Tips on Using Blogs in Your Home Business Website

F.Y.I. Some websites need to be 'fun' because that's what their target audience is looking for. But every business website needs to be professional�even fun or crafty ones.

A trend that has been growing on the web is the use of blogs. These may be quite useful in your home business since e-mail applications including newsletters have been hard hit in recent year due to UCE (unsolicited commercial e-mail) or spam. Blogs are a content delivery method which might eventually replace commercial e-mail to a certain degree.

As a matter of fact, a blogs may contain any content that you want. By using them to help promote your home business you are accessing an entirely new audience. Getting a blog going is not really that hard. Blogger(owned by google) might just be the best way.

Tblog is also a free service, and paid ones include salon dot com and the blogging network. Tripod offers a free blog builder and hosting service as well. It was one of the first such free services, yet may be inferior to some services in certain respects. You can also use software applications if you want to to create a more personalized blog for your home business.

F.Y.I. Every time you do, you will increase your home business website's pagerank and link popularity that much more.

One of the big advantages of using a blog is that they tend to get good search engine posititioning due to interlinking and their inherent content. Search Engines know that most blogs are updated on a regular basis. Blogs have brought in a whole new texture to the media relations world because bloggers are often seen as opinion leaders and such.

Topic specific blogs have become a kind of "speaker's corner" for the internet due to their relevency. Area specific blogs can also be a useful resource. You might want to set up a city based blog. Or a blog that covers certain topics or news effecting a certain state or other geographical location. Blogs can also be a source of news for subjects not covered by the mainstream media. You could use blogs to either promote your home business directly or use the traffic to promote an affiliate program like Google adwords to set up another stream of income.

F.Y.I. So, do not think that just because you have a small business website that it is working hard for you. Just like any other employee, you have to keep paying month after month for it to be productive.

Once you have your blog up and running, there are a number of superb resources that you can use to promote it. Blog-city is a blog search engine and directory, blogsearchengine.com, blogwise (paid) and bloghop dot com(paid). Using blogs effectively can certainly improve the internet marketing results for your home business! For additional home business tips go to Home Business Match.com and look at the free reprint original home business article archive there.

Ryan Joseph is writer of home business and other topics. More info at http://www.home-business-match.com and http://www.aaronsfreebies.com/

Get Free Web Content From ArticleBuilder.net

The Telephone - A Brief History

History 1876 � Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, beating Elisha Gray by a matter of hours.

During the 1870's, two well known inventors both independently designed devices that could transmit sound along electrical cables. Those inventors were Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray. Both devices were registered at the patent office within hours of each other. There followed a bitter legal battle over the invention of the telephone, which Bell subsequently won.

The telegraph and telephone are very similar in concept, and it was through Bell's attempts to improve the telegraph that he found success with the telephone.

The telegraph had been a highly successful communication system for about 30 years before Bell began experimenting. The main problem with the telegraph was that it used Morse code, and was limited to sending and receiving one message at a time. Bell had a good understanding about the nature of sound and music. This enabled him to perceive the possibility of transmitting more than one message along the same wire at one time. Bell's idea was not new, others before him had envisaged a multiple telegraph. Bell offered his own solution, the "Harmonic Telegraph". This was based on the principal that musical notes could be sent simultaneously down the same wire, if those notes differed in pitch.

History 1888 � Common battery system developed by Hammond V. Hayes, allows one central battery to power all telephones on an exchange, rather than relying on each units own battery.

By the latter part of 1874 Bell's experiment had progressed enough for him to inform close family members about the possibility of a multiple telegraph. Bell's future father in law, attorney Gardiner Green Hubbard saw the opportunity to break the monopoly exerted by the Western Union Telegraph Company. He gave Bell the financial backing required for him to carry on his work developing the multiple telegraph. However Bell failed to mention that he and his accomplice, another brilliant young electrician Thomas Watson, were developing an idea which occurred to him during the summer. This idea was to create a device that could transmit the human voice electrically.

History 1955 � Saw the beginning of the laying of transatlantic telephone cables.

Bell and Watson continued to work on the harmonic telegraph at the insistence of Hubbard and a few other financial backers. During March 1875 Bell met with a man called Joseph Henry without the knowledge of Hubbard. Joseph Henry was the respected director of the Smithsonian Institution. He listened closely to Bell's ideas and offered words of encouragement. Both Bell and Watson were spurred on by Henry's opinions and continued their work with even greater enthusiasm and determination. By June 1875 they realised their goal of creating a device that could transmit speech electrically would soon be realised. Their experiments had proven different tones would vary the strength of an electric current in a wire.

Now all they had to do was build a device with a suitable membrane capable of turning those tones into varying electronic currents and a receiver to reproduce the variations and turn them back into audible format at the other end. In early June, Bell discovered that while working on his harmonic telegraph, he could hear a sound over the wire. It was the sound of a twanging clock spring. It was on March 10th 1876 that Bell was to finally realise the success and communications potential of his new device. The possibilities of being able to talk down an electrical wire far outweighed those of a modified telegraph system, which was essentially based on just dots and dashes.

History 1911 � American Telephone and Telegraph (AT & T) acquire the Western Union Telegraph Company in a hostile takeover. They purchased stocks in the company covertly and the two eventually merged.

According to Bell's notebook entry for that date, he describes his most successful experiment using his new piece of equipment, the telephone. Bell spoke to his assistant Watson, who was in the next room, through the instrument and said "Mr Watson, come here, I want to speak to you".

Alexander Graham Bell was born on 3rd March 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His family were leading authorities in elocution and speech correction. He was groomed and educated to follow a career in the same speciality. By the age of just 29 in 1876 he had invented and patented the telephone. His thorough knowledge of sound and acoustics helped immensely during the development of his telephone, and gave him the edge over others working on similar projects at that time. Bell was an intellectual of quality rarely found since his death. He was a man always striving for success and searching for new ideas to nurture and develop.

History 1918 � It was estimated that approximately ten million Bell system telephones were in service throughout the U.S.

The telephone - important dates

1. 1874 - Principal of the telephone was uncovered.

2. 1876 - Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, beating Elisha Gray by a matter of hours.

3. 1877 - The very first permanent outdoor telephone wire was completed. It stretched a distance of just three miles. This was closely followed in the U.S. by the worlds first commercial telephone service.

4. 1878 - The workable exchange was developed, which enabled calls to be switched between subscribers rather than having direct lines.

History 1877 � The very first permanent outdoor telephone wire was completed. It stretched a distance of just three miles.

5. 1879 - Subscribers began to be designated by numbers and not their names.

6. 1880's - Long distance service expanded throughout this period using metallic circuits.

7. 1888 - Common battery system developed by Hammond V. Hayes, allows one central battery to power all telephones on an exchange, rather than relying on each units own battery.

History 1874 � Principal of the telephone was uncovered.

8. 1891 - First automatic dialling system invented by a Kansas City undertaker. He believed that crooked operators were sending his potential customers elsewhere. It was his aim to get rid of the operators altogether.

9. 1900 - First coin operated telephone installed in Hartford, Connecticut.

10. 1904 - "French Phone" developed by the Bell Company. This had the transmitter and receiver in a simple handset.

11. 1911 - American Telephone and Telegraph (AT & T) acquire the Western Union Telegraph Company in a hostile takeover. They purchased stocks in the company covertly and the two eventually merged.

History 1936 � Research into electronic telephone exchanges began and was eventually perfected in the 1960's with the electronic switching system (SES).

12. 1918 - It was estimated that approximately ten million Bell system telephones were in service throughout the U.S.

13. 1921 - The switching of large numbers of calls was made possible through the use of phantom circuits. This allowed three conversations to take place on two pairs of wires.

14. 1927 - First transatlantic service from New York to London became operational. The signal was transmitted by radio waves.

15. 1936 - Research into electronic telephone exchanges began and was eventually perfected in the 1960's with the electronic switching system (SES).

16. 1946 - Worlds first commercial mobile phone service put into operation. It could link moving vehicles to a telephone network via radio waves.

History 1946 � Worlds first commercial mobile phone service put into operation. It could link moving vehicles to a telephone network via radio waves.

17. 1947 - Microwave radio technology used for the first time for long distance phone calls.

18. 1947 - The transistor was invented at Bell laboratories.

19. 1955 - Saw the beginning of the laying of transatlantic telephone cables.

20. 1962 - The worlds first international communications satellite, Telstar was launched.

History 1900 � First coin operated telephone installed in Hartford, Connecticut.

21. 1980's - The development of fibre optic cables during this decade, offered the potential to carry much larger volumes of calls than satellite or microwaves.

22. 1980's, 1990's, to present - Huge advances in micro electronic technology over the last two decades have enabled the development of cellular (mobile) phones to advance at a truly astonishing rate. A cellular (mobile) phone has its own central transmitter allowing it to receive seamless transmissions as it enters and exits a cell.

Phone Save on phone. Compare products, prices and stores.

Some people believe the impact of the telephone has had on our lives is negative. Whatever your beliefs, it is un-doubtable that the invention and development of the telephone has had a massive impact on the way we live our lives and go about our every day business.

Search for Phone Find the number you need with our free search. Reverse searches too.

Thanks for reading. Please take the time to rate the above article at the bottom of this page.

********************************************************************************* Jason Morris is co-author, search engine optimization and marketing consultant of Business Phone Systems Direct. An established communications company, offering advice and implementation of high quality business phone systems. *********************************************************************************

Get Free Articles From ArticleBuilder.net

Choosing an Answering Service: Part I

Tip! An answering service can be used to process applications and schedule appointments. These tasks can also lead to more sales.

What does it take to create an amazing call center? Many businesses have tried answering services and been turned off for reasons ranging from they don't understand my business to pricing issues to rude operators. But, the reality is, small business owners need a break from their business. Finding an efficient live operator answering service to answer calls is a priceless commodity. Throughout this article, I will highlight a few necessities business owners should look into before committing to a service.

First, and most important, test out the answering service before you commit to any contracts. Many services offer a free trial period…one word - "priceless". The only way to know if a service will work for you is to test them out. Watch out for services that offer a trial then have long contracts you must sign. This is reminiscent of a "bait & switch tactic". Services will answer your phones amazingly during the trial, get you to sign a long contract, and then drop the ball. Bad news is, you're locked in to a horrible service.

Tip! Joel Meadowridge is a writer for We Answer where you can find a telephone answering service that delivers superior service for an affordable price.

This brings up the second point, watch out for long contracts. Many answering services are known to switch owners often and hire grossly incompetent operators which result in a serious disruption of quality services. The ideal answering service contract is on a month-to-month term. This forces the call center to be in the hot seat every month. If you have a problem, leave them without penalty.

Thirdly, ask for references. Make sure you get at least 3 references and make sure those references vary by industry. This will prove if the answering service is able to adequately manage calls for many industries. Don't be shy to ask these references the questions most important to you, for instance, 1) how are their hold times, 2) how is their customer service, 3) Are there hidden charges, 4) how long have you been a customer, etc. Also, make sure you call these references after hours so you can see how they manage calls first hand for other businesses.

Tip! A telephone answering service is comprised of a group of individuals who are trained in customer service. Their job is to answer phone calls when someone else can't.

Fourth, price is NOT paramount. More often than not, the cheaper the answering service, the worse the service is. Imagine if you have a $15.00 an hour employee compared to a $6.00 an hour employee. Who do you think will care about your calls more? Which employee is more dedicated to their job? Which employee is "job" oriented, and which one is "career" oriented? Along the same vein, it is not a bad idea to ask what the average operator gets paid.

If you are looking at a few answering services and the price is right for one but the service is more impressive with the other, go for the more expensive service. Remember, main goal of using an answering service is to expand your business. If you have an unreliable service, regardless of how much money you believe they are saving you in the short run, they are ultimately costing you thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

Todd Cardin is the regional sales manager for Specialty Answering Service's Philadelphia office (http://www.specialtyansweringservice.net). This article may be reproduced as long as it remains intact.

Get Free Articles From ArticleBuilder.net

Do You Need An Answering Service?

Tip! Ira Spere is a writer for EFLS . com where you will discover a wealth of resources on an answering service and other related information.

It is nothing short of annoying when a person does not have an answering service. Let's face it. In this day and age, everyone should be able to manage at least an answering machine, right? When it comes to business transactions, it is even more important to have some sort of answering service available to your customers.

Whether they are calling in with orders or calling in to answer questions, you need to have the proper tools for the job and that includes a well qualified answering service.

But, how do you find something that will work for your specific needs? For example, if you need an answering service that is able to make and take appointments for you, then you need someone live on the other end to do this work for you as well as software to help them fit the appointments into your schedule, right?

No, you may be able to find and hire an answering service that simply conveys this information back to your secretary or to you and tells the individuals that are calling that you will call to confirm the information.

Tip! Because a live answering service can do so much more for you than just take messages, choosing which company to work with is a critical decision. Most live answering services are available nationwide and have their own websites where you can check out their specific packages and prices.

There are many set ups for these answering services. You have software programs that can virtually do all the work for you. You have a wealth of live people to call on in various situations as well in organizations and companies that do the work, live, around the clock.

Depending on the quality that you need and the specifics that you are looking for, you'll have the ability to find just the right type of answering service for your needs in no time. Even better is the simple fact that you can find these options ready and waiting for you right here on the web. It is great to know that answering services are able to take care of your business when you are not.

Tip! Others types of answering services include paging services and answering machines. They operate differently, but allow prospective clients and service providers to communicate.

for more information please see http://www.answering-service-help.co.uk

Get Free Web Content From ArticleBuilder.net

Listening to Audible Books with MP3 Audio

By 12buyonline.com

Tip! After iPod innovated and converted millions of people worldwide into early adopters of the mp3 player concept, dozens of companies got onto the band wagon to come out with their own versions of mp3 players.

At Audible, you can purchase high-quality MP3 audio files of your favorite books, which you can then listen to in a variety of ways. For instance, you can play the files directly from your computer; you can transfer the files to a portable MP3 player such as the popular Apple iPod; or you can burn the files to CD in order to listen to them in your car or on your home stereo system.

Although you can purchase audio books without formally joining Audible, they offer several different membership plans that will save you money if you do decide to sign up. For example, one of the plans allows you to choose one audio book per month and one periodical subscription per month for a much lower price than you would pay for the products as a nonmember.

You can use your monthly selection for any book in the Audible library, from the newest bestsellers to the oldest classics. No titles are off limits or restricted, and there are no hidden fees associated with the monthly plans. In addition, you can rollover your credits from month to month, which means you won't lose out if you occasionally forget to make your selection.

Tip! Winamp seemed to have all that I wanted and much more. While it could comfortably play the mp3 music that I got off the net, it also came with options like skins and frequency enhancements that made it seem both cool and functionally updated.

It usually takes people a little while to get used to listening to books rather than reading them. But once you get the hang of it, you'll love the flexibility it gives you. The biggest advantage of listening to audio books from Audible is that you'll be able to multitask all day long. You can put your headphones on and enjoy your novel while you work out at the gym, or you can listen in your car as you sit in traffic. The bottom line is that you'll be much more productive with your time and you'll have a chance to indulge in great literature no matter how busy you are.

If this program sounds good to you, signing up is a simple matter of filling out an online registration form on the Audible website. There are often special incentives for new members, so be sure to take advantage of those if you can. Once you discover how convenient it is to listen to audio books, you might never want to go back to regular books again!

If you're like most people, then your daily life is often too hectic and chaotic to allow for things like relaxing with a good book. Who has time to read when you need to get the kids ready for school, run errands, go to work, cook dinner, and clean the house, right? I used to be in that exact same position and would go for months at a time without reading a single page of a novel -- until a friend told me about the Audible website and the great services they provide for book addicts like you and me.

Get Free Articles From ArticleBuilder.net

VegaStream - Connecting VoIP to Existing Telephone Systems

History 1888 � Common battery system developed by Hammond V. Hayes, allows one central battery to power all telephones on an exchange, rather than relying on each units own battery.

A misconception because after all, VoIP and Internet Telephony use a completely different signalling system to traditional telephony. Therefore a different device must be required to convert those signals into the sounds that make up a telephone conversation. However, it is now possible to install a device; a VoIP gateway between the IP network and existing phone systems that converts the signalling from one to the other.

The VoIP gateway has two distinct roles. The first is to convert the signal so that a person using an IP device can talk to one on a traditional TDM device and vice versa. The second role is to manage the network signalling and routing.

History 1936 � Research into electronic telephone exchanges began and was eventually perfected in the 1960's with the electronic switching system (SES).

For example, all IP devices, including phones, have an IP address while traditional telephones, even extensions on a company phone system, have their traditional telephone number. If a company has connected its traditional telephone system to an IP network, then incoming calls from the IP network will be looking for an IP address. The gateway's job is to recognise the traditional telephone to which that IP address has been allocated and route the call accordingly.

History 1874 � Principal of the telephone was uncovered.

This is just one simple example. Professional-class VoIP gateways, will translate all the sophisticated functions that have been developed in the traditional phone systems such as call forwarding and conferencing.

The better VoIP gateways also feature "pass through". This function recognises the fact that for all its functional advantages and ability to save money, IP telephony is susceptible to catastrophic failure. For example, IP telephony requires a discrete power source, unlike the phones that will keep working even when the lights are turned off. For emergencies, therefore, an enterprise will want to keep at least one phone in each premise attached to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). For example with VegaStream's "pass through" this phone is connected the IP network until that network fails at which time it automatically connects to the PSTN.

History 1900 � First coin operated telephone installed in Hartford, Connecticut.

The Benefits

Cost

With a VoIP gateway, a company can make telephone calls between sites at no cost using the IP data wide area network that it has installed to connects its computer systems. It can also use a gateway to connect its existing telephone systems to an Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP). ITSP's use the Internet to radically reduce customers' telephone bills. In both scenarios, employees would use their telephones as normal. There is no training costs, just a significant reduction in the phone bill.

History 1876 � Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, beating Elisha Gray by a matter of hours.

Flexibility

Enterprises are beginning to recognise the advantages of a fully converged communications solution. This is where all electronic communications - voice, data, video, instant messaging and email - all pass over a single network. This technology allows for highly efficient and content rich collaboration and interaction and is becoming the de facto standard in customer facing contact centres.

However, while there may be a strong business case for converged communications in the contact centre, the same may not be said for the broader organisation where the significant costs of the existing telephone system may yet to be written off. In these scenarios, the VoIP gateway will provide the solution for a company that wants to make a partial, and gradual, commitment to new converged technology, for example the company can mix and match traditional and IP telephone systems yet all use the telephones as usual.

History 1946 � Worlds first commercial mobile phone service put into operation. It could link moving vehicles to a telephone network via radio waves.

The VoIP gateway is the essential bridge between today's telephone system and the future of converged communications.

Formed in 1998, VegaStream is one of the most experienced players in the industrial VoIP market. The company supplies gateway CPE to both traditional telecommunications carriers and the new generation of Internet telephony service providers. VegaStream also serves the enterprise market through a global network of distributors and resellers supported by regional offices in the UK, USA and Australia. VegaStream is a non-listed UK company. Investors include the management team, Pace Micro Technology PLC and MTI Partners.

http://www.vegastream.com

Get Free Web Content From ArticleBuilder.net

Telephone Tips, Techniques and Etiquette

History 1888 - Common battery system developed by Hammond V. Hayes, allows one central battery to power all telephones on an exchange, rather than relying on each units own battery.

Whether using the telephone for business or personal use, using this communication tool effectively means being timely, communicating clearly and having the other person's interest in mind.

1 - Plan and schedule your telephone calls so that you can allow time for off-track discussions. If you plan a 10:30am telephone call "schedule" it like you might schedule a face to face meeting: a little extra time, particularly for those you know like to talk!

2 - At the beginning of your call, mention you know you can cover the points needed within time enough for you to make your next appointment, at a stated time. Then as you want to wind up the conversation you can backtrack to restate the appointment you mentioned. Or, you may find that someone will remind you, "Oh, you have to get on to that appointment, right?"

3 - Maybe you prefer to wait until you are into the conversation before needing to ask for an exit. As you near time to say goodbye and find it difficult to end, try saying, "Oh my gosh, I have a long distance call I need to take. Can you hold while I take it?" Your customer or friend will likely say the conversation can pick up later. And, once again, it is the other person who ends the call.

4 - If you have to leave a voice mail, certain elements are important to include: your name, when you are calling, a brief message about your purpose, and a telephone number to return the call to you. If you work in a staffed office and there's another extension of someone as an alternate contact, leave his or her name and extension as well. This last point is being considerate of the other person's time.

5 - When leaving a voice mail make it easy for the person who is taking and likely writing down this information. First, you can say the number slowly by area code, exchange and last digits. For example, say it just as you might write it in the United States: 777-555-1234. Alternately, or even in addition to the divided method, you can repeat your telephone number a second time. Or, you can combine both methods!

6 - Your outgoing message (om) is as important to etiquette as the message you leave when you are the caller. For business protocol it's wise to identify yourself by name. At home, if you want more security, you may want to just state, "You have reached, 777-555-1234." In either environment, state for the caller to leave their name, telephone number and a brief message. If you include the date, "Monday, February 21st," in your om, be certain you change it everyday. If you ever have anyone run out of time with leaving his or her message, you may also want to include, "and there is a 30 second (or whatever time) for your brief message."

7 - The cliché that "time is money," is particularly true for the working person. That we all have the same amount of time is true for everyone. Return your telephone calls on a timely basis, within 24 hours is professional and considerate in either a business or personal setting. Try one of these tips next time you find yourself wanting to be in charge of the telephone.

History 1876 - Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, beating Elisha Gray by a matter of hours.

Copyright© Patricia Weber, http://www.prostrategies.com.

Pat Weber is a coach, certified telelcass leader, and corporate trainer. With her incisive, effective communication skills, her services can help you to accelerate professional and personal results you want, by helping you increase your choices and build your self-confidence. With personal coaching, a teleclass, an online email course or on-site workshop, get what you want, more easily and more often. Visit her website at http://www.prostrategies.com. Contact her for a free coaching session.

Get Free Web Site Content From ArticleBuilder.net

Domain Names For Sale

Tip! ) Use Keyword rich domain names - Assemble a list of action keywords that can serve as a dmain name or use a combination of keywords (example: killbugsfast.com).

A domain name is a distinctive group of characters or numbers that is assigned to an Internet website. If you want to expand your business on the web, you have to buy a suitable domain name. Thus you can develop a worldwide clientele. Potential customers will be able to access you easily. Web visitors are the lifelines of the online businesses. Domain names give them the power to attract more and more visitors. The demand for domain names is always on a high. So is the popularity of domain registration companies.

Whether you own an online shopping mart, mortgage lending service or insurance service, the domain registration companies will offer you relevant names. Those who are selling software and vacation packages can also earn greater exposure by opting for suitable domain names. If you search the Internet extensively, you will also find some domain names that are already listed on major search engines with plum positions. Those sites attract huge amount of traffic on a regular basis. So, it will be easier for you to spread your business on the web with them. You will find various domain names capable of taking your mission further by garnering more and more traffic.

The first step to stay ahead on the web is to find out some exquisite domain names at affordable prices. After all, it's all about making everyone aware of your online existence. In this era of cutthroat competition, you need to have a relevant and effective domain name to back you up. The domain names should match your objectives so as to flourish on the web. The job is challenging, no doubt. But with a powerful and effective domain name, you will be able to achieve your goal. The personal and business website owners should opt for the best domain names without any delay to seize the initiative.

Domain Names For Sale provides detailed information on Domain Names For Sale, Business Domain Names For Sale, Cheap Domain Names For Sale, Top Level Domain Names For Sale and more. Domain Names For Sale is affiliated with Free Domain Name Searches.

Get Free Articles From ArticleBuilder.net

Meridian Phone Madness: How to Identify Your Meridian Telephone

By Bob Mrozinski

History 1876 � Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, beating Elisha Gray by a matter of hours.

Meridian means many things to many people. When people tell me they have a Meridian phone, they feel like they have fully identified their product and that our discussion can spring forward from there. Not so.

Unfortunately, Nortel and Northern Telecom used 'Meridian' across much of their product line. If you have a Northern Telecom or Nortel phone system in your office, it may say Meridian on it. You still need to figure out what the real model number is as well as what system it is running on.

Nortel Networks, Nortel and Northern Telecom have made Central Office phone switches that provide phone lines, Centrex, T-1's, and PRI's. They also make Norstar and Meridian phone systems for business offices.

History 1888 � Common battery system developed by Hammond V. Hayes, allows one central battery to power all telephones on an exchange, rather than relying on each units own battery.

Identifying your phone is the first thing you need to when you want to expand your system or replace a bad phone.

Look at the bottom of the telephone for a model number such as M7324, M7310, M7208, M7100, T7316, T7316e or T7100. Any of these identify it as part of a Norstar phone system.

Meridian, Option One and SL-1 PBX's have phones such as M2008, M2616D, M3901, M3902, M3903, M3904 and M3905. Nortel and Aastra also have Meridian phones. Some of these are M5316, M5208, M5008, M5312, M5216, M5212, M5209, M5112, M5009, M9417CW, M9316CW, M9110, M9116, M9120, M8004, M8009, and M8314.

History 1936 � Research into electronic telephone exchanges began and was eventually perfected in the 1960's with the electronic switching system (SES).

If you don't find model number, look for the part #. It will almost always begin with NT for Nortel or Northern Telecom or an A if it's Aastra. This is followed by several more alphanumeric characters.

History 1874 � Principal of the telephone was uncovered.

Remember, Meridian labelled phones may be on a Norstar system, a Meridian PBX or as part of your Centrex.

I hope this helps you identify your Meridian phone.

Bob Mrozinski

Owner of Applied Voice and Data, a broker of refurbished and new business phone system equipment from many manufacturers. Bob's eighteen years in the phone industry are mostly on the sales side. By visiting with customers in person and on the phone for so long, he has acquired a knack for honing in on what a customer really needs to make real world applications work.

History 1918 � It was estimated that approximately ten million Bell system telephones were in service throughout the U.S.

http://www.avdphonesystems.com/

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

Get Free Web Site Content From ArticleBuilder.net

Why Your Business Need a Website

F.Y.I. Wishing you success in advertising your Internet Business Website.

Web Presence gives your business a distince edge over your competitors, especially when you want to expand your current customer base.

For exmaple, if Jane wants to find a real estate agent but she does not know who is the best in her area. Then she goes to the yellow book to find out the potential agent she wants to go to. If you have a website address besides you name, she will go to your website to find out whether you are the best agent for her.

A web presence alows your potential client to get to know you and your service better than a small ad. This in turn means a confident and less riskly feeling about making a decision to have a business with you. If your competitors do not have such kind of web option, you are in a much better postion to win customers.

2) You can build good relationship with customers by sending them your expert newsletters or articles. Turn your site into an information resources, the trust and benefit you give will help you generate more customers

F.Y.I. Keep in mind that your business website should be a place that represents your business in the proper way. Most businesses can do more harm than good when elements of flash and heavy elements are introduced into their website just for the sake of being there.

3) You can generate income from global visitors

Think Local and think Global!

If you want to find out which resource is reliable, and can help you build a successfull website without knowing HTML at all - pull more profits for your business, you can visit the resources page at http://www.best-internet-businesses.com. Or visit http://www.bizmarketingtools.com. They both offer online website builder which reqires no HTML knowledge.

In addtion, search engine comes to local already. Google and Overture have added local search function already. If you are not on thier search list, you miss a lot of potential customers.

F.Y.I. Every time you do, you will increase your home business website's pagerank and link popularity that much more.

Web presence is affordable, just less than $1 a day, you will get unlimited income and benefit!

Julia Tang publishes Smart Online Business Tips, a fresh and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people like you! To find out the best online business opportunities, and to discover hundreds more proven and practical internet marketing secrets, plus FREE internet marketing products worth over $200, visit: http://www.best-internet-businesses.com

F.Y.I. The successful marketing of your business website should NOT be taken lightly.

Note: Feel free to publish it with the resource box and content unchanged

Get Free Web Site Content From ArticleBuilder.net

Answering Message Service

Tip! Contractors and medical professionals are just a few of the many individuals who can benefit from an answering service. Other business professionals that can benefit from using an answering service may include, but are not limited to, attorneys, insurance agents, home health care providers, and government workers.

Doing business today without the assistance of an answering message service, also known as an answering service, is next to impossible. The answering message service of your choice may be automated, like an answering machine, or can be a bank of live operators at an offsite location. When callers reach a business without an answering message service, the experience can be very irritating. Customers usually do not want to call a business and reach just an answering machine or voicemail system.

They want to speak to a live voice that will be able to answer their questions and assist them with their business needs. ‘Round-the-clock customer calls in a global market make it necessary for all kinds of companies and organizations to hire some form of answering message service. In order to respond to customer orders, client questions or solicitations, businesses need the right set of tools in order to be ready for the task. A professional answering message service is the most important item in your organization's administrative support toolkit.

Tip! The telephone remains a reliable source for finding providers of any service, answering services being no different. The printed Yellow Pages carry a lot of advertisements from these companies.

Choosing the right answering message service depends on the type of service your business needs. Most companies need a live operator answering their calls. Some type of software also needs to be present so that the operator answering the telephone call will be able to relay the correct information to your callers.

The most common form of answering message service comes in the form of a physical call center that offers live operators to answer your forwarded calls. Answering message service companies may also offer voicemail as well as the purchase of additional local or toll free telephone numbers for your business at an additional cost. Some answering message services also provide access to customized vanity toll free telephone numbers, depending on what number and letter combinations are available on the open market.

These companies provide a variety of ways of delivering your messages to you, through email, fax and voicemail. Important, emergency or urgent calls can also be delivered in a method that you choose, including calling your designated contact telephone numbers or sending a page at any time, day or night. Increasingly, individual freelance agents will operate their own answering service out of the privacy of their own homes, and offer their virtual receptionist services for your off-hours support.

Also becoming more common in the telephone support marketplace are software applications that virtually do almost all the work of answering your calls for you. These programs create a suite of voicemail options on the hard drive of a single computer connected to your telephone through a voice-capable modem. The software answers your calls, and offers your callers a number of interactive choices to direct their calls to the right individuals or areas of your company. The significant drawback of all-in-one telephony suite software application packages is that they are entirely dependent on computers or entire networks being online and functioning.

If your computer encounters a problem that prevents the software from running, you experience a hard disk error or if your business experiences a power outage, then your calls are lost. Answering message services that feature live operators provide a nearly disaster-proof solution when your business encounters an electrical outage or severe computer problem. Many organizations purchase a software-based telephony solution, but also contract with a live answering message service to provide critical back-up and contingency support when something goes wrong.

Tip! First & foremost, don't ask too much of your call center. This is not meant as don't expect your answering service to do their job, but instead, keep their responsibilities short & sweet.

The answering message service method that you choose for your office ultimately depends on your business needs and your budget. A quick search on the internet provides a list of many competing services who offer similar features with a wide variety of price points. Many of these services cater to a nationwide or even a global clientele.

Some of these companies offer a more local accent to their service list. It's important to choose an answering message service that reflects the image that you want your clients to hear on the other end of the telephone line. A service that projects courteous professionalism through their live operators not only will insure your business against caller attrition and lost business, but will help keep your business growing during off hours.

Tip! By using a live answering service, I am essentially getting extra employees that help spread the word about my company.

Ira Spere is a writer for EFLS . com where you will discover a wealth of resources on an answering message service and other related information.

Get Free Articles From ArticleBuilder.net

Answering Message Service

Tip! Contractors and medical professionals are just a few of the many individuals who can benefit from an answering service. Other business professionals that can benefit from using an answering service may include, but are not limited to, attorneys, insurance agents, home health care providers, and government workers.

Doing business today without the assistance of an answering message service, also known as an answering service, is next to impossible. The answering message service of your choice may be automated, like an answering machine, or can be a bank of live operators at an offsite location. When callers reach a business without an answering message service, the experience can be very irritating. Customers usually do not want to call a business and reach just an answering machine or voicemail system.

They want to speak to a live voice that will be able to answer their questions and assist them with their business needs. ‘Round-the-clock customer calls in a global market make it necessary for all kinds of companies and organizations to hire some form of answering message service. In order to respond to customer orders, client questions or solicitations, businesses need the right set of tools in order to be ready for the task. A professional answering message service is the most important item in your organization's administrative support toolkit.

Tip! The telephone remains a reliable source for finding providers of any service, answering services being no different. The printed Yellow Pages carry a lot of advertisements from these companies.

Choosing the right answering message service depends on the type of service your business needs. Most companies need a live operator answering their calls. Some type of software also needs to be present so that the operator answering the telephone call will be able to relay the correct information to your callers.

The most common form of answering message service comes in the form of a physical call center that offers live operators to answer your forwarded calls. Answering message service companies may also offer voicemail as well as the purchase of additional local or toll free telephone numbers for your business at an additional cost. Some answering message services also provide access to customized vanity toll free telephone numbers, depending on what number and letter combinations are available on the open market.

These companies provide a variety of ways of delivering your messages to you, through email, fax and voicemail. Important, emergency or urgent calls can also be delivered in a method that you choose, including calling your designated contact telephone numbers or sending a page at any time, day or night. Increasingly, individual freelance agents will operate their own answering service out of the privacy of their own homes, and offer their virtual receptionist services for your off-hours support.

Also becoming more common in the telephone support marketplace are software applications that virtually do almost all the work of answering your calls for you. These programs create a suite of voicemail options on the hard drive of a single computer connected to your telephone through a voice-capable modem. The software answers your calls, and offers your callers a number of interactive choices to direct their calls to the right individuals or areas of your company. The significant drawback of all-in-one telephony suite software application packages is that they are entirely dependent on computers or entire networks being online and functioning.

If your computer encounters a problem that prevents the software from running, you experience a hard disk error or if your business experiences a power outage, then your calls are lost. Answering message services that feature live operators provide a nearly disaster-proof solution when your business encounters an electrical outage or severe computer problem. Many organizations purchase a software-based telephony solution, but also contract with a live answering message service to provide critical back-up and contingency support when something goes wrong.

Tip! First & foremost, don't ask too much of your call center. This is not meant as don't expect your answering service to do their job, but instead, keep their responsibilities short & sweet.

The answering message service method that you choose for your office ultimately depends on your business needs and your budget. A quick search on the internet provides a list of many competing services who offer similar features with a wide variety of price points. Many of these services cater to a nationwide or even a global clientele.

Some of these companies offer a more local accent to their service list. It's important to choose an answering message service that reflects the image that you want your clients to hear on the other end of the telephone line. A service that projects courteous professionalism through their live operators not only will insure your business against caller attrition and lost business, but will help keep your business growing during off hours.

Tip! By using a live answering service, I am essentially getting extra employees that help spread the word about my company.

Ira Spere is a writer for EFLS . com where you will discover a wealth of resources on an answering message service and other related information.

Get Free Articles From ArticleBuilder.net

Telephone - Cell Phones

History 1911 � American Telephone and Telegraph (AT & T) acquire the Western Union Telegraph Company in a hostile takeover. They purchased stocks in the company covertly and the two eventually merged.

In this article we're going to discuss what is arguably the greatest invention since the first telephone was made over 100 years ago, the cell phone.

The telephone was certainly a great invention. No question about it. We could make calls to our friends to invite them over for dinner, our boss to tell him we'd be out sick and our spouses to tell them we'd be home late for dinner. But once we were out of reach of a phone, our communication with the outside world came to a complete stop. If we had to make an emergency call while out on the road we had to either find a pay phone or some business kind enough to let us use theirs, which wasn't likely.

History 1946 � Worlds first commercial mobile phone service put into operation. It could link moving vehicles to a telephone network via radio waves.

Today, that has all changed with the invention of the cell phone. Actually, the concept of the cell phone began in 1947 when researchers looked at crude mobile car phones and realized that if they used small cells they could increase the traffic range of mobile phones. Unfortunately, the technology needed to do this did not exist yet.

History 1900 � First coin operated telephone installed in Hartford, Connecticut.

It wasn't until 1973 when a man by the name of Dr. Martin Cooper, a former GM for Motorola, made the first call on a portable cell phone in April of that year. He made the call to a rival of his, Joel Engel, who was Bell Labs head of research. Ironically, though, it was Motorola that were first to incorporate to the technology into a portable device, the first one to be designed to be used outside of the car.

History 1874 � Principal of the telephone was uncovered.

In 1977 AT&T and Bell Labs constructed their first cellular system. A year later were the first public trials of this new system with over 2000 trial customers. Two years later, in 1979, the first cellular system was put into use in Tokyo.

It wasn't until 1982 that the FCC finally authorized commercial use of cell phones in the United States. One year later the first cellular phone service was established in the United States called the Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS). It was made available in Chicago by a company called Ameritech.

History 1876 � Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, beating Elisha Gray by a matter of hours.

In spite of the incredible demand for cell phones, it took cell phone service 37 years to become available in the United States. But by the year 1987 there were over one million cell phone subscribers and the airwaves were already overcrowded. Because of this, improvements needed to be made, which included increasing frequencies allocation, splitting of existing cells and improving the technology.

Today, we have probably the most sophisticated cell system that anyone could ever want, including cell phones that even take photos. But this hasn't come without many prices to the consumer and the general public around them.

History 1877 � The very first permanent outdoor telephone wire was completed. It stretched a distance of just three miles.

Aside from the high cost of cell service, especially if you go over the minutes allocated to you, there are the increased hazards and annoyances that these phones cause to others, such as going off in the middle of the big finale at a Broadway play or the danger of people using these phones in places like hospitals where the operation of sophisticated equipment can be affected.

Yes, we have our cell phones and all the wonders and headaches that go with them. Like they say, you don't get nothing for nothing.

------------------------------------------------------- Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Telephones -------------------------------------------------------

Get Free Articles From ArticleBuilder.net

Answering Service Reliability

Tip! Because a live answering service can do so much more for you than just take messages, choosing which company to work with is a critical decision. Most live answering services are available nationwide and have their own websites where you can check out their specific packages and prices.

When companies engage the services of a call center for their answering service needs, there are a number of things they should consider before signing with a call center. These include looking at a number of things, like the contract being offered by the call center, and checking out the references that call centers provide.

However, doing so does not ensure that the call center is reliable because the reliability of a call center is measured using a different set of criteria, which involve looking at the actual operations of the call center. The good news is that there are a number ways companies can assess a call center's reliability, including asking the right questions with regard to the operations of the call center.

Tip! Ira Spere is a writer for EFLS . com where you will discover a wealth of resources on an answering service and other related information.

Questions to Ask

To help them in assessing the reliability of a call center, there are a number of questions that companies should ask about the service. One of these include asking about the experience of the call center in terms of how long they have been providing call center services and their clientele. Another important question to ask is on the type of equipment that the call center uses.

This is very important because the type of equipment that a call center uses plays an important role in its operations. As much as possible, companies should engage the services of call centers that use the most up to date technology. Another very important question is about how the call enter ensures the quality of the services they provide through the control systems that they have put in place in their company. Doing so can help companies assess the way a call center ensures that it provides consistently good customer service.

Tip! Just about any business can benefit from an answering service; however, there are some that will benefit more than others. Construction workers and other general contractors need an answering service because their job could depend on it.

As with anything related to business, reliability plays a major role in the success or the failure of a business. This also applies to the answering services that a company engages because, as an extension of the company, call centers should be able to provide reliable and consistent customer service to the clients of the companies they represent. Fortunately, there are a number of ways companies can assess the reliability of a call center, including asking them very important questions about their operations.

Answering Service provides detailed information on Answering Service, Phone Answering Service, Live Answering Service, Internet Answering Service and more. Answering Service is affiliated with Inbound Call Center Pricing.

Get Free Web Content From ArticleBuilder.net

Free Phone Answering Service

Tip! Joel Meadowridge is a writer for We Answer where you can find a telephone answering service that delivers superior service for an affordable price.

When talking about free phone answering service, one must take into account the fact that the firm is a sender of market messages and also a receiver of market responses. In its role as a sender of messages, the firm communicates with the market not only through promotional stimuli but also through product, price and place or point of sale. In its role as a receiver of market responses, the firm collects information through a free phone answering service.

The product is a carrier of certain messages- product messages. It conveys certain meanings through its color, its shape and size, its physical materials, its package and its brand name. It's the responsibility of a free phone answering service to convey these messages to consumers in an efficient manner.

Tip! Joel Meadowridge is a writer for We Answer where you can find an answering service that delivers superior service for an affordable price.

A product is no longer viewed as a mere non-living object. Consumers attribute meaning and significance to a product. The product, in turn, projects a personality of its own. A purchase is the result of these two processes. It is this image or total personality of the product that communicates with the consumer. And, it's the responsibility of an operator in a phone answering service is to focus on these areas so that the customer buys the company's product.

All these factors are sources of product cues or product messages to the consumer. Operators at free phone answering services communicate something about the product and project certain impressions. To begin with, the product communicates through its physical features -- material, design, color, shapes, odor, finish - all these features convey something to the buyer. Depending upon the nature of the product, the different communication routes do take precedence. Color has great communicative significance. There are exciting colors, there are dull colors and there are inviting colors.

Phone Answering Service provides detailed information on Phone Answering Service, Live Phone Answering Services, Free Phone Answering Service, Local Phone Answering Service and more. Phone Answering Service is affiliated with Collection Predictive Dialer.

Get Free Web Content From ArticleBuilder.net

Video Killed The Telephone Star ...

History 1911 � American Telephone and Telegraph (AT & T) acquire the Western Union Telegraph Company in a hostile takeover. They purchased stocks in the company covertly and the two eventually merged.

You know the 80's song, "Video Killed the Radio Star." It was a big hit and one of the first videos to air on MTV. Well, what came true for music video is on it's way to becoming true for telephone.

You're the star of all your phone conversations already, right? Everyone loves to hear your voice and hold endless conversations on the phone with you … well, you better get prepared to dress up for your appearances now too.

History 1877 � The very first permanent outdoor telephone wire was completed. It stretched a distance of just three miles.

Yup, video phones are now the newest trend to hit the market and it's not being provided via your traditional phone carrier either. The video phone is available only through a broadband phone provider or phone supplier, but it is already taking off in the market as the next household necessity much like the cell phone and high speed Internet did.

History 1955 � Saw the beginning of the laying of transatlantic telephone cables.

My Privacy … I Just Got Out of the Shower!

Before you worry about invasion of privacy issues, like just getting out of the shower, most video phones are optional in their viewing modes. This means you have the option of being on camera or not. Phew, got that off of your chest.

The Entire Globe

Now the great part is that it is through the broadband voice providers that most broadband phone services are available globally. So it is very likely that if you have relatives afar, you can video phone with them overseas.

History 1936 � Research into electronic telephone exchanges began and was eventually perfected in the 1960's with the electronic switching system (SES).

Cost Savings with a Catch

With broadband phone calling, long distance or international is now running as low as 3 cents a minute or less so you don't pay much to call at all. You might even call it a steal. What's the catch? Well, it's the video phones themselves. The phones run about $500.00 or more a piece. Yikes!

With a little shopping ingenuity however you can find lower prices on these video phones. Packet8, a VoIP broadband phone company has a mail-in rebate for the time being on their line of video phones to notch down their price 50%. Their phones after rebate run at $250.00, which for many households, may still be a little too steep.

History 1946 � Worlds first commercial mobile phone service put into operation. It could link moving vehicles to a telephone network via radio waves.

History Promises the Trend

Don't get too discouraged by phone prices though, this trend is still in a growing stage. Cell phones are free these days and they use to be only afforded by the rich and famous. Everyone has a cell phone now, a camera phone for that matter. So if price holds you back now, you can anticipate lower prices and even free offers in the future.

History 1874 � Principal of the telephone was uncovered.

Video Phones Save On Travel

If you travel to visit relatives often or even once a year just to see them face to face, the video phone may very well pay for itself in travel expenses alone. So you can't give them a hug, well would you believe there is a prototype for a virtual kissing phone coming out for cell phones? Yes, you can virtually smooch back and forth between another phone owner.

History 1876 � Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, beating Elisha Gray by a matter of hours.

Technology will never cease to amaze, and prices can't stay up forever so eventually you will more than likely find yourself a consumer in the video phone market. Rest assured today's growing technologies will have you saying, "Back in my day." I already say it.

History 1900 � First coin operated telephone installed in Hartford, Connecticut.

This article was written by Aaron Siegel of TopSavings.Net which provides consultive services for communications for households and businesses alike.

Services available at the website include broadband phone services (Including Packet8), Phoneless DSL(SpeakEasy), Long Distance, Local Phone Services, Cellular services, and more. Broadband Video Phone Service

Get Free Web Content From ArticleBuilder.net

Telephone - Answering Machines And Services

History 1888 � Common battery system developed by Hammond V. Hayes, allows one central battery to power all telephones on an exchange, rather than relying on each units own battery.

In this article we're going to discuss one of the most important inventions to compliment the telephone since its creation, the answering machine.

The telephone was invented for the purpose of one person being able to call another person and speak to them. For the person making the call, well, they're the one making it so their role is already completed. But what about the person at the receiving end? They do have to pick the phone up in order for the call to be completed and therein lies the problem with this system. It isn't exactly fool proof. The person on the other end could be in the shower or out of the house altogether and end up missing the call, leaving the person on the calling end frustrated. Can't even leave a message to call them back.

History 1911 � American Telephone and Telegraph (AT & T) acquire the Western Union Telegraph Company in a hostile takeover. They purchased stocks in the company covertly and the two eventually merged.

The answering machine to the rescue.

Even though the answering machine is a fairly new invention it actually goes back to something that was created way back in 1898. In that year, a Danish telephone engineer by the name of Valdemar Poulsen patented what he called a telegraphone. This was the first practical machine for magnetic sound recording and reproduction. It was actually able to record telephone conversations. On a wire, it recorded the varying magnetic fields produced by a sound. The magnetized wire was then used to play back the sound.

History 1946 � Worlds first commercial mobile phone service put into operation. It could link moving vehicles to a telephone network via radio waves.

However it wasn't until 1935 that we got the first automatic answering machine which was invented by Mr. Willy Muller. The first answering machine was laughably huge at three feet tall. It was very popular with Jewish people who were not allowed to answer the phone on the Sabbath.

History 1955 � Saw the beginning of the laying of transatlantic telephone cables.

But the first answering machine sold in the United States was the Ansafone, which was created by inventor Dr. Kazuo Hashimoto for Phonetel. It figures that it would be the Japanese would be the first to come up with our first commercially used answering machine.

The contributions by Phonetel weren't the end of our progress with answering machines, however. Casio actually created what is known as the first commercially viable answering machine in 1971. They created what was called the Telephone Answering Device (TAD) which was the model 400, now seen in the Smithsonian Institute.

History 1876 � Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, beating Elisha Gray by a matter of hours.

Also in 1971 Phonemate gave us its first answering machine which was also the model 400. It worked a little different from Casio's machine in that it weighed 10 pounds and held up to twenty messages on reel to reel tape. It came with an earphone that allowed the user to retrieve messages privately.

The first digital TAD was given to us by the same person who gave us the first Ansafone. He invented it in 1983 and it was given Unites States patent number 4,616,110 and was called Automatic Digital Telephone Answering.

History 1877 � The very first permanent outdoor telephone wire was completed. It stretched a distance of just three miles.

Other enhancements and additions were made to answering machines which now include what is known as voice mail, which was actually created before the digital TAD patent (patent number 4,371,752) but didn't become popular until afterwards. Voicemail was actually invented in 1979 by Gordon Matthews. He sold the first system to 3M company.

History 1874 � Principal of the telephone was uncovered.

------------------------------------------------------- Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Telephones -------------------------------------------------------

Get Free Web Content From ArticleBuilder.net

Telephone - Phone Number Insanity

History 1877 � The very first permanent outdoor telephone wire was completed. It stretched a distance of just three miles.

In this article we're going to discuss just some of the many problems faced when issuing telephone numbers to the general public.

Anyone who said that you can't ever have too much of a good thing obviously never had to issue telephone numbers to an exploding population.

Back in the good old days when the telephone was first invented there weren't that many people who even had one. For that matter, there weren't that many people period. Take New York City, which is one of the largest cities in the world today. The whole population of the United States in the 1880 census was a little over 50 million. The population of JUST New York City alone today stands at over 8 million people. And that's just ONE city.

History 1936 � Research into electronic telephone exchanges began and was eventually perfected in the 1960's with the electronic switching system (SES).

As for the number of people who had phones back then, well it was a very small percentage to say the least. Less than 10% of the people in the United States had phones. Today, almost everybody has a phone unless they live in a cave. The truth is, today you just can't live without a phone. And for each person who has a phone that's one more phone number that has to be given out.

History 1955 � Saw the beginning of the laying of transatlantic telephone cables.

With the current phone system of 10 numbers, 3 for the area code and 7 for the number itself, that gives us a finite number of phone numbers that can be issued. Granted, mathematically we shouldn't run out of numbers if you just apply pure mathematics. But then you have to take into account that certain numbers can't be used. For example, because of information and emergency service numbers in the United States (411 and 911) no area codes can begin with those numbers and no phone exchanges can begin with those numbers.

History 1900 � First coin operated telephone installed in Hartford, Connecticut.

But restricted numbers are not the main problem we are faced with issuing phone numbers to customers. The problems only begin there.

Aside from the fact that more people have phones today and there are more people in the world to have phones, people today as a family have more phone numbers.

For example, as recently even as the 1970s, a family of 4 had one phone number. Oh they may have had more than one phone in the house, such as one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen, but they both shared the same number. Today, a family of 4 probably has 5 or even 6 different phone numbers in their home. Aside from the main home number, in most families, each member of the family has a cell phone with each one having a different number. Aside from that, since many people do work from their homes today, they also have either a fax number of a separate line installed for an Internet connection.

History 1918 � It was estimated that approximately ten million Bell system telephones were in service throughout the U.S.

So the number of phones per household has increased by a factor of 5 or 6. As a result issuing numbers has become a nightmare. States are having to break up into more area code segments. For example, in the 1960s, New Jersey had just 2 area codes, 201 and 609. Today we now have 201, 908, 732, 976 and 609. And still, New Jersey is running out of numbers. And this problem is happening all over.

And it will only get worse. With the increasing number of ways to use a phone (throw aways) the number of phone numbers that will be needed will only continue to increase.

The 13 digit phone number may be closer to reality than you think.

History 1911 � American Telephone and Telegraph (AT & T) acquire the Western Union Telegraph Company in a hostile takeover. They purchased stocks in the company covertly and the two eventually merged.

------------------------------------------------------- Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Telephones -------------------------------------------------------

Get Free Web Content From ArticleBuilder.net

You've Created a Business Website: So Now What?

F.Y.I. Improves searchability of your business website, thus increasing the chances of prospective clients visiting your business website.

Congratulations! You and your designer have just finished creating your business website. It's live on the Internet, waiting for all of those hot prospects to visit and hire you.

But, you hate just sitting around, waiting for things to happen. You feel like you should be working on convincing potential clients to visit your site, but you're not sure what to do. We've developed a the following 5 strategies to get the word out about your website in a big way:

1. Submit your site to the major search engines. If you tell them about you, they will come! Yahoo, Google and MSN are the most- used search engines, and submitting your site to these search engines is easy. You can even do a free, basic-level submission in many cases.

Visit the following pages to submit your site:

• Yahoo: Visit http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html

• Google: Follow the instructions at http://dmoz.org/add.html to suggest your site

• MSN: Visit http://search.msn.com/docs/submit.aspx?FORM=WSDD2

2. Exchange or establish links with other sites.

Establishing a larger presence in the online community is the next step toward growing your brand online. Submit your website to professional organizations to which you belong, directories of the area where your business is located, business directories, and other sites, as appropriate.

F.Y.I. Make existing customers come back again and again With your business website you can easily start collecting information like customers mailing and e-mail address. Then it will be extremely easy to send out newsletters or postcards with your new products, special promotion and sales, etc.

Links from outside sites to your own site are one of the elements that search engines look at when ranking your site. The general rule of thumb is that if high- quality, well ranked sites link to you, your site will be better ranked in return.

If you have control over the text that is highlighted in your link, keep in mind that the search engines give extra weight to this text when ranking your site.

So, embedding your keyword phrases into this part of the link would be to your advantage. Read more about this in our article about Search Engine Optimization.

And, no discussion of linking would be complete without a final note on avoiding "link farms," which are sites that just include large directories of links. Link farms are viewed as spam sites by the search engines. Potential clients will be more likely to click through to your site from high-quality, individual sites and legitimate directories than from a link farm.

F.Y.I. So, the actual price for your small business website development effort will depend on the purpose for your site. And, once you decide on a purpose, you will negotiate with the website development provider for all the features that support your purpose.

3. Write articles about your area of expertise and post them to your website.

Content is king when it comes to websites. It's been shown that more people will repeatedly visit your website if you have fresh content available. Adding an "Articles" section to your website and writing an article every month or every other month is a great way to entice visitors to return regularly. It's also a great way to naturally raise the keyword phrase count on your site, which can improve your Search Engine ranking. - if you write articles about your area of expertise, you're bound to naturally use keywords and keyword phrases that would be a good match for your services.

If you can't think of topics for your articles, a good way to start is to address some of your clients' most frequently asked questions. Create a list of those questions that your clients and potential clients always ask, and create articles that answer those questions. The added bonus in this is that you'll have ready-made answers to those questions, and you can just point clients to the article when those questions arise in the future.

F.Y.I. Reach more customers Having your business website will enable you to reach potential customers not only in your neighborhood or city but also nationwide and even worldwide. Your website will open never before seen horizons for your business.

One important aspect of the article-publishing strategy is to create a compelling, keyword-filled "About the Author" section to include with all of your article publications. I suggest that you vary the text of this section from article to article, to make it relate to the article's content. I also recommend that you create "About the Author" sections of varying lengths - when you submit your articles to other websites (see strategy 4), you may be able to submit longer "About the Author" sections to some websites or publications. Be sure to include a link back to your website in this section as well.

Finally, be sure to have your articles proofread! Ensuring that your articles are grammatically correct is an incredibly important step towards extending a professional brand image online.

4. Submit your articles to other websites for additional promotion.

There are many sites online that specialize in listing directories of articles. If you include a link back to your website in your author's bio, publishing your articles on these sites is a great way to establish some links back to your website. And, other sites and eZines for publication may even publish your article!

F.Y.I. So, do not think that just because you have a small business website that it is working hard for you. Just like any other employee, you have to keep paying month after month for it to be productive.

Many article directories will allow free listings under a basic membership, but you may consider upgrading your membership once you have published several articles.

We recommend that you submit your articles to the following sites:

• http://www.ideamarketers.com • http://www.ezinearticles.com • http://www.goarticles.com/ • http://www.topica.com/ • http://www.impactarticles.com • http://www.amazines.com • http://www.articlecity.com/

If you don't have time to submit your articles to other websites, there are a few options to consider. To automatically submit to many article directories, you can use an Article Distribution Service, such as the one available at http:// www.virtualizeyourbiz.com. At $25 per article, it's quite affordable. The other option is to hire a helper or virtual assistant to do the submissions for you. Either way, submitting your article to several article directories will help to get the word out about your website.

F.Y.I. It sounds simple enough, but it's not really as cut and dry as you might think. Most business websites have a marketing value attached to them that is difficult to quantify.

5. Create an email newsletter.

Sending an email newsletter (or eZine) out to your database once a month or every other month is the best way to keep in touch with your potential clients and to keep your business brand at the top of their minds. It's best to send out is a newsletter that gives away a bit of free consulting - some information about your area of expertise. This will earn you more respect than sending out a "fluffy" newsletter that is primarily trying to sell your prospects something. If you include information that your subscribers can implement by themselves, your subscribers will hold you in even higher regard.

F.Y.I. Every time you do, you will increase your home business website's pagerank and link popularity that much more.

A newsletter also is a great way to gather prospects' names and grow a loyal "fan" base. Put a newsletter subscription box on your website. It's great to add the subscription box to every page if possible! Also include a note about your eZine in your email signature file, and in the "About the Author" section with all of the articles you send out when using Strategy 4.

Many entrepreneurs insist that they don't have the time to write a newsletter. But, if you're already writing the articles we recommend in Strategy 3, then most of the work is done for you. Your newsletter is another great place for you to publish your articles - with an article, and a bit of extra sidebar information and promotional copy, you've got yourself a complete newsletter.

F.Y.I. This guide to launching a small business website is just the tip of the iceberg. The best thing is always know what you are going to receive in return for your hard earned cash.

These five steps will expand your business's reach exponentially. Consistently use them over a period of time, and they will increase your credibility, leads and sales generated online.

About the Author

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and memorable - and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent way. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com

Get Free Articles From ArticleBuilder.net