How to Choose a Restaurant for a Business Lunch

Taking business acquaintances out for a meal can be stressful, because you are never sure in advance that your guest will like the place you choose. A bad dining experience could reflect poorly on you, even if it was the restaurant’s fault. Follow the tips in this article, and you’ll be almost certain to avoid this negative outcome.
Why the Restaurant Selection Matters

If you have to take a business acquaintance out for lunch or dinner, it could be important to choose an appropriate restaurant. Even if the purpose of the outing is not strictly business, showing your guest a good time could pay dividends in the future. If people enjoy themselves in your company, they will remember you fondly in the future. If people remember you fondly, they will be more likely to think of you when they have something good to offer. Additionally, if you need a favor at some point down the line, someone who has a pleasant memory of you will probably be happy to help you out.

Be Aware of Dietary Restrictions

So how should you choose where to dine for a casual business meeting? There are, of course, several factors to consider. The first and most important thing is to know your guest. If possible, know your guest’s dietary habits, preferences, and recent dining history. If you are taking a vegetarian out to lunch, choose something with a suitable range of options for that lifestyle. Ethnic restaurants like Mexican, Chinese, and Italian are often good choices for vegetarians.

Know Your Guest’s Preferences

In addition to dietary restrictions, your guest may have some individual tastes that you should account for in choosing a restaurant. Some people do not like spicy food, others prefer to avoid fish at all costs, and so on. In most cases, such preferences can easily be accommodated. Of course, you might not know in advance what your business acquaintance likes or dislikes. In that situation, there are two equally good options. The first is to come up with two or three different ideas and ask your guest which one he or she likes best. The other is to choose a dining establishment with a large enough selection that individuals of any persuasion will be able to find something they’ll like.

Branch Out

If you are eating out with someone who has been on the road for quite some time, or with someone who has dined with others in your company in the past week, it’s a good idea to try to find out what they have eaten recently. For example, if your guest has gone out with your coworkers to Chinese restaurants three times in the last week, it might be a good idea to try something else. Your guest may politely accept a fourth Chinese restaurant, but she or he will almost certainly not have a wonderful time.

Avoid the Big-Name Chains

Once you have made sure that you can cater to your guest’s individual preferences and habits, there are some other factors that may help you settle on a restaurant. It’s always a good idea to choose somewhere local. You may think it’s a safe bet to pick a chain restaurant like Olive Garden or Pizza Hut, but those restaurants do not make for very memorable experiences. Try to give your guest a taste of your hometown by choosing a local favorite that doesn’t exist anywhere else.

Showcase Your Culture

If you have plans to dine from someone who comes from another country, consider showcasing the best cuisine of your nation. Even if there is a cute locally-owned sushi bar in your area, you might want to avoid taking a business guest there (unless, of course, you live in Japan). Sushi is popular all over the world, so your guest will probably not get a unique cultural experience from a sushi restaurant. Instead, think of the best food your culture has to offer. If you follow these tips, you can show your guest a good time, make a lasting impression, and be a good ambassador for your country, all at the same time.

How to Make Money with Photography Online

Are you looking to make an extra buck without wasting much of your time on a part-time job? Is photography your hobby? Well, then I have the perfect idea for you; make money selling your photographs from the comfort of your home! Isn't it amazing?

I remember suggesting to someone only last week to sell their photographs online and make some extra cash quickly. You can do the same. All you need to do is exploit your photography skills. Internet is the most popular market place in today's world. Everything is a click away. You can buy and sell almost anything and everything online. The internet has millions of websites that require graphics to make the content more appealing to their readers. I bet you never pondered how these websites obtain graphics without blowing off their budget. It is people like you who help websites build a great graphic quality. By selling pictures to these websites, you sell them the rights to sell those photographs. You can sell all kinds of photographs of nature, people, objects, etc. They need to be in digital format so they can be sold online. Photography could be your hobby or you may just take it up as a part-time job. Both ways, it is a great source of income.

Make Money with Photography Online

Generally, websites buy photographs from microstock agencies that acquire them from their photographers on a payment which is based on per download, called royalty. This means you will keep earning money on your uploaded photographs for each click, over a period of time! Making money with photography online is a thriving business. Microstock generated approximately $3,340 in the month of August (2011) alone. It is a growing business that has been experiencing an annual increase in revenue generation since the last 5 years. There are several websites that offer microstocking services like:
fotolia.com
dreamstime.com
shutterstock.com
gettyimages.com
bigstockphoto.com
istockphoto.com
photodune.net
Have a look at all these websites. This will give you an idea of the diversity and similarity of these websites. Also, you will be able to understand the quality of photographs expected. Every website has its own terms and conditions. They expect you to meet certain requirements like pixel size, format type and resolution of the photographs before you enter into a contract with them. You are required to submit your images to the website for approval. By entering into the agreement with a microstock agency, you sell them limited rights to use your photographs. In most cases, the photographer retains the copyrights to the photographs. Your agreement also mentions whether you can exclusively sell the photographs only to your agency or if you can sell them to others too. They pay you a little more in case you are not allowed to sell the rights of usage over the same photographs to other microstock websites.

How Does it Work?

Once, you start the program as a photographer for the website, your own account is created wherein you can submit your photographs. Your page acts like your online portfolio on the website. You need to attach certain keywords to each photograph that best describe the image. Now, this step is very crucial because your photographs will be ranked in the search results based on the keywords you tag it with. These are the keywords that a client will use to search for pictures on the microstock's website. Also, categorize your photographs online wisely. Your pictures must be shot in good lighting, they should be clear and have no digital noise. For photographs that require the use of a model, you can enlist the help of your friends and family or hire someone for the job if you like. The model you use must also meet the specifications, if listed, by your microstock agency. However, what you need is to be able to increase the saleability of your photographs online. Adding more photographs to your portfolio will help increase your visibility on the site, thus, attracting traffic of buyers. You will notice a trend in the sale of photographs. A category of photographs would be more in demand than others. You can capitalize on this by submitting such photographs frequently. If the website doesn't use a watermark on its photographs, you should use your own on every photograph to avoid theft. Apart from microstock agencies, you can also approach websites that are in search of an online photographer. Or you could sell the copyrights to your photographs. They will fetch you anywhere starting from $2 to $3 and this cost can run up to hundreds of dollars depending on the image popularity and ranking.

A lot of people are fond of photography. Make sure you are a pro at it because the photographs should have a high-resolution so that they may be used by websites, else you are not going to have many clients for them. Use a good quality professional digital camera. You can also experiment with the same shots by using a free photo editing software available online. Your pictures should not be copyrighted by a third-party. When you make money by selling photographs online, you are not just securing a source of payment for yourself right now, but you will keep earning money on it in future even when you are not working.

Personal Finance for College Students

Don’t let college be a financial free-for-all, or you’ll end up paying (more) later. College is about learning responsibility and accountability, so apply it to your personal cash flow to ingrain good financial habits from the start.

College is often a student’s first experience with total independence, and the natural tendency is toward hedonism. You will undoubtedly spend the first month or so methodically doing all the things you could never do at home. This is totally fine and completely natural (but keep it safe, guys) - as long as you calm down and get to work once the rebellion is out of your system. Because now you have to act like a grown-up person, with finances and everything.

Seriously, it’s incredibly easy to graduate college with a mountain of debt, and don’t assume you’ll snag a high-paying job right away - you won’t. So you’ll most likely be underemployed, badly paid, with crippling monthly bills. Then six months later, your student loans come due. Of course, you’ll get a promotion or a better-paying job eventually, but in the meantime, those bills are still due. It’s better to just avoid the debt in the first place.

Avoid Loans

Avoid student loans like the plague. Apply for grants, chase scholarships, work and save, do whatever you have to do to avoid loans. If you can’t afford your dream school without them, look into cheaper schools. Or, take your core classes at a community college (cheaper!), then transfer to the big school for the classes that really count. You’ll end up paying for fewer credits, but you’ll still have the fancy name on your degree (savings!).

Student loans last forever. It’s not unusual to graduate with over $100,000 in loans, and those payments start six months after graduation. And they can be as high as $800/month, or more. And you’ll be paying them off well into your forties. Every month. Whether you’re flush with cash or not. If you default, they can (and will) garnish your wages and take any tax returns until you’re paid up. Declare bankruptcy if you want, but the student loans stick with you. Defaulting also destroys your credit, so forget about ever owning a house, car or credit card. Oh, and the interest rates can be as high as 19%, so it’s actually possible to watch your balance climb as you make payments for awhile. Yeah.

Work

College is expensive, even on a day-to-day basis. If you can manage it at all, have a part-time job while you’re in school. Look for night jobs that won’t interfere with your classes, or try to schedule classes in blocks to leave the most free time. The trick is to not work so much that you don’t have time to sleep or study, because flunking out definitely doesn’t do you any favors.

Even if the pay is crap, having a few extra dollars in your pocket really comes in handy when you’re starving and the cafeteria’s closed. Or you need extra supplies for a project or something. Part of the point of college is to learn how to be prepared and self-sufficient.

Eat Smart

Don’t automatically buy your school’s meal plan - investigate first. Some school cafeterias are actually pretty expensive for three meals per day. If you’re allowed to have a mini fridge, microwave and hot plate in your room, you’re golden. Be a grownup and cook your own food. This will come in handy later in life.

Whatever you do, don’t eat every meal out, and limit convenience store runs. It’s tempting because you’re tired and overworked, but getting ripped off is never fun.

Credit Cards? Maybe.

Be wary of credit card offers. Discuss them with your parents first. Look for low rates and no annual fee. If you find a great offer, take it - but be responsible. Don’t treat it like free money, because it’s not. It’s helpful for real emergencies, like car repairs and medical issues, but do not rely on it for everyday expenses. Treat it like it’s not even there. Pay off your balance at the end of every month, and NO LARGE PURCHASES! Irresponsible credit card use is one of the quickest roads to bad credit and a lifetime of debt.

Being a penny-pinching miser during college is one of the best things you can do for your future (the other is graduate), but it can be hard. You’ll see people living it up, blowing money on booze, designer clothes, video games, cars, etc., and you’ll be jealous. But patience is its own reward - five years from now, those people will be asking you to cosign loans because their credit is shot and so is their car. Either that, or they’ll be taking the bus to the four jobs they need to work to pay off their debts.

So don’t be one of those people. Graduate debt-free.

How to Become a Good Travel Writer

If you have a flair for writing, curiosity about places, and you know the difference between a map and a guide, then you can give travel writing a shot. The following article will make your struggle to become the best travel writer easier.

People who do not know much about travel writing consider it to be a paid vacation. Well, they are obviously wrong, and they need to research more. To be a good travel writer, you should have a practical approach, rather than an emotional one.

How to Become a Travel Writer

There are hundreds of travel writers out there, it will not be easy for you to make a mark, unless you are different. Reading the works of great travel writers and getting inspired by them is not a bad thing, but you should not copy their style and their approach. The world is tired of cliches, it needs something new. Remember, greatness is not achieved through following, it is achieved through leading, and to lead you need to choose your own path, you need to have your own style, your own approach!

Preparation Helps
Being a travel writer can be exacting. You must realize that you will not be the first one in a long line, flights will not arrive on time for you, every hotel will not have a room for you, and you may not be able to make a living out of your work (until you are established). So, you should be prepared mentally and physically before you begin your quest to explore the world. You can also register to a few travel writing training programs, they will help you meliorate your writing skills.

Visit Vs. Explore
When you write a travel guide, you should remember that you are not the subject in your guide! You should always focus on the place that you are exploring. What is the difference between visiting a place and exploring it? The answer is very simple, when you visit a place you ask the question 'where to go?' and when you explore, you ask 'why to go there?'. Your work should not turn out to be just a map which shows directions, it should explain why you chose a specific direction. If you are not curious while traveling, you will never have something new for your readers.

Writing Tips
I believe that every individual has a unique style of writing which his inspirations obscure. Once you have identified your style, here are a few tips that will help you achieve success:
Dare to have a different approach. A place might be visited by thousands of writers, but it will still have an untold story.
Avoid ultra long personal stories, be concise! Frankly speaking, no one really has the time to read hundreds of pages to know why did you like the coffee in some remote coffee shop!
Do not neglect grammar and punctuations. Your reputation as a writer will suffer, if you have grammatical mistakes.
Market Yourself
When I say 'market yourself', I do not mean that you write a self-centered escapade, that glorifies you! I mean that, you should take efforts to promote your work. You should have a good social network. You should make use of blogs, and popular social networking sites to promote your work. Try to establish contact with major publications. Once your work gets published in a big magazine, there is no stopping you (if you keep up the good work)!

If you are proficient, you will never be out of work, as there are innumerable places in this world which are waiting to be explored. It would be great if you receive a five-figure compensation for your work, but that will happen once you have become popular. Initially you might get a few hundred dollars per article.

Remember, you will take time to become Richard Halliburton, so do not expect any miracles right after your first work is published. There are many travel writers who say that this is the best job in the world, if you are passionate about traveling, let me tell you that they are not lying. If you love traveling, you will love this job!