would not believe what have I just discovered-a defective 2N7000 fet! The moments I have replaced this fet and power on, the bulb immediately light up. I could not believe it was this faulty fet that causes all the output voltages to drop! I was so happy that I eventually solved the problem and who knows this could be a common fault for all DELL E151Fpb LCD monitor- so please take note to all LCD monitor repairer.
I began to check again the defective 2N7000 fet with my analog meter and peak electronic atlas component analyzer and the result is still the same-tested good! Just like flyback transformer, the best testing equipment to test Fet and other components is actually the equipment itself because it runs on full operating voltage, frequency, signal and etc. What you have just learned from here was that if all the suspected components tested good, the only way to reveal the truth is to direct replace the parts. Hope you enjoy this article and more good articles to come everyday! Wishing you all the best and happy repairing!
About the Author
Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer, for more lcd monitor repair tips and secrets, please visit his website at http://www.electronicrepairguide.com/lcd-monitor-repair.
Now we could use a 12 volt automobile brake light bulb to test at which section that is causing the low voltage output problem. If the LCD monitor designed to run on 18 or 24 volts then you could use a light bulb from the big trailer. A defective component in either primary or secondary side could cause low output voltage. Removing the fuse as shown in the photo and connect the bulb between the supply line and the cold ground could tell which section is giving problem. You could use this method but first you must confirm that the secondary filter capacitors, TL431 adjustable precision shunt regulator ic, optoisolators and components surrounding the optoisolator is working before you proceed to use the light bulb.
When the power is on the light bulb still do not lit and the sound still could be heard. This indicates that the primary side is having problem and we can leave the inverter/high voltage area and fully concentrate to locate the faults in the primary section.
This is the time to really test your basic electronics skill because you now know at which area the fault is and you just have to use your skills to locate the exact bad component. There were not much components in the primary side, and you could easily check all of them in less than 20 minutes. After checking all the components I was surprised that all of them tested okay. Primary winding of switch mode power transformer rings 8 bars which indicates good and even the uc3842b PWM power IC replaced the power still won't work! It was quite challenging to troubleshoot this kind of problem where you are hundred percent sure that the primary side is giving problem yet you could not find out the culprit.
Since I had checked all the components and could not locate the fault, the only way that I could do is to direct replace the semiconductor devices such as the diodes, scr, fet, and transistors. From experienced I do encountered semiconductor components breakdown when under full operating voltage. One by one of the semiconductor components I replaced and power on each time I had changed it to see if the bulb light up or not. Guess what, you would not believe what have I just discovered-a defective 2N7000 fet! The moments I have replaced this fet and power on, the bulb immediately light up. I could not believe it was this faulty fet that causes all the output voltages to drop! I was so happy that I eventually solved the problem and who knows this could be a common fault for all DELL E151Fpb LCD monitor- so please take note to all LCD monitor repairer.
I began to check again the defective 2N7000 fet with my analog meter and peak electronic atlas component analyzer and the result is still the same-tested good! Just like flyback transformer, the best testing equipment to test Fet and other components is actually the equipment itself because it runs on full operating voltage, frequency, signal and etc. What you have just learned from here was that if all the suspected components tested good, the only way to reveal the truth is to direct replace the parts. Hope you enjoy this article and more good articles to come everyday! Wishing you all the best and happy repairing!
About the Author
Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer, for more lcd monitor repair tips and secrets, please visit his website at http://www.electronicrepairguide.com/lcd-monitor-repair.
Bringing Back The Friendly Country General Store......online!
Having worked in major media markets for a few decades, I remember when the better pr person one could be, or spin-doctor if you will, the "cooler" you were, and the more people wanted to do business with you. All that has changed, dramatically, and probably for the better.
I love reading autobiographies because, more often than not, one really gets to "meet the author" through the book, and it is easy (for me) within the first few pages to see if the article is being written from the writer's heart, or if it is a bunch of hype.
I try to read them all because they can have a "grounding experience". If the author is able to express him/or herself well, he/she can reveal things that are never told in the press.
On the few occasions I read a good one, I can get so fired up, I want to try what that person has tried. Of course at age fifty two, I am keenly aware of my on faults and liabilities and limitations, and I can't "do it all" as I felt in my youth, so I do what I think I can do where my strengths are.
Two of the best autobiographies I read were Sam Walton's and Charles Schulz's, for different reasons.
I loved Schulz because I always heard he was always a nice guy, never let his success get to his head, and hung out with kids at the local skating rink until the time of his death. He put himself "out there" in spite of battling TRD (treatment resistant depression) and made a difference. He created a character, Charlie Brown, the proverbial loser, whom he knew, no matter how successful we all become, we can always identify a bit with Charlie Brown and his discovery and frustrations of his own failures.
Schulz reveals in his book some of his ironies. Remember the little girl with the red hair that Charlie always thought he could have loved? In real life, Schulz was dating a redheaded woman who dumped him for a fireman because he would not give up his dream of becoming a cartoonist and was getting nowhere. A few months after she married the fireman, Peanuts became syndicated. What man in the world cannot identify with that scene? And one cannot help but admire the savvy of Schulz and his ability to turn paper and pencil into an empire. He didn't do it with hype. He did it because we could identify with "the lost child" in Charlie Brown, where everyone else, even the dog, had the answers when he didn't.
Why Sam Walton? Who can't be amazed by this small-town country gentleman who understood the importance of quality and service, and demanded it no matter how big they grew he demanded that he and his employees keep that same personal service. Though, of course, given today's marketplace that has not happened, he has managed to do so online, and to a certain degree in his stores, without a lot of hype.
One of Wal-Mart's top executives last month revealed that sales in the stores had been down .05% but up online 43%. This is important information in that it means either they are doing something right on the Internet, or more people are shopping on the Internet. Certainly their website only offers a portion of products that is available in their store. And often the prices are a bit higher. So something has happened.
What is it? I strongly believe the dot.com boom is just starting, not based on the Wal-Mart story, but considering all the tools now available to online e-tailers and marketers of services, ebooks, etc.
Ezine articles alone can help one develop a huge following. Does Wal-Mart use ezine marketing? I don't know for sure, but they don't need to. I just did so for them, and so do many others when quoting something about Wal-Mart. It is in our everyday vocabulary. It's a brand, a household word ingrained in our psyche, that a hundred years ago did not exist.
Forty years ago, Woolworth's and Sears was the same. But something again happened. What was it?
The Walton family made a very shrewd move. They decided that they would buy more volume at lesser prices and pass the savings along to the consumer and rely on turnover of products. At times, they would take losses on products, but make up for it on others. They created a strict policy from whom they would purchase, and researched each provider to be certain they were capable of delivery.
Now, any one of us can do the same thing on the Internet. With a little research, one can find wholesalers that are real wholesalers/dropshippers and can match and often even beat prices that the big dogs sell for. Indeed they have a recommended retail price which is generally a bit high. I try with my stores to take the prices down (and even offer a further discount with coupon codes) across the entire store.
If you have not tried coupons or coupon code sites, some of them can be very profitable. I simply have one word across the board on all products at my store. At checkout, the customer types in "storewide" on any purchase and receives another 5% off the discounted price. This does not seem like a great deal, but when buying consumer electronics, computers, digicams and other items I sell, it can add up, and the fact that the prices are already discounted from the recommended price offers added value. Internet shoppers love "extra value" and one can keep a majority coming back month after month, year after year. I occasionally look at the newsletter sign up (always have that opt-in offer on your site), and see that a lot of our shoppers are return customers.
Another sales strategy (especially on the Internet is offering "freebies"). There are a number of ways to do this.
Though a good many of my products such as pet chewies might sell for as low as $3.00, a lot of products are more expensive like laptops or home entertainment system. It is easy to spend $500 or more on a good system.
So I decided to cross-promote from another e-store I have and offer free gourmet coffee gift baskets (our private label, a $50 value) with any $500 purchase.
You can even take this a step further and offer free engraving. For instance, the coffee gift basket also has cartoon coasters and a cartoon mug from our cartoon inventory site. We offer free engraving of the customers name and web address making it a unique corporate gift, and a good many orders come from that very promotion.
All this is not a lot of hype. It is common sense. Customers on the Internet are looking for good and interesting deals (as well as quality products and service). I decided early on, for instance to carry only name brands. I am not sure name brands are always better than non-name brands, but I do know that I often type in a name brand when I am looking for something. For instance when I was doing a Google keyword search for an IBM Thinkpad "R" Series, I found one (at my store) and it was the best deal AND I got the free gift basket and extra 5% off.
I felt like the guy who owns "Hair Club For Men"....I loved it so much I bought the business. I will be honest, there are some products we just don't carry and I want them (for my own private use). I am not ashamed to say that; not every store can please everyone, including mine. So when I shop, I put on my "customer cap" (no longer the e-Willie Lohman) salesperson, and begin looking for good deals, or interesting deals and promotions that are not all hype, just like the folks who shop with me.
Don't be afraid to look around and see what others are doing if you own a store or some stores.
Don't plagiarize their site or concept, but if something is working, think of your own promotion that may work even better.
You will be surprised at the amount of orders that happen. Next week I will be talking about double opt-in email campaigns and if they are more (or less) targeted than pay-per-click and if they are more or less effective.
Stay tuned! And thanks for your time.
About the Author
Rick London is a writer, cartoonist, inventor, e-tailer, and full time adult back to school student. He owns numerous websites; a few of them include Internet2YourDoor http://www.internet2yourdoor.com , the mega-store and the top Internet Cartoon http://www.londonstimes.us Londons Times Cartoons
I love reading autobiographies because, more often than not, one really gets to "meet the author" through the book, and it is easy (for me) within the first few pages to see if the article is being written from the writer's heart, or if it is a bunch of hype.
I try to read them all because they can have a "grounding experience". If the author is able to express him/or herself well, he/she can reveal things that are never told in the press.
On the few occasions I read a good one, I can get so fired up, I want to try what that person has tried. Of course at age fifty two, I am keenly aware of my on faults and liabilities and limitations, and I can't "do it all" as I felt in my youth, so I do what I think I can do where my strengths are.
Two of the best autobiographies I read were Sam Walton's and Charles Schulz's, for different reasons.
I loved Schulz because I always heard he was always a nice guy, never let his success get to his head, and hung out with kids at the local skating rink until the time of his death. He put himself "out there" in spite of battling TRD (treatment resistant depression) and made a difference. He created a character, Charlie Brown, the proverbial loser, whom he knew, no matter how successful we all become, we can always identify a bit with Charlie Brown and his discovery and frustrations of his own failures.
Schulz reveals in his book some of his ironies. Remember the little girl with the red hair that Charlie always thought he could have loved? In real life, Schulz was dating a redheaded woman who dumped him for a fireman because he would not give up his dream of becoming a cartoonist and was getting nowhere. A few months after she married the fireman, Peanuts became syndicated. What man in the world cannot identify with that scene? And one cannot help but admire the savvy of Schulz and his ability to turn paper and pencil into an empire. He didn't do it with hype. He did it because we could identify with "the lost child" in Charlie Brown, where everyone else, even the dog, had the answers when he didn't.
Why Sam Walton? Who can't be amazed by this small-town country gentleman who understood the importance of quality and service, and demanded it no matter how big they grew he demanded that he and his employees keep that same personal service. Though, of course, given today's marketplace that has not happened, he has managed to do so online, and to a certain degree in his stores, without a lot of hype.
One of Wal-Mart's top executives last month revealed that sales in the stores had been down .05% but up online 43%. This is important information in that it means either they are doing something right on the Internet, or more people are shopping on the Internet. Certainly their website only offers a portion of products that is available in their store. And often the prices are a bit higher. So something has happened.
What is it? I strongly believe the dot.com boom is just starting, not based on the Wal-Mart story, but considering all the tools now available to online e-tailers and marketers of services, ebooks, etc.
Ezine articles alone can help one develop a huge following. Does Wal-Mart use ezine marketing? I don't know for sure, but they don't need to. I just did so for them, and so do many others when quoting something about Wal-Mart. It is in our everyday vocabulary. It's a brand, a household word ingrained in our psyche, that a hundred years ago did not exist.
Forty years ago, Woolworth's and Sears was the same. But something again happened. What was it?
The Walton family made a very shrewd move. They decided that they would buy more volume at lesser prices and pass the savings along to the consumer and rely on turnover of products. At times, they would take losses on products, but make up for it on others. They created a strict policy from whom they would purchase, and researched each provider to be certain they were capable of delivery.
Now, any one of us can do the same thing on the Internet. With a little research, one can find wholesalers that are real wholesalers/dropshippers and can match and often even beat prices that the big dogs sell for. Indeed they have a recommended retail price which is generally a bit high. I try with my stores to take the prices down (and even offer a further discount with coupon codes) across the entire store.
If you have not tried coupons or coupon code sites, some of them can be very profitable. I simply have one word across the board on all products at my store. At checkout, the customer types in "storewide" on any purchase and receives another 5% off the discounted price. This does not seem like a great deal, but when buying consumer electronics, computers, digicams and other items I sell, it can add up, and the fact that the prices are already discounted from the recommended price offers added value. Internet shoppers love "extra value" and one can keep a majority coming back month after month, year after year. I occasionally look at the newsletter sign up (always have that opt-in offer on your site), and see that a lot of our shoppers are return customers.
Another sales strategy (especially on the Internet is offering "freebies"). There are a number of ways to do this.
Though a good many of my products such as pet chewies might sell for as low as $3.00, a lot of products are more expensive like laptops or home entertainment system. It is easy to spend $500 or more on a good system.
So I decided to cross-promote from another e-store I have and offer free gourmet coffee gift baskets (our private label, a $50 value) with any $500 purchase.
You can even take this a step further and offer free engraving. For instance, the coffee gift basket also has cartoon coasters and a cartoon mug from our cartoon inventory site. We offer free engraving of the customers name and web address making it a unique corporate gift, and a good many orders come from that very promotion.
All this is not a lot of hype. It is common sense. Customers on the Internet are looking for good and interesting deals (as well as quality products and service). I decided early on, for instance to carry only name brands. I am not sure name brands are always better than non-name brands, but I do know that I often type in a name brand when I am looking for something. For instance when I was doing a Google keyword search for an IBM Thinkpad "R" Series, I found one (at my store) and it was the best deal AND I got the free gift basket and extra 5% off.
I felt like the guy who owns "Hair Club For Men"....I loved it so much I bought the business. I will be honest, there are some products we just don't carry and I want them (for my own private use). I am not ashamed to say that; not every store can please everyone, including mine. So when I shop, I put on my "customer cap" (no longer the e-Willie Lohman) salesperson, and begin looking for good deals, or interesting deals and promotions that are not all hype, just like the folks who shop with me.
Don't be afraid to look around and see what others are doing if you own a store or some stores.
Don't plagiarize their site or concept, but if something is working, think of your own promotion that may work even better.
You will be surprised at the amount of orders that happen. Next week I will be talking about double opt-in email campaigns and if they are more (or less) targeted than pay-per-click and if they are more or less effective.
Stay tuned! And thanks for your time.
About the Author
Rick London is a writer, cartoonist, inventor, e-tailer, and full time adult back to school student. He owns numerous websites; a few of them include Internet2YourDoor http://www.internet2yourdoor.com , the mega-store and the top Internet Cartoon http://www.londonstimes.us Londons Times Cartoons
Review of 1 Family Classifieds - Business Opportunity
Overview:
1-Family is the oldest and most visited classified system on the Internet. Posting is free and remote posting is allowed.
Welcome to the Classifieds.
We've been providing high traffic, high response Free Classifieds since 1996.
Got something you want to sell? Looking to buy? This is the place! And you can place your classified ad for FREE!
Listings:
Automotive, Boats/Planes/RV's/Cycles, Books, Business Opportunities, Business Services, Clothing, Computers, Computer Software, Education, Electronics, Employment, Entertainment, Hobbies/Collecting/Cooking, Jewelry, Miscellaneous Info/Items, Music, Pets, Real Estate, Services Needed, Services Offered, Sports, Travel, Video, Web Page Designers .
1-FAMILY Classifieds Portal: Post this monkey to all the remote submission services. 1-Family Classifieds has been on the Internet lomger than all the other classifieds and allows remote submission. A virtual Premium Lead dynamo! The submission services love us.
Review
First Family Classifieds system is the world's leading provider of online classified ads. In this fast growing market, First Family is the only serious choice for online classifieds, and the only classified ad system that runs on hundreds of servers, is the oldest running system on the Internet, allows remote submissions and has over 30,000 individual classified sites and continues to grow exponentially. First Family classifieds offers free advertisement for business opportunities, personal ads, automobiles, real estate, and much more. Place your ads in more than 30,000 sites. There is no limit to the number of free ads you can post. Renew them as many times as you want.
To post an Ad could not be any easier than filling in a few fields.
Step #1 - Enter the following: Your Name, E-Mail Address, Address, City, State, Zip Code, Country, Phone
Step #2 - Please Select a Department to post your ad from a dropdown menu.
Step #3 - What is the subject of your ad? Please enter a brief description. Click Enter Button. (The Subject of Your Ad is the title and the description is the ad) Please do not forget to include an applicable URL in your ad.
You will receive the following message:
Verification Process
We have just sent an email to YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS! This email is important and you need it to continue this process.
To complete your submission, you must first verify your email address. Please go to your emailbox, open the email:
"VERIFY!!! Your submission to 1-Family Classifieds!"
...that we sent you, and click on the link in that email.
If this address is correct, check your email now, otherwise please go back and resubmit.
Thank you.
Step #4 - Open Your Inbox for this email address and find the appropriate verification email.
The email will read as follows:
Hello YOUR NAME,
You or someone using this email address has submitted the following information to 1-Family Classifieds:
Name: YOUR NAME Email: YOUR ADDRESS Date: DATE OF SUBMISSION IP Address: YOUR IP ADDRESS (VERY ACCURATE)
In order to complete the submission process, please click on the link below to verify your submission.
CLICK THIS LINK TO CONFIRM
By clicking on this link you will receive occasional information via email on specials and offers. At any time you can stop emails from coming to you by clicking on the remove link that's contained in all emails sent to you from our system.
If this submission is fraudulent and you did not make a submission then just disregard this email and no more will be sent to you. This is done for your own protection and to discourage unauthorized submissions.
Thanks for your submission!
Web Site Support 1-Family.com
Step #5 - Click on "CLICK THIS LINK TO CONFIRM".
Step #6 - You will receive the following confirmation
Your submission has been successfully completed. Thank you!
Thank you YOUR NAME,
I may be contacting you shortly to help answer any questions you may have and help you put a strategic campaign together for your Internet advertising success. Our system allows us to exercise extreme leverage on the Internet. We have made some of these tools available to you for no charge or obligation what-so-ever. Our full tool portfolio includes tools like your very own lead generator, l ead capturing FFA system, a free vacation giveaway lead generation system, free destination web pages, free submission services, free software, free computers, well the list is huge. We have spent the last 10 years on the Internet and we have been very busy. To find out more just ask me.
Our systems cover every need the successful Internet Marketers needs. Tools, Training, Mentoring, Constant Research and Development all hosted on the largest server farm of it's kind. You do not have to spend any money or commit to anything to use some of these systems. But, we have so much more available if you do decide to join.
You can view your Ad at the URL below:
View Your Ad
Kevin McNabb 416-578-8127 kmanglobal@veretekk.com
This simple 6 step process will place your ad in more than 30,000 sites with as little as 3 minutes of work.
Kevin McNabb http://kmanglobal.1-family.com
Push Button Marketing by Inetekk World class marketing tools that empower the little guy and allow the average person the ability to achieve success, whatever their primary business may be! http://kmanglobal.veretekk.com/ This article is available for reprint, with the resource box intact. You can make money with this article by adding PPC ads to this article, so that you will generate revenue from the click-thru's. Please see additional articles from Kevin McNabb at http://veretekkkmanglobal.blogspot.com/
About the Author
Dedicated to helping people around the world find financial freedom and prosperity.
1-Family is the oldest and most visited classified system on the Internet. Posting is free and remote posting is allowed.
Welcome to the Classifieds.
We've been providing high traffic, high response Free Classifieds since 1996.
Got something you want to sell? Looking to buy? This is the place! And you can place your classified ad for FREE!
Listings:
Automotive, Boats/Planes/RV's/Cycles, Books, Business Opportunities, Business Services, Clothing, Computers, Computer Software, Education, Electronics, Employment, Entertainment, Hobbies/Collecting/Cooking, Jewelry, Miscellaneous Info/Items, Music, Pets, Real Estate, Services Needed, Services Offered, Sports, Travel, Video, Web Page Designers .
1-FAMILY Classifieds Portal: Post this monkey to all the remote submission services. 1-Family Classifieds has been on the Internet lomger than all the other classifieds and allows remote submission. A virtual Premium Lead dynamo! The submission services love us.
Review
First Family Classifieds system is the world's leading provider of online classified ads. In this fast growing market, First Family is the only serious choice for online classifieds, and the only classified ad system that runs on hundreds of servers, is the oldest running system on the Internet, allows remote submissions and has over 30,000 individual classified sites and continues to grow exponentially. First Family classifieds offers free advertisement for business opportunities, personal ads, automobiles, real estate, and much more. Place your ads in more than 30,000 sites. There is no limit to the number of free ads you can post. Renew them as many times as you want.
To post an Ad could not be any easier than filling in a few fields.
Step #1 - Enter the following: Your Name, E-Mail Address, Address, City, State, Zip Code, Country, Phone
Step #2 - Please Select a Department to post your ad from a dropdown menu.
Step #3 - What is the subject of your ad? Please enter a brief description. Click Enter Button. (The Subject of Your Ad is the title and the description is the ad) Please do not forget to include an applicable URL in your ad.
You will receive the following message:
Verification Process
We have just sent an email to YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS! This email is important and you need it to continue this process.
To complete your submission, you must first verify your email address. Please go to your emailbox, open the email:
"VERIFY!!! Your submission to 1-Family Classifieds!"
...that we sent you, and click on the link in that email.
If this address is correct, check your email now, otherwise please go back and resubmit.
Thank you.
Step #4 - Open Your Inbox for this email address and find the appropriate verification email.
The email will read as follows:
Hello YOUR NAME,
You or someone using this email address has submitted the following information to 1-Family Classifieds:
Name: YOUR NAME Email: YOUR ADDRESS Date: DATE OF SUBMISSION IP Address: YOUR IP ADDRESS (VERY ACCURATE)
In order to complete the submission process, please click on the link below to verify your submission.
CLICK THIS LINK TO CONFIRM
By clicking on this link you will receive occasional information via email on specials and offers. At any time you can stop emails from coming to you by clicking on the remove link that's contained in all emails sent to you from our system.
If this submission is fraudulent and you did not make a submission then just disregard this email and no more will be sent to you. This is done for your own protection and to discourage unauthorized submissions.
Thanks for your submission!
Web Site Support 1-Family.com
Step #5 - Click on "CLICK THIS LINK TO CONFIRM".
Step #6 - You will receive the following confirmation
Your submission has been successfully completed. Thank you!
Thank you YOUR NAME,
I may be contacting you shortly to help answer any questions you may have and help you put a strategic campaign together for your Internet advertising success. Our system allows us to exercise extreme leverage on the Internet. We have made some of these tools available to you for no charge or obligation what-so-ever. Our full tool portfolio includes tools like your very own lead generator, l ead capturing FFA system, a free vacation giveaway lead generation system, free destination web pages, free submission services, free software, free computers, well the list is huge. We have spent the last 10 years on the Internet and we have been very busy. To find out more just ask me.
Our systems cover every need the successful Internet Marketers needs. Tools, Training, Mentoring, Constant Research and Development all hosted on the largest server farm of it's kind. You do not have to spend any money or commit to anything to use some of these systems. But, we have so much more available if you do decide to join.
You can view your Ad at the URL below:
View Your Ad
Kevin McNabb 416-578-8127 kmanglobal@veretekk.com
This simple 6 step process will place your ad in more than 30,000 sites with as little as 3 minutes of work.
Kevin McNabb http://kmanglobal.1-family.com
Push Button Marketing by Inetekk World class marketing tools that empower the little guy and allow the average person the ability to achieve success, whatever their primary business may be! http://kmanglobal.veretekk.com/ This article is available for reprint, with the resource box intact. You can make money with this article by adding PPC ads to this article, so that you will generate revenue from the click-thru's. Please see additional articles from Kevin McNabb at http://veretekkkmanglobal.blogspot.com/
About the Author
Dedicated to helping people around the world find financial freedom and prosperity.
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