Most Important Decision of a Lifetime – What to Name Your Baby – Parenting
Most Important Decision of a Lifetime - What to Name Your Baby
S. Denise Hoyle
Most people dont know the meaning of their name, but most names do have meanings. You should at least find out the meanings of your favorite choices before giving one of them to your child. The meaning of your childs name probably wont greatly affect his or her life, but may help you to make a decision between your favorites.
Many names are shortened to nicknames during childhood, or other stages of life, so be sure to think about what shortened forms of your childs name may be. Also consider that names we might think are cute for a child could be embarrassing later in life, before giving your child a nickname as their legal name. For instance - shortening Samantha to Sam or Sammy while your daughter is young may be fine, but will she mind having to put Sam on her business cards or college application later in life if its her legal name
No one likes having their name constantly misspelled or mispronounced, so keep this in mind before choosing a unique pronunciation or spelling of a common name. Remember that your child will spend his or her lifetime explaining to others how the name is really spelled or pronounced.
Unisex names, like Chris, Robin or Terry, may make it easier for you to choose your childs name before you know their sex, but others argue that it can be unfair and psychologically harmful to a child, especially to boys who may feel more insulted when presumed to be girls, than girls do when theyre mistaken for boys.
Namesakes, or exact reproductions of a persons name, even if followed by II or Jr., are quite often confusing to everyone involved. Worse yet, the child never gets the satisfaction of having a clear identity or name of his own. Although namesakes can be complimentary to the original owner of the name, consider the impact to your child, and how you plan to differentiate between the people who share the name before you choose to name your child after someone else.
Remember, the name you choose for your child will be a lifetime decision, so take your time and enjoy the process!
About The Author
S. Denise Hoyle serves as the webmaster of both http://nurseryroomprojects.com and http://fertility-facts.com. To find the meanings and origins of thousands of popular names, take a look at our lists of boys names and girls names at http://nurseryroomprojects.com/baby_names.htm
c Copyright 2003, S. Denise Hoyle. All Rights Reserved.
A Lifetime Cruise – Hawaiian Cruise – An Exotic Hawaiian Cruise Trip – Travel
A Lifetime Cruise - Hawaiian Cruise - An Exotic Hawaiian Cruise Trip
Colin Hartness
Hawaiian Cruises are everyone*s dream cruise to the Hawaiian Islands on an exquisite ocean liner. Being pampered from dawn to dusk with exemplary cuisine, entertainment and fun for all that too for a moderate sum on a Hawaiian Cruise is definitely something out of the world. An increasing number of cruisers and liners are now regularly calling on the Hawaiian ports as also at the neighboring islands of Kaua*i, Maui, Kona and Hilo.
Hawaiian Islands, a cluster of 137, provide adventure - sports, relaxation and a new insight to oneself. The islands make one wonder whether you are at land or at sea.
Hawaiian Cruises transport you to a heavenly state. Because of the tropical latitude, the weather remains the same through most of the year. The eastern side has more rainfall while the western part is the dry land. Locals enjoy skiing and snowboard in the snow-covered areas of the Big Island.
The Hawaiian culture is very diverse and almost every nation*s culture is found here. Hence, any newcomer is automatically drawn into the Hawaiian culture, which is enjoyment and adventure. Honolulu is the capital city. It is believed that the first permanent inhabitants of this island had sailed in from the islands of Marquesas in the southern hemisphere between 300 and 800 A.D.
Hawaiian Cruises along the different yet distinct islands provide an insight into the uniqueness of each island. Hawaii Island is a big one with Kilauea crater, said to be the home of the fire Goddess, Pele. Maui, once the sole property of the royals, is famous for its exquisite swimming spots. The rainbows across the cliffs and waterfalls of Honolulu are nature*s splendor. In spite of the diversity the common thing of these islands is *aloha*, the spirit of welcoming.
World know Hawaiian people for their hospitality and riendliness. They can mingle easily and in no time have others dancing to their music and enjoying themselves thoroughly with their cuisine. The Hawaiian Cruise enables the visitors to participate in the Hawaiian culture. The vacationing people get unlimited happiness aboard the floating cruise liners and fabulous treatment for little fare.
U.S and Canadian citizens need both proofs of citizenship and identity to board Hawaiian Cruise. Proof of identity could be driving license, Government*s identification card and in case of children between ages 6 to 17, a school identity card is good enough. In addition to these, a valid passport to sail is also necessary. Permanent residents of the United States need to have on them their Alien Resident Card ARC. In cases of children traveling without their parents, the legal guardian with them should possess the parent*s consent letter authorizing the minor to travel with the guardian, which is also important in case of emergency of any kind.
About The Author
Colin Hartness
Looking for information about cruises Go to:
http://www.whatcruises.com
*What Cruises* is published by Colin Hartness -
An excellent resource for Cruises!
Customer Lifetime Value – The Key To Maximizing Your Profits! – Marketing
Customer Lifetime Value - The Key To Maximizing Your Profits!
Larry Lim
The greatest asset to your business is your Customer, specifically, your Customer Lifetime Value.
In my many years in Sales and Marketing, Ive met many CEOs and business owners who dont have much clue as to what Customer Lifetime Value is, much less its importance and the impact it has on their bottomline. To most of them, what matters most is to increase revenue by continuously acquiring new one-shot customers.
This is one of the fatal mistakes that many business owners make; its a sad scenario, but its also the reality. Let me tell you something: itll cost you 5 times more to attract a new customer than it is to bring one of your past customers back to you.
I dont know you personally, but if youre a smart business owner, youll understand that every cent you invest in advertising is going towards acquiring new customers. Youll also realise that once youve acquired the customers, you just cant afford to let them go.
So whats Customer Lifetime Value
Customer Lifetime Value is defined as the total value, in monetary terms, of your average customers spanning the entire period that these customers are likely to do business with you. Its the potential contribution of your customers to your business over a period of time.
Heres how to calculate your Customer Lifetime Value:
1. Lets say youve 2,000 steady customers and these customers remain with you for an average of two years; for the past two years, your net profit was $700,000.
The Customer Lifetime Value can be calculated as: $700,000/2,000 = $350.
What this means is that over an average customer lifespan of two years, each new customer you could acquire and keep is worth $350 to you in profits.
2. If you do not have the actual figures, youll have to estimate. As the Customer Lifetime Value will have a significant impact on your bottomline, my advice is that you be prudent and conservative in your estimation.
Why is it so important to you and your business
Lifetime Customer Value is important to you and your business for the following reasons:
1. Knowing the Lifetime Value of your customers is crucial to you and your business as it serves as a benchmark without which youll be groping in the dark.
When you know the Lifetime Value of your customers, you can determine how much time, effort and money you can afford to invest to acquire that customer in the first instance.
In other words, you can invest more today to reap a much larger profits later down the road as long as your cashflow is healthy and can support it.
Every marketing campaign that you undertake costs you money as well as reaping you benefits such as increased sales, enhanced corporate image, etc. But how can you be sure that the benefits would outweigh the costs or investments This is where knowing the Customer Lifetime Value is so powerful - it helps you to determine this even before you launch your marketing campaign.
2. When you realize that customers are actually an ongoing stream of revenue as opposed to a one-shot sale, you can re-focus your marketing efforts.
Instead of contantly struggling to acquire more and more new customers, you can now begin to focus on keeping your existing customers longer and selling to them repeatedly, in other words, repeat sales.
You may spend more like making stronger and more attractive offers than your competition in acquiring new customers now who will be your money spinners tomorrow.
This makes sense because you now know that on average youll more than make it back over the years that the customers are with you and therefore you could afford to break even or even lose money now in acquiring the new customers.
Start shifting your focus to Customer Liftime Value and maximise your profits today.
Start to have a proper understanding of Customer Lifetime Value because its key to the success of your business. Itll allow you to acquire more customers than your competition through better and more attractive offers; itll dramatically increase your bottomline through more repeat sales and shoot your profits through the roof.
About The Author
Larry Lim is a practising marketing strategist and tactician who dishes out effective marketing strategies and tactics that will enable you to successfully start and grow your business on the Internet.
Check out his website - http://www.marketingsphere.com - that is jam-packed with secret marketing information that will skyrocket your sales, and shoot your profits through the roof. Copyright Larry Lim, MarketingSphere