Free New Droid X Phone From Legit Offers

A lot of people wanted to try their luck at getting one of those nice items being offered online for free. The thing that is keeping many from doing so however is the fact that a lot of these offers are actually scams.

Do you know that you can actually get freebies like a free new Droid X phone safely?

There are ways for one to know if an offer is for real or not. What are these?

1. Do you think you can trust the freebie site? Most fraudulent rewards sites appear to be sloppily made instead of professionally designed. And also, if the site is offering items like a new Droid X phone for free, should they be able to afford to pay a professional web designer?

2. Make sure that the rewards site has a security policy that handles your personal information.

3. Go through the offer's every detail to make sure that you are really getting what they are offering.

4. Check if the shipping and handling fees are covered by the rewards company. Some offers might ask you to cover such fees but do not give out any payment details until you are sure you are getting the item.

5. Determine if the information being asked from you is appropriate for such offer. You should not be asked for more than your name, e-mail address, postal address and / or phone number.

6. Check if the promo is still on-going and not expired

7. You can visit forums or discussions about a particular website to see how it rates to other consumers

There are a lot more things you can consider when hunting for a genuine offer. Use some common knowledge and it is very possible for you to own a brand new Droid X phone for free.

Start Your Future Career With A Good Computer Training

To almost all business industries, the computer system is the backbone for a lot of companies. In the world of IT or information technology, there are basically two types of network providers: CISCO and Microsoft. Becoming a certified CISCO network associate or a certified Microsoft system associate will surely give you an edge over other IT experts today.

Having such certification means going through intensive computer training. In the United States, the DC area, computer training is one of their best places that offer high quality computer training. In fact computer training in North Virginia is highly recognized nationwide. CISCO and Microsoft certification are available through various computer training centers in North Virginia.

The above mentioned certification courses will surely upgrade anyone's skill and practice you for more complex and advanced computer training courses. Even if you have very little knowledge about advanced IT, rests ensure that these training programs will help you get started. At the end of each course, you will learn how to configure systems, troubleshoot hardware, software even routers and switches. You will learn how to install and uninstall various programs and even how to protect your computer system from the threat of unethical hacker by becoming a hacker yourself.

And since a lot of companies in the United States are dominating its presence in the internet, the work market for IT development and design is booming and is large in demand, not just in the United States but in other parts of the world as well. Getting proper computer training in North Virginia will play a huge role in helping you become a certified IT expert.

Course offered by training centers in North Virginia includes A +, Network +, Security +, CCNA, CISSP, Cisco certification, and Microsoft certification. CEH, CHFI, and ESCA are ethical hacker courses that boomed in popularity in 2001. Demand for Certified Ethical Hackers is continuously soaring up, because a lot of companies have seen the negative effect of unsecured computer network to their business reputation. Large companies are willing to shed off large sum of money for high quality CEH, to work on their computer system's safety and security.

CEH courses are offered in computer training in North Virginia. In fact, this is where computer training in North Virginia dominates the other computer centers nationwide, for they can produce highly qualified CEH more than any other schools outside the state. And their student's achievements are highly recognized, giving credits to the school or training centers that they came from.

CompTIA A + certification on the other hand has been around for many years now but because the world of technology is ever changing, the certification varies as well, but without changing the foundation of the certification tests. This tactic ensures that only those who have studied well or the right people with sufficient knowledge about both computer hardware and software and those who can build it, would get recognition. Like with everything else in this world, where you came from, serves as your future foundation. Getting computer training in North Virginia is a good foundation that you will certainly benefit from, in the future.

The 4 Stages of the Counseling Process: What Every Youth Counselor Should Know

There is a natural progress that takes place within the context of the helping relationship. This process enables you and the person you are working with to build a relationship, assess the situation, set goals and come up with a plan to bring about your desired results. This progress is known as the counseling process. There are four stages of the counseling process. They are: developing a relationship, making an informed assessment, establishing mutually agreed upon goals and objectives and developing an implementation plan.

Phase 1. Developing A Relationship

In order to develop positive helping relationships with youth, you've got to be able to connect with them. This can only happen when youth are made to feel like you really care about their well-being and that you understand where they are coming from. It's about behaving in a way that demonstrates the core conditions of genuineness, respect and empathy.
To develop solid relationships with youth, you need to create a safe environment where young people will feel comfortable enough to open up to you and talk to you about anything that is on their minds. You also need to help youth see that despite their circumstances they have strengths. In short, you should start things off from a strengths-based perspective.

Questions to Consider When Trying to
Develop A Relationship

· In what ways can you build better relationships with the youth in your program?

· If there are young people who are not actively engaged, what can you do differently to engage them?

· If a youth is resistant, what steps can you take to reduce resistance?

· What worked in the past with resistant youth?

· How do you know when you've built a solid relationship with a youth? Could you use these indicators to strengthen your relationships with other youth?

Phase 2. Making An Informed Assessment

An informed assessment happens when both you and the youth gather information in order to figure out what's "really" going on so that you can assess what needs to happen next in order to change the situation for the better or build up the youth's coping skills to better deal with a problematic situation. The first step in making an assessment is to find out if change is necessary, and if it is what needs to happen for change to take place. If you have determined that change is necessary, then the next step is to figure out what needs to change. Is it a behavior? An attitude? A situation?

A good assessment can provide an opportunity for a young person to see how his / her behavior or attitude might be contributing to an undesirable or unhealthy situation. Assessment is an ongoing process. You need to regularly check in with your youth to see how things are going. Reassessments enable you to ensure that you and the youth are on the right track.

How do you gather information in order to make an informed assessment? You can gather information in a number of ways: talking with youth, observing the youth's behavior and interactions, discussions with other people who are involved in the young person's life, and reading any documented information on the young person. Keep in mind that when utilizing someone else's verbal or written report as a source of background information, you run the risk of subjecting yourself to their biases and assumptions.

Points to Keep In Mind When Making An Assessment

· Be aware of your biases and how they impact on the assessments you make.

· Involve youth in the assessment process.

· Do not rely on one single source to make an assessment, gather as much information as you can from a variety of sources.

· Do not automatically label a behavior as dysfunctional because you do not understand it, or it is not germane to your culture.

· Make sure to point out a young person's strengths even when addressing problematic behavior.

Phase 3. Establishing Mutually Agreed Upon Goals and Objectives

Why is it important to establish "mutually agreed" upon goals and objectives? Because if a young person is in agreement with the goals then he / she is more likely to follow through on them. When a youth is actively involved in the goal setting process and is in agreement with the goals, then he / she is more inclined to take ownership of the goals. What are goals? Goals are broad statements that identify what you want to accomplish. Think of goals as the end result that you are trying to achieve. While goals are broad statements that identify what you want to accomplish overall, objectives are the measurable steps that you take to achieve your goals. For example if you have a goal that states, "youth will be better able to manage her anger." One of your objectives might be, "youth will recognize emotional triggers that lead to angry outbursts and use positive, self-talk to calm herself down." Your objectives should always be concrete and measurable. They should also be derived from the overall goal.

Questions to Consider When Developing

Goals and Objectives

· What do you and the young person want to achieve?

· How are you going to achieve it?

· When do you want to achieve your stated goal?

· What obstacles do you expect?

· How will you address these obstacles?

· How will you use to measure and monitor progress?

· Are your goals realistic?

Phase 4. Implementation Plan

The implementation plan is a plan that you and the youth work on together. It is designed to prevent, intervene, or address unhealthy behaviors and practices. The implementation plan identifies who will perform the activities, where the activities will occur, how frequently they will occur, how they will be transported out and when they will be carried out. Implementation activities are designed to help individuals re-think risky behavior, work through problematic issues, address unhealthy lifestyles practices, learn new skills and build strengths. Implementation activities can include: counseling, crisis intervention, training and education, supporting services, concrete services and constructive use of free time.

As you can see, each stage of the counseling process builds upon the former. As you move through each stage, you will come to realize that it takes patience and practice to counsel youth effectively, but if you are committed to the goal you'll do just fine. You may not feel completely confident in your ability as a counselor, but as you expand your knowledge base, gain more experience and strengthen your helping skills, you will become a more effective counselor.

Copyright © 2006 by Cassandra Mack

Excerpted from Cassandra Mack's book, "Smart Moves That Successful Youth Workers Make"

Social Marketing for Real Estate Agents

Maximizing Profits Using Facebook for Real Estate

There is hardly a person living in this day and age who has not at the very least Heard of Facebook and how it brings everyone together. The fact of the matter is that social networks are becoming an incremental integral part in the lives of many people out there and it is only logical that they should be used for marketing and advertising. As it happens, there are ways to use Facebook for real estate agents who want to give their career a little boost.

First of all, how can using Facebook for real estate marketing benefit the agent? Well, for starters it should be stated that it is estimated that in August 2012, Facebook will hit the 1 billion subscriber mark. Put that together with the fact that one of these networks news travels almost as the speed of light and you have yourself a nice potential way of spreading the word about yourself. You can do all the run-of-the-mill stuff such as making a profile page where they can pretty much do whatever they want. However, that is far from being the best Facebook can do for you.

Facebook allows the creation of fan pages and group pages to which people subscribe. When they "like" your page, every single thing you are going to post will become visible in their news feed, meaning that you are going to be reaching to thousands of people potentially only because they clicked a button on your page. Of course, using Facebook for real estate marketing consists of more than simply creating a page because after all, you need to give people a reason to join and like it. And it's not like you just need anyone liking it; it is better to have a hundred people interested in what you are selling them like your page than a thousand who has no idea what you are doing there. So here is a little guide for how to use Facebook for real estate marketing.

How to Use Facebook for Real Estate Marketing

To start things off you are going to create a landing page which will give your visitors just a little taste of what you have to offer, encouraging them to click the like button and see the page in its full splendor. You should give them some incentive to click the like button, such as some kind of exclusive information about the housing sector, an ebook, or really any kind of little offer you can think of. The aesthetic of your landing page is extremely important so you should definitely work with a professional designer on it if you can afford to.

In any case, once they "like" your page they will be taken to second landing page where they can actually get what they clicked the button for. This is a very effective method of promoting your brand and getting your name out there as the people who will have gotten what they wanted from you will spread the word to their friends, who will hopefully give you a visit and do the same.

There is a great way to get more people to your Facebook page which consist of setting up good Facebook ads, which are basically the advertisements displayed on the side. All you need to do is simply click on the "create an ad" link which can be found right next to those advertisements, and you will be taken to the creation page. There you make your ad by simply choosing a picture and typing a quick sales pitch that goes to its right. You can choose to either run a cost-per-impressions or a pay-per-click campaign, which is more suitable for your current situation.

The best part with these ads is that if you are promoting a Facebook page those who are looking at it can "like" it instantaneously without even visiting it. If you can manage to make your ad enticing enough, you will see no shortage of unique visitors everyday who are looking to see what your brand has to offer them.

So how exactly do you get started and use Facebook for real estate marketing? Well, there is nothing complicated to the process as all you need to do is install an application which allows you to easily create landing pages. There are many applications which allow you to do that, and you can find them using your search engine of preference. Once the application is installed, use it to put your landing page into place, and get started with the steps above.

Check out my recent blog post for tips on growing your Facebook fan base.

The Importance Of Cell Phones In Modern Society

Cell phones have become a necessity for many people through the world. The ability to keep in touch with family, business associates, and access to email are only a few of the reasons for the increasing importance of cell phones. Today's technically advanced cell phones are capable of not only receiving and placing phone calls, but storing data, taking pictures, and can even be used as walkie talkies, to name just a few of the available options.

When cell phones were first introduced to the public, they were bulky, expensive, and some even required a base unit that had to be transported along with the phone. Good reception was a major problem and in general, early cell phones could only be used in certain locations were the signal was particularly strong. As cell phone technology advanced, the difficult in using them became less of a problem. Today, cell phone reception has improved greatly due to the use of satellites and wireless services. As cell phones improved and became simple to use, the importance of cell phones increased accordingly.

Cell phones are the perfect way to stay connected with others and provide the user with a sense of security. In the event of emergency, having a cell phone can allow help to reach you quickly and could possibly save lives. However, the importance of cell phones goes way beyond personal safety. Modern cell phones are capable of internet access, sending and receiving photos and files, and some cell phones are equipped with GPS technology, allowing for use in most locations around the world and allowing the cell phone to be found or the user located in the event of loss or emergency.

Cell phone reception has become reliable and of high quality due to advances in wireless technology. Wireless service providers offer excellent packages and promotions for cell phone users. Finding a dependent service provider is no longer an issue for cell phone users. The expansion of the wireless service provider industry gives cell phone users a choice and the increased competition has caused a drop in prices of wireless cell phone service. The importance of cell phones goes way beyond the ability to make or receive phone calls. Cell phone users can instantly send data to the home or office, check for important email, use their cell phone as a PDA or calendar, and store photos which can easily be transferred to a PC or laptop computer.

Cell phone manufacturers have produced a wide range of cell phones, which sell for prices that range from very inexpensive to over one thousand dollars. The available options give users the choice of purchasing a basic cell phone to use simply for making calls, or choosing a complex, technologically advanced cell phone that can perform as many or even more tasks that a home computer. Over the past decade, the increasing importance of cell phones has made them almost a necessity for most people. Even remote and underdeveloped countries have some access to cell phone technology and wireless services.

The importance of cell phones has increased the competition in the wireless service provider industry, making cell phones very affordable and very easy to use. Cell phones have become almost a status symbol in addition to the convenience and security that comes from owning them.

Fire Truck Financing - How to Protect Yourself From the Manufacturer's Bad Financial Situation

Do you know how to protect yourself from a financial problem with your fire truck manufacturer?

There has been lots of bad news for the fire apparatus manufacturers laately. One large manufacturer went bankrupt and closed its main factory. Another was sold for pennies on the dollar. The largest has its credit rating downgraded further into "junk bond" status. Several smaller manufacturers have just gone - with the horror story of departments who pre-paid hundreds of thousands of dollars left behind with nothing to show.

With the economy today is such a shaky condition, it's unlikely that the fire apparatus manufacturers will turn around quickly.

So, what can you do to protect yourself from a financial disaster with your manufacturer?

Here are the basic steps to protect yourself when making this large financial and important purchase.

1. Be prepared that, no matter what, you can lose money if your manufacturer fails during construction of your new truck.
2. Analyze deeply before you pre-pay for a truck or chassis prior to delivery.
3. Analyze very deeply before you enter into a complicated financial transaction such as a trade-in or turn-in lease with a manufacturer.
4. Take firm and "bullet-proof" steps to protect your money.

We'll look at each of these in more detail below.

Be prepared that, no matter what, you can lose money if your manufacturer fails during construction of your new truck

If your manufacturer fails during the construction of your truck, you will lose money. The reason is that you'll be forced to sign a contract a year or later than when you first selected and budgeted for the truck. Most certainly, the cost of the replacement truck will be much higher. Today, the average price of the average truck goes up about $ 18,000 each year. So, you may be forced to buy a replacement truck that is $ 18,000 or more higher.

If you paid for the chassis upon delivery and the manufacturer fails, you own the chassis and will have to negotiate with another manufacturer to build on that chassis. They will charge you more since these situations always have manufacturing problems. The new manufacturer will charge you more because building on someone else's chassis is always a hassle.

Your chances at losing money increase greatly if you enter into a complex financial transaction with the manufacturer. The following two points discuss what to do in these situations.

Analyze deeply before you pre-pay for a truck or chassis prior to delivery

When you give money to a manufacturer before you take delivery of your truck, you are lending money to the manufacturer. No matter what you call it. You are giving them money with the promise they will give you something back later. That is what lending money is.

It's easy to get traveled by a discount worth tens of thousands of dollars. It seems simple and easy. You pay a lower price for the truck. But you must measure what you are giving up to get that discount. Is your money in a saving account? Or will you have to borrow money to pre-pay the truck? Either way, you are losing interest or paying interest to gain that discount. The formula is to understand if what you lose or pay is more or less than what you gain.

Second, if you pre-pay your truck and your manufacturer fails (such as files bankruptcy), you become a General Unsecured Creditor in the bankruptcy. That is the last person to get paid. So, you must measure your risk and your tolerance for that risk. That's a fancy way of saying "How much money am I willing to lose?"

The key here is to understand exactly what is the worse that can happen and then if you can afford the worse.

Analyze very deeply before you enter into a complicated financial transaction such as a trade-in or turn-in lease with a manufacturer

The popular trade-in or turn-in lease is a very complicated financial transaction with lots of fine print and clauses that can cost you a ton of money if you do not understand them. These risks can be even higher if the manufacturer you are contracting with is on shaky financial ground.

The key question is "What happens if the manufacturer is not around in 5 or 7 years to trade my truck back?". There are several other questions to ask:

• What are my options if I can not turn my truck back?
• How much must I pay if I want the truck?
• Who will I negotiate with at the end of the lease term?

When you enter into a contract like this, you are getting more financially intertwined with the manufacturer than just buying the truck and depending on them for warranty and service. Your use and ownership of the truck can be thrust into bankruptcy if the manufacturer fails.

Take firm and "bullet-proof" steps to protect your money

The best way to protect yourself is to require the manufacturer to bond the contract and their performance. All financially solvent manufacturers should be able to provide bonds to cover your financial risk in doing business with them.

If you want to know how one manufacturer financially stacks up against another, request each manufacturer's performance bond costs. The higher the cost, the higher the risk.

The manufacturer will charge you, whether you see the specific charge or not, for this bonding. This is a small cost to prevent a large financial problem later on. It's always easy to know that you needed more insurance after the fire. The key is to properly protect yourself before the tragedy happens.

Also, unless you can shoulder a higher cost for another manufacturer to build your replacement truck, get a bond amount that covers the replacement cost of the truck. That's because you'll be pricing a replacement truck a year or sometimes even later than when you first budgeded. The price will go up.

Or, if you paid for a chassis, make sure you get ownership information for the chassis. This document is called a Certificate of Origin (C of O) and is issued by the manufacturer of the chassis .. If you pay for the chassis, insist on receiving this very shortly after you pay. If the manufacturer gives you the C of O, that means they have paid their bills - in this case, the chassis manufacturer. You will not get in the middle of any payment disputes between the chassis builder and the manufacturer.

It also means that, in the bankruptcy, you have proof to show the bankruptcy court that you are the legal owner of the chassis and you will not have a complex legal fight to get the chassis you paid for.

In Summary

Do not let the current financial environment scare you into delaying an important apparatus purchase for your department. If you understand what risks you are potentially taking and taking active steps to protect yourself, you should navigate these financial rapids without undue risk or stress.

How to Choose the Best Motherboard For Your Computer System

The computer motherboard is a key internal part of a computer system. If the CPU or processor is considered as the computers brain then the motherboard can be thought of as the heart of the computer. Although the motherboard does not boost the speed of a computer, it plays a pivotal role for the overall functionality and features of a computer system. It can at times be a really daunting task to choose the best motherboard for your computer. For getting the best output from a motherboard you should follow some of the below strategies that will help you to find out the best motherboard for your computer.

Try to find out as much as you can about the brand name or manufacturer name while choosing a motherboard. A motherboard from a well known company gives many added features like a good warranty or product quality, so try to get a motherboard from well known and reputable company. You must also make sure about the availability of technical support from the manufacturer so when you need it, it is then available. Tech support is critical here as it is needed during troubleshooting. Among the manufacturers to consider, Tyan, Asus, Intel and Soyo. They are the market leaders and have a positive brand image among consumers.

After brand selection you have to focus on the compatibility of your motherboard with your processor. Different manufacturers provide a variety of processors such as Celeron PPGA, Pentium III, AMD Athlon and AMD K6-3. These processors need specific types of motherboards. The compatibility of the motherboard with a particular processor is the most important factor to consider.

Advanced graphics port or AGP is an appealing feature for the gamer and users who are interested in graphic design. AGP allows quicker communication between the video card and the computer so increasing the frame rate of graphics programs and video games. So if you are a gamer or have enthusiasm about graphics design, you should choose a motherboard with higher AGP performance.

The number of PCI slots in a motherboard are an important criteria to consider when choosing a good motherboard. Plenty of PCI slots allows for the attachment of ethernet cards, sound cards or modems and for future expansion. The more PCI slots that exist in the motherboard the more ports you will have to connect such devices. Also do consider the number of USB ports on the motherboard as these are also needed to connect with modems, mice and with other devices. For video capturing and editing, you should also have a firewire port. So make sure you have a firewire port if you are interested in video capturing or editing.

While choosing your chipset, you should bear in mind the memory type that is compatible with your selected motherboard. Compatibility of the motherboard with high performance RAM is also important. For getting better performance always choose the motherboard that is compatible with all the components of the computer.

Before purchasing a motherboard you must make sure all important features are reviewed that you need. You can browse the motherboards manufacturer's website to get all the important information related to what you will need. You can download the manual from the manufacturer's website and compare the features on various motherboards. So do consider everything covered above and make sure you get the all the information you need to end up with the best motherboard for your computer system needs.