Consider the last 10 years of E-commerce in South Africa. Literally, not one successful online business has reached the top and made a global impact. E-commerce growth in commercial websites sites has been dismal, and we are yet to see a Cape Town-style Google or a Jo’burg based Amazon.

E-commerce success depends on many factors if it wants to be an online sensation and generate any profit. Why do most South African developed websites struggle to generate a profit? Over 90% of them fail in the first year. What are their shortcomings and where can you implement changes in order to see a healthy profit? Read further to discover how you can affect change in your website with these modern principles for online success.

Perhaps you have heard of the 5 P’s. No, it’s not some obscure Jazz band, but an acronym for Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. This is a key factor to keep in mind. When it comes to online business your product can change in the blink of an eye as demand is governed by the daily search patterns and needs of the customer. Unlike a physical business that must be rebuilt and altered, a websites image and product changes on the fly to reflect the diverse needs of the consumer.

Always consider the competition. When you first started your website and the initial planning stages started, were you surprised to see how many websites offered the same product? No matter how unique and original an idea is, there is another business performing the same service-so keep an eye on the competition. Know your ‘enemy’ and garner valuable information on their shortcomings and successes so you can further improve your areas that need development. Rather focus on the elements of the business that the competition is less interested in or does not focus on at all. For instance, you sell pots online and they sell pots as well but at a cheaper rate. Instead of just selling pots, you could offer custom designed pots for consumers looking for unique kitchenware.

Perhaps you would rather sell the pots at a cheaper rate then the competing websites. Drawing customers in with very low prices is an excellent way to attract a large client base, as customers who mostly shop on the web will always use price comparison websites to find the most attractive deal. However, don’t let your guard down. Lower your rates enough to be competitive in regards to the other websites and make sure you can still generate enough profit to maintain your expenses and of course, the costs of marketing. Make sure that you offer what few businesses do not, that is the USP – the Unique Selling Point. A unique and interesting product usually guarantees returns on your investment.

How does one generate traffic though, how does your website become number one in the top search engines? By using both SEO and PPC. SEO is search engine optimization, a process that search engines use to identify keywords in websites, and then rank them according to keywords usage. Pay Per click only works when a user actually clicks on an ad to visit your website. Advertisers bid on keywords that predict target markets. When a user types a keyword query matching the websites keyword list, or views a page with relevant content, the website may be listed.

The final helpful hint for today is Conversion rate. Your websites effectiveness is directly linked to how many unique users are accessing said website and purchasing your product. There is a formula for working this out but a simple example would be for every 100 unique users, you would need two users purchasing your product. This gives a desired conversion rate of 2%. The average rate is less than 1%; this is well below the global standard of 2.4%. However, as the market for online shopping grows in SA, so will eventually our conversion rate. So refine your sites conversion rate and you will increase your revenue in leaps and bounds. If you follow these steps we have outlined, then there should be no limit to the success of your online business.

Robert
http://www.articlesbase.com/ecommerce-articles/ecommerce-in-south-africa-why-it-is-failing-504164.html

AND lets you order by mail?
If it doesn't thats fine, but i'd prefer it did.

I don't know if they're still online, but, I used to buy concert t-shirts from www.fadedglory.com.

Im a color guard designer and instructor . I have 9 years in contemporary dance. I have received instruction for 4 years . I have produced 4 winter guard shows. I have worked with numerous color guards and cheer-leading squads as lead choreographer.

Forgive me for saying this, but finding a business partner on Y!A doesn't seem… safe.

You seem like you're very proud of your accomplishments. Why would you entrust your website to someone you don't know? Perhaps another instructor you've worked with? Perhaps an old guard member who's gone on to pursue something like web design?

I would definitely take the time to go through your current contacts before seeking out someone in a very large forum that you don't know.

ETA: By The Way, Federica C, color guard and winter guard are the people you see in marching band shows and parades who dance… You sometimes see them with flags, batons, rifles, or sabers, among other things.

Perhaps you should know what someone's ASKING before you answer.

With Yahoo web hosting you can get your website on the Internet quickly and easily, and have Yahoo take care of all the technical details of hosting and managing the files that make up your website. They monitor the network, take care of backups and protect your data, all of which allows you to spend your time on promoting and developing your business.

There are four important things you need to consider when deciding on a Yahoo web hosting packing. First is how much disk space you will need for your disk. The disk space you need will be determined by the number and sizes of images, audio and video files and other content files you will want to be able to display on your website.

The second consideration is the amount of traffic you want and expect to get to your website. This traffic includes all the customers and prospects you want to check out your website to see your products. This amount of traffic will determine how much monthly data transfer you need. In the third place is the number of e-mail accounts you require. With your Yahoo web hosting account you can create e-mail accounts for your business, such as you@yourdomain.com or info@yourdomain.com.

At the time of writing, the Yahoo web hosting Starter package includes 5 gigabytes of disk space, 200 gigabytes of band width per month and 200 e-mail addresses. When your needs change you can upgrade to a larger hosting package.

As a bonus each Yahoo web hosting package includes free registration for one domain name. Yahoo will pay for the initial registration and the annual renewal fee for your choice of domain name for as long as you keep using Yahoo web hosting. This represents quite a good value. They also offer other features such as their own web site design software, and support for applications such as MS FrontPage. They also support scripting languages like PHP and Perl and MySQL databases and 24 hour toll-free phone support.

The process of signing up for Yahoo web hosting is pretty simple. First you have to select the package you want. At the time of writing the packages range from $11.95 to $39.95 per month, however they have regular special offers. The next step is to select your domain name. If you do not have a Yahoo account yet, you will be asked to create an account and finally you will enter your payment information. And it is as simple as that. You are all set to start up your website.

Evert DuToit
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/what-yahoo-web-hosting-can-offer-your-business-103963.html

And it also says: The url specified is already in use. Please choose another url.

If you could answer this too, that would be appreciated.

no, you just need to setup an account like you regularly would be as a band. myspace is a website. it doesn't simply link to websites.

- last 3 notes ftw! - Drum heads can be found here http://www.goodwoodmods.com - The padding is incredible. No more loud pads, replacing, or soldering your old stock pads. Compared to the stock kit, you can actually get a rebound! xbl tag: Noods Noodle - I do not play the real drums …

Duration : 0:4:41

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Technorati Tags: 100%, 360, Band2, DLC, drums, expert, FC, game, gold, Harmonix, Noodle, Noods, Pumpkins, rock, Siva, Smashing, stars, video, xbox

“SWINGTHING” which is run by Solway Music, is a 4/5 piece jazz/swing band which is available for weddings, celebrations, functions and corporate events. The band specialises in jazz and swing music in the “rat pack” style but is equally at ease performing in a variety of genres. To underline this versatility, Swingthing recently had the pleasure of performing for Camilla Dallerup and Ian Waite in a ballroom dancing weekend held at the Lodore Falls hotel on the shore of Lake Derwentwater near Keswick.

A prominent feature of “Swingthing” is the fabulous voice of Ronnie Walker who styles himself on Frank Sinatra. Ronnie has been on the circuit for many years and has performed in venues all over the country. He is not limited to one particular style , however, and is perfectly at home with rock n roll and other dance music.

He is ably accompanied by Brian Melville -keys. Brian has been a musician for many years and has performed in a variety of venues in the UK and Europe. His first love is jazz music but is not averse to playing any type of music when the occasion arises. Favourite bands include Chick Corea Electrik Band, The Yellowjackets, Dave Weckl Band and Dave Brubeck Quartet. Brian is currently playing a Roland FP3 electric piano and a Korg M1 synthesizer

Laurence Blackadder - bass. Laurence is a relative newcomer on the scene but has made rapid progress on his 150 year old French bass. He also plays 6 string electric bass which gives him access to a wide range of genres. He is currently receiving lessons from Zoltan Dekany and formerly from Iain Crawford of the Scottish Symphony.

Dave Thompson - drums. Dave is a highly experienced percussionist who has played professionallly in Europe and the Middle East. Having learned his trade in Birmingham he moved north where he now resides.

Swingthing are also able to perform in a variety of formats. Brian Melville is already an accomplished lounge pianist and performs regularly in local hotels but he is equally at home performing in a duo with any member of the band. Similarly, performing as a trio, Swingthing have a wide ranging rpertoire of jazz and have available Jonathan Melville on saxophones as and when requested . The band is not limited to any particular style. To further expand and underline the appeal of Swingthing, the band has available two girl singers who perform with the band in completely different styles. Caroline Sweeney, who has performed at a number of venues, is very much in the Billy Holliday and Madeline Peyroux mold. Joanne Rudd, “Jo Jo”, is in a very different style and specialises in music by Norah Jones and Katie Melua. Joanne is going to be an integral part of the set up.

Contact with Solway Music is possible at ….www.solwaymusic.co.uk

You can listen to a podcast about Swingthing by going to the Solway Music website and scrolling to ” Podcasts….Podcasts……Podcasts”.

Ukorg
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/this-is-swingthing-50403.html

The band plays country music in the Madison, WI to Millwaukee, WI areas

Google them!
HI from a cheesehead in Mad-town area!

I wanna make a websie for a band I'm starting. I'm absolutley familiar with the process of making a website(I know HTML/CSS, Javascript, PHP, how to buy a domain name, get hosting), but I don't know what to put on a website for a band. Any suggestions would be nice

thanks

Music (a lot of it), pictures (a lot of them), a blog (with lots of updates). That's what I want in a band page.

According to the leading carbon offsetting scheme for car drivers in the United Kingdom, the cost of offsetting the CO2 emissions of a typical 4×4 vehicle is less than £25 annually.

Drivers are infuriated by increasing parking bills, congestion charges and other high-emission penalties. This is especially true with the 4×4 drivers. However, to show concern to the alarming global warming issues, drivers surely could take an extra mile to offset the harmful CO2 emissions. According to the online targetneutral.com scheme, offsetting a 4×4’s CO2 emissions costs from just £16.71 for a Land Rover Discovery to £24.69 for a BMW X5.

Offsetting is a simple way for beleaguered 4×4 drivers to show their environment concerns. “Targetneutral supports the concept of taking steps to consume less energy as well as offsetting the emissions of your current mode of transport. But offsetting is a helpful and thoughtful step to take, whether you drive a Range Rover or a Mini,” said Sheila Williams from the mentioned scheme.

The targetneutral scheme recommends three practical steps that drivers could take to remedy personal CO2 emissions. First, the website suggests that drivers could reduce emissions as much as possible by changing behavior to use less fuel and be more fuel efficient. This step could also save a significant sum. The second step is to replace the fuel, oil, tires and car with more fuel efficient products and models, specifically high efficiency diesel vehicles, when such would be possible. Finally, drivers could neutralize the effects of the CO2 emissions that cannot be reduced or replaced by joining its scheme.

Based on the targetneutral’s calculator, the annual CO2 offsetting cost, on an average annual mileage of 10,000 miles of selected 4×4 cars in the United Kingdom are the following: the Range Rover 3.6 TD V8 £19.97; Land Rover Discovery 2.7 TD V6 £16.71; Volvo XC90 3.2 SE Sport £20.97; VW Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI £19.28; Mercedes ML 320 CDI £17.40; and the BMW X5 4.4i SE £24.69.

The Land Rover V8 engine is a compact internal combustion engine with aluminium cylinder heads and cylinder block. The said engine was originally designed by General Motors Corp. but was later redesigned and produced by Land Rover in the UK. Volvo XC90 parts used here boast the power of its V8 engine based on Duratec V6. The V8 was developed in cooperation with Yamaha Motor Corporation. The VW Toureg, on the other hand, uses different engines that include the 2.5 L diesel I5/R5, 3.0 L diesel V6, 3.2 L gasoline V6, .2 L gasoline V8, and 6.0 L gasoline W12. Mercedes and BMW are famed in developing efficient and easy to maintain engines.

Targetneutral is administered by a panel of leading environmentalists in the UK including Jonathon Porritt and Tim Smit. The company works through a simple online carbon calculator. The said online calculator could be used by drivers to input the make and model of their cars and the number of miles they drive a year to show the cost of offsetting their cars’ CO2 emissions. The proceeds of the website go to CO2 reduction projects including alternative and renewable energy.

Some automakers have underestimated cars’ CO2 emissions casting doubt over the road tax system of the UK. According to Auto Express’ own fuel efficiency investigations automakers’ quoted combined economy figures are unrealistic. “We found their claims to be 17-20 per cent above what motorists will achieve in everyday driving,” said road test editor Oliver Marriage.

CO2 emissions and the Government’s car taxation measure are directly proportionate to fuel efficiency. The United States environmental protection agency said, “Each one per cent rise in consumption results in a one per cent rise in emissions.” Therefore, official CO2 fig­ures could be up to 20 percent too low.

Auto Express’ findings mean top-selling cars could be contributing more to global warming than first thought. Ford’s Focus 1.6, for instance, officially puts out 161g/km of CO2 however; it is more likely to emit 193g/km. That would move Focus from Band D to Band F, increasing road tax by £65 a year.

Further, the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) states on its website that “emissions tests cannot fully represent real-life driving conditions.” This information should be taken vigilantly by car owners.

Glady Reign
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/offsetting-4×4-emissions-costs-less-than-25-annually-109153.html