My Boat Shoes

Do you really think you can create a website? No? Not true, of course you can! Most people wrongly believe that they’ll never be able to create a website. The terms geek, guru and nerd spring to mind and you already feel intimated. Then you think about how to design a website and worry that it takes a lot of training, time and effort. Not to mention a boat load of programming skills!

Nothing could be further from the truth! I won’t lie and say that it takes no time and effort, there are some skills that you will need to learn, but it’s not as hard or time consuming as you may think. There are lots of programs and helpful sites that can take you step by step through the process of designing a website and then building it. You don’t need to break the bank hiring a web design company, With a few skills and some forethought you can build a website yourself.

Where Do I Start?

Your website does not have to be complicated and loaded with loads of flash animations, videos, graphics and the latest audio feeds. In fact these types of sites are often difficult to navigate, slow to load and not very nice to look at. Adding some multimedia into your website design can be done at a later stage, often the best and most successful websites are the simple sites and this is where you should start.

It’s all in the Planning

Before you dive in and start trying to create a website there are a few questions you should ask yourself. Go and get a pen and paper, then answer these next few questions.

Why do you want a website? This may seem like an obvious question, but take some time to think about it. Answering this question will help you identify new opportunities and leads directly into our next question; What is the purpose of your website? This is the most important question to answer as it will drive the whole website design process. You’ll design a store front site in a totally different way to an information site.

Next try to determine whet your main products are going to be and write them down. This will help you with the website design and navigation. Finally who is your audience? The language you use and to a lesser extent the style of your site will be dependent on this answer. You’ll use different language and look and feel if you’re trying to appeal to teens of college students than a website designed to appeal to business to business.

Pulling the Website design Together

Now go through your answers and on a separate sheet of paper start grouping your products (or information if its an information website) into main categories. These will all become web pages and form the first tier of navigation off your main page. Make sure the focus here is in keeping with the purpose of your website. There may be some further sub categories and these can be your second tier web pages that flow naturally from the first tier.

For instance if your main site is about golf, first tier web pages will be things like Golf Clubs, Golf Shoes, Golf Bags, Golf Accessories and Gold Courses. A second tier may come off Golf Accessories that covers Golf Balls, Golf Tees, Golf Club Head Covers etc. Keep the design of your website navigation clean and easy to follow so that your visitors can find what they want quickly and easily.

davinder ys
http://www.articlesbase.com/web-design-articles/why-do-you-want-a-website-724527.html

Break out of your comfort zone: Write and relate with those who are different to YOU.

Traditionally, when we contemplate the Internet and all its inherent possibilities in terms of relating and communicating with other people, we think of it as a tool to meet those who are similar to us. In an era where people can often feel disconnected to one another because of overpopulation, geographical separation, or differences in perspectives on life, the Internet has become a medium where we can meet others of like mind, belief, experience and who have similar interests and fields of expertise.

However, let us view the other side of the proverbial coin of communicative opportunity: The Internet opens channels where we can meet and learn to understand and empathise with those who have completely different outlooks to our own. Opening our eyes to try and feel what it’s like to experience and perceive the world from a person’s shoes that we’d normally never spend time relating with is a chance to expand our minds, as well as our compassion and comprehension of other human beings.

For example, let’s say you’re travelling on public transport in your home city, be it on the bus, train, tram, boat, or even taxi. When are you most likely to start up a conversation with a stranger? Usually, the answer will be when you see something in that person that relates to your own world. If you’re an Information Technology student and you see someone reading a Wired magazine, there’s a definite sign the person in question may have something of interest to say. Why do we talk to strangers on occasion? It’s because we’re social creatures, and we’ve learnt to understand that you never know when your meeting with a new person could change your life, be it in a small or large fashion.

When do we not think twice about talking to someone? That’s easy; when the person looks like someone we have nothing in common with, we often feel speaking to them would be a waste of time and effort. Don’t judge a book by its cover! How many interesting people, whether or not they have something in common with us, do we miss out on meeting everyday? How many people have you come across whom after getting to know them, are totally different from your preconceived ideas of what they’d be like? How many had different views than your own, but were very interesting nonetheless?

The Internet gives us access to many different kinds of people, via their websites, blogs, forums, chat rooms etc. Why only search out those people that already see life similarly, or who are interested in the same topics as you? If you believe in and write about the virtues of democracy, does this mean you should discount the socialist’s perspective on society? Their views are just as valid as your own, and if you do attempt to understand their perspectives, you never know what depth of knowledge you can achieve. When our minds expand, so do the depths of our actions.

Instead of judging others for having different beliefs, why not undertake a rapport with the opposing side? Discussion and conversation via blog comments etc. gives us an opportunity to gain insight, and thus wisdom, by obtaining a more holistic view of an issue. Take a classical pianist who one day accidentally walks into a bar where the piano player is playing jazz. Do they walk straight back outside because the whole jazz philosophy contrasts so intensely to their own learned classical musical theories? Or, do they wait until the end of the show to have a chat with the jazz player? This is how new genres of music have formed. If we’re open to new ideas, even if they clash with our own current way of seeing things, the results can be phenomenal.

On the Internet you may have a blog or website dedicated to your love of digital photography. There are lots of other people you can ‘talk shop’ with out there, to get new ideas on how to make interesting and artistic photos. But what about that lady whose site is dedicated to the more archaic and traditional SLR camera photographic techniques? If you strike up a conversation with her about why she chooses to stick with the old technology, you never know what insight it could give you for your own efforts.

The experience of relating to people different from ourselves may not be comfortable for you, especially if you hold your belief close to your heart, and others’ beliefs are in direct contrast to your own. Let’s say you have a ‘Pro choice’ website that is dedicated to spreading the word about the right to have an abortion. Normally, in this situation we might steer clear of ‘Pro life’ websites and blogs whose content is the complete anathema of our own. However, if you can communicate, read and relate to these opposing idealists, a lot could come from the experience. At the least, you’ll have a much better idea of why they believe what they do, and know like yourself, they’re simply people who believe they’re doing something for the good of humanity. Anger could dissipate, empathy could be ignited and friends could be made.

If you have a small business that sells a niche product like skateboards, you could focus all of your writing and marketing efforts on attracting the people who already buy your product. On the other hand, the real way to expand your income opportunities is to excite people who currently have little interest in what you do. What kind of articles or promotions could you write that might incite new types of customers to buy?

It’s so easy for us to find a comfortable place in the world, whether it’s in our living room, neighbourhood, or website/Internet community. The danger with becoming too comfortable is that our minds become stiff and brittle, our emotions numb and our spirits hungry for something more. When we write on the Internet, be it on a blog or your own company’s website, don’t be afraid to communicate with those who you imagine are different to you. What other people have to offer isn’t written on their faces, and often isn’t even written on their site’s pages; the act of exploration into the often scary, mysterious unknown can show us what our community as a whole has to offer, as well as what we ourselves have to give to others.

By Jesse S. Somer Dec. 2008

http:// www.m6.net

Jesse S. Somer
http://www.articlesbase.com/copywriting-articles/how-to-express-yourself-by-writing-on-the-internet-part-two-687440.html

With a population of 120900 Darwin is the least populated of all capital cities .
Over time Darwin has grown from a pioneer outpost to one of the most vibrant and multicultural cities in Oz. The original inhabitants of Darwin are the Larrakia people , and in 1839 HMS Beagle sailed into the harbour whilst surveying the area. John Clements Whickham named the area Port Darwin after a fellow shipmate, famed scientist Charles Darwin (known for the theory of evolution).

Having been almost entirely rebuilt twice, once due to Japanese air raids during the second world war, and once in 1974 when it was devastated by cyclone Tracy, Darwin is one of Australia’s newest capitals.

Darwin has 3 of the worlds largest national parks Kakadu, Litchfield and Nitmiluk also known as Katherine Gorge. The Katherine River and Edith falls and local surrounding areas hold great ceremonial significance to the Jawoyn people, who are the custodians to the area. Katherine gorge is made up of 13 gorges, rapids and falls which follow the Katherine river all the way from Kakadu. During the dry season (April to October ) the Katherine gorge waters are placid making it ideal for canoeing and swimming but I would strongly recommend not swimming as the waters are rife with freshwater crocodiles (not that they’re as dangerous as Estuarine or as they’re more commonly known Saltwater Crocodiles!). Boat tours, canoeing and white water rafting trips can be booked in Darwin through most travel agents or through Darwins backpackers hostel’s.

Darwin is also known for its abundance of dangerous animals from king brown snakes to red back spiders but the infamous salt water crocodile is probably the most fierce and common you’ll come across. (A German backpacker was killed a few years back after swimming in an area where saltwater crocodiles were known to inhabit.) 40 minutes out of Darwin city centre you can visit crocodile farms which are a much safer way of seeing one in the flesh, which have been producing skins and meats to make luxury items such as handbags, shoes for many years.

Darwin is also known for its consumption of “Amber Nectar”, this is very much true if you head down Mitchell street where you will find numerous clubs and bars serving the coldest beer (during the 40 degree heat). Also Mitchell street has lots of backpacker hostels making each night a party night.

Darwin and the Northern Territitory climate is broken down into 2 seasons. Being in the tropics (close to the Equator) October to April is known as the wet season. Temperatures will get up to 40 degrees in the wet season and that doesn’t include the humidity factor, between April and October it reaches highs of 35 degrees with little humidity.

If you want to experience real grass roots Australia then Darwin is the place to do it from the red sand outback to vast aridness found on the flat long stretches of highway then the Northern Territories has it all.

Kate Cooper
http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/darwin-the-northern-territories-700180.html

Amsterdam has something to offer everyone, from the shockingly perverted to the über-conservative. This is why it time and again ranks as one of Europe’s most popular city break destinations. Yet, like kebabs and Che Guervera T-shirts, the “crazy” weekend away in Amsterdam, is one of those student clichés that one might feel one is simply too unshakably cool to indulge in – this would be a shame. If ever a place was created for the young, the beautiful and the open minded, it is Amsterdam. This city simply oozes style and soul.

Renowned for its synthesis of vice and high brow culture, Amsterdam is a place of contradictions. It resists classification, combining world-renowned, laissez faire liberalism with a typical European homage to rules and regulations. This is a place where soliciting is legal, provided that one has the right paperwork. Wander down a street in Amsterdam and one will find baby clothing stores happily residing next to Rastafarian coffee shops. Galleries dedicated to sixteenth century art are only a tram ride away from museums plotting the history of porn. And shoe shops display ‘Hush Puppies’ alongside neon, plastic platforms.

It is quite true that Amsterdam might be famous for all things continental and controversial, but it is also too chilled out to care even if one is not. And although the red light district is well worth a visit, if only to point and laugh at the bizarre notion of consumerised copulation, there are plenty of other things to see and do in this historical and deliciously cosmopolitan Venice of the North.

Instead, one could visit Anne Frank’s house, or cruise along the pretty cat’s cradle of canals on a boat tour, or stroll around Dam Square to see the Royal Palace. If art is the thing of interest, then spend the morning with the Dutch masters in the famous Van Gogh gallery or Rijksmuseum, which houses works by Vermeer and Rembrandt, particularly his impressive masterpiece The Night Watch.

If one is feeling decadent, one could always visit one of the city’s numerous diamond factories and try on Elizabeth Taylor-esque jewellery that a person has absolutely no intention of buying. In addition, there are countless museums, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. And although the museums of sex, beer and marijuana tend to stand out in people’s minds for obvious reasons, it is also possible to receive a comprehensive education in Jewish history, anthropology, modern art or film. However, even traditional museums represent an unusual Dutch twist, the Maritime museum features the arm of a Dutch naval hero thoughtfully preserved in alcohol.

While visiting the Venice of North the best way to capture local color is simply on foot, loosing one in the city’s web of narrow streets, whilst picking up kitsch, bohemian bargains that would make Sienna Miller proud. In spite of the fact that Amsterdam could never market itself as a fashion capital, the city does have some lovely shops, even if in a quirky, ‘incense-burning-overkill’ kind of way. A trip to a local market is also a must see, especially a cheese market or the charming ‘bloemenmarkt’, Amsterdam’s famous, floating flower emporium. The Venice of North is joy to visit.

Rahul Viz
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/truly-yours-in-venice-of-north-52310.html

I just bought a pair of Sperry Top-Siders and I know this is a stupid question but are they okay to wear during the winter? Does water leave watermarkings on the shoe?

Yes, but you need to clean and oil them on a regular basis. I use mink oil to help prevent water stains.

If the answer is "without socks" why dont you wear socks ?

I’ve seen both. From a fashion standpoint, I’d say it likely depends upon the circumstances under which the shoes are being worn. For example, wearing boat shoes on a cold day to a restaurant suggests the propriety of socks. However, wearing them on a summer day while going fishing suggests that going sans socks is just fine. Similarly, I find it rather uncommon to see socks worn with boat shoes when the wearer is clad in shorts.

I think people started wearing boat shoes without socks because it’s cooler (literally, not in the fashion sense). Now, I suspect whether or not to wear socks has become a matter of convention.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/e0/0/AAAAAq53k3sAAAAAAOAHrg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/sperry-womens-top-sider-bluefish-2-eye-boat-shoe&h=150&w=150&sz=6&hl=en&start=67&sig2=FRdTMIH0naomBa1A3bXlBg&um=1&usg=__78DVMY1ZLhcUa8mVgxBBLaUc-C8=&tbnid=utp3hjXmFtLvaM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=96&ei=-EIXSfjYHo3eMM2WlI0J&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsperry%2Btop%2Bsider%2Bbluefish%2B2%2Beye%2Bshoe%2Bwomen%2527s%26start%3D60%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4WZPA_enUS235US235%26sa%3DN

the one that is dark brown

not really unless u have the perfect outfit u might be able to pull it off and it might just might look cute

if you don’t know already, going to disney is a lotttttttttttt of walking. i practically live in sperry’s (top sider boat shoes) they are sooo comfortable for walking. though i’ve never walked in them for like 12 hours straight. i’m going to disney world for a week, and i just want some opinions if sperry’s would be comfortable to wear all day, and if not, what shoes do you suggest? thanks in advance.

yep

i just got board shorts from hollister would the boat shoes (sperrys) match? they match like color wise i know but do they look good with shirts and shorts and stuff?
im a surfer girl so like its a surf style

it all depends on your style but i think they go well together

i bought a rockport boat shoe but i dont know if i should exchange it to get a sperry boat shoe.
what are your experinceces from these two brands?
which one do you think is better?

Top siders, by Sperry’s is the only way to go.