By Nick Matyas
On a visit to local importer I sat down with their logistics manager to learn how they were coping with these economic times and the flood of shifting surcharges and freight rates. I was a surprised on the trust they placed in their transportation providers to invoice the correct freight charges as per their negotiated rate agreements. Perhaps, more amazed to learn that their accounts payable department had a general naivety about what all those surcharges on the freight invoice meant.
Logistics industry experts reluctantly acknowledge that it isn't unusual for errors to be found in one of out of every three freight invoices. These errors can range from invoicing the wrong shipper for the wrong movement to surcharge miscalculations upping the freight invoice a few more dollars.
A mainstay of the logistics and supply chain industry that is gaining momentum in this economy is the business of freight invoice audit. Every company is searching for ways to lower costs and get maximum value out of their total transportation spend. One thing shippers have in common is that they all have to pay their freight invoices. Only a small percentage does detail freight invoice audits. Many companies still operate the old-fashioned way, by filling out forms, matching purchase orders to bill of ladings to a excel rate sheets or scribbled handwritten notes then writing out checks by hand and mailing them.
In this budget tight economy where cash is king and credit is getting increasingly tight, the corporate initiatives for obtaining SaaS-based freight audit software is definitely gaining in importance. Corporate leadership understands that their logistics departments can make or break the company's bottom-line. And, failure to audit freight invoices is by far one of the largest cash flow losses.
Some companies outsource their freight audit function. The best option is to utilize SaaS software which is quick and affordable to implement within your logistics and accounts payable departments; and easy to integrate into your other systems. Companies using the logistics industry powerful Pay-Trek!® and Tariff-Trek!® software can quickly audit freight invoices for accuracy saving money. Besides freight audit, these software modules store carrier rates and customer pricing with the ability to track costs in real time as orders travel from purchase order to bill of lading to final delivery in the entire Logistics Management Lifecycle.
Smart logistics managers are busy auditing and analyzing their freight invoices. SaaS+plus(TM) software is affordable and enables faster, more granular and event-driven decision-making with seamless visibility, collaboration and cost control in your entire Logistics Management Lifecycle.
Nick Matyas is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Freightgate. Freightgate is the world's leading Logistics SaaS Software Solutions provider for global shippers, forwarders, carriers and supply chains. working to effectively manage the complex and demanding information flow in today's worldwide supply chain. Freightgate's applied technological and industry-specific expertise ensures that you achieve and sustain competitive advantage. Contact Freightgate on the web at http://www.freightgate.com , email sales@freightgate.com or call (714) 799-2833.
Monday, 23 May 2011
Know About Merchant Account Services
By Justin C Davis
To make profits is the main motive behind every business. Nowadays, its very hard to maintain a place in the market with the competition rising. The best solution is having merchant account services. Through the use of a credit card, a businessman is allowed to make transactions with their customers for their product. Not only to boost your profit rate but will also mean increase in clients satisfaction a merchant account service offers.
Big thanks to merchant account services clients will be able to purchase expensive articles of your company using their credit or debit cards online.A source of hassle to the clients are cash payments. When paying through the card, clients are not only saving time and energy but saving themselves from the burden of instant cash payments as well. Using cash and checks for paying is over, the most convenient form of payment is the electronic transfer through merchant account service.
So,do you know how does this merchant services work? Your account provider allows the funds transfer from your customer's credit card to your business account in a very small period of time. You no longer need handling finance issues. Your clients' credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, etc. will be easily accepted in this kind of payment gateway.
It is a very easy process to get hold of a merchant account services provider. Many companies will be find online providing merchant account services. First you just need to fill up an absolutely free registration form. Once you are done, an expert professional will get in touch with you to look for the most applicable processing solution for you.
There are plenty merchant service providers which assert to arrange the best possible services at the lowest rates. How does one chose the most credible one? Talk to an agent. An agent will help you choose the best merchant account services provider. Free and most profitable services are being promised by fake companies,you should always remember that there's no company can provide anything absolutely free. Since Credit cards should be paid by these companies, giving you an absolutely free services is very impossible. There are so many websites which contains viruses that intend to act on your computer, so be very careful and only choose a service provider after talking to your agent.
How much to spend for a merchant service? These websites catering merchant account services would generally say the lowest or cheapest rates but it really depends on different factors such as your business volume and the type of businesses you own.
Merchant account services is of great utility, be it a home based or Internet based businesses, a retail store. With such a smart business strategy, profits are bound to increase in your company. Provide your clients more reasons to purchase your product; don't scare them away with the price tag. Shopping on a convenient and stress-free manner, surely clients will choose your product over others and basically you will have more sales. For a very affordable merchant services fee,expect your business will bloom. Go and call a merchant service provider now, don't waste time thinking it over.
The best choice in increasing profit is with the help of having merchant account.Boost your profit rate and increase in clients satisfaction a merchant account service offers.
To make profits is the main motive behind every business. Nowadays, its very hard to maintain a place in the market with the competition rising. The best solution is having merchant account services. Through the use of a credit card, a businessman is allowed to make transactions with their customers for their product. Not only to boost your profit rate but will also mean increase in clients satisfaction a merchant account service offers.
Big thanks to merchant account services clients will be able to purchase expensive articles of your company using their credit or debit cards online.A source of hassle to the clients are cash payments. When paying through the card, clients are not only saving time and energy but saving themselves from the burden of instant cash payments as well. Using cash and checks for paying is over, the most convenient form of payment is the electronic transfer through merchant account service.
So,do you know how does this merchant services work? Your account provider allows the funds transfer from your customer's credit card to your business account in a very small period of time. You no longer need handling finance issues. Your clients' credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, etc. will be easily accepted in this kind of payment gateway.
It is a very easy process to get hold of a merchant account services provider. Many companies will be find online providing merchant account services. First you just need to fill up an absolutely free registration form. Once you are done, an expert professional will get in touch with you to look for the most applicable processing solution for you.
There are plenty merchant service providers which assert to arrange the best possible services at the lowest rates. How does one chose the most credible one? Talk to an agent. An agent will help you choose the best merchant account services provider. Free and most profitable services are being promised by fake companies,you should always remember that there's no company can provide anything absolutely free. Since Credit cards should be paid by these companies, giving you an absolutely free services is very impossible. There are so many websites which contains viruses that intend to act on your computer, so be very careful and only choose a service provider after talking to your agent.
How much to spend for a merchant service? These websites catering merchant account services would generally say the lowest or cheapest rates but it really depends on different factors such as your business volume and the type of businesses you own.
Merchant account services is of great utility, be it a home based or Internet based businesses, a retail store. With such a smart business strategy, profits are bound to increase in your company. Provide your clients more reasons to purchase your product; don't scare them away with the price tag. Shopping on a convenient and stress-free manner, surely clients will choose your product over others and basically you will have more sales. For a very affordable merchant services fee,expect your business will bloom. Go and call a merchant service provider now, don't waste time thinking it over.
The best choice in increasing profit is with the help of having merchant account.Boost your profit rate and increase in clients satisfaction a merchant account service offers.
Essential Merchant Account Services
By Phile Barra
Merchant accounts are considered to be very important especially in the world of E-commerce. Many people own online businesses and want to expand their business by attracting many customers. Online business expansion is very important as it increases the income and profits of the business. Thus, it is necessary that business owners subscribe for merchant accounts because it is proven to increase the earning potential. It helps them to conduct online transactions. It is just like how we make transactions with the help of debit or credit cards.
Business owners can subscribe for merchant accounts from many places like online payment processors, credit card companies, banks and financial institutions. Choosing the right kind of merchant account service is very essential as it helps in increasing the volume of sales to a large extent along with business expansion. A little online research is very essential as it will provide extra information and knowledge about the subject. You can also find third party merchant services online. There are many merchant service providers and each one of them has different terms and conditions. You need to read the terms carefully before making any kind of decision.
You need to pay service fees to the merchant account providers for their work and assistance. It is generally an account opening fee which is charged by most of the providers. However, you need to be careful about things like hidden costs or additional fees before paying any kind of amount to the provider. There are some other factors also which need to be considered before opting for the respective service. Be careful about any kind of free services as they can turn out to be scams. Many merchant providers claim to provide free services. However, it is better not to go for these kinds of services.
If you are not sure about a particular service then you can always go for reputed companies. You do not have to worry about the service quality and get full return for your value. You can search for websites that provide you with features and programs that help you get a better deal. These features allow you to compare the prices of other competitors so that you get the best deal. Some of the companies also provide you with a free card processing machine which is important in case you are running a business. Nowadays many people prefer making payments with the help of credit or debit cards rather than carrying cash everywhere.
Service quality is really important when it comes to hiring third party merchant services. You should get 24 hr service support and assistance. Reading customer feedback and reviews is a good way to know more about a company. There are different types of merchant accounts and a person can choose one according to his business requirements. People who own small businesses and stores usually opt for retail merchant accounts. Thus, this was some important information about merchant accounts and some of the factors to be considered before hiring the services.
Merchant Account Forum provides Free information for international businesses on how to accept credit cards online using internet merchant accounts.
Essential Merchant Account Services
By Phile Barra
Merchant accounts are considered to be very important especially in the world of E-commerce. Many people own online businesses and want to expand their business by attracting many customers. Online business expansion is very important as it increases the income and profits of the business. Thus, it is necessary that business owners subscribe for merchant accounts because it is proven to increase the earning potential. It helps them to conduct online transactions. It is just like how we make transactions with the help of debit or credit cards.
Business owners can subscribe for merchant accounts from many places like online payment processors, credit card companies, banks and financial institutions. Choosing the right kind of merchant account service is very essential as it helps in increasing the volume of sales to a large extent along with business expansion. A little online research is very essential as it will provide extra information and knowledge about the subject. You can also find third party merchant services online. There are many merchant service providers and each one of them has different terms and conditions. You need to read the terms carefully before making any kind of decision.
You need to pay service fees to the merchant account providers for their work and assistance. It is generally an account opening fee which is charged by most of the providers. However, you need to be careful about things like hidden costs or additional fees before paying any kind of amount to the provider. There are some other factors also which need to be considered before opting for the respective service. Be careful about any kind of free services as they can turn out to be scams. Many merchant providers claim to provide free services. However, it is better not to go for these kinds of services.
If you are not sure about a particular service then you can always go for reputed companies. You do not have to worry about the service quality and get full return for your value. You can search for websites that provide you with features and programs that help you get a better deal. These features allow you to compare the prices of other competitors so that you get the best deal. Some of the companies also provide you with a free card processing machine which is important in case you are running a business. Nowadays many people prefer making payments with the help of credit or debit cards rather than carrying cash everywhere.
Service quality is really important when it comes to hiring third party merchant services. You should get 24 hr service support and assistance. Reading customer feedback and reviews is a good way to know more about a company. There are different types of merchant accounts and a person can choose one according to his business requirements. People who own small businesses and stores usually opt for retail merchant accounts. Thus, this was some important information about merchant accounts and some of the factors to be considered before hiring the services.
Merchant Account Forum provides Free information for international businesses on how to accept credit cards online using internet merchant accounts.
Merchant accounts are considered to be very important especially in the world of E-commerce. Many people own online businesses and want to expand their business by attracting many customers. Online business expansion is very important as it increases the income and profits of the business. Thus, it is necessary that business owners subscribe for merchant accounts because it is proven to increase the earning potential. It helps them to conduct online transactions. It is just like how we make transactions with the help of debit or credit cards.
Business owners can subscribe for merchant accounts from many places like online payment processors, credit card companies, banks and financial institutions. Choosing the right kind of merchant account service is very essential as it helps in increasing the volume of sales to a large extent along with business expansion. A little online research is very essential as it will provide extra information and knowledge about the subject. You can also find third party merchant services online. There are many merchant service providers and each one of them has different terms and conditions. You need to read the terms carefully before making any kind of decision.
You need to pay service fees to the merchant account providers for their work and assistance. It is generally an account opening fee which is charged by most of the providers. However, you need to be careful about things like hidden costs or additional fees before paying any kind of amount to the provider. There are some other factors also which need to be considered before opting for the respective service. Be careful about any kind of free services as they can turn out to be scams. Many merchant providers claim to provide free services. However, it is better not to go for these kinds of services.
If you are not sure about a particular service then you can always go for reputed companies. You do not have to worry about the service quality and get full return for your value. You can search for websites that provide you with features and programs that help you get a better deal. These features allow you to compare the prices of other competitors so that you get the best deal. Some of the companies also provide you with a free card processing machine which is important in case you are running a business. Nowadays many people prefer making payments with the help of credit or debit cards rather than carrying cash everywhere.
Service quality is really important when it comes to hiring third party merchant services. You should get 24 hr service support and assistance. Reading customer feedback and reviews is a good way to know more about a company. There are different types of merchant accounts and a person can choose one according to his business requirements. People who own small businesses and stores usually opt for retail merchant accounts. Thus, this was some important information about merchant accounts and some of the factors to be considered before hiring the services.
Merchant Account Forum provides Free information for international businesses on how to accept credit cards online using internet merchant accounts.
Essential Merchant Account Services
By Phile Barra
Merchant accounts are considered to be very important especially in the world of E-commerce. Many people own online businesses and want to expand their business by attracting many customers. Online business expansion is very important as it increases the income and profits of the business. Thus, it is necessary that business owners subscribe for merchant accounts because it is proven to increase the earning potential. It helps them to conduct online transactions. It is just like how we make transactions with the help of debit or credit cards.
Business owners can subscribe for merchant accounts from many places like online payment processors, credit card companies, banks and financial institutions. Choosing the right kind of merchant account service is very essential as it helps in increasing the volume of sales to a large extent along with business expansion. A little online research is very essential as it will provide extra information and knowledge about the subject. You can also find third party merchant services online. There are many merchant service providers and each one of them has different terms and conditions. You need to read the terms carefully before making any kind of decision.
You need to pay service fees to the merchant account providers for their work and assistance. It is generally an account opening fee which is charged by most of the providers. However, you need to be careful about things like hidden costs or additional fees before paying any kind of amount to the provider. There are some other factors also which need to be considered before opting for the respective service. Be careful about any kind of free services as they can turn out to be scams. Many merchant providers claim to provide free services. However, it is better not to go for these kinds of services.
If you are not sure about a particular service then you can always go for reputed companies. You do not have to worry about the service quality and get full return for your value. You can search for websites that provide you with features and programs that help you get a better deal. These features allow you to compare the prices of other competitors so that you get the best deal. Some of the companies also provide you with a free card processing machine which is important in case you are running a business. Nowadays many people prefer making payments with the help of credit or debit cards rather than carrying cash everywhere.
Service quality is really important when it comes to hiring third party merchant services. You should get 24 hr service support and assistance. Reading customer feedback and reviews is a good way to know more about a company. There are different types of merchant accounts and a person can choose one according to his business requirements. People who own small businesses and stores usually opt for retail merchant accounts. Thus, this was some important information about merchant accounts and some of the factors to be considered before hiring the services.
Merchant Account Forum provides Free information for international businesses on how to accept credit cards online using internet merchant accounts.
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Writing Your Life Story - Tips And Techniques For Success
By Mike Brozda
Once a luxury of the rich and famous, technology has, for the first time in history, made it possible for anyone to capture, share and preserve their most precious life stories. With the advent of computers, the Internet, digital photography, video, and audio, anyone can capture the richness and texture of their life stories. These personal histories will be appreciated by family, friends, and future generations.
Today it is possible to easily blend the art of traditional biography and memoir with powerful new technologies into a new form of individual life storytelling: the personal life history. Personal life histories are satisfying to create. And, because of the interactive multimedia possibilities inherent in computers and the web, a well-done personal life history can be rich and fully rounded in ways that are impossible to achieve in text-only memoir or biography. But most importantly, personal life histories preserve vital individual and family stories. And, when properly done, they will last for generations.
In this article you will discover how to use time-honored life story writing techniques along with the latest technologies to create a story that is uniquely "you."
The Art of Traditional Life-Story Formats
For anyone interested in creating their own autobiography, memoir or personal life history, it is important to understand the distinctions between these forms of telling one's own life story. To over-generalize for a moment, an autobiography is more fact-based, while a memoir is more emotion-based.
Autobiographies are written by the subject, sometimes with the collaboration of another writer. Autobiographical works take many forms, from intimate writings made during life that are not necessarily intended for publication (including letters, diaries, journals, memoirs, and reminiscences) to the formal autobiography. Interestingly, the autobiography format does not necessarily have to be true. It may also be a literary fictional tale.
Memoirs are a form of personal recollection that has grown enormously in popularity in recent times. Memoirs often focus on more subjective recollections such as memories, feelings, and emotions and are generally written from the first-person viewpoint. The memoir is often focused on capturing certain meaningful highlights or moments.
In his own Memoir, Palimpest, Gore Vidal writes that "a memoir is how one remembers one's own life, while an autobiography is history, requiring research, dates, facts double-checked."
Memoirs usually focus on a brief period of time or a series of connected events (an autobiography covers a longer time period). In a memoir, the writer is usually retrospective, and contemplating past events. Memoirs may incorporate the techniques of storytelling such as setting, plot, conflict, character development, foreshadowing, flashback, irony or symbolism. And lastly, writing one's memoir often has a therapeutic effect for the writer.
Oral History Recordings
An oral history is a verbatim transcription of an interview, left in the narrator's exact words. These are usually left in a question-and-answer style and are an economical way to preserve family stories. A recording system with a good-quality microphone and a quiet spot free from interruptions are all that is really needed to capture an oral history. It helps to have questions prepared in advance of the interview.
Oral histories are usually recorded using analog tape or digital recording equipment, but it is also possible to record directly into a personal computer. Oral histories are often transcribed (typed or word processed) into a document format. The conversational style is appealing for its easygoing informality.
Caveats: Recording formats and standards are constantly evolving and could become difficult or impossible to play back if the equipment becomes obsolete. Taped recordings decay over time.
Video History Recordings
Do-it-Yourself: At the basic level, it's easy and fun to create a basic video history. Camcorders are relatively inexpensive, and many computers today come with basic editing software. Capturing a good video history shares all of the same prerequisites as an audio recording: a quiet spot, with questions prepared in advance. Plus, you will want an uncluttered background, flattering lighting, and right clothing to improve the quality of the end product. White shirts, pants or dresses, for example don't show up well on video. Likewise, busy patterns can be distracting. Solid light-colored neutrals or pastels are usually safe.
Professional videographers: A large number of professional video companies specialize in the creation of life story productions. Productions may range from a 10 or 15 minute short to an hour or longer mini-movie, complete with titles, music, and other Hollywood-style effects. Naturally, you'll pay more for a professional production than a homegrown effort.
When selecting a professional use all the usual smart-consumer tips. Ask for references. Ask to see samples of prior work. Get all costs, production timetables and commitments in writing. It's delightful to have movies of an individual or family. When well-executed they often have entertainment value and are great for special occasions.
Caveat: As with audio recordings, formats change over time, and media can degrade, even with proper storage methods
The Integration of Art and Technology: Web-Based Personal Life Histories
Just in the last few years, the Web has emerged as a powerful new medium for creating and sharing life stories. On the web it is not only possible, it is enjoyable and easy to create a rich multimedia story with text, photos, audio and video. This is the new format of the personal life history.
Web-based personal life histories enjoy several advantages over paper-based publishing, audio, video, or even CD life stories. Specifically, Web-based publication is updateable-one can add new information at any time. It is easily shareable among friends or family. The most advanced sites offer choices of privacy and security protection. The web is also multimedia, meaning you can add text, photos, audio, and video. Photos, audio, video are never lost, damaged destroyed. An finally, many sites offer print-on-demand, allowing you to create instant books. The books may be printed on your home printer, or sent out to small-run publishers. If you choose the small-run option, be sure to specify archival quality paper.
One of the biggest advantages of web publishing is the ability to build community around similar interests, occupations, backgrounds or life events. For example, a WWII veteran pilot who posts his story to the Web and makes it available to the public may be contacted by long-lost friends, other veterans, students, historians, museum personnel, or others interested in this pivotal chapter in American history.
Why Create Your Personal Life History?
Mark Twain once said: "There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is impossibility. Inside everyone, there is a drama, a comedy, a tragedy."
A personal life history can be as short as a few pages, or several volumes in length. Whatever the length or medium, it requires thoughtfulness and sometimes quite a bit of work to accomplish. But the work is worthwhile because it has the ability to influence generations ahead. Your personal life history may leave a legacy for your children and grandchildren. As with memoir, writing a personal history allows you to examine and reflect on your life up to the present day. It lets you add your story to the larger historical record of your family, city, and country. And lastly, if you don't do it, who will?
Start with a Timeline of Life Chapters
How does one start to tell the story of a life that may cover 60, 70, 80 years or more? Often it's helpful to create a chronological timeline of major events in your life. It helps to jot down a few notes around key phases in your life. In fact, you may already be thinking of your life as a book, with separate, distinct chapters built around important life episodes.
Of course, not everyone's life follows an identical chronological sequence, but here are a few ideas for chapter headings for your book or story. GreatLifeStories.com uses the following "chapters" to organize life stories:
o Your Beginnings
o In Your Neighborhood
o School Days
o Off to Work
o Romance and Marriage
o War and Peace
o Triumphs and Tragedies
o Words of Wisdom
o Humor
o Words of Gratitude
The chapter system is very flexible. For example, you don't have to start your life story with the days of your birth and youth. Perhaps you had a fascinating experience during the war. As with a movie, you might open your life story with that "scene," then tell the story how you got there.
Once you've got an idea for the "flow," of your story, here are some more specific guidelines to help add color, texture, and authenticity:
Just start writing! Do a mind dump. Get it out of your head and down on paper, the computer, the tape recorder, wherever. Don't worry about how it sounds. Just write. Resist the temptation to edit yourself; there will be time for editing later.
Be yourself. Don't worry if your grammar or spelling isn't perfect. Write it as you would say it.
Honesty is everything. The best writing tells it like it happened.
Include humor. Favorite jokes, stories, anecdotes
Detail, detail, detail. What kind of floor did the kitchen have? What color was the scarf she wore when you first met?
Go at a comfortable pace. Don't try to capture an entire lifetime in a single session of furious writing. Write, allow time to reflect, and return again to writing.
Consult others. Family members and friends can be invaluable sources of facts and interpretation.
Use photos to jog your memory. Tip: Set out photos in a timeline of your life, starting from your very youngest days, and moving through current times. Write or record to your visual storyboard
Look for themes in your life. Themes are broad ideas that are central to your life. Did you always want to be a pilot? A preacher? Own a restaurant? Be a farmer? Tell the story of how you met your goal, or how the goal changed to something else totally unexpected.
Here are just a few other thematic life story possibilities: a. The Spiritual quest b. The Confession c. The Travelogue d. The Portrait e. The Complaint f. Humor g. The Family history h. The Road to Recovery i. War Story j. Romance
Another Option: Hire a Professional
Most of this article has been focused on creating the do-it-yourself personal life history. There is, of course, the option of working with a professional. The right professional writer or videographer is a highly skilled interviewer and has the proper tools and equipment. And, believe it or not, it is sometimes easier for someone to open up in front of a stranger rather than in front of a family member.
There are many approaches to working with writers or videographers. However, there are a number of similarities in common. The writer/videographer often:
1) Meets with you to determine the scope and cost of the project.
2) Usually sets up taped interview sessions. Depending on your objectives, these may be an hour or two, or 10, 20 hours or more.
3) The recording is transcribed and edited with your input and guidance
4) Once a final manuscript/movie is agreed upon, it may be sent out for printing or duplication.
5) For books, personal history professionals recommend archival bindings and acid-free paper for longevity
6) You receive the number of books/movies agreed upon in your contract.
7) Be sure to discuss services, fees and end products in advance, and get all agreements in writing.
Thanks to high technology, the art of capturing and preserving the stories from one's own life is now open to more people and easier than ever before. A new genre of personal storytelling is emerging that draws on the literary traditions of the autobiography and memoir, while adding audio, video, and web technology to create personal life histories. On the Web, these personal stories personal life histories are multimedia, collaborative, shareable, and instantly updateable.
Enjoy capturing your life story!
References and Further Reading
Web Sites:
http://www.greatlifestories.com
Associations:
The Association of Personal Historians is a 600+ member organization of professional personal historians who create life stories in all formats: text, audio, video. http://www.personalhistorians.org
How-to Books:
There are many good books filled with different approaches and tips for writing a personal life history. Here are just a few:
Daniel, Lios, How to Write Your Own Life Story
Rainer, Tristine, Your Life as Story Books
Roorbach, Bill, Writing Life Stories
Mike Brozda is one of the founding members of the GreatLifeStories team. A veteran journalist, he has more than 30 years experience writing for national and international publications. He has also created more than 150 personal life histories for people across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Contact him at mike.brozda@yahoo.com
Once a luxury of the rich and famous, technology has, for the first time in history, made it possible for anyone to capture, share and preserve their most precious life stories. With the advent of computers, the Internet, digital photography, video, and audio, anyone can capture the richness and texture of their life stories. These personal histories will be appreciated by family, friends, and future generations.
Today it is possible to easily blend the art of traditional biography and memoir with powerful new technologies into a new form of individual life storytelling: the personal life history. Personal life histories are satisfying to create. And, because of the interactive multimedia possibilities inherent in computers and the web, a well-done personal life history can be rich and fully rounded in ways that are impossible to achieve in text-only memoir or biography. But most importantly, personal life histories preserve vital individual and family stories. And, when properly done, they will last for generations.
In this article you will discover how to use time-honored life story writing techniques along with the latest technologies to create a story that is uniquely "you."
The Art of Traditional Life-Story Formats
For anyone interested in creating their own autobiography, memoir or personal life history, it is important to understand the distinctions between these forms of telling one's own life story. To over-generalize for a moment, an autobiography is more fact-based, while a memoir is more emotion-based.
Autobiographies are written by the subject, sometimes with the collaboration of another writer. Autobiographical works take many forms, from intimate writings made during life that are not necessarily intended for publication (including letters, diaries, journals, memoirs, and reminiscences) to the formal autobiography. Interestingly, the autobiography format does not necessarily have to be true. It may also be a literary fictional tale.
Memoirs are a form of personal recollection that has grown enormously in popularity in recent times. Memoirs often focus on more subjective recollections such as memories, feelings, and emotions and are generally written from the first-person viewpoint. The memoir is often focused on capturing certain meaningful highlights or moments.
In his own Memoir, Palimpest, Gore Vidal writes that "a memoir is how one remembers one's own life, while an autobiography is history, requiring research, dates, facts double-checked."
Memoirs usually focus on a brief period of time or a series of connected events (an autobiography covers a longer time period). In a memoir, the writer is usually retrospective, and contemplating past events. Memoirs may incorporate the techniques of storytelling such as setting, plot, conflict, character development, foreshadowing, flashback, irony or symbolism. And lastly, writing one's memoir often has a therapeutic effect for the writer.
Oral History Recordings
An oral history is a verbatim transcription of an interview, left in the narrator's exact words. These are usually left in a question-and-answer style and are an economical way to preserve family stories. A recording system with a good-quality microphone and a quiet spot free from interruptions are all that is really needed to capture an oral history. It helps to have questions prepared in advance of the interview.
Oral histories are usually recorded using analog tape or digital recording equipment, but it is also possible to record directly into a personal computer. Oral histories are often transcribed (typed or word processed) into a document format. The conversational style is appealing for its easygoing informality.
Caveats: Recording formats and standards are constantly evolving and could become difficult or impossible to play back if the equipment becomes obsolete. Taped recordings decay over time.
Video History Recordings
Do-it-Yourself: At the basic level, it's easy and fun to create a basic video history. Camcorders are relatively inexpensive, and many computers today come with basic editing software. Capturing a good video history shares all of the same prerequisites as an audio recording: a quiet spot, with questions prepared in advance. Plus, you will want an uncluttered background, flattering lighting, and right clothing to improve the quality of the end product. White shirts, pants or dresses, for example don't show up well on video. Likewise, busy patterns can be distracting. Solid light-colored neutrals or pastels are usually safe.
Professional videographers: A large number of professional video companies specialize in the creation of life story productions. Productions may range from a 10 or 15 minute short to an hour or longer mini-movie, complete with titles, music, and other Hollywood-style effects. Naturally, you'll pay more for a professional production than a homegrown effort.
When selecting a professional use all the usual smart-consumer tips. Ask for references. Ask to see samples of prior work. Get all costs, production timetables and commitments in writing. It's delightful to have movies of an individual or family. When well-executed they often have entertainment value and are great for special occasions.
Caveat: As with audio recordings, formats change over time, and media can degrade, even with proper storage methods
The Integration of Art and Technology: Web-Based Personal Life Histories
Just in the last few years, the Web has emerged as a powerful new medium for creating and sharing life stories. On the web it is not only possible, it is enjoyable and easy to create a rich multimedia story with text, photos, audio and video. This is the new format of the personal life history.
Web-based personal life histories enjoy several advantages over paper-based publishing, audio, video, or even CD life stories. Specifically, Web-based publication is updateable-one can add new information at any time. It is easily shareable among friends or family. The most advanced sites offer choices of privacy and security protection. The web is also multimedia, meaning you can add text, photos, audio, and video. Photos, audio, video are never lost, damaged destroyed. An finally, many sites offer print-on-demand, allowing you to create instant books. The books may be printed on your home printer, or sent out to small-run publishers. If you choose the small-run option, be sure to specify archival quality paper.
One of the biggest advantages of web publishing is the ability to build community around similar interests, occupations, backgrounds or life events. For example, a WWII veteran pilot who posts his story to the Web and makes it available to the public may be contacted by long-lost friends, other veterans, students, historians, museum personnel, or others interested in this pivotal chapter in American history.
Why Create Your Personal Life History?
Mark Twain once said: "There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is impossibility. Inside everyone, there is a drama, a comedy, a tragedy."
A personal life history can be as short as a few pages, or several volumes in length. Whatever the length or medium, it requires thoughtfulness and sometimes quite a bit of work to accomplish. But the work is worthwhile because it has the ability to influence generations ahead. Your personal life history may leave a legacy for your children and grandchildren. As with memoir, writing a personal history allows you to examine and reflect on your life up to the present day. It lets you add your story to the larger historical record of your family, city, and country. And lastly, if you don't do it, who will?
Start with a Timeline of Life Chapters
How does one start to tell the story of a life that may cover 60, 70, 80 years or more? Often it's helpful to create a chronological timeline of major events in your life. It helps to jot down a few notes around key phases in your life. In fact, you may already be thinking of your life as a book, with separate, distinct chapters built around important life episodes.
Of course, not everyone's life follows an identical chronological sequence, but here are a few ideas for chapter headings for your book or story. GreatLifeStories.com uses the following "chapters" to organize life stories:
o Your Beginnings
o In Your Neighborhood
o School Days
o Off to Work
o Romance and Marriage
o War and Peace
o Triumphs and Tragedies
o Words of Wisdom
o Humor
o Words of Gratitude
The chapter system is very flexible. For example, you don't have to start your life story with the days of your birth and youth. Perhaps you had a fascinating experience during the war. As with a movie, you might open your life story with that "scene," then tell the story how you got there.
Once you've got an idea for the "flow," of your story, here are some more specific guidelines to help add color, texture, and authenticity:
Just start writing! Do a mind dump. Get it out of your head and down on paper, the computer, the tape recorder, wherever. Don't worry about how it sounds. Just write. Resist the temptation to edit yourself; there will be time for editing later.
Be yourself. Don't worry if your grammar or spelling isn't perfect. Write it as you would say it.
Honesty is everything. The best writing tells it like it happened.
Include humor. Favorite jokes, stories, anecdotes
Detail, detail, detail. What kind of floor did the kitchen have? What color was the scarf she wore when you first met?
Go at a comfortable pace. Don't try to capture an entire lifetime in a single session of furious writing. Write, allow time to reflect, and return again to writing.
Consult others. Family members and friends can be invaluable sources of facts and interpretation.
Use photos to jog your memory. Tip: Set out photos in a timeline of your life, starting from your very youngest days, and moving through current times. Write or record to your visual storyboard
Look for themes in your life. Themes are broad ideas that are central to your life. Did you always want to be a pilot? A preacher? Own a restaurant? Be a farmer? Tell the story of how you met your goal, or how the goal changed to something else totally unexpected.
Here are just a few other thematic life story possibilities: a. The Spiritual quest b. The Confession c. The Travelogue d. The Portrait e. The Complaint f. Humor g. The Family history h. The Road to Recovery i. War Story j. Romance
Another Option: Hire a Professional
Most of this article has been focused on creating the do-it-yourself personal life history. There is, of course, the option of working with a professional. The right professional writer or videographer is a highly skilled interviewer and has the proper tools and equipment. And, believe it or not, it is sometimes easier for someone to open up in front of a stranger rather than in front of a family member.
There are many approaches to working with writers or videographers. However, there are a number of similarities in common. The writer/videographer often:
1) Meets with you to determine the scope and cost of the project.
2) Usually sets up taped interview sessions. Depending on your objectives, these may be an hour or two, or 10, 20 hours or more.
3) The recording is transcribed and edited with your input and guidance
4) Once a final manuscript/movie is agreed upon, it may be sent out for printing or duplication.
5) For books, personal history professionals recommend archival bindings and acid-free paper for longevity
6) You receive the number of books/movies agreed upon in your contract.
7) Be sure to discuss services, fees and end products in advance, and get all agreements in writing.
Thanks to high technology, the art of capturing and preserving the stories from one's own life is now open to more people and easier than ever before. A new genre of personal storytelling is emerging that draws on the literary traditions of the autobiography and memoir, while adding audio, video, and web technology to create personal life histories. On the Web, these personal stories personal life histories are multimedia, collaborative, shareable, and instantly updateable.
Enjoy capturing your life story!
References and Further Reading
Web Sites:
http://www.greatlifestories.com
Associations:
The Association of Personal Historians is a 600+ member organization of professional personal historians who create life stories in all formats: text, audio, video. http://www.personalhistorians.org
How-to Books:
There are many good books filled with different approaches and tips for writing a personal life history. Here are just a few:
Daniel, Lios, How to Write Your Own Life Story
Rainer, Tristine, Your Life as Story Books
Roorbach, Bill, Writing Life Stories
Mike Brozda is one of the founding members of the GreatLifeStories team. A veteran journalist, he has more than 30 years experience writing for national and international publications. He has also created more than 150 personal life histories for people across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Contact him at mike.brozda@yahoo.com
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Affordable Life Insurance!
By Matthew Keegan
So, you've decided to purchase life insurance. Well then, you have made a good decision! If you have dependents, you know that you must provide for them long after you are gone. Buying life insurance shouldn't be a budget buster either. Take a look at the following options which can help you save big time!
Shop Online: There are several companies that will give you free life insurance quotes right online. By entering your personal information, the amount of insurance coverage desired, and policy terms, you will receive within moments sufficient quote information. Naturally, you will want to talk to an agent at some point, but at least you will get a very good ballpark figure to consider. Some good sites for you to visit include: Insure.com; SelectQuote.com; ReliaQuote.com, IntelliQuote.com; and InsWeb.com. There are many others, so do some comparison shopping.
Types of Life Insurance: There are four types of life insurance plans from which you can choose: Term Life, Whole Life, Universal Life, and Variable Universal Life.
Term Life is the most affordable as it lets you lock in a fixed rate for the length of the policy [typically 10 or 20 years], but it does not have any cash accumulation. So, the only way it pays is if you die!
Whole Life offers policy holders lifetime coverage, guaranteed level premiums, tax-deferred accumulation of cash values. In other words you can borrow off the policy if you need the cash.
Universal Life offers policy holders Lifetime coverage, flexible premiums and death benefits, tax-deferred accumulation of cash values. Rates are adjustable.
Variable Universal Life offers lifetime coverage, flexible premiums and death benefits, tax-deferred accumulation of cash values, a selection of investment options. Rates are adjustable.
Contact an Agent: Once you have determined which type of insurance is best for you and your family, contact an agent for further guidance. If you received an acceptable life insurance quote online, follow through with it to allow an agent to contact you personally. This person will go over your policy and discuss with you the various types of companies offering coverage. If you are satisfied and want to proceed further, the agent will order a comprehensive medical exam that can be done in the convenience of your home or office at no charge to you! About four to six weeks later the results will be in and if all goes well, coverage will begin almost immediately thereafter. At no point are you obligated to accept coverage until you sign a contract.
More Savings: Do you want to save even more money? Pay the premium all at once. Monthly or quarterly payments usually carry a surcharge. By paying the entire premium in advance you can save around 5%.
Providing for family members after your death is one of the most important reasons to include life insurance as part of your financial planning. You can receive your free life insurance quote by shopping online today; don't delay!
(c)2005; Matthew C Keegan, LLC
Matt Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including aviation, business, customer service, product review, sales, and more. Visit http://www.thearticlewriter.com for additional samples of his work.
Senior Life Insurance - Affordable Life Insurance For the Elderly With No Medical Exam
By Marilyn Katz
Term life insurance policies are very popular these days, and of course, they can provide very valuable protection at a low cost for many people. However, the problem with term life is that it expires just when the covered person would find it harder to find protection, after ten or twenty or thirty years, the term period of the policy expires. The theory behind term, instead of whole life, is that by that time the insured person will have less obligations, and they will have enough money saved to self insure.
However, we find many senior citizens and retired people who have not had the good fortune to be free of obligations, and with sufficient savings to cover their debts, final expenses, and other obligations. Also, by the time we reach maturity, we may also have developed more health problems. As if an advanced age were not enough, health problems may make us very tough or expensive to insure at all!
However some life companies have developed senior life, guaranteed life insurance, or final expense life insurance programs to meet these needs. These are, basically whole life insurance policies. This means that the policy will stay in force as long as the policy is kept in force. A policy is usually kept in force by paying premiums, or by having the policy "paid up". Yes, many whole life policies can be paid up over a period of years, usually ten to twenty years. In this case, an insured person can relax, knowing they will have life insurance for their whole lives, and not just for a period of years.
These types of senior life insurance or final expense policies come in two types that do not require a medical exam. For a face value that usually ranges from $2,500 to $25,000, many senior life companies will offer simple issue and guaranteed issue policies. Because the face value is lower, and so the risk to insurance companies is lower, you can find some more relaxed requirements to gain affordable coverage for life insurance. Seniors can leave this money to a beneficiary, usually their spouse or children, to cover burial expenses, settle final debts, and leave some money as an estate.
Simple issue life insurance policies provide immediate death benefits. They do as health questions on the applications, but the great majority of seniors can qualify. They usually only declined applicants who have a terminal disease, or are in a nursing home. So smaller health issues will not prevent an applicant from obtaining coverage. Since the coverage is immediate, as soon as the insured person is notified that their policy has been issued, they will be covered.
Guaranteed issue life insurance policies do not ask any health questions at all! Instead they underwrite by delaying full coverage for a period of months, from 24 to 36, or 2 to 3 years. If the insured person passes away during this qualification period, they will refund all premiums with a specified interest rate. For an older individual with serious health issues, this is still a no-lose deal.
If you are an older person, or if you are concerned about paying final expenses for your parents, consider a senior life insurance policy. It will be much easier to pay an affordable monthly premiums than to come up with several thousand dollars for a burial and other expenses after the person dies.
Find No Medical Exam Life Insurance with our fast, safe and free US Insurance Quotes.
Term life insurance policies are very popular these days, and of course, they can provide very valuable protection at a low cost for many people. However, the problem with term life is that it expires just when the covered person would find it harder to find protection, after ten or twenty or thirty years, the term period of the policy expires. The theory behind term, instead of whole life, is that by that time the insured person will have less obligations, and they will have enough money saved to self insure.
However, we find many senior citizens and retired people who have not had the good fortune to be free of obligations, and with sufficient savings to cover their debts, final expenses, and other obligations. Also, by the time we reach maturity, we may also have developed more health problems. As if an advanced age were not enough, health problems may make us very tough or expensive to insure at all!
However some life companies have developed senior life, guaranteed life insurance, or final expense life insurance programs to meet these needs. These are, basically whole life insurance policies. This means that the policy will stay in force as long as the policy is kept in force. A policy is usually kept in force by paying premiums, or by having the policy "paid up". Yes, many whole life policies can be paid up over a period of years, usually ten to twenty years. In this case, an insured person can relax, knowing they will have life insurance for their whole lives, and not just for a period of years.
These types of senior life insurance or final expense policies come in two types that do not require a medical exam. For a face value that usually ranges from $2,500 to $25,000, many senior life companies will offer simple issue and guaranteed issue policies. Because the face value is lower, and so the risk to insurance companies is lower, you can find some more relaxed requirements to gain affordable coverage for life insurance. Seniors can leave this money to a beneficiary, usually their spouse or children, to cover burial expenses, settle final debts, and leave some money as an estate.
Simple issue life insurance policies provide immediate death benefits. They do as health questions on the applications, but the great majority of seniors can qualify. They usually only declined applicants who have a terminal disease, or are in a nursing home. So smaller health issues will not prevent an applicant from obtaining coverage. Since the coverage is immediate, as soon as the insured person is notified that their policy has been issued, they will be covered.
Guaranteed issue life insurance policies do not ask any health questions at all! Instead they underwrite by delaying full coverage for a period of months, from 24 to 36, or 2 to 3 years. If the insured person passes away during this qualification period, they will refund all premiums with a specified interest rate. For an older individual with serious health issues, this is still a no-lose deal.
If you are an older person, or if you are concerned about paying final expenses for your parents, consider a senior life insurance policy. It will be much easier to pay an affordable monthly premiums than to come up with several thousand dollars for a burial and other expenses after the person dies.
Find No Medical Exam Life Insurance with our fast, safe and free US Insurance Quotes.
Best Automobile Insurance Companies - How Can You Tell The Best From The Rest
By Sarah Anne Miller
Just what are the qualities that make for the best automobile insurance companies? The answer to this question could mean the difference between a decent quote or a bad quote, but it could also mean the difference between good coverage and bad coverage. This article will reveal the things that make an insurance provider, worthy of being called the best. And after reading you'll be able to make a better choices when looking to insure your automobile...
Insurance Is Accessible - No Expensive Upfront Fees
The best automobile insurance companies will strive to make insurance accessible and won't go overboard when setting policy rates. Insurance policies as you may well know are based on several variables, but there is a standard element to any policy. This is the element that you should pay close attention to. If it's too high stay away from he company; no matter how much they claim to be the best.
Sound Payout Record
It is often said that insurance companies make every effort NOT to payout in the event of an accident, and if the infomercials are to be believed then finding an insurance company that has a decent payout record is super important. It isn't too difficult to spot a company with a poor record of payout. The Better Business Bureau and other consumer watchdog organizations usually have ample data on the poorer performing companies.
The payout record of a company should also inform your decision about the type of coverage you take out. Typically, the better the payout record, the greater the coverage you can take out. And since the better the coverage the higher the premium, you simply cannot afford to make any mistakes in this department.
Reasonable Deductible Percentage
The deductible percentage represents the amount that you'll have to fund in the event of an accident. It varies from provider to provider, but your goal should be to select the provider with the lowest percentage. This percentage can always be increased by you later on, should you decide to use it as cost saving measure on the overall quote itself.
The pointers outlined above represent the best criteria for identifying the best automobile insurance companies. The list of course isn't exhaustive, but is a sound enough to enable you to make a decent choice. Additionally, you can increase your chances of getting a good quote and good coverage by choosing an online company. In fact, an online company will allow for even greater cost saving since they're usually cheaper than their offline counterparts.
How to Find The Best Automobile Insurance Companies in 5 Minutes or Less:
CLICK HERE for my top 3 recommendations on cheap car insurance quote providers. Within 5 minutes or less, you'll receive multiple quotes from several national and local providers. Best of all, it's completely FREE, with absolutely no obligation whatsoever.
No need to wish you luck...it's fast and easy to get cheap automobile insurance rates!
--Sarah Anne Miller
Just what are the qualities that make for the best automobile insurance companies? The answer to this question could mean the difference between a decent quote or a bad quote, but it could also mean the difference between good coverage and bad coverage. This article will reveal the things that make an insurance provider, worthy of being called the best. And after reading you'll be able to make a better choices when looking to insure your automobile...
Insurance Is Accessible - No Expensive Upfront Fees
The best automobile insurance companies will strive to make insurance accessible and won't go overboard when setting policy rates. Insurance policies as you may well know are based on several variables, but there is a standard element to any policy. This is the element that you should pay close attention to. If it's too high stay away from he company; no matter how much they claim to be the best.
Sound Payout Record
It is often said that insurance companies make every effort NOT to payout in the event of an accident, and if the infomercials are to be believed then finding an insurance company that has a decent payout record is super important. It isn't too difficult to spot a company with a poor record of payout. The Better Business Bureau and other consumer watchdog organizations usually have ample data on the poorer performing companies.
The payout record of a company should also inform your decision about the type of coverage you take out. Typically, the better the payout record, the greater the coverage you can take out. And since the better the coverage the higher the premium, you simply cannot afford to make any mistakes in this department.
Reasonable Deductible Percentage
The deductible percentage represents the amount that you'll have to fund in the event of an accident. It varies from provider to provider, but your goal should be to select the provider with the lowest percentage. This percentage can always be increased by you later on, should you decide to use it as cost saving measure on the overall quote itself.
The pointers outlined above represent the best criteria for identifying the best automobile insurance companies. The list of course isn't exhaustive, but is a sound enough to enable you to make a decent choice. Additionally, you can increase your chances of getting a good quote and good coverage by choosing an online company. In fact, an online company will allow for even greater cost saving since they're usually cheaper than their offline counterparts.
How to Find The Best Automobile Insurance Companies in 5 Minutes or Less:
CLICK HERE for my top 3 recommendations on cheap car insurance quote providers. Within 5 minutes or less, you'll receive multiple quotes from several national and local providers. Best of all, it's completely FREE, with absolutely no obligation whatsoever.
No need to wish you luck...it's fast and easy to get cheap automobile insurance rates!
--Sarah Anne Miller
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