Feng Shui: Water-Snake Year 2013-14 Correspondences

People's unique Birth Year Energies can be adjusted to changing Qi energy-patterns via 5 Elements Feng Shui. Improved, health, fortune and prospects may ensue for those complying with Heaven's Law whilst here on Earth, of their own free-will.

In China and the Far East the Snake is considered a 'lucky' Birth Sign. There, family planning frequently takes Year Animals and Elements into account when choices are made.

Water: Snake Year 2013-14 Year Element

Water Correspondences

Water's Wealth connexions are many (e.g. current accounts, currency, floatation, cash-flow and income-streams). Communications (see above) physical and verbal are linked similarly (e.g. stream-of-consciousness accounts, word-flow, gushing compliments etc). Use the South East 'Wealth' Sector of rooms and dwellings for placements, rather than the North (Helpful People) Sector, for maximum effectiveness during this period.

Crystals and Minerals:

River-bed pebbles are useful for display during this period. Agate, Opal (particularly Fire Opals) and Topaz have auspicious links to the Snake Sign. Crystal/mineral boats, water-features, bowls, fish and figurines can activate appropriate sectors of locations.

Backgrounds:

Metal backgrounds (colours, materials etc) will also encourage healthy Qi-flows within dwellings during this period as Metal supports Water in Feng Shui (tanks, taps, pipes and pans confirm this, Metal even melts and flows when heated). As Water supports Wood, materials of this nature can be highlighted in foregrounds similarly.

Colours

Black (Big, Sea/Salt Water); Blue (Small, Fresh/Drinking Water).

Materials:

Mirrors, plastics, glass (plain and coloured), natural crystals, silk.

Motifs, Images and Motifs:

Snakes, Taiji Symbols, water-features, Aquaria, the 'Chan Chu' (3-Legged Toad or Money-Frog) crystal-boats and ships, Fish, Lakes, Rivers, Landscapes (especially Water-Colours).

Designs

Serpentine, waves and wavy patterns (especially in pastel colours) Willow-patterns and coiling, undulating meandering designs are particularly appropriate.

Scenes and Tableux:

Particularly appealing at this time should be Bodhisattva Kuan Shi Yin, Daoist Immortal and Shaolin Temple Patron Deity's images and statues (particularly Aquarian water-bearing ones). Traffic-flow, communication and travel use, Roads, Streets, and Street scenes also represent Water in Feng Shui terms. Photos, replicas and even drawings can be part of these via 5 Elements Feng Shui's 'resemblance' principle.

Overall

Chinese Astrology and Feng Shui consider the influence of Year Animals and Elements in their forecasts and cures. Both play life-long roles (although Elemental influences are still relatively unknown in the West) affecting people and events.

Regarding infants born and nurtured during this period, 5 Elements Feng Shui may help balance and harmonise their initial and later environments. Older Snakes (and others) sharing Water as their Year Element can also benefit from 5 Elements Feng Shui, like individuals of all Birth Year Animals and Elements.

Create Great Message Board Content Easily: Tips From Top Publishers!

While every message board owner would love to preside over a thriving community engaged in provocative dialogue, it does take some planning and execution to get there. To that end, some thought should be given to defining the content and perspective your community will promote. It bears mentioning that while this chore is often overlooked in the planning process, the more clearly you define the core "personality" of your community prelaunch, the easier it will be to market your site and attract members in the future.

A clearly defined theme provides two distinct advantages: By promoting a niche interest, you increase your message board's visibility in the search engines as a specialized "authority" site: Secondly, you make it easier for people to determine if their interests are the same as yours. Niche communities, while often small, tend to have a more passionate following where enthusiasts will seek your forum out vs. you having to find and attract them.

Once you've settled on the identity and subject of your message board, the next step is to decide which topics will best support that identity.

The first topics you post to your board should be limited to a short list of the most interesting and compelling issues that relate to the core subject. Resist the urge to create lots of topic categories until they're necessary or members request them. When visitors see a message board with a huge list of categories it can be daunting and discourage them from participating.

Also, excessive categories can dilute thread and post counts making the forum appear less active.

Content Creation

If you're passionate about the subject of your message board, generating that first content should take little effort and even be enjoyable. Consider choosing a topic you would have liked reading about when you first got interested in the subject. Next, create some content that's a little more provocative and insightful. Perhaps write about current events or developments related to your board's topic. As you continue posting content and marketing your site, your forum community will grow and begin to offer considerable content for users to browse.

On a side note, try to make posts long enough to be informative but short enough so readers won't stray or lose interest.

To help generate a steady stream of engaging content that will keep people interested, we've assembled a list of ideas top publishers use to bolster their offerings. Consider using some or all of the following suggestions as they apply to your community:

Develop an editorial calendar: One useful technique is to think longer term about content management. Consider setting time aside on a weekly or even monthly basis to review board content and map out a direction and schedule for the introduction of new topics. Reviewing current discussion trends in your message board will also help you to stay abreast of your community's interests and brainstorm new topics accordingly. Schedule topics in advance: To build on the previous suggestion, scheduling topics in advance provides the opportunity to develop ideas more fully over time so they're better when you finally post them to your community. Make a list of interesting things you've discovered about your topic: Whether it's an amusing YouTube video, a provocative article making the rounds on the internet or some fantastic discovery in the news, gathering a few interesting links into a bullet-point posting is a fun way to keep your board fresh without spending a lot of time or energy. Map (mastermind) ideas: Start with either brand new content ideas or refer to interesting topics previously discussed in the forum and then brainstorm ways those subjects can be expanded into new topics. Then, take those new ideas and think about ways they too can be expanded into different, new posts. This technique can potentially help you identify countless new topics to write about. Turn research into content: any time you spend searching for answers or information relating to your message board's topic, take notes of everything you come across and turn that into content. If this information is valuable or compelling to you, there's a good chance it will be meaningful to others who share your same interests. Review posts made by forum members: Not surprisingly, this can often be a goldmine of ideas for new content. By reviewing the posts of your forum members, you can often find information or opinions that spark ideas for compelling new discussion topics. Interview an expert: invite a recognized authority in your niche to drop by your forum for an interview to share their opinions and expertise with your community. This is a great way to give your readers a relevant expert's opinion and perhaps even learn something about the topic yourself.

While the list above is by no means exhaustive, it will hopefully equip you with some new tools to continue building content. As an added bonus, the list below describes different types of perspectives forum publishers take when formulating new posts. Experiment with some of these and you might find they open up the hidden writer in you. Sift this list for ideas to craft additional new content:

Instructional Posts: Instructional posts explain how to do something. Try adapting this perspective to your writing and you might be surprised at the response. Instructional content is some of the most sought after and viewed content on the internet. Reviews: Another highly searched for term on the web is 'review'. Reviews come in every variety and can cover a broad range of topics. Provide an insightful opinion on an issue relating to your board and ask readers for theirs. Top 10 (or 5, 7, etc) Lists: One of the easiest, and most provocative posts to submit are ranking lists. They're popular with readers, can easily be expanded into subsequent posts, and are always reliable for stimulating responses from the community. Profiles: Pick an interesting personality in your niche and do a little research on them to present to your readers. Illuminate how they've reached their position and write about the characteristics and habits they have that others in your niche might like to develop. Rant: Get passionate, say what's on your mind and tell it like it is. Rants are great for starting discussions and can be fun if done in the right spirit. Just be aware they can also spark a flaming thread. Be sensitive to your community but have a little fun in the process. Link Posts: The 'link post' is always popular and is simply a matter of finding a quality post on another message board or blog. Link to it with an explanation of why you're linking and include a personal comment or a quote from the post. Adding a comments makes these posts more engaging and useful to your readers. 'Problem' posts: Another popular theme constantly searched in Google is that of the problem/solution format. If there is a genuine problem relating to your forum's main topic, bring it to light and begin a discussion about possible remedies. This is where the power of the community can shine as people contribute suggestions, observations and personal experiences as they relate to the 'problem' you've showcased.

Now that you've reviewed a few "best practices" for generating fresh forum content, it's time for the real fun to begin. Start your engines and begin writing!

Hopefully this article has provided a future reference for the continued creation of engaging content for your message board. Stay tuned for our next installment in this series on building a successful, self sustaining forum where we'll discuss more tips, tactics and strategies. Click here for previous articles in our Forum Building series. Thanks for reading!

Prepare for Spring Storms - Tips for Business Owners and Home Owners

Spring is a great time of the year. Brown grass turns green. Trees and bushes burst with buds. Flowers poke up through the soil. But not all is this serene. Spring also brings lightning storms, tornadoes, floods and hurricanes.

Are you prepared for the losses that could occur in your home? If you are a business owner, have you taken precautions to help keep your employees from being at risk? Taking that one step further, are you prepared so you don't have to shut down your business for a few days, weeks or even possibly permanently?

For your business:

Review your Evacuation and Take Cover procedures with your employees. Review your Business Continuity Plan so this information is fresh in your mind. Determine if your asset inventory is up to date. Check the exterior of your building. Secure loose siding, shutters and shingles. Inspect trees and trim branches that are brushing against the building or could fall and take down a power line. Inspect the interior of your facility for structural integrity. If you discover any problems areas, contact a general contractor. When a severe storm is imminent, ensure that you have plenty of plywood, nails, tarps and any other supplies appropriate for your area of the country and the type of storm developing. Purchase a generator if you don't already have one.

These easy steps will help you ensure everyone's safety and reduce the amount of damage you'll experience. Additionally, you'll most likely be able to be back in business much faster since you were properly prepared for the worst when it finally does happen.

For your home:

Purchase a generator. This may seem like a frivolous expense, but it can be used for so many different disasters. When there is a severe hurricane or tornado, you could be without power for weeks. Think of all the items in your house that require electricity: appliances, electronics, power tools, lights and heaters. Imagine not having a refrigerator or television for more than a couple hours. Now think of how your life will be if you are without them for days or even longer.

Other items to consider when preparing your residence for the spring storm season:

Talk to your family about your Take Cover and Fire Escape plans. Be sure to include even the youngest child. Talking about it when calm and not "in the moment" will give them a sense of security. Assign someone the responsibility of the family pet. Review your personal property, or home, inventory to ensure that all recently purchased items have been added. If they haven't, contact your inventory service provider to update your file. Call our insurance agent if you have made any major updates to your home in the past year. The worst time to find you are underinsured is when you're filing a claim. Inspect the exterior of your home and tack down any loose shingles, shutters or siding. Look at all of your trees and shrubs. Cut back any branches that are up against the house. Cut off or trim branches of trees that could fall on power lines. When you are facing a storm that requires extra reinforcement, purchase the supplies appropriate for your geographic area and the type of storm you are facing.

Home owner or business owner - or both - being prepared before the storm is bearing down will help you in many ways. You'll be at ease financially, emotionally and have a comfort level from knowing that you're ready.

Badminton Essentials - Choosing a Badminton Bag

A badminton bag is used in carrying badminton rackets as well as other equipment like nets and shuttlecocks. It is rounded on one end, tapering at the other, roughly taking the shape of a racket. Depending on design and style, it can also carry as many as eight rackets, with separate compartments for shuttlecocks.

Kinds

Over-the shoulder: Over-the-shoulder badminton bags are lightweight and slim, with a long strap slung behind a shoulder. They can normally carry about one or two rackets and have compartments on the straps or outside of the bag for shuttlecocks.

Duffel: Duffel badminton bags, on the other hand, are large tote-like bags that come with compartments to house several rackets. They can carry a maximum of eight rackets and have zippered sections for accessories such as clothes and shoes at the sides. While a badminton bag generally tapers on one end, duffels are different. Some duffel badminton bags are cylindrical or rectangular, much like any regular sports bag.

Buying tips

When it comes to buying a badminton bag, look for one that can fit all your rackets for convenience, with extra room for new ones. Make sure your rackets all fit comfortably into the compartments, with at least an inch of clearance from the walls of the bag to the tips of your rackets. And since you're looking for convenience, choose a bag that is easy to carry around. If you're driving, look for a bag that you can quickly secure to your car's roof or will easily fit in the trunk. Cushioned handles are also a plus because they make it more comfortable for you to carry your bag.

Shut Up And Sing

What is it with these performers and their politics? Do they really think that people who pay $100 or more to hear them sing want to hear them utter political opinions? The audience pays hundreds of thousands of dollars to see and hear a performer PERFORM. You want to spout politics, run for freakin office, you moron! When performers use a paid venue to play politics they are abusing the paying audience, the venue, the sponsors and everyone connected to their artistic performance. It's an inappropriate venue and inapproprite behavior to voice your political viewpoint, you jerk! And they wonder why people boo.

Somebody pays a small fortune for their ticket to see them perform and ends up being subjected to a political opinion from someone who makes millions of dollars a year but doesn't have a real job, doesn't have to live in reality and doesn't have a clue about the real world! Yeah, right, tell me about your political views while I'm sitting here waiting to be entertained by you. That's why I came here and that's what I paid for isn't it, you ungrateful clueless idiot. You want to spout off, do it for free. Yes, free. Why don't you perform for free then you can say anything you want to your audience. Then it's fair and balanced. Then the audience gets what it pays for.

And what about the incident in Orange County, CA where the performer makes a comment about Linda Ronstadt and audience starts booing and the performer responds with how America used to be a place where you could openly discuss your views. Ha! Twenty thousand people and he's the only one with a microphone! Open discussion, my ass.

So, a word to the wise. You want to keep performing, keep making millions, keep living in your fantasy world? Shut up and sing.

Professional Link Building for a Prominent Online Presence

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