Apple- one day an apple, keep the doctor away

Designing Your Email Template: 5 Keys to Keep in Mind

2010-06-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

Designing Your Email Template

5 Keys to Keep in Mind

In This Article…

If you’re considering implementing an email marketing program but don’t know where to start with your html email template design, or if you’re currently emailing but feel you’re not getting the results you want, Comm100 explains in this article five key points for optimizing the design of your html email template.

Email Template Design: Not as Simple as it Sounds

There’s a lot of misinformation out in the world about the best way to design an email template. If you’re using a third-party email service that provides templates, that’s a great starting point. However, for reasons of both branding and for those of you not sending your html email through a third-party provider, designing an html email template can come with some unique challenges. While Comm100 can’t guide you step by step through every inch of your template, Comm100 can give you a list of five key things to make sure are happening in your html email template.

1. Design for a Horizontal Preview Pane

The reality is that most people are going to view your email in a horizontal preview pane, either in Outlook, Hotmail or Yahoo! According to a study by MicroMass Communications, the average size of that horizontal preview pane will be 638×86 pixels.

Yes, you read that correctly. Most people won’t even see the first 100 pixels of your email.

What this means is that your template should not be more than 638 pixels wide (Comm100 usually recommends that you stick to 600 pixels) and that you need to make sure that you’ve got value propositions and calls to action within the first 100 pixels. This means that you may want to revisit that nice header graphic. It also means that, if you’re using that header graphic, you’d better make sure it has effective Alt and Title text layered behind it.

You may actually want to take a screen shot of your Outlook inbox and layer your email in on top of it in Photoshop to see how it presents! But any way you break it down, you need to assume that you have 600×100 pixels or less to convince a user to keep reading your email.

2. Maximize with Two Columns

It’s unlikely that, in the average of 54 seconds somebody is taking to look at your email, they will scroll very far down. One way to maximize the amount of information (and links) that they see is to use a two column format. Comm100 recommends a 200 pixel side column and a 400 pixel main column. The side column will allow you to provide smaller segments of information and navigational links. The larger column will be where the main content of your email lives.

There’s some debate about where the side column should live in terms of the right or left side of the email template. Comm100 thinks that the left side is a better optimization, because no matter how narrow the preview pane your user is using (unless they are viewing in a very small, vertical preview pane, which is unlikely), with a left side 200 pixel column and the larger 400 pixel column on the right side, they will be exposed to the content in both columns.

However, if your table building and html is not extremely clean, the left hand column can create viewing problems and push the right hand column out of the screen. Placing the smaller column on the right ensures that your main column and content will always be seen.

Try both, and test them into various email clients to see!

3. Define Images and Links!
Another thing that you’ll need to remember is that email clients are far less forgiving than a web browser with html. Therefore, you need to be extra careful with how your developer or coder makes your html email template.

The size of every image needs to be defined. This means that in the html code, the image reference needs to say what the width and height of the image is. Otherwise, you could see your layout break. And as we discussed in the article about images, make sure you’re using Alt and Title tags.

Also, links need to be “absolute” rather than “relative”. Chances are that on your website, you use relative links. This means that you don’t always have the full url of the link in the html code. But in an html email template, you’ll need to use the full url.

4. We Know It Sounds like a Broken Record, But Limit Your Use of Images

This one is so important that Comm100 wrote an entire article about it! So Comm100 won’t go into it in great detail here, but it is one of the most important things that you need to remember when designing an email template. Keep the use of images to a minimum and use html and formatted text to convey your message.

Images look great, it’s true, but they can cause many problems with your email marketing campaign’s performance.

5. Keep Things Short and Simple

It doesn’t matter how great your content is, people are not going to read your email! They’re going to scan it, and they’re going to scan it in under a minute. Instead of providing them with large chunks of content, design your email template to include large headlines and then shorter sections of content that link to your website or destination page.

Using bulleted lists can also help you with this. The key is to not overwhelm people with too much text or to create an email template where people are required to read in large chunks in order to get the point that you’re conveying.

There’s value in your content, it’s true. But an email is not a web page, and how people behave in their inbox is different than how they behave, say, on a blog. Keep your content short, sweet, to the point and use it to drive clicks rather than provide information.

Bonus! HTML Tips!

Also remember that email clients are picky about how they read html. Here are some tips for coding your html email template in a way that will resolve well in most email clients.

•Use HTML tables to control the design layout. Do NOT use pure CSS layouts: that just hold up in an email environment
•Use inline CSS to control other presentation elements
•CSS style declarations must appear below the body tag
•Do NOT use CSS shorthand: instead of using the abbreviated style rule font: 12px/16px Arial, Helvetica, break this shorthand into its individual properties: font-family, font-size, and line-height.
•Use spans and divs VERY sparingly to achieve specific effects, use HTML tables do the bulk of the layout work.
Designing an html email template can be a challenge, but the good news is that once you have one that you like and that delivers consistently to the inbox, you can reuse it over and over again. Take the time to design an appropriate template the first time, and you’ll experience the benefits with all future sends!

The first step to getting started with email marketing, whether you’re designing an email template for the first time or working to optimize an existing one, is to select a quality email sending partner. Comm100, who provided you with this complimentary summary, offers a completely free, hosted email marketing and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off of the ground to just about any type of customer or client email list! Check it out at: http://www.comm100.com/emailmarketingnewsletter/.

Open Rate Woes: Why Not to be Fooled by Low Open Rate Numbers

2010-05-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

Open Rate Woes
Why not to be Fooled by Low Open Rate Numbers

In This Article…

If you’ve implemented an email marketing program but aren’t satisfied with or are confused by low open rate numbers, Comm100 explains in this article why traditional open rate metrics don’t tell the true number of people who opened your email. Comm100 then explores how to use open rate numbers to improve your campaign’s performance even if the open rate itself isn’t completely accurate.

What is Open Rate and Why is It Important?

Open rate is the number of people (in percentage form) who opened and looked at an email. It is considered to be one of the most important performance metrics of email marketing because it ultimately tells you how much your audience cared about your email and how many people looked at it. You’ll see many statistics about what your open rate should be. Often, what you’ll be told is that, for an opt-in house list, your open rate should be approximately 20%. And that’s great, if your open rate is being tracked reliably. Unfortunately, it’s less and less possible to track open rates correctly, and, increasingly, the metric needs to be used in a relative term. Let’s first discuss why open rate metrics aren’t reliable any more and then discuss how you can make open rate useful to you as a metric.

The Imperfect Nature of the Open Rate

To understand why an open rate is an unreliable way to track email performance, you need to understand how an open rate is tracked. A small one pixel by one pixel graphic is inserted into the email that you send. Then, each time the pixel is loaded, the email registers as having been opened. In some advanced cases, the pixel is tied to the recipient and is only counted once. But the point is that the graphic needs to load in order for the email to get counted as having been opened. There are three problems with this tracking method.

The first problem is that for the open to register, your user must have the graphics loaded in the email. As Comm100 has previously discussed, many email providers and users never load the graphics in an email. Without the graphics loaded, it’s entirely possible that your email has been read but that the open or reading of the email has never been registered.

The second problem is users who choose to receive their email in a text only format. These users will read your email, but because the version of the email that they are reading doesn’t include any html, it also doesn’t include any images. Again, the opening of the email is never recorded.

Finally, and increasingly, the number of users who read their email on a mobile phone will only see the text version of your email. And, of course, seeing only the text version means not having an image, thus not having a pixel graphic, and thus not having an open recorded even if they do read.

It’s a generally accepted metric in the email marketing world that open rate reporting can be off from anywhere from 11% to 35%. That’s a lot! So while it may look like nobody is opening your email, it could actually be true that your email is doing quite well.

Three Ways to Make Open Rate a Relevant Metric for You

Once you accept that your open rate really isn’t your open rate, there are some ways to make the metric useful to you regardless.

Extrapolate the Real Success by Comparing to Better Metrics: Open rate is not a variable metric these days. However, click-through rates and (if your tracking is set up correctly) conversions to sales or sign-ups are hard numbers, which means that you do know how successful your email was by looking at them. You can work backwards from those metrics. Find your most successful emails in terms of click-through and conversions and then see what the open rate was on those emails. You’ll be able to then target what a good “relative” open rate for your email program is. It’s not a perfect number because factors like offer and creative assist with the click-through once an email is opened, but it can give you an idea of what to aim for.

Make the Open Rate Relative to Other Email Sends: You may not know what your true open rate is, but you know what the relative open rate between emails that you’ve sent is. If you sent an email on the first Friday of the month that got a 25% open rate and an email on the second Friday of the month that got a 10% open rate, then something that you did in the first email send was better. It may have been the offer, the subject line, the time of day or even just that people have more money at the beginning of the month. Whatever it was, you know that your open rate for that email was a better performance, and you should repeat what you did there in other opportunities to improve your overall open rate moving forward.

Use A/B Testing: It’s true that not everybody loves setting up a complicated A/B test, but with email it’s fairly easy to just split your list in half and send two different emails to see which one performs better. Comm100 certainly suggests, at a minimum, sending two different subject lines to learn which one will perform better to generate opens. Doing an A/B email test with two factors and then seeing which one fared better in opens can draw value from the open rate metric by showing you which strategy will work better in future emails.

It’s not as though email open rates are an entirely useless statistic or metric. However, they’re not used the same way that they used to be because they don’t log numbers that are reliable any more. Knowing how what you’ve done with your email has impacted its success or failure is the only way to make your email campaigns better. Use open rate metrics in comparison or as relative numbers to improve your campaign, but don’t be discouraged if your email tracking software says that your open rates are very low percentages! It’s likely that they aren’t as bad as it seems.

Whether you’ve mastered the open rate metric or are still trying to figure it out, the first step to a successful email marketing campaign is selecting an email provider who meets your needs. Comm100, who provided you with this complimentary tutorial on open rate metrics, offers a completely free, hosted email marketing and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off of the ground! Check it out at: http://www.comm100.com/emailmarketingnewsletter/.

Keep ‘em Clicking: Seven Tips to Improve Click-Through Rates

2010-05-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Keep ‘em Clicking
Seven Tips to Improve Click-Through Rates

In This Article…

If you’ve been sending marketing email already but aren’t satisfied with your click-through rate, or if you’re designing your first html email template and want to make sure that it’s optimized for the best possible click-through results, this article covers seven best practices for getting the most click-through response from your email sends.

Why is Click-Through Important?

You’ve mastered getting your email into the inbox, and you’ve found subject lines and an email list that will respond to and open your emails. Congratulations! You’ve made great progress. What’s the next step? It’s to get the people who have opened your email to actually click-through your email to your product. After all, the entire purpose of your email is to drive traffic to your website or landing page.

You’d be surprised how a few small changes can really optimize the click-through rate to your website. Here, Comm100 will break down the lucky seven things that you can do to help ensure that your click-through rate is just about as good as it possibly could be.

1. Make Sure that Your Links Look Like Links

It’s very easy to begin to think that your links should look neat and stylized, especially if you have a tightly controlled brand style on your website. However, your links will get clicked the most if they look like links and people can easily identify them as links. At a minimum, every link in your email should be underlined, like a standard link, so that it is easily identifiable to the user visually as a link. Though it may be outside of the scope of your brand guidelines, consider making the links in your email the standard blue link color. What’s the reason for this? Some emails will strip out your style scripts anyway. Making your links standard blue will make them obvious links to users in any context.

2. Make Sure There is a Link Above the Fold

This is the same rule as applies with landing pages. In the case of an email, however, “Above the Fold” actually means within the first inch and a half of the email. Over half of all people who read (or just scan) your email will do so in a horizontally-oriented email preview pane. That means that you have less than two inches of space to convince them to click something. If you fill up the top inch and a half or two inches of your email with an image and text and no obvious links, you may miss your entire opportunity to get a user to click through to your website or landing page. Even if it means less use of image and a harder selling text style, make sure you get at least one obvious link in the top inch and a half of your email. Otherwise, many users will never even see a link to click!

3. Don’t Trap Links in Images

Comm100 has talked previously about how using images to convey important messages in email means that many of your readers will never see the message that you want to convey. This rule applies to “click-through buttons” as well. It’s true that, in a normal web environment, using a graphic button to tell somebody to “enter” or “click” or “submit: is the most effective way to get a response. This is not true in email. If you use a graphic button, half of your users will only see the button’s alt or title text. Alt and title text is not as compelling as a large font, brightly colored text link. Instead of graphic buttons, use either large font text links or create an html button. A good coder can create an html button that is both visually appealing and always visible in your email (whereas a graphic won’t be!).

4. TELL People to Click

Comm100 has already talked about making sure that your links are not too visually subtle, but this is true for the text you choose to use around your links as well. Again, this isn’t a webpage and you have limited time to get somebody to click. So, rather than using subtle text strings, make sure you are using call to action and order text such as “Click here to…” or “Click this link.” The one thing that you want to be careful of is that you don’t do this too much, because spam filters don’t like emails that have dozens of large, bolded, “click here” links. But you want at least a couple of links that obviously tell your users where and what to click.

5. Use Alt and Title Text Effectively

Just in case you’ve had a brain freeze moment, alt and title text are the text snippets that appear underneath images and that are seen either when the image doesn’t load or when a user holds their mouse over the image. You should use both alt and title text fields since different browsers read them differently. The important part of what Comm100 just said that you need to remember is that alt and title tags appear when images don’t load! So not only should those text fields repeat any messages in those images, but they should also be used to also say “Click here for this offer” or “Click for more information.” Every alt or title text field is an opportunity to encourage a click-through.

6. Use LOTS of Links

There is also just a piece of simple math that goes into optimizing your click-through rate. It goes like this: The more opportunities that you give users to click, the more likely that they are to click. If a user has to read through several paragraphs of text to get to a link, they may not get that far. Or they may not care by the time they get to the link. Every text block that you include in an email should include one link. And every image should be a link. It’s just math! More links means more opportunities for a user to click, which means more click-throughs.

7. Double Check Your Text Version

Remember that you should always be sending a corresponding text version with your html email. And remember that that text version will wipe out all of your html links. Make sure that you go through your text version and manually put in the url that users need to visit. It should sound like this “Visit this url (insert full url) to see this product.” If your url is very long and complicated, you may want to consider setting up a shorter url and then redirecting it to the more complicated url after a user types it in.

Those seven tips will, without fail, improve your click-through rate. Just be sure to check your email in a pre-send spam rater to make sure that you haven’t gone overboard with any of these techniques. It’s true that in some cases your email won’t look as pretty when you’re following these rules, but Comm100 can assure you that, from a click-through perspective, it will perform better!

Even before you get ready to optimize your click-through rate, the first step in generating a successful email campaign is to choose an email provider who meets your needs. Comm100, who provided you with this complimentary summary of click-through optimization tips, offers a completely free, hosted email marketing and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off of the ground and then testing ways to improve your click-through rate! Check it out at: http://www.comm100.com/emailmarketingnewsletter/.

Timing is Everything: What is the Best Day of the Week to Send an Email to Your Customers?

2010-05-25T01:31:00.000-07:00

In This Article…

If you’ve implemented an email marketing program and want to optimize how many people open and click-through your email, knowing what day of the week and at what time of day to send your email is a key element to improving metrics. Sending on the wrong day can impact your email performance negatively. In this article Comm100 will explain when the best days are to send email and what the best time of day to send is.

Is Timing Really Important?

If only sending a successful email campaign were as simple as putting together a compelling offer, a great creative, an enticing subject line and sending your message. But it’s not! In the quest to get your users to open an email, the day and time that you send an email is also incredibly important. Continue reading to find out when is best for you to send.

The Open Rate Tail: Don’t Send Day-Of Emails

The first thing that you need to know is that, while a large portion of your recipients are going to open your email the day that they receive it, not all of them will. As people visit their inboxes less frequently during the day and instead hit social networks, the number of days it takes between sending an email and a user reading it has grown. It used to be a commonly accepted metric that a marketing email or newsletters had a three day “open tail”. These days, most people allow up to five days for stragglers to open emails.

This is important to you if you send emails that relate to specific events. For example, an email about a prediction on a sports event or last minute tickets to a concert. Sending the email the day of the event means that, by the time a significant portion of your audience reads the email, the event will be over. At a minimum, send your email three days before the target event. If you want to be extra safe, increase that to five days.

What Time Is It?

It’s not between 8:00am and 9:00am EST if you’re an email marketer! According to a Pivotal Veracity study, early morning email delivery has the lowest open rates. This makes sense since the first time most people check their email is when they arrive at work, and the common habit is to delete anything unimportant in order to reduce clutter before the day starts.

If you’re emailing in North America, the vast majority of the population leaves in the Eastern Standard time zone. Subsequently, it’s best to focus your email send time on hitting that particular time zone (unless you have the capability to segment your list by geographic location and send in staggered sends).

While metrics are different for everybody, as a general rule, the best open rates tend to be seen in emails that are sent around lunch time (noon or 1:00pm) EST. This also makes logical sense as people tend to relax a bit with their inboxes at lunch.

The Day Dilemma

There are a few fast and easy rules about the best days to send. But as Comm100 will discuss at the conclusion of this article, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t test to find out if they hold true for you.

Monday Blues: Monday’s are considered the worst day to send mass email if open rate is important to you (and, of course, open rate is important to you). The logic, again, involves the theory that most people spend most of their inbox time at work. When you come into work on a Monday, you instantly start deleting anything that seems like junk or unimportant email so that your inbox isn’t as overwhelming to you. This theory has been backed up by numbers in many email marketing studies. Unless your users have proven to exhibit a different pattern or you have a compelling reason to send on Monday, avoid Monday sends!

Weekend Warriors: It’s also a fact that internet activity in general reduces on weekends. This may be because people spend more time with their families, get outdoors more or are just burnt out from all their enforced online time during the week. Almost every online metric category slips on the weekends, and that includes email opens. Avoid big weekend blasts.

Midweek is the Best Week: Most studies support that sending email on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday will yield the best results. So, if you boil it down, you want to send your email campaign on a midweek day in the afternoon.

Rules Are Meant to Be Broken: Make Sure These Hold True for You

Despite all of the rules above, the number one rule of email marketing is “Test. Then test again.” Your particular user base may respond very well to Monday or weekend emails. Maybe you have a lot of mothers who are up early and online, opening emails. The only way to know for sure is to test various send times and establish the best practices for your own list. Even within your list, different list segments may respond in different ways.

If you follow the “Midweek, Midday” rule, you will certainly get decent response rates. Then you can build on that by running some tests to figure out if there may be a more optimized time to send to your email list! Just be sure you remember to keep track of what you sent when!

No matter what day of the week works best for you, the first step in creating a successful email campaign is to select an email partner that meets your needs. Comm100, who provided you with this complimentary summary email sending best practices, offers a completely free, hosted email marketing and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off of the ground whether you’re practicing the “Midweek, Midday” rule or trying to tempt weekend email warriors! Check it out at http://www.comm100.com/emailmarketingnewsletter/.

Is Email Right for My Product: What Types of Consumers Respond Best to Email Marketing?

2010-05-24T02:40:00.000-07:00

Is Email Right for my Product?
What types of consumers respond best to email marketing?

In This Article…

If you’re considering implementing an email marketing program but aren’t sure if it’s really worth the time or effort, Comm100 helps you explore whether your product, website or demographic is ideally suited for email marketing in this article. Comm100 then gives advice on how to find the right email message for your market.

Is Email Right for Everybody?

As you’re evaluating whether or not to launch an email marketing element to your business, you may be wondering if your product, customer base or industry segment is the type that will be responsive to email marketing.

The short answer is that every consumer will respond to the right email message, but, if you’re thinking that certain types of segments perform better, then you’re right.

Without a doubt, the hospitality and travel industry and the entertainment industry receive the highest delivery, open and click-through rates of any industries, according to the Harte-Hanks Postfuture Index. For all industries combined, the average open rate to an opt-in list is above 20% and click-through rates are 5% or more. What this shows is that, across all industries, users will respond to email marketing. However, there are some factors that you should keep in mind.

Is Your Demographic an Online Demographic?

One of the largest factors in determining how responsive your user list will be to email marketing is simply this: “How prevalent is it to purchase your product or service online versus going to a brick and mortar location?” While both types of consumers respond to email marketing, they respond in different ways and to different techniques.

If your product or service is primarily online and consumers typically purchase or research it online, then email marketing is a natural and somewhat easier fit for you. Travel services are an excellent example of this. By far, the majority of travel purchases made each year are made online. This is one of the reasons that the travel and tourism industry’s email marketing campaigns perform as well as they do. People operate in a primarily online environment for that sector. However, in order to make email marketing relevant even if your product or service is primarily an online product or service, you’ll still need to follow a few key steps.

Keep Offers and Content Fresh: Just because a person purchases your product or service online, it doesn’t mean that they want to be told every week about the quality of your brand and your top selling product. If they think that they’re reading the same content every time you send an email, they’ll stop opening!

Link Directly to Product Pages: Promoting a product and then linking to your homepage from the email just leaves users having to search through your site and often giving up on ever finding the product that they wanted to begin with. Link straight through to the product page for the specific item that you’re talking about.

Personalize and Segment: Inboxes are crowded places these days, and people spend less time in them. Use personalization in your emails and segment your list based on user behavior.

What if my product or service is primarily purchased offline?

You’re still safe to use email marketing! You just need to structure it differently. A great example of this is the clothing industry. People often prefer to purchase clothing in stores so that they can try it on. But you can still incentivize them to be interested in your email in several ways.

If you have a brick and mortar store, send them to it! Include printable coupons for your brick and mortar locations within the email. Make sure you mention those coupons in the subject line to increase your click-through rate.

If you’re online and offline, promote the benefits and offers: Even if something is primarily purchased in stores, there are benefits to purchasing it online (convenience, uniqueness) that you can promote. Also, offers are even more important here.

Purchasers of products that are often purchased offline will be receptive to email if there’s something in the email that they truly want. Just be sure and provide that to them!

Is this all true for B2B as well?

It is, though be aware that B2B email is much more difficult and you should expect slightly lower open and click-through rates. Business decision makers have more crowded inboxes than an average consumer. Additionally, they spend time in their inboxes (or at least the inbox of the email address that you’re likely to have) differently than regular consumers. A B2C consumer is in his or her inbox during leisure time, often looking for activities to create interest. A B2B consumer is in his or her inbox during work hours, usually conducting business, and must be even more incentivized to open your email in the rush of other activities.

B2B email marketing obviously works as it’s the staple of many a marketing campaign, but you’ll need to be even more diligent about subject lines, content and standing out as something exciting.

There’s an email solution that will appeal to just about any type of customer in any type of demographic. You just need to be dedicated to taking the time to find out what that is and optimize it. Take the time to think about what your customers would really want to see in their inboxes. And take the time to test several different ideas and see what users will really respond to. Email is a key customer communication touch point regardless of what type of customer it is!

The first step to getting started with email marketing, whether you’re an ideal demographic or one that will need to work a little harder, is to select a quality email sending partner. Comm100, who provided you with this complimentary summary, offers a completely free, hosted email marketing and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off of the ground to just about any type of customer or client email list! Check it out at http://www.comm100.com/emailmarketingnewsletter/.

The Big Image Myth: Why Your Email Newsletter Shouldn’t Have Too Many Images?

2010-05-20T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Big Image Myth
Why your email newsletter shouldn’t have too many images, even if they look great on your screen!

In This Article…

If you are just starting to send marketing email and need advice on how to design an email template, or if you are currently sending email but aren’t satisfied with the click-through or deliverability results, this article explains why using large, graphic images in an email template will actually make your email less successful and detract from its overall performance.

Why Should I Second Guess Using Images?

Without a doubt, the number one error we see in companies who want to begin an email marketing program is the desire to design an email that looks exactly like a webpage or, worse yet, like a print postal mailer. In specific, Comm100 means designing an email that uses a lot of images within the email.

Comm100understands why email designers like images. An email, just like any other piece of marketing material, looks better when it’s got appealing images in it. If it displays properly to the end-user, it probably converts better as well. The problem, as you’re about to see, is that most end-users won’t see your graphics. As an added bonus, including graphics can get you sent to the spam folder.

How Do Images Get Included in Emails?

What you first need to understand is that there are two ways to send an image in an email. The first way ensures that the user will see the image, even if in some cases it’s only as an attachment to the message. This method is called “embedding” the image. Essentially, you’re attaching the image to the email. The plus side is that, in one way or another, the user is sure to get the image. The downside is two fold. Firstly, spam filters look for large, embedded images and often give you a higher spam score for including them (Lots of spammers use images to avoid having the inappropriate content in their emails read by the spam filters.). Secondly, if you pay to send your email by weight or kilobyte, this increases the size of your message. If you’re not careful, it can even make your message too big for the parameters of the email provider.

The second way to include images (and the far more common way) is the same way that you put an image on a web page. Within the email, you provide a url that is the reference to the image’s location on your server, exactly the same way that you would on a web page. This has several benefits. Firstly, you won’t get caught for spamming or for your message “weighing” too much because of the image. Secondly, you can make changes to the images after the email has been sent if you find errors in them. On the flip side, your recipient will need to actively turn on image viewing in their email client to see your images.

What Does It Mean When You Say “Have Image Viewing Turned On?”

Unfortunately, even as Comm100 speaks, image urls and image files are being used to plant viruses on computers and to collect information about people. For this reason, most email service providers, such as Hotmail, Yahoo! and Gmail, set the default status on delivered messages to block images.

What a user sees when this happens is a large, white, empty space (with your image alt or title text if you’ve included it) and often a message to right click to download the images. Most people spend less than a minute scanning an email while they decide whether to read it or delete it. If you’re email is full of images, they don’t see much that allows them to make a decision. Chances are, unless users are already very loyal to your brand and interested in your content, you are about to get deleted.

Email users can overwrite the “images off” default in their email, but most of them don’t. Most studies and surveys reveal that anywhere from 40% to 60% of users read email with the images turned off. Any way you cut it, that’s almost half of your recipient base who won’t see your email with the images as you intended. And that’s not even counting mobile phone users!

How Much Do Mobile Phone Users Impact Image Viewing?

Increasingly, mobile phone users impact your email viewing greatly. Recent studies suggest that up to 20% of your users check their mail on text-only mobile phone applications. If your email is a single image, or is based on a great deal of images, you won’t resolve to those users at all.

So, What Should I Do?

Surprisingly, Comm100 would like to tell you that you should use images. You should just use very few of them and be careful where you put them.

Images definitely have a marketing impact. A portion of your viewers will see them and turn them on. If you just follow these basic steps with images, you’ll be fine. Also, remember that you can do a lot of things just using html tables and colors that will make your email visually appealing AND deliverable.

The Less Than 25% Rule: No more than 25% of the real estate in your email template should be image-based. You want at least ¾ of the email to be readable without images.

Alt and Title Text: This is the text that is contained within your image url that appears when the image doesn’t load (and in some cases appears when your mouse hovers over a graphic). Having this text beneath your graphics is important because you can still convey the message that was in the graphic even if the graphic doesn’t load.

No Trapped Messages! The basic rule is this: “If it’s important that your readers know a piece of information, it cannot be trapped in an image.” All important information, such as price, product title, value proposition and expiration date, must be in html text. This includes “Click to order” buttons. If those are images, you’ll have users looking for where they’re supposed to click, and possibly not finding it. Those should be html buttons.

Images are an important part of any marketing campaign or collateral. However, email presents challenges in that you can’t control how the end product displays to the user in all cases. It’s better to have an email that can be delivered and seen by the user than to have one that looks fantastic … but only when it’s loaded on your computer screen and not when it’s in an inbox!

Whether you love your email template or are just starting to optimize it for best results, the first step to a successful email campaign is choosing and email provider who meets your needs.
Comm100, who provided you with this complimentary summary of how to use images in emails, offers a completely free, hosted email marketing and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off of the ground with or without large image files! Check it out at: http://www.comm100.com/emailmarketingnewsletter/.

quote from http://www.comm100.net/email-marketing-tutorial/the-big-image-myth-why-your-email-newsletter-shouldnt-have-too-many-images.html

Opt in? Opt out? What is single opt in and double opt in? Which is better for you?

2010-05-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

Opt in? Opt out?

What is single opt in and double opt in? Which is better for you?

In This Article…
If you are starting to build an email list, either on your website or by purchasing or renting emails from others, this article explains the three different kinds of email lists and the pros and cons of each. Those email list types range from the most restrictive to the least restrictive. Each is explained in detail below.

What are the Types of Opt-In Lists?

You started building up your email list through a sign up box on your site or a checkbox when a person registers or purchases a product. Then, along came some fussy marketing consultant and said, “Is this an opt-in list? Is it a double opt-in list?” You probably looked at them and wondered what exactly they meant and why it mattered.

There are three ways to build an email list: Negative Opt-Out, Opt-In and Double Opt-In. Comm100 will describe all three options here as well as their benefits and drawbacks. You can then decide which is the right list option for you.

Negative Opt-Out Email Lists

You’ll sometimes hear this type of list called simply “Opt-Out” or “Negative Consent”. When a person registers at your website, makes a purchase or signs up for a free white paper or other freebie from you, somewhere in the small print is the information that by taking that action they are agreeing to receive email from you. The user can choose to opt-out and leave the email list later, but they’ve implicitly given you permission to email them.

The upside of this method is that it can grow your list very quickly. If everybody who takes an action on your site is then on your email list, your list can grow quite rapidly. Many of those people who wouldn’t have actively signed up for your email list if you asked them to will ultimately discover that they appreciate your email newsletters or promotions and will turn into active readers and customers.

The downside is that this type of list building can also increase the number of spam complaints that you receive when you send an email. Users who don’t remember signing up for your email, or who are angry that you tricked them into signing up, will quickly hit the spam flag when they receive your email. This has negative long and short term effects. In the short term, it makes your email metrics look less successful. In the long term, higher than average spam complaints will do permanent damage to your email sender reputation and could result in all of your emails going directly to the junk folder.

Opt-In Email Lists

In this type of email list, a user actively opts-in, or chooses to be on, your email list. This can be done either by having them check a box when they register or purchase or by including a special sign-up box on your website. Users enter their email, check a box that says that they agree to receive email from you and then submit that information via a clickable button. You can also choose to collect other customer or client information at the same time.

The benefit of this type of email list is that your clients are actively saying that they want to receive email from you. Therefore you’re building the most responsive email list that you can.

However, there are some drawbacks as well. Your email list will grow more slowly. People will not as often take the extra action to sign-up as they will simply forget to “not sign up”. Also, because this isn’t a “double opt-in” technique (see below), it’s entirely possible for people to sign-up their friends and family. When that happens, you can expect the much-feared spam complaints.

Double Opt-In Email Lists

This is the most difficult, but ultimately safest, way to build an email list. It also usually has the highest return on investment since it creates a list of entirely qualified leads. In this method, a person opts-in as described above. They then receive an email from you with a link that they must click in order to be added to the email list. Even if they’ve provided a valid email address and checked a box saying that they allow you to email them, they MUST click the link in the email in order to prove that they really signed up for your email list.

The problem with this type of email list, as you can see, is that it is the slowest way to build your email list. Often, even asking people to complete one action to sign-up for an email list is too much, let alone two actions! While many users are accustomed to the double opt-in process, they’ll need to really want your email product to sign up and then confirm.

The benefits of this type of list building are significant. You’re sure that you really are emailing to people who want to receive your email. While this won’t completely eliminate your spam or deliverability problems, it will reduce them. If you’re paying per email address sent to, it also means that you’ll experience a higher ROI on each send because your list will have fewer junk addresses on it. Finally, if you do receive spam complaints, you can more effectively defend yourself against them by proving that the person double opted-in (It’s good to create your confirmation link to log the email address, IP and date that it was clicked from.).

You’ll need to decide at what point on the spectrum you’re most comfortable. If simply growing the number of names on your list is the priority, Negative Opt-In is your best choice. The more qualified and “safe” you want your list to be, the more you should move up to an Opt-In or Double Opt-In list. Certainly, when renting or buying a list, you should ask if the list was originally Negative Opt-In, Opt-In or Double Opt-In.

No matter what type of list you’re using, the first step to successful email marketing is choosing your email sending partner wisely. Comm100, who provided you with this complimentary explanation of list types, offers a completely free, hosted email marketing and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off of the ground no matter how you obtained your email list! Check it out at http://www.comm100.com/emailmarketingnewsletter/.

Plain Text or HTML: Which Email Template Type Should You Use?

2010-05-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

Plain Text or HTML?
Which email template type should you use?

In This Article…

If you’re beginning an email campaign and aren’t sure whether to use a graphically-based html email template to improve the visual appearance of your email or a plain text email template to improve the deliverability of your email (and conserve resources), this article lays out the pros and cons of each type. Comm100 will then give you advice on how to optimize your email marketing metrics through template formats and displays.

What is Plain Text Email and HTML Email?

The first thing that you need to understand is “What is plain text email?” and “What is html email?” HTML email is an email that is formatted like a web page, using colors, graphics, table columns and links. Imagine any newsletter that you receive from a service. That’s most likely what an HTML email looks like. A plain text email is an email that only includes text. Imagine your typical inter-office email communication. That’s what a plain text email looks like.

Email marketers generally don’t debate which format is better. HTML email converts better in marketing tests almost every time. However, there are some factors you should consider before deciding which mail format to use. Ultimately, there’s a solution to getting the best part of both worlds.

HTML Email

HTML email does, in fact, come with some problems attached to it. It’s an imperfect science, and you should be aware of ways in which html email can fail.

- Spam: HTML email can put you in the spam folder if your code is sloppy. Email providers’ spam filters look for code that looks like it’s been copied from a Word document, and they increase your spam score based on that.

- Coding Time: HTML emails are also harder to code than html pages. They need to be coded to appeal to spam filters, and to use css in very specific ways. In some cases, you’ll even need to use different html email templates to send to different providers in order to make your email look consistent in all email clients.

- End User Display: Some email providers (Gmail, particularly) will strip out many elements of your html email code regardless of how well it’s built. So no matter how many hours your developer and designer spent making your email look amazing, it may still end up as black text on a white background with blue links.

- Image Blocking: Almost without fail, the majority of your end users will be reading their email with their images turned off. Therefore, every image that you used in your html email will be invisible to them. That means that there will be lots of dead white space in their email instead of colorful, inviting sales or informational text.

- Mobile Phone Users: Up to 20% of your end users are reading their email on their mobile phone. Your html email won’t display at all on many phones.

However, it’s important to keep in mind the benefits of html email.

- Better Visual Engagement: You only have a fraction of a second when a user opens an email for them to decide whether to read it or immediately delete it. The use of color and interesting visuals can keep them interested long enough to read and become interested in your message.

- Better Information Organization: Most messages are not best delivered in a chunky text paragraph but instead in bulleted lists, columns, table layouts and a variety of text justifications. Also, differentiating words and concepts with color makes it easier on the reader to identify the important parts of the email. This can’t be done with plain text.

Pros and Cons

If you wanted to break it down into an easy theory to remember, it would sound like this:

Plain text email is better if

- You are incredibly worried about deliverability into the inbox

- You are expecting replies to be sent to your email

- You are concerned about making sure your email visuals do not break or appear incorrectly in email clients

- You don’t have the development and design resources to create a well tested, tightly coded html email template

HTML email is better if:

- Your main objective is to convert a sale

- The information you are presenting needs to be visually organized

- You have the in-house resources to create a workable and successful email template

- And, most importantly, you can send a plain text version as well (see below)!

Send Both!

The best solution if you want to send an html email is to send a plain text version attached. The plain text version will then display in instances where the html version can’t load. For example, the plain text version would appear in many mobile phone scenarios and often certain Outlook clients. Many third party email providers offer this option as a default option. In fact, some of them even require that you enter a plain text version along with your html version before they will allow you to send. In this way, you will get the benefit of displaying color, graphics and format to those who can see it without prohibiting your other users from reading the message.

If, however, you’ve only got the capability to send one option or the other, Comm100 suggests you review the pros and cons above and then decide which is best for you. It won’t be the same answer for everybody!

Whether you’re sending a bells-and-whistles html email or a stripped-down plain text email, whom you use for your email provider is the first step in creating a successful campaign. Comm100, who provided you with this complimentary summary of the pros and cons of different email types, offers a completely free, hosted email marketing and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off of the ground whether you’re sending html art or simple plain text! Check it out at http://www.comm100.com/emailmarketingnewsletter/.

Hit the Inbox: 10 Tips to Keep Your Email from Going to the Junk Folder

2010-05-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hit the Inbox!
10 Tips to Keep Your Email from Going to the Junk Folder

In This Article…

If you’re beginning an email program or you’ve been sending email already but know that you’re going into your recipients’ junk mail folders, this article explains how to improve deliverability. In this article, you’ll learn how to optimize your email program to give it the best chance of making into a user’s inbox. This process is called “deliverability” and is the first step to successful email marketing.

What is “Hitting the Inbox”?

One of the greatest problems facing email marketers is making sure that your email goes to the user’s inbox instead of the spam folder. When everything is driven by whether a user opens an email, that means that the user needs to actually SEE the email first. In truth, how many of us check our spam or junk folders regularly?

Getting your marketing email to actually go into the inbox is one of the most complicated parts of email marketing (and the part that fails the most often). Here are ten tips to keep your email from ending up in the junk folder.

1.Get on the Hotmail and Yahoo! White Lists

Hotmail and Yahoo! both keep lists of approved senders. Once you’re on that list, you’ll almost always go into the inbox. If you send a particularly spammy email, however, you can be removed from the list. The process can be frustrating and take a long time, but it’s well worth it.

2.If You’re Using Your Own Server, Make Sure it “Drips” the Messages

Spam filters at most email providers look to see how many messages you’re sending at a time. If you’re sending to a large list, even if you have a fast and efficient email sending server, have the server “drip” the messages out slowly. You really don’t want more than a couple thousand to hit any one email provider per hour if you’re playing it safely.

3.Break Large Lists Into Smaller Ones

There are many reasons to break large email lists into smaller ones, but the best reason is that doing so will mean that the spam complaints that you receive when you send your email won’t be in one huge mass. It is inevitable that even loyal subscribers sometimes mark you as spam. If you send your large list in smaller segments, the email provider (Hotmail, MSN, etc.) will see less spam complaints bundled together at one time.

4.“Clean” Your Email List Frequently

Most, if not all, email providers’ spam filters penalize your domain or IP with a higher spam score (meaning you are more likely to end up in the junk folder) if they see that you are sending emails to bad email accounts. A bad email account is an address that doesn’t exist, has been disabled or has a full inbox. These addresses should be cleaned (or “pruned”) from your email list regularly to avoid this. If you allow them to add up on your list, you will eventually be flagged as a spam provider.

5.Provide a Clear Unsubscribe Link

Nobody likes it when somebody unsubscribes from their email list. However, providing a clear way to unsubscribe (and then honoring that unsub quickly) means that users are less likely to get frustrated and just mark you as spam. The number one criterion for ending up in the junk box is the number of spam complaints that you receive, so avoiding them at all costs is critical.

6.Encourage Your Customers to Add You as a Friend or Contact

Once a user has added you to his or her contact list, friend list or address book, you will always end up in their inbox. Use every opportunity to encourage those on your email list to add you as a contact. Comm100 suggests doing it in the email sign up conformation email, on the confirmation page and during most customer service transactions. A typical way to ask customers to do this is to say, “Ensure that you continue to receive the quality information from us that you enjoy by adding us to your contact list.”

7.Test Your Email to Seed Addresses BEFORE You Send to the Main List

Before you send your entire email list the message you’ve worked so hard on, send a test message to each of the big email providers (Hotmail, Yahoo, MSN, Gmail, AOL and one generic office address that is viewed in an Outlook client). Send the test email using the exact same server and information that you’ll use with your main list. If you end up in the junk box on the test send, then you’ll end up in the junk box on your main send. The pre-send test means that you can try different subject lines and email content to try to figure out what sent you to spam.

8.Don’t Have Sloppy HTML Code

Spam filters check for bad html code, particularly if it looks like the code was done in Microsoft Word and then thrown into an email. Use a professional coder (preferably one who has done email templates before and knows the best way to make them resolve properly in an inbox) or a template provided by your email sending partner.

9.Don’t Use “The Big Image”

Sending an email that’s all one big image file is a bad idea for many reasons. Foremost among those reasons is that spam filters look for those types of image-based emails. Big image files often carry hidden messages that would normally get caught in spam filters (words like “free” and “Viagra”), so, when a spam filter can’t read any real text in an email and only sees an image, it assumes the worst.

10.Don’t Write Text that Sounds Like a Spammer!

This one should be obvious! The more “spam-like” text and phrases your email uses, the less likely it is to end up in the inbox. There are a number of free software solutions to check the “spam score” of an email before you send it, but there are also basic rules.

•Don’t use the word “free” too many times.
•Don’t use ALL CAPS.
•Don’t use lots of colored fonts.
•Only use one exclamation point at a time!
•Stay away from words you’d see in spam: Viagra, drugs, porn, guaranteed winner.
If you’ve seen it used in a spam message that you received, don’t use it in your own email message!

Even if you do all of these things and do them perfectly, you may still end up in the junk box. Email spam filter criteria change almost daily and can be impacted by things that you have no control over. However, if you, as a habit, send good email that your clients want, you’ll get into the inbox more often than not. Be sure to follow the above guidelines because, once an email provider thinks that your email is spam, it is very hard to get back into the inbox!

One of the first steps to getting into the inbox is to choose a quality email partner. Comm100, who provided you with this spam tip list, offers a completely free, hosted email marketing and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off of the ground and into the inbox! Check it out at http://www.comm100.com/emailmarketingnewsletter/.

2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition

2010-05-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (also known as Auto China 2010), the one of the most important automotive shows worldwide, will be held in New China International Exhibition Center (Tianzhu) and in China International Exhibition Center (Jing’anzhuang) from April 25 to May 2nd, Beijing. Complete range of domestic and imported passenger cars and commercial vehicles will be exhibited in the New Center, while multiple world and China auto accessories and parts, as well as relative products will be displayed in the Old Center from April 23 to April 27. In total, nearly 2100 companies from 16 countries and regions will exhibit, utilizing exhibition area of about 200,000m2. We sincerely welcome automotive industry home and abroad, media, all auto enthusiasts and people from all walks of life to visit Auto China 2010.

Organizers：China Machinery Industry Federation(CMIF),China National Machinery Industry Corporation(SINOMACH),China Council for the Promotion of International Trade(CCPIT),China Association of Automobile Manufacturers(CAAM);

Producers：China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Automotive Sub-Council (CCPIT Auto), China National Automotive Industry International Corp.(CNAICO),China International Exhibition Center Group Corporation(CIEC), Society of Automotive Engineers of China(SAE-China).

The Secretariat of Auto China 2010, formed by producers, is in charge of all organizating work.

CAN-SPAM Compliance:What Is CAN-SPAM & Why Does It Matter?

2010-04-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

CAN-SPAM Compliance
What is CAN-SPAM and why does it matter?

In This Article…

If you’re starting an email campaign or if you’ve been email marketing already but aren’t sure if your marketing emails are CAN-SPAM compliant, this article explains what CAN-SPAM laws are and how to make sure that your email program is complaint with them.

What is CAN-SPAM and Why is It Important?

It’s possible that you don’t even know what CAN-SPAM is. Maybe you think that it involves a popular processed meat product. However, if you’re going to send email to your customers, CAN-SPAM is a very important law that you need to know about. It governs whether the email you send is considered a legal communication or an illegal piece of unsolicited spam. If you don’t abide by it, you’re subject to fines and penalties from the U.S. federal government.

In this article, Comm100 will give you the history of what CAN-SPAM is. Then Comm100 will tell you what you need to do in order to be compliant.

A Touch of History: The Passing of the CAN-SPAM Law

In 2003, as inboxes were being flooded with unwanted email spam, the United States federal government took action with the passing of the CAN-SPAM law. CAN-SPAM stands for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act of 2003. Essentially, the law set forth a number of requirements that need to be met in order to send commercial email to customers.

It’s important to note that the law makes a difference between a commercial email and transactional email. If you’re responding to a customer service inquiry or sending an automated email receipt of purchase, you don’t need to worry about CAN-SPAM. However, any email that contains marketing information or a customer solicitation must comply with the requirements of the law (and that includes promoting links to content on advertising-driven websites). Each individual violation of a rule in the CAN-SPAM requirements can leave you open to a fine of up to $16,000, so following the rules is important! Fortunately, there’s an easy checklist for you to follow.

CAN-SPAM Compliance Checklist

Once you get past all the government language, CAN-SPAM isn’t that complicated. If you just follow seven simple steps, you’ll be completely safe.

Step One: Be Who You Say You Are!

You can’t pretend to be another website or company just to get a user to open an email (or to get into the inbox). This is a popular trick offshore spammers use to get through spam filters, but it’s illegal. The email address that you send from (the “from” address and the reply-to address) must be your own. The domain that you promote in the email must either be your own or be one that you are authorized to promote, and it MUST be the domain that you say it is (i.e.: you can’t tell people that they are going to a site that sells coffee and then send them to an adult entertainment site). Basically, the information that a customer sees in the email has to actually be you or your business.

Step Two: Don’t Lie in the Subject Line

This one is easy. If your subject line says that opening the email will give the user a daily quote of the day, then that’s what needs to be in the email. You can’t use a subject line that promises a discount on groceries and then present an email that promotes anything other than a discount on groceries. In short, your subject line has to be truthful. The terminology of the law is that your subject line can’t be “misleading”.

Step Three: Tell Them That You’re an Advertisement

You can do this many ways, including small print at the bottom of the email. However, somewhere in your email, you need to make it clear that the email is an advertisement. It may seem obvious to you, but the law says that you need to make it explicit at least once in the email.

Step Four: You Need to Have an Actual Physical Location

This one is also simple. Somewhere in your email you must provide a physical postal address (street or postal box) where you can receive communications via mail. This ensures that you are not a scammer and also allows customers a way of sending a verified communication to you to remove themselves from your mailing list.

Step Five: You Have to Let People Know How to Opt-Out

You cannot (and should not) send a marketing email without letting users know how to stop you from sending future emails to them. This is called allowing users to Opt-Out of your email list. This is typically done at the bottom of the email. The only actual CAN-SPAM requirement is that it be easy for an ordinary person to recognize and read this information. Also important is the “universal unsub rule”. If you have multiple newsletters or email lists, you may allow a person to unsub from only one list. However, you MUST provide the option of unsubscribing from ALL future marketing email of any kind. Unsubscribing from all future marketing email is called a “universal unsub”.

Step Six: When People Want Off Your Email List, Take Them Off.

When somebody requests an opt-out or unsub from your email list or lists, you have up to 10 business days to remove them. When you send an email, the information or link to unsubscribe from that email must be valid for 30 days. You’re not allowed to charge a fee for removal from the list or require any information other than the user’s email address. Most importantly, the user can’t be required to do anything other than send you a reply email or visit a SINGLE webpage to unsubscribe. Finally, once a user has unsubscribed, you may not under any circumstance sell or rent that person’s email to anybody else. This is the most complicated part of the law, but it’s also the most important. And, if you don’t honor it, it’s the easiest to get in trouble for because people will get upset if they continue to receive unwanted email from you.

Step Seven: Make Sure You Know What Your Marketing Agency is Doing!

Also make sure that you know what your affiliates are doing! Make sure that you know what anybody who sends email on your behalf is doing! You are legally responsible for the actions of anybody you hire or authorize to send marketing email on your behalf.

There you go. Follow these simple seven steps, and you will be CAN-SPAM compliant. Most third-party email platform providers will actually make sure that any of these criteria that can be automated (such as physical address, unsub links and removing unsubscribed members) are automated. However, it’s in your best interest to always review your marketing emails before they go out to make sure that they meet every criterion on the checklist!

This CAN-SPAM compliance list was provided to you by Comm100. If you’re considering starting to email market or expanding your existing email marketing, Comm100 offers a completely free, hosted email marketing and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your
email marketing off of the ground and supports all of your CAN-SPAM compliance needs as well! Check it out at: http://www.comm100.com/emailmarketingnewsletter/.
quote from http://www.comm100.net/

Email Marketing 101: 10 Terms & Concepts You Need to Know

2010-04-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

Email Marketing 101:
10 Terms and Concepts You Need to Know

In This Article…

If you’ve decided to implement an email marketing program or are ready to talk to your marketing team or a consultant about email marketing, this article will introduce you to the important terminology, concepts and metrics that you’ll need to understand. Once you have a basic grip on those concepts, you’ll be able to properly evaluate the success of an email campaign or the knowledge of any consultants you may be interviewing.

Learning the Lingo of Email Marketing
The first step to creating a successful plan of action is to understand the key elements of email marketing so that you can speak the language! Comm100 has boiled it down to a top ten, though reading all of the resources in this section of the website can give you a much greater jump start.

1. Open Rate

Open rate means, quite simply, how many people (in percentage form) opened the email that you sent. This metric, however, is becoming less important in anything other than a relative way. Email open rates are tracked using a small graphic in the email. Many email providers block graphics. Because of this graphic blocking, a client may open an email and have it not register as being opened unless the client actively turns on graphics. Some reports suggest that standard open rate reporting can be off by as much as 35%, depending on your email list.

What you should remember is that open rates should be highest when emailing your existing customers and lowest with cold leads. Comparing open rates across various sends is useful, too. It’s not a 100% accurate number, however.

2. Click-Through Rate

Click-through rate is the number of clicks (in percentage format) compared to the number of opened emails (NOT to the entire send). Different companies measure this in different ways. Unfortunately, there isn’t a standard answer for the question: “Is it all clicks or does only one click count per open?” This measurement is important because the entire purpose of your email is to drive traffic to your landing page or website.

3. Deliverability

Deliverability means the number of emails from your send that actually made it to the inbox (as opposed to the junk folder or the black hole of “unknown address”). Getting your email into the inbox can be a complicated process, and Comm100 has gone into detail in a full article in this section.

4. Personalization

Personalization is when you use a client’s user name, first name or other unique information in the email that you send. To do this, your database needs to capture that information, and your email service provider needs to accept and include data fields that match. Be careful using personalization. It’s not appropriate for every industry. However, in the right context, it can improve email conversions dramatically.

5. List Cleaning/List Scrubbing/List Pruning

Keeping your email list “clean” is important. The more bad email addresses (typos, defunct accounts, etc.) that you have on a list, the more likely you are to get flagged as potential spam. Also, your reporting metrics won’t reflect your email’s true performance. Many email providers automatically prune lists of bad names as you go along. Explore your options with your email provider.

6. CAN-SPAM

CAN-SPAM is a piece of U.S. federal legislation that was passed in 2003. It’s a set of rules that you MUST follow when sending email if you want to not be classified as spam and potentially face federal fines and penalties. Comm100 has included an article in this section that details the rules. Make sure you know them!

7. Opt-In/Double Opt-In

There are three kinds of email lists. “Opt-In” means that your users have “opted into” your email list and given you permission to email them. “Double Opt-In” means that users have given you permission twice (usually via a confirmation link in an email). All other lists are considered cold lists or prospect lists (usually bought or rented). There are different benefits to each kind of list. See our full article to figure out which is best for you!

8. Unsubscribe/Opt-Out

Quite simply, this is the ability of users to unsubscribe from your email list. There are two types: Universal Unsubs and List Specific Unsubs. Universal Unsubs are users who unsubscribe from all future emails of any kind from you. List Specific Unsubs will unsubscribe from just a portion of your list. For example, they don’t want special offers but do want weekly newsletters.

9. HTML Email/Plain Text Email

These are the two types of email that you can send. An html email includes colors, tables and graphics. A plain text email includes only text. In truth, you should send both formats because not all email clients (and particularly some phones) accept html email. However, figuring out what balance works for you may be trial and error.

10. Bounce Back

Bounce back is the number of names on a list that get returned to you as “undeliverable”. This could be because the email address was mis-typed, the email address doesn’t exist any more, the email address has a full inbox, or any other number of reasons. This metric is most important when you’re using a bought or rented list because it shows you how many bad email addresses you purchased.

Email marketing is obviously more complicated than just ten concepts! But this will get you started. There are lots of great articles within this section to increase your knowledge. By reading this collection of articles, brought you by Comm100, you can easily come up to speed on how to run a successful email campaign. Don’t forget that Comm100 offers a completely free, hosted email and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off the ground and working on mastering the email marketing concepts from this article!

quote from http://www.comm100.net/

Why Send Email?

2010-04-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

Why Send Email?
How email and newsletter follow up increases customer lifespan.

In This Article…

If you’re considering implementing an email marketing program but aren’t sure if it’s really worth the time or effort, this article explains how email marketing can turn your customers into more loyal customers who, in turn, are more profitable customers. In this article, Comm100
explains the customer lifecycle and what type of email to send at each point to get the most out of your customers and your email marketing program.

The Customer Lifecycle and Email

All customers have a lifecycle with your company or brand. They start when they become a customer, are active as they make a certain number of purchases or site visits, and then lapse or exit your brand. Email is a reliable, robust and cost effective way to both acquire new customers and also to make your existing customers repeat, loyal customers.

Because even bulk email is easy to personalize, you can create messages that speak to customers’ exact needs at any point in the customer lifecycle. You can affordably contact and recruit new customers, and you can also continue to promote your company to customers after their initial purchase. Sending existing customers email reminders, special offers or even just information newsletters gives those customers a reason to return to your company or website and, ultimately, makes them more valuable to you.

Sending the right email at the right point in a customer’s lifecycle is the key to activating, retaining and even winning back customers. Here’s what to send, and when!

New Customers Leads: Big Offers, Big Brand Talk

If you’re using an email list to contact prospective customers, you need to remember that you are dealing with people who may not know your brand or your product. Cold leads are not inclined to purchase naturally, so you need to put a big offer in front of them! Emphasize your value proposition, but the nature of these emails needs to be a hard sell.

Also remember that you may expect a small return from these emails. That means that it is equally important that even if the email doesn’t spur an immediate action, it establishes your brand in the user’s mind. Make the email content engaging and promote your brand visually and within the text. Then, the next time the user thinks of a product related to you, they will remember your email solicit.

New Customers: Make Them Feel a Part of Something!

You’ve got a customer! What’s the best way to make sure that customer keeps coming back? Make them feel like they’re special and part of a conversation with your company instead of just a nameless face in your customer database.

Adding an automated email (with personalization if your database captures it) that generates after an initial sign-up or purchase is a great retention tool. The email should come from a key figure in your company (CEO, President, Founder) or a personalized customer service agent. The email should not only thank the customer for the purchase but also ask them for feedback, educate them about your company and give them clear directions on how to contact customer service for any of their needs.

Active Customers: Newsletters and Weekly Specials Keep Them Paying Attention

We all know that very few active customers will stay active customers forever. However, one way to extend the length of time during which they will stay active is to use email to give them both relevant information and incentives to continue purchasing.

A simple weekly email that includes a quote of the week or fun fact and that week’s special goes miles to keeping customers engaged. The one thing Comm100 wouldn’t recommend is using your weekly email only to promote specials. Content such as articles and factoids will drive opens and readership even when a customer isn’t in a purchasing cycle and therefore increases customers’ engagement time with your brand.

Short Term Lapsed Customers: A Little Push!

Most places define “short term lapsed” customers as customers who haven’t taken an action in the last thirty days. This may vary for your product and purchasing cycle. The most important email that you can send is to identify these “just lapsed” customers and send them an offer right as they are hitting the short term lapsed threshold.

At that point in their customer life cycle, customers will still have brand awareness and loyalty. It may take just a small offer from you to get them back into the purchasing cycle. Sending them an offer to respond to before they become further distanced from your company or brand will have the greatest impact on lengthening customer lifespan.

Long Term Lapsed Customers: New Customer Leads All Over Again

Don’t let that database of inactive customers go to waste! Many of those clients will have brand loyalty and existing reasons to return to purchasing from you.

Comm100 suggests emailing your long term lapsed list once a quarter. Unfortunately, you’ll need to pull out the big offers again. These are customers who, for whatever reason, went away. You’re trying to convince them to come back. What’s the benefit? They’ll likely be less resistant than completely cold leads.

Seasonal Customers: Remind Them That You Exist!

If you market a seasonal product, you should send a cycle of emails to your lapsed clients leading up to their seasonal purchases. They’ll certainly be getting exposed to marketing messages from your competitors and may just need a friendly reminder from you that you’ve successfully met their seasonal needs before. Identifying these users in your database and communicating with them at the right time brings them back, and extends their value to you.

Email marketing can be as simple as sending a weekly newsletter that summarizes what happened with your company that week, but it also has potential beyond that. Taking the time to identify customer patterns in your database and sending those customers the right message at the right time can increase your customers’ engagement and activity with you … and that will increase their revenue value!

No matter where you are in identifying the points of your customers’ life cycles, the first key to successfully emailing to them is to choose an email sending partner that meets your needs. Comm100
, who provided this complimentary tutorial on when and where to use email marketing, offers a completely free, hosted email and newsletter solution. It’s both a great long-term and short-term solution to getting your email marketing off the ground whether you’re just sending to your active buyers or going deeper into your customer database!
Quote form www.comm100.net

Comm100 Live Chat Has Passed the Microsoft “Designed for Windows Mobile” Logo Test

2010-04-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

Comm100 Live Chat for Windows Mobile has been tested by VeriTest and meets the criteria for the Microsoft "Designed for Windows Mobile" program: Designed for Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Logo Test. We are now eligible to use the "Designed for Windows Mobile" Logo on our business materials about Comm100 Live Chat.

By enabling businesses to take chat requests while on the go, Comm100 Live Chat for Windows Mobile can help businesses significantly improve workforce productivity and responsiveness, increase sales, reduce cost, and improve customer satisfaction as well.

Thanks.

“123456”

2010-01-26T03:38:00.000-08:00

An interesting news was reported last week. According to the foreign media reports, Israeli security company Imperva worked out a result showed that"123456" is the most frequent password people use,the second and the third passwords are "12345" and "123456789". Imperva analyzed the 32 million passwords which was stolen by hackers last month, the results of is that “123456” is the most frequent password,it is at the proportion of 1%,then followed by "12345" and "123456789."

Let’s Pray for Love silently

2010-01-26T02:53:00.005-08:00

True love is a tree in a forest,although only one,it can provide us with shelter in the rain;True love is a drop of water in the sea,although only one,it can swash the spindrifts of life;True love is a star in the vast universe,although only one,it can reflect the bright sunshine.

In the novel King Lear,the auther described that the king in ancient Britain was old and weak.He decided to divide his possession into three parts and to give them to his three daughters.The eldest and second deceived their father by pretty words,and therefore,each of them got one third of the possession.But then, they maltreated King Lear to crazy,and drove him away.The little daughter couldn"t flatter her father"s misery,she at once sent soldiers to rescue him.Finally,King Lear died of craziness.After reading King Lear,I cried for the human relations that was broken by the British capitalistic society.Feulanthropy formed the boundary among sympathy,philanthropy and reality.When people were so poor that they had only money and profit left,they simply regarded friends as strangers, regarded parents as strangers.Usury became the bridge for people to communicate.In a world that money led,more and more political tragedies were put on.I fell in deep thought,if there were no profit,history would be changed.Sometimes,we need to repay peace to soul,and baptism to spirit.

The respect for parents,love between couples,followship among friends,care for children,piety for teachers......all have melted in language.We need to understand it by heart.LiMi proved his respect for grandma by taking actions,and wrote down the moving article Memorial on earnest plea,and won approval by peoplpe all around the world.Zhugeliang showed his worry about his motherland,and left a good name for a hundrad generations by Memorial on Dispatching the Army.However,an ordinary person couldn"t have such a strong will.But to sow the seeds of love is within our ability.Who can bear the scene that a begger kneeling on the ground and drinking rain water?But to my disappointed,I only saw the sympathetic looks and sad expressions.Out of the crowd,the rushing passers by appeared and disappeared like lightning.Perhaps at that moment,what the begger badly needed wasn"t money,but greetings,encouragement,or just faith.Love is so,it"s with us all the time,but someone will never find it in his lifetime.

Love is a strange thing,it needs to be given,to be created.In fact,love has already permeated into every field.Teachers sow the seeds of love;doctors light up the fire of life by love;painters decorate the world with love.Love is permanent,love is the biggest possession in one"s life time.After reading King Lear,I couldn"t forget the little daughter"s philanthropy.Yesterday"s misery has gradually passed away.Our body has got warmth because of love chain.Our soul won"t be lonely any longer.Love chain leads us to the paradise of love,and gives us the warm sunshine.Let"s light up the fire of love by heart,may every pearl in love chain would be bright.I wiped the dirt on the book softly,and reviewed Shakespear"s monumental work King Lear,then came out the call for love from the bottom of my heart.Therefore,I wrote down the words that have hidden in my heart for a long time.

The Difficult Situation in Haiti

2010-01-26T02:53:00.003-08:00

Although the materials of every country had arrived in Haiti, but the supplies haven’t been reached in the victims, mainly because the infrastructure was almost completely paralyzed, the transportation was hindered. Currently, the airport of the Haitian capital hosted by the United States, U.S. officials said the influx of national goods were absorbed in the Haitian capital Airport, the airport has saturated and could not unload supplies, the British rescue team circled over half an hour because there was no place to land,had to fly away at last. According to another report, the Chinese rescue team planed carrying 20 tons of relief supplies, but it took six hours to unload all the goods.

Humanitarian Disaster

2010-01-26T02:53:00.001-08:00

Four days after the earthquake, international aid and food began to slowly arriving at Haiti, but because of traffic congestion, tens of thousands of homeless and injured people were lack of drinking water and food, the capita was filled with desperate breath.A number of international organizations, warned that if relief supplies can not reach the victims as soon as possible, it may lead to unrest and trigger a second wave of disease and death, even the outbreak of a wider humanitarian disaster. UN spokeswoman Elizabeth Bair said that the earthquake in Haiti is the worst disasters ever in the world. Earthquake razed to the ruins of the capital,tens of thousands of people were at the situation without adequate food or clean drinking water, with untreated injuries living in the street.

Why America has the enthusiasm?

2010-01-26T02:52:00.002-08:00

After the Haiti occurred an earthquake, the United States showed an unprecedented positive in the rescue process: 2 hours after the earthquake, the first batch of relief troops had sent out; to next Monday, the United States sent more than 1 thousand soldiers to Haiti -- part of this that should be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan; the United States sent the most advanced military equipment, such as maritime mobile hospitals and so on;two former presidents- Democrats Bill Clinton and Republican George W. Bush-set up jointly the Foundation for assistance to Haiti ; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the United States Agency for International Development with the Director of the United States to inspect relief work in Haiti; earthquakes in the United States before the citizens of Haiti, if the visa expired, allowed to continue to legally stay in the United States.

The Hardness

2010-01-26T02:52:00.000-08:00

At the afternoon,I arrived at the office of my father.I did not realize his hardness until I saw the working condition.I really feel sorry for my father.He is always happy and never says tired.I have found a lot of write hair on his head.Suddenly I feel that he is much older than before.The pressure of life has made him have more wrinkled.However,he does not lose the confidence of the life.I want to work as soon as possible.So I can make money to lose the burden of my father.

The Three Fishermen（quote）

2010-01-25T02:52:00.000-08:00

There were three of them. There were four of us, and April lay on the campsite and on the river, a mixture of dawn at a damp extreme and the sun in the leaves at cajole. This was Deer Lodge on the Pine River in Ossipee, New Hampshire, though the lodge was naught but a foundation remnant in the earth. Brother Bentley's father, Oren, had found this place sometime after the First World War, a foreign affair that had seriously done him no good but he found solitude abounding here. Now we were here, post World War II, post Korean War, Vietnam War on the brink. So much learned, so much yet to learn.

Peace then was everywhere about us, in the riot of young leaves, in the spree of bird confusion and chatter, in the struggle of pre-dawn animals for the start of a new day, a Cooper Hawk that had smashed down through trees for a squealing rabbit, yap of a fox at a youngster, a skunk at rooting.We had pitched camp in the near darkness, Ed LeBlanc, Brother Bentley, Walter Ruszkowski, myself. A dozen or more years we had been here, and seen no one. Now, into our campsite deep in the forest, so deep that at times we had to rebuild sections of narrow road (more a logger's path) flushed out by earlier rains, deep enough where we thought we'd again have no traffic, came a growling engine, an old solid body van, a Chevy, the kind I had driven for Frankie Pike and the Lobster Pound in Lynn delivering lobsters throughout the Merrimack Valley. It had pre-WW II high fenders, a faded black paint on a body you'd swear had been hammered out of corrugated steel, and an engine that made sounds too angry and too early for the start of day.

Two elderly men, we supposed in their seventies, sat the front seat; felt hats at the slouch and decorated with an assortment of tied flies like a miniature bandoleer of ammunition on the band. They could have been conscripts for Emilano Zappata, so loaded their hats and their vests as they climbed out of the truck."Mornin', been yet?" one of them said as he pulled his boots up from the folds at his knees, the tops of them as wide as a big mouth bass coming up from the bottom for a frog sitting on a lily pad. His hands were large, the fingers long and I could picture them in a shop barn working a primal plane across the face of a maple board. Custom-made, old elegance, those hands said.<>"Barely had coffee," Ed LeBlanc said, the most vocal of the four of us, quickest at friendship, at shaking hands. "We've got a whole pot almost. Have what you want." The pot was pointed out sitting on a hunk of grill across the stones of our fire, flames licking lightly at its sides. The pot appeared as if it had been at war, a number of dents scarred it, the handle had evidently been replaced, and if not adjusted against a small rock it would have fallen over for sure. Once, a half-hour on the road heading north, noting it missing, we'd gone back to get it. When we fished the Pine River, coffee was the glue, the morning glue, the late evening glue, even though we'd often unearth our beer from a natural cooler in early evening.

Coffee, camp coffee, has a ritual. It is thick, it is dark, it is potboiled over a squaw-pine fire, it is strong, it is enough to wake the demon in you, stoke last evening's cheese and pepperoni. First man up makes the fire, second man the coffee; but into that pot has to go fresh eggshells to hold the grounds down, give coffee a taste of history, a sense of place. That means at least one egg be cracked open for its shells, usually in the shadows and glimmers of false dawn. I suspect that's where "scrambled eggs" originated, from some camp like ours, settlers rushing west, lumberjacks hungry, hoboes lobbying for breakfast. So, camp coffee has made its way into poems, gatherings, memories, a time and thing not letting go, not being manhandled, not being cast aside."You're early enough for eggs and bacon if you need a start." Eddie added, his invitation tossed kindly into the morning air, his smile a match for morning sun, a man of welcomes. "We have hot cakes, kulbassa, home fries, if you want." We have the food of kings if you really want to know. There were nights we sat at his kitchen table at 101 Main Street, Saugus, Massachusetts planning the trip, planning each meal, planning the campsite. Some menus were founded on a case of beer, a late night, a curse or two on the ride to work when day started."Been there a'ready," the other man said, his weaponry also noted by us, a little more orderly in its presentation, including an old Boy Scout sash across his chest, the galaxy of flies in supreme positioning. They were old Yankees, in the face and frame the pair of them undoubtedly brothers, staunch, written into early routines, probably had been up at three o'clock to get here at this hour. They were taller than we were, no fat on their frames, wide-shouldered, big-handed, barely coming out of their reserve, but fishermen. That fact alone would win any of us over. Obviously, they'd been around, a heft of time already accrued.<>Then the pounding came, from inside the truck, as if a tire iron was beating at the sides of the vehicle. It was not a timid banging, not a minor signal. Bang! Bang! it came, and Bang! again. And the voice of authority from some place in space, some regal spot in the universe. "I'm not sitting here the livelong day whilst you boys gab away." A toothless meshing came in his words, like Walter Brennan at work in the jail in Rio Bravo or some such movie."Comin', pa," one of them said, the most orderly one, the one with the old scout sash riding him like a bandoleer.

They pulled open the back doors of the van, swung them wide, to show His Venerable Self, ageless, white-bearded, felt hat too loaded with an arsenal of flies, sitting on a white wicker rocker with a rope holding him to a piece of vertical angle iron, the crude kind that could have been on early subways or trolley cars. Across his lap he held three delicate fly rods, old as him, thin, bamboo in color, probably too slight for a lake's three-pounder. But on the Pine River, upstream or downstream, under alders choking some parts of the river's flow, at a significant pool where side streams merge and phantom trout hang out their eternal promise, most elegant, fingertip elegant."Oh, boy," Eddie said at an aside, "there's the boss man, and look at those tools." Admiration leaked from his voice.Rods were taken from the caring hands, the rope untied, and His Venerable Self, white wicker rocker and all, was lifted from the truck and set by our campfire. I was willing to bet that my sister Pat, the dealer in antiques, would scoop up that rocker if given the slightest chance. The old one looked about the campsite, noted clothes drying from a previous day's rain, order of equipment and supplies aligned the way we always kept them, the canvas of our tent taut and true in its expanse, our fishing rods off the ground and placed atop the flyleaf so as not to tempt raccoons with smelly cork handles, no garbage in sight. He nodded.We had passed muster."You the ones leave it cleaner than you find it ever' year. We knowed sunthin' 'bout you. Never disturbed you afore. But we share the good spots." He looked closely at Brother Bentley, nodded a kind of recognition. "Your daddy ever fish here, son?"<>Brother must have passed through the years in a hurry, remembering his father bringing him here as a boy. "A ways back," Brother said in his clipped North Saugus fashion, outlander, specific, no waste in his words. Old Oren Bentley, it had been told us, had walked five miles through the unknown woods off Route 16 as a boy and had come across the campsite, the remnants of an old lodge, and a great curve in the Pine River so that a mile's walk in either direction gave you three miles of stream to fish, upstream or downstream. Paradise up north.His Venerable Self nodded again, a man of signals, then said, "Knowed him way back some. Met him at the Iron Bridge. We passed a few times." Instantly we could see the story. A whole history of encounter was in his words; it marched right through us the way knowledge does, as well as legend. He pointed at the coffeepot. "The boys'll be off, but my days down there get cut up some. I'll sit a while and take some of thet." He said thet too pronounced, too dramatic, and it was a short time before I knew why.The white wicker rocker went into a slow and deliberate motion, his head nodded again. He spoke to his sons. "You boys be back no more'n two-three hours so these fellers can do their things too, and keep the place tidied up."The most orderly son said, "Sure, pa. Two-three hours." The two elderly sons left the campsite and walked down the path to the banks of the Pine River, their boots swishing at thigh line, the most elegant rods pointing the way through scattered limbs, experience on the move. Trout beware, we thought."We been carpenters f'ever," he said, the clip still in his words. "Those boys a mine been some good at it too." His head cocked, he seemed to listen for their departure, the leaves and branches quiet, the murmur of the stream a tinkling idyllic music rising up the banking. Old Venerable Himself moved the wicker rocker forward and back, a small timing taking place. He was hearing things we had not heard yet, the whole symphony all around us. Eddie looked at me and nodded his own nod. It said, "I'm paying attention and I know you are. This is our one encounter with a man who has fished for years the river we love, that we come to twice a year, in May with the mayflies, in June with the black flies." The gift and the scourge, we'd often remember, having been both scarred and sewn by it.

Brother was still at memory, we could tell. Silence we thought was heavy about us, but there was so much going on. A bird talked to us from a high limb. A fox called to her young. We were on the Pine River once again, nearly a hundred miles from home, in Paradise."Name's Roger Treadwell. Boys are Nathan and Truett." The introductions had been accounted for.Old Venerable Roger Treadwell, carpenter, fly fisherman, rocker, leaned forward and said, "You boys wouldn't have a couple spare beers, would ya?"Now that's the way to start the day on the Pine River

Harvard Elite Came to China to Learn - Ely-style Competitiveness Was Highly Respected

2010-01-25T02:51:00.001-08:00

Recently, Harvard’s winter university practice group came to visit China on Chinese social practice. Delegation including more than 30 members, not only visited Beijing and Shanghai, but also visited other economically developed regions. They also came to Hohhot, focusing on study of the Chinese dairy giant Erie. They had a face to face communication with Pan Gang, chairman of Erie, about the business management, leading the development of the industry as well as carrying out an international strategy.

Backgammon is a dig at his wife coupled with praise

2010-01-25T02:51:00.000-08:00

The 67th U.S. Film and Television, Golden Globe Awards were formally announced in Beijing yesterday morning. James Cameron and his "Avatar" became the biggest winner and took the two most major awards, the best drama film and best director prize. "Pending," followed by, got the award for best screenplay, but George Clooney did not win the best Drama Actor Award which he wanted night and day, losing to the old Bone Jeff Bridges. In addition, it is regrettable that "The Hurt Locker" with three nominations in the hand did not get anything.

Clever with food

2010-01-25T02:50:00.001-08:00

Do not put together the food which is not matched when one eats on meal, such as fat and oil food (meat, steak,milk, etc.) should be eaten with vegetables, beans and so on.But it definitely could not be carbohydrate (rice, wheat flour and so on) with food. Vegetable meal diet refers to eat vegetables, do not eat cereals completely. Usually eat a vegetable meal a day, you can reduce about 2090 kJ heat.Because vegetables rich in vitamins and trace elements, and it will not caused a lack of vitamins and trace elements for losing weight.

Eat fruit before meals

2010-01-25T02:50:00.000-08:00

Eating fruit before meals one hour is a simple and effective losing weight method. Because fruits are rich in carbohydrates, it can be quickly converted into glucose in the body and be absorbed by the body to supple the body due to physical, mental and thermal energy consumption.The crude fiber of Fruits gives the stomach a sense of "fullness" and relieves the strong appetite, and the crude fiber can not be absorbed in the body, and thus it plays an important role in weight loss.So eating fruits before meals can easily losing your weight.

9 Standing Committee including Hu Jintao went to bid farewell to eight peacekeeper martyrs at Babaoshan

2010-01-25T02:49:00.000-08:00

On January 20, the ceremony for the martyrs of Chinese victims in Haiti’s earthquake was held at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery Auditorium at 9 am. Nine Standing Committees President Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang came to the scene to make a final farewell to the heroes and shake hands with the families of the martyrs. At the same time, they expressed their condolences and deep sympathy.

The Difference a Teacher can Make(quote)

2010-01-24T04:28:00.001-08:00

Steve, a twelve-year-old boy with alcoholic parents, was about to be lost forever, by the U.S. education system. Remarkably, he could read, yet, in spite of his reading skills, Steve was failing. He had been failing since first grade, as he was passed on from grade to grade. Steve was a big boy, looking more like a teenager than a twelve year old, yet, Steve went unnoticed... until Miss White.
Miss White was a smiling, young, beautiful redhead, and Steve was in love! For the first time in his young life, he couldn’t take his eyes off his teacher; yet, still he failed. He never did his homework, and he was always in trouble with Miss White. His heart would break under her sharp words, and when he was punished for failing to turn in his homework, he felt just miserable! Still, he did not study.

In the middle of the first semester of school, the entire seventh grade was tested for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things, as the day wore on. His heart was not in school, but in the woods, where he often escaped alone, trying to shut out the sights, sounds and smells of his alcoholic home. No one checked on him to see if he was safe. No one knew he was gone, because no one was sober enough to care. Oddly, Steve never missed a day of school.

One day, Miss White’s impatient voice broke into his daydreams.
“Steve!!” Startled, he turned to look at her.
“Pay attention!”
Steve locked his gaze on Miss White with adolescent adoration, as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.
“You all did pretty well,” she told the class, “except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but...” She hesitated, pinning Steve to his seat with a sharp stare, her eyes searching his face.
“...The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!”
She just stared at Steve, as the class spun around for a good look. Steve dropped his eyes and carefully examined his fingertips.
After that, it was war!! Steve still wouldn’t do his homework. Even as the punishments became more severe, he remained stubborn.
“Just try it! ONE WEEK!” He was unmoved.
“You’re smart enough! You’ll see a change!” Nothing fazed him.
“Give yourself a chance! Don’t give up on your life!” Nothing.
“Steve! Please! I care about you!”
Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it!! Someone cared about him? Someone, totally unattainable and perfect, CARED ABOUT HIM??!!

Steve went home from school, thoughtful, that afternoon. Walking into the house, he took one look around. Both parents were passed out, in various stages of undress, and the stench was overpowering! He, quickly, gathered up his camping gear, a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time...his schoolbooks. Grim faced and determined, he headed for the woods.

The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She walked in, all sparkle and smiles! God, she was beautiful! He yearned for her smile to turn on him. It did not.

Miss White, immediately, gave a quiz on the weekend homework. Steve hurried through the test, and was the first to hand in his paper. With a look of surprise, Miss White took his paper. Obviously puzzled, she began to look it over. Steve walked back to his desk, his heart pounding within his chest. As he sat down, he couldn’t resist another look at the lovely woman.
Miss White’s face was in total shock! She glanced up at Steve, then down, then up.
Suddenly, her face broke into a radiant smile. The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just passed his first test!

From that moment nothing was the same for Steve. Life at home remained the same, but life still changed. He discovered that not only could he learn, but he was good at it!
He discovered that he could understand and retain knowledge, and that he could translate the things he learned into his own life. Steve began to excel! And he continued this course throughout his school life.

After high-school Steve enlisted in the Navy, and he had a successful military career. During that time, he met the love of his life, he raised a family, and he graduated from college Magna Cum Laude. During his Naval career, he inspired many young people, who without him, might not have believed in themselves. Steve began a second career after the Navy, and he continues to inspire others, as an adjunct professor in a nearby college Miss White left a great legacy. She saved one boy who has changed many lives.

You see, it’s simple, really. A change took place within the heart of one boy, all because of one teacher, who cared.

Health and wealth

2010-01-24T04:27:00.002-08:00

There are many people who think that wealth is better than health.I used to think so until one day I read a story about Howard Hughes.He was an American billionaire who got everything he wanted.However,in the last twenty years of his life,his health began to deteriorate and he was miserable.He had the best doctors and nurses.However,he could still find no relief.I realize that health is worth all the money in the world.If you have millions of dollars but your health is poor,you will not be able to do what you want to do.So I would like to say don't hurt yourself and try to make money.Instead,take care of your body and be happy at what you do.Health is more important.

The Egypt

2010-01-24T04:27:00.001-08:00

Trough the three thousand years of Egyptian Pharaoh’s rule, the people of the Nile created the great constructions the world has never seen. Among them, One of the most worth mentioning is that the largest temple in the world. The Pharaoh also built the construction, the pyramid, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Sphinx that stand in front of the pyramid, wished to protect the tomb of the pharaoh. So people can have a good look in the Egype.

Farewell martyrs killed in Haiti, netizen praised peacekeeping police heroic image

2010-01-24T04:26:00.001-08:00

8 peacekeeping police died in Haiti, but they all received netizens’ high praise. Some netizens said that among the eight martyrs, many did not go to Haiti for the first time. So they had the knowledge of dangerous conditions in Haiti. But they were still not turning back, saying good-bye to elderly mother, young children and pregnant wife, made several trips to Haiti on duty. In the unrest, war, poor Haiti, they experienced blood and fire, life and death of the test, withstood unspeakable hardship and loneliness. The netizens said Haiti peacekeeping police worthy of "hero" word.

Discovery of a large diamond mine in Liaoning deposits 210,000 karats precious stones and diamonds

2010-01-24T04:24:00.000-08:00

January 11, China News Service reported that a large diamond mine had been found in Wafangdian Area Dalian City, Liaoning Province. It deposits about 210,000 karats precious stones and diamonds and its purity has surpassed the world's most famous diamond mine in South African. Liaoning Provincial CPPCC Committee member, the provincial Secretary for Geology and Mineral Resources Exploration Man Lai said that it is the only large-scale diamond mine found within the past three decades.

A Change of Heart(quote)

2010-01-23T04:15:00.000-08:00

Grandma got Grandpa out of bed and helped him to the kitchen for breakfast. After his meal, she led him to his armchair in the living room where he would rest while she cleaned the dishes. Every so often, she would check to see if he needed anything.This was their daily routine after Grandpa’s latest stroke. Although once a very active man, his severely damaged left arm, difficulty walking and slurred speech now kept him housebound.

For nearly a year he hadn’t even been to church or to visit family.Grandpa filled his hours with television. He watched the news and game shows while Grandma went about her day. They made a pact—he was not to leave his chair or his bed without her assistance.“If you fell and I threw my back out trying to help you, who would take care of us?” Grandma would ask him. She was adamant about their taking care of themselves and living independently.The Brooklyn brownstone had been their first home and held wonderful memories. They weren’t ready to leave it behind anytime soon.Immigrants from Ireland, they met and married in America. Grandma was friendly, outgoing and unselfish; Grandpa was reserved, a man devoted to his family. But he wasn’t big on giving gifts. While he wouldn’t think twice about giving my grandma the shirt off his back, he subscribed to the belief that if you treated your wife well throughout the year, presents weren’t necessary; so he rarely purchased gifts for her.This had been a sore point in the early days of their marriage. But as years passed, Grandma realized what a good man he was. And, after all, anything she wanted she was free to buy herself.It was a cold, gray February morning, a typical winter day in New York.

As always, Grandma walked Grandpa to his chair.“I’m going to take a shower now.” She handed him the television remote. “If you need anything, I’ll be back in a little while.”After her shower, she glanced towards the back of Grandpa’s recliner but noticed that his cane was not leaning in its usual spot. Sensing something odd, she walked toward the recliner. He was gone. The closet door stood open and his hat and overcoat were missing. Fear ran down her spine.Grandma threw a coat over her bathrobe and ran outside. He couldn’t have gotten far; he could barely walk on his own.Desperately, she scanned the block in both directions. Small mounds of snow and ice coated the sidewalks. Walking safely would be difficult for people who were steady on their feet, much less someone in Grandpa’s condition.Where could he be? Why would he leave the house all by himself?Wringing her hands, she hardly felt the frigid air as she watched traffic rush by.

She recalled overhearing him tell one of their grandchildren recently that he felt he was a “burden.” Until this last year, he had been strong and healthy; now he couldn’t even perform the simplest of tasks.As she stood alone on the street corner, guilt flooded her.Just then, Grandpa walked around the bend of the corner. Head bowed, eyes focused on the sidewalk, he took small, cautious steps.

His overcoat barely draped the shoulder of his bad arm; his cane and a package filled his good arm.Desperate to reach him, Grandma raced down the block. Relieved to see that he was okay, she started to scold.“I only left you alone for a short while. What did you need so badly that couldn’t wait? I was so worried about you! What on earth was so important?”Confused and curious, she reached into the brown bag. Before Grandpa had a chance to explain, she pulled out a heart-shaped box.“It’s Valentine’s Day,” Grandpa explained. “I thought you might like a box of chocolates.”A gift? All this worry for . . . candy?“I haven’t bought you a gift in a long, long time.” His stroke-impaired words warmed the winter wind.Tears flooded Grandma’s eyes as she hugged his arm to her chest and led Grandpa back home.She shook her head slowly.It just goes to show, she thought, it’s never too late for romance.

China’s third Beidou navigation satellite was launched successfull

2010-01-23T00:37:00.003-08:00

At 12:12 on the 17th, China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center loads the third Beidou navigation satellite into orbit successfully using the “long march on the 3rd C” carrier rocker. This means the Chinese Compass satellite navigation system project making an important process. The satellite networking is on schedule and progress steady. Prior to this, China has successfully launched four Compass navigation test satellites and two Beidou navigation satellites. Today’s successful launch of the Compass navigation satellite is a geostationary orbit satellites.

Future plans

2010-01-23T00:37:00.001-08:00

People often ask me what hopes and dreams I posses.In fact,I don't think about it very much.I know dreams are as fleeting as candlelight.If you ask me what I want to be,I could tell you I would like to become a businessman.One of the reasons is because of my parents.They works every day to support the family.I admire them and treat them with respect.They often tell me to waste neither time nor opportunity and not to procrastinate when plenty of things need to be tended to.They encourages me to try my best with my own life.I don't want to let my parents down and I want to become what I want to be.I believe my dreams will come true one day.When that day comes,I would like to try my best to help others.”To help others is a great joy”,my mother once told me.

Tks to my great Dad and Mom

2010-01-23T00:36:00.003-08:00

My sister went to Shanghai,where my father worked in.There she saw the condition of my father lived in.Not well as we thought for him.So hard,so uncomfortable,so sad.When she told me this,I am helping crying.I am eager to be a successful person who can make my parents happy life without hard-working any more.They can travel everywhere ,eat delicious food ,buy beautiful things with fun.I will give this kind of life to them one day.I am greatly thankful to my parents.They are kind,understanding,consicerable to me and my sister.They give me happy life without worrying the living problem.They treat me really good.Tks ,my dear Dad and Mom.I love you.

Economic status in choosing a spouse

2010-01-23T00:36:00.001-08:00

Love is romantic,but marriage is practical.I think it is very natural for people to give first priority to economic status in choosing a spouse.We all know how important money is .Without money,we can hardly do anything.Lack of money in marriage will cause problems to the couple.Even though the couple may have married for love,being always hard-pressed for money,love will soon be replaced by quarrels and endless worries over money matters.If this happens,can they live happily together?So I think it is very important to first consider if your future spouse is able to share the responsibility of supporting a family.If not ,just wait.

SHE

2010-01-23T00:30:00.000-08:00

Always pursuing happiness.In fact ,She found she even dont know what happiness is about.It seems so sad ,so funny,so fool```Such a complicated girl that it is hard to know her true thinking.When can she become a mature lady,taking seriously in each decision?Actually she is not a girl any more,she should be responsible for her behavior.However,she never adimit her wrong deeds to both persons and things.The results is she already missing her happiness```Prey for her```

When The Wind Blows（quote）

2010-01-22T03:57:00.003-08:00

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic，wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job，he received a steady stream of refusals.　　

Finally，a short，thin man，well past middle age，approached the farmer. “Are you a good farmhand？”the farmer asked him. “Well，I can sleep when the wind blows，” answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer，the farmer，desperate for help，hired him. The little man worked well around the farm，busy from dawn to dusk，and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.　　

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed，the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled，“Get up！ A storm is coming！ Tie things down before they blow away！”The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly，“No sir. I told you，I can sleep when the wind blows.”　　　

Enraged by the response，the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead，he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement，he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn，the chickens were in the coops，and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.　　　　

The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant，so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.　　　

MORAL： When you're prepared，spiritually，mentally，and physically，you have nothing to fear.

The first Chinese bodies buried in Haiti was found , seven still need to rescue

2010-01-22T03:57:00.001-08:00

China news agency, Beijing, January 16 local time at 3:30 in Haiti, Beijing time 16:30 pm on the 16th, after two days and nights non-stop search and rescue, the Chinese international rescue team finally found the first body of the buried Chinese people in the ruins of the building, who is one of the United Nations Mission in Haiti. By now, there is still seven people buried in the ruins and need rescue as far as possible.

Blue ring octopus

2010-01-22T03:56:00.002-08:00

Blue ring octopus lives around the southern coastline of Australia. This animal gets the name because she will change her skin colour into blue when she is in danger. And she is also a very poisonous creature. The toxicity of her venom is ten thousand times more than the Cyanide. So once bitten by the creature, people should go to hospital as far as possible or else he will die in 90 minutes.

Romantic and reality

2010-01-22T03:56:00.001-08:00

Youths usually think love is not only romantic,but also has many advantages.You can find someone to keep company with you,share your happiness and pain.Since our country has published the regulation the college students can get married in college,some youths are eager to get married in respanse to our country’s permission.But life is not always romantic.We need to face the reality-----the meals,the house,the work,the disadvantage of the couple,etc.If we can not adjust ourselves well,the marriage may collapse.Running the marriage is hard:it needs all the participates try their best to act and support.And I also think this is the reason why more and more people don't want to get married.Frankly speaking,it is awful if the life ahs only the kids,the house,the regular conversation,and the similar daily things,without excitement,species,and burning flame of passion.I cannot image.

My dream

2010-01-22T03:55:00.003-08:00

Everyone has a lot of dreams.Some people want to be rich,dreaming of becoming millionaires overnight.Others want to be famous,dreaming of suddenly jumping to great fame.I have a lot of dreams too.When I was a little child,I dreamed of becoming a scientist like Hua Luogen in future.However,I knew very well that I could not succeed without painstaking efforts.So I studied hard in the middle school in order to attain my goal.After entering the college,I was still very busy with my study,and I never gave up my goal.I read a lot of books to get more knowledge.Now I have made great progress.I am very happy.The ladder of becoming a scientist is still far ahead,but I have climbed the first rung any way.I think my dreams can come true one day,because there’s an old saying”where there is a will,there is a way.”

Creative Problem(2)

2010-01-22T03:55:00.001-08:00

Therefore,in an age of information an technology it is more important today for us to emphasize the cultivation of creativity.When students put more and more importance to the exam and lost their own interests,when works and officers more and more rely on the rules and computers and lost their innovative ability,it indicates that our society is about to face with inactivity and non-progress.TO prevent such dangerous situation,we must make efforts to cultivate students’ creativity,provide enough spaces to their free minds and creative ability,not format and limit them.Only do this,can our society make great progress continuously,and enhance the scientific and technological levels.

English

2010-01-22T03:51:00.000-08:00

I have been learning English for about 14 years.I can enjoy English songs and movies,know cultures and customs of foreign countries.

English is becoming more and more important for us as it plays the role of international language in the times of globalization.Since Chinese government’s policy of reform and opening up to the outside world,especially after China’s entry into WTO,we have been cooperating more and more with foreign countries.English is the most used language in international communication.

So keep studying English.

Today's Match

2010-01-21T23:19:00.000-08:00

I did not watch the match in a long time. This evening there is Manchester United, my favorite team, home games against Burnley team.The game starts at 23:00. From the current standings of view, Manchester United is now a game behind first place Chelsea a point. But I believe that tonight's match Manchester United can still win . Although Chelsea is now in the good state, I'm confident that Manchester United will catch up with Chelsea in the near future. Time gone well with slow, I've not wait to see the game.

Creative Problem(1)

2010-01-21T03:54:00.001-08:00

Nowadays,our study,work and research rely on the computers and technologies more and more,which result in our thoughts and creative ability’s degeneration to some extent.
This phenomenon is partly due to education.Today,the standard and “resonable” tests are doing more to restrain rather than to free student’s mind.This may explain that more and more employers complain their employees with high scores and low ability.It is high time to reconsider our education system,and leave children more spare time to their own things appealing to them not force them to study the dull books mechanically.

Seven Secrets to a Great Life（quote）

2010-01-21T03:54:00.000-08:00

A great life doesn't happen by accident. A great life is the result of allocating your time, energy, thoughts, and hard work towards what you want your life to be. Stop setting yourself up for stress and failure, and start setting up your life to support success and ease. A great life is the result of using what you get in a creative and thoughtful way, instead of just what comes next. Customize these "secrets" to fit your own needs and style, and start creating your own great life today!

1. S—Simplify. A great life is the result of simplifying your life. People often misinterpret what simplify means. It's not a way to remove work from your life. When you focus on simplifying your life, you free up energy and time for the work that you enjoy and the purpose for which you are here. In order to create a great life, you will have to make room for it in yours first.

2. E—Effort. A great life is the result of your best effort. Creating a great life requires that you make some adjustments. It may mean re-evaluating how you spend your time, or choosing to spend your money in a different way. It may mean looking for new ways to spend your energy that coincide with your particular definition of a great life. Life will reward your best effort.

3. C—Create priorities. A great life is the result of creating priorities. It's easy to spend your days just responding to the next thing that gets your attention, instead of intentionally using the time, energy and money you have in a way that's important to you. Focus on removing the obstacles that get in the way of you making sure you are honoring your priorities.

4. R—Reserves. A great life is the result of having reserves—reserves of things, time, space, energy, money. With reserves, you acquire far more than you need—not 6 months living expenses, but 5 years worth; not 15 minutes of free time, 1 day. Reserves are important because they reduce the fear of consequences, and that allows you to make decisions based on what you really want instead of what the fear decides for you.

5. E—Eliminate distractions. A great life is the result of eliminating distractions. Up to 75% of your mental energy can be tied up in things that are draining and distracting you. Eliminating distractions can be a difficult concept to many people, since they haven't really considered that there is another way to live. Look around at someone's life you admire. What do they do that you would like to incorporate into your own life? Ask them how they did it. Find ways to free up your mental energy for things that are more important to you.

6. T—Thoughts. A great life is the result of controlling your thoughts so that you accept and allow for the possibility that it actually can happen to you! Your belief in the outcome will directly dictate how successful you are. Motivated people have specific goals and look for ways to achieve them. Believing there is a solution to the same old problems you encounter year after year is vitally important to creating a life that you love.

7. S—Start. A great life is the result of starting. There's the old saying everyone's familiar with "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." In order to even move from the couch to the refrigerator, you have to start. There's no better time to start than today. Don't wait for a raise, or until the kids get older, or the weather is better. Today, right now, is the right day to start to take a step in the direction of your heart's desires. It's what you do TODAY that will make a difference in your life tomorrow.

See Avatar Thoughts

2010-01-21T03:53:00.001-08:00

Today I went to see a movie just released,which was called Avatar. Avatar is a science fiction movie, directed by renowned director James Cameron. The film applied a lot of advanced 3D technology, coupled with well-equipped cinema, gave me a very shocking feeling. The film shows us the human cravings and greed and finally a victory of justice over the evil.Film is still a happy end. However, it was commendable that the film's special effects are really a superb position. Many of the scenes is very similar to the game. If you have already seen the movie, it is also worth to see a second time.

Today's Match

2010-01-21T03:53:00.000-08:00

The important of exercise

2010-01-21T03:52:00.001-08:00

It is reported that the health of young people in China,college students in particular,is not as good as it is supposed to be.There are many reasons for this fact,but the main reason is that many people ignore the importance of physical exercises.

With the advanced of the life quality,we pay more time in amusement ,wathing TV,shopping,eating, but not exercise,leads to poor healthy.
Exercise is important to our health.It not only keep us fit and strong,but also help us to be successful in our lives.

It is,therefore,strongly suggested that young people are some time to take an active part in various kinds of physical exercises.It is good for us.

About friendship

2010-01-21T03:52:00.000-08:00

Everyone needs friendship.We need help from,and also give help to,others.In the modern age,people attach more importance to relations and connections.A man of charisma has many friends.His power lies in his ability to give.

The term,friend,covers a wide range of maenings.It can be a partner,a playmate,a brother,and so on.

As life is full of conflict,we need friends to support and help us out of difficulties.True friends share not only joy but ,more often than not,they share sorrow.Thanks to my old and new friends.I am rich for meeting you.

I miss you

2010-01-20T23:08:00.001-08:00

Dear Justin,I miss you so much these days.How are you now?Is everything good to you in Aus?I am so sorry for not having a look at you when you come back to China.You know I am not plan to do that.It is really difficult for me to decide whether to see you or not.Although I have the answer now,but too late.I am regretingfor my bad decision before.The punishment is I have no chance any more to see you.I have to admit a fact that I love you.I memory the days before together with you in the Chuihui Middle School.How can I get a second chance to be with you again like before.I wish I can do much better that do not let you leave me any more.

Part time job

2010-01-20T23:07:00.001-08:00

I get a part time job on the internet.The work is about shop management.The operator is only 2 years old than me.But she has her own shop already,dealing in serious gifts and crafts.I am admired of her.Compared with me,she has herself career,more colorful life.While looking at me,nothing gains.Always changing the job for my unsatisfied.Now I thinking carefully about my job problem.I found maybe the biggest problem is me.I am not determined ,persisted to do one thing.How can this kind of person to be successed.No chance.Suddenly, I wake up and regret my bad dead before.I swear that will never happen again.I will have my own career in the new year 2010.

Free admission to museum（quote）

2010-01-20T23:06:00.000-08:00

With the development of modern civilization, an increasing number of museums are open to the public for free. According to a national survey, over half of the museums in China have carried out this free-admission policy or are going to do so.What is the aim of such policy? The goal is crystal clear. For one thing, more citizens can have access to museums and appreciate the history and culture. In addition, poor people have the opportunities to receive such free education and the whole quality of Chinese people can thus be improved. For another, free museum tours help cities draw more visitors from the world and also publicize the city image nicely.However, everything can be divided into two. The negative aspects are also apparent. One of the important disadvantages is that some people may litter and spit in the museum and their bad behaviors affect the environment and museum management Through the above analysis, I believe that the favorable sides far outweigh its negative effects. I hope all the people can share the same national treasure in more free museums.

Inspiration from Life（quote）

2010-01-19T23:07:00.000-08:00

Taking the first stepHow will you know you can succeed at something if you don't give it a try?How will you know you can drag yourself out of the depths of your despair if you don't try?How do you know you won't get that new job if you don't apply? How do you know...Before becoming a success at anything, you must take that first step.Giving and Receiving LoveHumans need love. It is in the giving and receiving of love that we choose life. Participating in this fundamental exchange lies in our ability to trust others

Pls never regret any more

2010-01-19T23:06:00.000-08:00

We always spare efforts to pursue an everlasting result. But I don't know if it happened, and don't need to try anything. Many things in this world there is no eternal, this world has no result, many things are beautiful and brilliant.Just need to adjust the changing ,do not determined to charge it.So all the days are easily, all the things are sweety, never regret, forget the past , let it become memories today . Do not regret for the loss, do not miss yesterday any more.The most important is the today. To build a meaningful life in the future.

The great wealth to life

2010-01-19T23:05:00.000-08:00

Whether in the life, or on the Internet, everyone will have a friend. What is a friend? Friend is the one who will be with you whenever you are happy or sad. Friendship is one of the most noble and pure, the simplest and most ordinary feelings, also is the most romantic, the most moving, the most solid emotion. Without friendship, your life will have no sweet.Therefore,pls remember your friends around you.They are the great wealth to your life.

Ordinary is a kind of beauty

2010-01-18T23:05:00.001-08:00

A drop of dew can reflect the lighting of the sun.A flower can beauty the spring .A screw can make the machine work.Although the world is complicated,you can still find that ordinary is a kind of beauty. Yearning the ordinary love with the common feeling, not to be spedial. Yearning a normal life. Just stay together, smiling and talking. Like drinking plain boiled water, ordinary,but can solve the thirsty . Quietly feel with ordinary love in my heart.Be quiet and peace in your life , do not desire so much, do not expect so much, give yourself a calm and true life , give others grateful and tolerance.Perhaps you can understand the meaning and value of life !

The Door（quote）

2010-01-18T23:05:00.000-08:00

Everything (he kept saying) is something it isn't. And everybody is always somewhere else. Maybe it was the city, being in the city, that made him feel how queer everything was and that it was something else. Maybe (he kept thinking) it was the names of the things. The names were tex and frequently koid. Or they were flex and oid or they were duroid (sand) or flexsan (duro), but everything was glass (but not quite glass) and the thing that you touched (the surface, washable, crease-resistant) was rubber, only it wasn't quite rubber and you didn't quite touch it but almost. The wall, which was glass but turned out on being approached not to be a wall, it was something else, it was an opening or doorway--and the doorway (through which he saw himself approaching) turned out to be something else, it was a wall. And what he had eaten not having agreed with him.

The investment company

2010-01-18T23:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks to stabilizing the global economy and financial markets rebounded,Just over the last 2009, China sovereign investment funds - the investment company has made a good return on investment. The company is studying the possibility of further expanding the scope of investments, including high-speed rail in the United States. Last year in August, the investment company's annual report has published in 2008.It showed that the company has received 23.13 billion U.S. dollars net profit, the return of the companie on capital of 6.8%, but the global rate of return was -2.1%. Analysts believed that the market conditions is extremely depressed at 2008.So in 2009, the income of the overseas investment is certainly not low, together with its subsidiaries,its full-year return on investment is likely to exceed 10%.

Beautiful Smile and Love（quote）

2010-01-17T23:03:00.000-08:00

The poor are very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition，and I told the sisters: You take care of the other three. I take care of this one who looked worse. So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand as she said just the words “thank you” and she died.

I could not help but examine my conscience before her and I asked what would I say if I was in her place. And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself. I would have said I am hungry, that I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something, but she gave me much more-she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face. As did that man whom we picked up from the drain, half eaten with worms, and we brought him to the home. “I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, loved and cared for.” And it was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that, who could die like that without blaming anybody, without cursing anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel-this is the greatness of our people. And that is why we believe what Jesus had said: I was hungry, I was naked, I was homeless, I was unwanted, unloved, uncared for, and you did it to me.I believe that we are not real social workers.

We may be doing social work in the eyes of the people, but we are really contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we are touching the body of Christ twenty-four hours…And I think that in our family we don’t need bombs and guns, to destroy, to bring peace, just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world.And with this prize that I have received as a Prize of Peace, I am going to try to make the home for many people who have no home. Because I believe that love begins at home, and if we can create a home for the poor I think that more and more love will spread. And we will be able through this understanding love to bring peace be the good news to the poor. The poor in our own family first, in our country and in the world. To be able to do this, our Sisters, our lives have to be wove with prayer.

They have to be woven with Christ to be able to understand, to be able to share. Because to be woven with Christ is to be able to understand, to be able to share. Because today there is so much suffering…When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread, I have satisfied. I have removed that hunger. But a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who has been thrown out from society-that poverty is so full of hurt and so unbearable…And so let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love, and once we begin to love each other naturally we want to do something.

A small country

2010-01-17T23:02:00.001-08:00

In the United States Nevada desert, there is a country which claims independent.It is"Moluoxiya republic".According to its government website,it says that the country was established in 1977, with an area of only 0.025 square kilometers, surrounded by the land of the United States,the total population was only six people at present.So it is called "the world's first pocket-sized country."Nevertheless, "Moluoxiya" has claimed that it had an independent constitution, the Navy, the banking,the currency,the post office,the bureau, or even the first contractor of the "mini-national Olympic". However,as it has not yet established formal diplomatic relations to any country in the world so far,therefore it is not recognized by other countries.

Abolition of “relocation of the capital

2010-01-17T23:02:00.000-08:00

On 11th, South Korean Prime Minister Chung announced the plan of Sejong City’s construction amendments and abolished the original plan to migrate some parts of the executive branch to the Sejong. South Korean media reported that this amendment showed Lee Myung-bak government had abandoned the capital plan which was proposed by former President Roh Moo-hyun. The original plan is to build a new city in the middle part of South Korea’s Sejong.

You’ll Never Regret it（quote）

2010-01-16T22:59:00.000-08:00

Time is running out for my friend. While we are sitting at lunch she casually mentions she and her husband are thinking of starting a family. "We're taking a survey,"she says, half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?""It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. "I know,"she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous holidays..."But that's not what I mean at all. I look at my friend, trying to decide what to tell her.

I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will be vulnerable forever.I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without thinking: "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub.I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood.

She might arrange for child care, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting, and she will think her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her child is all right.I want my friend to know that every decision will no longer be routine. That a five-year-old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at a restaurant will become a major dilemma. The issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in the lavatory. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.Looking at my attractive friend, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the added weight of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her own life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. She would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years—not to accomplish her own dreams—but to watch her children accomplish theirs.

I want to describe to my friend the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to hit a ball. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it hurts.My friend's look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I say finally. Then, squeezing my friend's hand, I offer a prayer for her and me and all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this holiest of callings.

Iron ore giant attempter to use to force China to compromise

2010-01-16T22:58:00.000-08:00

Different from the silence before, recently, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton appeared to be more hard-line attitude in iron ore negotiations. Apart from China, the two turned their main vigor to concentrate negotiations with Japan and South Korea, the purpose is clear: they hope it will force China to follow by using of "starting price". More important is that the current high spot ore price makes the two to expand the price.

Lose and get

2010-01-16T20:17:00.000-08:00

An old man was in a high-speed trains,he dropped a shoe carelessly out of the window which was just bought .The people surrounding him felt sorry about it.But,the old man threw another shoe out of the window immediately.This move surprised all the people.Then the old man explained: "No matter how expensive the shoe is,it has no sense for me.But if some one can picked up a pair of shoes,maybe he can wear it.”The old man is Gandhi.He told us a philosophy about get and lose by himself.Sometimes we should change our angle to deal with the problem.

Togo Government’s refusal to continue the race

2010-01-15T22:56:00.001-08:00

After experiencing the terrorist attacks in Angola, Cabinda province, January 9 in the afternoon, Togo national team announced the team would withdraw from the African Nations Cup held by the Government of Togo in Angola, and decided to return Lome, Togo as soon as possible. However, this decision was subsequently rejected by most of the Togo’s players. The players wanted to continue to race as a consolation to the victim.

How to use "Stroking"（quote）

2010-01-15T22:56:00.000-08:00

Give the other person a genuine compliment. Comment on some positive quality or trait they have.* Let the other person know that you like, respect, or admire them, and value their friendship even though you're both feeling angry or disagreeing with each other right now.* Convey warmth and caring through your body language, showing that you're interested, open and receptive, as opposed to frowning, crossing your arms across your chest, and shaking your head in a judgemental way.But do you have to stroke people who really are jerks? Isn't it better to be honest and let people know what idiots they are? The answer is that you don't have to treat anyone with respect. You can respond to people any way you want to. It just depends on the kinds of relationships you want.

Japanese right-wingers nuisance Tokyo Chinatown

2010-01-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

At about 12 o’clock, more than 40 Japanese right-wingers, hanging Japanese flag, held a street demonstration on the district in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district of the Chinese. “Japan Xinhua Chinese Press” told reporters that Tokyo polices deployed four police vehicles, a large number of police officers at the scene lined up three block wall to prevent the demonstrators’ excessive behaviors. After the demonstrators, the local Chinese shops open as usual, but everyone there is nervous.

a small elephant

2010-01-14T22:54:00.001-08:00

A small elephant was born in the circus, it's parents are the old circus performers.The small elephant is very mischievous, always want to running freely. The staff tied its legs with a thin chains to the iron bars.The small elephant hated the chains,but it could not struggle to free itself.At first,after tried by the thousands and tens of thousands times, it had to go forword and backward within the scope of the chains finally. a few days later, the small elephant tried again, but it was not successful, so it had to be content. Time and again,The elephant was no longer to try, and it used to chains,it took a look at their parents ,found them are the same as itself, it seemed to be this way. The little elephant grown up day after day, it can break the chains easily, but it never think of doing this. It had believed that it was unassailable to do this. This strong psychological hint had deeply implanted in its memory.

Two people Received 09 National Science and Technology Award

2010-01-14T22:54:00.000-08:00

On 11th morning, the National Science and Technology Award Conference held in Beijing’s Great Hall. The General Assembly awarded the 2009 State Supreme Science and Technology Award. The winners were two academicians Chao-hao Gu and Chia-Tung Shun.The country’s highest award is given the number of not more than 2 annually. Winners must present a major breakthrough in cutting-edge science and technology or have made outstanding achievements in the scientific and technological developments.

Youth(quote)

2010-01-14T22:46:00.000-08:00

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind.It is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees.It is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, vigor of the emotions;It is the freshness of the deep spring of life.Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity,of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.This often exits in a man of 60, more than a boy of 20.nobody grows merely by the number of years;we grow old by deserting our ideas.Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.

Went Home

2010-01-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I have decided to buy a train ticket.My mother urged me to buy long ago, and she said she was afraid I would not buy tickets because in the holidays many people will need to buy. However, I heard that the Government has taken many measures to prevent some people can not buy tickets in this year. Before the end of the year also launched a new version of the train ticket. Heard that security has improved in many parts of signs. Hope everything goes well tomorrow, the best team not to row too long.

Does it matter that whether you are a man or a woman?

2010-01-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

Nowadays most Chinese believe that men have more advantages when finding works than women. Because women have to Carry an unborn child, it will take a lot economic loss to the company, and traditionally the majority here look up men, and look down on women.But I think it’s just the opposite. Women have become more and more powerful, and they are the same outstanding as men, in some zones they are even better. I think the standard of excellent people is not their sexual distinction but their qualities and characters. As long as he or she is good, honest and talented, he or she is splendid, and they will surely bring profit to the society. So I think the tradition is not useful anymore, at least to me.

A boy’s worry about future

2010-01-13T22:43:00.000-08:00

I am a boy, a very ordinary one. And now I am studying in university. It is popularly believed that undergraduates are outstanding and most people considering that they are the pillars of the constructing of our country.However I think it turned out just the opposite. On the one hand what we are learning now are usually things which used at least 5 years ago, so nobody can be sure that we can make a contribution to society after we graduate. And then are we really learning here? In my opinion, most of us don’t try our best or even worse we don’t learning at all. What we are doing here is working hard to pass the exams, who care about the knowledge or skills we may use in the future? On the other hand, as the economy and science developed, the society calls for more skilled undergraduates, so can you imagine what future we will face?So I think if we undergraduates want to have a good life, we can’t satisfy with the present situation, we have to make a plan about our future as soon as possible. I believe it’s never too late to do so.

Frogs

2010-01-13T22:42:00.000-08:00

A little frog tired of the perennial life of the ditch .The water of the ditch are less and less,There is nearly no food. So the little frog kept jumping every day, and wanted to escape from this place.But its companion squatted lazily all days, and said: “ It is still have some food. Why are you so urgent?" Finally, the small frog jumped into a Tong one day, there are many delicious food, and it can swim freely around.The little frog call its partner: "You come here quickly, here is like a paradise!" But it's companion, said: "I have been accustomed to this place, I grew up here,I don’t want to move! " Soon the water of the ditch dried, and the small frog’s companions starved to death.

I love football game

2010-01-12T22:40:00.001-08:00

The weather is very good today.After school is just 3 o'clock in the afternoon.So I invited some classmates to play soccer in the university stadium. Although it is winter now, the weather is close to zero.Like other football fans,a reference to football, I do have a passion for whole body. My favorite teams are Manchester United and AC Milan. They are all top-level teams. Not only the team have a long history but also the team have a lot of famous players,such as Rooney, Pato, Ronaldinho and Inzaghi.

weekend

2010-01-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

A blink of an eye, today is the end of weekend. I got up very late in the morning as usual. Outside is very cold, the windows played a very thick mist. Recalled yesterday that boring travel, I very regret did not go to attend the meeting.There is no one dish that meet everyone's taste . That is also the reason wty I am not satisfied with yesterday's travel. This is also make me hesitant wheher I will participate the party in this weekend. Actually, I think I was not very suitable for the occasion.

A genius

2010-01-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

A 14-year-old boy Aaron Fernandez, would be more than two centuries, the youngest student of Cambridge University. What was surprised that Fernandez who was known as the "mathematical genius", did not enter the school to receive education,he received a complete "family-style Education." According to the British "Daily Mail" reported on the 7th, the "mathematical genius" reputation of the Aron Fernandez, who is just 14 years old. However, he has pass the entrance examinations of the University of Cambridge at the summer of 2009, and receive an admission of Fitzwilliam College which was built in 1966. As is known to all,the University of Cambridge’s entrance exam is one of strictest exams in the world.Fernandez's performance was excellent in the examination,especially in mathematics and Higher Mathematics Advanced Level Examination (A-levels) .It is unbelievable.

A special robbery

2010-01-12T22:38:00.001-08:00

Nowadays a bank robbery happened in America, two of about 12 to 14-year-old girl swept away a huge amount of cash easily.Cincinnati police are doing their best to find their traces. According to the police,at the afternoon of January 5,two girls went into a small bank office,then one of them quietly stood at the entrance, just to escape the surveillance video of the bank, while the another one walked straight up to the counter, and showed a note to a staff, claiming that they have a gun and asked a paper bag which was full of cash.The staff was very surprised, and she had to do in accordance with the requirements of the note, but she also put special money which can be installed to track the use of the money into the bag.

The salar

2010-01-12T22:38:00.000-08:00

State officials were considered to be the highest income group by the public. At present, no matter which class’s subjective evaluation, considered that the gain of workers, peasants,and migrant workers get the least salary in the post 3. the top five of the Public evaluation in order are: state cadres, entertainers, private entrepreneurs, state-owned collective enterprise managers, professional and technical staffs. According to the survey, the highest and lowest income groups of the average monthly income bracke jumped from 1971 to 1980 of 3.8:1 to 19.9:1 in 2005, the gap was widening.

Life(quote)

2010-01-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

A long time ago, humans were only as tall as hens and rabbits. These tiny "humans", if you can call them that, lived under trees. Living in trees was not very nice. During rains they got wet. In summers they sweated madly, and in winter they almost froze into ice. Life was tough. So they started living in burrows, just the way rabbits do. They thought that at least this way they will be dry in the rains. And in summer, they will be safe from the hot sun. But, often, the roofs fell upon them without warning. They would get trapped inside, unable to come out. Life was still tough.

Then the humans decided to make a tree house. They created an umbrella of branches and leaves and lived under them. The roof did not fall upon them. Life became a bit better. But the houses did not have any wallsPeople continued to feel the heat and cold. Finally, they learnt the trick of making walls. They made the first real houses. There was no doubt any more that it was a good life. It became even better when the humans made houses close to each other so that they would never feel alone.

LG GD880（Mini）

2010-01-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

This model uses a metal-stele ultra-thin body design, and is equipped with FWVGA level of the screen. Although the detailed specifications are not completely exposed, the machine has begun to show the style of LG king.Compared with traditional touch mobile phone, LG GD880 measures for size 102×47.2×9.95 millimeter. Its thickness is less than 1 centimeter. LG GD880 is equipped with a 3.2 inches 480×854 pixel-level touch-screen and supports for HSDPA high-speed Internet access.

Nexus One

2010-01-11T22:30:00.000-08:00

On the 5th, Google Incorporated U.S. formally began its first own-brand smart phones “Nexus one” on sale. This is, as Internet search giant Google for the first time to design its own phone. The new mobile phone is equipped with a 3.7-inch touch screen and a 5 million pixel camera. It weight 130 grams and its thickness is 11.5 millimeter. Using the latest version of the Google Android mobile phone operating system makes it a wonderful choice for the customers.

King of the forest

2010-01-11T22:28:00.001-08:00

In Africa, there lives a beautiful, mighty, fierce animal. Yes, that’s the lion. When we are kids,
we have known the lion is the king of the forest and the boys always compares themselves to
be the lion. But we learn it almost in the cartoon. In the real life, the lion is still a king. Lion is
a social animal. The female lion will do the usual work like preying, looking after the baby. The
male lion’s responsibility is to defend his family territory.

The Callanish Stones

2010-01-11T22:28:00.000-08:00

Cut from rocks three billion years old, the Callanish Stones stand like giant tower in Western Isles,
Scotland. According to the archaeologists, the stones have been there for more than 5000 years.
The surface becomes smooth and the fracture is more around due to the erosion of rain and wind.
Its central stone are more than 15 feet. Like the Stonehenge far on the south, the stone is an
important relic which needs government’s protection.

Driving License

2010-01-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

These days I am learning car driving.At first ,I think it is easy to meet the test requirement for I have a good feeling when driving.However,I am worng.I dont have an excellent performance when training.It needs practicing and practicing.Then,I have known talking is not doing, It is easy to talk about a plan, but this gets little respect untill one takes a risk and puts the plan into action.So action speaks more than words.From now on,Less speaking,more doing.

Who am I

2010-01-10T22:26:00.000-08:00

Have you ever asked youself who you are?Why are you living in this world.What you have done as you are?```I guess most of us dont know the answers.Maybe we are not so acquainted with ourselves.Maybe everything is changeing ,we cant get the right judge.Even so,we cant lose ourselves.we should make our great efforts to achieve our best value of life.Who am I?I am the ruler of my life.

My future（quote）

2010-01-10T22:25:00.000-08:00

I earnestly hope to lead a healthy and prosperous life in the future. Judging from my aptitude inclination and personality streaks, my ideal life will be that of a scientist, researching, lecturing, and writing books. As I am from a farming family, I particularly enjoy being close to earth. If I can afford to live a pastoral life in the countryside, I will feel most blessed. As far as social life is concerned, simplicity is what I intend to pursue, so I really don't need too many friends. All these will be mere talk if I am idle now.

To attain my goal, I must make a point of training my body and mind. This is a highly competitive society in which everyone is eager to come out on top. That is not only a competition of physical strength and mental power, but a marathon of patience, faith, and perseverance. Life is not all roses, but with what I am being equipped with by the top teachers in this elite school, I surely deserve a promising prospect.

Football

2010-01-09T22:22:00.001-08:00

Do you like football?If the answer is yes. Then I go on to say the game will certainly be very interested in your. The game is called “Live”. Now the latest version of the “Live” is 2010 version. This version have a great difference between previous versions.In this version,the current strengthening of the defensive is strengthened. Weakened the ability to use experience to defend.If you are a fresh player, you can not worry too much. I am sure you will love the game.So you can have a try.

A helicopter crash in Guizhou province

2010-01-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

On January 4, 2010, a helicopter crashes in jichang village zhijin county Guizhou province. According to the witnesses, the helicopter hits down the high tension line, then crashes on the nearby mountain slope. By now, the helicopter is still on fire. The masses claim they see a person parachutes, but the pilot has not been found. The local government has organized people to carry out the rescue immediately. The victim still remains unknown.

health

2010-01-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

Today, as the weather forecast said the weather turned unusually cold. Early to wake up, through the window and saw the outside of the sun, said good morning to myself. I really want to bring my good mood to each friend of my,because I hope they like me, have a good mood every day. Recently, I heard that one of my high school classmate's mother got cancer. I was very surprised.She has always been a very cheerful girl in my heart. I hope that her mother be able to get better faster,so I can hear her laughter again.I really hope so.

“13”

2010-01-09T22:20:00.000-08:00

Why do Westerners taboo "13"?I checked a lot of material and asked a lot of foreign friends. Legend of Jesus and his disciples before the victims had a dinner together. The first 13 people attended the dinner is the Jewish disciples of Jesus. Is this for 30 silver coins Judas to betray Jesus to the Jewish authorities, led to Jesus tortured. To participate in the Last Supper of 13 individuals, dinner date coincides with 13, "13" to Jesus to bring misery and misfortune of paper. From then on, "13" is considered a symbol of misfortune. "13" is synonymous with treachery and betrayal.

The recession

2010-01-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

In 2008, the united states outbreaks the financial crisis. Soon, the effect of the crisis begins to spread all around the world. Devaluation, depression of exportation, collapse of the bank and the bankruptcy of enterprise become the familiar words we will hear of everyday. Although a year has passed, the effort of the recession has not eliminated yet. The economists estimate that the recession will be over by 2012. But it is true that all the countries shall work together to solve the problem.

The Burj Duba

2010-01-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

Which building is the world’s tallest? People will say it is the TaiPei 101. But after the Burj Dubai opened for business on 4 January 2010, the TaiPei 101 can only rank the second one because the total altitude of The Burj Dubai is 828m. That is really a height people can’t imagine. The Burj Dubai can be regarded not only as a skyline, but also a city. There is no doubt that the building will prosper the area around.

Lessons get in dota

2010-01-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

Dota is a kind of pc games that played by two groups of people, each group 5 people. And everyone in the game has to choose a hero that represents himself.Actually the game is a fight between the two groups, if you want to win the most important thing is cooperation. No matter how powerful you are, it’s a game of five people just like basketball.So it makes me associate with the society and work environment. If we want to do great things we have to draw together not just rely on ourselves. And the quality is decide by the worst man in our group. So in my opinion the key to success is finding a good group and keep working to develop ourselves.

Life is a do-it-yourself project

2010-01-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials.

It was an unfortunate way to end his career.When the carpenter finished his work and the employer came to inspect the house and handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Who could say it more clearly? Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

Why we don’t feel happy

2010-01-08T17:30:00.001-08:00

In recent years, as economy developed and society progressed, we become richer and richer and our lives have become better and better. But I have found that we haven’t get happier, even worse more and more people get mental diseases.So I think happiness do have something to do with the conditions of social material lives, but psychological state is more important. That is a frame of mind affecting one’s thoughts or behavior, an overall attitude. If we have peaceful mind and are content with the conditions around us we will be happier. Content is better than riches.

What I think about “naked wedding”

2010-01-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

Have you heard about the word “Naked wedding”? Maybe you are a little out of date if you have no idea about the " Naked Wedding", which means the couple just get married with no house, no car, no wedding celebration and even no wedding rings. This phenomenon emerged under the global financial crisis background in 2008.For me I think, the essence of wedding is love. Love is sacred, only those who have true love can lead a happy life after they get married. Two people love each other not because the other is rich nor he have a high position in the public, it is just because that they have the same feeling that they have to live together no matter what happened.So I think “naked wedding” is good ,it is a state of pure love. And it is valuable especially in an acquisitive society in which the craving for material things seems never satisfied.

The United States

2010-01-07T17:28:00.001-08:00

The United States is situated in the central part of North America.The country is 9363000 square kilometers.It has two youngest states:On the northwestern part of North Amercia is Alaska;in the central Pacific is Hawaii.On the north of Americais Canada.And Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico on the south.On the east is the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean on the west.It has 50 ststes and a federal district.The United States can be divided into three parts.The eastern part,the western part,and the great central plain in the middle.