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You can see the list of these “Emoticons” available when you are posting a comment. Enjoy. Following is a list of different smileys you can use.

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If you have a site and have been thinking of whether you can, and whether you should, make money off it, you have to ask yourself the following questions first;

• Is the content that you’re going to be writing, in demand?
• Who is the target market for that content?
• Does the target market have access to the same information [as your site] elsewhere?
• If the target market has an alternate access to the same information, are those alternate resources charging for their content, or are they providing it for free?

In asking these questions, one has to know that advertisements of any kind are almost like paying for content. You see an ad, and thus spend a second or two looking at it, thus giving something to the site in return. This mentality has not yet reached a high level, but very soon some people may start associating every ad with a subscription site. In contrast, a site with no advertisements is providing something that resembles a premium service; no ads of any kind, and quality content.

You should find out your own target market and then decide if they’re willing to pay, either through money or through their time, to support your site. If you have a personal blog and expect people to pay money to read your posts, you should either be a known-writer, or should have needed content that people associate with your name and thus are willing to pay for it. If you have a corporate website with ads, then the image and brand of your site name goes down, as people assume that your company or service is not doing good and depending on advertisements to support its finances. An only exception would be a service where the main [or the only revenue] comes from advertisements, such as the areas at About.com .

Another thing you have to keep in mind is the quality of loyalty of your users. If you get a lot of random users, you have to build a loyal following to your site. Having your site bombarded with ads, or even having ads on your site that might distract your readers from your content, may scare away a few users who would have otherwise, when there would have been no ads, stayed longer. Thus, you have to make sure you limit the number of ads on your site, even if some people seem to be enjoying them. Users might not visit a site again if they feel annoyed by ads, but someone who likes a site may not mind having a few ads around and will actually visit the ads to see how they’re related to your site.

In the end, always start with something that gives everything to the reader. Slowly, and later on, ask the user for something in return and test their response to see if they’re willing to spend time, or money, for your content.

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You can see the snapshot of the ad below. Clicking on the picture below will take you to the entire page [uncut] image. I have put the cursor between the words [in the picture] to show that the heading was not a separate ad and that it was related to the links below it.

If that’s the level of content related advertisement MSN thinks is suitable for websites, their new Ad center definitely needs more work [jk]. I’m sure Hurricane Katrina evacuees are not amused.

As of this post, the ad should be showed for almost every Hotmail user when you send an email [it shows after almost every email I've sent since yesterday] and if you have the “Show confirmation page” option enabled.

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I’m at a lab right now, a lab with 150 computers. When I came here a few hours ago, I was the only one using the computers. Thus, I had the luxury of walking around for a few seconds, trying to decide where the best place to sit was. I found a place that was really nice, and away from the crowd at the front desk [the front desk has a line for people to sign in and out, and it always has the staff sitting there even if there are no people in the lab].

After about an hour, a few students came in. They looked at me and come and sit next to me. Maybe they thought I was using the best computers in the lab. After they left, a guy came in and walked around for a few seconds looking at each table, and then decided to sit on my table. Then a girl and a guy came in, and they sat right next to me [one on the left and other one on the right]. After about half an hour, they all left and I was left with my privacy. Then another group of students came in, and they walked straight to the computers on my table and sat around me. The person on my right is even glancing at my monitor screen every few seconds. “IF YOU ARE READING WHAT I’M TYPING, YOU’RE IN BIG TROUBLE.” That’s the only line I want him to glance at and understand.

That got me into thinking; why won’t all these people sit somewhere else? “Why are you all sitting around me? Is the lab too scary for you to be in, or do you like the comfort of knowing that another human being is within your arm’s reach?“, I think to myself. Whether it’s the basic human instinct to be close to other humans, or the attraction to the dark red t-shirt I’m wearing, it still feels weird and interesting. You can see anthropology and psychology into play everywhere, even in a lab where people sit close to other human beings. Human beings need to be fed and need to reproduce genetically, but they also need to be nurtured and need to feel safe. So whether one is a gangster or a very cute girl, unconsciously we all have many principles that are shared by everyone/ A few people from the group just left, though I’m sure they’ll be replaced by other people who will want to sit at my table or in my lap even.

Have you ever encountered a similar thing? The person on my right is still stealing glances at my monitor. Now I have to start glancing at his monitor now to see his reaction. Till next time, happy glancing everyone!

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The question of commenting on other sites is always been on my mind, even after I have commented. How should I post a comment? How many words should it be, or should I not care about the number of words? Should I be frank, or should I be biased and careful as to make the author feel better [when it's a hard time for the author, for instance]? Should I simply post since I have the obligation to post on other sites, or should I post because the person in question also posts comments on my site? Should I post any comments at all, or should I make it a daily routine?

These questions always come to our mind in one way or the other. The ethics of commenting requires an understanding of what ethics is, and what a comment is. Should one email a person to thank them for dropping by their site, or should one post a comment, even if it’s forced and for a topic that’s not very interesting or doesn’t need a comment? Should one include their own link in the comment, or should the comment only contain the name for identification? Should a comment be a comment, or should a comment be another link for your website for the search engines to follow?

It’s really hard to leave a comment without any thinking, and thus the chances of leaving fairly unique comment that comes straight from the heart, through the keyboard, into a comment box, are usually not 100% . Should one edit the comment at least once to make sure it doesn’t offend or irritate the site owner in any manner, or should one express their minds completely and at the first chance available? Many people leave blunt comments that express the first and immediately feelings within them, while others walk within the borders of mannerism by refraining from expressing anything contradictory to the post that’s being commented. Still, others write down a comment after thinking, and still think after a comment has been written down to see if it needs changing, and then they post it.

Basically, the question of why one should comment, and how, boils down to the reason why we comment in the first place. Whether it’s to offer an opinion or simply let the other person know you visited, or to have more incoming links to your own site, commenting is, in my view, the most important interaction you can have with the content and the people who wrote the content. You leave a mark, a legacy on another website for the rest of its life; whether it be a year, 10 years or more. In addition to that, you leave an opinion in the mind of everyone who reads the comment, whether or not they agree with you.

As for me, I will keep commenting as much as I can, and be as relevant and focused on topic as I can be. If I haven’t commented much on your site, my reason is the same as before; I’ve been so busy, I spend less than 7 hours a day at home most of the week. Tonight I actually had a little bit time and played an online game of checkers with Shoomin. That kept a few extra comments from being unleashed on some sites.

What is your opinion on this issue?

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I decided to give everyone a treat, and told the cashier that I will pay for all of the things. As soon as I conveyed that message openly, few of the new people in the group [friends of my friends] immediately changed their orders to large cups, and each one got at least 2 donuts. At first I thought they were just playing; however, when I saw the horror and shock on the face of my friends, I knew these morons really meant it. My friends still kept their same orders, even though they had the right to change their orders. When you’re friends with someone for a long time, you can make them pay for your things even if it’s too much, and expect them to tell you that they don’t want to pay, without any hard feelings. When you’re new to a group, you don’t do that since your first impression is the only impression needed to know if you’re polite or a moron. These people weren’t doing it because they wanted to take advantage of a sucker offer; they simply thought it’s ok, as they had told all of us earlier that they were new to town and wanted to hang out with our group more often.

The total after this shuffle of orders came out to be around $65. Two of my friends offered to chip in, but I decided that it was something that I could do since the night was going so good and we were all having a good time. All I did was give my friends, who brought these people, the evil look that says “You suck, since you brought them” and my friends gave me the look saying “Yes, we suck, sorry, next time we’ll bring normal people and we’ll treat you to something.” We all went out of the store and sat in the nearby chairs, which were placed there by the next-door Starbucks for their customers. One of the girls didn’t drink her extra large Mocha and nibbled on only one of the 2 donuts she got. I ignored this since we had a good set of topics to talk about and had a good time. After about 2 hours, we headed for our homes. This morning, one of my friends from last night called me and told me that one of her friends who hung out with us last night, the girl with the two donuts and the large Mocha, really liked me and wanted to hang out with me again.

“Yeah right.”

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Here is a list of basic etiquettes that I think we all must follow when trying to call someone and leaving them a message:

1. Leave a message only when necessary. If it’s your habit to call people for reconfirmation of appointments, it’s good to call. Otherwise, being bored is not a good reason for making someone go through a message and waste their time and phone minutes.
2. Leave short messages. Leaving a three minute message to tell someone that you called them is not normal; it’s beyond abnormal. “Hey Bes, yeah, it’s me, just calling to say hi. You may be in the shower, or outside, or hmmmm, maybe you’re with other friends or working or something; I don’t know [they have a frustrated voice by now, with slow and long breathing]. Just calling to see if you wanted to do something. Tried calling you earlier but you didn’t answer, maybe you’re out. Call me when you get back. Ok bye.” How does that message sound to you? It sounds retarded to me when it’s repeated 19 times in a single day and the person managed to frustrate himself in the process. Unless you know someone well, even as a good friend, you can’t leave similar messages unless you want a restraining order issued against your phone usage.
3. Know whether the person has a cell phone or a land-line phone. If a person does not have a cell phone, they cannot get back to you unless they come back home. Don’t be frustrated simply because you don’t get a call back within even 12 hours unless it’s an emergency of some sort that involves the other person. Do not keep asking someone why they don’t answer their cell phone, or that you’re not sure if it was a house phone or a cell phone that you called. Just remember when they tell you that they have a cell phone or a home phone. Many people have used a cell phone longer than you’ve been on this planet, and they don’t like it. Don’t expect others to have a cell phone simply because your parents got you one.
4. Always introduce yourself when leaving a message. When you call someone, “It’s me” only works when the receiver knows you well. If you meet someone for the first time, even the first few weeks after that, you have to let the person know your name until you’re absolutely sure they can recognize your voice and style of talking. “Hey it’s me, hmm, call me back, bye” won’t do any good if you’re not close to them, since the receiver may have far greater friends than you might have, and thus may not be able to remember your voice so easily.
5. Do not call people when you know they’re busy. You may like it or not, but unless it’s an emergency, calling someone while you know they’re with someone else in an appointment or doing something important is very annoying. Telemarketers call you on the cell phones now when you’re eating food, since they know they can catch you at that time. However, no one likes them because of that very reason. This is the modern world, and text messages are less intrusive. If you know the person has given you permission to send you text messages, go ahead and use it. A ringing phone will create more noise than the small beeps that a text message notification creates, so use that to your own advantage when you know someone is busy. If you are a telemarketer, ignore this and other rules; you aren’t allowed to call anyone in the first place.
6. Text messages are also messages, so don’t abuse them.Not everyone has unlimited text messaging plan yet, and not everyone gets their bills paid through their parents or gold-plated significant others. Usually, as of this writing, each text message costs an average of 10 cents per each message, limited to about 200 characters in each message [when taking Sprint PCS, T-Mobile, AT&T - Cingular and Verizon Wireless into account]. Therefore, even though it may be easier to text message someone rather than calling them, make sure it’s an urgent or important situation that cannot wait, and something that doesn’t deserve the risk of interrupting someone with a phone ring while they’re busy. Again, use it to your advantage when the other person is not at an advantage [like financial] because of it.
7. Be polite. Always be on the safe side when it comes to manners. “Yo wassup” may sound good to a friend, but it won’t sound good to a new person. Also, your tone of voice should reflect your mood; don’t utter frustration by taking deep breaths or talking as if you’re being forced to talk at gunpoint. Be calm, and be happy. Your message is going to be your image in the mind of the person who hears it.
8. Don’t ignore the answering machine. This may sound weird, but it is a very important thing to consider. Answering machine is there for a purpose; “I called you last week but you didn’t answer, so I thought you were busy and thus we haven’t been able to keep in touch” is not convenient for both you and the other party since you could have left a voice mail letting the person know you called. When you know the person has a cell phone or caller id, they can look into your missed call list and thus get back to you; in that case it’s not necessary to leave a message. Otherwise, leave a message to let the other person know you contacted. 2 messages per week may be ok; 19 per day aren’t.
9. Don’t lie. This is the most important point in my view. Do not lie that you never saw any missed calls. Do not lie that you never got a voice message. And most important of all, never say that you called but the answering machine on the other end was acting weird and thus you couldn’t leave message for 2 weeks, when the other person has been getting messages from other people without any problems.

If you follow these principles, you will not only reduce the headache and waste of time experienced when communicating with people, you will also be more efficient at contacting people and actually have better communication.

Someone called while I was writing this, and they left a very nice message. Time to call them back. Let me know if you think the above points are enough, or even necessary. Thank you for reading this.

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My trip was very interesting; a separate entry, or even a book, will come out of it soon, maybe. I went to Louisiana, then Texas, and then Alabama. Many people who lost their homes in the hurricane are doing good, and many more are trying to catch up. Many have simply given up hope and are living everyday as if everything is working against them, and still many are hoping for things to go back to being normal for them, when they know such a hope is futile. In each case, everyone has the right to think the way they are thinking, in their own way. There is no right or wrong; there is only what you are willing to do at the moment to pass the exact moment you are currently experiencing, so that you can move onto the next moment in time, to repeat the same cycle again.

What to write, and where to start; those are the main questions that are the hardest to answer. Imagine all the things you saw on TV rolled into one location in front of your own self, and you are responsible for about thousand people every singe day. Do I just start writing immediately about whatever I think in order to get the stories out as soon as possible, or do I think twice about each and every word, every human being I met, every story I saw and heard, in order to make sure the word gets out the right way? I’ve decided to write everything, and as soon as possible, while going over it immediately. Hopefully you guys will have the entire update in less than a month. I’m trying to speed up things, but I don’t want to forget anything, and have to be careful also as to what I say also. When one is asked to sign a confidentiality agreement, aka a gag order, after several things have happened, one has to be careful as to whether let everything out, or only a few things.

Thank you again for keeping in touch. Expect me to visit your site soon, if I already know your link. If not, drop me a line and we can talk.

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