Archive for March, 2008

Top 3 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

  • Filed under: Blogs
Monday
Mar 17,2008

by Brandon Cornett

Here today, gone tomorrow. It seems that’s the lifespan of many business blogs these days. The blog goes up, it fails to deliver the desired result, and the blog is abandoned. It’s an endless cycle of waste.Wasted time, wasted energy and, in come cases, wasted money!

In order to break out of this cycle and ensure the success of your blog, you must first understand the reasons why business blogs fail. This will give you insight into what not to do, as well as revealing the things you should be doing.

Reason #1 - The Blog Lacks a Purpose

A business blog that lacks a purpose will also lack direction. When that’s the case, the blogger does not know who the intended audience is or what kind of information they want. Without these essential ingredients, how would you even begin to write the first post?

Ask yourself the following questions with regard to blogging. What are my goals? What do I hope to get out of my publishing efforts? How will my blog support my company’s marketing and communications goals? You should answer these questions before you even write your first post.

You should be able to state your blog’s purpose in one or two sentences. For example: “The purpose of my blog is to educate small business owners on the benefits of Internet marketing.” Notice that this statement has an action (to educate), an audience (small business owners), and a subject (Internet marketing).

Reason #2 - The Blog Lacks Originality

There are literally millions of bloggers publishing content online each week. So how will your blog stand apart from the rest? Even within your topical niche and specific area of expertise, there is guaranteed to be dozens, hundreds or even thousands of bloggers publishing new content on a regular basis.

In order to succeed in such a crowded space, a business blog must offer something original. Originality can come from many sources. A blogger can provide tips or instructions that are hard to find elsewhere, offer a fresh new insight into a particular topic, or even create a new topic that nobody else is blogging about. These are just three ways to add originality to a business blog. The main thing is to be original in some way, shape or form.

Reason #3 - The Blogger Lacks Patience

In some cases, a new blogger will already have an audience from day one. For example, if a popular news columnist ventures online to start a blog, he or she will soon have fans flocking to the new site. But such cases are rare.

It is more realistic that when you first start blogging you will have an audience of one (yourself). But this can change over time, as long as you put in the effort to publish quality content on a regular basis. Many business bloggers lack the patience and determination necessary to build an audience. It’s hard work, and it usually takes weeks, months or even years to accomplish.

It’s really all a matter of expectation. If a business blogger expects to generate a vast amount of leads or sales from the blog in a short time, he or she will normally come away frustrated. On the other hand, when the publisher outlines clear objectives for the blog and publishes quality content over a period of time, the audience will eventually grow. And with that audience comes blogging success in general (leads, sales, subscriptions, or inquiries).

Your Roadmap for Success

Now that you understand the common reasons why business bloggers fail, you’ll be better able to avoid the same mistakes in your own publishing efforts. Establish your blog’s purpose early on. Strive to make it unique and interesting in some way. And be patient but persistent with your blogging efforts. Success will come eventually.

Buzz creation for business blogs

  • Filed under: Blogs
Monday
Mar 17,2008

Blogs are alive and kicking on the internet. Blogging has phenomenally changed the landscape of the web. It has dramatically influenced and changed businesses. Businesses will have no option but to accept this reality. They are not alone providing their information on the web. The same information is being competitively provided by competitors who are fighting to have a share of the lucrative blogging pie. Buzz creation for business blogs therefore should rank top priority for those businesses that are out on the internet to create a market for their niches and to succeed in their online campaigns.In the culture of blogging, it is imperative to speak with a voice that should be activated on a personal level. That is to say, communication with the blogger at the other end should be more personalized. It should be the same treatment for customers, who are in effect assets to your business. You can create buzz by constantly engaging your customers and bloggers alike in conversations that should be honest and transparent. Bear in mind that only meaningful conversations will bear fruit. These will develop positive experiences that will be relished by your customers as well as bloggers.

Blogging requires participation on your part. It requires two-way traffic for communication to be real and interactive. There is so much interactivity and feedback to be captured amongst customers, suppliers, partners and employees. To best achieve this objective of effective communication , there are guidelines that will help in this area.

(1) Always be a good and sharp listener

Conversations are abuzz everywhere. You can notice customers, suppliers, your partners and even your employees talking, engaging in conversations at any time of the day. The imperative issue is not the quantity of feedback that you are provided with, but the quality of the feedback. Quality feedback includes both constructive and destructive feedback. Such feedback may throw light on certain issues that have not been apparent to you before. Comments from such feedback are too precious to be discarded. It is therefore important to learn to listen to more feedback from conversations around you.

(2) Understand feedback without prejudice

Feedback provided needs to be evaluated. This process of evaluation must be done without any prejudice on your part. A fair understanding of the comments will help you to achieve a fair conclusion. The feedback is precious finding, and it comes from a customer that is an asset to your business. Therefore, give credit where it is due. Give value to the feedback. Do not forget to accord value to your customers too for the generous feedback they have given you. Always eliminate prejudice as far as understanding of the comments and feedback are concerned.

(3) Be generous with giving value

Buzz creation for business blogs requires the endorsement of value for every conversation that is going on in your business. Conversations can be from anyone in your business hierarchy. Forget the garbage perception that certain feedback and contributions are not worth your attention. Every conversation deserves a listening ear, simply because it may offer the best and most viable solution to a current issue in the business. Value every conversation, be it coming from the lowest ranked employee or coming from the top hierarchy of your business. In a nutshell, be generous in giving value to your business blog, blog contributions, employees who blog, customers who blog, as well as to other bloggers.

(4) Show your conviction

Blogging requires you to know what your business will be in for. There will be much conversations that you will have to be involved in. Conviction on your part is essential if your business is ready and has something valuable to offer. Always use the passion that is in your business blog to trigger more passion from your customers. This process requires you to readily participate in the interpretation and evaluation of all blog conversations. Your business blog best serves this purpose. Always show to others that you are convicted to your business, and you intend to serve them efficiently.

(5) Stand out and speak up

Have your voice ready. This is integral to the culture of blogging. Make communication effective and provide valuable contributions that others can learn from you. You are the best person in your niche . It is therefore important that you speak up and give the best presentation that others will appreciate and not forget. Speak with passion and with quiet authority behind you. Your customers, as well as other bloggers, will listen - attentively.

Blogging provides the opportunity to expand your business. Communication will be more personalized. Businesses will gain visibility on a wider horizon. These are the real benefits that you can get from buzz creation for business blogs.

Monday
Mar 17,2008

Being a waiter involves hard work. It requires much physical energy and the ability to work long hours. Although the job of a waiter is quite demanding, the pay is not that great. Most waiters or waitresses get minimum wage as their base pay. Why do so many people like this job you might ask? It’s the tips. The wages paid by the restaurant are just the bottom of the bucket for a waiter or waitress. The real money is made from pleasing the customer who repays their service with a tip or gratuity. If a waiter or waitress is outstanding at their job, there is no telling exactly what they could make in tips.

So how important is it for a waiter to always write down the order? It is imperative! When relying on the customer to tip a waiter, there is no room for mistakes. A mistake might cost him or her ten dollars, a mistake he or she can’t afford to make. Most errors are made due to miscommunication with the customer. Either the waiter or waitress didn’t hear the customer right or he or she didn’t get the correct order to the waitress pad. Either way, the customer is always right.

When writing an order on a waitress pad, the waiter should make sure he understands the customer completely. If he or she has specific requests or instructions pertaining to their meal, the waiter is responsible to note it and make sure these requests are met. If a meal comes back to the customer and is not satisfactory, the waiter or waitress will be at fault or at least that is what the customer thinks. It is essential to gather all details from the guest regarding his meal. Once again if the customer feels the waiter or waitress didn’t do their job, there’ll be no tip.

If the order is not written down correctly on the waitress pad, there will very likely be a mistake on the guest check as well. As the customer reviews his check he or she is making sure they are not being over-charged or billed for something they did not have. If this should happen there will be problems, more often than naught for the waiter or waitress. And again the waiter or waitress goes home with five or ten dollars less in his or her pocket. This is disturbing when the waiter or waitress realizes the mistake was made because they didn’t write the order down correctly on the waitress pad and because of this the guest check was incorrect. As a waiter or waitress it pays to be always listening and making sure to always write down the order and not just jot it down but write it down correctly.

If you have worked as a waiter for very long, you have probably heard this proverbial anecdote: Why did the customer only leave a 9 cent tip? Because the waiter wasn’t worth a dime. Don’t let this be you. It’s a simple matter to write the entire order down with all special requests. Keep the customer happy, and they will keep you happy.

About the Author

Find out how your wait staff can improve customer service by using high quality Guest Checks from: www.paperism.com

Monday
Mar 17,2008

A stumbling block for entrepreneurs looking to start a business is the lack of start up capital. In the brick and motar business of the offline world, large capital outlays are necessary, thus preventing most people from going into business. Should you lack the financial resources, a great avenue to start would be an Internet Business MLM opportunity. The good thing about the internet is that only a small amount of capital is required to start an internet business, and the profits are very rewarding.

Umlike the franchising business, where one needs to pay a huge franchise fee in order to use the logo, branding, products. business model and systems of the parent company, in an MLM company, you do not have to spend any money to use all the above and yet benefit from the same perks. Once you have registered with the company, you are immediately in business. There is no need to purchase and stock up on inventory because you can order anytime you need some products.

Setting up your business

It is really quite easy to setup your MLM business because in most cases, the company will provide you with a comprehensive step by step guide on how to set up your business and earn an income. Furthermore, MLM companies provide mentors to assist you especially when you’re just beginning. These mentors are usually leaders in the upper echelons of the membership ladder. Because they have been in the industry longer than you have, they will be in a good position to advice you on how to get a quick start to your business.

It is in the interest of these people to assist you because this is a MLM business, whereby those people above you earn overriding commissions on the sales of people who are under them in the membership ladder. Since the people in your team who are in the upper level will benefit from whatever sales that you will generate, they will definitely be willing enough to share their knowledge and help you make money.

Promoting your business

With the business Internet MLM opportunity, there is no elaborate scheme to promote your products and services. Most MLM companies already have a business promotion plan which you can easily follow. The good thing about these business plans is that you really do not have to pay any money to access them. Once you register in the MLM Company, you automatically get the business plan and the tutorial on how to go about setting up your business.

In its entirety, the business Internet MLM opportunity is a good way for you to earn money from the internet. You just have to make sure that when you choose which companies you would want to join in, you first make sure that you are dealing with a legitimate company and have a good marketing system in place.

 

About the Author

Sherman Choo is a “Million Dollar Marketer” and Creator of Internet Cash Generating Machines like make money online with your own Internet Cash Machine complete with Step-By-Step Instructions, visit==>http://www.creditstocash.com

Monday
Mar 17,2008

Having your own business is the most dependable way to earn residual income. Whether it be a home based business, a web based business, or just a shoe store on Main Street that you own, having a business is a hefty endeavor and if taken seriously enough, can lead to guaranteed residual income for you in the long run.

If you are looking to generate residual income, consider the benefits of selling or reselling a product, or providing a certain service to the community. It may require a small initial investment of time and money, but the benefits are endless if everything is done right.

Having a business is an excellent way to generate residual income, and more and more people are starting up businesses of their own every day, many of them business that are operated from the comfort of their very own home! Imagine making a living, and getting to avoid the hectic hustle and bustle of a daily commute.

It’s a beautiful thing. With your business, you have the power to determine how much time and work you put into it. The sad fact is that most businesses fail, but the businesses that fail are owned by people who didn’t have something or other right in the beginning. Having a business at home takes many long hours of work and dedication, at least in the start up period.

To be able to generate the residual income you need and deserve, it is important to keep operational costs low of course but if financially possible, hire a manager or a supervisor, somebody to help you keep track of your finances and your affairs, somebody to run things while you are away or focusing on other things. If your business is going to be secondary to something else, a primary form of employment, having some type of manager system is critical to the successful operation of your business.

Hire a manager that you trust, someone who can give you the necessary updates you need whether it be throughout the day or the week, to keep your mind at ease so you can focus on the background work, and on improving your financial future. Try not to put a whole lot of effort into creating or maintaining your product or service if you are finding that you don’t have the amount of business you wanted.

If people are not utilizing your services, or buying your product there is no reason to continue selling it. Ensure that people are educated and informed of your business, and work on promoting it before you start thinking you are out to earn big bucks your first week.

Having a business is a huge responsibility, but the payout is immense if you put your mind to the grind and get dedicated about it. Soon enough, you will have the money you need to take that vacation you have always wanted, and more time for the family at the same time.

Monday
Mar 17,2008

Opinions differ as to what the top seven stupid mistakes are made by small business owners. But one must remember that a business, no matter how large or small, lives or dies by its ability to stay profitable. When a small business owner makes an unwise choice it is because he or she is not thinking in terms of profitability and calculated risk. They are taking risks but leaving the calculated part out. Basically this means that the risks the small business owners are making are not well thought out and can have disastrous results on a small business. Here are some common stupid mistakes made by small business owners that reflect unwise decisions at the moment:

1. Doing business with the wrong people. New small business owners are so excited about getting their enterprise started and tend to not want to turn any work away whatsoever. This is a big mistake. All it takes is one customer who picks at everything yet doesn’t want to spend a dime to destroy you. When you have a customer that does this, drop this person. Let him or her go to your competitors. It is not worth your time or effort. They will suck the very life from you and your business. They will scream, complain, and threaten but remember, they don’t want to spend a dime on anything so they won’t hire a lawyer to sue you either.

2. Chasing bad money with good money. What this means is over-investing in some idea or project that is risky. Never put all your efforts and resources into the same project. It is insane. If that project fails, you’ve lost everything.

3. Not taking the proper security measures. This is where you release products or services without reasonable assurances of payment from your customer. An example of this would be releasing a fully-licensed version of software to your clients without any payment. You are just opening up yourself to having that software stolen and never paid for. Make sure you release software as demo versions until paid for.

4. Not paying your taxes. In the United States, you could go to jail if you do not pay your self-employment taxes and Social Security taxes for your employees if you have any.

5. Letting a customer run your business. Remember that you should never put all of your eggs and resources into one project or customer. But quite often you will get one person who thinks he or she can tell you how you ought to run things and usually these are the ones who have not paid you a dime and will probably be late paying if ever. Take charge of your business and schedule things out. Never let a customer demand you put them first. By the same token, strive to treat everyone with courtesy and respect even if they are difficult.

6. Not having enough money to run the business. Your operational expenses need to be prioritized in your budget. That means creditors have to take a back seat. If you don’t have the money to keep running your business it will die. There are monthly operational expenses you have to budget and plan for such as telephones, office supplies, service fees, utilities, and other cost centers. Identify them and plan for them.
7. Being dishonest. Don’t tell people you can do things that you know good and well you can’t. It will catch up to you in the end and destroy the reputation of your business.

These are just seven mistakes but the list could go on. One mistake not mentioned in the seven but it is the first one small business owners make all the time is failing to have fun. When your small business is no longer fun then you need to see what is wrong. Sometimes it means just taking a day off.

Monday
Mar 17,2008

Have you been looking for a job for ages? Been to all the online job boards? Do you routinely check the help wanted section every morning with little success?

In this age of downsizing and layoffs, you are not alone. Many people start each day with a cup of coffee in one hand and a pencil in the other while pouring over the employment section of the paper.

Even though it is frustrating and you wonder if any job out there will really be for you,
you trudge on, a folder full of resumes in your arms you get in the car for a long day of driving around and delivering them to prospective employers.

If you think the only way to find a job is to have connections, you may be partly right. With such a demand for employment many jobs never make it to the paper. How can you compete?

One way to get the word out and perhaps find some job opportunities that might not otherwise present themselves is to network. Tell friends, family and acquaintances of your job search. These people may have businesses or friends with business where you can be the first one to get an “in” when a position opens up.

They may also hear of someone who is hiring and keep you updated on opportunities you may not otherwise have heard about. Their personal referral can also make an impression on the employer in your behalf.

Another way to get the jump on other job candidates is to hook up with the recruiting mangers at companies you are interested in. Write down a list of companies that you would like to work for. Then call them and inquire about open positions. Make sure you talk to the human resources manager or the person who is in charge of hiring for your type of position.

Once you know who that person is, you can send a resume directly to them. Write a cover letter that expresses your interest in the company and why you’d like to work for them. Follow up with the person several days later. Just tell them you are making a quick check to make sure your resume arrived and ask if there are any positions that may become available.

If there is nothing right now, let them know to expect your call in a few weeks.
Sometimes positions come up out of the blue and by staying in touch with the hiring manager you might luck out. This is a fine line, however, as you want to stay at the front of their minds without seeming to be a pest. No one wants to hire a pest.

This method of finding out about jobs s not a big secret. If you’re not taking advantage, someone else will so don’t feel like you are being too pushy or “cheating”. You can’t afford to miss out on making yourself known to employers before the job posting is made public.

Monday
Mar 17,2008

Have you ever wondered why 95% of new businesses in the United States fail within the first 5 years? Or why most of the rest of them will eventually fail? Knowing why is the most important thing you can learn if you want to make sure your business is not among those doomed to fell in the upcoming days.

Most offline and online businesses fail because of the lack of planning. It is truly as simple as that. Most businesses are started without a strategic plan for succeeding in their respective market niches.

Businesses are started all the time with passion and dreams, with the goal of being successful and making thousands and even millions. Unfortunately, they do not succeed because the owner never developed an effective plan to filter the ups and downs of the business. As the saying goes: No one plans to fail, but they do fail to plan, goes into perspective here.

If you strategically plan your business vision before you invest a single dime in your business project, you are far more likely to succeed than any other business in your market niche. If you failed with your business venture in the first 5 years of starting, it is most likely because you failed to plan and failed to have the proper business plan in mind even before investing in such business idea.

As businesses fail primarily because of the lack of planning, it is no wonder most successful entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies today invest more of their time in the business concept than they do in actually starting a prolific plan for a business company.

Some of you think it would be a mistake to share your vision with others in order to get a review of your business start-up model. You might be afraid of being laughed at or of someone stealing your idea. But it is a terrible decision to not have someone else review your business plan.

Some of you are simply intimidated by the idea of a business plan itself. You do not know how to do market research, for example, so you pretend it is not necessary and guarantee yourself of failure, rather than first asking for help.

And sometimes you fail to request assistance because of your strong entrepreneurial ego. The idea that you do not need any help is gibberish. That is indeed a huge error in judgment.

If you want your business to succeed, you should always have a plan, and have that plan reviewed regularly, even if you do not need outside financing. If you do need outside financing, you can bet you will need a plan.

Have your plan reviewed by people who have already succeeded. Or take advantage of the services offered by SCORE or your local SBA office. But have a plan and have it reviewed. Otherwise, you can plan on failing and that in no guys healthy mind, acceptable.

The magic within Apple’s iPod player

Monday
Mar 17,2008

There are so many digital music players available.So why is Apple’s iPod so special?We used one and discovered that it has a lot more to offer than just music.
Every now and then a technology comes along that promises to change our lifestyle.The sony Walkman (launched in 1979), the video cassette recorder (in the 1980s) and the internet (mid-1990s) are vivid examples.The latest technology fascination is a small digital music player called iPod.No bigger than a pack of cards and a slim as a cigarette lighter,the little wonder can holder as many as 10,000 songs!that lets you carry your entire CD collection in your back pocket!.
But the iPod is much more than a digital music player.In fact it has so much to offer that it’s fast acquiring the same status of the Walkman.Here are some features that we discovered.you will find them under the ‘Extras’ menu on the iPod.
Feature 1 : An address book
One of the iPod’s most unknown features is its ability to store and display addresses,phone numbers and other text-based data.If you have a collection of phone numbers that you want to access easily,you can store textual information from website articles and e-books.The amount of data you store is limited only by the available space on the iPod’s hard drive.
 If you are a Mac OS X user,you’ll use two application to transfer this data to the iPod:
Address Book and iSync.Address Book installs with OS X and iSync is a free download from the Apple website and will sync Mac,iPod,PDAs and Bluetooth devices.
 In other operating systems such as windows,you use any application that will export your data into the vCard format (for e-mail addresses).Then connect the iPod to the PC,and in the software drag the vCard file into the ‘Contacts’ folder of the iPod.
  Now,let’s say you want to use the iPod to store a large document.Though the iPod technically does not allow it,you can work around the problem by simply typing the name of the file first where you would normally type the name of the person.Having done that paste the text file into the ‘Notes’ or ‘Comments’ field of your address entry.Then,when it gets transferred to the iPod,your entry will show up as just another address entry and the text file will deployed under the ‘Notest’ section of the entry.
  This is a handy way to take important information and text files on the road with you.You can add driving directions,WAP stumbling logs,notest,just about anything that you can imagine.

Feature 2 : Calendar
The iPod can also function like a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and you can store your daily schedule in it.It has a calendar that can store your forthcoming events.
  To access the calendar simply follow the patch ‘Extras | Calendar’ and you will find your daily to do schedule.Navigate through days by using the scroll wheel or through months by pressing the ‘Forward’ and ‘Back’ buttons.Selecting a day will bring a list of all events scheduled for that day.Selecting a specific event will bring up exact time information and a description of the appointment.
  How does one go about putting their calendar onto iPod?Luckily Apple has used the standard vCalendar format.This means that one can export calendar information from application such as Microsoft Entourage or Palm Desktop and put it straight into the iPod during a Sync operation.
  Apple has developed its own solution for adding vCalendar files via iCal.If you don’t want tp use iCal,then use the Palm Desktop or Entourage to export your calendar information.Once you have exported it,simply drag it to the ‘Calendar’ folder on iPod.It will automatically be updated and recognized.

Feature 3 : Games
The iPod also including some simple games like Music Quiz,Solitaire,Brick and Parachute.There are web sites from where you can download more games and put these in your ipod.The games and put these in your iPod.The games are the simple kind,so don’t expect as you’d get on PCs or the latest phones.
Feature 4 : A secret storage device
Here’s one thing an iPod can do that a PDA or paper notebook can’t.It can be used as a hard disk drive.That might have certain advantages if you’re concerned about certain files or information being discovered on your computer.
  With storage capacities ranging from 5 GB to 30 GB,there are lots of possiblities for use as an external storage device for your laptop when you are on the field.
  If there are some applications that you want to use,but for some reason you don’t want to install them on your laptop,you can run them off the iPod.You can also use the iPod as a boot drive if you have an OS installed on it and if your computer supports booting from an external Firewire device.Most modern day computers allow that.
  An iPod can be connected to any Firewire-equipped computer and be used to share and swap files as needed.On an iMac computer,the iPod will automatically show up on the desktop as an external drive.With any other system you’d need the Firewire drivers to be installed.
  iPods connect to iMacs using Firewire cables.This,flexible Firewire cables are now available that are much better for field use,that the standard thick cables that most Firewire devices ship with.To connect an iPod to the PC you would need an iPod Dock Connector to USB 2.0 + Firewire cable (see www.apple.com/ipod/accessories.html )

Feature 5 : Storing your photos while traveling
The new iPod photo allows you store all of your pictures on the contraption.Truth is it costs a bomb.Perhaps it will come down in few months.
  Until then thoug,if you are saddled with an earlier version of the iPod,fret not.Though you can’t view pictures on it yet,there’s nothing to stop you from storing them in the device.
  A 40 GB iPod can hold up to 24,000 photos (captured on a 3 megapixel camera ).Want to transfer pictures from your digital camera? Well,then here’s what you could do.Get yourself a card reader that connects to your iPod.
  The card reader will simply act as a bridge between your digital camera and the iPod.It reads the pictures on your camera and transfers them to your iPod.At a later date,when you get back home,you can pull out the pictures from your iPod and transfers them to your computer.However you may have to spend some money to get this kind of capability.A card reader usually costs less than $100.
  Belkin (www.belkin.com ) has a pretty decent card reader that does a good job.
The advantage of going in for a card reader if you have an older version of the iPod is that you get full functionality for cheaper than what it would cost you to buy a new photo iPod.

Feature 6 : Storing audio files
Storing music is the primary function of the iPod.The fourth-generation models have a 40 GB hard disk which can store up to 10,000 songs!The 20 GB iPod can hold about 5,000 songs.
   Apple offers an online music store (called iTunes) from where you can buy and download songs for the iPod.
And don’t worry about the batteries getting over.The ipod has a long battery life - up to 12 hours.And with the 25 minutes of skip protection that iPod provides,you can listen while playing basketball,and the music will keep playing A word on the batteries though.It is perhaps the iPod’s Achilles Heel.After 12-18 months of sustained use.It starts running out of juice.Once that happens,you’ll have to spend a packet on getting a new pair of batteries for the iPod.Unless you decide to go for a third-party battery pack that isn’t quite as sleek as the original,but does the job nevertheless.

Feature 7 : Lots of accessories
There are plenty of accessories that expand the functionality of the iPod and make it more useful.Check out the ‘Accessories’ section on Apple iPods store (www.apple.com/ipod ).
  There are external speakers,a remote control,a stereo connection kit,an add-on voice recorder,a radio and kits for using the iPod while driving.
  You can also pick up an inexpensive cassette tape adapter and listen to the iPodin your car through your car stereo.It seems everyone wants to make accessories for the iPod these days.

The Xbox 360

Monday
Mar 17,2008

The 360 is called so far the single reason that Microsoft thought calling it ‘Xbox 2′ would make it seem outdated in front of a name like ‘PS3′.
  
But the name is apt,as it does provide for a 360-degree entertainment experience.If you buy an Xbox,it will work as your music centre,DVD Player (12x dual-layer) as well as a photo sharer.
  
It comes with an inbuilt network adapter that lets you chat (text and voice) with other 360 users.Whether they’re watching a movie or smoking fellow racers in NFS Most wanted,apart from connecting to your home network and surfing the Internet wirelessly!

The device also has support for up to four wireless controllers and has three USB 2.0 ports.An added attraction is the changeable face plate which will let you customize your Xbox 360 to match your decor and taste.
The controllers
Things havne’t changed too much (not counting the pretty designs).The face is devoid of the ugly black and white buttons,which have been reloaded onto the shoulder.Both wired and wirefree controls will be available.The wirefree versions will be powered by 2 AA baterries which you can recharge via a cable.The central Xbox Guide button gives you instant access to your favourite functions such as movies,music or contacting friends over Xbox Live.
Xbox Live!
Xbox Live,the online service from Microsoft is now available in two avatars-Gold and Silver.Each Xbox will come with a free subscription to the silver version,which allows players to share their gamer’s profiles and a customisable gamerstile.It will also allow you to chat and log on to Live marketplace,where you can download demos,trailers,new level/maps etc.and store them on the detachable 20 GB hard disk.

 Gold subscribers get the added benefit of online multiplayer gameplay as well as video messaging.All Xbox 360 owners who sign on to Xbox Live for the first time will get a free month of the full subscription service,which will let them experience the full power of Live.Those who currently use Live on Xbox will also be able to transfer their subscriptions straight over to gold.