If God is watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining.
So any bright ideas folk...
Have a lovely morning to you all :)

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.”

Morning everybody :)

A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking, and tell u I am done....

How you all been... have a great day ahead..:)

If laughter is the best medicine, who's the idiot who said they 'died laughing'? ...... think

Good Morning every body :)

Why is it that everyone driving faster than you is considered an idiot and everyone driving slower than you is a moron?

Morning everybody... ;) Had a refreshing jog and walk this morning with zsuzssana, with our colleague visiting from Malaysia.

Everything is changing. People are taking the comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke....
I started believing in that...

Morning everybody....:)

15 Things Not to Say to Your Boss ..

http://ping.fm/mQcqO

15 Things Not to Say to Your Boss ..

“Think before you speak” is always a good policy, and in the workplace the maxim could be further refined to “think before you blurt out something to your boss that could hurt your career.” We checked in with some bosses, and came up with this list of 15 phrases bosses definitely don’t want to hear: 

1. “I’m only doing this job for the money.”
No boss wants to hear that your sole motivation for showing up is your paycheck. She may know that money is your motivation, and you may know she knows, but it’s still better left unsaid.

2. “I’m broke/in debt/one step away from bankruptcy.”
Your financial woes are not your boss’s concern. Period.

3. “I’m going to quit after I (fill in the blank).”
No matter how noble your future plans are -- you may be saving to start your own company or go to grad school, for example -- it’s usually best to keep those plans to yourself or to refer to them only vaguely. If your boss knows there is a definite end date to your employment, she may start to shop around for your replacement before you are ready to leave.

4. “I partied a little too hard last night.”
Buck up and get through the day with some ibuprofen, extra undereye concealer and coffee. But don’t share the sordid details of your night on the town with your boss. He’s just as likely to react with (unspoken) disdain as sympathy.

5. “It’s not my fault.”
Are you a whiny 8-year-old or a take-charge professional? Assume responsibility and take steps to fix a problem that you did, in fact, create. And if you are being wrongly blamed for a problem, saying “let’s get to the bottom of this” or “what can we do to make it right?” is much more effective than saying “it’s not my fault.”

6. “I’m bored/this job is boring.”
Didn’t your mother ever tell you that only boring people get bored? If you’re constantly twiddling your thumbs, ask for extra work and be as specific as you can. And if you’re busy but think your assigned tasks are less-than-stimulating, start strategizing about how you can get the job you want, either within your company or elsewhere.

7. “My job is too easy.”
Sure, you may think a monkey could do your job. But don’t give your boss any ideas -- your company could probably pay a monkey less than it pays you.

8. “I can’t work with so and so. I hate him.”
Involving your boss in personality conflicts should always be your last resort. So unless you are being threatened, scapegoated, encouraged to participate in unethical behavior, or your colleague or customer is engaged in other egregious workplace conduct, try to work it out between yourselves first.

9. “I can’t do that because of my other job.” In your boss’s mind, a second job is not a valid excuse for why you can’t stay late, work extra hours or finish a project on time. She may question your priorities, and rightly so.

10. “Oh my Gawd! How did you do this job before the Internet/text messaging/Skype?”
Although not a cardinal workplace sin, making your boss feel old will not score you any points.

11. Sigh. Grimace. Eye roll. Wretching noises.
Actions can speak louder than words. A poker face and silence are golden when you’re displeased with your boss.

12. “Do it yourself!”
No need for explanation. Just never say this. Ever.

13. “It’s always been done this way.”
You don’t want to gain a reputation as an inflexible dinosaur, so keep an open mind about how you do your work. And if you’re convinced that a new way of doing things is going to harm your company, present your case without using “because that’s the way we’ve always done it” to support your position.

14. “Let me set you up with...”
Avoid the urge to play matchmaker for your single boss. The potential benefit is far outweighed by the potential risk. For that matter, any socializing with your boss (even something as simple as friending him on Facebook) can cause you to share too much information, so consider limiting social interactions entirely.

15. “Sorry, I must have drifted off.” C’mon, wake up! If you’re caught with your eyes closed, feign deep concentration rather than admit you were dozing.

I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.... :)
Morning everybody... you all have a great week ahead..

Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

Morning you all....:)

Work Eight hours and sleep Eight hours and make sure they are not the same hours.....

Morning everybody... :) any agendas for the weekend ?

I want to double my drive space. I think I will delete the Windows!!!!!
Good Morning Y'all.

A riddle for you to keep awake...
Eighty percent of Kindergarteners solved this riddle, but only 5% of Stanford graduates figured it out!

Can you answer the following questions in one word?

1. The word has seven letters....
2. Preceded God...
3. Greater than God...
4. More Evil than the devil...
5. All poor people have it...
6. Wealthy people need it....
7. If you eat it, you will die.

Did you figure it out?

When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane and going the wrong way.
Read between the lines folks ;;)
Morning every body...

Six Human Needs

All human behaviour is driven by an instinct to fulfil one or more basic human needs. Abraham Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs model in the 1940/1950s in the USA. The original model defined five human needs, but has been added to and amended over the years. The original needs hierarchy was:

Biological & Physiological needs; (basic life needs air, food, drink, sleep, shelter, warmth, sex etc)
Safety needs; (protection, order, security, law, stability)
Love & Belongingness needs; (relationships, family, love, belonging)
Esteem needs; (responsibility, status, achievement, purpose)
Self Actualisation; (personal fulfilment and growth)

The Hierarchy of needs is still valid today to understanding motivation and personal development. We are all motivated by needs, unhappiness, stress, lack of direction in our lives all stem from an unfulfilled need. To be fulfilled and happy with life and ourselves we need to fill these six needs in a positive way.

The Six Needs Are
LOVE & CONNECTION
The need to fill love & connection with and for others.

PURPOSE
The need to feel we have a purpose in life and are significant and have meaning to others. We are unique, special, and individual.

CERTAINITY
The need to know that everything is settled and secure.

UNCERTAINITY
The complete opposite of the above. The need to feel that life is interesting, challenging and exciting

We all have the ability to get these first four needs fulfilled, even if it is sometimes in a negative way.
The fifth & sixth needs are not met by everyone, yet by attaining them they offer us the key to inner peace and fulfilment.

GROWTH
The need for the feeling we are growing spiritually, intellectually, physically, mentally.

GIVING
The need to feel that we are giving of ourselves for the benefit of others. Everyone has their own unique requirements for the fulfilment of the six needs. The degree in which they are met defines our quality of life and happiness.

Life coaching can help you identify and fulfil these needs and take you from where you are now on the road to where you want to be.

I believe it is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.

Hmmm time to ponder... Morning Y'all :)

I need someone really bad. Are you really bad?
lets see and wait :)
Morning everyone...

Perhaps I am a bear, or some hibernating animal underneath, for the instinct to be half asleep all winter is so strong in me.

Ahhh I wish it could happen ;)

Top 3 Successful Habits (You Must Adopt)

Do you want to be a winner in your life? If you do, this will be the perfect article that you must continue to read on. You are about to find out the top 3 winner attitude that are adopted by every successful person out there. And if you adopt the same habit, you will produce the same amazing results in your life. You can achieve any target, goal and dream that you desire.

You have to understand that success is something that you repeatedly do in your life. It is not something that will happen in an instant. You are not going to become a millionaire overnight. Thus, success is determined by the actions that you take in your life. And your actions will be determined by your habits. Therefore, if you adopt the winning habit, you will produce winner’s results…

1. The first winner habit that you must adopt is this, you must have a clear vision. Always think and focus on your vision. You have to have a clear target of what you want. If you do not have a target, how can you actually hit it? It is just like driving a car, if you do not have a destination, you will end up nowhere. Thus, find out what you want to accomplish in your life right now. Set clear and specific targets and goals in every area of your life.

2. The second winner habit is to be proactive. Think about it, money will not grow on tree and it will not fall from the sky. You have to be the one who is proactive to take action and make things happen. If you are not doing anything, you will produce nothing. So make sure you do something each day so that you will move toward your goals and your dreams everyday. Action produces results. Stop putting things off. Watching television and chatting online are not going to change your life. Do what is necessary right now.

3. The final winner habit that you must adopt here is never give up. This is a common sense, but unfortunately, most people do not have this habit. How many rejection and failure can you take before you quit? If you quit, you will waste all the effort that you have poured in before. So do not quit no matter what. Treat failure and rejection as feedback that can improve your knowledge and skill. This is how Thomas Edison became one of the best inventors in the century. He treats all failures as feedback to improve and move toward his target. You have to be the same.

"The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it."

What am I suppose to do now ????

Can any one tell me the difference between being Positive and being Confident ?

When people ask me if I have any spare change, I tell them I have it at home in my spare wallet.

Morning everybody :) u got some change....

I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: What the hell good would that do?

Morning Everybody :) What you all been upto ?

"Keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you're up to."

Morning everybody :)

Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?

"Every morning, I get up and look through the 'Forbes' list of the richest people in World. If I'm not there, I go to work."

Morning Everybody :)

When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.

Morning Everybody :)

May those who love us love us,
and those who do not love us,
may God turn their hearts,
and if He cannot turn their hearts
may He turn their ankles
that we may know them by their limping. :)

Morning everybody.....

50 IT ideas to improve your business today, is a collection of Terinea’s best IT advice for small to medium sized business.

1) IT Support Company - Of course we are going to suggest this tip, but we do feel businesses of all sizes will benefit from having a relationship with an IT company. An IT company can point you in the right direction regarding product and services that will enhance your company
2) Wiki - In its simplest form a Wiki is a set of web pages that anyone can edit without any specialised knowledge. They can provide an effective and simple way of organising information between groups of people. If used correctly Wiki’s can become a powerful knowledge base system for your business. You can make your Wiki even easier to use by adding a Word like toolbar.
3) Share Contacts and Calendars - One of Terinea’s favourite finds this year for small businesses is Plaxo. This site allows you to synchronise your computers address book and calendar (Outlook, Thunderbird) with just about everything from your mobile, colleague’s computers and even Apple Mac computers. Alternatively you can share your contacts by exporting them and then importing them into your colleagues.
4) Backup email address - We do this for many of our clients. Register a generic email address as a backup incase the regular company email isn’t available. That way you can continue to email customers until your regular company email is back up and running. If you really want to be smart, we would suggest linking this to Plaxo (see tip 3) so that you also have a copy of your calendar and contacts available. We would suggest looking at creating a Gmail, Hotmail or a Yahoo account.
5) Email on your mobile - You’re never going to write War and Peace on your mobile, but setting up your mobile to receive your latest emails could save you from having to login to your computer to check your emails when you have been away from the office. You don’t need a fancy mobile in order to do this either!
6) Online Backup – An online backup is a great solution for home workers and small businesses. With increased broadband speeds this is also becoming an option for bigger businesses. Generally online backups work as a background program coping documents and files, securing them and then sending them to a backup server. For range of backup solutions see 12 Ways to backup your data.
7) Printer Maintenance - They are hard to fix and surprisingly essential items - it’s always worth taking out a little extra cover. Having a spare printer ready to be used at a moments notice is always a good idea.
8 ) Electronic Faxing – How much paper and ink does your business waste printing out junk faxes? How much does a dedicated telephone line for your fax machine cost you per annum? As an alternative to this then why not consider an online fax to email solution? This way you can view all faxes on your computer screen and decide whether to delete them if they are junk, store them permanently on the PC if you want to keep them and print them out if you need a hard copy. Another benefit is that you can forward them on to other people in the business that might need them.
9) Digital Scanning - Get rid of that old paper work and free up some space around the office - but keep those master CD’s secure.
10) Email Archiving - Can be very useful for tracing communications between your company and your clients. It also helps your staff to find emails relevant to today’s business quicker as otherwise looking through all their old emails could swamp them.
11) PDF File Format - Not everyone has the latest version of Office. PDF format files will allow anyone the ability to read your documents. We would suggest using Foxit PDF reader (A lot faster than Adobe PDF Reader) and Cute PDF writer or PDF Creator to produce PDF documents. Also by turning your Word/Excel documents into a PDF document then you can easily email these documents to your customers in a format that they can view but can’t alter.
12) Password Database - If you have an increasing number of passwords and user names to remember within your business, you should consider a program like KeePass to manage them securely. Use a line from your favourite song or film to create an extremely strong password to protect all your passwords.
13) Company Blog Site - A business blog can increase your web presence, sell indirectly to customers, provide an area for customer feed back, write a press release, profile a new customer, upload photos of a new product, provide advice on your industry area and create and capture an audience. For more advice check out 28 Tips that will improve your business blog.
14) Networked Hard Drive - Documents and files may require to be shared with colleagues and members of staff on your business network. The one issue with this is the need to have the files in a centralised location, i.e on one computer and for that designated computer to be turned on all the time. Alternatively, you can have a dedicated machine (a server) but this can be expensive to buy, time consuming to deal with administration, noise in most cases and increased power consumption. We would therefore recommend a NAS (Network Attached Storage) which is similar to a server but smaller, quieter, easy to setup, cheaper to buy and run.
15) Open Source Software - The term open source is used to describe software that has been developed by the open community, the public. Software developed under an open source licence is free for personal and business use. Over the last five years open source has increased in popularity both in the home and business. You may already be using an open source product on your computer without even realising it.
Some open source products worth checking out are Firefox (A browser like Internet Explorer, but better - Highly Recommended), Open Office (All the programs available within MS Office), 7zip (Winzip), Thunderbird (Outlook),GIMP (Photoshop).
16) Alternative to Microsoft Office - Why spend £300 on Microsoft Office when you can have a similar system for free.Open Office has Word Processor (Word), Spreadsheet (Excel), Presentation (PowerPoint) applications that can even open documents created in Microsoft Office. (Open Source, see above).
17) Instant Messenger (Internet Chat) - The great thing about using instant messenger applications is it fits nicely in between email and voice. If you require an instant response to a question, but don’t have time for general chit chat, then instant messenger is an excellent tool! Skype also comes with this feature along with other services such as MSN and Google Talk etc.
18) Company Email Address - You’d be surprised by the number of companies that still use free email accounts such as Hotmail and Yahoo as their primary company email address. For around £20 per year you could have info@mycompany.co.uk orsales@mybusiness.com or something similar (if you have your own domain then you can have multiple email addresses). Companies with their own domain names are regarded as more professional and stable.
19) Online Web Applications - Instead of installing software on your computer, the software application runs from within the web browser. Your files are saved on the web site providing the service (Although you can import/export documents), meaning you can use any computer anywhere in the world to access them. Google Docs and Zoho are good places to start. They allow you to create Spread Sheets, Documents, Presentations and Calendar functions. Gliffy allows you create diagrams and Imagination Cube provides online collaboration tools.
20) Networked Printer - Allows a printer to be shared easily between multiple computers using a network cable or wireless network. This means your printer can be shared easily between multiple computers without relying on one specific computer being turned on all the time, saving power, processing time on the other computer and hassle when that computer goes wrong.
21) Firefox - Is a open source web browser that has a number of benefits over Microsoft Internet Explorer. One of our favourite features of Firefox is the built in spelt spell checker. Another big advantage of the Firefox web browser is the thousands of additional plug-ins that are available.
22) Two Monitors - Did you know that having dual screens (two flat screens or monitors) can increase you work productivity by 30%? Have Microsoft Outlook open on one screen and an important spreadsheet on the other. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll find that you can’t do without two screens, or even three!
23) A Quality Business Website - The majority of people will look for businesses on the Internet before looking through yellow pages. Today’s generation look for businesses and services using Google and not by flicking through the yellow pages. The potential customer will normally judge the company by first impression’s hence a professional looking website is all important. This is easily achievable and does not have to be expensive. For advice on planning your website see Plan Your Website, Save Money and Time.
24) Free Wireless - More and more places are offering free wireless Internet access. If your home or the office loses Internet connectivity, where could you go if you desperately need the Internet?
25) Social and Group Book-marking - Do you and your co-workers often exchange website links via email? Maybe you don’t share any of your work related website’s? Social Book-marking could give your business a valuable resource that all members of staff can contribute to and use. For more information on this subject see our post Why your business may benefit from social bookmarking.
26) Secondary Internet Connection - If your business depends on the Internet to do business with other branches or customers then a second connection to the internet may give you peace of mind. It could be as simple as your old dial-up Internet service to backup your ADSL or an ADSL connection to backup your cable broadband. You could even combine the two to give you greater bandwidth! Save money by buying retail (home) rather than a business version for your second Internet connection.
27) Internet Telephone Calls (Voice over IP) - If you have more than one office or work closely with other businesses on a daily basis, your business maybe benefit from Voice over IP. This can be achieved by using services likeSkype that allow you to talk using your broadband connection and Internet phone thus saving your telephone bill. Alternatively you can install dedicated hardware and software to integrate with your existing broadband connection and telephone lines.
28) Quality PC Hardware - This is your business, so you don’t want to be using a PC you picked up at a jumble sale, spend a bit extra to get a system that’s going to run with fewer problems. Downtime will cost you money so don’t begrudge spending a reasonable sum of money or something that is going to be used on a daily basis. You’ll find out how important that PC is when it’s not working. Only buy a laptop if you need the mobility. Get a minimum of 1 GB of RAM (2 GB is highly recommend for Windows Vista) and at least an 80 GB hard drive. Processors and their speeds in newer PC’s are nearly all powerful enough for 99 percent of small business needs.
29) Digital Camera - A decent digital camera for your office can be used for photographing company events and posting them to your blog or company web site. Uploading professional looking pictures of your products or producing your own marketing photographs can benefit your website.
30) Live Web Chat - Would you like to chat with your customer when they visit your web site? One of the many companies offering such technology for free is Interaction Chat. No additional software is required on your or your customers PC’s.
31) Social Networks - LinkedIn (15 Million Users) is a business-oriented social networking site that allows you to manage existing and new business contacts. You can also list your business services, search for new staff and have business questions answered. For more information on this subject see:-
- Is Your Business Late Getting Into The Game?
- 10 Steps to becoming Facebook Guru
- Facebook adds new “Pages” feature
- 25 Facebook Desktop and Web Applications
32) Customer Relationship Manager - Do you need to keep in constant contact with your customers? Are there too many post-it notes stuck to your computer screen or task reminders telling you to ring somebody back? The chances are that you need a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application like ACT! (Commercial) or Vtiger (Open Source). These systems can keep track of all previous conversations you, or your colleagues, have had with each customer and when the next contact needs to be made.
33) Online Surveys - Provide your clients (or staff!) with an easy way of providing feedback on your services and products by using an online survey website. A good place to start is Survey Monkey.
34) Backup, Backup, Backup - Okay, we’ve mentioned this one already with online backups, but quite often this task gets pushed to the bottom of the to-do list. You may already have a system in place but when was the last time you checked that your backup’s actually work? Our advice is check it out and make sure it’s working as otherwise there will be tears when you really need it.
- 20 Pointers for planning your backup strategy
35) Disaster Recovery Plan - In the event of a disaster such as a fire or flood, you need a plan to get your business back up and running as soon as possible with little disruption or delay. What are you going to do without your existing computer and how do you get your company data back? Where are you going to operate your business from if your premises are unusable?
36) USB Key - USB keys are a fantastic bit of equipment and not expensive to purchase. The USB key is much quicker to transfer some files from one computer to another than it is to use a CD.
37) Windows Laptop Synchronisation -If you use a laptop out of the office, why not store your files on your office PC and then synchronise your laptop with your office PC whenever it connects to your office network. That way your files are safely backed up on the office PC and available for use on your laptop while out on the road. Any changes you make will synchronise back next time your in the office.
38). Regular PC Maintenance - One of the most often asked IT support question is “My computer is running slow, do I need a new one”. Most of the time you don’t. Your computer just needs a little bit of TLC. Your computer requires a spring clean by uninstalling programs you no longer need, running a disk clean up wizard, cleaning up the Windows registry and also de-fragmenting the hard drive.
- How to speed up your computer - Part One
39) Password Protecting Files - Having a password for accessing your computer doesn’t mean your files are secure. If you have important business information that must be kept secure then your best bet is file encryption. You can use a program called AxCrypt to encrypt any file on your computer. If you’re using Office XP or above you can save documents as encrypted files that require passwords to unlock them.
40) RSI Software - Make sure you and your staff have regular breaks from the computer by using program such as Work Rave.
41) Keyboard Video Mouse Switch (KVM Switch) - If you have more than one computer on your desktop you can save desk space and power with a KVM Switch. This allows you to control two or more computers using only one keyboard, mouse and monitor.
42) Asset Manager - It is important that you keep track of your software licenses used with your business. Some point in the future you maybe audited which can become administrative nightmare.
43) Large Email Attachments - Typical email systems don’t allow large file attachments to be sent. How many times have you had emails bounce back from other people because the attached file was too large. To solve this problem look at services like Sendago that allow you upload the attachment to the internet and then provide you with a unique and secure web address to send the information to the person via email. Another great thing about Sendago is it tells you when someone has downloaded the attachment, great for email marketing.
44) Online Payments - Services like Google Checkout, PayPal and Protx can offer a cheap solution for you to collect credit card payments from your clients and customers.
45) Linux, the free alternative to Microsoft Windows - You could save a considerable amount of money by using the Linux operating system within your business instead of Microsoft Windows. Not sure about switching away from Windows? Then you could try and breathe some life into an old redundant computer by installing Linux which uses a lot less hardware resources than Windows. A great place to start is with Ubuntu Linux.
46) Network Monitoring Systems - Are you running critical applications on your network like email? Do you need to monitor disk usage and your internet connectivity? Do you want to be sure that your anti-virus software is still running? A commercial program that can do all of this could make a large whole in your bank account. But with a program like Nagios, which is Open Source, then you can monitor all of your business critical systems and programs from a single computer at a fraction of the cost.
47) Website Analytics - Is just a fancy name for how many people are visiting your website. Although free services such as Google Analytics provide some really useful information such as, how people found your website, how long they stayed, which country they are from and which pages are the most popular.
48). Desktop Search Engine - Desktop search applications are powerful search tools that index all your documents, emails, pictures, chat history, music and files on your computer. Instead of waiting a couple of minutes for windows to search for a file, the desktop search tool does it in seconds. The latest version of Windows (Vista) has this feature installed by default.
49) Pay per click Website Advertising - Website advertising can be a cost effective way to increase traffic to your website. Your adverts can be activated when keywords relating to your products and services are searched for within the search engine. A good place to start is Google Adwords, Yahoo! Search Marketing and Microsoft adCenter.
50) Computer Safety - To keep your computers safe, there are three areas you need to pay attention to. Only download and install software from recommended sources. Set Windows to download the latest updates from Microsoft. Have an Anti Virus software that encompasses Spyware and Malware protection.
 

I'd like mornings better if they started later....
Morning everybody. Stay safe and happy...:)

10 Principles of Success

How do we define success? Webster's dictionary defines success as " the attainment of wealth, favor , or eminence." I think we would agree that Webster's definition is quite accurate in terms of how we look at people that we perceive to be "successful".
I would like to expand on this thinking with the following 10 Principles of Success
1) Have a Dream- Create a vision for your future, no matter how big or outrageous your dream is.
2) Develop your Action Plan- Goal setting: Organize your thoughts and feelings on paper, when you do that they become more real. Tape these goals to bathroom mirror, or the refrigerator, somewhere you will see them on a daily basis.
3) Control your Focus- In this day and age of "multi-tasking" you may find this principle hard to follow. However, you must remain focused on your goals if you hope to attain success. Don't let yourself get distracted.
4) Seek Guidance- Finding a mentor is of the utmost importance! Find someone you respect and would like to learn from.
5) Practice Self-Discipline- There will be times when you will be tested, you need to stay on target, and re-focus on your goals.
6) Be Aggressive- I don't know of any successful people that sat around and waited for things to just happen! You need to make things happen, take the initiative and Go For it.
7) Believe in Yourself- If you don't who else will? Be confident in your abilities to turn things around when things don't look so good. Your attitude is a little thing that can make a big difference.
8) Be a Pioneer- You will undoubtedly run into people who will tell you "it can't be done" ignore them, if you have an idea that has not been tried before work to make it a reality. Every great achievement was once considered impossible.
9) Learn to Budget- Put your time, energy and money behind your plan, but do not forget to budget time for you family! They are the reason for your success.
10) Love what you Do- No matter what, you must love what you do in order to live a rich, healthy and successful life.

I thank you all for remembering my B'day and extending those lovely wishes. It means a lot to me...Its also a joy to know that I have so many friends who came forward and put a life to my wall....;)

How to Convince People Effectively

The ability make others believe what you believe is important for success in many fields. There is often a fine line between convincing somebody your views are valid and annoying them. In this article we’ll look at some of the techniques you can use if you want to convince another individual to believe what you believe.

 

Steps

 

Do the homework. Make sure you understand your own viewpoint. If you are going to try to convince somebody that the Eiffel Tower is taller than the Statue of Liberty, find out the facts first, don’t make assumptions.

 

Learn the field. For certain areas you will need to know more than just the facts, as some subjects are subjective. For example, if you wanted to convince somebody that the Statue of Liberty was prettier than the Eiffel Tower you will need to know enough about architecture and aesthetics to argue about that subject, as well as the facts, like how tall they are. If you are selling something, like a car, you will need to know all there is to know about the car you are selling. Likewise, you will need to know all about the other cars that are in competition with your vehicle.

 

Engage the person politely. Maintain eye contact where possible, but don’t be annoying about it.

 

Establish mutual respect. You will never convince anybody of anything if they believe you do not respect them, so show the person you respect them and be good enough to gain their respect.

 

Gain trust. To convince people of most things you will need their trust. They don’t have to trust you as a person, but they do need to trust that what you are saying makes sense, that you know your “stuff”. The best way to do this is to do your homework and fieldwork, that way you know a lot about the subject.

 

Listen carefully to what your debate partner has to say. Respond thoughtfully to their point of view.

 

When you can, back up what you say with real facts. Lying will only convince somebody until they find out about the lie, then you will never be able to convince them of anything again.

 

Be willing to be convinced. Sometimes accepting one point from the other person and showing that you can change your mind when you are wrong will help them to be the same, and change their mind about the subject you care about.

 

Practice active listening. Active listening helps you control a conversation and keeps it on track. Active listening techniques include:

 

Non-verbal feedback. Nodding your head as the other talks etc.

 

Paraphrase what the other person has said to make sure you understand it.

 

Make sure you understand the other person’s objections and respond to them in an intelligent manner.

 

Keep vigilant about your belief, but always respectful of the beliefs of others. Explain why your belief is important to you.

 

Understand the other person’s motivations. If you know what another person wants, you are more likely to be able to give it to them.

 

Rephrase your beliefs in a way that the other person is better able to understand.

 

Follow up. Ask questions to make sure the other person understands their new views completely.

 

 

Tips

 

To hold the eye of a crowd select individuals in the crowd and hold their eyes on-and-off through your presentation.

 

Never lose your cool. Nothing lacks conviction more than a raving idiot.

 

Always be friendly and respectful even if the other person does not change their mind.

 

Beliefs fade. You may think you have changed somebodies mind but find that in a day or two, perhaps a week, they are right back to where they were before.

 

Buy and read some books on sales techniques.

Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use... Morning Y'all.. :)

7 Ways to Make Good Impressions

 

Impressions are important: They leave an initial taste in people's mouths that can remain prevalent for the entire relationship. If you are paranoid about what kind of impression you make, run through these seven list items and see if you are consistent with them; if you are, then you will probably expose the best of yourself. If not, then work to meet these standards.

 

1. Dress: The absolute first impression you will make on someone will be through your clothing, because that is what is seen from a distance, and cannot change throughout your meeting. Make sure to dress according to the situation-don' t over or under dress-and maintain within the limits of good taste. If you aren't sure if what you're wearing looks good, ask people for an honest opinion. One last thought: always, and I mean always, pull up your pants
 2. Hygiene: Take a shower! Shave! Brush your teeth! You must be fully bathed and groomed before you meet with someone for the first time, because scruffy looking people generally don't seem as neat and mature. Pay attention to the little elements like breath: keep a pack of mint gum with you wherever you go, and periodically check to make sure you aren't killing bugs every time you breathe out. If you sweat heavily, keep a small stick of deodorant/anti- perspirant close, and if you notice you're stinking you can freshen up. People notice the minutiae!
 3. Manners: At the table and with other people be civilized, polite and respectful: keep your elbows off of the table, open doors for people and address everyone-initially, at least-by their formal title. This will make an especially good impression on senior citizens, because you will prove that you aren't one of those "new fangled punks."
 4. Speech: Have clean, clear diction and speak sans "like" or "you know." It is important to be articulate because that inspires a feeling of intelligence and education in the person you are meeting with. Always leave out profanity, and whatever you do, make sure to speak loud enough for all to hear, because conversationalists are easily agitated if you force them say "excuse me?" more than a few times. 5. Discretion: Choose what to share about yourself: forget to tell everyone about that time you went camping and ruptured your appendix, then fell face first into a pile of bug infested leaves-it is rude and will alienate you from the group. Try to withhold from conversations on personal subjects like religion or more disgusting topics like personal medical care. Before you speak, think about the possible impact of what you might say, then imagine its implications in the long run.
 6. Humor: Humor can be your most powerful tool or your doom, because everyone has a slightly different sense of humor. What might be hilarious to you might seem disgusting to another, or vice versa. Try to withhold from any jokes that aren't family or dinner table friendly; you can tell those later.
 7. Start and End with a Bang: Whoever you are meeting with will remember how you greet them, and then in what manner you left them. If you feel you have trouble with this, practice a few different phrases in the mirror, and introduce elements like: "pleased to meet you," or "honored to make your acquaintance. " Ignore the antiquity of these phrases; it often makes them more memorable.
 Making a good impression will set any relationship off on a good foot. If you are in a situation where you need to be judged at face value-such as a job interview or date-then make sure to go through this list and make sure you are within bounds of reason and good taste on all of your decisions.

I'm trying to read a book on how to relax, but I keep falling asleep. hmmmmm :)

10 Tips To Become A Better Boss

It's pretty hard, says Bernie Erven, to find someone who says, “I've got good employees, but they've got a lousy boss.” More often, says the Ohio State University professor emeritus in employee and labor management, he hears this complaint: “I don't have any problems. It's my employees.” 

The reality, he says, is “You will be about as good a boss as you choose to be.” Your reputation as a boss, and how that reputation influences your relationship with your employees and fellow managers, is the sum of the choices you have made and continue to make. 

“Being a better boss is about you and your standards and your choices. It's not about natural ability.” 

It is, however, all about being willing to change, he adds, because becoming a better boss is no different than becoming better at anything else: You have to work at it and you have to be willing to learn how to do it differently if what you're doing now isn't working to your satisfaction. 

“That's at the heart of being a better boss,” he says. “Can you be a good boss for the next 10 years if you refuse to change? You'll still be on your employees' bad list. Or you won't have any employees at all.” 

Here are 10 areas where supervisors can make choices to help their bottom line: 

1. Welcome change. “Accept the fact that change is difficult. And so, if you're going to be a leader, what does your own attitude about change have to be? Positive”. Say you want to introduce a new procedure. If you want your employees to change, you've got to give them information about the what, the why and the when. “Some of your very best employees might resist change because they aren't yet persuaded that the change is reasonable, is justifiable, and is worth the risk”. That means employees need the information, but also some time to work it through. They need to be able to ask questions. “So if you're going to welcome change and lead change and help people change over time as part of being a good boss, you've got to allow time. It can't be done in a crisis.”
2. Emphasize communication. Supervising employees is about building relationships, Erven says, and you can't relate if you can't communicate. “The most important single skill that can be learned, practiced, improved and evaluated is communication. You've got to make communication your key to building relationships”. The two most important places bosses can improve are in how they send messages and their ability to listen. Some people are readers; some aren't. “So you've got to know the people you're communicating with.”
3. Have clearly understood procedures, policies and rules. “Is it fair to hire someone, not tell them what the job is, and then criticize them for not doing it well? Absolutely not,” Erven says. “Whatever the critical tasks are, teach the procedures. Leaving employees to figure out how to do what they've been hired to do is a sign of poor leadership. Make procedures understandable, practical and simple. Have clear policies and rules to guide and explain the whys.”
4. Show enthusiasm. “How many of you had a high school coach who announced, ‘We're going to lose all our games, but let's practice anyway’? I'm absolutely convinced that enthusiasm is an invaluable personal characteristic for bosses,” Erven says. “I'm talking about having an interest in your job and I'm talking about if sometimes you have to pretend to be enthusiastic until your bad mood passes, do it. Your employees don't want to know your problems. They want you to be enthusiastic.”
5. Be fair. Consistently enforce rules, Erven says, and in all cases avoid bias, dishonesty and injustice. Doing this means you will be accused of being unreasonable at times, because you will make decisions based on careful reasoning, whereas employees often make decisions based on emotion. It's also wise to separate your personal world from your employee-boss world. “Be friendly with all the people you supervise, but be buddy to none of them,” Erven says.
6. Show empathy. Just because you have to make decisions based on clearly defined policies and procedures doesn't mean you shouldn't empathize with your employees. Empathy, Erven says, is understanding the other person's situation. For example, two people are vying for a promotion and you choose Kendra over Kirk. “Who should get the news first? Kirk. Give him the chance to save face with everybody else by giving him the information first, rather than by learning it from Kendra coming away from your talk with a big smile on her face. That's showing empathy.”
7. Display trust. “Believe in your employee's word, their integrity, their strengths, their assurance,” he says. “In other words, be in a position where you can trust the people around you. To have to say to an employee ‘I don't trust you’ is a damaging relationship.”
8. Continue learning. You will never know all you need to know, he says, and there isn't a supervisor out there who is ready to manage a 2012 business. Many bosses have been supervising people for longer than some of their employees have been alive. “And you don't understand them.” But they're your workforce and you've got to continue learning to be an effective boss.
9. Be flexible. “Adjust your leadership style for each person you supervise,” he suggests. “Delegate as much authority and responsibility as you can. That's part of being flexible.”
10. Envision the success you're working to have. What is your vision for your people? What is your vision for your relationship with them? Having that clearly in mind will make it an easier goal to accomplish.

Grade yourself 
Erven suggests supervisors honestly grade themselves on each of these 10 points. “Then ask one of your employees to ask the same thing of everybody you supervise, anonymously. Ask a trusted co-manager or supervisor to give you a grade on each of them.” 

Then look at the results. “If you gave yourself an A on communication and everybody else gave you a C, what's that telling you?” 

Finally, develop a plan for improving your performance on these 10 items. “What will increase your chances of success? Having specific, measurable goals. And what will also increase your success is a coach, mentor, someone around you who helps you be honest with yourself and see the choices.”

Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success. Happy back to work day... :) hahaha

Do you know what is the meaning of EID ?
Eid is the combination of 3 meaningful words

E – Embrace with open heart
I – Inspire with impressive attitude
D – Distribute pleasure to all

Wishing you all a very happy eid.
~Eid Mubarak~

Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.

Morning Y'all.... :)

It's a shame that the only thing a man can do for eight hours a day is work. He can't eat for eight hours; he can't drink for eight hours; he can't make love for eight hours. The only thing a man can do for eight hours is work. hmmmmm

This is one way of explaining inflation;
A man explained inflation to his wife thus:
'When we married, you measured 36-24-36. Now you're 42-42-42. There's more of you, but you are not worth as much.' ......hmmm

Worries are like Moon. one day will increase, one day will decrease, other day may not be seen. So Don't Worry for Anything. Always Be cool. Y'all have Great evening ...:-)

“I am a tiny, neurotic man, standing in the back of the room throwing tomatoes at the chalk board. And that's really it. And what we do is we come in in the morning and we go, "Did you see that thing last night? Aahh!" And then we spend the next 8 or 9 hours trying to take this and make it into something funny.”

Morning Folk's...

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.

Recovering from Fever and cough... go easy on me Y'all...:(

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win-Win or No Deal
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

who believes that nepotism within a company is an asset to that company??

Never blame any day in your life.
Good days give u happiness,
Bad days give u experience.
Worst days give u a lesson.

Have a good morning and great day ahead.

Time flies when you don't know what you're doing.

Anytime there is a struggle between doing what is actually right and doing what seems right, then your ego is interfering with your decision.

Good Morning every body.

If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning

If you can't convince them, confuse them.

"The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause accidents." and I didn't said that...

“There is a theory which states that if ever for any reason anyone discovers what exactly the Universe is for and why it is here it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another that states that this has already happened.”

" Lower your voice and strengthen your argument "
This goes for all the couples out there, trying to break each others head....

Life is full of disappointments, and I'm full of life! hmmmmm :-?

"Have you ever seen a politician talking to a rich person on TV?"

Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hard-working, honest Pakistani's. It's the other two percent that get all the publicity. But then - we elected them

9 promises should be taken before choosing IT field.
1-I have already enjoyed my life in childhood.
2-I love tension.
3-I don't want to spend time with my friends.
4-I love night duties.
5-I love to work on Sundays and holidays.
6-I want to take revenge on myself.
7-I do not want to get married before 30 years of age.
8-I want to study until my death.
And Finally,
9- I do not want hair on my head.

What Is Politics?

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, "What is politics?"

Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way: I'm the breadwinner of the family, so let's call me capitalism. Your Mom, she's the administrator of the money, so we'll call her the Government. We're here to take care of your needs, so we'll call you the people. The nanny, we'll consider her the Working Class. And your baby brother, we'll call him the Future. Now, think about that and see if that makes sense,"

So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what dad had said.

Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parents' room and finds his mother sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed. The next morning, the little boy says to his father, "Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now."

The father says, "Good son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about."

The little boy replies, "Well, while Capitalism is screwing the Working Class, the Government is sound asleep, the People are being ignored and the Future is in deep poo."

The cost of living's going up, and the chance of livin's going down.

“I want to share something with you: The three little sentences that will get you through life. Number 1: Cover for me. Number 2: Oh, good idea, Boss! Number 3: It was like that when I got here.”

Fun Fact:

Women who wink at men are known as " nictitating "
women..hmmmmmm.. thats new !!

Fun Facts :

In the Chinese written language, the ideograph for " Trouble " represents two women under one roof.....

wow thats perfectly understandable...

Fun Fact :

Men's shirt have the buttons on the right, but the women's shirt have the buttons on the left... hmmm... I wonder why ?

Fun Fact :

Men's shirt have the button on the right, while women's shirt have the button on the left...hmmmm.. I wonder why...

FUN FACT :

It has been proven that people can lessen reaction to allergies by laughing. :)

"Freedom comes from being at ease with the certainty of uncertainty."

I am trying to work on this quote.... are you ?

Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms...... so true

I love mankind. It's people I can't stand

Like to know what MoMo is all about ?
http://ping.fm/ONsqx

http://www.google.com/search?
Like to know what MoMo is all about ?

q=Pakistan+Mobile+Sector+Grows+and+Gets+More+International+with+the+Launch+of+MobileMonday+Chapter+in+Karachi&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us%3AIE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGLL_en

Improve staff morale:

Staff turnover costs American companies millions of dollars every year. The cost of lost work days, interviewing candidates, reviewing resumes, checking references, filing paperwork and training the new staff member is much more expensive, in most cases, than creating a work environment where staff members are happy and want to stay. If you’re worried about waning staff morale in your company, here are some things you can do to keep employees happy and productive.
Give bonuses
Even a little bonus can mean a lot. Bonuses improve morale and increase productivity. Explore the possibility of different bonus structures including: holiday bonuses, birthday week bonuses, sales bonuses, hire date anniversary bonuses, and education bonuses.
Plan a staff retreat:
Time to relax and get to know your colleagues in a social environment improves teamwork and again, productivity. However, many people won’t want to spend a weekend away from their families even if you put them up in a nice hotel. Think one-day staff retreats twice a year. Close the office on a work day and spend the day at a spa, golfing, at a theme park, going to dinner and a movie, hiking, kayaking, or at the zoo.
Pay for education:
Most community colleges and computer centers offer relatively inexpensive classes to help people improve computer skills, management and leadership skills, or language skills. If an employee is willing to spend time taking one of these classes, reward him/her by reimbursing part of the tuition or giving them a completion bonus. The desire to increase education and learn new skills is an attribute of a good employee.
Involve their families:
An annual holiday party or summer picnic is a great way to bring employees together along with their families. Even a barbeque at the park with a game of softball or water balloons can be a lot of fun. During the holidays, rent an ice skating rink or get everyone together to volunteer at a soup kitchen.

10 things God won't ask

1-God won't ask what kinda car you drove. He'll ask how many people your drove, who didn't had transportation.

2-God won't ask the square footage of your house, he will ask how many people you welcomed in your house.

3-God won't ask the clothes you have in your closet.He will ask how many you helped to clothe.

4-God won't ask what your highest salary was. He will ask if your compromised your character to obtain it.

5-God won't ask what your job title was, he will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

6-God won't ask how many friends you had. He will ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7-God won't ask in which neighborhood you lived, he will ask how you treated your neighbors.

8-God won't ask the color of your skin, he will ask about the content of your character.

9-God won't ask why it took so long for you to seek salvation. He will lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven and not to the gates of hell.

10-God won't ask how many people whom you have shared this with, he already knows your decision.

The only time a woman really succeeds in changing a man is when he is a baby.

I believe that if you tell your boss what you really think of him, the truth will set you freeeeee.... ;)

God has given us " Real eyes " to " Realize " the "Real lies ".

Think Twice and act Wise...!

Stay blessed.

How To Delegate Work To Others?
Delegating is an essential skill for entrepreneurs and managers. It involves a shift in working with an individual to establish goals, giving them substantial rights and accountability to make decisions and achieve goals.


Delegation happens when a manager allows his assistant to take the initiative to get work done in his absence. If an entrepreneur wants to create a successful business, he/ she must know how much authority should be delegated. The minimum level of delegation of authority to get work done should be to enable the staff to take initiatives and to continue taking care of the daily business in the absence of the manager or entrepreneur.

Not all staff is eligible for work delegation. For instance, you just can’t stand up one day and tell your subordinate to run the show in your absence.

The person to whom you delegate work should be a key member of your organization, a self-driven, strong-willed, individual who can plan, direct and co-ordinate with others for work in your absence.

Delegation of work is a big responsibility; hence the person who is being given the opportunity should be responsible and accountable for the work done. It is best to spell out work responsibilities during the delegation phase. If your business has different departments, each should be coordinated to accommodate the change.

While delegating it is important that you keep control over things at the macro level. Strike a balance between your desire to control things and the manager’s working style. Avoid stifling your staff or losing control over things. When you delegate, you hold the subordinate accountable for his/ her and for other’s actions as well.

If work has been delegated to you, make sure that your manager gives you feedback at regular intervals – daily, weekly, or monthly. Delegation does not only mean control, rather it involves coaching and teaching others the ability to manage work as well as people. For a manager to delegate work, it is crucial to have good communication skills. Lack of communication skills could produce disastrous results for the business.

As a manager who delegates work, it is essential that you keep your mind open about your staff. If any of your staff falls short of your expectations, by being irresponsible in running the show, replace that person. On the other hand, if any of them does a good job, praise, motivate, and increase the self confidence of that person. In short, delegation requires you to:

Know what you want
Express what you want in lucid language
Set expectations
Trust the person whom you choose to delegate work to
Give the person the flexibility to do things his/ her way
Communicate and follow-up
To make delegation of work successful, managers must be given the freedom to do things their way. If you do not stand back and let them work, you will stifle them. Measure the success by the results and the methods through which they were achieved. Just as all five fingers aren’t same, no two people will think or react in the same manner in a situation. Each person brings with him/ her a different working and thinking style. It is important that their style of working and thinking blends with the company’s policy.

Do share your thoughts on the same.

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

Ten Mantras for a Tranquil Mind

Many people feel unhappy, healthwise and securitywise, after reaching 60 years of age, owing to the diminishing importence given to them and their opinions. But it need not be so, if only one understands the basic principles of life and follows them scrupulously.
Hear are ten mantras to age gracefully and make life after retirement pleasant.
01. NEVER SAY ‘I AM AGED’ !
There are three ages, chronological, biological and psychological. The first is calculated based on your date of birth. The second is determined by your health conditions and the third depends on how old you feel you are. While we don’t have control over the first, we can take care of our health with good diet, exercise and a cheerful attitude. A positive attitude and optimistic thinking can reverse the third age.
02. HEALTH IS WEALTH
If you really love your kith and kin, taking care of your health should be your priority. Thus, you will not be a burden to them. Have an annual health check-up and take the prescribed medicines regularly. Do also take health insurance cover.
03. MONEY IS IMPORTANT
Money is essential for meeting the basic necessities of life, keeping good health and earning family respect and security. Don’t spend beyond your means even for your children. You have lived for them all through and it is time you enjoyed a harmonious life with your spouse. If your children are grateful and they take care of you, you are blessed. But never take it for granted.
04. RELAXATION AND RECREATION
The most relaxing and recreating forces are a healthy religious attitude, good sleep, music and laughter. Have faith in God, learn to sleep well, love good music and see the funny side of life.
05. TIME IS PRECIOUS
It is almost like holding a horse’s reins. When the reins are in your hands, you can control the horse. Imagine that everyday you are born again. Yesterday is a cancelled cheque. Tomarrow is a promissory note. Today is ready cash-use it profitably.
06. CHANGE IS THE ONLY PERMANENT THING
We should accept change, as it is inevitable.The only way to make sense out of change is to join in the dance. Change has brought about many pleasant things. We should be happy that our children are blessed.
07. ENLIGHTENED SELFISHNESS
All of us are basically selfish. Whatever we do,we expect something in return. We should definitely be grateful to those who stood by us. But our focus should be on the internal satisfaction and happiness we drive by doing good to others, without expecting anything in return.
08. FORGET AND FORGIVE
Don’t be bothered too much about others mistakes. We are not spritual enough to show our other cheek when we are slapped in one. But for the sake of our own health and happiness, let us forgive and forget them. Otherwise,we will be only increasing our BP.
09. EVERYTHING HAS A PURPOSE
Take life as it comes. Accept yourself as you are and also accept others for what they are. Everybody is unique and right in his own way.
10. OVERCOME THE FEAR OF DEATH
We all know that one day we have to leave this world. Still we are afraid of death. We think that our spouse and children will be unable to withstand our loss. But the truth is no one is going to die for you. They may be depressed for sometime. But Time heals everything and they will carry on.

It's better to keep goals secret. Evidence shows that people who talk about their ambitions are less likely to achieve them..... I think its true.... what do you all have to say about it ??

Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.

Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.

" Always bet on yourself, no matter what the odds are. It means more to be in the race than watching the victory lap from the stands."

Five Tips to Choosing the Right Laptop Or Notebook Computer

Whether looking for cheap laptops or a nice HP notebook, knowing what to look for in a computer makes the purchase more smooth and satisfying.

With gigabytes, wireless connections and multimedia setups, choosing the right notebook computer from among the sea of cheap laptops often seems like a daunting task for consumers who aren’t tech savvy.

Is there a difference between an HP notebook and a Toshiba laptop? Are cheap laptops a good way of saving money or is it worthwhile to spend the money on an expensive one? What kind of performance should be expected from a modern laptop?

There are so many questions. The easiest way to ensure the right laptop is purchased is to look at these Top 5 tips.

Go with a name brand: Toshiba, Dell, Sony and HP notebook computers are all well established names. There is a reason. They’ve all been around for more than a decade and have demonstrated they produce quality products. If the goal is to upgrade a current laptop, there is nothing wrong with brand loyalty. If an HP notebook computer satisfied earlier needs, it will probably be good again. Cheap laptops may save money initially, but they are more likely to break or die early.

Cheap isn’t always bad: Consider what the laptop will be used for. Many people don’t need full-blown multimedia notebook machines with all the latest technology. Those who are looking for cheap laptops that will only really be used for writing, emailing and surfing the internet are finding that basic a notebook computer fulfills those needs at a greatly reduced price. They also tend to be significantly smaller, making travelling easier. Just make sure they have the ability to plug in accessories.

Check for expandability: While this advice is truly important for a notebook computer, it holds for all laptops. Look for at least two USB ports, which allow accessories like a mouse, storage device or video camera to be connected to the unit. A slot for memory cards is incredibly useful, especially when transferring photos, and a firewire port is also good to have.

Try the keyboard: Some keyboards have a great feel, while others can make typing difficult. Pay special attention to the spacing and responsiveness of the keys. Most people who’ve used laptops grow accustomed to the feel of a particular manufacturer’s keyboard. This is another example of why replacing an HP notebook with another HP notebook can work well.

Check the standard features: Cheap laptops might not contain some of the devices that most would believe come standard. DVD burners are important for watching movies or transferring data. Internal wireless modems are almost a must for those who do a lot of work on the internet. Just because one laptop offers an item, doesn’t mean all do.

These five tips should provide a good starting point when deciding which laptop or notebook computer to buy. There are, of course, other factors like processor speed and screen resolution that can be considered, but the advice on such features is simple: get the best that can be afforded. Technology tends to advance quickly, so better speed initially will allow the computer to stay current longer.

Whether buying cheap laptops or top-of-the line multimedia machines, following the above tips should help ensure the unit best fits the needs its user.