John Pape Online Blog

In this age of instant everything, hardly anyone wants to wait. That is probably the main reasons why drive-throughs, instant messaging, one-touch photo printing and all sorts of “now” technology and products were invented and are profitable today.

The same can be said when surfing the Internet. Recent studies conducted on Internet habits show that users get irritated when a web page takes more than 10 seconds to completely download; beyond 15 seconds, more than half leave the site entirely. That is how demanding the average Internet user is.

Some web designers and developers would probably argue that with broadband access, download time should no longer be an issue. However, what these people fail to mention is that only 3 in 10 users in America have hi-speed access. A great majority of Internet users still surf the Internet via dial-up modems. At speed of about or below 50 kbps, web pages heavy with unnecessary baggage easily lose the race for the user’s precious attention.

So how do you keep your website lean, mean and quick? Here are some tips:

1. Use lean graphics.

Graphics, even in .jpg, .png or .gif form will still take a while to load. But since images do enhance a website’s appearance, it is very likely you will find these necessary. However, keep the loading time for the images down by specifying the height and width attributes of your images. That way, the user’s browser will be able to map the page’s layout while the images are being loaded.

If large images are necessary for your content, use a thumbnail a link to the bigger version of the picture. This allows the user choose what images he will wait for to load and saves him from needing to wait for those pictures he’s not interested in.

Another nifty trick for quick-loading images is to use software that cuts up large graphic files into smaller pieces that can be put back together using a table. However, be sure to reduce 256-color images to 8-bit colors before processing the picture.

2. Cut down on the flash intros.

They may look nice, but they take forever to load. And if these animated presentations are at the front door of your website, you stand to lose a lot of visitors (practically half) even before they saw your actual site.

If you simply have to have a flash introduction, please do not forget to include a “skip” button prominently displayed on the page as an option for those who don’t want to wait to load the intro.

Another caveat that comes with flash intros is that (as of now) search engines are unable to index content on flash format. So if you intend to present most of your important information via flash presentation, you stand to lose a lot when it comes to hits from search engines.

3. Maintain an ideal page size.

Experts vary in opinion on what is the optimum file size for a web page. As a middle figure, somewhere between 30 to 50 KB file size (including fonts, graphics, html and JavaScript and so on) should do fine and load pretty quickly.

4. Keep the pages as shallow as possible.

No one wants to go through so several clicks and links before accessing the page they intend to reach. When creating your site’s over-all organization, make sure that every page can be accessed from any point within 2 clicks. (3 are ok, but it’s pushing it.)

That said; try to keep all your pages no further down than 2 levels deep from the home page. If the site grows to have so many pages that making deeper levels is inevitable, consider creating an archive page where outdated pages may be kept for reference without causing delay to the more current content.

Having a quick-loading page show that you value your visitors’ time. They will show their appreciation by staying longer to know what you have to say. It also enhances your company’s brand, showing that you can be efficient, but substantial.

Paying attention to what is important and useful rather than what looks good but offers little in content will result in a website that is not only quick and lean, but usable as well. And for your target audience, that is the main and most important key.

Need A Web Site?

Custom Web Design for Small Businesses by professional and experienced web designer and developer.

Here is what I can do for you…

• Innovative Web Design
• Graphic Design Logos
• Maintain Your Website
• Data Driven Content
• Flash Applications
• Build Shopping Carts for Ecommerce
• Custom PHP Applications and Programming
• WordPress Installation & Customization

Get an affordable, attractive great website today. Hire Me For Your Web Design Solution. View my portfolio at http://portfolio.mediatunes.com

Most worship leaders are talented artists. And there is a certain level of performance that goes into the music. Now the title of this article may raise some eyebrows. Worship leader are not suppose to be entertainers. Or are they? I believe that there needs to be a balance and perspective when we examine who the real audience is. This may come as a surprise to you, but as a worship leader you need to entertain the people you serve. Let me explain. When I say to entertain, what I mean is to make everyone at ease a possible. The word entertain can also be understood as hospitality. Hospitality is a spiritual gift. To exercise this gift means that you need to entertain. Just like you are the host at a dinner party. You entertain your guests. Here is the first person to consider. (more…)

by: Malkeet Singh

You have some great ideas. You toss them around in your mind. You tell friends about them. They go nowhere. Why? They go nowhere because of what your friends said or because you have the misconception that only a select few are able to unleash a steady flow of creative genius. And, you, of course, couldn’t be one of that select group. That is not true at all.

Anyone who has creative genius will tell you that creativity is very much like a muscle that needs to be developed in order to perform at top efficiency. If you don’t learn how to develop creative thinking, this skill, like a muscle will become withered and useless to you when you most need it. On the other hand, keep working at it and this skill will soon be ready for action whenever you need it.

So how do you develop your own personal style of creative thinking?

Well, the first thing is to realize your brain has a greater capacity and speed than the world’s biggest and fastest super computer. That’s right! Even the world’s biggest and fastest super computer cannot store as much information or handle it faster than your brain. You are not limited like a super computer because your brain is not limited and that’s where creativity comes from – your brain. It doesn’t come from thin air, it comes from within you and you already have the tools needed to exercise it.

So, the first thing is to begin absorbing as much information as you can every day. Grab as much knowledge and learning as you can find. Read, watch, and listen to everything available — good and bad. Don’t judge anything at this point of development because it’s not the content that is important, only the process of absorption. Keep your mind open to the infinite possibilities that each piece of information presents. The more you know, the more you’ll want to know, and the more your brain will be exercised. Prepare to be amazed at little facts that add a bit of color to your conversations with people. They will begin to see you in a new light.

Next, focus on a creative activity every day. This is as simple as doodling. Doodling is a creative activity. Don’t let anything hinder you. Just doodle away, mindlessly. You will unleash a little bit of creative thinking and it will be encouraging to see something you created. In addition to doodling, practice drawing something specific for a couple of minutes each day. You might unleash the artist in you.

Or, grab a camera and start snapping photos of anything and everything. Don’t try to be “artsy,” just snap away! You might find you have a knack for photography.

Keep a journal and make a point to write in it at the end of each day. Describe your experiences using words that capture your five senses. What did it smell like, taste like, feel like – you get the idea? You may discover a writer lurking in your brain.

In a short time you’ll have built yourself a tiny portfolio or doodles, art, photographs and writings and you’ll be amazed at the growth of your creativity. You might actually enjoy those exercises so much that they will become a part of you and you’ll be addicted to them.

You’ve heard it said – Think out of the box. Well, not just yet. Be aware of constraints or blocks to your creative process. Constraints are actually a good thing. It’s your brain telling you it needs more knowledge about that which you are struggling. Constraints are the brain’s mechanisms to force discipline upon you. Discipline forces you to be more resourceful. Creative freedom is great, but limitations are too. There must be balance.

Oscar winner, Anthony Hopkins, would just get in his car and drive across country alone with no destination in particular. It helped him experience different people in different parts of the country, away from the unreality of Hollywood. These little trips helped him to become a better actor.

Try something new every day and let your experiences broaden your view of the world and people around you. Explore a new neighborhood in your town. Spend an afternoon in a museum to which you’ve never been before. Chat up someone in the checkout line at the store. You need to open up to the people around you. You need to step out of your comfort zone more and more each day. This will heighten your sense of adventure and your zest for life.

Think about it. When was the last time you did something out of your comfort zone? When you stay in your comfort zone, you miss out on a whole lot of experiences that could add to your growth – emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually.

I would love to try bungee jumping and skydiving but I’m a coward when it comes to risking life and limb. If you have the courage, go for it! At the very least, you will have plenty of exciting stories to share, enabling you to develop your storytelling skills, making you the life of any gathering. People will love to hear you tell about doing the things they only dream of doing.

This next thing will seem nutty. It is. You need to embrace insanity. I’m not talking about the kind that will land you in a rubber room. As John Russell once said, “Sanity calms, but madness (insanity) is more interesting.”

History shows that nearly every creative thinker was once deemed insane by “normal” people. Lucky for us, the critics couldn’t stop the creative geniuses from changing the world. Being “normal” confines’ people to think – normally, that is, to think within limits society has deemed to be normal. Creativity is essentially ignoring those limits, within the Law, of course. Your creativity may seem bizarre and downright strange to the “normals.” Ignore them and seek out others who also ignore the “normals” of this world. They will know how to help you to cultivate your new sense of creativity.

Now, a word of caution as you step out in your search for creativity. Don’t strive to develop a creative “personality.” There is a difference between a creative personality and creative thinking. Examples of wacky creative personalities would be George Washington, who often rode into battle naked, or James Joyce, who wrote “Dubliners” with beetle juice because he had an intense fear of ink, or Albert Einstein, who thought his cat was a spy sent by his rival. They were all great men, for sure, but a little wacky at times because they lost touch with reality.

It’s important that your creativity doesn’t blind you to the real world. Keep your feet on the ground and your head in the clouds! (Look familiar?)

Starting today, begin thinking beyond your “limits.” Follow these steps and you’ll soon be living a life full of interesting and exciting adventures. Your new level creative thinking will bring about a new zest for living life.

Who knows, your idea might be the next great idea to change the world.

About The Author
My name is Malkeet Singh. I am 26 years old. I belong to Himachal Pradesh. I am living in Delhi. I working in BPO. I enjoy to listening to music and playing cricket & watching TV. I am a hardworker and honest person. The author invites you to visit: http://www.theglobalnetworld.com

by Nate Sakany

Do you know your Unique Core Ministry?

About the Author

Nate Sakany is the founder and President of Incubator Creative Group. He is Christian music’s top expert in emerging artist development for the local church marketplace having served as a full-time professional for 30 years. Nate has founded and managed three artist development companies including his own agency, a non-profit educational organization, and Incubator Creative Group (the Christian music industry’s only incubator organization).

Create a system to organize your ideas.

Creative people can have trouble trying to stay organized. Here is a suggestion to help you compile your ideas.

• Get a large box and pile in every matchbook cover, every bar napkin, every scrap of paper, everything on which you ever scribbled a scrap of lyric or an idea.

• Get some large manila envelopes and categorize all the bits of ideas that you have, one envelope labeled “Ballad Ideas”, the next labeled “Rock Ideas”, etc. This will help you when you sit down by yourself or with your team to begin writing.

Create a place to work on your writing

The luxury of a professional recording studio is beyond most songwriters reach.   Fortunately there are several options of really inexpensive tape recorders and software packages to help you out in your efforts to begin logging your song ideas.

Low tech – Use Pencil and Paper

Get a piece of paper and write down all the things that you need to do to prepare yourself to write. Here are some question you might ask…

• Is your primary instrument in good repair? If not, get it ready.
• Are your chops up to snuff? If not, get yourself ready by playing along with every CD that you own.

Setting Goals Gives You Focus and a Place to Go

The type of goals you can make could include…

• The number of songwriting/creative event you will attend.
• Finding groups and associations that will further your progress
• Attend seminars
• Number of song you plan to write.
• Set a goal with a date or deadline for the completion of your next song. This goal is not designed to put yourself under any kind of pressure, but instead is designed to keep you focused.
• First performance of your next song. It could be as simple as an open mike night at your favorite coffeehouse, or a small party for your friends.

These are just some suggestions, you will need to come up with ones that best suit your situation.

Go to School

Get to know and understand the art of music and song better by enrolling in a music appreciation class at a local community college. Learn as much as you can about the masters of this craft in order to gain a greater feel for their thought processes.

Making a Demo

At some point you will want to send out demos to artist,  publishers and A&R people.  Set a deadline for mailing out a demo of your songs. The point of this is more to ‘put yourself out there’, as it were than to actually sell or license the first song that you ever wrote. Ask for input and feedback on your efforts. Remember that before you mail anything out, you will need to do the research about the guidelines, submission requirements, and etiquette.

The power of the list

By far the greatest asset is your mailing/email list.  You will need several lists depending on the audience.  Make and keep a list of all the contacts and/or prospects to whom you will be mailing your songs. Get telephone numbers and email addresses for everybody on your list and above all things, follow up on everything that you mail out.

In conclusion, getting started is the most important step.  After that you want to make sure that you maintain focus on where you want to go.  Hopefully these ideas will stimulate you in moving your songwriting career forward.

Entries for an art contest at the Hirshorn Modern Art Gallery in DC.

The rule: the artist could use only one sheet of paper.

“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.”
– Theodore Levitt

“Genius means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.”
– William James

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”
– Mary Lou Cook

“Creativity is seeing something that doesn’t exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being and that way be a playmate with God.”
– Michele Shea

“God is really another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style. He just goes on trying other things.”
– Pablo Picasso

“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
– Vincent van Gogh

“I began by tinkering around with some old tunes I knew. Then, just to try something different, I set to putting some music to the rhythm that I used in jerking ice-cream sodas at the Poodle Dog. I fooled around with the tune more and more until at last, lo and behold, I had completed my first piece of finished music. ”
– Duke Ellington

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.”
– Albert Einstein

“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”
– Edward de Bono

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.”
– Jack London

“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.”
– Edward de Bono

“Creative power, is that receptive attitude of expectancy which makes a mold into which the plastic and as yet undifferentiated substance can flow and take the desired form.”
– Thomas Troward

“Every day is an opportunity to be creative … the canvas is your mind, the brushes and colours are your thoughts and feelings, the panorama is your story, the complete picture is a work of art called, ‘my life’. Be careful what you put on the canvas of your mind today … it matters.”
– Innerspace

There is no use trying,” said Alice. “One can’t believe impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
– Lewis Carroll

“When you are describing, A shape, or sound, or tint;
Don’t state the matter plainly, But put it in a hint;
And learn to look at all things, With a sort of mental squint.”
–Lewis Carroll

“Life is trying things to see if they work.”
– Ray Bradbury

“An artist paints, dances, draws, writes, designs, or acts at the expanding edge of consciousness. We press into the unknown rather than the known. This makes life lovely and lively.”
– Julia Cameron

When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.
-Buckminster Fuller

“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt

“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
-Pablo Picasso

“Genius means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way. ”
-William James

“The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas.”
– Linus Pauling

“Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.”
– Rita Mae Brown

“You become more divine as you become more creative. All the religions of the world have said God is the creator. I don’t know whether he is the creator or not, but one thing I know: the more creative you become, the more godly you become. When your creativity comes to a climax, when your whole life becomes creative, you live in God. So he must be the creator because people who have been creative have been closest to him. Love what you do. Be meditative while you are doing it – whatsoever it is!”
– Osho

“Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations, the latter (like the river banks) forcing the spontaneity into the various forms which are essential to the work of art or poem.”
– Rollo May