Why Computer Security Software is Essential

By Kelly Hunter

A lot of reasons exist for people to use computer security measures to protect information that is important to them whenever they are online. Different forms of security software provides internet users with the necessary protection that they require against viruses, worms and other forms of malware that infiltrate your computer and wreak havoc and steal personal information that could result in dire consequences for you.

One crime that computer security software can help prevent to a large degree is identity theft. Identity theft is a serious crime that affects a huge proportion of the global population on an annual basis. The effects caused by identity theft and associated crimes may result in a situation that it takes a long time to recover from. After suffering from identity theft you'll be very lucky if you can afford to get an educational loan or a job. Identity thieves are always out for one thing - to benefit themselves financially by using your identity.

One other benefit of using computer security software is that the computer security software was specifically crafted in order to prevent hackers from accessing computers that they have no right to access. This if often the best way to ensure that you privacy is catered for whenever you're online. Security software may also disguise and hide you IP address so hackers cannot use your IP address in order to target your computer system specifically and disrupt your computer system. Whenever you place security software on you computer system what you are trying to do is that you're making sure that any personal information on your computer system sis kept secure when you are in public locations such as an Internet café or a wireless hotspot in a hotel or an airport. Internet users who are always on the move will appreciate such security measures.

What you do when you use internet security software is that you are securing all the data that is present on your computer with encryption software that is specially created for that task. Some other benefits that are provided by internet security software is the elimination of various pop-ups as well as the security of the hard drives and the prevention of censorship by your ISP as well as a lot of other benefits. The Internet has done a lot in our lives by altering the way we live , the way we do our jobs and the way we have fun. We can instantly connect with people and businesses all over the entire world and it makes it easier for us to do simple things from searching for jobs online to conducting business via a virtual offices. The different advances in the areas of the Internet have also increased the ease with which it takes to commit various crimes. In order to prevent these crimes from affecting our way of life the use of computer security software is essential for computer protection. Failure to protect our computers may mean a failure to protect our businesses and our way of life which may ultimately precipitate a person towards disaster.

Kelly Hunter operates http://www.security-software-help.com and writes about Security Software.

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Directory Submitter - 5 Advantages to Using a Directory Submitter Submission Software

By Marc Marseille

Every year, millions of new business owner will build a website in hopes of increasing revenue. Building a website alone however is not enough to increase your bottom line, if no one knows about your new internet presence. The main ingredient needed in making your website visible is called SEO(search engine optimization). Eighty percent of search engine optimization is created by building one way inbound links to your website. A directory submitter can help you in making this complicated task much easier.

Building one way inbound links to your website is the equivalent of letting the search engines know that your website is relevant. The more relevant websites you have linking to your site for certain keywords, the higher in the rankings your website will rise. A website directory places your business into a directory of similar businesses which makes it easy for potential customers to find your business. The listing will create one inbound link to your website for the relevant category.

A directory submitter submission software has many advantages in giving your online business the extra boost it desperately needs. To help you understand the benefits of using a submission software, I am going to list a few.

Advantage #1:

You can submit to hundreds of directories at one time which can save you hours of time. The hours you save from doing this task manually can be used to spend on your business or other traffic generation projects.

Advantage #2:

Your website will be easier to find for potential customers searching the website directories. Your site being listing is the equivalent of having your brick and mortar business in the yellow pages. This listing will create additional traffic to your website for years to come.

Advantage #3:

You will be able to build inbound links faster to your website. Speeding up the process of building backlinks will help your website in becoming established faster.

Advantage #4:

Being listed in multiple directories will increase your page rank allowing you website to climb to the front of the search engines. The higher your rankings with the Serps the more organic traffic you will create, thus increasing sales conversions.

Advantage #5:

This tool is especially useful if you have more than one website or blog. You can use the directory submitter over and over again to submit all your websites and blogs. You will also save money in the long run because you can avoid paying submission services.

The process of creating a presence on the internet can prove to be the difference in your business success or failure. A submission software can help in making the process a little more simpler. If the term "Time Is Money" is true, than a including a directory submitter as one of your SEO tools is a no brainer.

Marc Marseille is an internet marketer with several websites providing valuable resources to many. For more information on submission software, you can visit directory submitter.

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Key Success Factors For Hotel Web Sites

By Ileana Gatti

When you are designing a business web site there are some aspects you must take into account. Here you will find an explanation on key success factors for hotel web sites.

As you may be awarded, people search for hotels and flights online more than by other channels.
The most important of the key success factors for hotel web sites is being search engine friendly so to be found when a customer performs a search online.

Search engines have particular formulas to qualify the relevance of the sites and assign a number called Page Rank (some how like the stars classification system for rating hotels) to determine who gets top placement in search results.

Once you are indexed, some of the bots (search engines programs) will periodically revisit your site looking for changes and updates. How high you rank depends largely on how well your web site is optimized, along with other proactive marketing activities such as links strategy development.

To master the first of the key success factors for hotel web sites you must understand what a keyword is.

When a person type in her browser a search term, the spiders of the search engine check the databases of sites and display the ones that are relevant to that term. The most relevant go first, and if they are equally relevant, the one with higher Page Rank goes first.

So, your site must be optimized around a set of commonly used terms or keywords to be found.

How you choose these keywords is the question to master these key success factors for hotel web sites.

In hotel websites, unless you have a well known branded name, it is good idea to optimize your site around the geographical region you are in rather than your hotels name. You will have better chances to be found, as it is more likely that a person search for "hotels in someplace" rather than your name.

These keywords must be used in the header of the page (portion of the webpage between and) mainly in the title of the document, and in metatags as keyword and description. In the web copy (portion of the website between and) you should use your keywords in headings (h1, h2, etc.), the "alt" text of images and sprayed in the text (in bold or italics if possible).

There are many factors affecting web sites success. Find out what other key success factors for hotel web sites are!

I visit travel web sites regularly just for fun. This is the site I like the most: Caribbean islands lodging Enjoy!

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Enjoy a Cheap But Precious Budget Hotel Experience at Pearl Garden Manila

By Kelvin Kong

Looking for Cheap Manila Hotels? Pearl Garden Hotel Manila takes care of its guest the way a shell cradles a precious pearl. Committed to provide the best service and amenities to its guests, this hotel houses an accommodating staff and crew that are all willing to attend to the guests' needs 24 hours non-stop. With its 83 elegantly-furnished rooms, guests can choose what suit their immediate needs and book a stay right away with no hassles and no delays!

All rooms are decorated with minimal furniture to provide more space for the guests to move in and to create an atmosphere of sophistication. This hotel offers Deluxe Rooms, Deluxe Twin Rooms, Junior Suites and Executive Suites that are inclusive of hotel amenities such as: NDD / IDD Phone, Free Wifi Access, Flat Screen Cable TV, Hot and Cold Shower with separate Bath Tub, Daily Newspaper delivery, Well-stocked Minibar, Hairdryer and In-room Safety Deposit Box. Complimentary breakfast and welcome drinks are also part of the package.

This hotel also has a business center that offers services such as: Computer rental with software like Excel, Word Perfect, Microsoft Office, and Photo Editor; High-Speed Internet Access; Fax services; Laser Printers; Photocopies (black and white, color and laser), DVD Rentals, Flight Confirmation and other Secretarial Services; while the conference room provides services / equipment such as: Audio-visual equipment and technical staff, Video production, Multi-image production, Projection and computer display equipment. Moonriver Bar and Restaurant, the hotel's in-house restaurant, is known for serving delicious steaks and other foreign dishes.

This hotel also offers additional services such as: Foreign Currency Exchange, Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services, Airport Transfers, Tour and Ticketing Transfers, In Room Massage Service, Luggage Storage, Hotel Safety Deposit Box and 24-Hour Security.

Pearl Garden Hotel Manila is not only complete with amenities that will satisfy any guest staying on the hotel. This hotel is also strategically located in Malate, Manila, only a 30-minute ride away from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The name Malate is derived from the Tagalog word "maalat" which means "salty." People living in Malate believed that sea water from Manila Bay used to flow in-land to the city during in the early days when the city was not yet established. At present, Malate can easily be accessed via three of the main arteries in Manila, Roxas Boulevard, Quirino Avenue and Taft Avenue. Travelers can also board he 15-kilometer Light Rail Transit (LRT-1) which runs along Taft Avenue. Its three stations namely Vito Cruz, Quirino and Pedro Gil, pass through Malate.

Since Malate is part of the country's capital, it hosts many of the country's main government agencies such as the Department of Finance, the National Naval Command Headquarters of the Philippine Navy and the Central Bank of the Philippines. Some areas of it are also part of the famous "University Belt," a long line of educational institutions in Manila. Included in this belt are the following colleges and universities: University of the Philippines-Manila Campus, Philippine Christian University, De La Salle University-Manila, Philippine Women's University, Malate Catholic Church, St. Scholastica's College and St. Paul's College.

Also within the vicinity are two of shopping malls that are complete with the most famous boutiques, restaurants and coffee shops. Robinson's Place Manila is just a walking distance away from LRT-1 Pedro Gil station. This mall is composed of more than 300 shops where shoppers can scout for the latest trends for the most reasonable prices. Harrison Plaza, known as Manila's first enclosed and fully air-conditioned shopping mall, houses two tops departments stores namely SM department store and Rustan's.

The Manila Zoological and Botanical Gardens, the country's premier zoo, houses more than a hundred species of mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles and many others. Right across Manila Zoo is Leveriza Children's Park, renovated and improved in 2006 to make it a better place for children.

The streets of Maria Orosa, Adriatico, Julio Nakpil and Remedios are known for their exciting night life. There are all-night street parties, concerts and street dancing to go crazy for! The night is never quiet in this district. It is always vibrant and alive for people who have the energy to party until dawn. Along M.H. del Pilar and Mabini are also upscale restaurants like Café Adriatico, the Korean Village and Larry's Bar.

Allow yourself to be pampered to the fullest for your Budget Manila Hotels accommodation and receive the best deal by reserving a stay at Pearl Garden Hotel Manila and experience what it means to be a precious pearl!

Budget Manila Hotels provides excellent reviews of the hotels and accommodation available in Manila, Philippines. Check out the best offers, and also the excellent reviews of each of the available hotels at this fantastic site.

If you are looking for a more affordable Manila Hotel to spend your nights, do checkout our fabulous recommendations at Cheap Manila Hotels.

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Top Ten Google AdWords Tips

By Tim Russell

I’ve been using Google AdWords for several months now and I have to say the whole setup really is a work of genius on Google’s part. Its seemingly endless pages of charts, tables and numbers appeal to the geeks; the need for lexical simplicity and brevity appeals to the creatives; and the stats and feedback appeal to the analysts and bean counters. In creating a complex, infinitely configurable advertising tool that has many of the hallmarks of a strategy game, Google have pulled off a masterstroke.

In fact, so easy is it to get lost in the world of AdWords that you can quickly forget that it is essentially a business tool, and one that costs money – lots of money if you’re not careful. So based on my experience of the last few months, here are some essential tips for getting the most of out of Google AdWords.

1. Be Creative

The toughest stage of AdWords is one of the first – writing your ad. You have 95 characters (25-word title and two 35-word lines) to not only get your message across, but also to differentiate that message from your competitors’ ads. Throw Google’s strict policies on truth and honesty into the equation, and you have a real challenge on your hands, particularly if you don’t have a resident creative genius to call on!

However, with a little planning and research it shouldn’t be too difficult to come up with an attractive ad. Decide on what your real message is and keep it simple. Do a search using the keywords you want to use and look at your competitors’ ads. Think about your target audience and the language that will attract them. And finally, and this may sound a bit wacky, try reading and then writing a few haiku, the traditional Japanese poetic form in which writers have a mere 17 syllables to express themselves – it will help you trim the fat from your writing and concentrate on the meat.

2. Be relevant

Putting your keywords into your ad text is more likely to generate clicks. Why? Because searchers can see that your ad is relevant to their search. If I search for ‘tom waits tickets’, I will only click on those results that contain this search phrase and will consider results without this phrase to be irrelevant.

3. Think about your landing page

When you’re happy with the content of your ad, think about where it will take the user. Don’t just direct them to your homepage and expect them to find their own way to what they want – take them straight there. If I click on my ‘tom waits tickets’ ad and am taken to a generic homepage on which my chosen topic isn’t immediately visible, I’ll go elsewhere.

Also, make sure the content of the landing page matches the content of the ad. Your keywords should feature in the text, and also as metatags, to improve your quality score and your overall search ranking. If the content of your landing page doesn’t match the content of your ad, users will feel misled.

You should also ensure that your landing page isn’t a ‘dead end’, i.e. a page that people will look at once and then close or leave. Don’t include external links on the page – make sure users are guided to another page on your site or channeled to your sales, booking or feedback page.

4. Work geographically

When you first set up your Google ad, the temptation is to maximise your web hits by targeting a broad geographical sector. But think again – if you only operate in a particular country or region, there’s no point in your ad appearing to users elsewhere. I set up an ad for a hotel software product which we only sell in Southeast Asia, with a tight budget of $5 per day. Allowing the ad to appear to users outside SE Asia would mean my ad budget being eaten up by people with no interest in my product.

So look at where your target customers are and restrict your ad to those territories, to ensure your money is being spent wisely.

5. Don’t insist on being no.1

AdWords allows you to pay top dollar for your ad to be top of the pile. But is this really what you want? Chances are you’ll get a lot of clicks from indiscriminate, impatient surfers who just click on the top result without reading it first. Serious searchers will read every ad above the fold (i.e. positions 1-5); really serious searchers will read every ad on the page. So spend enough to ensure you’re on the first page, but no more.

6. Test, test, test

This is where your inner strategy game geek comes in. If you’ve played sports sims like the life-consuming Championship Manager, you’ll already know the benefits of testing different team formations, tactics, training routines and so on. And so you’ll probably get the hang of AdWords pretty quickly. Testing different keywords, ad copy, landing pages, landing page copy, ad scheduling, min/max CPC and so on will give you lots of different results and allow you to optimise every ad in every campaign.

One of the first ads I set up was a recruitment ad for our company. It generated a lot of clicks but I discovered that the landing page had a bounce rate (i.e. the number of visitors who visit a page and then leave immediately) of around 85%. I was using a landing page which gave general information about the benefits of working for the company but didn’t contain any actual vacancies. So I switched the landing page to one which simply listed every current vacancy we have, and within days the bounce rate had gone down to 60%!

7. Set goals

Every campaign, be it military, sporting or advertising, must have an ultimate goal by which the campaign’s success can be measured. If you run an e-commerce site then it’s easy to measure the ROI of AdWords, but if, like mine, your site is designed to increase brand awareness and display product information, it’s not so easy. Sure, AdWords will send your traffic sky-high but how do you know you’re getting your money’s worth?

The simple answer is to use Google Analytics’ Goal Conversion function, which allows you to define a specific page you wish people to visit or an action you wish them to complete – submitting a feedback form for example, or downloading a PDF or podcast. You’ll quickly find your conversion rate will become an obsession and lead to constant tweaking, tinkering and testing, all of which will ensure you get maximum return on your AdWords investment.

8. Try CPM ads

If you’re not convinced by CPC, try CPM advertising instead. Rather than set up lots of keywords, instead you choose sites from Google’s content networks on which you wish your ad to appear. If I’m selling bicycles in Bolivia for example, I’ll scour Google for Bolivian cycling and leisure websites and flag these sites in my CPM campaign – this is more secure than blindly using the Google Content Network as it allows me to personally vet each site on which my ad will be displayed.

9. Monitor results

Checking ad performance should, and will, become a daily habit for you once you get started with AdWords. Google’s tracking tools allow you to quickly identify under- or over-performing ads and take remedial action, and using the superb free Google Analytics service allows you to monitor the effect of your AdWords campaigns on your website.

10. CTR isn’t everything!

CTR – or click-through rate – is seen by many AdWords users as the only stat that counts. But don’t get too hung up on it. Remember, the higher the click-through rate, the higher your outlay. Sure, if you’re running an e-commerce site then clicks are your bread & butter, but if your site doesn’t actually sell anything and is designed more with brand awareness in mind, then a high number of above-the-fold impressions combined with a low CTR may be sufficient for you.

I hope you find these ten tips useful in running your own AdWords campaigns – and please let me know if you have any good advice of your own!

Tim Russell is Marketing Director at TRG International, one of Vietnam's leading providers of IT business solutions and services. Originally from the UK, he has been in Vietnam since 2003. Prior to coming to Vietnam he spent over a decade in the tourism industry in both operations and marketing, before moving into IT where he helped set up a company providing reservations software for tour operators and travel agents. He lives in Ho Chi Minh City with wife Nhung and daughter Emilie.

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Dynamic Packaging - Travel Software Wizard

By Johnny Mayer

Dynamic Packaging that enables travelers to create and book their dream vacation has captured the online travel market. Although online vacation packages have been available for years, dynamic packaging is a breakthrough for offering the ultimate travel flexibility and options. Leading travel Web sites let travelers build their own vacations via dynamic packaging – juggling hotel rooms, flights, site seeing, rental cars and more into one low priced travel package.

Dynamic Packaging - Travel Business Imperative

The advent of dynamic packaging has recast the travel business more flexible, affordable and responsive. For example, Dynamic Packaging has changed the dimensions for creating and marketing travel packages. are created and marketed. Today’s growing online travel agencies offer travelers infinite options for each item on their travel itinerary. Dynamic packaging grew out of the need to provide these services for traditional tour operators and online travel agents. Once initiated, the demand for dynamic packaging fed on its success leading to its current market dominance. Today, there very few hotels, tours or services not offered on dynamic packaging systems.

Create Your Own Vacation - Dynamic Packaging

Here's an example of how dynamic packing lets travelers create their own tour to an exotic destination...First the dynamic packing system registers the new users on their travel reservation system. They promise visits to exotic locations at low affordable prices. For example,, luxury accommodations for less money, choice of resorts worldwide, exclusive resorts and more via dynamic packing. In short, dynamic packing provides all-inclusive resorts accommodations, meals, drinks, activity fees, etc. without hidden charges.

Every Day Travel - Dynamic Packaging

Two areas of business or leisure travel often cross over into every life – car rentals and commuter flights. Prior to dynamic packing travel technology, you either went early to the airport or showed up at the car rental lot. Now, dynamic packaging puts you behind the wheel or on board you flight with minimal delay. So what are you waiting for. Log on and book a flight to the exotic beach you always dreamed of visiting. Tell people you’re researching dynamic packaging and send us a post card.. Have Fun!

Johnny Mayer is a content writer for Compucall, USA Web Marketing, LTD.

Galor is a leading provider of the GILBOA dynamic packing that offers a total solution for all types of travel companies in one integrated dynamic packing program. For more info, visit Galor Sytems.

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Hotel Brokerage Firms

By Eric Morris

There are a number of brokerage firms that specialize in different kinds of real estate. There are firms that specialize in home real estate, while others specialize in industrial real estate. Another type of brokerage firm that specialize in a specific type of real estate are hotel brokerage firms. These brokerage firms usually broker hotel asset transactions. These transactions include the sale of hotels, hotel assets and even airports, and these deals usually involve large amounts of money that can reach up to hundreds of millions of dollars.

A brokerage firm's reputation

Given the substantial amount of money involved in transactions in hotel real estate, investors in this type of property are very wary of the reputation and the capability of the hotel brokerage firm they are using. For these investors, one of the things they consider is the experience of these firms in the industry. Some investors only choose to deal with firms with a proven track record and very good financial standing because they believe that these can give them a certain level of security.

Some investors also look for tangible manifestations of a firm's performance in the form of awards and recognition that the firm has received during its operation. This is because they believe that being recognized by their peers is one the best indications of the performance and the quality of work that these firms produce. Memberships to broker associations are also considered by some investors because some associations have certain criteria for accepting members. Being a member of some of the most reputable broker associations can also mean that a firm has a good track record.

More importantly, the reputation and the credentials of the people who own these firms are also considered. This is because having competent and reputable people managing these firms can ensure the firm's viability.

Transactions in hotel real estate involve large sums of money, which makes it important for investors to engage reputable brokerage firms that can handle their investments. To do this, investors would be doing themselves a favor if they check and verify the reputation and the track record of the firms they are considering so that they can be assured of quality and professional work.

Brokerage Firms provides detailed information on Brokerage Firms, Commodity Brokerage Firms, Discount Brokerage Firms, Forex Brokerage Firms and more. Brokerage Firms is affiliated with Online Brokerages.

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Hotel Star Classification System - The Stars Are Not Always What You Expect Them to Be

By Dani Alonso

When staying at a hotel, many things need to be taken into account, and some of them are never included into the rules that are used for hotel star classification. As a person that has worked inside a hotel, I am aware of the kind of code that is used to classify them and how this code not alway is according to customer service.

My experience is in a 4-stars hotel in Barcelona and I discovered many of the things that happen inside a hotel and that normally you shouldn't notice when you arrive there as a tourist. But you do, many things do not work properly inside, specially when the direction is not able to provide with support and instead it directs the installations by putting pressure on everybody to get the work accomplished. This is something that the hotel star classification system can't work out.

The stars rating of a hotel can depend on things such as having a bell-boy, opening during the night, having also a bell-boy during the night, number of rooms, number of suites that are in the hotel, number of services you can encounter such as business center, commercial centers and so on.

This evaluation brings to a point where a hotel can have of everything, but if they don't hire the adequate personnel it simply will never work. And, at same time, and this practice is also often seen in Spain, hiring not enough personnel can guide to absolute unsatisfied customers and stressed workers. And this is in no way explained by the hotel star classification.

What I want to say with all this is that when looking for a 4-stars hotel, for example, the hotel web-page will never be a good place to start with. A hotel web-page is simply the competition to have the best web-page in the world, but actually does not mean that they have the best hotel. I personally prefer a hotel where personnel is not stressed and can help me when I need it, than a luxury cell in which I'll be confined with no attention at all.

Something that already most people does is to look at reviews. There you really will find out what people thinks about the hotel, how was the experience, how were they treated. There's nothing like the customers to know how you are going to be treated as a customer. A very good page that I always rely in is VirtualTourist. This web-page offers reviews of hotels in all locations worldwide in an easy to navigate software, including a very useful interactive map. Every user is allowed to post comments on hotels and they appear ordered depending on the number of comments that a hotel has received. This is possibly a better way to classify them than the traditional hotel star classification system

In any case, don't forget that the order in which hotels appear in the list is not for a qualification, as the system does not allow to use any punctuation method. The number one will always be the hotel which has more number of reviews, but of course it could be that all them are bad. Simply checking the first ten hotels you will have a broad idea of what you can expect and possibly you will know better where to spend your nights at.

After all, simply keep in mind that the hotel star classification is often not the best way to select the quality of an hotel, unless you are looking to have a king size suite with jacuzzi, which has never been my case. Of course, that's still your choice!

It exists a way in which you can get many 4-star hotels with 80% discount. Take a look at:
Free Hotels

Planning to travel to Europe? Here you will find some guidance:
Travel to Europe

For general information on traveling around the world:
Travel Addicts

Dani Alonso

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Las Vegas Casinos - Atlantic City Casinos - Does Sports Betting Software Work Against These Casinos?

By Bob Randooke

Your off on an exciting trip to fabulous Las Vegas. The first time you went was a very uneventful trip because you were only there on a business trip and did not have time to enjoy all that this city and its casino hotels have to offer, but this time you are there for 5 days and you want to start off by hitting the blackjack tables, then play some poker and finally finish it off with some great circus acts at the Circus Circus hotel and entertainment center. In between you want to place a few bets because your a San Diego Charger fan. Your friend also has a computer betting system that guarantees you to pick the winning pick almost every time , but is this possible?

There are many systems that can you a 90% winning rate but in actuality these results were shown over maybe 8 games and the reason why nothing works long term is because there is nothing in sports that is constant because there are so many factors that change. For example, a computer cannot determine how a certain star quarter back is feeling on a particular Sunday as opposed to what that player felt like 10 years ago against a certain team.

These specialized betting tools can show some initial success but what most buyers of these systems do not take into consideration is that the sports books in Vegas and Atlantic city have a multi billion dollar operation and they know all about these tools and they will compensate for any of these systems that work by adjusting the odds of sports games to make this software obsolete really fast. I remember being a daytrader back in the early 2000's and there were many stock picking websites that promised to bring you great returns every week. I kept trying them out but found out that the makers of the website were buying the stock ahead of time before they hyped it up and then sold out while they were recommending the stock to you. Never trust anyone else other then you to make a bet as you will ultimately care more for your money then anyone else ever could.

There usually is never any easy money in this world, especially during these tough economic times. So my advice to you is when you are placing a bet on your favorite basketball team or NFL football team to just the amount of money with you that you can afford to lose and not your mortgage money. Many people before you thought they had a great plan to beat the sports books but in the end they always fail because these sport books are multi billion dollar operations and it is their profession to beat you (the sports better) more times than you can beat them.

I love writing about sports betting software and also great gambling destinations like Las Vegas Casinos and Atlantic City casinos

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Increase RevPAR Via Direct Online Booking Solutions

By Bartholomew Barandon

Increasing revenue per available room (RevPAR) through direct online booking solutions is steadily becoming a standard in the hotel industry. Combined with effective, online hotel reservation software is proving to be an essential part of all measures aimed at reducing costs and increasing profitability of hotels. With the US credit crunch and the global oil scenario, the timing of utilizing direct online channels cannot be any better. Many companies, particularly those in the hospitality industry, are trying more than ever to simplify their operations and adopt industry best practices to improve their profitability. And at the forefront of these initiatives is the implementation of cutting edge technologies that are based mainly on the Internet.

Increasing a hotel's online presence effectively cuts costs and minimizes the need for intermediary distribution channels while extending brand recognition in a global setting. For a hotel, all these can translate to maximizing competitiveness, even during challenging economic conditions. Even a simple website can be instrumental in enhancing a hotel's marketing strategies by increasing its popularity and strengthening its branding. Now, add to that the convenience provided by online hotel bookings and the results can be downright outstanding. By transforming its website into a 24/7 front desk, a hotel is no longer bound by time and geography in terms of transacting with guests. A wider customer contact point can deliver minimized distribution spending, improved guest loyalty, and, of course, enhanced revenue performance. Needless to say, as the Internet continues to be an integral part of doing business, hotels that offer online booking solutions have a greater chance of attracting luxurious markets that prefer to deal with accommodation providers directly.

Thanks to hotel internet marketing strategies, even discount seekers are also becoming more aware that better deals cannot be obtained from travel agencies, but rather from direct hotel online reservations. So, with hotel Internet marketing solutions, potential guests from both sides of the income spectrum can be effectively targeted. Indeed, hotels are in a very challenging industry. To rise above the difficulties that face them, particularly when it comes to increasing RevPAR, hotels need all the technological approaches that will help simplify and streamline operations. And foremost among these is an online hotel reservations engine which does not only boost a hotel's Internet presence, but it also improves bottom line results.

Bartholomew Barandon is a researcher and online journalist for DirectWithHotels, a company which specializes in making direct online reservations easy for accommodation providers. For more information, visit http://www.directwithhotels.com

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Travel Agency Software - The Travel Jungle

By Johnny Mayer

Charles Darwin was one of the most traveled people in history. Can you imagine the commissions his travel agent earned?

How many times have you been held up trying to book a flight or hotel because... "our system is down". Today, people have no patience for non-functioning travel agency software. In an age when people can book a flight on a cell phone modem, the most
important asset a travel agency offers customers is personal service backed up by excellent travel agency software.

Travel Agency System - The Lion Sleeps tonight

Travel Agent system can mean the defense between a happy traveler and angry lion! Travel is a word of mouth business... a happy customer brings more business, an unhappy customer may cost a travel agency dearly. In today's travel jungle, the unhappy customer is the lion a travel agency should most fear. Poor agency travel software may cause unhappy customers to tell their friends and even write damaging reviews on blogs and forums. the travel jungle the travel agencies with easy to use, efficient travel agency software sleep the soundest.

Travel Agency Software- Survival of the Fittest

Travel agency software that meets both present and future needs is vital. An agency's products and customers are constantly changing and so must a travel agency's travel agent software. The competition among competition in the travel and tourism field is fierce and so is Travel Agency Software a fiercely competitive field. Travel agencies offering personal as well as on-line reservations earn higher profit margins. Here are broad travel agent software guidelines for travel agency software needs:

Travel agency software - The Origin of Species

Very easy to use

Flexible commission facilities

Multi-lingual

Multi-currency

Full accounting capability

Full Internet integration

Extensive automated system

Total end to end solution

State-of-the-art technology

Proven reliability & stability

Galor is a provider of the GILBOA Travel agency software, a total solution for all types of travel company in one integrated travel agent software package.

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Hotel Recruiting

By Peter Emerson

The hotel industry is synonymous with hospitality, and this one quality can set an establishment apart from its competition. This ensures the generous reception and entertainment of guests.

Hoteliers can develop a strategic partnership with top recruiting agencies. The recruiting agencies serve the needs of all kinds of hotels, including luxury hotels and resorts worldwide. Hotel recruitment is aimed at hiring employees in the areas of finance, management, operations, and strategic planning. Hotel recruiting agencies have highly qualified and integrity-oriented consultants who know the key players in the hotel industry. As a result, they are able to recruit the best talent available. These agencies undertake hotel recruitment across all segments, including banking, accounting, sales, advertising, management consulting, and the public sector. In addition to the permanent, short-term, and contract hotel recruitment, hotel recruiting agencies also undertake non-executive, trustee, and senior voluntary roles.

One approach to recruiting staff for hotels is organizing contests. Hoteliers can sponsor a contest for the best cook or for the position to be filled and recruit the winners. Good customer service plays a very important role in the hotel industry. Hence, the personnel and management can send their employees out on a scouting mission, to find the best customer service people in the area, either by visiting or calling the individuals.

Hoteliers can also list their job vacancies or internships with colleges or high school placement offices. The hotel management team can develop a recruiting advisory board, which is comprised of their well-connected and diverse employees to ensure that their strategy and tools fit their target market. In addition, there is a range of media tools that attract a large volume of quality recruits.

Recruiting provides detailed information on Recruiting, Executive Recruiting, Recruiting Software, College Recruiting and more. Recruiting is affiliated with HR Outsourcing.

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Reservation Master Review - Is Reservation Master Worth It?

By Lewis Waller

Reservation Master - does this product stand up to the task? Let's take a closer look in this Reservation Master review.

First off, this software isn't just for hotels and motels, but also serves guest houses, bed and breakfast establishments, inns, lodges, campgrounds and others - any business in this industry that requires reservations be made for clients.

In researching the information for this Reservation Master review, I have found that it was created to do many things, and particularly to eliminate booking errors, and the bulky old pencil and paper booking sheets themselves as well. It mainly keeps all records constantly updated automatically, so that you can access all of the records instantly - detailed reports, customer information, booking records, everything.

What's more is that Reservation Master is fully customizable, and can be configured for most any language, and performs automated letter and e-mail confirmations as well. A real time saver, and efficient record keeper that anyone would welcome. Instant room availability information is a must when you have a busy client to tend to, and this software serves well in that regard.

One of the best things about Reservation Master, is that it offers a 30 day free trial... not a limited, scaled-down, shadow of its true self, but an unlimited full version. You get to try it out and watch the progress it allows the running of your establishment to achieve, for thirty whole days! You'll find that this software is worlds better to use than the old archaic method of pencil and paper booking sheets for keeping your records filed, or finding specific files at an instant. Why not try it out for thirty days starting today? You owe it to your business, and more importantly, to your clients!

Need more information on Reservation Software? Reservation Master offers a 30 day free trial of their top-rated software. For a full review of Reservation master and to check out their website head over to http://www.squidoo.com/hotel-reservation-software

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Micro Niche Finder Review - Keyword Software Tool to Uncover Untapped Niche Markets

By Ricky Lim

Micro Niche Finder by James Jones is a keyword software tool that allows you to find untapped niche markets to dominate them via SEO. The main use of this tool is its ability to find niche markets and keywords that have low competition with reasonable amounts of searches.

Micro Niche Finder is very easy to use. All you have to do is input a base keyword in the market you are interested in. For example, you can put in dogs, dog house or digital cameras and hit the search button.

The software will then output a list of keyword phrases with information such as the number of searches per day and the competition level. There is also a column called strength of competition that gives a bird eye view of whether that keyword phrase is competitive or not. Green means it is easy to dominate in the search engines and red means there is some difficulty.

Once you have found some keywords that look easy to dominate, you don't necessarily need to build a whole website for it. To monetizing the traffic, you can create a blog at blogger or create squidoo and hubpages for each single keyword phrase.

One of the advantages of using these web2.0 sites is that they already have high page rank and will rank them in the search engines easily. Coupled with low competition, your blogger blog or squidoo lens will surely be top of the search engine results.

Mico Niche Finder also allows you to export the keywords to an excel file. If you are new to keyword research, this software is easy and simple to use compared to other keyword research tools on the markets.

The results are returned fast and they are pretty accurate as well. The software is also reasonably priced and there is only a one time payment. Most keyword research tools on the market are monthly subscription based.

If you are looking for a simple software that allows you to locate untapped keywords with ease, I recommend Micro Niche Finder. Check out my in depth Micro Niche Finder review and learn more about this SEO keyword tool.

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Wizetrade Software Review: Can They Help You Trade or is it a Wizetrade Scam?

By Steve Albright

The Wizetrade software is a tool created by George Thompson and GlobalTec Solutions. Wizetrade is a complete stock training program. Wizetrade makes an effort to simplify stock trading with their patented red light green light analysis of stocks in the market.

Wizetrade also advertises the ability to: review a number of stocks at once, locate active stocks, execute stock projections, report buy and sell points for stocks, and provide support. GlobalTec Solutions advertises Wizetrade software through late night infomercials and at local hotel seminars. Throughout their promotion of the software they make a lot of claims that are hard to factually support.

At the first Wizetrade seminar representatives reassure potential traders that Wizetrade's system is near foolproof and that they're on their way to financial freedom. The Wizetrade scam convinced me that purchasing stocks based on their systems calculated estimations is clear and simple. They claim that the program will separate “positive stock” from “loosing stock” yet when I did my research I discovered some disconcerting facts.

I have spoken to many experienced traders and they have told me that when they tracked the projections of the Wize trade software they were almost identical to charts of Moving Averages. The issue is that there is a plethora of resources that will provide free and up to date data on moving averages while Wizetrade charges almost three grand.

The sad thing is that Wizetrade provides a false sense of security to new traders. Many aren’t experienced enough to know when it’s not smart to follow the green light indicators. I haven’t spoken to one serious trader that relies on the type of software Wizetrade sells to manage a successful portfolio.

There have also been a slew of negative Wizetrade reviews posted by past customers throughout various stock trading websites. Allegations range from withholding refunds to accusing Wizetrade of using their employees to provide fake positive reviews of the Wizetrade software.

In general many feel that the whole thing is a Wizetrade scam because they entice inexperienced traders with promises of an accurate and automated stock picking system. When in reality customers are left on their own to learn the realities of the stock market, usually after it's already too late and they have suffered serious losses.

Read the full Wizetrade Review and find out what real customers have to say in Wizetrade Reviews.

Steve Albright is the chief editor and senior reviewer at Reviewopedia, a source for home based business opportunity reviews.

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How to Surf Safely With Anonymous Surfing Software

By Jim Rjindael

It's easy to get swept up in a rage of paranoia nowadays, but there are numerous benefits to using anonymous surfing software that I'd like to share with you. Nowadays many people like me travel a lot with their job, time on the road and in hotels and airports can get pretty tiresome and your laptop almost becomes like a companion.

I work in computer security and so I am naturally concerned with identity theft, security and unfortunately am well aware of the criminal element working on the internet. Travelling around a lot you become even more vulnerable, hotel internet connections, airport and cafe WiFi - all are riddled with different security problems and managing your life from these points via a web browser on your laptop is extremely worrying.

This is why I use anonymous surfing software, it gives me tremendous benefits which I use everyday, which I will list some here for you.

• Protects my Privacy - this is important to me and I have a real problem with knowing that every move I make on the web is logged in access points or at my ISP, not using my privacy software it isn't!
• I can run it on a USB stick - every where I connect all my web browsing is encrypted to the same level as the US orders in Iraq. Nobody can read any of it apart from me
• I can pretend to be from whatever country I want - when abroad I can view UK TV as a resident by selecting a UK proxy. I can also pretend to be from the States when I want to use something like Pandora(a fabulous US only Internet music station)
• As above I am not classified by my IP address, I am an internet citizen so can bypass stupid restrictions by governments (Turkish ISPs block blogs and YouTube!).
• I can speed up my browsing - how many times has a security product made something quicker. I can pick from a network of proxy servers across the world to actually speed up my browsing whilst encrypting and protecting my identity and data

I surf securely wherever I am, I am not restricted by countries petty censorship when I visit them and I feel in control of my data when I use anonymous surfing software. In fact I showed a colleague how to access UK casinos legitimately using the software when I was working in the States last month (European casinos block US IP addresses mostly from their games). It really feels rather empowering sometimes.

To see which software I use to protect my web browsing - you can read about Identity Cloaker here.

Surf safely, protect your privacy,

Jim

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How to Design Rack Cards That Sell Your Hotel

By James E. O'Brien

The rack card is every hotel's best friend. One simple and inexpensive 4" x 9" rack card can tell your hotel's great story in both pictures and words. Even better, because it is so economical, a rack card can be distributed to many prospective guests without breaking the bank. Finally, rack cards fit into a standard number 10 envelope for easy mailing and, because they're printed on thick, glossy paper, that stands up nice and straight in a display rack.

The rack card concept is great, but how can you make your card stand out from the competition? Here are a few design ideas.

If you are a branded (flag) hotel, your national brand has very strict design guidelines. Their templates for rack cards include headings, type style and size and picture placement. It is very important to adhere to these templates for these reasons.

• Your brand has spent millions of dollars to develop a corporate identity. This is how the public recognizes your hotel brand. By taking the things that are special about your hotel property and placing them in a nationally recognized format, you increase your acceptance and readership.

• Rack cards and other materials that are not designed to brand identity design specifications can cost you points in a quality control inspection.

• Using templates for rack cards decreases your costs, because no new design is necessary.

Independent hotels are not restricted by brand specifications and templates for rack cards are not required, but your hotel rack cards are not the place to let your design person run wild.

Notice the branded rack cards. The front side emphasizes two things -- the hotel name and location, and pictures showcasing the property. The front cover of every rack card design is designed to make a simple sale. It's job is to create a great first impression and motivate people to read the copy on the back!

Let's look at some ways to make that sale. Branded or independent, the name of the hotel property needs to be in a prominent place on the rack card. The city and state is slightly smaller, but close by and easy to read. Save the street address for the back. The type style should be an easy to read serif font with your hotel name and location in bold.

Now that the readers have matched your hotel to an area that is part of their travel plans, the real sale begins. Here is where good pictures will make or break your hotel rack card. Pictures create a visual image of your hotel in the reader's mind. Your job is to design a hotel rack card that creates a positive and welcoming image. A great way to do this is to put people in your hotel rack card pictures. One of my favorites is a picture of a guest checking in to a hotel. The smiling front desk representative makes this a perfect welcome picture. Now, what pictures should be used for your rack card? Simply, the ones that show your hotel in the best possible way and will attract the type of guest that best matches your hotel property demographics. If you want to sell your swimming pool, use a picture of a happy family enjoying the pool rather than a sterile picture of an empty pool. How about a smiling waitress serving a meal in the restaurant?

"Heads in beds" is the hotel mantra. Show your hotel guest room, but design your hotel rack card to include one or more of these scenarios.

A business person working on a lap top computer (sell your Internet connect). How about a happy couple or family enjoying the hotel room. Other options are a person savoring a cup of coffee and the complimentary paper or include a unique piece of furniture like a business class desk or armoire. If the hotel exterior is important, try to include a guest getting out of a car, with luggage, ready to check in. Select pictures that best emphasize the hotel's positives and strengths. To see some examples of pictures that sell, visit our photo enhancement section.

OK, nice idea, you say, but where do I get these great hotel photos? The best way is to have a professional photographer who has experience in taking hotel pictures. The value photographers bring is their ability to correctly light their subject. It's not easy. I've worked with good photographers who can take an hour or so to correctly light a shot. If a photographer doesn't have proper lighting equipment, find someone else. A good professional photographer is not free, but well worth the expense.

If a professional is too costly for your rack card budget, you can do it for free. Consider taking the pictures yourself or find an associate with some photographic expertise. The new digital cameras take great pictures and today's software programs can enhance lighting and sharpness and even take the yellow lines out of your parking lot. If you do this, make sure your rack card printer will enhance your photos, for free, to make sure they look great on your rack card. If they won't enhance or crop the pictures you submit, find someone else. This is not the place to save money on your hotel rack card project.

Now that you have your photos, what is the best way to present them on your rack card? Crop the photographs. It is critical to emphasize the most important element in the picture.

Too many rack card photographs have lots of sky, parking lot, rugs and walls. Cropping eliminates those peripheral items and focuses attention on the main element that will sell your hotel property. Good design is critical to every successful hotel rack card

Use software to enhance the picture quality. Today's programs can correct poor lighting, correct colors and even make a few changes to the actual picture. In just a few minutes, a photo can be changed from unacceptable to wow! If you can't do this yourself, and most hoteliers can't, make sure to find a printer that has expertise in this area and won't charge you an arm or a leg to do the work. This should be a free service.

One last tip. If you are using a digital camera, be sure to set your file size as high as possible. Photographs consist of dots. The more dots, the larger the file. A picture that looks great on your computer monitor may not be very sharp on a rack card because printed pictures need over three times as many dots than computer monitors. All your pictures should have a file size of at least two megabytes. One last thought. Make sure to turn off the date and time stamp on your camera before taking any pictures for your rack card.

Now that your pictures are selling your hotel property, let's turn the rack card over and talk about copy. The back of a rack card is not the place for creative writing. The reader simply wants to read about what your hotel offers. Keep it simple, but write with the guest in mind. Ask yourself two questions. What does the potential guest want to know about your hotel? Write down the answers. Then ask, what's in it for your potential guest to stay at your hotel? The answers to these two questions become your initial copy.

Organize your copy into categories with those that best feature your hotel at or near the top. Categories can be: Location, Accommodations, Special Amenities, Banquets & Meetings, Recreational Facilities, Business Class Services, Shopping, Colleges & Universities, Area Businesses & Attractions, Special Plans.

Write your copy in short, benefit filled phrases with bullets separating the phrases. Space is always tight so perfect sentence structure is helpful, but not required. Once you have written your copy, edit it once and then set it aside. The next day, read it again and make your final edits. It's amazing how much a good night's sleep improves copy. Again, if writing copy is not your cup of tea, find a printer who can. Don't be afraid to edit and change the copy once you actually see it. We change copy for our clients an average of five times per project. Finally, those rack card changes should be free.

A few final notes. Include easy to read and good directions that a stranger could easily follow. Add any logos that would enhance your credibility or prestige. Make sure to have complete address information, including a reservation number (toll free, if possible) at the bottom. Include your web site address. Every hotel should have a web site, even it is a simple one or two page basic site.

If you have followed these steps, you are ready to print a rack card that sells. Best of luck with your next rack card project.

Copy write 2007: The Jamison Group, Inc. article: How to Design Rack Cards that Sell Your Hotel.

James O'Brien is the president of The Jamison Group, Inc. and http://www.innstuff.com In his 25 years of service to the hospitality industry, he has provided sales and marketing advice to regional associations, management companies and individual hotel properties. The Jamison Group and http://www.innstuff.com market a wide variety of printed products to the hospitality industry.

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Bed and Breakfast Booking Software

By Lewis Waller

Looking to learn a bit about bed and breakfast booking software? How can it benefit your establishment? Well needless to say, the archaic pencil and paper method of keeping booking records is a thing of the past... or at least it should be. I couldn't think of a more error prone system if someone paid me to do so.

Picture this... you are off inspecting a couple of rooms, and you get a call from a busy client looking for quick lodging information, so you have to put the person on hold and go all the way back to the front desk, thumb through all the bulky paperwork and look through your booking records, meanwhile the prospective client is waiting for however long that takes. Is this professional service? Will the client still be waiting for you on the phone?

Or how many times has this happened? You have to turn down a potential customer because a previous reservation has been made, only later to find out that the expected client had turned out to be a no show, and worse yet, you find that the reservation wasn't guaranteed! These mishaps as well as others can all be averted with bed and breakfast booking software.

With bed and breakfast booking software on a laptop, you can have all of your records and customer information, cancellations, and everything - instantly accessible, within a fingertip's reach, always constantly updating the new information, and keeping it all on one screen.

Bed and breakfast booking software is also fully customizable, and can be configured for most any language. Certainly it is obviously a great potential benefit to any and all boarding establishments looking to better their business, and make their services of a more professional quality. Why not invest in a bed and breakfast booking software package today?

Need more information on Reservation Software? Reservation Master offers a 30 day free trial of their top-rated software. For a full review of Reservation master and to check out their website head over to http://www.squidoo.com/hotel-reservation-software

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Selecting a Call Accounting Software Package

By Rito Salomone

Call accounting is software or hardware that provides metrics for telephony functions such as traffic analysis, toll fraud alerts, network management and cost allocation to various department. There are countless call accounting vendors that tout their various features and niches. Some specialize in professional bill back, others focus on the unique requirements of hospitality environments and others offer generic solutions for general business requirements.

Call accounting has evolved since early iterations during the dawn of desktop computing. Their popularity remains high as systems grow and adapt to latest billing requirements, computer operating systems and web integration.

Call accounting systems vary in price, performance and functionality. Some of the more elaborate systems integrate ACD reporting, carrier comparisons, grade of service calculations, switch management, equipment inventory and billing integration. Many systems have transformed and boast SQL databases, web browser capability, automated reporting and notification, enterprise reporting and manufacturer compliance.

There are many choices for an average business. It is virtually dependent on your budget and needs to determine a viable solution. Many interconnects and equipment vendors have solidified relationships with call accounting providers. They may be of help if you select and deploy their hardware.

In a professional environment, it may be desirable to have your call accounting transactions automatically integrated with your accounting system. You should ask your vendor whether their call accounting software is compatible.

In a hospitality environment, it is imperative to have flawless integration with your property management system (PMS). Your telephone calls should be allocated to guest folios seamlessly. Many hotels also require billing for conference rooms, internet usage and night audit reporting.

A search of the internet may yield countless results not necessarily in order of price, quality or reputation. You will have to weed through many pages, many demonstration packages and many inquiries to find your solution. You may also find that cost is not necessarily related to quality.

Some call accounting systems are readily available on the web for download or online demonstration. Some of the more elaborate systems require a sign up process.

You should keep in mind that whatever solution you select should be backed by a good maintenance program for software updates, tariffs and inquiries. The software should be available to trial. You should consider installing the software before purchase to determine if it fits your needs. This will give you a good idea about the quality of the software and the company providing the solution.

Discover more about call accounting, internet usage, hotel billing and telephone reporting from Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI).

Rito Salomone is the president of Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI). He has 17 years experience in the field of communication management solutions.

For more information you can review: http://www.telecost.com or contact the author at rsalomone@telecost.com.

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Online Marketing Surveys - Measuring the 4 P's

By Jaime Brugueras

Online surveys are giving marketing professionals dynamic tools to help measure, analyze, and grow their business. The latest Internet survey software provides valuable insights into how customers make decisions. It helps businesses make smarter choices about the four "P's" that determine success in the marketplace: product, price, placement, and promotion.

New Product Surveys: Design, Test, Design

Savvy business owners know that marketing should begin long before their products hit the stores. Marketing should begin with the product itself, and with an in-depth understanding customer's needs and preferences.

Powerful new questionnaire software gives businesses a revealing glimpse into the minds of potential customers. Market research surveys can help a business rethink product design, or maybe just fine tune it a bit. In simple terms, these surveys can help a business give people what they want.

New product surveys try to get at the perceived needs of customers. They ask questions like:

• How much cargo space do you need in your truck?
• How many watts does your backup power supply need to generate?
• How often do your drive on icy roads?

Questions like these can help a business decide if its product line meets the needs of potential customers, or if there are gaps in the line that need to be filled. Questionnaire software allows a business to sort responses by age, gender, location, income and many other variables. This enables a business to target products to the needs of specific market segments.

New product surveys also try to determine the benefits that are most important to customers. Take vitamins as an example. Are customers mainly interested in vitamins that will help them feel better or boost their memory or improve their heart health? Questionnaire software uses sophisticated ranking questions to help isolate the benefits that people care about most.

New product surveys also help a business learn what features are important to customers. If customers show little interest in a particular feature, a business may decide to offer it as an option rather than a standard part of its products. On the other hand, if a feature shows up on a survey as being very popular, a business might decide to include it in all of its products, and emphasize it in its marketing campaign.

Conjoint Analysis: Examine the trade-offs that customers make when purchasing a product

Conjoint analysis serves many purposes in market research, but it is especially useful in making decisions about price. Here's how it works. Suppose a traveler is thinking about booking a hotel room. Two hotels next to each other offer rooms at the same price, but one hotel has an indoor pool and the other does not. If the traveler enjoys swimming, he will probably pick the hotel with the pool, since there is no difference in price.

Our traveler does a little more research and finds that the hotel that does not have a pool offers room service, which sounds wonderfully self-indulgent. Now our traveler has to make a decision. What does he value more, a pool or room service? Suppose our traveler then learns that the hotel with the pool is offering a ten percent discount. Now things are really getting complicated.

Conjoint analysis enables a marketer to examine the trade-offs that customers make in buying a product. It allows a marketer to see which features of a product are most valuable to customers and how much extra they are willing to pay for a particular feature or combination of features. The purpose of conjoint analysis is to determine what combination of variables is most influential in a customer's decision to buy.

Conjoint analysis also helps a marketer set an optimal price for a product. It allows the marketer to see the point at which price outweighs benefits in the consumer's mind. Although this type of analysis sounds complicated, internet survey software makes it simple. The most sophisticated systems enable marketers to create online surveys using an intuitive wizard interface. They present the results of the analysis in a variety of formats that help marketing professionals make informed decisions.

Placement and the Purchase Process

Market research surveys can also provide valuable information about how people prefer to shop. Do they typically buy certain types of products online, or do they prefer to visit a store? If they like to shop in person, do they prefer no-frills discount stores or stores that offer advice and greater customer service? Do they buy from catalogs? If they do, do they mail in their orders or use the catalog to shop online?

The purpose of all these questions is to discover how people feel about the purchasing experience. Sometimes two companies might offer virtually identical products, but one company is much more successful because it provides customers the kind of purchasing experience they find comfortable. For example, some car dealers advertise that they do not haggle over price. They know that some people are uncomfortable with the sort of price negotiations that are common in the car business.

Purchase process surveys need to focus on specific types of products. For example, some people routinely buy DVDs in discount stores, but they would go to an electronics store to buy a DVD player. A well-designed online survey can isolate customers' purchasing preferences for different types of products.

Purchase process surveys can also help businesses improve customer service. For example, a survey might reveal that customers find a business's website difficult to navigate. Businesses can use this type of data to make the purchasing experience more pleasant and convenient for customers.

Promotion: Advertising Effectiveness Surveys

Advertising effectiveness surveys help a business make the most of its advertising budget.

Advertising decisions have become extremely complicated. Many people - especially young people - spend more time online than watching television. But are online ads as effective as TV ads? And if a business decides to use TV ads, which of the hundreds of cable channels should it focus on? And what about the print media and outdoor advertising? What place do they have in a well-planned marketing campaign?

The answers to all these questions are different for different products and for different segments of the market. Marketers need reliable data to make informed decisions about their advertising budgets. Fortunately, online surveys provide an economical way to gather and analyze this information.

An advertising effectiveness survey can determine how consumers react to an ad, what they remember, how they felt afterwards, how the ad can be improved, and if the ad's intention was served. A sequence of surveys can measure brand awareness before, during, and after a campaign. As with other types of online surveys, the results can be analyzed by age, gender, income, and other variables to ensure that ads are reaching the correct demographic group.

Some businesses rely on sales performance to gauge the effectiveness of their advertising. They assume that if they are doing better than their competitors, their ads must be working. This approach ignores the fact that sales are determined by a multitude of factors, including price, quality, and competition. A business may be doing well, but more effective ads could make its performance even better.

Boosting the Bottom Line

Online market research surveys are an inexpensive, economical way to improve every phase of marketing: product design, placement, positioning and promotion. Surveys can tell a business what it is doing wrong or right and how it can do better. An investment in a well-planned online survey can pay for itself many times over in increased sales and a healthier bottom line.

Jaime Brugueras, Ph.D., is founder of Mineful.com, a market research and analysis software that caters both the powerful and occasional user. Mineful's web-based software tools cover a range of marketing applications from data collection to advanced market analysis including segmentation, survey research, and predictive analytics. Sign up for a FREE unlimited time trial at http://www.mineful.com.

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Ten Reasons Why You Need an Online Booking Engine

By Bartholomew Barandon

Give your customers the power to reserve their rooms anytime and anywhere with just a few clicks on your own website. But that is just part of the many advantages of having an online booking engine. The following are ten reasons why you need to integrate direct reservations in your website. So read on.

1. Simplify Your Overall Booking System

With a hotel booking engine, reserving a room will be a lot easier for your guests. Unlike the use of traditional registration cards, filling up forms has never been more convenient with guests typing in personal details and spending a fraction of their time online. The best part is, customer information will be kept permanently online, so guests need not fill the same information every time they check in to your hotel.

2. Provide Hotel Information in Real Time

While face-to-face contact is very important between hoteliers and guests, some aspects like inquiries about availability, room rates, and billings are best handled automatically via online hotel booking solutions. Standard hotel reservation software allows hoteliers and potential guests to view information like room inventory and rates in real time. Minimal or no reconciliations are needed for you to know what is going on in your hotel. Even special offers for specific dates can be tracked in actual time, so no guest will come to you with coupons that have expired already. That's one less hassle for busy hoteliers.

3. Increase Your Direct Sales

If only hoteliers can have their way, they would never allow agencies to eat a portion of the revenues. But alas, accommodation providers need agencies to help boost sales. By using online hotel booking solutions, hotel owners can lessen, if not eliminate their reliance on reservation and ticketing agents. You can take control of reservations directly via your website while third parties gain less and less involvement in your business.

4. Render Instant Confirmation to Guests

A hotel booking engine is designed to furnish instant confirmation for reservations. So while you are spared from checking your records every time a guest reserves a room, your guests do not have to worry whether their bookings are firmly assured or not. Since everything is done online, instant confirmations are offered to guests from anywhere in the globe, 24/7.

5. Enjoy Prompt Sales Transactions

Hotel online booking allows you to make prompt sales by cutting through communication exchanges via faxes, emails or, worse, telephone calls between you and your guests. As all important information about your hotel is posted on your website and reservation interface, you provide your potential guests with a one-stop inquiry shop that will do all the talking for you. So what's left for your guest to do is simply click the reserve button.

6. Create Better Opportunities for Your Hotel

Apart from attaining total control of your business, hotel booking solutions allow you to create more opportunities for your property. Here, you can easily change your rates to become more competitive in your market. You can even offer best value packages and hot deals without the need to please travel or ticketing agencies.

7. Effectively Manage Seasonality

Dealing with seasonality is part of managing a hotel. But the changing of particular periods in a year should not translate to zero bookings. Data that can be automatically gathered from your booking engine can allow you to come up with competitive rates based on your locality's seasonal changes. With a few mouse clicks, you can set your sights to the right guests for the current season. You can even come up with special rates exclusively for online bookings and widen your market categories with multi-tiered pricing.

8. Reduce Marketing Costs

Online booking solution providers often bundle their services with hotel Internet marketing. With online-based marketing campaigns, you can significantly reduce your costs. Imagine your hotel website being viewed by millions of Internet users or potential guests without you spending on expensive brochures and mailing. Because of this you can even aim to compete with bigger hotels in your area without necessarily matching their marketing budget.

9. Become More Visible To the World

Some hotel booking engines come with Internet marketing modules that help promote your hotel using up-to-date online marketing techniques. These allow your website to become more visible to potential guests who are searching for the right hotel. With online marketing techniques, you can say that customers will come to you instead of the other way around.

10. Set Your Business Free

With hotel online reservations, you can set your business free from the burdens of having to allot rooms and fix rates for travel agencies. In fact, you do not need to be bound by long-term contracts with agencies anymore, unless of course you really need their services.

Truly, with all the advantages of having online booking solutions, you have a better chance of gaining guest loyalty and improved revenues. Think of direct reservation software as your tool for revving up your bottom line, without the usual headaches.

Bartholomew Barandon is a researcher and online journalist for DirectWithHotels, a company which specializes in making direct online reservations easy for accommodation providers. For more information, visit http://www.directwithhotels.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bartholomew_Barandon

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Using Worldly Software Packages

By Anna Stenning

Working in the Travel industry has many benefits to list such as discount prices for travelling abroad as well as a decent pay package and being sent abroad on business all expenses paid. However, there is more to travel work than just fancy rewards and getting a chance to work on your tan. For example, knowing the technical side of using specific software packages for booking and reserving flights. These software packages have aided the travel industry and are available for people looking to be trained in using them regularly.

Courses consist of Amadeus, Sabre, Worldspan and Galileo training. All of these packages are all major Computer Reservation System (CRS), which come under a Global Distribution Systems (GDS). These were once owned by airlines, but have since divested them onto GDS companies. Many of these systems are now available to consumers via the internet, for gateways into hotel booking, car hire and other services including booking airline tickets.

Galileo and Worldspan

Galileo training courses teach you the basics of using this software package. Galileo was founded in 1971 under the name Apollo Reservation System, by United Airlines. Worldspan was created in the early 1990's by Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines and Trans World Airlines, to sells its services to travel agencies worldwide. Due to the high market of Sabre and Apollo both Worldspan and Galileo were created in an attempt to gain shares in the CRS market. Both these CRS are owned by Travelport GDS business.

Worldspan and Galileo training consist of airline reservations, automated fares and ticketing, car hire and hotel booking. Training with these packages will provide the individual the ability to gain a first class or premium customer service in the travel industry.

Sabre and Amadeus

Amadeus was founded in 1987 by the alliance of Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia Airlines, and Scandinavian Airlines System. Sabre was formed during the 1950s when American Airlines were facing problems with their previous system which was done manually. The process used cards to determine which seats were taken on the plane and then writing up the tickets, which was time consuming.

The Sabre system was originally used by AA, it was then moved across to travel agents in 1976. Now the system connects over 30,000 travel agents, 3 million consumers with over 400 airlines, large number of railways, tour, companies, ferries, cruise lines, 35,000 hotels and 50 car rental companies.

Before the creation of computer reservation systems, flight reservation was done by hand and passengers were few in numbers compared to the number of passengers today. The process was lengthy and costly, hence the creation of Sabre made the process of flight reservation simpler and easier.

Anna Stenning is an expert on Galileo training and has a better insight into the world of travel. For more information on travel courses click on http://www.onlinetraveltraining.co.uk/galileo-training

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Stenning

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Information Technology in the Hospitality Industry

By Nick Nikolis

Traditionally, hotels were largely dependent on cards and paperwork at the front desk to keep in touch with old and current customers. They were largely at the mercy of the desires of vacationers to arrive, and on their own efforts and staff to be ready for potential surges or long droughts of occupancy. Luckily, such inconvenience and old-fashioned methods are long since past, thanks to advances in information technology.

The first area in which information technology became important was in regards to billing. Old-fashioned paper-based book-keeping was time consuming and inefficient, and was not able to quickly tell a hotel owner what the situation of their hotel was. Luckily, advances in modern record keeping allow for a hotel owner to keep track of what they have on hand, how much of it they have, and how much it costs. Accounting is complicated, but advanced accounting software, especially that tailored to the unique needs of the hospitality industry, helps to enable hotel owners to make smart decisions. Services and products that are no longer used can be quickly cut off to save money, while those who show demand can be increased in quantity or modified so as to reduce the heavy usage.

Most hotels are familiar with booking rooms and reservations over the phone, but information technology has expanded well beyond that. Hotels can now work with various online travel companies and booking services to have their rooms booked online, with no need to employ expensive staff. This also allows a hotel to advertise their open rooms and special deals directly to persons who would be most likely to purchase them, instead of wasting lots of money advertising in an unfocused manner. High quality information technology thus allows for better arrangement and management of bookings in order to allow a hotel to better maximize occupancy, and to know in advance when large groups or lean times are approaching. This allows a hotel manager to make plans regarding temporary staff, good times to renovate or expand, or other concerns, because he/she can determine the state of their hotel currently and for the next few months with only a few clicks on the computer.

The advances in information technology extend well beyond booking, however. The internet is essential for vacationers who wish to contact those back home, and for those traveling on business to get in touch with the office. Therefore, wireless internet has become a very common and very useful service for hotels to provide. Many business minded persons even require that a hotel offer internet services so that they can keep working while on the road. Luckily, such services are easy to provide, as all that is required is a wireless router and various devices to ensure the entire hotel is filled with the network. Modern advances in wireless internet also allow for the wireless internet provided for hotel visitors to be used to network the hotel itself. Security cameras, door locks, and other devices essential to hotel security and safety can be wired into the network, so that staff are alerted whenever a door is propped open, a fire alarm goes off or suspicious activity occurs. Though the hotel guests are wholly unaware of it, this sort of added safety and security keeps them safe, and in the event of a problem they will most certainly appreciate the benefits of such a system.

As advanced as it is, information technology in the hospitality industry is still going forward. Intelligent booking systems enable rapid and efficient guest feedback, along with the ability to predict who is likely to use the hotel again and inform them via e-mail or text messages when good deals arrive. Hotels with room service or other guest services can offer their menus online, allowing for quick updates, high-quality photos, and other ways to allow guests to see and order services before they even arrive. There are also advances in terms of payroll and inventory which make information technology a valuable asset for saving money and maximizing profits. The unique nature of the hospitality industry makes it a great place for new and emerging information technology, and forward-thinking hotel owners and managers are always looking for smart equipment and software to invest in.

Nick Nikolis is working in Atlantica Hotels and Resorts as It manager in Rhodos. Atlantica Hotels and Resorts is a Europe Hotels chain currently offering lodging services in Cyprus Greece and Egypt. Check here Greece Hotels and Cyprus Hotels.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Nikolis

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