Searching Online

I've been a user of Google for a long time, like most people. But let me take a minute to review some other good search engines.

Yahoo - I think Yahoo's results are good - maybe as good as Google. They used to not be as good but I think they have improved things. Try switching your browser to use Yahoo for a week and see what you think.

Ask.com - I like their advanced features, very nice. I don't think their results are the best but they're ok. Try them out once in a while.

Bing - The new one. It's good. It's the new, rebranded search engine provided by Microsoft and it's better than what they used to have out there (live.com). I think they figured that if they are to re-do things, it better be darn good and that's what they've done. They have advanced search features - maybe more than Ask.com and Google. So I think some other search engines are now playing "catch-up" to meet some of the features of Bing.com.


So when you're looking for things on the Web, try some different search engines once in a while and change things up. See what you like the best.

Should You Wall Mount Your TV or Get an Entertainment Center?

That's the question that I'm facing right now. I have a 40" Samsung LCD TV sitting on a TV stand right now. I'm running out of room inside the TV stand, so I want to maybe either mount the TV to the wall or get an entertainment center.

With wall mounting, you get the TV at the great viewing angle so that you're not straining your neck when laying on the couch. That would be really nice and probably save my neck since it's nice to do that. I can also hide the cables and I think wall mounting my TV would make the living room look really nice, uncluttered and even free up some floor space.

If you have pets or kids, wall mounting the LCD or flat screen TV is probably a good choice because it puts your expensive electronic components out of reach.

Find out more about wall mounting your TV.

Top Local Search Keywords

I just ran the stats for the top local search categories for MadisonClick.com and the list is pretty interesting:

• Top 30 Directory Categories

There were increases in a few categories like:

• Madison Jobs
• Madison Bars / Clubs
• Madison Day Care
  

What's popular locally is a good indicator of the economy and what people are looking for, so take a look and leave a comment about what you think.

-Tony

Are Payday Loans Bad?

You hear about these payday loan companies and sometimes they get some bad press. They seem to get accused of charging interest that's too high or that they prey or take advantage or people that have a low income. Here are some thoughts:

• Having high interest can help deter people from using their service. Getting these loans all the time is not a cycle you want to get stuck in.
• Payday loan companies are taking a huge risk. They give away these loans usually without collateral, so it's very possible that they might not ever get paid for the loan. I'm sure this happens, so the higher interest pays for the other people using the loan service where they've lost money.
• These companies also need to pay their employees and have money available, so the interest pays for that. They're not setting up a 5 year car loan or a 30 year mortgage. These short loans have some service costs and they can't make that up in the long term.
• Often the people using these paycheck advance loans are missing payments with their creditors and could have lots of late fees adding up. So the higher interest of a payday loan is often less than these late fees and if people use a payday loan, they can make these other payments and have less bad marks on their credit. Less stress, too.

There is a need for these short-term loans and with the risk that the lender is taking, the higher interest makes a lot of sense.

Find out when are the best times to get a payday loan.

What is "bodyweight training"?

Good question - we're glad we asked!

Bodyweight training is when you use your own body's weight with or without added resistance to an exercise to build functional strength — the kind of strength you can actually use: like shoveling snow and cleaning the house.

You don't need equipment - so no treadmills, no complicated machines with pulleys, chains or electrical plugs. You're using the weight in your own body... some of us have more weight to use than others. :-) So you're training with nothing more than just your own body weight.

Find out more about how to workout with no machines, no mirrors and no egos. Everybody should be in shape and you shouldn't just be concentrating on one or two specific muscles but instead gain strength in the muscles and supporting muscles that you naturally use. Find out more about bodyweight training at the Monkey Bar Gym.

-Tony

Email Logos

Get your company logo at the bottom of every email you send out with a link to your company. Get more than just an email signature that's boring - spice it up! Make it an animated email logo to draw more attention to it or link to products or services on your website that you want to promote.

Everyone in your company sends out hundreds if not thousands of emails every day. If you're not promoting your website in those emails, you're missing out. Emails are direct marketing. Increase your website traffic and increase sales.

Order it today and it's done in about 48 hours. You get all the files plus instructions on how to add the logo to every email that you send out. Find out more about email logos.

Baltimore Vintage Properties Website

This website would be pretty useful for those who wish to purchase, sell or lease a vintage home in Baltimore, Maryland. These vintage properties are beautifully renovated and then leased out or sold. In the case of those who wish to sell their vintage home, the website ensures help in completing a quick sale.
Added to the 'usefulness' of the website is the beautiful design and the easy navigation. The pleasant color combination also gives the website a clean look.

Check out the website at http://www.baltimorevintageproperties.com/

Tweets About the Swine Flu

Hey, this site's pretty cool. See what people are saying on Twitter about the Swine Flu. It's pretty interesting. You get ground level reports from people using Twitter on their cell phones / mobile phones about infections in certain counties around the US. You can also get people's opinions on the Swine Flu and see the funny things (even jokes) that people are saying.

Again, it's pretty interesting - give it a try. The page reloads every 2 minutes and also contains links and resources to Swine Flu websites and information.

Website Maintenance

Oh, it's the worst thing. We hear it all the time. People wait for days, weeks or even months for their webmaster to update their website. They just need a few simple paragraphs changed or they need the staff list updated and it takes weeks.

Or you see sites that you know are just out of date. Their copyright date at the bottom of every page is from 2 years ago.

It should be easier, right? Give your work to a company, they give you a quote back, it's good, they do the work, your website is updated... done! Simple, right?

Well, it is that simple. There's a service coming out in May 2009 that does just this. It's all done online and your website is updated in 48 hours or less... usually less. It's from a company that's been doing it for years, so they know what they're doing and they do it right. There's no lengthy explanations involved - just list the page's address (URL) and say what you want done. Simple.

Check it out: 24/7 Website Maintenance

-TC

Website Reviews

Hello Everyone!

Here we will be reviewing new websites that we find. We'll give you the web address along with a short description and what we like about the website. Feel free to bookmark them and pass them along to your friends and family.

You'll see posts here weekly along with screen shots of home pages. We hope to highlight great website design and websites that use a CMS (Content Management System).

That's it for now. Please stay tuned!