Extreme Research: 10 Snappy Rules For Success

So you want to learn to research well, and not waste any time. Let's do it. Here are a few NECESSARY preliminary points.

First, adopt an aggressive I-am-taking-over-this-place mindset.

2. Develop a system for executing the research process. By creating your own rules to follow systematically, you really speed things up. Don't have one? No worries. You can use mine. I happen to have "research animal" stamped on my forehead.

3. Follow the rules. You can tweek them to suit your own style after a couple of runs with this method. But these make for great training wheels.

4. Before going into battle, always ready your weapons.

Do not go near a library or desk to start research unless and until everything you will need sits neatly arranged all about you for quick access. This one is your call. I use 2 or 3 pens and a pad of paper to scratch out notes and thoughts, and a pack of index cards for especially important notes. Then come the highlighters. In college, I used to work the highlighters until they overheated.

Some people like sticky notes (post-its). You can stick 'em all around you as you work. You will want a rolodex and a phone nearby in case you have to call someone you know to ask questions. For instance, if you have a specially-gifted techie friend in your inner circle, or know a professor, you may want to put him on speed dial. Think a bit about anything else you might need. Some folks study and research well to music, so get your headphones if you need them. Okay, here we have the system lined up for you.

PART #1: Begin Reconnaissance. You're going in.

A. Get an overview and "contextualize" your topic. Learn its timeline of events and the major historical factors associated with it. When did it happen? What did it do? Why do people care about it at all? Find a short article that outlines the history of, or at least offers a timeline for, your topic. Everything has a history, and gaining a quick overview of your topic's chronology will give you the context into which all your other sources will fit.

B. Next, ride the wave. This is the surfing and browsing stage. Start with what you know. Pick out words associated with your topic or subject and Google them. When you land a starting topic (you can change this as you go, no worries. Just start somewhere.), use online encyclopedias and other resources to get a "quick snapshot" of the general views on the subject that exist out there already. Try to see your subject from as many angles as possible, as it were, "walking all the way round it," inspecting as you go. Ask questions in your head, or even out loud like I do (caution: this may scare people), and put them down on paper in a special spot. Slap a sticky note on it that reads "QUESTIONS I HAVE."

To aid and abet developing a "snapshot overview," start looking up books on the topic. Find 10 of them. Note the titles on maybe 50 books -- if you can find that many -- about your subject or topic. Note the overlap in words used in the titles about your topic. This will give you a quick idea about who or what this topic means to others who have already studied it.

Next, read the bibliographies of books. One good book can give you 5-10 great leads you might never have found otherwise. Note the titles that show up repeatedly in different bibliographies. In research geekspeak this is "bibbo," bibliographic overlap. Bibbo identifies your IRT's -- Initial Research Targets. Photocopy or print out from your IRT's: the table of contents; the first chapter; a middle chapter that looks interesting or helpful; and the final chapter. Then read these and highlight the Dickens out of them. This gives you a snapshot, and a working knowledge, of the entire book extremely fast. It works too. Use your scribbled out question set as a filter for "what to look for" -- and highlight or take notes on -- when reading your IRT's. Write down any further questions that develop. These can be as simple as "Who is that guy?" Let your curiosity guide you, and let the sticky notes FLY!!

Next, read journal and magazine articles. How do you find these? Try checking your Bibbo. Or just follow any that you think might land you somewhere interesting. Play the detective. Follow your nose if you smell a good lead.

PART #2: Compile and organize your sources.

Use the old-fashioned vanilla file folders and mark them up, so you know which is what. Then get a file box to keep them handy.

PART#3: Determine which are the most relevant features of your topic from its effects or imlplications in 3 different areas of study. For instance, if your topic reads, "Interesting stuff about World War II," then you will need to ask and study questions like, "Who did it cost, and how much did it cost them, to have this war?" Follow the money (economics). Then, you might ask "How did this war change the mindset or values of American society" (sociology or philosophy). Finally, ask maybe, "What inventions did Europeans develop to fight this war?" (technology).

By looking at your topic from at least three disciplinary viewpoints, you will gain a broad understanding of it, and find yourself -- somewhat suddenly -- asking GREAT questions about it.

PART#4: Find and choose a controversial feature of topic, and choose a side of the issue.

Write down your viewpoint in one sentence. This we call your "thesis." Arguing this point well now constitutes your "objective." Ask the question of your thesis, "How do you know this is the case?" Ask this three times. Each time you ask it, give a brief answer in writing from one of your three areas you chose. Each answer must reflect views formed from a different area.

PART#5: Next, Re-read or skim your sources to develop an outline (in order to support your three points offered in defense of your thesis). Now pull out the photocopied (or printed out) chapters from your IRT's and highlight and scribble all over them -- but keep it legible. Argue your case vigorously with your imaginary critic who knows what you know. Take his side and argue against your thesis the best you can. Shoot it down, developing three criticisms. Some of these will already have circulated in print in your sources. Line them up. Then answer the critic. Refute his three points. Your outline is nearly finished.

PART #6: Organize your notes into subgroups listed under the branches of your outline. Draw a picture of the flow of your argument and objections as though it were a tree, and label the parts. Modify the outline as needed. Add relevant subheadings (you will come across new info in your scribbling) under the branches of the outline. Fill out relevant details from your notes to form the arguments for each section and subsection. Your rough draft is now complete.

PART#7: Rewrite your rough draft 5 times using our rules of good writing.

PART:#8 Study the cleaned-up draft for logical errors in arguments. See our "Blogic For Writers" website for this; modify and strenghten your case. Use T Edward Damer's "Attacking Faulty Reasoning" for this too.

PART#9 -- Write your conclusion. This final paragraph spells out "what important point or points you have learned from doing all this hard work (e-search). Here, you make the case for why your research has value. Also, here either write or rewrite your introductory paragraph to "hint at" (anticipate) the concluding paragraph. Most of the time it actually makes the best sense to write your introduction LAST, since this way you write with a view of the WHOLE work, which you did not have at the beginning.

In the introduction, hint at your conclusion, but don't give away the whole story. This makes for a smooth and logical flow from start to finish, giving your work a stylish symmetry, where the first part foresees the end, and the end reflects on the beginning. All good stories have this symmetry.

PART #10. Do the footnoting (or endnoting) and contstruct an extensive bibliography. Add title page and Table of Contents. See Kate Turabian's or an MLA manual online for this, and for grammar and style. You can also use the resources we list in our sidebar.

You are DONE. Your paper or article "so totally rocks," and you get an "A." Your readers love you, and you then become wealthy and famous. Your actual mileage may vary, batteries not included, offer void where prohibited.

Carson Day has written approximately 1.3 gazillion articles and essays, many with very insightful, if alternative, viewpoints. He presently writes for Ophir Gold Corporation, and specialized in the history of ideas in college. He has been quoted in the past as saying "What box?" and remains at large despite the best efforts of the civil authorities.

You can visit the Ophir Gold Corporation blogsites at http://scriberight.blogspot.com (Writing With Power), http://ophirgoldcorp.blogspot.com (OGC's Free Web Traffic), or http://ophirgold.blogspot.com (Church and State 101)

Targeted Traffic for Your Website - 3 Guaranteed Ways to Create Lift-Off

Targeting traffic for your website is as easy as knowing how to simply direct traffic to your website rather than another one. The information web surfers are looking for is usually available on hundreds if not thousands of websites, so you have to make sure you are extremely diligent about keeping your website high in the search engine rankings. There are several ways you can do this which include links, keywords, and pay per click advertising.

#1 - Get Links

Getting other web pages to link to your website is very important and something you should focus on heavily. There are software programs you can install that will help you with this, but there is nothing like the personal touch. So, do some research and find the top sites that you are interested in having a link to your website. Then, contact them personally noting the good qualities of their website and how you believe a link from them would help your business and vice versa. If you are willing to link as well, then the other sites will likely respond positively. This is the best way to go and you certainly you will gain more links and higher rankings in the search engines.

#2 - Include Keywords

Make sure you do some research regarding the main keywords that pertain to your website. Then, include these words in your content, especially in titles and in the beginnings of paragraphs. Search engines rely heavily on keywords, so make sure you have your page optimized for specific keywords so you will get returned high in the rankings. You can easily do a search for your keywords and see where you rank and also find out if your rankings need work. However, one thing you should definitely not do is try and trick the search engines with invisible keywords as this could get you blacklisted. This is the worst case scenario, but it happens frequently to people who try to trick the search engines. Don't let this happen to you and simply find out what search engines look for and then optimize your page accordingly.

#3 - Pay per Click Advertising

Pay per click advertising is another way for you to generate traffic to your website and you only have to pay when someone clicks on your advertisiment. The way this works is you bid on specific keywords so that when these keywords are searched for, your ad shows up on the web page along with the search results. The higher you bid on ad placement, the higher your ad is displayed. Generally, no more than 10 ads are displayed on a page and you'll want to be within the top four ads for optimal exposure.

These three tools are great ways for you to increase your traffic as well as target the visitors that you want to come to your website. By implementing these suggestions in your marketing plan you will quickly realize more sales.

Michael Turner shows you exactly how to increase web site traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it today at http://www.powertraffictactics.com/

Anam Cara - Discovering Your Being

The more that "little me" allows surrender the more is done. What is done is "good." This, I know, seems a value judgement. It might be better to say that "what is done is joy." No resistance. No getting in the way. No concern for results. Simply trusting what will be will be. This free flow of feeling energy is the experience of joy.

One of the greatest teachers of Being was the Chinese Sage Lao Tzu.

He advised, "The best way to do is to be." Another teacher of Being is the great William Shakespeare. He asked one of the greatest questions of all time. This was the question, "To be or not to be?" He asked in effect are we prepared to claim our birthright or miss the essentialness of life. We have been given the choice to decide "to be or not to be." Most of us ignore this question and thus never get to know the joy of being fully alive.

In this 21st Century of noise and haste the experience of being is too scary.

"To be" is allowing. It is accepting that we do not always know. It is the experience of presence, trust and faith in the moment. It is knowing that what needs to be done moves from love. This is not what we regard as "my love." It is the energy of love moving as one with and from the Beloved. It is the way Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed moved in the world. Theirs was the world of love in action.

"Being" is who you are.

You are a being of feeling. Without the free flow of feelings within your body you are alive but not living. We mostly avoid feelings until they surface in all sorts of ways unintended. When feelings are disallowed they turn from the flow of love to the desire for power. This usually means the desire for the "power over." This "power over" only serves to increase our sense of separateness from others and ourselves. With focus on this "power over" you might gain the whole world and you will lose more than you ever know.

How do you "come to be?"

You get quiet. You get quiet any way you can. You go inside and enter the heart. This is your feeling centre. Learning "to be" is learning to be at one with the heart. You open the heart in trust and faith that you are enough. Let me reassure you that each of you is "forever enough." All else is compensation if this experience of "being enough" is not a known experience. Otherwise we go on "doing" our life. We are condemned to limp through the world looking for a missing piece of ourselves. Doing "your life" will always in one sense leave you feeling lonely.

One of the greatest instructions in the Bible is, "Be still and know that I am God."

This is you. You are at one with God in stillness. In this stillness Universal Intelligence arrives. This is your "inner knowing self." This is knowing you are not separate from the Beloved. This is true intelligence. This is not just rational "thinking about." This is not just memory being played around with to make one feel good. This inner telling sense is the song of your heart. This song is always the song of love.

Much of the time we really do not love ourselves.

Many of us even find it hard to like ourselves. The increase in self-harm amongst our most vulnerable young people is a testimony to how little love is being demonstrated in our never enough society. We spend much of our time avoiding our feelings. We allow little in and we give little away.

We are rivers of energy contained tightly within the banks of judgement and unacceptability. Our young people are what I call "the people of the brand." Today as a young person you are more and more branded. You are less and less free "to be." If you wear the wrong brand of clothing or footwear you are emotionally branded. You are identified not as a being but as a commodity.

"To be," means learning "to be" essential. Our essence is love. When you drop all you are not then it is there. You are not "your emotions." You are not "your thinking." You are the one who witnesses. In truth there really is no "you." You are it all. You and the Beloved are forever one. To know this is grace.

To know this is a feeling experience.

You feel the experience of the essential. Love is essential. This is simply who you are beyond judgement. When you learn to be silently aware of the movement of the energy of the body you begin to glimpse moments of essentialness. These are moments of peace.

Just be still. Just be non-grasping, non-judging, non-wanting and non-doing. Just being no body seeking results all is well. You come "to be." You feel at home. Your field of vibration is raised. You are raised up.

To help learn "to be" use what is known as "A mirror technique." This is a simple body scanning exercise. This is also a Zen meditation practice. It is using a technique of simply scanning the body with awareness. This is an awareness of feeling in the body. You focus your attention on different parts of the body and become aware of the energy there. In this way you learn to know the difference between "feeling the feeling" and "thinking about the feeling."

We are often not aware of our bodies other than from the neck up.

When we are asked about "our feelings" we "think about" our feelings. I remember one of my meditation teachers telling me that in the West we have forgotten what it means to feel the physicality of our feelings. This teacher of meditation discovered when he first returned to England that the meditation techniques he taught seemed to be having adverse effects.

He taught a meditation technique which focused on developing insight. Only he found students were becoming depressed. Later he found they "thought about" how to achieve "insight" rather than discover insight as a feeling experience. Rather than being once removed from their feelings they started to be twice removed. He introduced a second meditation called "The meditation of Loving Kindness" to balance the overall approach.

When we "think about" our feelings we are not "feelings the feeling."

Feeling them means to be still and to be aware. Scan the body and feel the energy there vibrating. Make no judgement and do not label. This I personally find a very subtle sensation. As you proceed you find this is where the power of love resides. Love is the feeling of flow in the body devoid of judgment. This is your being. This is your being free. It is the freedom of allowing "what is" to be "as it is."

Life is a felt experience.

This is not "your life" as a feeling experience. Life is the movement of energy. It is not something you own. It moves thought the body. This energy expresses in many ways. It expresses uniquely and wonderfully. When this energy, that is love, is blocked it become the experience of disease.

This free flowing experience of life gets blocked when it becomes "our love" and "our experience." We highjack the dance of life for our own ends. This is what Jesus meant when he advised that to save "your life" is to lose it. He emphasised the error of trying to save something that belongs to no one but is the dance of the Beloved.

Practice feeling the feelings without labelling. Do not call them names. They are your energy locked into your personal cave of unacceptability. When you react to others it is usually because they are mirroring some aspect of this cave.

Learn a little tenderness primarily to yourself. Trust your heart "to be." It is OK. You are OK. You are forever OK. You are the diamond you are looking to find in the heart of the other or in the world of the outer. You are looking in the wrong place. Wipe the dust from your eyes and discover insight.

Look "to be" before you do.

? Tony Cuckson 2004

Tony Cuckson is an Anam Cara. This Celtic term means "Soul Friend." He specializes in providing insight for the spiritual journey, Irish Blessings, words of wisdom and finding inner peace. Visitors to Irish Blessings Matter website and Tony's Blog get the opportunity to develop a purpose driven life through articles, newsletters and other programs. Get your free report called "7 ways to it's a wonderful life" at http://www.irishblessingsmatter.com or visit Tony's Blog at http://www.irishblessingsmatter.info for the best resources on spiritual growth, spiritual cinema, spiritual parenting, spiritual coaching and spirit in business.

The Reason Why They Buy

If you're a business person you want to sell your product or service. If it's been a struggle, then you probably aren't giving your potential customers a good "Reason Why" they should buy from you.

Take off your "business person" hat for a minute, and put on your "consumer" hat. You ARE a consumer when you need products other than your own. And why do you buy what you buy? Not just because it's there. Not because someone else needs your business. You buy because you think the product will meet your wants and needs.

How do you know? Perhaps you've used it before. Perhaps a friend recommended this product or service. Or perhaps the advertising gave you a good "reason why" you should become a customer.

The reality is -- we're all tuned into station WIFM: What's in it for me?

When you put pen to paper and begin to draft your next ad, put yourself in your customers' shoes and ask yourself what's in it for them. WHY will your product or service give them more than someone else's? Do you offer better service? Faster service? Higher quality? Lower price? Greater variety? Better guarantee?

What makes you stand out from the crowd?

Whatever it is, that's what you must convey to your customer.

Marte Cliff is a Freelance Copywriter with lots more tips to share. Sign up for her monthly ezine when you visit her at: http://marte-cliff.com

Internet Advertising Options

Your online business will likely require more advertising than a contemporary business downtown, yet some new to the world of online business do not spend the time and money to advertise their business appropriately and are, in turn, losing money. Your online business is crammed into the world wide web along with thousands of others selling the same product or service as yourself. Consider this scenario: In your hometown you want to open an art supply store. In that same town there are thousands of art supply stores. In order for your business to be successful, it will have to stand out in some way from the others. This is exactly what is happening when a business is opened online. There is so much competition, that you must take drastic measures to ensure that you are getting noticed. Advertising can be done in so many ways online. These are some of the most successful ways that you can promote your online business.

Advertising in e-zines is a popular way to promote your online business. Ezines are the magazines of the internet; they written on a particular subject and read by those interested in that subject. Therefore, ezine readers are already potential customers and advertising your site in ezines that are related to your business is almost guaranteed to help drive traffic to your site and increase sales for your product. You should be sure when advertising in ezines that you are not advertising along side competitors. Ask the ezine producer if there is a policy concerning posting competing ads. It is also a good idea to subscribe to the ezine before making a decision about whether or not to advertise in it. An ezine that runs fewer ads is a better choice than one that runs many ads. You can look at the online Directory of Ezines to find publications that are relevant to your company.

Pay-per-click programs are an excellent way to advertise your business without taking a risk that you have advertised in the wrong place. With pay-per-click, you can advertise you site and only pay for those who click the link and go to your site. Another popular pay-per program is the pay-per-lead program that allows you to only pay for leads. Usually this means that you pay for only those who download a trail, fill out a form or enter a sweepstakes; whatever you choose. Lastly you can display pay-per-click banner ads in which your company would be allowed to place a banner on their site and you will be charged for every click that your banner receives.

Opt-In email is a great way to advertise your business, however it is expensive and it can be misused very easily. Using opt-in emails, you would submit your sales copy to the company that will in turn email it to those on their mailing list. You should be very careful since some of the companies that advertise their mailing lists as opt-in email service is sometimes really SPAM. It is essential that you have a perfect and effective sales letter when using opt-in mailing lists. Without and effective sales copy your money and time have been wasted.

With 14 years of experience in sales and marketing, Carl Hoffman can help you start your own online business within 24 hours. To learn more visit: http://www.CEHoffman.com/pips/html

Kids, Chores & More

Are you a frustrated parent who sometimes finds it is easier to take the garbage out yourself than to keep nagging your son? Do you wonder what kind of employee he will become since he doesn't always follow through at home? Is it worth the effort on your part to insist that he do his share? The answer is a resounding Yes!

The lessons of life and self that we want our children to learn in our homes are not only the practical ones, such as making a bed, sewing on a button or cooking a meal. They include intangible benefits as well; it is equally important for children to learn the art of cooperation, the satisfaction of finishing a job, the ease in following a schedule and the value of sticking with a task. Children need to learn those lessons in order to cope successfully with the problems and challenges they will face in life.

The seeds of good judgment, thoughtful consideration for others and self-reliance in all areas of dial family life are most easily planted during a child's pre-school years, but it is never too late. These values can be reinforced until the child leaves home. It is the responsibility of the parents to teach our children to be contributing citizens. Schools, churches, Girl Scouts, YMCA and other youth organizations only supplement the lessons children receive at home.

A positive identity hinges on positive life experiences. If positive experiences take place in a safe and supportive home, then so much the better. The more success a child experiences, the better he feels about himself and his place in the world, and the more courage he has to try new and different things. When we "en"courage our children to contribute to the good of the family, we give them the gift of courage to make mistakes and to take risks. We focus on their assets and strengths in order to build their feelings of self-worth.

As we teach our children to work, the whole family wins. Children feel greater self-esteem, independence and a sense of belonging. Parents feel relieved of some of the work load, and they feel more confident about their child and his ability to function in the real world. Everybody feels more a part of the team, and the garbage gets taken out!

Judy H. Wright Author, Speaker, Life Educator ph:406-549-9813 JudyWright@ArtichokePress.com Website: http://www.ArtichokePress.com Sign up today for FREE tele-classes and ezine The Artichoke-- bite sized articles on parenting,family relations, wellness,self-publishing, writing memoirs and care-giving.

?Judy H. Wright

Lunesta FAQ: Things To Know Before You Buy Lunesta Online

When was the last time you enjoyed a good night's sleep? I'm talking about feeling tired, heavy, and relaxed - the times when you might say "wow! I love air conditioning" and fall right into a deep sleep. If you haven't fallen asleep quickly and woken up feeling refreshed and ready for anything, then you're not alone.

I myself suffer from a light case of insomnia, so I'm writing this article because I have been introduced to a new solution to our problem. You can say goodbye to all the ineffective medications you've tried; even Ambien, which can only be safely used for about a month in most people. So where can we turn?

Many people are now choosing to buy Lunesta, a revolutionary prescription sleep aid that works better than any other current sleeping pill. Lunesta is helping people across the country enjoy life again by helping them to...

? Fall asleep quickly.

? Sleep like a log through the night with fewer interruptions.

? Wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start the day.

? Enjoy a great night's sleep for more than just couple of weeks. Lunesta is the only sleep aid approved for long term use.

If you're anything like me, you probably don't want to take sleeping pills. That's my first reaction, but after educating myself about Lunesta, I'm convinced that it's worth the good night's sleep and feeling of refreshment in the morning.

Do yourself a favor and go grab a nice cool glass of water, and learn more about Lunesta and how it works to help you go to a deep sleep and feel refreshed the next day.

What should I discuss with my physician before I buy Lunesta online?

Before you decide to buy Lunesta, you should go through this checklist of things to discuss with your doctor, physician, or other healthcare provider:

? Have you ever had or do you currently have liver disease?

? Do you have or have you ever had asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, or another disease of the respiratory system?

? Are you prone to depression or suicidal thoughts?

If you have any of the conditions listed in the checklist above, you may not be able to take Lunesta to begin getting a better night's sleep. However, after careful review, your doctor may allow you to take Lunesta in a special, lower dose; or under special monitoring during treatment.

Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD 2004-2005

Compare reputable, top-rated pharmacies to buy Lunesta online. Join the free lunesta message board and find extensive Lunesta information at Shoppe.MD.