Data Portalen - What and When You Need

Methods of Search Engine Optimization: Site Research, Marketing, and Achieving Good Ranking Results

dataportal — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:31:51 +0000

Search engine marketing is one of the most effective methods of promoting your Internet business. Through good search engine marketing, you get targeted website visitors from search engines on which your website has a good ranking – and optimization is your plan to get good rankings.

I have worked on hundreds of sites, helping to optimize content and structure for search engine placement. Through this work, devised a series of two “phases” which break the work down into understandable pieces:

Phase One: Current Site Research

Phase Two: Relevant Keyword Research

This article will help you work out phase one on your own terms, performing a basic series of steps toward discovering your site’s current standings so that you can work towards optimizing them.

How Important Are Good Rankings?

In “business speak”, there is nothing more valuable than a motivated buyer. Search engine users are some of the most qualified and motivated buyers you will ever have on your website. After all, they have taken the time to hunt for a certain topic – and have chosen your site to learn more.

Getting listed in a search engine is not the end of the game, though. If you’re number 415 of 1,259,000 search results, what are your chances of ever being seen? Perhaps more surprisingly, even being listed number 11 won’t help much. Most search engines display 10 results on the first page, and few searchers actually click through to look at the second page of results.

Your goal, then, is to achieve top 10 rankings for the keywords you decide to target (which look at here in a minute).

Ethical Search Engine Marketing

Some webmasters try to “cheat” search engines with unethical marketing methods including “cloaking” and “doorway” pages. Search engines don’t just hate these tactics, but they will ban or “blacklist” websites that use them.

Marketing must be beneficial to all involved: for webmasters who get more visitors, for web surfers who find reliable websites, and for search engines that deliver results to web surfers. If you use ethical methods, you will get results and this love triangle will boost your sales in a big way.

Your Site’s Current Link Popularity

Link popularity can be defined in a couple of ways. For the purposes of optimization efforts, Link Popularity means the number of quality search engines offering a link to your website.

Surveys show that over 85% of Internet users find websites by using search engines. If your website in the top 10-20 results, Internet users aren’t likely to find your site. Link Popularity, then, helps you determine where you are currently at – your exact position on search engines.

Find out how your site currently ranks with one of these free services – and remember to save your results or print them for referencing in the next 2 phases:

Link Popularity – http://www.linkpopularity.com/ – This free service you to query Google, Yahoo, and MSN and reports on link popularity. Just place your URL in the box and punch the “Tell me my popularity!” button for your results.

Mike’s Marketing Popularity Checker – http://www.mikes-marketing-tools.com/link-popularity/ – Link Popularity Checker offers instant, online reports of a webpage’s link popularity rating in 4 major search engines; Google, Yahoo! Search, MSN, and Teoma (Ask Jeeves). Turn off your pop-up blocker, though, because this one opens in a new window.

Link Popularity Check – http://www.linkpopularitycheck.com/ – This checker takes a different look, tallying websites instead of search engines who link to you. The WebPosition Link Popularity Check will search Lycos/AllTheWeb, MSN, AltaVista to determine how many pages on the Internet contain links to your site (reciprocal links). You can then index other sites to compare your site to and see how you stack up!

Meta Tag Analysis

META tags are the home of keywords and all the other information that a search engine’s spidering program uses to understand what should be in your web page. Analyzing what spiders can see you will be able to find errors, missing components, and generally start seeing a framework of what you will be working on.

When you analyze your meta tags, concentrate on the main pages within your website. Pages like your Index, About Us, and Products are important – the pages that break off from them aren’t as important in terms of keywords. Usually, the pages that break off of a main page will contain the same needs. it’s important to create keywords for specific pages, not the site as a whole, sub-pages will require the same kind of keywords, descriptions, etc.

Along the same vein, contact pages and search pages need to be researched if they don’t contain one-of-a-kind content for a search engine to index.

Again, make sure that you save or print the reports you generate. You’ll become intimate with them by the time you are done. Free services are offered at the following websites:

Submit Express - http://www.submitexpress.com/analyzer/ – This is a very informative tool that is provided free because they hope you will ask for help optimizing your pages. Make sure that you click “GoogleBot” where the Spider Robots option is, so that you can check what the most popular search engine sees on your web pages. Hit the back button after printed a report, and search the next major page in your site.

Widexl - http://www.widexl.com/remote/search-engines/metatag-analyzer.html – Widexl designed this Meta Tag analysis tool to help webmasters their web pages. This script analyzes not only the Meta Tags, but tries to use the same spider technology as the search engine spiders use.

TEN - http://www.theemiratesnetwork.com/computers/webmaster/analyzer.htm – The meta tag analyzer will analyze the meta tags found on a web page. In addition to checking the meta tags, it will also display how the web page would be listed on the popular search engine, Altavista.

Keyword Density Analysis

Keyword density is determined by the amount of times a particular word in your keywords meta-tag appears within the actual content of your web page. The more times that your keywords appear on the web page, then, the denser your keywords become. Recommended keyword density is between 2% and 7%.

Search engines use your keyword density, in part, to determine your search engine ranking. It’s important to tie your page text in with your keywords and description META tags. So, when we get to the point that determining proper keywords for your pages, these are the words that should appear at least 3 times within the body of your web page.

By body, speaking about more than content – though that is still “king”. Instead, we’re talking about things like anchor tags, heading tags, image alt tags, and the like.

Some search engines (Google in particular), will penalize websites that use the same keyword over and over on their pages. If a keyword appears too often, the search engine will decide that spamming them. This might happen by mistake if you overuse your most important phrases on your page.

The trick, then, is to have a good balance of several phrases that point to the same search words.

And once more, make sure that you print or save the reports you generate from the following free services:

Keyword Density – http://www.keyworddensity.com/ – This page is dedicated to providing a 100% free density checker. You can analyze more than one web page at a time, and choose the keywords you want to check for.

Search Engine World – http://www.searchengineworld.com/cgi-bin/kwda.cgi – This checker helps analyze what search engines see for your webpage’s keyword density. It includes word filters and can ignore certain word lengths. If you use this option, set the word length higher than 3 or 4 letters.

Keyword Density and Prominence – http://www.ranks.nl/tools/spider.html – One of the most feature-rich free analyzers on the web, make sure that you being asked for when you use this tool. For best results, try experimenting with the options so that you have several reports to work with if you use this tool.

That’s it for phase one. This will take you at least a good hour to complete properly, but the reports that you generate are going to become invaluable. Already, by looking through your findings, you will be able to get a good idea of where your website is currently at and begin generating ideas on where you want it to go.

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dataportal — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:48:23 +0000

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The PE is the ratio assessment comparing the company’s recent stock from per-share earnings. PB is the comparing of currency markets value from book value. The ROE determines the business’s economic efficiency.

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In every single trading system, a probable dealer should frequently seek the most effective way to survive inside the trade marketplace. Permitting the dealer to get highest market income, stock picks are well thought-out as the very best transaction in stock trading. Highly dynamic worth for stocks ought to be benefited by a trader to him to bring in customary business earnings in the stock market.

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Basing from the set of methods and techniques, stock picks are selected. A day trader can look for dependable updates rendering specialist tips associated with the most active indices and shares.

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Photography – Did You Know?

dataportal — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:43:57 +0000

Article marketing is an effective way to expand the online presence of any small business. By distributing articles to various article directories on the Internet, your company can reap the benefits ranging from increased web traffic, lead generation, new customers and a solid reputation. It's a simple concept that has the potential to take your business to the next level and higher. The foundation of article marketing has evolved from a well-known strategy called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, a practice that web pages are optimized with keywords and published online in an effort to increase search engine rankings. There are three steps to article marketing, research, article writing and distribution. In research The first step is keyword research. It is vital to flood your article with the keywords you want to rank well in search engines. For example, suppose you sell used DVDs online. You should research what keywords people are searching on the term DVD (ie, DVD rental, DVD rental, DVD, or buy the DVD). Then make a list of about 10 or more of these keywords and sprinkle throughout my article. This step is relatively simple and only takes about 30 minutes or so, unless of course you are still using dial-up Internet access. Writing the article You can not just build a balloon tip and call it an article as many marketers today. The article must be well written and provide value to their readers. If you are a good writer, you can do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you. The goal is to write an article related to the topic goal of competence, and, of course, the placement of keywords within the content of the article. The article should not be a sales pitch or advertisement. In fact, many article directories, or even accept articles written with a "sales type" approach. The article should be written with the intention to educate your target consumer group about some aspect of their industry. It is always useful to have a catchy title for your article. In addition to keyword-rich article, a second key component of this strategy should include the distribution of the URL of a web site, commonly known as link back. Most if not all article directories allow an author's resource box that links can be placed easily. Publication of the web site address at the end of articles will allow interested readers to easily visit the site by clicking on that link. Distribution This is the component of article marketing that takes some time. It is good practice to present these items in each directory manually, as most of the directories have banned article distribution via automated software. In addition, by using automated software, there is less control of the article and the article box of resources. I'm not even sure that automated software still works correctly. Do not waste your time distribute the article to every directory you can find both. Instead, be picky and choose wisely about which directory you want to the house of his article. Article marketing makes you think Article marketing is more than just enhance your visibility on the Internet. Unlike direct marketing, which actually presents a unique opportunity to educate your target consumer group in an effort to build long term relationships, profitable to them. Paid advertisements usually lose potency and relevance over time. However, a well written article will be reprinted in several newsletters, websites, forums and blogs, and cause a viral marketing effect will last for months at a time. Benefits of Article Marketing anchor text. Most article directories allows the author to select the anchor text link in the author resource box. This is the main value of links from article directories. For example, if you are trying to qualify for the "Internet Marketing" keyword, the anchor text displays "Internet marketing" but that would link to your website. In a way relevant links. Say goodbye to reciprocal links. It is not as effective as it used to be. Article marketing provides a way of links to web pages within the directory are classified according to themes such as technology, weddings, communication or small business. In addition, most directories use the article title as the web page title, and be sure the web page title with your link has your target keyword. Website Traffic. Those who read the article and our interest in that click through your website and attract relevant traffic. Clearly, this is the first step in building a relationship with them. Viral Marketing. Most article directories allow webmasters to make use of others (or return) any item within its directory. Generally, the articles are published in directories, specialty websites, forums and blogs. A well written article will go a long way. Mindshare. A click-through from a web link is just another random visitor, probably not even interested in their value proposition. But anyone who has read an article and click through the link the author's resource box is usually a highly qualified visitor has been sold in part on the value of its offer. Meanwhile, even readers who click-through have been exposed to your message, which can enhance long-term efficacy of the brand. Finally, the conclusion of the matter is the fact that article marketing is just one component of a successful marketing strategy and SEO. Can not wait to invest a few dollars here and there and wakes up in the morning with profitable business, appearing at number one on Google and Yahoo for key terms. Article marketing is a strategy to be used in combination with other strategies as part of their marketing mix.

The photography industry is one of the most lucrative industries. Many people have decided to enroll in a photography school in order to get hired as soon as they graduated. Enrolling in a top photography school increases the possibility that you will be paid with a higher salary. There are several top photography schools in the United States including American Intercontinental University, Boston University, Harrington College of Design, Brooks Institute of Photography and New York Institute of Photography.

The American Intercontinental University has one of the top photography schools in the United States. It has several campuses across different states. It offers both traditional and online courses. The lecturers are successful photographers who hold a day time job. The photographers will educate the students on different photography topics such as fashion, advertising, and etc,

Boston University offers photography courses at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts. The certificate programs will teach students basic skills about taking photograph. Students will also learn about the business management skills.

Harrington College of Design offers an associate degree for applied science in digital photography. Students who enroll in this course will be prepared for the future workplace. Student will learn about photojournalism and how to conduct a photography business. Under the guidance of the lecturers, they will be able to develop unique artistic styles in photography.

Brooks Institute of Photography offers four types of undergraduate programs. Some of the undergraduate programs offered by Brooks Institute of Photograph include Visual Communication, and Professional Photography.

The New York Institute of Photography is a famous photography school in the New York City. It was established since many decades ago. It has a large campus and is rank as one of the world’s largest photography school. Over twenty thousand students from different countries in the world are enrolled in this famous institution.

The International Academy of Design & Technology offers accredited photography degree. The photography degree course will teach the students how to use the industry standard cameras. Students will learn how to operate the software and lighting. In addition, the students will learn several career skills including wedding photography and portrait.

The Ohio Institute of Photography and Technology offer courses that allow the students to develop necessary skills for their career in photography. It offers several types of degree courses including professional and commercial courses.

Beside the schools stated above, there are other top universities that have photography programs. Many top universities offer online courses. People who are working can enroll in the online course. By enrolling in the online course, you don’t have to attend the classes at the college. You can get brochures from the colleges to compare the tuition fee. The online course may be cheaper because you don’t have to pay for the petrol fee and dormitory fee. When enrolling in a degree, you will be asked to provide the official script for the high school. The top photography schools are very selective in the students. Students that are enrolled in the program must show good performance at school.

dataportal — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:01:12 +0000

The page was not found!

You may have followed a broken link or typed in the address incorrectly. Remember, some URLs are case sensitive.

The page was not found!

You may have followed a broken link or typed in the address incorrectly. Remember, some URLs are case sensitive.

The page was not found!

You may have followed a broken link or typed in the address incorrectly. Remember, some URLs are case sensitive.

How to Get Perfect Prom Photos

dataportal — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:19:08 +0000

Save the Wacky Poses for your own camera

It is not best to joke around when preparing to take your prom photos. Doing so will only make these photos look silly. That may not create the ideal memories of your prom. It is beneficial to refrain from making wacky poses in these photos. The types of poses that are in this category include silly facial expressions, hand gestures and odd posture. Prom packages are usually not cheap.

They may cost you or your parents a hefty price. Therefore, it may be ideal to act mature when posing for the professional prom photos. If you want to joke around with classmates and friends, bring a personal camera along to take random pictures throughout the evening. Keeping silly poses confined to your own personal camera will help to get good prom photos. You will then be able to satisfy your parents and also have fun in the process.

Do Not Bring Unattractive Prom Dates

This is a careful area to consider when preparing for your high school prom. The prom date does not have to look like a superstar or be the most popular kid at the high school. However, choosing a prom date that you are attracted to will help to get good prom photos. If you do not view your date as being an attractive girl or boy, how much will you like those prom results? There is a good chance that you will not want to send duplicates of your prom pictures to family and friends. This situation can be avoided by choosing a good looking prom date from the start. Since everyone has different opinions on who is attractive, the prom date selection is up to you.

Select a background that compliments your Prom night attire

Many professional photographers who provide services at high school proms bring along a few different backdrops for the pictures. The photographer may recommend a scene for your prom photos. It helps to browse at all of the available backdrops prior to taking your final pictures. This is an important task, especially if the chosen photographer for your high school does not make any suggestions. Choosing a backdrop that compliments your prom dress or suit will help to get good prom photos.

If your colored attire and choose a similar backdrop, you may blend into the background. This can take a lot of detail and attention away from you and your date. The backdrop for your prom photos scene is like an accessory for pictures. It should compliment and add pizzazz to the atmosphere, not overshadow it. Focusing on the fact that you and your date are the main subjects is how to get good prom photos.

Communicate with the photographer

One of the ways to get good prom is by creating an understanding between yourself and the person who holds the camera. Photographers who work high school proms vary by type. Some of them may accept requests for a certain style while others direct you and your date on how to pose for your prom photos. If the communication is not clear, you and your prom date may end up looking like stiff robots. Try to talk with the photographer and exchange ideas before taking your prom photos.

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10 Tips for working with an employment agency in a job search

dataportal — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:52:46 +0000

When jobs job search, an employment agency could be just the shot in the arm that needs a job seeker. An employment agency can be a valuable resource for job seekers and agencies to help employers to fill vacancies through screening, and presenting the best job candidates. In addition, an employment agency can serve as an advocate for job seekers through the representation of the credentials of the applicant for employment with the employer. There are many myths about how an employment agency working with job seekers. Sometimes the confusion really comes down to some of the terms used in the staffing industry. Key terms to understand when using an employment agency in the search for employment: – Headhunters work exclusively for the company .- Contingency recruiters are paid if their score placement in a company .- Employment Agency job recruiters employment agencies and do everything from help with a resume, skill assessment and interview practice. 10 tips for using an employment agency in seeking employment: 1. Do not sign any exclusive contract. It is the job search and need to be in charge of the process.2. Keeping in touch with the employment agency through the job search. Professional staff are always working with the resumes at the top of the pile.3. Find out what employment agency working with a company and connect with the employment agency if you want a better chance of reaching a certain company.4. The Employment Agency will conduct a portion of the amount the employer pays for their fees. Deal with it. The employment agency must be paid too.5. Listen to advice that the staff of the employment agency is giving what to participate in the interview. They know their clients.6. Ask questions about the process that the employment agency will use to help find employment, pay and what is expected of you as seeker.7 work. When looking for an employment agency, asking people for referrals. Employment agencies to build their businesses on their professional reputation and word-of-mouth.8. Find an employment agency that specializes in your particular industry.9. Use social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter to find an employment agency in your area. Recruiters on LinkedIn, might even have recommendations can be read at work seekers.10 satisfied. Search for employment agencies through professional member associations as the American Staffing Association. In a comment on my blog at TheHBCUCareerCenter.com, Adrienne Graham, Chief Consultant in Talent Acquisition and Management Consulting nuances of the INC, he says, "Recruiters and headhunters can be great resources, but only if you understand how they work and how to use them. "

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Kitchen Wall Clock – What Your Time Should Look Like

dataportal — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 01:04:44 +0000

Google Moon was launched on the 36th anniversary of Apollo 11 Lunar Landing, July 20, 2005. Google Moon does not seem to have as many features as the maps from another planet, but Google will surprise you. There are many things to learn and see through Google Moon. As soon as you open Google Moon, the first thing you see are the Apollo missions. When the website opens, it automatically activates the Apollo. This feature includes audio clips, stories, pictures, quotes, panoramic photos, and links to videos of the adventures of astronauts on the lunar surface. Since the previous version of Google Moon, you can now extend to the bottom without the image will look different images distorted.You astronaut while searching through Google Moon, as long as the property of Apollo is on. These images are labeled with numbers astronaut. Clicking on each image astronaut, you will learn the information, such as the launch and landing dates, place of landing, and when he returned to Earth. You can also view other information depending on whether the astronaut is clicked the image. That's not the best part, the zoom in the picture near each astronaut and find incredible images taken 40 years ago during missions to the Moon. There are hundreds of different images so you can see, there is much to learn, just alone.You this feature can also activate the Graphics option. The positions of the features are only approximate, as seen in the photographs the property of Apollo. Although these are only estimated locations, these cards were used in the preparation of each mission. These tables have been created to show different geological and topographical charts for certain areas of the surface of the moon during the Apollo era. Although these maps were made in the 1960, you can use these maps to plan your own mission to the moon today. The reason these cards are only part of the Moons of Google is that this is the front of the moon. The front of the Moon is the view of the earth.When using the graphics option, you can see two different charts, geological and topographical. Look through both and learn many things about the moon. There are two features available when using Google Moon, visible and elevation. The visibility option for satellite images of the Moon, provided by the Clementine mission. The elevation option displays a map of the lunar terrain. This map is provided by the USGS in collaboration with the Unified Lunar Control Network 2005. This map was the shadow using an airbrush shaded relief map. When the option is lifting, you will see many different colors, this map is color coded by altitude. There is a colored button in the lower left corner, use this to calculate the elevations in this area using Google moon.No Moon, there are hundreds of different things to learn. This is a great website to share with children, allowing them to learn and discover new things about the moon. Google Moon is completely free and does not require creating an account. No need to give any personal information, therefore, is completely confidential. Take this great opportunity and satisfy their curiosity about the moon.

As an Architect, I try to utilize the best means of design to make a house more efficient and well utilized for the square footage. In this article, I’m dealing with kitchen design, and how to make it more efficient in use and storage, make it feel more open than a standard kitchen, but do it in a smaller size (square footage costs money).

I am a big believer in the “Open Floor Plan” which has fewer walls and doors, with rooms tied together as open visual space. Keeping the Great Room, Dining Room and Kitchen “open” (meaning no walls between them) help make all the rooms “feel bigger”. The wall removal helps facilitate the open communications between the rooms. You don’t feel isolated in the kitchen when wall barriers are removed, and thus people don’t have to step into the kitchen to talk to you. They can do it from outside the kitchen zone.

Keep your ceilings tall by putting in scissors trusses. You can make your walls 8 foot tall, but by adding the scissors truss (peak at 13 to 14 feet) will give you lots of visual space and a less confined feeling. And get a skylight in the kitchen. The opening for a skylight can be much bigger than the skylight itself. Get the opening from the peak of the ceiling to the edge of the wall, and locate the skylight near a perpendicular wall so it will disperse the light throughout the kitchen. Put some “niches” in your tall walls above the 8′ line for greenery, or statues. Put “puck” lights in these niches for accent lighting.

Use tall, 2′ deep cabinets instead of overhead cabinets. 2 foot deep, 7 foot tall cabinets (or 8 foot tall) are also known as pantry or utility cabinets. With fixed shelves, they hold over 4 times as much stuff as an overhead cabinet. Put a line of tall cabinets along a back wall, and near the opening to the kitchen zone. By having a 2′ wide, 2′ deep, 7′ tall cabinet near the Kitchen opening (usually next to the Dining Area) it can store all the glasses, dishes, platters, and bowls that you use on a daily basis. People don’t have to enter the kitchen to get the dinnerware to set the table as you would with overhead cabinets.

By using just 3 tall cabinets (2′ deep 7′ tall) at the rear of the kitchen, and the open floor plan, this allows all the rest of the kitchen to have 36″ tall base cabinets and countertops, without overhead cabinets. Eliminating overhead cabinets (and the associated wall) just gives you an incredible open feeling. The kitchen isn’t as nearly as cramped. The windows and natural light come from the windows of the other rooms and skylights, meaning you don’t have to waste valuable kitchen wall space for windows. Place your sink and cooktop to face the open rooms.

In the corners of the kitchen, install cabinets at 45 degrees to the adjoining cabinets rather than a “blind” cabinet or “lazy susan”. While a 45 degree cabinet has some dead space, it utilizes more space than a “lazy susan”, mainly because the cabinet shelves and drawers are square, and a “lazy susan” is round.

Put a pantry in the corner between your tall cabinets. It doesn’t have to be very big (4′ x 4′) and being in the corner will utilize all the corner “dead” space. The pantry would have a 2′ opening at 45 degrees to the adjoining cabinets. The pantry walls could be 2×4 framed with drywall or 3/4″ MDF, but the wall shouldn’t be taller than the height of the tall cabinets. This allows for crown molding (if you use it) to also be used on the pantry. Have the pantry open at the top, especially if there is a skylight above, to allow daylight into the pantry. Have shelves from the floor to top of wall. Put a “cabinet door” (same as the rest of your tall cabinets) on the pantry entrance, not a frame door like you’d use in the bedroom. By having a cabinet door the pantry, and the pantry walls at the same height as the cabinets, the pantry looks like a cabinet rather than a drywall opening.

In the pantry, install a counter with 4 electric outlets. This is where the coffee maker, toaster, electric can openers, etc are to be permanently located. It keeps them off your kitchen countertops, but they are always available to use. No need to store them in your cabinets and no need for appliance garage cabinets. This leaves your main kitchen countertops “clean” (nothing on them) and more open for the food prep you need to do.

Put an upper counter 8″ above your countertops (i.e. 6″ wall, 2″ thick upper counter). In an “open floor plan” concept, this 8″ of height hides a “messy” kitchen counter from view to the other rooms. It also gives you plenty of room for multiple electric outlets in the in the 6″ wall areas. The 6″ tall wall is the right height for 6″ ceramic wall tile. The upper counter is 44″ (elbow height) a perfect height for “leaning”. This allows your guests to “lean” on the counter (out of the kitchen) and talk with you while you’re preparing food (in the kitchen). It’s also a good height for serving food or for tall stools as a breakfast bar. Not all of the upper counters have to be the some width. Some sections may be 9″ wide (just a top to the kitchen partition, while other sections of the upper counter can be 24” wide, for serving food or as a breakfast bar.

Now…I’m discussing this portion last because different clients use their kitchens differently, and every person has their own taste. I’m not talking about the size (although it’s related), but how many people they want in a kitchen. Some clients want everyone in the kitchen, including guests and relatives, to help in cooking or processing the meal, which means a larger kitchen to handle the people. Others don’t want anyone but a few people in kitchen, so they’re not tripping over people to get the meal finished, which means a smaller more efficient kitchen.

Most modern house designs have the kitchen open to the garage or rear door and open to family room and/or other rooms such as breakfast areas, dining rooms, or hallways. This means the kitchen has multiple openings to handle these functions. Some kitchens also have “island” cabinets/countertops with two or more openings. All the openings to the kitchen allows people to come in, stand around, or pass thru the kitchen from Point A to Point B somewhere else in the house. Also, one of the quirks of our human psychology is everyone eventually ends up in the kitchen. This design concept uses the kitchen as a “traffic corridor”. These kitchens need a large amount of space to handle the volume of traffic. Again, some clients love the flow of people in and out of the kitchen. They just need a larger kitchen space for all this happen

Other clients think the “traffic corridor” kitchen concept “clogs” up the kitchen with unnecessary and unwanted people. Count me in the “keep-the-unnecessary-people-out-of-the-kitchen” category. I like to keep the kitchen open and inviting, I just don’t want the extra bodies while the meal is being prepared. By keeping the extra bodies out, the kitchen can be smaller and more efficient, meaning fewer steps between the refrigerator, cooktop and sink.

Keeping people out of the kitchen is very easy to do in your design, just make it difficult for them to get in. Use a wrapping countertop with just one (1) countertop opening into the kitchen, and locate that opening in the most difficult spot to enter the kitchen. This, along with the “open floor plan” is the most effective way to prevent unwanted kitchen traffic. The single kitchen entrance will psychologically keep them out of the kitchen zone, while the open floor plan (no walls) allows you to communicate with family and guests, while keeping them out of the kitchen.

With the tidbits I’ve discussed above and by keeping the people out of a kitchen, a kitchen size of 16′x10′ or 12′x12′ is very effective, with tons of storage. Making the kitchen a “traffic corridor” for people to pass through, the kitchen would need to double in size, and you’re not gaining storage space with that size because all the openings to the kitchen are eating up what could have been used for cabinets.

In regards to lighting, most kitchens have a few main way of lighting (or combination of these)

A. Light in the ceiling fan

B. “Can” lights in the ceiling

C. Under-cabinet lighting (usually puck lights or fluorescent strips)

I generally reject all of these lighting concepts. With a light in the ceiling fan, you always have the light at your back, meaning you’re casting shadows onto everything you do on the countertop. Can lights are “energy hogs” because they cut large holes in your insulation, and use inefficient incandescent lighting (usually 75 watt). I don’t use overhead cabinets so therefore eliminate under-cabinet lighting, which is sometimes expensive

With the tall ceilings of a scissors truss, I like to use MR16 adjustable light fixtures, not “can” lights. The MR16′s are usually know as “strip” lighting. However, you’ll want to use a “plate” instead of a “strip” for the fixture connection. By using a plate, the MR16 uses a standard electrical box, so a smaller hole in your insulation blanket compared to a “can” light, and they pump out twice as much light for less wattage (usually 50 watts) than a “can” light. MR16 fixtures can be very small (so you don’t see them) and not very costly (around $20). MR16′s are adjustable, meaning you can point the light where you want it. A “can” light points light perpendicular to the ceiling. In a sloped ceiling, that’s not good. Locate your lights above the countertop to eliminate shadows, along your major work areas (sinks, cooktop, cutting and prep areas) and then distribute evenly along the rest of the countertops. You really don’t need lights elsewhere other than for accent lighting. The lights above the counters will be more than enough, assuming you’re keeping the kitchen smaller.

If you want to look at some examples, you can go to my website http://youngarchitectureservices.com/home-architect-indiana.html and click on any of the floor plans, and zoom in on the kitchen area. There are also pictures of kitchen in the “Interior Design” section of the website. Larger scale pictures of a kitchen are located on the “Home Page” under “View More House Photos”

Talk to you later,

Brian

Types of memory cards

dataportal — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:40:50 +0000

Memory cards, also known as flash cards play an integral role in today’s electronically advanced world. These are data storage devices that are capable of storing data and re-recordable by nature. These can be used in mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, MP3 players, and video game consoles. When one buys these electronic gadgets, the first thing they buy to supplement it is a memory card. The data stored in it is retained without power.

There are different types of memory cards available and the usage will vary based on the electronic device that is being used. The capacity that can be stored in each of these cards also varies. So, one has to be careful while choosing it. Choosing one type would depend on the capacity and the gadget for which one intends to use it. Though this might seem very easy when you actually think of it, you will know the difficulty in it only if you have already tried purchasing one.

The oldest model is the SD i.e., the Secured Digital model. This type of card comes with storage capacity of 2GB or even higher. There are even models within them having storage capacity of just 1GB. But, it is advisable to go for higher ones because they will definitely serve the purpose better and would cost reasonably. The advanced model of these SD cards is the SDHC cards i.e., the Secured Digital High Capacity cards. These are advanced not in their design or size but in the speed at which it can transfer data and writing of the cards is much higher with this model.

The most advanced in this SD range of models are the SDXC model. These again have the same look as the above two models at the outside. The difference lies inside and in its working and storage capacity. These are cards that have storage capacities ranging from 32GB to 2TB. A model that is higher in its capacity than all the SD models is the Compact Flash memory cards. CF cards are much bigger in size and are available in 2 models again, which have to be chosen according to one’s need.

There are a number of such flash cards in the markets today and one will have to choose the right one after ensuring that it is compatible with the device in which you intend to use it and is of good quality. It is always advisable to choose cards of a popular brand.