anil asked:


Free stuff sites make up a very decent percentage of all sites on the internet. You can get anything from free screensavers to free software to free iPods to free vacations on the internet. Obviously other than a very few select products none of them are ‘truly’ free. They are not even a ’shareware kind’ of product. Most of these schemes will expect a certain action to be performed to claim the ‘free stuff’.

Normally, signing up to an offer from an advertiser, referring friends to a site or service or buying a related product all are examples of the ‘actions’ expected. For example, the free iPod offer that took over the internet by craze works on the premise that each person will refer 5 of their friends to the scheme as well as sign up to a few sponsors offers himself.

What is surprising is that out of all these offers, there are very few that are webmaster-centric. You hardly find offers for free domains, free web hosting or free traffic when you sign up for an offer. This is probably because the cost of these services or products is too low to warrant much interest. It can also be that webmasters prefer more direct forms of rewards like cash.

It is not that there are absolutely no free domain offers on the net. There are a few but their ‘action’ expected is either to buy hosting or to sign up and post at forums. The first scenario is a little scary because most web hosting companies will register the ‘free’ domain in their own name. So if want to change the web host, you lose the domain name and with it all the hard work you put in to develop the brand image. That leaves the posting at forums option. Well, if you asked me to post, say 50 messages and all of reasonable length (at least 10 - 15 words), it will take me a month. This assumes that I also have something better to do! I cannot wait that long for a domain even if it is free.

From experience, it is seen that a webmaster will never refuse a free domain name. For that matter no one will refuse a free thing if there is no catch involved. A webmaster should be willing to sign up for a free offer or two in exchange of a free domain. If such a scheme were available it should be quite successful. May be not as much as the free iPods schemes but at least 50% as effective as them. If the free offer does not involve disclosure of credit card information, it will be the icing on the cake!

This is exactly what I have been working out. You sign up for an offer. If it is a valid sign up then I buy you a domain name. No credit card information required and no obligation too. That simple. The only condition is you must be from the US and must fill up the information required (name, email, address etc) honestly. As soon as I receive confirmation of the signup (usually 2-3 days) you get your domain name. And, yes these are not pharmaceutical or gambling offers, you need to sign up to receive more information from an online education university. Can it get better than that?



RACHELLE
Maheshg asked:


Give freebies. Who doesn’t like a freebie?! Online freebies are commonplace and they leave the visitor wanting more when they are well written and informative introductory materials. Consider such freebies as:



Giving away an eBook with your ad on it. Allow your visitors to also give the freebie away. This’ll increase your ad exposure and increase web traffic to your website at the same time;

Holding free online classes or seminars. They could be held in your website’s chat room. The idea of "live" information will definitely entice people to visit your website. You will become known as an expert on the topic.

Giving visitors a free entry into your contest or sweepstakes. The prizes should be something of interest or value to your visitors. Most people who enter will continually revisit your web site to get the results.

Letting visitors download free software such as freeware, shareware, demos etc. You could even turn part of your site into a free software directory. If you created the software, include your ad inside and let other people give it away.

Targeting specific groups who might worry about using the internet with free classes in using it on your site - senior citizens, busy workers etc. might find these convenient and alluring.

Offering free online services or utilities from your website. For instance, they could be search engine submitting, copywriting proofreading etc. The service or utility should be helpful to your target audience.

Giving free consulting to people who visit your website. You could offer your knowledge via e-mail or by telephone. People will consider this a huge value because consulting fees can be very expensive.

Offering a free start-up package that has a finite time; enough time for the customer to practice with your online product and like it enough to pay for continued use.

Sending out free CD-Roms, CDs, DVDs etc. that contain starter packs or teasers to encourage the customer to use your site more.

Offering free screensavers or templates for business cards, cards, writing paper etc., anything that a customer can print out.



Here are 40 simple actions you can take to get started.

1. Your website design is the first impression. Make sure it is

professional and relevant to the subject matter.

2. Navigation must be intuitive. If visitors can’t find what they are

looking for easily, they will question your competence in providing

what they want.

3. Make the website personal by giving it its own tone and voice.

People buy people.

4. Follow the HEART rule of creating o­nline content. (Reminder: HEART

stands for Honest, Exclusive, Accurate, Relevant and Timely.)

5. Use language that is appropriate to the audience. It will build empathy.

6. Regularly add new content to your site. It shows that the business

is alive and kicking.

7. Review all links. Doubts will quickly form in your visitors’ minds

if links don’t work or, worse still, take them to error pages.

8. Good grammar and spelling matter. Errors give the impression of

sloppiness and carelessness.

9. Don’t make outrageous and unbelievable claims, like "Read this blog

and you’ll be a millionaire by the end of the week." People are used

to scams, get-rich-quick schemes and rip-offs.

10. Publish REAL testimonials and third-party endorsements. Try to

always use real names and link to websites where possible. Some sites

show images of letters sent by happy customers.

11. Publish case studies about customers you have helped, who use your

product, etc.

12. Don’t put down, curse or insult competitors. It’s unprofessional.

It is better to offer an objective comparison of competitive services

or products.

13. Focus o­n building your long-term reputation, not o­n making quick sales.

14. Write articles for humans, not search engines.

15. Make your ‘About Us’ page personal and comprehensive. It plays an

important part in making visitors feel comfortable that real people

are behind the site.

16. Publish your photo or the photos of the key people involved with

the site. Again, this reinforces the fact that there are real people

behind the screenshots.

17. Clearly identify who is behind the site. Nothing creates more

suspicion than a site that tries to hide the identity of its

publishers.

18. o­n the ‘Contact Us’ page, provide an email form, telephone

number, fax and address of the company. In
st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />
w:st="on">Europe, it is a legal requirement for sites

taking funds, but even sites driven by advertising will benefit from

openness.

19. Provide a telephone number that people can call and talk to a person.

20. Provide Web addresses linked to the website domain, not addresses

from free webmail services such as Hotmail and Gmail.

.

21. Think carefully about reciprocal links. If your site is about

organic food and you have links to Party Poker, people are going to

question your integrity.

22. Think carefully about the adverts you display o­n your site.

Ensure that they are relevant to your subject and audience.

23. Write and publish your privacy policy. Be clear about what you

will and will not do with any personal data you collect. State that

you adhere to all data protection laws. Make it easy to read and don’t

use legal gobbledygook.

24. Write and publish a security policy. State what measures you take

to ensure that all transactions are secure as well as how well you

handle customers data.

25. Ensure that you have a security and privacy policy which is linked

from the footer o­n every page. Make the link more prominent o­n all

the order pages.

26. Clearly publish your guarantee. I would recommend making it a 100%

money-back guarantee if possible.

27. Clearly state your refund and returns policy.

28. If you use PayPal, put the PayPal logo o­n your site. If you have

a merchant services account with a major bank like Citibank or HSBC,

put its logo o­n your site.

29. Use Google search o­n your site for two reasons. First, it is a

great search solution which will help your visitors find what they are

looking for. Second, having the Google name o­n your site instills

trust.

30 If there are well-known industry associations for your subject,

join up and put their logos o­n your site.

31. Have a forum o­n your site and respond quickly to questions. Have

the attitude that you are happy to help others without receiving

immediate reward. As the old saying goes, ‘Givers always gain.’

32. Allow people to comment o­n articles. Interactivity and an

exchange of views build community and a sense of involvement.

33. If people provide constructive criticism or comments in the forum,

don’t delete them, but respond with your point of view.

34. Use the words ’secure website’ whenever you try to get any

information from visitors, including newsletter sign-ups, forum input

and payment.

35. o­n every page, state, "We take your privacy and security very

seriously." Link the statement to the security and privacy policy.

36. If you are selling a subscription, offer a low-cost, entry-level

option. This could be a o­ne-day taster, ‘a week before billing

starts’ or a monthly trial.

37. o­nly ask for information from customers that you really need. For

example, for an email newsletter sign-up, the o­nly information you

REALLY need is an email address, so that is all you should ask for.

38. If you have pricing o­n your website, make it transparent. I

recently went to buy a book which was advertised for $10. When I

checked out, they added tax, post and packaging, and the final bill

was $19.50. I didn’t buy it as I felt they had deliberately tried to

mislead me.

39. Start a small newsletter of your company/services & circulate it

among your clients/employees. Also, publish it o­n your website

regularly.

40. Allow people to "unsubscribe" from your mailing list. This may

sound very obvious, but I have found that many websites still don’t

follow it.



AVERY
Paty asked:


Ringtones of Avril Lavigne, wallpapers of artist, games like pacman, and screensavers like puppies.

JAMEL
Rober Ron asked:


Do you find it hard to change your desktop background? Are you sick of your old wallpaper but cannot seem to find a good replacement? If you answer yes to any of these, maybe its time you look into free wallpapers and have that long due change in your desktop background. There are experts that report that what you use as your wallpaper can actually influence how you think or feel. Calming seas can help you be more peaceful. A joyous celebration or party can get you into that holiday spirit. Photos of loved ones can make you feel happier and destination spots or images of your dream vacation can keep you motivated. Wallpapers can also show how you feel or reflect a certain part of your personality. Posting photographs of cute kittens could show that you are a cat lover. Using a movie poster of Star Wars can mean that you are, of course, a fan of the show.

Desktop backgrounds are not limited to images. You can also post lines from your different movie or lyrics of your favorite song. These can also reflect how you feel or what you are thinking. If you do not have access to these images, you need not leave your seat and start shooting such photographs. With just a few clicks on your keyboard, you are bound to arrive at the best free wallpapers website that can cater to your needs. These sites are very well organized and after all they carry thousands and thousands of such desktop backgrounds. Under different well labeled categories, you can pick out the wallpaper that best suits your needs. More famous categories include cute photos of pets, holidays, destination spots, photos of celebrities and cars. Cartoon characters are also among the top picks. You are not limited to such images, though. You may also take advantage of the 3D designs and cool animations that most free wallpaper sites are offering.

If you still find yourself not satisfied with the images you find online, why not download helpful software for wallpapers instead? There are different wallpaper software and programs designed to compile your desktop backgrounds and change it every so often, as you deem necessary. You will never be bored again with you wallpaper. Some would even have additional features that can help you change and match your screensaver. There are also desktop backgrounds that come with themes to match the rest of your computer look. The best thing of all, these come in for free. No payments needed to be made, no subscriptions that you have to sign up for and no emails that will spam your inbox. In addition, should you find that you are tired of the software, easily uninstall and hop on to the next one that interests you. It’s that easy. The same is true with the wallpapers that you will download. You can very easily change them and it would not cost you anything at all. Give your computer background that much needed change and download wallpaper that best suits your taste.



SELMA
Olivia Andrews asked:


There is a hike in the number of mobile phone users over the years and million of people are already using a technology that could be considered for getting out of infancy. However because of the insane level of acceptance of cell phone it is quite natural that other markets that could be considered as mobile phone accessories have grown up to get the advantage of the people’s craze for mobile phones.

Therefore, market is flooded with phone related accessories, products and utilities and this could be linked with the fact that people along with using the cell phones love to watch it too. This attraction for looking cell phones has given birth to the increased popularity of mobile phone screensavers.

Mobile phone screensavers are same as any other desktop picture or screensaver that gets activated when the phone is left inactive for a preset period of time. This time is usually set by the user. New cell phones are coming up in the market with built-in screensavers and they are increasingly popular at the same time. These cell phone manufacturers either put one screensaver in the phone model or more so that the user can get a choice.

This popularity of mobile phone screensavers has also been pushed up by the internet where people can get a lot more choice from the different available screensavers. Internet also offers mobile phone users various options in terms of the kind of screensavers that they want to have. These screensavers can be downloaded from the internet for free and some requires a minimum charge to be paid.

Before downloading any screensaver from any of the websites that provide mobile phone accessories the first thing one should consider is to identify the size of his cell phone screen and the phone compatibility so as to avoid any phone crashes or problems.

For more information, visit t-mobile-ringtone.info



JANNIE
Chris McCann asked:


Savvy Internet users from all over the world are eager to download software for their Sony PSP in order to get free games. The problem is where do you find the software to do such a thing? There are dozens if not hundreds of websites out there that offer the service, but are they legit?

There are a few top companies that have developed a unique software application that allow users to search for and download free games, screensavers, backgrounds, themes, browsers and other software for the PSP device.

You can download the software directly from their websites after you sign up for a small one time membership fee (usually under $50.00). After that you can download and begin using immediately. The main benefit from using these websites is that the software has no per-download charges or other recurring fees to use it. That’s right, pay once and the service is yours forever. It’s not like an I-Tunes or other music website service where you have to pay 99 cents for each download. There is truly just a one time fee to use these services. Pay the membership fee and the software and access to the network is yours to keep forever.

According to these top selling website, their PSP software searches through roughly 20 million files on their network which is the largest download network of it’s kind. So finding the exact game, movie, theme, wallpaper, etc is not difficult to find. Rest assured you can find what ever it is your looking for. There are over 350 PSP games available that Sony has put out, and most of them if not all can be found on these websites. The good news is that this network of files keeps growing, so as Sony puts out new games, themes, movies, etc these will be added to the network in a short period of time. So you can always get the most current releases available.

PSP downloads are not hard to find now, you just have to know where to look and who to trust. I would stick to the sites that are highly recommended by other users. Stick to the ones that have been doing it a while and have been in business for a least a couple years with trusted reputations. If you do that you can’t go wrong. Happy gaming and I hope you are able to find what you are looking for when it comes to getting free PSP downloads.



SHANE
Graham Walsham asked:


We all like something for nothing and the Internet is jam-packed with FREE STUFF. Stuff like eBooks, Software, Screensavers, Pet Food, Ringtones, Free Samples, Free Services, Magazines, Free Websites etc., etc., the list goes on.

There are countless online newsletters and websites devoted to free stuff, some people make a hobby of finding freebies online, it can be habit forming but there are worse habits to have.

A word of caution though, some unscrupulous people use free stuff to send viruses, most free stuff is genuine, the ones to watch out for are unsolicited free offers through pop-ups and email etc. - best to leave these anonymous ones alone.

But as stated, most are genuine but it pays to be a bit wary.

I run a website that offers a new free gift everyday and every downloadable gift is scanned for viruses, I don’t want to get a bad name, reputation is everything online.

In a many cases, you need to complete questionnaires or click links to qualify for the free stuff but if you’ve got the time, it can be worth it. On some “free stuff” sites you have to jump through hoops to get the freebies which can be a bit of a pain.

Some freebies are just ploys to get you to part with money. Common ones are pc scans, these scan your computer for free to detect bugs or viruses and invariably they come up with negative results which to put right, you have to download their software which is not free.

I’m a bit of a cynic and wouldn’t be surprised if these scans found problems on brand new, unused equipment.

A lot of reverse phone searches purport to be free but in reality, you are directed to a sign-up page where you have to make a payment for the service. There are a few free ones out there but most have a catch.

Enjoy yourself tracking down freebies but remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!



CHERRY
Boger Gray asked:


What is a screensaver?

A screensaver is a pop up simple program within operating systems that appears whenever you leave the keyboard or mouse unattended for a couple of minutes. To find out whether it can start the screensaver or not, Windows sends a message to the foreground application. This command is asking the application, “Can I start the screensaver?” A non- Windows program will not understand the command, and therefore will not answer it. A CBT application will understand it, but will respond with a command that means “No, I’m providing training right now.” All other applications should respond positively to the command.

The screensavers were originally designed to protect the computer monitor from phosphor burn-in. The phosphors, used to make the pixels in the display, would glow at a constant rate for such a long period of time that they would actually discolor the glass surface of the CRT. This discoloration would then be visible as a faint image overlaying whatever else was displayed on the monitor.

Now you can use screensavers for: ? Entertainment - most people use screensavers for the fun of watching them. There are several screensaver categories like: natural environments (e.g. animated waterfalls, aquariums, fireplaces etc.), favorite actor/actress screensavers, cars screensavers etc. ? Advertisement - many companies have developed their own themed screensavers (e.g. a black background with the name of the company scrolling up and down) ? Security - this might be one of the most important uses .You can simply set a password so when your computer exits the screensaver will actually require a password to go back to its desktop. Many people use this option to prevent others from invading their privacy.

Screensaver Development

A screensaver is really just an executable file, with the extension changed from .exe to .scr. By putting a screensaver file into the Windows or System directory and giving it a .scr extension, Windows knows that it should treat this file as a screensaver and makes it available as an option in the Display properties window.

The bulk of the screen saver is written in C++ and uses OpenGL for rendering. It is shared between both Windows and Macintosh versions. The Windows version also is in C++ and talks directly to the Win32 API (no MSVC classes). The development environment is Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express, but a VC++ 6.0 project is also included. The Macintosh version is in a mix of C++ and ObjectiveC, and is built with Xcode. The screensaver interfaces indirectly with the operating system to cause the physical display screen to be overlayed with one or more graphic ’scenes’. The screensaver typically terminates after receiving a message from the operating system that the mouse has been moved or a key has been pressed.

The screensaver file can be programmed in several different ways. It can: ? Simply present a black screen ? Load and display a particular image or group of images ? Display a particular line of text ? Display an animation or series of animations ? Display information from another program or a Web site

To suit the user needs companies designed several types of screensavers based on: ? Shockwave Flash ? Image slide shows ? Play movies and music different formats (avi,mpg,asf/mp3,aac,midi,wav) ? 3D rendering objects ? Open GL support screensavers

Most screensavers offer some combination of these features. Except for the slideshow screensavers that display a sequence of images, screensavers generally move an image, piece of text or animation around the screen. The screensavers that have a custom interface, and do not use the Display properties window at all, are less common. Usually, these screensavers do not have the .scr extension. They require that you install them using a setup program in order to configure them properly.

There are several available software over the internet that lets you make your own screensavers based on Shockwave Flash, Image Slide Show (display your favorite photos) and Movie .The software offers you the possibility to let your imagination get loose and use all kind of multimedia support like Background music support, transition effect support, masking effect support, customizable screensaver Dialog box etc.

Installing and removing screensavers under Microsoft Windows

There are two types of screensavers: ? compressed self installing Screensaver setup files(.EXE) ? stand-alone screensaver file(.SCR)

The easiest way to install a screensaver under MS Windows platform is to download it from the internet and simply follow the install w izard’s further instructions. All you have to do during the wizard is to: read and agree the terms and conditions choose the install destination path and choose either if you want or not to create a shortcut icon on the menu folder. Another method is to copy the screensaver w ith his original ‘.scr’ extension on W indow s’s root directory c:windows.

To remove a screensaver from your computer simply erase it from c:windows folder where you have initially copied it or access ‘add/rem ove program s’ within Control Panel ,locate the screensaver from the installed program s list and hit the ‘add/rem ove button’.

Configuring your screensaver

1. Click Start, then click Settings and go to Control Panel. 2. When the Control Panel window opens, double-click on the Display icon. This brings up the Display Properties window. 3. Select the Screensaver tab, and select the screensaver you want to use from the drop-down menu. 4. Determine how many minutes you want the system to be idle before Windows launches the screensaver, and enter that amount of time in the box provided. 5. You can click on Preview to see what it will look like in full-screen use. If you want to change the settings, click Settings. Depending on the screensaver, this window can have one or more options that you can modify. 6. Once you have finished changing the settings, click OK. You can also use the screensaver for security by checking the “Password protected” box. Click OK again and your screensaver is set to go!

© 2006 Mastermen Pty Ltd

You are welcome to post this document on your own website provided it is unchanged and all acknowledgements are retained



LYNDA
Cdmohatta asked:


Valentines day comes once in a year. But that does not mean that lovers stop loving each other for the rest of the year. They continue loving each other with the same intensity. The only difference is that on Valentines Day the love is expressed in different ways and lover overflows more.

Valentine screensavers are designed to express this romantic love. All these screensavers have lovely text, and images. Every good valentine Screensaver can arouse passion in any one. That is the effect of visuals, text and music. If you wish to keep the passion of love at its peak during all the times, download few Valentines Screensavers on your desktop and watch them all through the year. For a lover, everyday is the Valentines Day.

a lover wants to feel the passion at all the times. A lover wants to feel the heart beating faster at the thought of his beloved at all the times. A lover wants to be with his/her darling at all the times. Love gives life to one who is in love. That is why I say, download few Valentine Screensavers on your desktop and watch them whenever you want to feel passionate.

Take care to download Valentine Screensavers from a good website so that you avoid any attachments of adware and spyware. Search for free downloads. Keep the selection to lower file sizes. Download screensavers with music and lovely text. The download should be simple and installation easy. Do not experiment with many websites. Once you know that a site is offering good free content, keep confined to that. Wish you a great love life.

Related link :-

1- Free Valentines Day Ecards

2- Valentines Day Wallpapers



CLAUDIO
Victor Mars asked:


Stock Image includes stock photography and stock footage, means images that can be licensed for specific uses. their uses are very popular with designers, graphic artists, art directors, advertising agencies, and marketing professionals, in magazine advertisements, websites, and marketing brochures. Instead of hiring a professional photographer to create an image. A collection of stock photography may also be called a photo archive, picture library, image bank or photo bank.

Since 1920’s, images could be filed at an agency that negotiates licensing fees on the photographer’s behalf in exchange for a percentage. With the advent of the digital photography, and so many people armed with cameras of high enough quality to shoot great photos, it is a good idea to make these photos available to each other, at a low price, while paying the photographers a commission for each photo sold. Today, the Internet wave pushes this business increasingly blossoming online, especially with the newer micro-stock models.

In this industry, a important feature is so-called “Royalty-free”. “Free” in this context means “free of royalties (paying each time you use an image)”. It does not mean the image is free to use without purchasing a license or that the image is in the public domain. Details:

1. Pay a one-time fee to use the image multiple times for multiple purposes (with limits).

2. No time limit on when the buyer can use an image.

3. No one can have exclusive rights of a Royalty-free image (the photographer can sell the image as many times as he or she wants).

4. A Royalty-free image usually has a limit to how many times the buyer can reproduce it. For example, a license might allow the buyer to print 10,000 brochures with the purchased image. The amount of copies made is called the print run. Above that print run the buyer is required to pay a fee per brochure. Those magazines with a large print run cannot use a basic Royalty-free license and therefore they either purchase images with an extended license or have in-house photographers.

There are two kinds of licenses, Basic and Extended.

With a Basic License, licensee may print or use the image for their personal use in any size provided that there is no subsequent sale or transfer to other persons. The images that users download under the Basic License may be used to make fine art prints, on web sites, in magazines, newspaper, products, software, newsletters, advertisements, flyers, packaging, marketing material, school assignments, presentations, and within films or videos, books or booklets, in either printed or electronic media, as long as the item in which the image appears does not contradict some restrictions. Note that the maximum number of copies for printed materials is limited, for example 10,000 copies. The images that users download with the Basic License also may be used as “editorial use” to illustrate truthful articles or broadcasts appearing in magazines, newspapers or any other editorial context, in either printed or electronic media.

But only With a Basic License, users may not use the images in products in which these images are dominant feature if the product is to be subsequently sold or distributed. Examples include posters, postcards, greeting cards, mugs, T-shirts, canvas, hats, mouse pads, magnets, art prints, paintings, or calendars, and screensavers, web templates, software, web page builders, gallery, or any system where the image file can be unincorporated from the software or system or be shared among, transferred to, or otherwise distributed to a number of users. It is also forbidden to make the image available on a website for download (as wallpapers for example). The use of images for these purposes under the Basic License is not permitted. In these cases, users should buy Extended Licenses.

The following licenses offer extended types of usage for Basic Licenses. These are additional licenses to the rights included within the Basic Licenses. Note that the other restrictions still apply.

1. Increase Max Copies: Extends our Basic Licenses to a maximum amount of printed copies, let us say up to 1,000,000 copies, etc.

2. Electronic Items for Resale: this license includes the right to use the images for web templates that are sold to more customers, screensavers, e-cards, PowerPoint presentations or as wallpapers on cell phones.

3. Physical Items for Resale: includes the right to use the photos for T-shirts, postcards, greeting cards, mugs, mouse pads, posters, calendars, framed artwork that is to be sold to other customers.

Note, buying the high-resolution image (purchasing the license) does not transfer the copyright.

Another important feature of web-based stock photography collections is that the images have been embedded with meta-data, therefore making the images searchable by using keywords. This feature helps users finding photos or footages very quickly over the Internet and make the cost lower and lower. Finally, more and more people can enjoy high quality digital images and videos, and the world becomes more and more beautiful.



ANGELIA