What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a cancer that develops within the mesothelium of the body. The mesothelium is the protective covering in the body. It covers various organs, including the lungs. The mesothelium is made up of two thin layers. When cancer develops in the mesothelium it is between these layers. The narrow space makes it very difficult to diagnose mesothelioma in the early stages.

Mesothelioma is a difficult cancer to treat. Once a diagnosis of mesothelioma is made, the majority of patients will not live longer than eighteen months. There are a variety of reasons for this, including the advanced nature of the disease once it is diagnosed and the lack of an effective surgical method of removing the tumors.

What is Mesothelioma - Continued

While most cases of mesothelioma occur around the lungs, it can also occur in the abdominal mesothelium, called the peritoneum, or the pericardium. While mesothelioma is most common in the lungs, it is important to differentiate between mesothelioma and lung cancer. They are two very different types of cancer and require different types of treatment.

How Does Asbestos Exposure Occur?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been used for centuries in various products. Asbestos has many attributes that make it valuable, including fire resistance. Asbestos was used in many products that were made for protection from heat and flame. This included actual clothing, such as gloves, to stuffing asbestos insulation into electrical conduit, to using asbestos to make fire proof cloth for use in power plants or petroleum refineries.

Asbestos also has excellent insulation and noise deadening qualities. This meant that asbestos was used in many construction products, including floor and ceiling tiles and wall board. Any home built before 1978 probably contains asbestos somewhere.

Asbestos exposure occurs when the asbestos that is in the products becomes damaged. Once damaged, the asbestos fibers are released into the air. The fibers are microscopic, smaller even than a grain of pollen, and invisible to the naked eye. The asbestos fibers, if inhaled or ingested, can become lodged into the body where it can create severe medical problems.

What is Asbestosis?

Asbestosis is a chronic inflammation of the lungs. The inflammation is a direct result of exposure to asbestos. Asbestosis is a progressive disease with no cure. The inflammation causes shortness of breath, which will get progressively worse as the disease progresses. Physicians can treat some of the symptoms of asbestosis with auxiliary oxygen, but it will not cure the disease. Death due to asbestosis occurs by respiratory failure.

Your Long Term Health

Asbestos related diseases do not show up until decades after exposure. Because of the long latency period between exposure and illness it can be hard to determine if you will suffer from asbestosis or mesothelioma. While asbestos exposure is the only way to develop these health problems, you may reduce or delay their development by taking care of your lungs today.

To protect your breathing:

• If you do smoke, stop. In addition to mesothelioma and asbestosis, there is research that indicates that those who suffer from asbestos exposure and smoke are at a greatly increased risk of developing lung cancer.

• Stay physically fit. Everyone’s definition of physical fitness is different, but up to thirty minutes of activity most days of the week will provide the most benefit. Physical fitness is important for healthy lungs.

• Eat well. While there is no direct correlation proven between diet and mesothelioma or asbestosis, filling your meals with leafy and fibrous vegetables as well as whole grains has been proven to reduce the risk of other types of cancer.

What to do if you Think You May be at Risk?

If you think that you may have been exposed to asbestos at any time, it is important to share your concern with a physician. While asbestosis has no cure, early intervention can slow the progression of the disease. Mesothelioma is a very aggressive form of cancer, and one of the reasons that it has such a low survival rate is because it is not typically diagnosed until the disease is fairly advanced.

If you worked in an industry that has a high rate of asbestos exposure, you should consider yourself at risk of developing an asbestos related disease. Some occupations that had high rates of exposure include ship builders, petroleum plant workers, power plant workers and construction workers.

If you are concerned about asbestos in your home you should research the best remediation methods or hire an experienced contractor to do it for you. Although the remediation is not difficult, you must be careful and follow specific guidelines to reduce the risk of suffering from accidental exposure.

Asbestosis and mesothelioma are both serious conditions that can be a death sentence. While you may not be able to undue previous exposure to asbestos, you can commit to reducing your risk of exposure in the future, and take care of your body so that it will have the best chance of battling any disease that you may develop.

Diagnosing Mesothelioma

Basic Diagnosis

Diagnosing mesothelioma often means ruling out many diseases with similar symptoms before completing the diagnostic process. The initial diagnosis of mesothelioma is often made through the family doctor. The patient will give a medical history, which will include answering questions about their history of exposure to asbestos. Other diagnostic tests include x-rays, CT scans or MRI scans. The purpose of these tests is to try to see any shadowing, or tumor growth. In the case of pleural mesothelioma, lung function tests are done.

Lung function tests are an extensive battery of tests that show the physician how much air your lungs can hold as well as how well they transport oxygen through the body and release carbon dioxide from the body. Once your general physician makes a preliminary diagnosis, you will be referred to an oncologist.

After a Positive Diagnosis

Most doctors will have an idea about whether you are dealing with mesothelioma or not following the battery of tests, but a definitive diagnosis will not be made until after the oncologist completes a biopsy. The biopsy is a medical procedure that removes a small section of tissue from the affected area. This tissue is then sent to a pathologist who will examine the tissue and make the official diagnosis of mesothelioma.

Levels of Mesothelioma

Once a diagnosis of mesothelioma is made, the oncologist will want to determine what stage the cancer is in. The mesothelioma is considered localized if it is contained to the mesothelium. If it has spread to the lymph nodes, the chest, abdomen or other organs, then it is considered to be in the advanced stages. Staging the tumor is important because it helps the oncologist determine the best course of treatment. When deciding on a treatment protocol, physicians use the acronym TNM to determine the progression of the cancer. Tumor refers to the size of the tumor, N for whether or not there is lymph node involvement, and M for metastasis, or whether the tumor has spread to any other organs. The correct assessment as to the stage of the tumor gives the patient the best hope for a positive outcome.

Getting the Earliest Diagnosis

Because mesothelioma mimics so many other diseases, it is important to get an accurate and early diagnosis. If you feel that you may be at risk of mesothelioma and begin to suffer from any of the symptoms, you should consult a doctor who will aggressively work to diagnose you. While the wait and see approach is fine for many minor health concerns, mesothelioma requires an early diagnosis.

Mesothelioma is too often in the advanced stage by the time that a diagnosis is made. The tumors in the mesothelium are so thin that they will not show up on an x-ray during the early stages. By the time the tumors are visible, the mesothelioma may very well have invaded other organs.

While there is currently no screening tool that will allow doctors to test for mesothelioma in the earliest stages, if you are concerned about your odds of developing mesothelioma, there are some precautions that you can take.

• If you know that you have been exposed to asbestos, either through occupational exposure, or exposure in your home, you should find a physician that has experience diagnosing patients with mesothelioma and other lung diseases. The more cases of any disease a doctor sees, the more easily he can diagnose them. If you are at risk for developing any asbestos related disease, choose a doctor that has experience in this area and see him for regular check-ups.

• Ask your doctor about the wisdom of baseline tests. These tests can be controversial. Unnecessary x-rays, CT scans or MRIs are not recommended, and many doctors feel that, in the absence of symptoms, they are a waste of time and money. Some doctors feel that having these baseline tests make it easier to spot subtle changes on follow up tests.

• Monitor your health. Although no one likes a hypochondriac, early symptoms of mesothelioma are subtle, and, in order to catch it early you must be attuned to your body. A cough that doesn't go away, heaviness in the chest or shortness of breath can all be signs of a cold or the flu, but with the absence of other symptoms such as a fever or chills, you should question whether it could be something more.

• If you smoke, stop. Smoking has not been shown to influence the development of mesothelioma, however, it is thought to be a risk factor. If you are a smoker when you develop mesothelioma, you will also be putting enormous additional stress on your lungs. When a patient develops mesothelioma, their lungs will be severely stressed by excess fluid and their body by a decrease in oxygen as their lungs are unable to work as hard. Do you really want to further tax your lungs by damaging them with smoke?

• Symptoms of Mesothelioma

  Early Symptoms of Mesothelioma

  The early symptoms of mesothelioma are very minor, and may be mistaken for symptoms of other, less serious, diseases. Pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of mesothelioma, is cancer in the mesothelium surrounding the lungs. The early symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are shortness of breath, chest pain, or a cough. One common misdiagnosis of pleural mesothelioma is pneumonia.

  Peritoneal mesothelioma is cancer that is in the mesothelioma surrounding the abdominal organs. Mesothelioma in this area causes weight loss, nausea, and swelling in the lower extremities. Symptoms of both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma include the development of an effusion.

  An effusion, either in the pleural or peritoneal mesothelium, is a build-up of excessive fluid. The excessive fluid is a result of the imbalance in the mesothelium cells. Their job is to lubricate the organs that they surround. When the mesothelium cells are invaded by cancer they overproduce the protective cells, which in turn cause fluid build-up. The fluid build-up from an effusion can cause side effects such as shortness of breath and chest pain, or, in the case of a peritoneal effusion, bowel obstruction and swelling of the abdomen. For more information about each kind of cancer, please see “Pleural Mesothelioma,” “Pericardial Mesothelioma,” and “Peritoneal Mesothelioma.”

  More Advanced Symptoms of Mesothelioma

  By the time that a patient is diagnosed with mesothelioma, the cancer is often well advanced. The patient may cough up blood, have abnormal blood clotting, experience fatigue, and suffer with night sweats.

  Diagnosis is normally made through x-ray, but CT scans or ultrasound can be used as well. About five percent of the patients that are diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma have it in both lungs at the time of the initial diagnoses. Often, by the time a diagnosis is made, the tumors have metastasized and moved to other areas of the body.

  What to do if You Suspect You have Mesothelioma

  Mesothelioma is a very serious disease, and diagnosis is complicated. The early symptoms of mesothelioma mimic many other more benign health problems, and many people have no early symptoms at all. The turning point in the progression of mesothelioma is in the development of effusions. At the point where the mesothelium starts to manufacture a surplus of cells, the cancer is often well advanced.

  Of course, no one wants to live a life in fear. One can not run to the doctor every time one has a cough or chest pain. However, it is argued that the best prognosis for mesothelioma patients is tied to an early diagnosis. Here are some tips on how to balance concerns for your health with the desire for a normal life:

• Assess your risk. Do you, or did you at any time, work in an occupation with a high incidence of exposure to asbestos? If so, it makes sense to be more vigilant about any health issue, particularly any problems associated with your lungs or breathing.

• Have regular check-ups. By choosing a doctor that understands the dangers of asbestos exposure and has seen many cases of mesothelioma, you increase the odds that your doctor will recognize the early symptoms, should you develop them.

• Have your level of exposure tested. Although there is no definitive amount of asbestos that presents an increased health risk, for your peace of mind you can have a lung wash, which will give your doctor an idea about your level of exposure.

• Keep your lungs healthy. Mesothelioma is most common in the pleural cavity. While strong and healthy lungs are not immune to mesothelioma, if your respiratory system is in top shape, through regular exercise, you will be better prepared to undergo the stressful treatments surrounding mesothelioma.

Preventing Mesothelioma

The only sure way to prevent mesothelioma is to avoid exposure to asbestos. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Asbestos was widely used throughout the country for both domestic and industrial uses. Once the dangers of asbestos exposure became widely known, use was reduced. Unfortunately, it was too late for an ever-growing number of people. The health risks associated with asbestos exposure may not show up for 50 years. Given the long latency period, it is expected that there will be an increase in the cases of mesothelioma as generations of workers age.

Today, exposure to asbestos often occurs in remodeling and repair projects. While stringent guidelines are in place for the abatement of asbestos in schools and other public buildings, most areas give the homeowner the option of removing or repairing asbestos building materials themselves. However, a licensed professional should perform all forms of repair and abatement of asbestos-contaminated materials.

If you decide to undertake an asbestos abatement project, it is important to understand the importance of wearing protective clothing and breathing apparatus, as well as cleaning the areas thoroughly and preventing dust from the project area from contaminating the rest of the home. If done incorrectly, you run the risk of exposing not only yourself, but the rest of your family to asbestos.

Pleural Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare disease caused as a result of malignant cancerous cells lining the patient's body cavities such as chest, abdominal region or the area surrounding the heart. It is typically associated with exposure to asbestos which has been documented in as many as 70-80% of all mesothelioma cases. This disease is very difficult to assess consistently due to the great variability in time before diagnosis and the rate of progression of malignant mesothelioma.

What is Meso?

Mesothelioma is a rare disease caused as a result of malignant cancerous cells lining the patient's body cavities such as chest, abdominal region or the area surrounding the heart. It is typically associated with exposure to asbestos which has been documented in as many as 70-80% of all mesothelioma cases. This disease is very difficult to assess consistently due to the great variability in time before diagnosis and the rate of progression of malignant mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare disease caused as a result of malignant cancerous cells lining the patient's body cavities such as chest, abdominal region or the area surrounding the heart. It is typically associated with exposure to asbestos which has been documented in as many as 70-80% of all mesothelioma cases. This disease is very difficult to assess consistently due to the great variability in time before diagnosis and the rate of progression of malignant mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare disease caused as a result of malignant cancerous cells lining the patient's body cavities such as chest, abdominal region or the area surrounding the heart. It is typically associated with exposure to asbestos which has been documented in as many as 70-80% of all mesothelioma cases. This disease is very difficult to assess consistently due to the great variability in time before diagnosis and the rate of progression of malignant mesothelioma.

Diagnosing Mesothelioma

Basic Diagnosis

Diagnosing mesothelioma often means ruling out many diseases with similar symptoms before completing the diagnostic process. The diagnosis of mesothelioma is often difficult and typically occurs in a late stage of development. The patient will give a medical history, which will include answering questions about their history of exposure to asbestos. Other diagnostic tests include x-rays, CT scans, or MRI scans. The purpose of these tests is to try to see any shadowing, or tumor growth. In the case of pleural mesothelioma, lung function tests are performed.

Lung function tests are an extensive battery of tests that show the physician how much air your lungs can hold and how well they transport oxygen through the body and release carbon dioxide. Once a physician makes a preliminary diagnosis, you will be referred to an oncologist.

After a Positive Diagnosis

Most doctors will have an idea about whether you are dealing with mesothelioma or not following tests, but a definitive diagnosis will not be made until after the oncologist completes a biopsy. A biopsy is a medical procedure that removes a small section of tissue from the affected area. This tissue is then sent to a pathologist who will examine the tissue and make the official diagnosis of mesothelioma.

Stages of Mesothelioma

Once a diagnosis of mesothelioma is made, the oncologist will want to determine what stage the cancer is in. Mesothelioma is considered localized if it is contained to the mesothelium. If it has spread to the lymph nodes, the chest or other organs, then it is considered to be in the advanced stages. Staging the tumor is important because it helps the oncologist determine the best course of treatment. When deciding on a treatment protocol, physicians use the acronym TNM to determine the progression of the cancer. The 'T' refers to the size of the tumor, 'N' signifies whether or not there is lymph node involvement, and 'M' stands for metastasis, or whether the tumor has spread to any other organs. The correct assessment as to the stage of the tumor gives the patient the best hope for a positive outcome.

Getting the Earliest Diagnosis

Because mesothelioma mimics so many other diseases, it is important to get an accurate and early diagnosis. If you feel that you may be at risk for developing mesothelioma and begin to suffer from any of the symptoms, you should consult a doctor who will aggressively work to diagnose you. While the "wait and see" approach is fine for many minor health concerns, mesothelioma requires an early diagnosis for any chance of curing the disease.

Mesothelioma is all too often in the advanced stage by the time a diagnosis is made. The tumors in the mesothelium are so thin that they will not show up on an x-ray during early stages. By the time tumors are visible, the mesothelioma may very well have invaded other organs.

While there is currently no screening tool that will allow doctors to test for mesothelioma in the earliest stages, if you are concerned about your odds of developing mesothelioma, there are some precautions you can take.

• If you know that you have been exposed to asbestos, through occupational exposure, exposure in your home, or by some other means, you should find a physician that has experience diagnosing patients with mesothelioma and other lung diseases. The more cases of any disease a doctor sees, the more easily he can diagnose them. If you are at risk for developing any asbestos related disease, choose a doctor that has experience in this area and see him for regular check-ups.

• Ask your doctor about baseline tests. These tests can be controversial. X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs are not always recommended, and many doctors feel that, in the absence of symptoms, they are a waste of time and money. Some doctors feel that having these baseline tests make it easier to spot subtle changes on follow up tests.

• Monitor your health. Early symptoms of mesothelioma are subtle and in order to catch it early you must be attuned to your body. A cough that doesn't go away, heaviness in the chest or shortness of breath can all be signs of a cold or the flu, but with the absence of other symptoms such as a fever or chills, you should question whether it could be something more, such as plural mesothelioma.

• If you smoke, stop. Smoking has not been shown to influence the development of mesothelioma, however, it is a risk factor. If you are a smoker when you develop mesothelioma, you will also be putting enormous additional stress on your lungs. When a patient develops plural mesothelioma, their lungs will be severely stressed by excess fluid and their body will be stressed by a decrease in oxygen, as their lungs are unable to work as hard.

• Mesothelioma Staging

  Staging cancer helps doctors and specialists determine how far the disease has advanced. Information gained during staging is also important for determining the type of treatment a given patient will receive. Different types of treatment tend to be used in different stages.

  Basic Staging Information

  During the process of diagnosing mesothelioma, your doctor or specialist must determine the extent that the cancer has spread within the affected area and whether it has metastasized (spread to distant locations via the bloodstream). To do this, you will undergo imaging procedures such as x-ray, MRI scan, CT scan, and PET scan, which create detailed images of the inside of the body. Your specialist can then “read” these images to determine where cancer is located, and how large tumors are. Based on this information, cancer is staged, and this information is used to determine the best course of treatment.

  Mesothelioma cancers, and all other cancers, are broken down into four basic stages.

  Basic Stage One: The cancer is localized to one small section of the chest or abdomen (depending on the type of mesothelioma involved). The point at which the cancer first develops is called the primary tumor site.

  Basic Stage Two: The cancer is said to be “advanced,” and has spread from its point of origin in the mesothelium to the organ directly beside it (in the case of pleural mesothelioma, for example, it has spread from the lining of the lungs to the lung itself).

  Basic Stage Three: The cancer has spread from the mesothelium to adjacent organs, and has also spread to the lymph nodes closest to the primary tumor site.

  Basic Stage Four: The cancer has metastasized to areas not adjacent to the primary tumor, usually via the bloodstream. Mesothelioma most often metastasizes to the brain, as well as other major organs.

  There are various specific staging systems that are used to diagnose and treat cancers, including mesothelioma. Each of the systems uses slightly different methods of staging cancers.

  Staging Systems: Butchart

  The Butchart system is the oldest staging system developed, and is the one that is most commonly used to diagnose and treat mesothelioma. The Butchart system is based mainly on tumor mass, and is generally used to stage only pleural mesothelioma.

  Butchart Stage One: Mesothelioma has developed in the right or left side of the chest cavity. It has not spread to the other side of the chest but may be seen in the diaphragm.

  
  Butchart Stage Two: Cancer has been found in the lining of the heart, pleura or esophagus on both sides of the chest. Lymph nodes may be affected.

  Butchart Stage Three: Mesothelioma has spread to the abdominal cavity. Lymph nodes past the chest may be affected.

  Butchart Stage Four: Cancer has entered the bloodstream and spread to distant organs.

  Staging Systems: TNM

  The TNM System is a more modern staging system that is based on the extent of the tumor, metastasis, and lymph node involvement. This system can be used to stage both peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma.

  TNM Stage One: Cancer is present in the left or right pleural membrane, and may have spread to the lung, to the lining around the heart (the pericardium), or to the diaphragm on the same side of the body. Lymph nodes are not involved at this stage.

  TNM Stage Two: Mesothelioma has spread from the chest cavity to nearby lymph nodes on the same side. The cancer has also spread to the diaphragm, pericardium or the lung on the same side as the primary tumor.

  TNM Stage Three: Ccancer has penetrated one or more of the chest lining, heart, esophagus, muscle, ribs, and vital organs within the chest cavity on the same side as the cancer.

  TNM Stage Four: Cancer has metastasized to the opposite side of the chest from its point of origin. It may have reached the chest cavity or lungs on both sides, or has spread to vital organs in the abdomen.

  Staging Systems: Brigham

  The Brigham System is the newest of the four cancer staging systems. This system evaluates the stage of a cancer based on the involvement of the lymph nodes and the ability to remove tumors via surgery (this is referred to as the resectability of the tumor).

  Brigham Stage One: The mesothelioma tumor is resectable and the lymph nodes are not affected.

  Brigham Stage Two: The tumor is resectable, but the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes.

  Brigham Stage Three: The mesothelioma tumor is not resectable. The cancer has penetrated the chest wall, heart, abdominal cavity, or diaphragm. Lymph nodes may or may not be affected.

  Brigham Stage Four: The tumor is not resectable and the cancer has entered the bloodstream and metastasized to organs and tissues distant from the primary tumor site.

20 Quick Ways to Increase Your Alexa Rank

Alexa.com is a subsidiary of Amazon.com and is a website which provides information on traffic levels for websites. The Alexa rank is measured according to the amount of users who’ve visited a website with the Alexa toolbar installed.

In this article, I’ll examine the importance of the Alexa Rank as it relates to site monetization while briefly discussing some of the weaknesses involved in using Alexa ranking as a reliable traffic measure for any website.

Lastly, I’ve also included an extensive list of twenty methods and strategies you can use to increase your Alexa Rank dramatically in the short and long run.

What is the Alexa Rank?

Put simply, the Alexa Rank is a ranking system which bases its ranking schema on the level of traffic each website receives from the number of people who visit a website with the Alexa toolbar installed.

See Alexa’s definition of the Alexa Traffic Rank:

The traffic rank is based on three months of aggregated historical traffic data from millions of Alexa Toolbar users and is a combined measure of page views and users (reach). As a first step, Alexa computes the reach and number of page views for all sites on the Web on a daily basis.

The main Alexa traffic rank is based on the geometric mean of these two quantities averaged over time (so that the rank of a site reflects both the number of users who visit that site as well as the number of pages on the site viewed by those users)

Why would you want to increase your Alexa rank?

Webmasters, advertisers and ad networks use your blog’s Alexa rank as a gauge to determine the worth of a link on your website. If you depend on link or site selling as a form of monetization you’ll definitely want to increase your Alexa rank, because it’ll increase your bargaining power when it comes to ad pricing.

ReviewMe, Text Link Ads and Sponsored Reviews are just three of the networks which base your ad selling strength on Alexa Ranks.

Problems with the Alexa Rank

Alexa ranking is heavily skewed towards websites which have a large webmaster/tech audience. This is because webmasters or web savvy audiences are much more likely to have the Alexa toolbar installed than websites whose visitors are unaware of Alexa.

As such, many have indicated that Alexa is a vastly inaccurate method of measuring a website’s reach, traffic and potential. I don’t disagree.

Alexa is a silly way to measure web traffic but unfortunately, in an imperfect world Alexa is still heavily used by webmasters and ad networks when measuring the value of advertising on your website.

I understand the defects of Alexa’s ranking system and I’m not going to go into more detail about it here. What’s primarily important to me is that the Alexa Rank has become a central element in site monetization strategies.

I’m not concerned with the utility and value of Alexa but it’s perceived importance in the eyes of potential advertisers.

Dosh Dosh’s Alexa Rank

Since moving to my own domain (from Blogspot) in the middle of January 2007, Dosh Dosh has moved from a rank of around 3 million to the current Alexa rank of 21, 709 within two months.

The growth has been consistent and I think most of it was due to the fact that the content on Dosh Dosh is orientated towards webmasters. Another plausible reason is because overall daily traffic for Dosh Dosh has been growing steadily day by day.

The increase in Alexa Rank was also partially due to the fact that I’m active in several webmaster forums, notably Digital Point which sends me some visitors every day. Getting stumbled and receiving thousands of visitors in a day has also undoubtedly helped to increase Dosh Dosh’s Alexa Rank.

How do I get started with Alexa?

There are two easy ways to start using Alexa. If you are using Internet Explorer, visit this page and download the Alexa Toolbar. If you’re using Firefox, download the SearchStatus extension which displays the Alexa Rank, Google PageRank as well as other useful features.

I highly recommend that you use Firefox and SearchStatus instead of Alexa toolbar, which I find to be more bulky and less useful

Can one actually game or manipulate the Alexa Ranking?

I believe that there are methods which will allow you to easily bring an Alexa ranking in the millions down to the 100,000 level. However, bringing it past the 10,000 or 1,000 mark is a considerably more difficult process, because of the stiff competition among websites.

Some have adamantly stated that there are no proven ways to game Alexa, while others have claimed that auto-surfs and scripts do work to some degree.

I’m not going to take any sides because I can’t guarantee that auto-surfs or other artificial methods will have similar effects for every blog.

The easiest way to know to know if any of the tips mentioned below really work is to actually try them for yourselves and monitor the results.

20 Ways to Increase your Alexa Rank

Here is a collection of methods you can use to boost your Alexa Rank. Most of these tips are derived from several fellow webmasters I know who claimed to have derived positive results through their experiments with the Alexa Rankings.

Some of the other tips were derived articles and sources, which I have duly referenced at the end of this post.

Do these tips work? According to some, yes they definitely do work. But do note that most of them require active effort of some sort and hence, they will work as long as long as you are consistently performing specific actions.

To increase your Alexa rank in the long run, I would highly recommended that one focus on developing quality content which attracts and maintains a large audience instead of purely focusing on artificially increasing your Alexa Rank.

Great link-worthy content will leads to an natural increase in site traffic and is an excellent way to passively increase your Alexa rank.

It is important to emphasize that you should devote most of your efforts in growing your site audience alongside integrated implementation of any of the following tips below.

1. Install the Alexa toolbar or Firefox’s SearchStatus extension and set your blog as your homepage. This is the most basic step.
2. Put up an Alexa rank widget on your website. I did this a few days ago and receive a fair amount of clicks every day. According to some, each click counts as a visit even if the toolbar is not used by the visitor.
3. Encourage others to use the Alexa toolbar. This includes friends, fellow webmasters as well as site visitors/blog readers. Be sure to link to Alexa’s full explanation of their toolbar and tracking system so your readers know what installing the toolbar or extension entails.
4. Work in an Office or own a company? Get the Alexa toolbar or SS Firefox extension installed on all computers and set your website as the homepage for all browsers. Perhaps it will be useful to note that this may work only when dynamic or different IPs are used.
5. Get friends to review and rate your Alexa website profile. Not entirely sure of its impact on rankings but it might help in some way.
6. Write or Blog about Alexa. Webmaster and bloggers love to hear about ways to increase their Alexa rank. They’ll link to you and send you targeted traffic (i.e. visitors with the toolbar already installed). This gradually has effects on your Alexa ranking.
7. Flaunt your URL in webmaster forums. Webmasters usually have the toolbar installed. You’ll get webmasters to visit your website and offer useful feedback. It’s also a good way to give back to the community if you have useful articles to share with others.
8. Write content that is related to webmasters. This can fall in the category of domaining and SEO, two fields in which most webmasters will have the Alexa toolbar installed. Promote your content on social networking websites and webmaster forums.
9. Use Alexa redirects on your website URL. Try this: http://redirect.alexa.com/redirect?www.doshdosh.com . Replace doshdosh.com with the URL for your website. Leave this redirected URL in blog comments as well as forum signatures. This redirect will count a unique IP address once a day so clicking it multiple times won’t help. There is no official proof that redirects positively benefit your Alexa Rank, so use with caution.
10. Post in Asian social networking websites or forums. Some webmasters have suggested that East Asian web users are big Alexa toolbar fans, judging by the presence of several Asia-based websites in the Alexa Top 500. I suggest trying this only if you have the time or capacity to do so.
11. Create a webmaster tools section on your website. This is a magnet for webmasters who will often revisit your website to gain access to the tools. Aaron Wall’s webpage on SEOTools is a very good example.
12. Get Dugg or Stumbled. This usually brings massive numbers of visitors to your website and the sheer amount will have a positive impact on your Alexa Rank. Naturally, you’ll need to develop link worthy material.
13. Use PayperClick Campaigns. Buying advertisements on search engines such as Google or Exact Seek will help bring in Traffic. Doubly useful when your ad is highly relevant to webmasters.
14. Create an Alexa category on your blog and use it to include any articles or news about Alexa. This acts as an easily accessible resource for webmasters or casual search visitors while helping you rank in the search engines.
15. Optimize your popular posts. Got a popular post that consistently receives traffic from the search engines? Include a widget/graph at the bottom of the post, link to your Alexa post or use Alexa redirection on your internal URLs.
16. Buy banners and links for traffic from webmaster forums and websites. A prominent and well displayed ad will drive lots of webmaster traffic to your website, which can significantly boost your rank.
17. Hire forum posters to pimp your website. Either buy signatures in webmaster forums or promote specific articles or material in your website on a regular basis. You can easily find posters for hire in Digital Point and other webmaster forums.
18. Pay Cybercafe owners to install the Alexa toolbar and set your website as the homepage for all their computers. This might be difficult to arrange and isn’t really a viable solution for most. I’m keeping this one in because some have suggested that it does work.
19. Use MySpace . This is a little shady so I don’t recommended it unless you’re really interested in artificially inflating your Alexa Rank. Use visually attractive pictures or banners and link them to your redirected Alexa URL. This will be most effective if your website has content that is actually relevant to the MySpace Crowd.
20. Try Alexa auto-surfs. Do they work? Maybe for brand new sites. I think they are mostly suitable for new websites with a very poor Alexa rank. Note that there be problems when you try to use auto surfs alongside contextual ads like Adsense. They aren’t also long term solutions to improving your Alexa Rank so I suggest using with caution.

Resources on Alexa Rank

Several of the tips listed above were taken from Aaron Wall’s article on Alexa Ranking. This post by Aaron will also give you some insight on Alexa’s webmaster bias.

A lower Alexa number means a greater level of traffic, and the traffic drops off logarithmically. You can fake a good Alexa score using various techniques, but if it shows your rankings in the millions then your site likely has next to no traffic.

Alexa by itself does not mean that much, but it simply provides a rough snapshot of what is going on. It can be spammed, but if a site has a ranking in the millions then it likely has little traffic.

Peter Norvig writes about Alexa Toolbar and the Problem of Experiment Design. He examines some problems with Alexa as a traffic measuring tool:

But one bias they don’t really comment on is the selection bias: the data would be good if it truly represented a random sample of internet users, but in fact it only represents those who have installed the Alexa toolbar, and that sample is not random.

The samplees must be sophisticated enough to know how to install the toolbar, and they must have some reason to want it. It turns out that the toolbar tells you things about web sites, so it is useful to people in the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) industry, so it overrepresents those people.

Google’s Matt Cutts compares his website against Ask.com and explains why his website enjoys such an impressive Alexa ranking:

One possible source of skewing in Alexa data is a bias toward webmaster-y sites. Alexa shows how popular web sites are, so it’s natural that webmasters install the Alexa toolbar.

Some do it just so that their normal day-to-day visits around the web (including their own site) are added to Alexa’s stats. The net effect is that webmaster-related sites are going to look more important to Alexa

Marketing Scoop has some tips on improving the Alexa Rank.

A very long thread on Digital Point which sees webmasters having a discussion on how Alexa Ranks can be gamed or manipulated through scripts and auto-surfs. Worth a read.

There you have it… twenty ways to boost your Alexa Rank and increase your site’s monetization potential.

What do you think of Alexa? Have you tried increasing your Alexa Rank by any of these methods?

Clinton Can't Explain Obama's Wins

The Clinton campaign has been busy inventing new reasons for why Barack Obama keeps winning state after state. "One of the hilarious side-effects of every Obama victory is the spin from Clinton quarters and its surrogates and supporters explaining why said victories 'don't matter,'" Markos Moulitsas blogged this week.

Either the state has a caucus, or too many black people, or too many affluent people, or too many independent voters, or too many red staters. If only the Clintons had the perfect electoral map.

If only.

If only the Clintons had a coherent explanation for why Obama has so thoroughly out-organized and out-hussled them across the country in February. After all, there was no reason why Hillary Clinton, after spending eight years in the White House and amassing a hefty war chest of money and incumbency in the Senate, couldn't have won caucus states, or red states, or states with large African-American communities. The front-runner is supposed to win these places. If Obama had lost eight states in a row, his candidacy most certainly would have been toast.

Obama has opened up a small lead in pledged delegates, 1,078 to 969 according to MSNBC, but the race is still miraculously close. Clinton may very well win Ohio and Texas and capture the nomination as the third reincarnation of the Comeback Kid.

But step back for a minute. How did Clinton even get to the point where March 4 was do or die? Exactly what happened to all those states in between? Did the tide turn when Missouri flipped into Obama's column in the wee hours of Super Tuesday? After a draw was declared that Wednesday, her campaign has been mired in a seemingly endless draught.

The situation is more dire for Clinton than her supporters would have one believe. Her candidacy is on the verge of impending collapse. It goes beyond replacing one or two campaign managers. Obama is consolidating his base and bringing in new voters, while Clinton is hanging on by a mere thread.

Top 10 Hottest 2007 'Good-Luck' Symbols

With the beginning of a New Year looming, many are already searching for ways to make it better than 2006.

After giving up on New Year's resolutions that fall short by noon on Jan. 1, Americans now alter their one-day improvement plans to include the charmed life of the Lucky.

TOP MOST POPULAR GOOD LUCK ICONS OF ALL (JW RESEARCH)
1. RABBIT FEET
2. ANGELS
3. FOUR LEAF CLOVERS
4. ASTROLOGICAL PREDICTIONS
5. NUMBER 7
6. SCARAB BEETLES
7. PET PHOTOS
8. LADY BUGS
9. CARVED JADE "LUCK AMULETS"
10. WISH BOXES

An ever larger number of us extend the better-life time line, across the entire coming 365 days. By taking a page from the rest of the world, Americans are, like never before, turning to the power of Luck.

MOST FAVORED BY WOMEN
1. FOUR LEAF CLOVERS
2. LADY BUGS
3. ANGELS
4. CHARM BRACELETS
5. CATHOLIC SAINTS
6. PET MEMENTOES
7. CARVED "LUCK SYMBOL"
8. MEMORY/WISH BOXES
9. TRIP SOUVENIRS
10. LUCK OILS

It has long been a tradition to rely on Scottish New Year celebrations dating back to ancient pagan times. Hogmanay is a tradition that includes fireworks and torch-lit processions, believed to be good luck, shortbread or whisky, after midnight chimes, everyone sings "Auld Lang Syne."

MEN'S CHOICES
1. LUCKY COINS
2. 4 LEAF CLOVERS
3. HORSE SHOES
4. BUDDHAS
5. TREASURE MAPS
6. NUMBER 13
7. SPECIAL WALLETS
8. JADE ELEPHANTS
9. COFFIN NAILS
10. EVIL EYE CURIOS

Usokae Japan has the Bullfinch Exchange Festival in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture. "Good Luck" gilded wood bullfinches, mixed among many plain ones, are sought after by the throngs as priests of the Dazaifu Shrine pass them out in the dim light of a small bonfire. (Bullfinch - two groups of passerine birds).

People who seek better luck for the next year exchange their old wooden carved bullfinch, called Uso, for the luckier new year's model.

YES, EVEN CHILDREN BELIEVE IN LUCK, THEIR FAVS
1. FAVORITE TOYS
2. FRIENDS
3. An iPOD TUNE
4. CRAYOLA SET
5. ROCK
6. ANGELS
7. PETS
8. RAINBOWS
9. ART CLASS PROJECTS
10. FAVORITE AUNTS

Native American children of all ages prize the Medicine Wheel as Good Luck. Native basic colors, Red, Yellow, Black, and White. It has a plus-sign (+) center frame representing all nations, unity.

It's a major player when Indian families smoke themselves at a New Year ceremony. The family elder, ideally grandfather, places a container of hot coals in the center of the family.

Then the elder sprinkles (round) cedar from his medicine bag on the coal to create dark smoke. With an eagle-feather fan he forces smoke over his family as he prays in the tribe's traditional language, often "Otoemissouria". This is to cleanse the family of all bad, allowing them to let go of the past, move on to make the best life possible.

U.S. Training Team Makes a Large Impact on Iraqi Army

SAMARRA, Iraq (July 8, 2006)-When the deployment is complete, and the troops have the time to stop and reflect, they will have a year of accomplishments to look back upon.

Soldiers of the Military Training Team and Iraqi Army soldiers pose together for a photo outside of Samarra, Iraq during Operation Swarmer. U.S. Army Photo: Sgt. Waine D. Haley, 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Det.

Every unit and every service member involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom is playing an important role in turning the tide of the insurgency, especially a group of small units with a unique "hands on" training approach.

The 3rd Special Troops Battalion's Military Integrated Training Team attached to the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, at Forward Operating Base Brassfield-Mora, can be very proud of their accomplishments in training and mentoring the Iraqi soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division.

This MiTT is training and mentoring more than 600 Iraqi soldiers at nearby Forward Operating Base Seven. Over time, the Iraqis have been taking on more and more security responsibilities with less involvement of Coalition Forces.

The MiTT's goal is to promote the methods and tactics that have helped the U.S. Army over the last 200 years to the Iraqi Army leadership. Capt. Thomas Swint, team leader for the Brassfield-Mora MiTT team, liked the MiTT team training concept from the beginning.

"I saw the thing and I loved it... this improves their security forces," said Swint.

The concept of training Iraq's army is simple: teach them so they can better take care of themselves and protect themselves from the insurgency.

Iraqi Army soldiers watch as one of their officers practices "checking for bleeding" during a first-aid class conducted by the Military Integrated Training Team's medic, Spc. Clint Radcliffe. U.S. Army Photo: Spc. Cassandra Groce, 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Det.

The Soldiers from the MiTT were chosen because they are experts in their field. Each American Soldier is paired up with an Iraqi soldier with a similar job. Sgt. 1st Class Michael Wright, communications section chief, works closely with the personnel who are responsible for maintaining the radios and computers on FOB Seven.

Wright said language and culture were his two biggest obstacles, but they have been overcome with time. He also keeps his job and his time overseas in their proper perspectives, as a good non-commissioned officer should do.

"Everyday, I see these guys before they go to bed, and I see them the next day and do the same thing until everybody gets home. I just want to make sure everyone is 'good-to-go,'" said Wright.

Wright is not the only person on the MiTT who wanted to make sure everything and everyone was "good-to-go." Sgt. 1st Class David Brackett is the team's operations NCO and taught the Iraqi soldiers marksmanship. Because of the team's daily interactions with the IA soldiers of FOB Seven, friendships have formed. Brackett and the rest of his team continue to mourn the loss of one Iraqi soldier, Lt. Ahab, who made quite an impact on them because he was such a "go-getter." Ahab died at the hands of a suicide bomber.

Brackett said the Iraqi soldiers are actually in more danger from anti-Iraqi forces than Coalition Forces Soldiers are. The reason has to do with logistics.

"They go out [on patrols] in little Nissan pick-up trucks that have no protection and get 'IED-ed' left and right just like we do," said Brackett. "When we get 'IED-ed' [we are protected by our armor]; when they get hit, two people get killed right off the bat."

The Iraqi Army soldiers face many challenges that are not faced by U.S. Soldiers. Stateside, U.S. Soldiers can go to work in their uniform with little fear that someone will want to hurt them or their families. Swint said the Iraqi soldiers have to worry about being seen and they will usually change into their uniform once they reach the camp.

"The Iraqi Army as a whole is new. It took us 200 years to get our army where it is today and a lot of people expect the Iraqi Army to get there overnight," said Brackett.
Everyone on the team believes that a solid noncommissioned officer corps is what makes the U.S. Army great, but the NCO is still a new concept to Iraqis.

Members of the Military Training Team pose in front of the "The MiTT Pit," an outdoor room they use for training and meetings. U.S. Army Photo: Spc. William Jones, 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Det.

According to the MiTT, the Iraqi officers make all the decisions and the rest of the IA soldiers will simply wait until they are told to move. But, the team said that is slowly beginning to change and everyone is getting more involved.

The Iraqi soldiers are now involved in almost all strategic operations designed to seek out and detain insurgents. Earlier this year during Operation Swarmer, Iraqis and Coalition Forces stood side by side on the helicopters as they went to assault the objective. The success of the Iraqi Army in these operations is in no small part due to the training they have received from Brassfield-Mora's MiTT and other MiTTs in the area.

"Every one of them is braver than you and me, and they don't get to demonstrate how proud they are to be in the military, because someone will kill him or his family," said Swint.

Snake Bites and Scorpion Stings

KIRKUK, Iraq - Being aware of one's surroundings is a skill Soldiers constantly maintain and seek to improve. However, one potential hazard for troops in Northern Iraq may be easily missed. And it is right under their feet.

Temperatures in Iraq are rising steadily, and with the heat come more wildlife sharing land - and living space - with their human counterparts. One type of critter that Iraq has no shortage of is reptiles. Many Soldiers have probably seen the small yellow lizards climbing walls or scurrying along walkways. These harmless dune geckos are a common sight throughout much of the Middle East - but not all desert-dwelling reptiles are so benign.

Kurdistan Viper produces hemotoxic venom which destroys blood cells, causes tissue damage and can cause internal hemorrhaging in bite victims Photo: Spc. Anna-Marie Hizer, 133rd MPAD

Kurdistan Viper

One critter that has been found on Forward Operating Base Warrior is the Kurdistan Viper. This snake produces hemotoxic venom which destroys blood cells, causes tissue damage and can cause internal hemorrhaging in bite victims. In addition, Saw-Scaled Vipers, another serpent found across Iraq, have been spotted on the FOB. These vipers are considered the most toxic of the group and present the greatest potential for severe tissue damage and hemorrhage.

Of course, as with most snakes, they will try to escape human contact without having to use their venom - which not only kills prey, but also aids in digestion. But in some circumstances, when the animal feels cornered or threatened, it will strike.

"Prevention is the best cure," said Army Maj. Ken Brooks, physician's assistant, Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. "Use common sense; don't put your hands in places that could house a snake."

In addition, Brooks said one surefire way to attract snakes to living quarters is having food lying around.

"Food attracts [rodents]," he said, "vermin attract snakes."
If snakes are not enough, Iraq also boasts a collection of deadly scorpions.

Death Stalker Scorpion, perhaps the most toxic type of scorpion sting on earth Photo: Spc. Anna-Marie Hizer, 133rd MPAD

Death Stalker Scorpion

Death Stalker Scorpions, perhaps the most toxic type of scorpions on earth, along with Fat-Tailed Scorpions, roam the Iraqi desert, usually preying on insects and small lizards.
However, these invertebrates occasionally show up in human habitats.

"You leave your boots on the ground, your clothing on the ground [they want to get where it's cool]," said Air Force Maj. Armando Rosales, Public Health Officer, 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron. "Make sure you shake everything out and check ... and watch where you're stepping."

In addition to snakes and scorpions, the Middle East is home to another bug - one that is infamous among service members and is also highly misunderstood.

Camel Spiders are not dangerous to humans and pose no threat to camels, either. Photo: Spc. Anna-Marie Hizer, 133rd MPAD

Camel Spiders

Camel Spiders have spawned many rumors within the military over decades of service in the Middle East. However, the majority of these stories are untrue. Camel Spiders, which are not actually spiders at all, belong to the family Solifugae. They are not dangerous to humans and pose no threat to camels, either. Their bite can be painful, due to the animal's large chelicerae, which are used to crush and chew smaller arthropods such as spiders and scorpions, but they have no 'paralytic venom,' as some rumors suggest.

Both Rosales and Brooks agree that the chance of being bitten or stung is slim; however, service members should be aware of where they are walking and where they place their hands.

Additionally, Brooks noted personnel should walk to showers and latrines in full shoes - not flip-flops or sandals.

Another risk some people take is actively playing with dangerous animals. Making scorpions fight or trying to make a viper the company mascot is not only against regulations, but could also lead to serious injury.

Not all Iraq's reptiles are venomous. But to play it safe, Rosales said people should leave any ectothermic or arthropod critters alone. If an individual does happen to find the wrong end of a scorpion or snake, the first thing to remember is to remain calm. Panicking increases heart rate, which speeds up the circulation of venom through the system.

Next the person should try and ice the site and bandage it. But, as Rosario warns, do not attempt to treat the bite yourself.

"You definitely don't want to do any home remedies Like cutting the wound open and sucking out the venom," he said. "" A home remedy can do more harm than good, by envenomating both individuals.

He also said the victim or a buddy should try to identify the animal or bug. This way, medical personnel can have a better idea of how to treat the bite, and what, if any, antivenin is needed.

So while scorpions, snakes and camel spiders or other spider do not pose the daily threat troops are used to in the desert, everyone should be aware of what is out there, especially things that could lurk in an overturned boot.

UNESCO Chief Speaks Out Against Murders of Iraqi and Pakistani Journalists

The head of the United Nations agency mandated to defend press freedom today condemned the recent killings of journalists in Iraq and Pakistan.

Hisham Mijawet Hamdan, 27, was kidnapped on 10 February while shopping for office supplies in a Baghdad market and was tortured before being executed. His body was discovered by police on 12 February.

The murder of Mr. Hamdan, who worked for the fortnightly Internet publication Al-Siyassa wal-Karar, demonstrates "once again the dangers that journalists face every day when working in Iraq," Ko�chiro Matsuura, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization , said in a statement.

"While these professional men and women deserve to be praised for their bravery, further measures also need to be taken to ensure their safety."

The Association of Young Journalists, which counted Mr. Hamdan as a member, said he had of late been active in the group's campaign aiding families of journalists killed in the violence-ridden country and may have become a target after appearing on television regarding his work assisting survivors.

Meanwhile, Pakistani journalist Abdus Samad Chishti Mujahid was gunned down in Quetta, which is close to the South Asian nation's border with Afghanistan and is the capital of Baluchistan province, on 9 February.

"The intimidation and murder of journalists constitutes a crime not only against the individuals targeted, but also against the whole society," Mr. Matsuura noted in a separate statement.

The slain journalist, 55, was a photographer and columnist for the Urdu-language weekly Akhbar-e-Jehan. After being shot by an unknown assailant while coming out of his home with his wife, he died at the hospital.

Mr. Matsuura appealed to Pakistani authorities to bring the perpetrators of "this despicable attack on the fundamental human right of freedom of expression" to justice.

The Baluchistan Liberation Army, a separatist organization, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the murder, which has been condemned by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and the Baluchistan Union of Journalists.

Illegal Aliens Cause Global Warming!

As most people know, Michael Chertoff is the part-time head of U.S. Homeland Security. His real job and vocational passion is functioning as the anti-Christ, a role more consistent with his temperament and appearance.

Because of Chertoff's split responsibilities, homeland security has been neglected and short- changed, especially when it comes to illegal aliens.

Whether by design as a result of Dubya Bush's insanity, or by coincidence because of Dubya Bush's stupidity, the result has been devastating.

Fact is, up until now our federal government has encouraged third-world peasants to invade America in record numbers. That, despite the crippling impact of illegal immigration on America's economy, security, crime rates, security, and culture.

Senor~ Bush has received plenty of help in making America a safe haven for invading Latinos. That help has been forthcoming from liberals who see illegal aliens as "undocumented Democrats," and from RINOs always looking to scare up a bountiful supply of slave labor for big business.

Given the unholy alliance between Bush, Democrats, and corrupt RINOs, solving the illegal alien crisis has been next to impossible--- until now.

However, Michael Chertoff may have inadvertently, and no doubt reluctantly, provided the most powerful argument to date against illegal aliens in a statement several months ago.

Chertoff did so when he said, "Illegal migrants really degrade the environment," in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

Breitbart:

In essence, Chertoff was declaring that "Brown degrades green," at least when it comes to illegal aliens.

As everyone knows, the environment and green are the Holy Grail of the Democrat party.

Nothing is more important than the environment.

Protecting labor unions and a woman's right to murder innocent children, retreating from Iraq, condemning George Bush, making gay marriage legal, raising taxes, etc., all pale in comparison to the importance of the environment in the diseased liberal brain.

Which means that patriotic Americans dedicated to ending the invasion of America by third world peasants have been gifted with a simple, yet wonderful, solution by Dr. Chertoff.

Namely, link illegal aliens to global warming!

Do that and then step aside as the likes of Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi lead scores of millions of green-eyed nut cases into battle against barrios, Home Depot outlets, Day Laborer centers and other squatting places favored by illegal aliens.

Do that and watch Deportations Now! become the number one mantra on the lips of liberals from Maine to San Diego

At that happy day, those of us who oppose illegal aliens for patriotic and common sense reasons, will gratefully thank God for green and all other forms of environmental craziness!

Want to Increase Popularity of Your Site or Blog?

Use MP3 to SWF Converter to Voice It!

Hoo Technologies announces the release of version 2.4 of MP3 to SWF Converter, a utility for creating sound accompaniment for your website or blog. The program allows you to make a streaming SWF file (Adobe Flash Movie) by transferring from available audio or recording it via microphone.

Nowadays, e-commerce requires using each and every possible competitive edge to reach success. It goes without saying that sites with well-suited accompanying sound and voice can attract a greater amount of customers leading to more sales. Bloggers willing to raise popularity of their web diaries should also take advantage of audible blogs. MP3 to SWF Converter will help to make your web site or blog talk and play music.

MP3 to SWF Converter works in two ways: converting a file to SWF or recording SWF via microphone. If you have a certain tune you want to be played on your site, then simply select it, define the parameters of an output file and the job is done. Even large audio files can be converted to small-sized SWF files by adjusting such parameters as sample frequency, bit rate, and channels. Additionally, MP3 to SWF Converter supports not only MP3 but also two other currently popular formats: WAV and AU.

In case you want to create a speech, for example, voice customers' reviews on your product, record product instructions or make a voiced blog, MP3 to SWF Converter will also come in handy. Using a simple home microphone you can create a clear SWF sound. You can adjust the same parameters as in conversion to create the sound that will accurately suit your needs.

Besides creating streaming SWF that will launch instantly, you can create event sounds. Also the software supports batch conversion for dealing with a large amount of files. What's more, instead of a bare SWF file, the software can help you to create a sound with a shell SWF player that avoids slow web page loading for large SWF files. MP3 to SWF Converter comes with a choice of customizable player templates. You can also select the players' button color at your favor.

If you want to boost customers' confidence in your site and in your product or want to enhance the popularity of your blog, then MP3 to SWF Converter will be of much help.

Try out the evaluation version right now at http://www.hootech.com/mp3_to_swf_converter.

Pricing and Availability MP3 to SWF Converter runs under all versions of Microsoft Windows and costs $39.95 (USD) for a single-user license. Licensed customers are entitled to the fully-functional version of the product, free technical support and free upgrades. Further information on MP3 to SWF Converter, as well as a free trial copy is available free of charge from http://www.hootech.com.

About Hoo Technologies

The company was founded in 2003 and specializes in the development of multimedia products. For more information, please visit the company's site at http://www.hootech.com.

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Top 8 Products With Online Fraud Attempts For Valentines

With Valentine's Day Online Spending Up 8.48%, Fraud Up Too

According to Retail Decisions, U.S. fraudsters are attempting to buy gifts online for their loved ones. They're more romantic than UK fraudsters who only buy for themselves,

Top Products, Online Fraud Attempts

It turns out that online fraudsters are smart enough to realise giftcards can be the easiest to steal and sell, closely followed by gold and diamonds. There were two surprising items in the list. They may be spotty youth that need facial care and they have bad breath.

1. Gift Cards - $134, a increase of 72% per purchase than a genuine purchaser
   
2. Lancome - Facial Care
   
3. Tommy Hilfiger - Men's Wear -(button down and sweaters - all colors)
   
4. 14K Diamonds Earrings
   
5. Rose Blue 14K Stud Earring
   
6. Dooney & Bourke Bags -(Bucket Bag) (expensive ladies day bag - classic style)
   
7. Coach Handbags - (designer ladies day bag)
   
8. Sonicare Toothbrush - (electric toothbrush - to have fresh breath for Valentines)

Retail Decisions (ReD) is a payment card issuer and world leader in card fraud prevention and payment processing. They monitored real-time online shopping data February 1-11, 2008 for global blue chip retail clients to track consumer buying patterns and fraud activity associated with Valentine's Day 2008. ReD retail clients include Wal-Mart, Macy's, Bloomingdales and Tesco.

Digg This Up Please !

Imaging101 Offers Better Than Free Software

How many business expenditures give companies a return on investment (ROI) or payback of 300% or more, consistently, each month? Would you spend $1.00 if you knew -- without a doubt -- it would help you save $4.00? Without a "catch." Would this not be better than "free" software?

Imaging101 clearly understands the fears raised by economic uncertainty like the one we face in today's markets. So it has devised a plan to help ease the pain of deciding on digitizing documents by offering a "Better than free Software" (BtfS) payment method. With this payment methodology, companies have a very low initial investment and small monthly payments. This allows the organization to achieve a return on investment immediately ... and have a consistently positive Net Present Value ... while maintaining internal control of its digital assets. No need to sign personally. No complicated contracts.

Industry research reports by major independent consulting organizations -- Gartner, IDC, Rheinner Group, etc. -- have consistently demonstrated the dramatic benefits and financial returns of digitizing paper documents and managing electronic documents (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF's, etc).

The savings a company receives immediately after implementing the Imaging101 solution surpasses the tiny monthly investment. This means that, even in the first month, the investment pays for itself. Here is an extremely simplistic example ... taking into account only the time saved by 10 employees ... not having to get off their desks to find, shuffle and deliver paper documents.

    10 employees x 1 hour per day     =  10 hours per day saved
  10 hours per day @ $15 per hour   =  $150 per day saved
  20 days per month x $150 per day  =  $3,000 Saved each month!

The first month installation and configuration fee for this 10 employee solution would be $2,000 and then, just eleven (11) easy payments of $799 each. Think about it ... this is merely 27% ... barely over one fourth (1/4th) of the monthly savings. The more employees a company has, the more dramatic the savings.

This extremely simplistic example does not take into account the time saved in printing, photocopying, sending faxes, placing clients and vendors on hold, having to call back vendors and clients because the information is not at your finger tips, long distance charges, paper costs, ink/toner/developer costs and many other soft and hard costs.

Imaging101 provides a complimentary ROI calculation spreadsheet to provide companies with a more accurate view of their true savings.

Imaging101 is also a proud supporter of American Forests tree planting projects and contribute a percentage of each installation to replanting trees across America.

See how soon your company can start saving money and becoming more effective and productive. Visit http://www.imaging101.com or call (954) 659- 3101 to learn more or to sign up for an upcoming Webinar.

    CONTACTS:
  Mike Russo, Imaging101, Inc.
  Phone:  305-798-1107
  eMail  info@imaging101.com,
  Web  http://www.imaging101.com

Digg This Up Please !

McCain Myth Buster Day 3: John McCain and Veterans' Health Care

After casting himself as a "Maverick" in 2000, the new John McCain is walking in lockstep with President Bush, pandering to the right wing of the Republican Party, and embracing the ideology he once denounced. On the campaign trail McCain has callously abandoned many of his previously held positions, even contradicted himself, in a blatant attempt to remake himself into a candidate Republicans can accept in 2008. So just who is the real John McCain? The Democratic National Committee will present a daily fact aimed at exposing the man behind the myth.

Today's McCain Myth: John McCain can be trusted to stand up for veterans and military families.

Throughout this campaign, John McCain has relied on the support of fellow veterans and promised to make veterans' health care his "top domestic priority." [Associated Press, 12/12/07] In reality, John McCain has consistently put his campaign ahead of veterans and military families by pandering to the right wing of his Party on tax cuts.

Faced with a choice between joining Democrats in trying to increase funding for veterans and military families by eliminating some of President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, John McCain chose to cozy up to conservatives by preserving the tax cuts he once opposed. Putting his campaign ahead of our veterans, McCain voted against Democratic efforts to improve care at veterans' hospitals, provide mental health services to soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse problems, and prevent veterans and military families from paying higher fees and co-payments for medical services.

With the one-year anniversary of the revelations of the shameful conditions at military hospitals like Walter Reed coming on Monday, can America's veterans and military families really afford another four years of a Republican President who puts politics and his party ahead of our nation's veterans and wounded warriors?

McCain & Veterans' Health Care

McCain Has Repeatedly Voted Against Increasing Funding for Veterans Healthcare to Keep Tax Cuts for the Rich. John McCain has repeatedly voted to keep intact tax cuts for the rich, rather than provide American veterans with adequate healthcare funding. McCain has repeatedly voted against amendments in the Senate that would have added funding for healthcare services, but eliminated tax cuts for the wealthy. Funding would have covered such important services as improving care at veterans' hospitals, providing mental health services to soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse problems. [2006 Senate Vote #7, 2/2/06; 2005 Senate Vote #343, 11/17/05; 2003 Senate Vote #74, 3/21/03]

2006: McCain Voted Against Eliminating Increased Fees And Co-Payments For Veterans Health Care Program By Closing Corporate Tax Loopholes. In 2006, McCain voted against the Kerry amendment that would eliminate increased fees and co-payments for veterans in the TRICARE health care program by raising the discretionary spending limit by approximately $10 billion. The provisions would have been fully offset by eliminating creating corporate tax breaks. [2006 Senate Vote #67, 3/16/2006]

McCain Stood Out in Opposing Veterans' Healthcare Funding. McCain was one of only 13 Republicans to vote against an amendment that added over $400 million for inpatient and outpatient care for veterans. [2006 Senate Vote #98, 4/26/06]

McCain Puts Politics Over Vets; Would Rather Be Out Campaigning Than Supporting Our Troops. McCain missed an important vote this year that supported the funding of the troops inIraq and guaranteed them adequate medical care upon returning home. [2007 Senate Vote #76, 3/15/07]

Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, http://www.democrats.org.

This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

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Happy Valentine's Day from Uncle Sam?

ust in time for the Valentine's Day festivities, President Bush has signed legislation to "stimulate" the economy by returning money to its rightful owners, i.e., those who earned the money in the first place!

All told, the bill could cost the federal government in excess of $160 billion dollars.

And since the government does not happen to have an extra $160 billion laying about, just where in the hell did W and the gang get the dough for this latest canard?

The way Americans always fund things they cannot afford--by charging it!

So add another $160 billion to the federal debt and to W's tarnished legacy as a "true conservative."

In order to get all that money back into the hands of those who earned it, W and the gang will have to spend billions more (of our money) to process the rebate checks.

Add another $10 billion or so to the federal debt and to W's "worst president in history" legacy.

Counting the interest that will have to be paid on the money borrowed to send us back our own money, the net effect of all these shenanigans will ultimately be an increase in taxes, especially if the Democrats conquer Washington, D.C. in November.

The only good news is that the rebate checks will not arrive until around April 1--just in time for April Fool's Day!

Digg This Up Please !

The 5 Most Successful People-Powered News Sites - and 30 Failures

Last week, a review of the top five people-powered or community news websites generated a lot of interest and questions about other players in that space. We review some of the players and find the top sites are well ahead of the pack while many others have already failed. Here is an updated analysis after undertaking extra research.

Digg inspired a lot of competition. But are any of these sites successful?

There are literally hundreds of digg-like sites that have jumped on the people-powered news bandwagon. Yet, my analysis shows almost all have failed to achieve critical mass, and many have already closed up shop. That said, a few do appear to be on their way to success.

Which are the most successful people-powered news sites?

#1 Digg
#2 Reddit
#3 Care2 News Network
#4 Shoutwire
#5 Netscape

This analysis is based on the average number of votes the stories have on the front page, along with the number of votes for the most popular stories for the past month. Digg is the clear leader, with Reddit showing some impressive numbers as well. The one that will probably surprise a lot of people is Care2. They launched their version of Digg for progressive / green news back in January.

Time to market seems to be one of the keys to success here - particularly for Digg and Reddit. Care2 wasn't the third to launch (maybe the fourth?), but they had the advantage of being an existing community of six million activists. They also have a clear niche (progressive news) which Shoutwire lacks.

There's been a lot of talk that it only takes a relatively small number of super users to get one of these sites going, but clearly that's not enough to be successful. It's not clear yet what a site needs to achieve critical mass in this space, but based on my observations over the past several months the top 5 all appear to be growing (with the exception perhaps of Shoutwire) while the rest of the competition appear to be steady or declining.

I'm sure Netscape will do well given their existing traffic, but so far they seem to be running a distant fifth place in the race. They appear to get a relatively high number of comments though, which is an indication of a successful news community (and perhaps a result of their Anchors-as-facilitators strategy?)

I suspect there will be a few other successful niche news sites that will make it, but the general take away seems to be that the game is over - you either need to be one of the first to market and/or have a lot of traffic to make it sustainable. This part of the Web 2.0 bubble has already popped.

Pligg / Meneame. The list below contains another 50+ sites that are dead or nearly so - and most appear to be using Pligg / Meneame or something similar. These are open source systems, based on Digg. Memeame was first, in Spanish and Pligg used their code base and then split off on its own path. I have contributed a small amount of code to Pligg and experimented with it myself. It's interesting to see that all of the top 5 rolled their own app. I'm not sure whether that indicates sites need to use a more custom solution to be successful, or if it's just another reflection that time to market was key (Netscape excepted).

Here's some data to back up my analysis (data from: Tue, PM, Aug 22, 2006)

Average number of front page votes (for top 20 stories) of the day:
#1 Digg 447
#2 Reddit 157
#3 Care2 51
#4 Shoutwire 40
#5 Netscape 21

Median number of homepage votes (for top 20 stories):
#1 Digg 392
#2 Reddit 139
#3 Care2 44
#4 Shoutwire 36
#5 Netscape 18

---

Additional sites among the top 25 and average number of votes for top 20 Front Page stories:
#6 Videosift 14
#7 Fantacular 14
#8 Videobomb 11
#9 QoolSqool 10
#10 InboxNews 9
#11 Crankk 8
#12 Hugg 8
#13 Dzone 7
#14 EatMyHamster 6
#15 Blog Memes 5
#16 PopCurrent 5
#17 Nooz 5
#18 DissectMedicine 4
#19 meme-stream 4
#20 Livelocker 3
#21 topkix 3
#22 Humdigg 3
#23 ByteMyCode 2
#24 autospies 2
#25 iTalkNews 2

Other people powered news sites that appear to be dead or nearly so:
APBNews
Binarylaw
Bitchabouttech
Bringr
Business-planet.net
CC Hits
Diggers
Diggnews
Funnydigg
GoogleKicks
Hitsmit
HR Salad
kablogs
Marketpicks
Meedio
motorplus
Newsbump.net
NewsCloud
NewsGarbage
Oks
ParrotAddict
Phetchit
Quadriot
Scoop.net
Scoopity
Sperocite
Sportsblink
Tribalwar
VCNewsCentral
Web-Feeds
Wizag
YouPickNews
Zapptor

There are a number of other sites that no longer even exist, which would have made the "dead list" even longer, but the above is grim enough to demonstrate the perils of trying to be a me-too site. Many of these sites have some activity, but it seems to be mostly from the owner of the website. To make it in any meaningful way, they need a compelling story to tell and some fanatical belivers to participate and spread the word.

Note that I didn't rely on Alexa because of the webmaster bias (which would penalize a non-techie site like Care2) and for certain sites it's hard to determine where the traffic is actually going (such as Netscape).

Velocity of stories hitting the front page matters too, but based on my observations there doesn't appear to be a huge difference between the top five sites, though stories appear to stay on Shoutwire the longest, and Digg the shortest time. My analysis therefore probably somewhat under-represents the lead that Digg has over the other services. Note that some of the sites listed above as "dead" actually show some high vote counts on their front pages, but the stories appear to have been sitting there for weeks or longer.

The other compounding challenge in analyzing the numbers is that it's possible to down-vote on Reddit and some others, but it's highly unlikely that would push it past Digg for the top slot or make much of a difference in the other rankings.

I didn't include other models in this analysis, such as newsvine or machine-powered-aggregators given the obvious differences in approach and the higher costs of entry versus a fully community powered model.

I also didn't include the grand-daddy of them all, Slashdot, because moderators select the stories, not members. Although Slashdot doesn't have votes, it has comments. An average of 133 comments per story, against Digg's average of 80 comments and 447 diggs per story, at the time of writing.

I couldn't draw any conclusions from this because it is easier to digg a story than to comment on it, there is no easy way to tell the number of unique commenters and digg has many more stories per day than slashdot. All I can say is they are both popular sites, each with their own niche audience and a different enough model and vibe, fans and foes - that they will likely continue along their separate paths, unaffected by each other. Digg definitely has the capacity for much more growth because it appeals to a much wider audience, while slashdot is almost exclusively for nerds.

This space definitely needs to be watched. It will be interesting to see how the top five fare over the next few months and to see activity in the the 5 to 25 space. Care2, with its green niche and a large membership, and Netscape with its big name and big following could be contenders. It will be especially instructive to see what Netscape can do, because they had a very late start. I know of one big audience player considering an entry to the market early next year, so if they learn the right lessons, there could be more shake-ups coming.

No matter what brands enter the people-powered news arena, Digg is by far the clear leader and it will take much more than a "me too" application to even get close to them. Paticipation is the key.

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European Union plans biometrics database

The International Herald Tribune reports ‘EU plans to require biometrics of all non-European visitors‘

The plans - arguably the biggest shake-up of border management in Europe since the creation of an internal travel zone - would apply to citizens of the United States and all other countries that now enjoy visa-free status.

We in Ireland know the debacle created by the electronic voting system. This current trend of consuming every last bit of private information about a person, whether it comes from governments or social networking websites, which extend so far as to their very biological nature, is a disturbing one to say the least. Just imagine if the database holding the biometrics of all europeans, and non-european visitors, was operated as successfully as the electronic voting system in Ireland.

Anonymous respond to IrishGeeks

As mentioned previously, we endeavour to cover the Anonymous vs Church of Scientology events with a balanced but informed position. To this end, we contacted the Anonymous group to get their side of the story. Here we present Anonymous’ side of the debate…

The content of the email is presented here in its entirety:

Hello

We’re sorry that’s it’s taken us almost three days to get back to you.
It wasn’t our intention to avoid an interview with IrishGeeks.com,
we’re afraid your email simply got lost in the shuffle - a combination
of our assumption that it had been dealt with previously along with
the other press queries, and the fact our more PR-focused members were
occupied dealing with established mainstream media. We do, however,
welcome your blog’s coverage! We’ll try to answer your questions now.
While an attempt has been made tonight to write this collaboratively,
reflecting the disparate views of Anonymous, due to the late hour the
email itself was compiled by an individual, who is, at present, rather
tired.

On 2/7/08, press@irishgeeks.com <press@irishgeeks.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Im contacting you as editor of IrishGeeks.com regarding the protest
> against Scientology that is schedueled for this sunday, 10th Feb.
>
> We’re planning on covering the event, blogger style, with two cameras
> (video and still), in addition to an article on our website, and would
> like to get in touch to find get your side of the story.
>
> Of particular interest:
>
> * your motives for this protest.

Anonymous’ original motives were the Church of Scientology’s attempts
to restrict information and freedom of expression. The most infamous
example of this recently was Scientology’s intimidation of video
websites to remove some embarrassing footage of Tom Crusie taken from
an indoctrination video of theirs. From here, our campaign grew
exponentially, due to Anonymous’ research into the organisation’s
crimes and human rights abuses.

The Church has been convicted in Greece, Italy, France, Spain,
Germany, USA and other countries for kidnapping, fraud, criminal
association, interfering with witnesses, establishing an illegal
organization and numerous other criminal acts. It has been implicated
in several deaths due to neglect or malice, such as Lisa McPherson’s
reported death in the custody of the Church, whose anniversary this
protest commemorates. Controversial policies it espouses include
forced abortions and brainwashing. It has historically attempted to
silence and harass its opponents, as in Operation Freakout, a church
campaign targeting Paulette Cooper, author of The Scandal of
Scientology.

At its core, the organisation exists to exploit the vulnerability of
innocent people by changing exorbitant fees for services and
counselling, as it costs nearly $100,000 to learn its basic beliefs.
They have a front group operating here in Ireland called the Citizens
Commission on Human Rights which campaigns against psychiatry and
psychology, saying that “psychiatrists ruin lives and undermine
society at huge cost” and that each of “ADHD, bipolar disorder,
depression or schizoprenia” is an “invented psychiatric disorder”.
There have been many controversial episodes here, including
psychological abuse and intimidation (Mary Johnson) and the
disappearance of members (e.g. Odhran Fortune, Tony Phelan)

> * whether this protest was endorsed by anyone, particularly what the
> gardí response has been thus far.

No, not as such. Anonymous is at its heart a grassroots movement.
Globally, the only endorsement we have sought and found has been from
innocents harmed by the organisation, and from some prominent
anti-Scientology campaigners.

The Gardaí have been informed and will be present today. They are
happy with our arrangements for a peaceful protest.

> * what outcome is expected from the demonstration.

As a collective of individuals, we each have our own personal
expectations and aspirations, which, when combined with the fact that
our campaign is in a state of constant flux, makes it difficult to
come to a consensus as to an expected outcome. One basic aspiration is
that the public will be informed of the Church of Scientology’s
transgressions, and warned of its dangers.

> * preliminary research shows only one mention of the Dublin protest -
> on pressreleaseireland.com, what if any other websites or forms of
> media have been use to ’spread the word’.

Yes, we have also posted press releases to Indymedia Ireland,
NowPublic and PRLog. Our initial campaign made use YouTube videos,
collaborative wikis, and sites like Digg, Reddit and StumbleUpon. Much
of our message was spread informally, from the simple use of emails
and posts on on-line discussion boards, to physical posters and
flyers. One member’s attempt to email prominent Irish bloggers was
felt to be spam and abandoned. Our first newspaper report was in
Wednesday’s edition of Metro Ireland, but this was drawn exclusively
from our press release. Tomorrow (today’s) Sunday Tribune may feature
the article into which we’ve had the most input.

In terms of radio, we’ve had live interviews on The Spin on SPIN 1038,
and The Last Word on Today FM. We were due to have a debate live on
air on Newstalk, but this was cancelled due to the director of the
Church of Scientology pulling out. Their spokesperson also pulled out
of the Today FM interview. (At one stage there was also an East Coast
FM interview proposed) We have also made provisional arrangements for
at least one post-protest radio interview tomorrow.

> * what your expectations, or projections for attendance will be. and
> the response you expect from the Churche of Scientology.

We’re afraid to say that, again, we honestly don’t know, as there are
simply too many unknown quantities to take into account. We estimate
over 100.

We are also unsure as to the response to expect from the Church. From
checking Indymedia this morning, we can see that fake news reports of
violence at the Australian protests have been posted and subsequently
removed. Regardless of their response here, at this juncture, our
intention is primarily to enlighten the Irish public as a whole.

Anonymous
10/02/2008

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