Tips Guides Resources

Are Equestrians any different from other people when it comes to working online? Probably not, although we do function under different time constraints. Horse owners and horse riders have all the normal responsibilities of families and full-time jobs. On top of this we have to care for our horses and unless we have them in full-time livery, a very expensive option, caring for our horses does take up a large part of our day. And that is when every thing goes right. Even if you don’t own a horse, driving to the riding school, grooming, tacking up, having a lesson, going for a short hack, unsaddling, cooling down and driving back takes a lot of time.

So we have much less time to spend working online. There are a few simple things you can do to make optimum use of your time in front of the computer. On days when you child is ill, your horse has cast a shoe, you had a flat tyre on the way to work and on top of all this the washing machine broke down, use the following suggestion to keep your stress levels as low as possible:

1. Limit the time you spend on answering e-mails. Personally answering them one by one could take hours and although customer care always comes first, there are ways you can automate this and still keep every one happy. Each time a query comes in, formulate a comprehensive answer and then add it to your FAQ list as well as your autoresponder. Next time you get the same question, and you will, answering will only take seconds of your time.

2. When you do online, work according to a well-formulated to-do list. There are certain things that need sorting every day; like traffic building, article submissions, link exchanging, stats checking etc., take care of them first. Be careful not to get stuck on a forum even if it is relevant to your business, get your to-do list out of the way first.

3. Prioritise. Some days, like the one described above, everything is just not going to get done. That’s okay, you can do them tomorrow. Do only the most important things today. On a calm day, work out which things cannot wait, so that when the hectic days come, you’ll know automatically what needs doing urgently.

4. Sort out your values, define what in your life is the most important to you. Write a personal mission statement as well as a mission statement for your business. A personal mission statement e-course formulated especially for equestrians would be ideal.

5. Set clear goals for your online business, sort, medium and long-term. Were do you want to be in 6 months time? In a year? In five years? Write a business plan. It doesn’t have to be twenty pages long, a single page will suffice. Setting goals keep you motivated and focussed and helps you make best use of your time by high-lighting the things you need to prioritize to succeed.

Most important of all: Do not waste hours surfing the net looking for the essential information you need to run your online equestrian business effectively. And don’t spend a fortune buying useless and long out-dated e-books and software.

The most precious commodity available on the internet today is information. More and more people, especially business people, now prefer to pay for regular access to quality information. However, a lot of the information you come across is either inadequate or inappropriate. People who are serious about making money online join membership sites where they can be sure of a constant supply of up-to-date quality information, as well as have access to a community that offers support and networking opportunities.

Information Membership Sites are easily accessible all over the net and monthly fees vary from $19 to $200 per month or more. Some membership sites offer life-long membership for large, one-off fees. A monthly fee is probably preferable, so that you can cancel if the information does not meet your requirements. For horse people, a membership site that caters exclusively for equestrians would be ideal. It would save you heaps of time and money and introduce your to a community of horse people with the same values and priorities as you have.

Dr Margarethe de Clermont is the founder of the Millionaire Equestrian Information Membership Site. Find out more at www.equestrian-life-coaching.com.

Did you study a foreign language in school? Spanish, French, Italian? Did you enjoy yourself? Or was it an experience that you’d rather forget?

You have to answer these last two questions honestly because they reveal a lot about how you will do the second time around.

There are many people who can’t learn a foreign language in a classroom. I was one of them. I studied French in high school, dropped it in college and then decided to study Spanish once I graduated. No formal teaching, no homework assignments, no calls home for bad grades.

Now I’m a Spanish teacher, married to a Spaniard and raising our children bilingually. And it all happened outside the class.

If you’re one of these people and have no desire to return to the classroom, then you have to make the most of your studies on your own.

It’s not easy at first. Studying a foreign language requires discipline and an awareness of important tips and tricks that can reduce the frustration and disappointment.

Here are three that are at the top of my list:

1) Understand how to learn - This may seem like a simple point but it’s worth its wait in gold. Understand that things take time. Patience is probably more valuable than your conjugations.

Too many people quit studying foreign languages after becoming discouraged with their progress. If you feel that you should progress everyday, you’re mistaken. If you feel you should make great strides each week, you’re mistaken.

You will learn slowly but surely at first and then there will come a point when you’re learning will accelerate. No one knows when. Just be patient and know that good things are happening in the depths of your brain.

2) A little studying each day is better than a lot of studying for a few days. - This is self-explanatory. You are much better off putting in 5 minutes a day when you really don’t feel like it than waiting a week and then studying for 2 hours.

The 5 minutes everyday can be anything you like. You could listen to a song in the foreign language, read the comics in the language, learn curse words in the language. As long as you’re connecting with the language in some way, you will benefit.

3) Find many ways to study. - By this I mean, listening one day, reading another, and so on. The trick to studying a foreign language on your own is to have many ways to both learn and entertain yourself. This way, you’ll always have at least one thing you can do each day to keep your momentum going.

If you know your learning style then do the majority of your learning using that style. After all, it’s the one that comes naturally to you.

In closing, knowing how to study a foreign language on your own is the most difficult part of the adventure. Discipline and desire are needed throughout. If you think you have what it takes, get to it. I did and I’m as fluent as can be. And loving it!

Jim Sarris is a veteran Spanish teacher and the author of a new ebook/audio series “The Secret to Learning Any Language.” Visit his blog to obtain free information and learn about other resources to help you learn faster and easier than ever.Language learning made easy.

When the first passengers arrive at Heathrow’s shiny new Terminal 5 on Thursday 27 March 2008 from Hong Kong, those transferring onto a domestic flight will have their photograph taken and fingerprints scanned.

In these troubled times security is naturally a priority in a new international airport terminal. But what security systems are in place at T5? And could they be a threat to our civil liberties?

BAA, the owners of Heathrow, and British Airways, who will have exclusive use of T5, insist that biometric screening is a government requirement and a necessity in the new terminal because domestic and international passengers are brought together in one departure lounge. All domestic and international passengers transferring onto a domestic flight will be screened.

The theory is that an international connecting passenger could otherwise swap documents with a domestic passenger and bypass immigration control at their final destination.

On presentation of ID or boarding card at biometric security, passengers will have their right hand scanned and face a camera to be photographed. The information recorded will then be checked at the boarding gate.

BA states on its website, “Afterwards we delete the records, so don’t worry about your fingerprints being kept on file.”

But some people are worried. There are a number of airports around the world where domestic and international passengers already mix, but such a security measure is not in place. There is a concern that this is being casually introduced to desensitise the British public to the significance of routine fingerprinting, and as a precursor to ID cards.

Liberty, the civil liberties and human rights group, is opposed to ID cards on the basis that they erode our privacy, cost millions in public money and are questionable in terms of security. Government-run databases have not had a good press recently after disasters with Child Benefit and DVLA data.

There is anxiety that personal information could get into the wrong hands. On their website BAA say that all personal data will be encrypted immediately, not used for any other purpose and destroyed within 24 hours. Is the system open to abuse? BA was the worst performing European airline last year with regards to lost luggage, according to a study carried out by the Air Transport Users Council (AUC). Can we trust them with our identities?

If passports and boarding passes are checked thoroughly is this additional measure actually necessary? Some may also worry that staff will become distracted by fingerprinting and photographing and not be as vigilant with their traditional security checks. Anyone refusing to provide their data will be denied entry to their flight.

On a practical level, what effect will biometric screening have on queues and delays?

BAA has invested heavily in CCTV in its state-of-the-art terminal and will be using 46 ‘pan-tilt-zoom’ cameras known as ‘Metal Mickeys’ as part of a security and data hub. Someone will definitely be watching you, but do you mind? For many, CCTV is reassuring but others find it a threat to their freedom.

Advanced Threat Identification is the terminal’s new baggage security system. Its X-ray scanners can identify explosives and liquids and take multiple views of luggage in the same time that the old machines could show one view. An automatic tray return system will allow suspicious bags to be separated and quickly sent into a separate channel.

The usual security regulations and restrictions will apply with respect to hand luggage and hold baggage. Future passengers at Terminal 5 should check with BA and Heathrow for up to date information before they fly.

The Queen will officially open Terminal 5 on Friday 14 March. I wonder if she would agree to have her fingerprints scanned?

Max Clarke is a first-time parent and part-time copywriter for a holiday services company, Holiday Extras.