Editorial Services And Proofreading Your Own Work
For writers, the primary idea of editorial services is both a bane and boon to the literary scene. It had been a definite advantage to aspiring writers who were able to pass through the watchdogs at publishing houses and have their work evaluated.
The extra expenses might be justified somehow although some people think it is unnecessary. The most annoying part of this development, however, is the proliferation of bogus, under-qualified people passing themselves off as editing experts.
Editing your own
Some successful writers, past and present, are one-man bands. They write their work, rest them for a time period, and later go back to edit and proofread it themselves.
After judging their work to be adequate, they ask their agent to sell it to publishing companies. Does the process look easy? Both the writing and the selling are definitely hard to do. But, both can be done.
For the writer, the mantra had always been good writing is re-writing. For the agent, having enough good sense to spot a good literary work is a must, or he should not be in the profession at all.
Judging from the horror stories (wrong formats, errant words, spelling mistakes) propagated by these free-lance editors in editorial service companies, the problem looked like proofreading lapses more than anything.
If writers can do their own editing, they certainly can learn how to do proofreading.
Proofreading
This is the end part of the editing process, focusing on surface errors like wrong spellings, grammar and punctuation errors. Proofreading should be done only after the editing revisions are finished.
Put another way, separate the editing work from your proofreading work. When editing, you want to connect ideas, smooth out the word flow rather than thinking of punctuation, grammar or spelling.
Heres a sampler on how to proofread your work.
Some proofreading tips
Never depend on grammar and spell checkers. They have limited dictionaries. Spell checkers will not catch the error if your misspelled word is also a valid word. (your and youre, there and their, etc.)
Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. It is easier to catch grammar errors if you are not checking punctuations and spelling mistakes at the same time.
Read slowly. Better yet, read the words aloud. Two senses (sight and sound) are always better than one. You can do this if you separate the text into separate sentences.
Press the return key after each period so that every line begins with a new sentence. Use a ruler if you are working with a printed copy.
Circle every punctuation mark to force you to look at each one. Later, go back and ask if these punctuations are correct. (Commas usually flood some long-winded sentences without your knowing it.)
Read the paper backwards. This technique is best in checking spelling. Start from the last word and work your way to the beginning. Since grammar is incoherent, your attention is solely on the spelling of each word.
Learning process
As you do your own proofreading, you would know your weak and strong points. You would then know how to do a systematic strategy to find errors that are typical of you. You will learn to discover specific areas in your writing that need careful attention.
Do you think paid editorial services can do this for you?
Benefits of Using Editorial Services to Improve Your Written Work
Benefits of Using Editorial Services to Improve Your Written Work
After you write your document, the next thing you have to do is to proofread your work. That way, you can be sure that your work is not filled with errors that prevent you from sending your message across to your intended readers. However, you cannot always rely on yourself to spot all the lapses in your document. Chances are, your eyes have gotten used to your writing, and you will surely miss several errors. And you cannot afford to publish or submit an error-filled written material, especially if it is a major paper for school, an important business document, or a novel. To be sure that your written work looks professional and can be understood by all readers, it is best to use editorial services that will improve the copys quality.
You can gain many benefits from hiring an editor to check your work. First, you get an experts opinion on how to improve your manuscript. Editing services usually include an editors analysis or critique of your work, which states what needs to be adjusted, added, or removed from your document. Second, you get fast results, typically within one or two business days. As a result, you can save time to complete your other tasks.
The greatest thing about having your work checked and edited by an editing firm or a freelance editor is that you can rest assured that your work is clean, clear, concise, and readable enough. In particular, an editor helps you improve the quality of your work by doing the following:
Ensure that sentences are grammatically correct
Organize thoughts to make sure that the sentences are coherent
Fix transitions to make sure that the sentences flow smoothly
Remove redundant and unnecessary words or sentences to ensure brevity
Check for jumps in logic and inaccuracy of facts
Enhance word choice and sentence structure for clarity of thought
Correct formatting and style inconsistencies
Checking the copy for jargons, slang, sexist language, etc.
Ensuring that all cited references in the manuscript are added to the bibliography
Many editing services also offer ghostwriting services for those who are constrained by time to write their own work.
The only drawback of hiring an editor is that you may have to pay more if the editing firm offers fast response times. Editing services may cost you a few bucks, but the amount you spend is nothing compared to the disaster that would happen once you find out that your work reeks of grammatical errors and confusing statements. Simply put, you may have to spend more money for a book or a printed thesis that is inferior in quality.
Many editorial services offer editing and proofreading services for a wide array of writing projects such as books, magazines, newsletters, brochures, college essays, among others. To find the best editing firm or freelance editor for your writing project, do a background research online, read feedback and testimonials made by customers, and ask around for recommendations.
Teaching Your Kids to Save During Recession
Economic recession is taking its toll. A lot of Americans right now are feeling the heat of the tight times as more and more people are losing their jobs and losing their homes. High prices of gas and basic commodities are also making it harder for American families to survive without additional income.
During these times, people are thinking of ways on how to save up. This is especially true with families that support one or two or more children. Between feeding them and sending them all to school, these families will surely have to scrimp on some areas in order to survive.
But parents should not be the only ones who should be scrimping. When it comes to saving money during economic recession, their children can also play important roles. In fact, they can use these tight times to teach them children about saving for the future and saving money. This will help them deal with tighter times in the future should they experience it when they have families of their own. Below are some of the ways that you can teach your children about saving up.
1. Explain to them
You may not realize it but kids do know what is going on and when you explain the situation to them clearly and with examples that they can relate to, they will be able to understand you. Some will even help out on their own volition without you telling them what they have to do.
Telling them why they should do something is more effective than telling them outright what they should do. The latter will sometimes antagonize them or will cause them to rebel as they feel that you are ordering them about without any reason. Kids, as you well know, do not want to be bossed about.
2. Give them piggy banks.
Having coin banks may seem outdated in this digital age but it is nevertheless still effective in teaching kids how to save up. Tell them that saving up will allow them to have some money should they need to buy something that they want. A portion of their lunch money, for instance a quarter or two, is a good way to start.
Of course, do not discourage them to buy food when they need to eat but tell them though that if they are not hungry, they can save the money so that they can use more for the next day.
3. Get what they need
Controlling what they put on their plates during dinner will help control the urge to get more than they can use. Ask them to clean their plates every time. That way, they will only get the food that they will be able to eat. This will teach them about saving and buying only the things that they need. This is a great training in the future so that they will not grow up with maxed out credit cards, buying things that they do not really need in the first place.
4. Being a role model
Face it. Whatever your child does is only a reflection of what you yourself are doing at home. So if you want the kids to start saving up, make sure that you are also doing your part in saving in this times of economic recession.
How Can Your Business Survive an Economic Recession
Your business will surely be affected during an economic recession. If you dont find ways to make it ride out the storm, chances are you will have to file for bankruptcy and close. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep it afloat.
Remember that the heart of every business is customer service. If you give special treatment to your customers, these people will leave feeling satisfied and always come back. This is something that your employees must understand because if they dont, these individuals will be the first one to go since you have to cut back on your expenses.
One way of doing that is to reeducate your employees. You can hold seminars on customer service or simply give them a refresher course of the products and services that you are offering because this will impress the customer the moment they walk in through the door.
You should also motivate them because good morale always achieves positive results. Being the owner of the business, you should lead by example by rendering longer hours at work. If they see you are doing whatever it takes to stay afloat, they will do the same because again, their jobs are on the line and they could be dismissed if things get worse.
Most businesses think that letting people go is always the first option. You dont have to make the same mistake when these reductions can be made elsewhere as long as quality is not compromised. If you have to buy things, see if you can get longer credit periods or better rates so large expenses can become smaller ones making it easy to manage.
It is always nice to have customers pay in cash but during an economic recession, that is hard for the consumer so if you dont use a credit card machine yet, now will be a good time to get one. Studies have shown that more people will be able to buy from you using a credit card especially during a time of financial downturn.
The objective of any business is to make money so part of surviving an economic recession will be also to lower your profit margins. By informing your customers of this move, they will be able to buy more at a very reasonable price. You can raise prices again when things get better since such a crisis is only temporary.
Instead of relying on people coming through your door, you can also look at other ways to promote your business. One of the most affordable ones to date is the internet so create your own website. If you cant do this on your own, hire someone to do it and then make sure that is it both attractive and interactive.
Other businesses are also feeling the crunch and they are also doing their best to stay afloat. Ask around what they are doing and share the same information as well so you will have other ideas and options when the ones you have right now are not working.
We are not yet out of the woods in the recent economic recession. A lot of people are still losing their jobs and their homes, which is why it is important for you to take the steps mentioned rather than doing nothing and hoping for a miracle.
Your Browser Cyber Securitys 1st Line of Defense
Nowadays, many people seemed to have forgotten the importance (and the inherent dangers) of their computers browser. They forgot that the browser, per se, works like a two-way street. It is where cyber security should police the two-way cyber traffic.
A web browsers main job is to find and display web pages. From there, it makes possible the communication between your computer and the web server where a site is located.
Cyber security risks
But, your browser is also and this is the dangerous part the gateway of the cyber world into your computer. And, not all of the things from the Internet going inside your computer are good. Some are downright risky.
Todays browser is sophisticated enough, through the years of innovation, to handle the multiple applications needed to surf the Internet. Many of these try to boost up and heighten the surfing experience by enabling your browsers functionalities.
But sometimes, these functionalities are not needed and they can leave your computer vulnerable. It is therefore safe to disable them until they are needed.
In a perfect world, one should set ones browser security to the highest level possible. But these settings may restrict the functionality of other features and prevents some web pages to load properly. The best compromise solution would be to set your browser to the highest security level (to prevent attacks) but at the same time enabling some features to work when you need them.
Todays many browsers are mostly graphical browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, AOL, Opera, Safari for the Macintosh, and Lynx for the visually-impaired users.) These are capable of playing video and audio clips, aside from displaying texts and graphics. Most have user-friendly tabs and options in choosing your preferred security level setting.
It is important to know and be familiar with your browser and how it is different from the others. It will come in handy when you evaluate and determine the features and setting most appropriate for your use.
For instance, to explore the basic security options in Windows Internet Explorer, you click Tools on the menu bar, select Internet Options, choose the Security tab, and click the Custom level. In Firefox, you click Tools first, select Options, and then click Content Privacy and Security tabs. The others have their own path systems.
Choosing your browser
Security should be paramount in choosing your browser. But, of course, given ones particular needs in surfing and using the Internet, other considerations are just as important. Sometimes, a browser comes packaged with the operating system. It should not limit, however, your choice.
Compatibility does your browser work with the OS (operating system) of your computer?
Ease are you comfortable and familiar with the options, menus, system of your browser?
Function will it still work if other plug-ins or other devices are installed?
Appeal do you like how your browser looks and works?
Functionalities – Your browser should be able to give you the option of putting web sites into different segments, or zones, and define different security restrictions for each. The best protection should be to set the security to the highest level, or maintain it at a medium level.
If you know of some sites which can be classified as trusted, you can set your browser setting accordingly. You may require them to implement SSL or Secure Sockets Layer so you can verify if they are what they claim to be. Note, however, that it is good to avoid lowering your security levels with them. If they are attacked, you might be included.
You may restrict particular sites you are not sure of. Prevention is always the best cure for any disease, real-life or online.
Be careful about your Java and ActiveX controls. These scripts, used to achieve certain appearances or functionality, can be used in attacking your computer. This is also true about Plug-ins, those additional software that enhances the function of some programs. Make sure that the sites that installing them are trustworthy.
For safety, it is advisable to disable Cookies and enable them only if the site you trust requires them.
Cyber Security starts first in your browser. It is best that you start the safeguarding process from there, your computers door to the wide, wild world of cyber space.
Using Cash Back Credit Cards For Your Business
There are many different types of credit cards available out there and choosing which can benefit you and your business the most may be quite confusing.
However, if you are one of those people who do not have problems in paying monthly credit dues and want to save your company a lot of money, then a cash back credit card just might be perfect for you. Through cash back cards, you are able to enjoy the usual functions of a regular credit card with an added bonus, and that is of course, by receive cash back rewards on the purchases you have made with your account.
How Do Cash Back Cards Work?
A cash back credit card basically gives you bonus points every time you use it to purchase goods. They would start off by offering you a flat percentage rate refund in the form of statement credits, a check, gift cards or deposits into your bank account on the agreed timely basis of receiving your bonus. Percentage rates may vary with the provisions of your lender.
The methods for how cash is given back to you as reward often differ with your credit cards terms and conditions, and so it is important to choose which type of rewarding method would more probably be of help to your business. For example, if you want cash to come back sooner, then a statement credit method of rewarding will be best for you as this is done monthly.
However, statement credits may seem as if they are just a mere reduction of your outstanding balance instead of an actual cash bonus. Checks on the other hand are usually only rewarded per year, but these can mount up as a huge cash incentive for your business.
Another method of cash back can also be through discount cards that can be of big help if you run a type of company that does a lot of purchasing for your undertakings. No matter what type of cash back method you choose, such a credit card can really help your business a lot.
How Do Cash Back Rewards Really Help?
But how does a cash back system really help a company by merely giving rewards? Let us analyze how much a company may spend in a year purchasing supplies like printing materials, boxes and even calling cards to boost operations. The company basically purchases all of these things for a whole lot of money during the year. And when you think about it, the rate of buying these supplies wont stop anytime soon as long as the company stays afloat.
After all, these are basic goods that a business needs in order to continue production and generate income. So we would see through this scenario then that if a company makes use of a cash back credit card for its purchases and gets rebated for that, it is as if the company is being rewarded for merely going about its normal transactions.
An additional profit is generated to the company for no real cost at all since purchased goods with or without cash back would have been purchased anyway. And obviously, additional amount of money to a companys account can always be very useful for any type of business.
The bottom line is, that through the use of cash back credit cards, not only is your business being assisted through the normal functions of a credit account, such as financing, but it is also given an extra incentive of earning more money through its reward process.
If bad debt and making the payment deadlines are no such problems for your company, then you have nothing to lose with this type of credit card and may even have so much more to gain.
Unsecured: Cyber Security And Your Data
How many times have we heard about cyber security problems? Credit card information and identify stolen, viruses spreading, everybody is falling victims of cyber security crimes. The more that we depend on computers and internet, the higher possibility that we are putting ourselves at risk.
Cyber security is very much needed to be improved and reinforced, most especially since most of activities are moved by technology nowadays. Email, cellphones and instant messengers are big parts of our communications. While, technology like mp3s, mp4s, and digitized entertainment are very much in demand. Transportation would use GPS and you can even do online shopping and pay for your internet.
Cyberspace is utilized for our needs. But how safe is our information stored in computers? Cyber securitys function is to prevent, detect and fight off any attacks to our systems that could put our personal and working information in jeopardy.
The risks of storing too much information in our computers are increasing over the years. These are bad news especially if your are managing your finances online, storing personal data or any work-related activities. Viruses and hacking is so common, that we should take necessary precautions to prevent it from happening to us.
According to Consumer Reports, published in 2006, there is about 1 out of 3 computer users who have fallen victims of viruses, spyware or phishing. These cyber security attacks costs consumers to spent $7.8 billion in years 2005 and 2006 for computer repairs, parts and replacements.
How do you defend yourself from these cyber security breaches? How do you protect your data? To protect your personal and work-related data, here are some easy steps that you could do.
Use and regularly update your anti-virus software. Viruses are among the major problems, they could slow down computers, send data to other units and completely make your system unusable. If you already have an anti-virus software installed in your computer, then you would have to keep in updated.
Spyware alert. Another huge problem is the spyware or the adware. These are computer software that could partially control or intercept your computer functions. This software is secretly installed on computer, especially if you are frequently downloading something from the internet. The good thing is that anti-virus softwares are also offering spyware detection.
Any computer program that is being unused can be deleted or uninstalled. Too many unnecessary programs can even make your computer vulnerable to security attacks. Since you are not using them anyway, then it is better to uninstall them.
If you are not the only person using your computer, then it would be best to separate your documents from the other users of the computer. This would prevent anybody from accessing, changing, deleting your files. Some would have two computers, one for personal and the other one for work-related data and information.
Use passwords, but avoid writing passwords in pieces of paper for easy reference. When choosing passwords, choose those that are easy to remember and personalized. If you have sensitive files, there are encryption programs that would enable to protect your data.
When deleting documents, make sure that you have completely removed it from the system. There are times when hackers can still restore the information. So make sure that it is totally removed.
These cyber security measures should be taken seriously and are actually very easy to do. These would help you protect data and information, that tool you for a long time and effort to finish.
Cyber Security Tips For Your Protection
Many people are put off with the term cyber security. They think it involves highly technological processes and elaborate computer knowledge. Not at all. Cyber security is foremost about identifying threats and taking measures as simple as creating an indecipherable password. There is nothing too technical about that. In fact, cyber security measures are all too simple to follow. Check out the following cyber security tips.
1.) Use strong passwords. Avoid using names, birthdays, addresses, and other personal information as password. Do not use a word found in the dictionary as well, since hackers have found a way to decipher dictionary-generated passwords using certain tools. In general, a good password is at least eight-characters long and should be hard to crack. You can combine upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. One good practice is to form a password from a phrase. For example, you can create t1$!C4gtMpSd from This is so I cant forget my password. You can use other methods with which you can form unique and cryptic passwords.
2.) Change your password periodically. This is important especially if, at some point, you have to disclose your password. Remember not to write it down, or if you should, discard the paper immediately. You never know the danger negligence can impose on your security.
3.) Be scrupulous with emails. Unsolicited emails are sometimes the onset of cyber attacks. Remember not to open attached files from unknown senders, as they may contain malware that can open backdoors for hackers. Clicking on the links can also direct you to some compromising websites, so be cautious. If a link looks suspicious, look it up on the web and do a quick research. Avoid giving information to unknown senders as well. The rule of thumb is to ignore seemingly malicious mails. Do not reply to and forward them.
4.) Install security programs on your computer and keep them updated. It is very important to have anti-virus and anti-spyware software and to keep your firewall on. Poorly secured systems are open doors for attackers and intruders, but these software programs keep viruses and spyware from penetrating and crippling your system. The firewall, on the other hand, guards your system from unauthorized access to your computer. Some operating systems allow automatic security updates. Check if yours have this option.
5.) Avoid opening files sent through Instant Messenger. These files do not undergo scanning and might carry security threats to your computer.
6.) Ignore the links on pop-up windows. Block pop-up ads and windows to close an entryway for malware and other forms of attack.
7.) Avoid downloading files, programs, applications, or tools from unknown websites. More often than not, these free downloadable stuffs are loaded with threats. Before you download, make sure the website is a credible source.
8.) Make sure to keep your system clean. Remove any tool, application, or program that is not used. Check also unused default programs installed on your operating system. Its better to have few programs than have many but unused ones, which can only slow down your computer and be an opening for malicious attacks.
A poorly secured computer runs the risk of being hijacked and left as a zombie machine. Secretly, the hacker uses this computer to gain access to personal and confidential accounts and information. Next thing you know, your credit card has been used for unauthorized purchases, your savings account has been ransacked, your competitor has spied on your company, and the list can go on and on.
But some simple and easy-to-follow cyber security tips can eliminate the possibility of falling prey to any of these cyber crimes.
Managing and Reviewing Your Business Brand
Effective establishment and management of your business brand is as equally difficult as creating one. Indeed, one’s you have created a standard and built your own company’s reputation, then you would have to constantly live up to that standard and avoid under-delivering. In the business industry, a failure for your company can produce manifold consequences and if you want to protect the brand you worked so hard on building, then you need to continually check on every aspect of it.
Managing Your Business Brand
If possible, assign a person who will continually look into the management of your company’s brand strategy. After all, it is a vital aspect of your business that you need to protect if you want to maintain whatever market success your business is currently enjoying. If not, then you can educate your employees or staffs on exactly what are the missions and objectives of your company brand. This knowledge will help them become aware of their role in producing and meeting customer’s standards for your business.
If you are aiming for a certain standard, having all members of your crew working towards the same goal and at the same pace will enrich all your efforts for an effective branding strategy. For a more effective management scheme, ask for suggestions on their end as well. You can get valuable input directly from the people who are involved in the process of creating or delivering products and services. Having their inputs will enable you to assess what other aspects of your business need improving and you can maintain the level of your business’ performance.
Value of Feedback
If you want a substantial feedback, then you can get it directly from the people who avail of your products and services the customers. As them for feedbacks on your brand to determine whether you are delivering the quality of standards you have set and they expect from you. If there are any dissatisfied customers, ask them for feedback on how you can improve the quality of your product or service. Your customer is probably your best source of honest criticism and should also provide you with a concrete idea on where you must improve.
Reviewing Your Brand
Successful brands are those that remain consistent with the needs of its consumers. Therefore, it is your duty to constantly review your brand and its performance to know whether you are meeting these standards. As times evolve, the needs of your customer changes as well. In fact, your customer base might change because of that. So, you need to adjust your branding strategy in accordance with changes in market demands and needs.
Even the most established brands change their marketing approach and branding strategy to stay attuned to the changing business trends in the market. Reviewing your brand must be something that you need to perform periodically; hence, you are always aware of any ongoing trends.
Importance of Reviewing Business Brand
The reviewing process involved in your business’ branding strategy offer several beneficial opportunities for your business and its expansion. Here are just some of them:
It is a good indicator of areas in the business that you can improve on or potentially expand.
Be careful when trying to stretch or expand your products because it might end up similar to some other existing products. Better yet, reconsider the possibility of creating a new product instead.
It will provide an avenue for more inputs and suggestions from inside or outside of your institution.
It enables you to validate your company’s core values and how your products or services remain consistent with that.
Periodical assessment of your business brand enables you to keep up with changing business trends and market demands.
Do’s and Don’ts for Reciprocating Traffic to Promote Your Blog
Do’s and Don’ts for Reciprocating Traffic to Promote Your Blog
Some mockingly call it as the mutual admiration society and wherein people praise and link to each other in order to generate traffic. No matter how way you look at it, reciprocating traffic works not just for promoting websites but blogs as well. Here are several dos and donts to take note of if youre in the mood for sharing some love with your fellow bloggers.
How to Reciprocate Traffic for Blog Promotion
Reciprocating is easier than you think. You just have to take note of what other bloggers are doing for you and return the favor. Of course, you can also consider initiating things by being the first to post a comment, include a link in your directory, respond with a blog entry, or review another blog.
As long as what youre doing places focus on you and the other blogger, youre doing the right thing!
Make your reciprocation valuable
If you are going to reciprocate a favor, be sure to make it valuable and meaningful for the other blogger. It would simply be a waste of web space if all youre going to say is hi and goodbye. If thats what youre going to do, its best not to reciprocate at all.
To make reciprocation valuable, consider which areas you can make the greatest contributions pages which, even better, the other blogger would appreciate to gain more traffic for. Look for questions that coincide with your fields of expertise.
Make it mutually beneficial
Reciprocity is not merely an exchange of links. It also includes mutual acknowledgment and maybe even recommendation of each others expertise. When you post a comment or display a link in your website, make sure that the information you provide not only reflects positively on the other blogger but on yourself as well.
Pay attention to house rules
Reciprocation means visiting another persons blog and as they say, when in Rome, its important to do as the Romans do. Every blog has its own set of house rules and you must pay attention to them. One example of house rules is the inclusion of links in your comments. Some bloggers prefer not to have any links displayed without their express permission.
Acts of rudeness commonly result from simple misunderstanding and ignorance of rules. If youre unsure about your statement, you can always email the other blogger and ask for confirmation as to whether your reply is adequate or not.
Dont be condescending
Its easy to be so without even being aware of it. When you are visiting a blog thats less popular than yours, dont act or speak in such a way that youve made it very clear to everyone the other blogger should be grateful for you little act of reciprocation. Thats a big no-no to do, and youre sure to receive unpleasant feedback even if its true. Such things are better left unsaid.
Always return the favor
Last but not the least, remember to return every favor you receive! This is the golden rule of all golden rules and to violate once or several times is something that no Internet marketer forgets. Soon, tales of your infamy will spread and you shouldnt be surprised if the popularity of your blog starts declining.
Regardless of how much or how little youll benefit from reciprocating the favor, do it anyway. Its called good business!
Recent Comments