Tips to Make Reading Fun – Online Auction
Tips to Make Reading Fun
Angela Billings
This list is for both young and old. I love reading and want everyone to love it as well. So I hope you will find at least one thing helpful in this list and that it will inspire you to come up with some of your own.
1. Vist the public library if you cant get to the library you can also find some of the great authors works online. Just do a search online for "public domain books"
2. Keep a basket of books in an accessible place for everyone in the family. Put a variety of books in that the various members in your family will enjoy.
3. Make your own library. Keep your eye out at yard sales, thrift stores, online auctions ,etc for books then bring them home clean them up and put on your bookshelf. You can even encourage your children to "check out" the books. Simply seal a business size envelope and then cut the envelope in half and tape or glue one half in the back of a book and place an index card inside. Then the child places their name and the date they got the book on the card and the card is put into an index card box. Children love playing library. They can even let their friends check out books.
4. Read aloud to your family, if you live alone read aloud to yourself.
5. Start a book club among your friends.
6. Do a project that goes along with the book. This could be a craft or a recipe.
7. Make or buy pretty bookmarks as a special gift to your children or yourself.
8. Simply enjoy reading and all the places you can go through books and all the things you can learn.
About The Author
Angela Billings is a stay at home wife and mother who publishes an online newsletter Home and Family Ezine.
http://www.homeandfamilyezine.com
Teach Me: Fun Books for Kids with the Purpose of Learning – Kids
Teach Me: Fun Books for Kids with the Purpose of Learning
Jennifer LB Leese
Learning is a wonderful thing. My mother always told me that children are like spongesyou can teach them just about anything, and they usually remember it. Here are a few books your children can absorb.
THE ABCS OF FOOD: A Study of Food as History, Story, Tradition and Nutrition by Louise Ulmer and Richard S. Calhoun published by eBooks on the Net http://www.ebooksonthe.net is a delightful book where readers can search from A to Z for all kinds of foods and spices. This book is a dictionary/encyclopedia/guide, and it is fabulous. Readers can also find out how to pronounce, collect information on, and make specific foods. This book will keep you busy for days, weeks, even months. Teri Sloats FROM ONE TO ONE HUNDRED published by Scott Foresman Publishers is a wonderful book, designed to help children count to 100. There are more than 2,500 eye-appealing objects arranged so each page drips with fun characters and brilliant color.
More wonderful books my children and I have recently read include ON BEYOND A MILLION: An Amazing Math Journey by David M. Schwartz. Children will be proud of themselves when they realize just how high they learn to count. This book was designed almost as a comic strip stylebook because of the text set in balloons. Readers can easily learn the English number system taught to them by multiples of tenpublished by Random House: Dragonfly Books. MY SPIRITUAL ALPHABET BOOK by Holly Bea and published by HJ Kramer: Starseed Press was a treat to read. The bubbly illustrations and vivid text will fill kids with laughter. Not only will the children reading this story, learn the alphabetthey will also learn the changing of the seasons and the importance of Gods gifts.
For a fun book your children will just love. Try FROM LETTER TO LETTER by Teri Sloat. Each page is a different letter of the alphabet. Children will enjoy searching the pages for items that begin with a specific letter. Along the bottom of the page, Teri Sloat includes the whole word, giving the reader an extra method of learning that specific letter. Those interested can find this book at your local bookstore or through Puffin Unicorn Books or online at Sloats webpage http://www.terisloat.com.
As an adult, I know that my mother was right, and I, too, tell my children the same exact thing. In Illumination Arts April release, INSIDE OUT, a little girl named Karly learns the same thing from a spirit who comes in the form of an invisible friend. This book with dazzling illustrations by Roberta Collier-Morales was a pleasure to read. Get your copy from Illumination Arts.com.
In case you didnt knowpaper format isnt the only way to find high-quality books from talented authors. Books on CD, as download or on diskette, known as eBooks or electronic books, are a growing popular form of book readingespecially for childrens books. Why Because publishers are now able to add movement animation and sound clips to their books. Children dont only read eBooksthey interact with them.
Remember, just because some books are electronic e-book books, doesnt mean they arent fantastic! Open up an electronic book today and get to know some talented new authors.
Off the Top of my Headtalented childrens authors to check out:
Daisy Dexter Dobbs, http://daisydexdobbs.home.attbi.com
Moses Cramden, http://beam.to/2084
Dorothy Thompson, http://www.thewriterslife.homestead.com/theworksofdorothythompson.html
JV Harlee, http://www.geocities.com/ladyjiraff/jvharlee.html
Valerie Hardin, http://www.geocities.com/Paris/LeftBank/4266
About The Author
Jennifer LB Leese is a 34-year-old mother of three from Maryland. She is a published author of several childrens fiction books, one young adult fantasy book, and a paranormal romance novel. Leese also freelances childrens non-fiction books for book distribution and packaging companies.
She reviews childrens books for several online magazines, including her own Its Only Ink! Childrens Book Reviews, as well as for Fiction Forum, Preschool Entertainment, Gotta Write Network, The Best Reviews, and Midwest Book Review. Jennifer is also a freelance copyeditor for Writers Exchange E-Publishing, as well as for individual authors and publishers. Leeses experience comes from the above as well as from her published books and articles, and from her professional book reviews and columns.
As half of JV Harlee, Leese writes gothic, fantasy novels for teenagers with published author Valerie Hardin. Their first book is "Gargoyle Tears".
Leese lives in Maryland with her three children, Nicholas, Cameron, and Jordan. She volunteers regularly at her childrens school where she heads the Bester Elementary PTA as Vice President. Married fourteen years to the love of her life, Jennifer knew she would marry Thom the moment she laid eyes on him.
jenniferlbleese@msn.com
Linking for Fun and Profit – Site
Linking for Fun and Profit
Steve Pronger
Well actually, linking isnt fun at all. In fact, its quite tedious. Seeking, responding to requests and adding links takes time and effort. But, if youre not actively building links the RIGHT way you are going to be left behind. In other words, your site will be "Lost in Cyberspace". The plain fact is Google, and to a lesser extent, other important search engines, reward sites with links from relevant and important pages.
If you want your site to deliver lots of targeted search engine traffic and who doesnt there are two equally important factors:
1 lots of keyword-rich, search engine friendly content
2 lots of relevant, incoming links from the RIGHT sources
For real success you need to cover BOTH of these strategies. Dont concentrate on one and not the other.
So, how do you go about building your links Its not rocket science, but as I said, it does take time and effort. From my own experiences, heres what you should do:
1 Download and install the Google Toolbar:
http://toolbar.google.com/
This will show you the PageRank of the page you are viewing. PageRank is a measure, rated from 1 to 10, of the "importance" that Google gives to that page. There has been a lot written about PageRank. You dont need to become obsessed with it but it IS an important consideration when determining WHO to link to. A link from a PR-5 page is worth FAR more than a PR-0 page.
2 Establish a resource or links directory for your site. This lets potential link partners see that you are willing to exchange links. You should make it clear on your links pages what your linking policy is i.e. under what conditions you will agree to exchange links.
3 Your aim should be to build a resource directory that is relevent to your business. Dont try to build a mini Yahoo with umpteen different categories. Keep your directory focussed on your site theme. When you first start out you will be inclined to link to anybody in exchange for a link FROM anybody. This is a mistake. Be patient and choose your link partners carefully.
4 Before requesting a link from another site, add that site to your directory. Contact the webmaster and tell them you added their link because you believe their site would be of interest to your visitors and so it should. Give the url where your link is located and ask for a return link, along with instructions on how you would like your link worded. NEVER demand by saying things like "if you do not link to us we will remove your link".
5 If you have not received a reply after 2 - 3 weeks send a polite follow up. Again, dont demand. No one is under any obligation to link to you. If you do not receive a reply to your second request it means that the webmaster does not want to link to you, or they are simply too busy to respond. In that case, leave it and move on. I receive dozens of link requests a day. Sometimes it takes me many weeks to get around to responding. Youll go mad worrying about links that have not been reciprocated. Your time is better spent.
6 When you receive a link request visit the site and check that it meets with your requirements as set down on your link pages. Is it a quality site with good content or just a "link farm" If it doesnt meet your requirements dont link to it.
The webmaster SHOULD have already linked to your site but be prepared to overlook that breech of linking protocol if its from a good quality, high PR site.
7 Beware of webmasters who add your site to their "directory" which turns out to nothing but a link farm i.e. has no useful content, just a bunch of links, and asks you to link to an entirely different site, one that HAS good content. These webmasters are playing you for a sucker. The benefit is all theirs.
8 As I said in point #1, links from high PR pages are worth more than links from low or no PR pages. Seek out high PR linking partners but keep in mind it is the PR of the actual page your link is on that matters, NOT the PR of the home page. In other words if the home page PR is 5, but the page your link is on is several layers deep in the directory, it will probably have a PR of 0 and be of little benefit to you. Check the PR of the actual page your link is on, or is going to be on, before agreeing to exchange links.
Each page on your links directory should be no more than one click away from your home page, and your linking partners site should be the same. If your link is placed on a page which looks something like this - directory/category/subcategory/subcategory with your link - you will derive NO value from that link.
9 Be prepared to negotiate your links. Savvy webmasters understand the value of links from high PR pages. If you add a link to a PR-0 page on your site dont expect your link partner to put your link on a PR-6 page, and your link partner shouldnt expect the same from you. Exchange value for like value.
When you first start out your site may not have any PR due to a lack of incoming links. This reduces your bargaining power. However, you can overcome this by getting your site listed in as many large business directories as possible. Some of these you will have to pay, such as Yahoo and Microsofts Business Directory, but many others are free. Youll find a good list here:
http://www.strongestlinks.com/directories.php
10 Be specific about how you want your link partner to link to you. It is MOST important that the link to you contain your targeted keywords in the anchor linked text. When I ask for a link to my site I dont want the link title to be:
Steve Pronger Web Business Solutions
Instead, I ask for:
Create Website | Small Business Website Designer
or whichever keywords I am targeting at the time. A search for those keywords at Google will illustrate my point!
11 And finally, here is an excellent resource to help you find quality link partners. Its called Value Exchange, and will put you in contact with like-minded webmasters:
http://www.stevepronger.com/value_exchange.htm
About The Author
Steve Pronger is a website designer and affiliate marketer helping small businesses succeed on the Web. Visit his Web Business Solutions site at http://www.stevepronger.com