Thursday, October 25, 2007

Quick Social Networking -- Effective and Smart Ways to Social Networking

Social Networking has become a household name ever since the massive popularity of the famous social networking sites like YouTube, MySpace, Friendster and other similar sites have made waves in the Internet arena. Social networking, since then has been potentially seen as a growing avenue by business people where they can market and publicize their companies along with the products that they are promoting. Looking into this perspective, I have enlisted some of the ways below on how one can effectively use social networking as an avenue to market and advertise a service or a product.

• If you are a registered member of a social networking site, like MySpace, you are actually being given the privilege to come up with your own, personal site. With this, you can incorporate some advertising materials on your own site and promote it from there. Since you are a on a social networked site, people who see your site with similar interest are your easily captured potential clients. Thus, enabling you to instantly have a client of your own.

• With social networking site, it is easy to capture potential clients because of the capability of the site to invite other people to form part in any specific group. This is a feature seen by most business people as a potential means to massively promote any service or product using the social networking site.

• One of the best ways for anyone who wish to use social networking as a means to advertise is to invite and invite more people to “network” with his account. This is a quick way to allow more possible traffic on any one’s site.

Targeted Social Networking - 4 Keys to Get Started With Social Networking

Today the concept of social networking provides a great medium for people to meet others both physically and virtually. The first step in social networking lies in choosing the social networking site depending on your needs. if you need to physically meet people, use a social network with direct communication and location data. If you want to meet people virtually, use a site with people having similar interests to you and one that permits people to search for these interests.

You can succeed in social networking only if you ensure you are using a safe networking site as there are many cases of identity theft, personal information disclosure and cyber stalking in many social networking sites.

You have to place information on the social networking sites to get people sharing similar interests to meet each other. This means that it is important that you provide only honest information about yourself. Many people lie on the network, and get people fooled into relationships. There is no point in changing your particulars in the hope of getting more acquaintances, just because you are dull and boring. This only leads to mistrust between you and the acquaintances once they find out you were lying.

You can also use social networking sites to get business oriented connections by choosing a community or group that is relevant to you. then you inform the people here about yourself, your business and the expertise and services you offer. you are sure to get new business contacts by participating in these discussions.

Then again, getting referrals from the members of the social networking sites also help as these referrals create an impression of you being an authority of a particular field. They refer their friends to you if and when they need services or products that you offer.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Guide to purchasing a Diesel Generator

There are many grades of durability of diesel generators on the market. You will find that the larger the machine the more well built it is to withstand the pressures of use. This is the general concept when it comes to the diesel generator that the larger the generator the better it is designed.

It is essential when considering purchasing a diesel generator that you are sure of what kind of use you will be demanding. It is very common for the diesel generators that are larger to be installed on ships as backups during power failures. There are often systems on ships that use power systems that are related to weather. This is not reliable and as such a diesel generator is a good choice. It is better to opt for the larger models as these are very well designed to handle the load.

Many businesses seeking to protect their sensitive computer networks can also depend on the diesel generator. These are excellent sources of power should the power fail. This is also great for medical equipment such as those that are essential in hospitals and can provide performance that is low maintenance.

When deciding which diesel generator to choose it is important that a list is constructed of the various pieces of equipment that will be using the generator power. This will aid in the determination of the total wattage requirements and therefore determine which capacity of generator will be required.

One of the first points when comparing diesel generators is to determine the wattage requirement and compare this to the price of the particular generator. This is essential as it is important not to overload the system and this will determine the best generator to suit your needs. It is also possible for persons with intermittent generator usage to opt for the diesel generator due to all the perks such as reduced fuel costs and maintenance costs.

It is also advisable that when you purchase your generator that you install it with a transfer switch. This may require a qualified electrician. It is also essential that the generator you choose will have adequate storage as this is important in maintaining the right temperature. You may also need other features such as soundproof enclosures depending on your space limitations as the diesel generator can be quite noisy and is best installed away from homes.

Other features that will be needed for your generator include shutdown systems. There are three major shutdown systems available. These are low oil pressure automatic shutdown kits, over-speed shutdown kits and high temperature shutdown kits. These are all necessary for the protection of any diesel generator that you purchase.

Make sure that the diesel generator you choose is run at a low rpm approximately 1800 rpm to ensure long life. It is better to opt for a generator that is the best in terms of fuel efficiency and if you can opt for a brand name. They may be a bit more expensive but they will tend to have better warranties than the other generic brands on the market.

Diesel Generators Explained

A diesel generator is composed of a diesel engine and an alternator or an electrical generator, which converts the power created by the engine (expressed in RPM, revolutions per minute) into the required voltage for homes, industry and remote work sites. The need for power for homes and sites, which are not connected, to a power grid is a growing need throughout the world. Remote areas of Central and South America are no longer too poor to afford electrical power but not at the stage to built vast hydroelectric projects or large power grids.

They can afford to build local village electrical power plants, which can meet the modern needs of the people until the modern power grid can reach out to them. There are places in the United States that are developing ahead of the ability of the local power company to expand; other places throughout the world are at the edge of civilization. All of these require power for business, commerce, medical treatment facilities and communication. The price of the modern diesel generator, the new technology incorporated into these units and their availability throughout the world make them an immediate solution.

Homes and ranches, villages and towns and remote sites should create a power needs list that includes every appliance in the home, business, school and public facility in order to determine the wattage needed. After this the home or ranch owner, city engineer or site foreman can select the proper sized diesel generator. Every diesel generator is rated at how many kilowatts of power it produces. If the home or ranch requires 22 kW to 25 kW then the sized generator should be at least a 30kW. A brigade sized army unit twenty years ago used a diesel generator(s) rated at 90 kW but its’ needs were lighting and mess hall refrigeration. Today it could be quite a bit more considering the new technology.

When you decide to provide power through diesel generators then you should consider whether you need a backup. The power of the generator is rated at 50% engine speed. The 30 kW diesel generator actually operates safely at 25 kW at 1800 rpm for prolonged periods of time. It would be safer if the home or ranch had two generators scheduled to operate in an alternating schedule of 12 hours each. This would ensure that the proper maintenance and care could be given the generators while providing continuous power. Other considerations in selecting a power generator involve selecting one that is a four-cycle, water-cooled industrial diesel generator.

A water-cooled generator operates more quietly than an air-cooled and it lasts longer. There are two electrical systems involved with a diesel generator, the DC (direct current) and the AC (alternating current) systems. The recommended DC system should have a starter motor with a battery-charging alternator with a solid-state voltage regulator. It should have an engine pre-heat electric switch and start/stop switch.

It should have an emergency engine shutdown system to protect the engine in case of oil pressure loss, excessive generator speed, over cranking and engine high water temperature. Finally, it should have DC electric system breakers. Make sure that the AC system is a four-pole revolving field and is has an AVR (automatic voltage regulator). These generators will provide power that is within -+2% as compared to utility company variation, which is -+5%.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Portable Generators

Portable generators are used in homes and in places where there is no power or the need for power is minimum. Portable generators are generally smaller and are designed to use for a few. A portable generator of 5KW has enough power to keep lights, refrigerators, computers and televisions running for 7 to 8 hours. Portable generators are normally powered by gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas. They are the most popular of all portable generators. Gasoline generators are relatively less expensive but require frequent maintenance and have a shorter life span. Gasoline has a short shelf life and cannot be stored for a long time unless treated with stabilizers.

Diesel generators, on the other hand, are fuel-efficient, consume less fuel per kilowatt of power produced, have longer life and require less maintenance. Diesel can be stored for longer periods of time. However, they are harder to start in cold weather and noisy. Portable generators powered by natural gas or propane is the best choice if available. The generator lasts longer and burns cleaner.

Before choosing a portable generator, the total wattage of all appliances to be powered by the generator must be calculated. This includes the starting wattage required by appliances with motors, such as refrigerators and freezers that use two or three times their normal wattage power to start. The generator should not only meet the normal wattage, but the start up wattage of the appliances. Moreover, the generator must have the necessary voltage ratings to run electric appliances such as the ovens and clothes driers that are rated at 240 volts. A portable generator should have at least two receptacles of 120 volt each. Generators that provide a longer runtime per tank of fuel or having a fuel tank capacity of around 5 gallon of fuel are preferred especially, by people living in areas where power failures are quite frequent.

A portable 7KW generator that can power lights, furnaces, sump pumps, televisions and refrigerators may cost $1000 or more depending upon the quality and the type of generator. For a normal home, an ideal generator would be in 10KW to 12 KW costing around $2700 for 10KW and $3700 for a 12 KW. Portable diesel generators are available for use on construction sites in the range of 200KW and more.

Before operating the generator, read and follow the instructions given in the owner’s manual. Observe the operating and the maintenance procedures strictly for safe and trouble free operation. Avoid putting loads on the generator that exceed the manufacturer’s rating. Also, do not run too many devices at the same time. This trips the generators circuit breakers causing loss of power. The generator must be operated at least twice a year with full load to keep it in working condition. Keep the generator outside the house but never in a garage or in a basement. Carbon monoxide emitted from the generator can be hazardous to health. Use only the recommended extension cords for the generator. Hire the service of a qualified electrician to install a transfer switch if the generator is to be connected to home wiring. Do not refuel the generator when it is under operation. Spilling of fuel may cause fire. The generator should be kept dry and should not be run in wet conditions.

Diesel Generators

Fuels such as gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas basically power home generators. Some models also have multi fuel capabilities and run on gasoline, propane or natural gas. The choice of the fuel will depend on the availability of the fuel in times of emergency, fuel consumed per kilowatt of power produced, maintenance of the generator and the comparative risk of storing the fuels.

Diesel generators consume comparatively less fuel per kilowatt of electricity produced and more fuel-efficient than generators powered by natural gas or gasoline. For every gallon of fuel consumed, diesel generators run 2 or 3 times longer than gasoline engines. Diesel generators do not require frequent maintenance, as is the case with gasoline generators and are designed to run continuously for long hours. Most generators come with a water-cooled engine with a speed of 1800rpm. This ensures the engines durability, and at the same time, makes it the most dependable of all the other types of generators.

Unlike gasoline generators, diesel engines are safe as they work on the principle of direct injection and have no spark plugs, which keep them relatively safe from potential fire. Diesel has a longer shelf life, and being the least flammable source of fuel, can be stored for more than a year.

Diesel is available at most of gas stations and can be conveniently carried in cans. However, diesel generators are hard to start in cold weather; emit more smoke and are noisy. Home diesel generators may cost anywhere between $1000 for 4KW to $9000 for a 15 KW depending upon the quality, wattage rating and voltage rating. Diesel generators for industrial use are available in the range of 500KW to 2000KW