2011年10月31日 星期一

Everything You Need to Know - Affiliate network marketing


Truly one of the most successful and cost-effective marketing strategies nowadays is affiliate network marketing. It promises unlimited income and has. In fact, brought fortunes to a number of people already. It indeed wonderfully made its name into the business world and some companies are already taking a look at this business strategy in order to bring more cash into their vaults. This is a good time to get involved in this business as it continues to grow and bring more people in it.

What is different with this type of business? You may hear this as a clich but this business truly relies on people to be successful. It does not put its capital on colorful ads or gigantic posters and tarpaulins. It builds it capital on people and let the people do the selling.

The basic principle is that the distributor, or the one who does the marketing and selling, goes to the end consumer and sells the product directly. The end result is a higher poten tial sale due to human interaction. Besides, the first people that the distributors would go to would be their peers. Their peers, if gets interested with what they are selling, then gets involved with the entire cycle and spreads the word around with their other sets of peers. Word of mouth after all is the best marketing strategy and this is where affiliate network marketing thrives. It capitalizes on human potential and attacks the weakness of emotional affiliations.

Distributors actually start the entire cycle. Once they become established and successful, they start recruiting people who can help them out. Once they have these downlines with them, then the success of the mult-level marketing starts. These distributors order in bulk to feed down their downlines to sell. These distributors get the product in wholesale prices. The downlines get the products from these distributors for a discounted price and the end consumers buy them at regular prices. So, the whole chain gets their own share. The product goes down the chain and a percentage is earned each time it goes down. This is the basic principle and this is how the business runs and works.

Though, compensation may still vary from one company to another. Some would stick with unilevel plans where the agent earns from commissions based on a specified number of sales. There is also a matrix plan where the downlines would actually come into the picture and different levels of commission come into play. A more controlled matrix plan is called a binary plan wherein only two frontline distributors are allowed to come into play instead of an unlimited number. If the company cannot choose from the available compensation plans, then they just mix and match and this is oftentimes referred to as hybrid plans.

The products you can sell in this type of marketing vary from food and beverage to cosmetics and health products. Some even network herbal products. Whatever the product is, a company can only be successful if they employ the right compensation plan with the right set of people. This is a people business and a successful company in the field of networking is oiled by hardworking people who get their motivation from the money they are earning.


Affiliate Network Marketing Business: Product selection And Offer Targeting


The process of Product selection and Offer targeting forms one of the critical pillars of Affiliate Network Marketing System.Potential customers are hungry for solutions and answers to their problems and needs. They are prepared to pay a price to obtain such solutions and one must position his products as the required answer to their problems whatever the market is.
A strong offer in Affiliate Network Marketing consists of more than just the primary solution. It encompasses unforseable benefits and targets on presenting the solution as the only available one at the right price and time. Limiting your offer to telling people what your product is and how much it costs is far less effective than telling them the tangible and intangible benefits. Such benefits include:-

-- The ease of implementing the solution
-- The satisfaction they feel when they have the solution.
-- How easy and inexpensive your solution is compared to the merchant trying to solve his problem alone.
-- How safety, Confidence and satisfaction are built into the solution.
--How the acquisition of this solution alleviates current and future problems.

Achievement in internet affiliate marketing hinges on obtaining a product in great demand by the prospective customers. This can either be built up or purchased from the wider market. However when offering affiliate products as solutions,it is important that the product is a winner for you and your customer at once. Such mega products share some common qualities:-

-- They pay out high commission percentages(50 Percent and above)
-- They have a proven conversion rate
-- They are hot, timely or in demand all year- round.
-- They are backed by a merchant affiliate program that provides solid support to affiliates.

Three types of products are recommended in affiliate Network Marketing; a low-ticket item, one higher-ticket item and at least one product that earns you residu al income. The first product is the lead product that you promote from your opt-in page and first email series . The second product is your backend product that you promote to your list of existing subscribers or customers. This is usually higher priced than the lead product and payout a higher percentage commission. The third product should be a residual income product that will earn you a monthly recurring commission -such as subscription based services or membership sites.

Having determined the product and the niche market earlier identified , the next step in the affiliate marketing system is to make your offer. Inorder to capture leads and convert them into customers, one needs to create and present your front end offer from your own website. The website is the launch pad from which you display your offer . Your website is the first link in the chain of your sales system. The website presents your potential customers with the sales page for your product or an opt- in list or squeeze page designed to collect your customers information -name and email address-so that they are subscribed to your opt-in list. A squeeze or landing page increases the effectiveness of the offer it presents . The determinants of an effective squeeze page include .

-A compelling headline---Your headline must grab and hold the visitors attention and raise his interest enough to keep him reading the rest of your page.
-A clear offer and Call to Action --Conversions are improved when people understand what they are getting and are told explicitly what they need to do to get it.
-An option bait such as a bonus , freebies or a time- sensitive offer- Bonuses, and freebies are baits that compel people to take action while time sensitive offer underlines the urgency of taking action.
-Trust building elements--Visitors are more likely to opt in when you explain your privacy policies to them .Let them know your list is opt-in only and you do not spa m or sell their information to a third party.

All these considerations lead to provision of a compelling offer which results in higher opt ins that lead to higher conversions and eventually more product sales. This is the ultimate success of Affiliate network Marketing System.


Prime Lens Vs Zoom Lens – Which Is Best?


So, youre wanting to get a new lens, but youre not quite sure whether to buy a prime lens or a zoom lens. Both types of lenses have their advantages and disadvantages, and you want to make sure you make the right decision and get the lens which best fits your photographic needs.

In case you didn't already know, the main difference between a zoom lens and prime lens is that a zoom lens enables you to adjust your focal length within a certain range (for example 18-50mm), whereas a prime lens has a fixed focal length.

So you might be wondering what the point is of using a prime lens. Surely if you have the choice between a lens with flexibility and one with no flexibility, then surely the flexible one is the best one, isnt it? Well, its not really as straightforward as that, because prime lenses do have some advantages. To begin with, they are lighter than zoom lenses because they have less moving parts. Mechanically speaking, they are simpler.

In addition to this, prime lenses usually have wider apertures. The aperture of a lens determines how much light the lens lets in at any one time. Aperture ratings are in ratios, for example 1:3.5 or 1:2.8, but usually when buying a lens you will see it shown without the 1 in front of it, for example 3.5. Lenses with lower aperture numbers are more expensive, as a lower number means a wider aperture. Having a wide aperture produces a shallow depth of field, meaning that only a small distance range is in focus. A narrow depth of field (a wide aperture) would be great for close-ups of flowers where you want the background blurred, whereas a large depth-of-field (a small aperture) would be ideal for landscape photos.

Okay, so how about the zoom lens?

Well, a zoom lens will give you a bigger range of distances to compose your image. This means that you don't need to move closer or further away from your subject to get the picture you're after. I t can also be great for taking shots of wildlife, because you can zoom in without having to change your position, so you will be less likely to scare the animal away.
The best way to decide which type of lens is right for you is to ask yourself what type of photography you are going to be doing. If you are going to be photographing a scene which remains still, such as a landscape scene, then a prime lens could be a good choice. If on the other hand you want to photograph things that are moving, such as animals, people, or sports photography, then a zoom lens is a must.

So, youre wanting to get a new lens, but youre not quite sure whether to buy a prime lens or a zoom lens. Both types of lenses have their advantages and disadvantages, and you want to make sure you make the right decision and get the lens which best fits your photographic needs.

In case you didn't already know, the main difference between a zoom lens and prime lens is that a zoom lens enables you to adjust your focal length within a certain range (for example 18-50mm), whereas a prime lens has a fixed focal length.

So you might be won dering what the point is of using a prime lens. Surely if you have the choice between a lens with flexibility and one with no flexibility, then surely the flexible one is the best one, isnt it? Well, its not really as straightforward as that, because prime lenses do have some advantages. To begin with, they are lighter than zoom lenses because they have less moving parts. Mechanically speaking, they are simpler.

In addition to this, prime lenses usually have wider apertures. The aperture of a lens determines how much light the lens lets in at any one time. Aperture ratings are in ratios, for example 1:3.5 or 1:2.8, but usually when buying a lens you will see it shown without the 1 in front of it, for example 3.5. Lenses with lower aperture numbers are more expensive, as a lower number means a wider aperture. Having a wide aperture produces a shallow depth of field, meaning that only a small distance range is in focus. A narrow depth of field (a wide aperture) wo uld be great for close-ups of flowers where you want the background blurred, whereas a large depth-of-field (a small aperture) would be ideal for landscape photos.

Okay, so how about the zoom lens?

Well, a zoom lens will give you a bigger range of distances to compose your image. This means that you don't need to move closer or further away from your subject to get the picture you're after. It can also be great for taking shots of wildlife, because you can zoom in without having to change your position, so you will be less likely to scare the animal away.

The best way to decide which type of lens is right for you is to ask yourself what type of photography you are going to be doing. If you are going to be photographing a scene which remains still, such as a landscape scene, then a prime lens could be a good choice. If on the other hand you want to photograph things that are moving, such as animals, people, or sports photography, then a zoom lens is a must.

Its not always easy trying to make this kind of decision, but whatever you decide, a Canon EF 85mm or a Nikon 17-55mm 2.8 Lens are good examples of the type of lenses that will always be useful to have as part of your photography kit.


Which Canon EOS Lens Is Best For A Beginner - 3 Hints For Choosing A Good All Purpose Lens


What do you believe is your beginning consideration as a new digital SLR owner? It should be which lens you want as an all-purpose lens. Believe me, there are plenty of folks who have agonized over this decision.

There are many really superior lenses to consider as walk around lenses. It's kind of like buying a compact point and shoot camera, though. What zoom range are you looking for?

For the purpose of this article, it shall be assumed that you are searching for a zoom lens rather than one with a fixed focal length. Most, though not all, new owners opt for the Canon "kit lens" as their first lens. While choosing a kit lens may make sense to you now, you will likely not be happy with the lens down the road. You either think you will just wait and purchase a better lens later, or you don't even think about a different lens.

That is not my view. You should get the very best glass(lens) that money can buy rather than spending money on an inf erior kit lens. After all, you will want to upgrade fairly soon, anyway, so why not get more bang for your buck right up front.

There are several things to consider about the lens you are planning to buy.

First consideration is focal length. In general, a focal length of about 18-24mm on the short end and 55-75mm on the long end will give you a very useful range. Keep in mind that these numbers are not critical. There are also some excellent quality lenses that have about 105mm at the long end.

Canon, Sigma, and Tamron have recently released some pretty good lenses in the super-zoom category. These have focal lengths of 18mm at the short end and 200-270mm on the long end. They have gotten favorable reviews, however just keep in mind that the image quality will not be as good as those lenses with less zoom capability.

Second consideration is aperture. The best lenses will have a constant aperture of f/2.8 across all focal lengths. Y ou can almost always save money by getting a lens with a variable aperture, such as f/3.5-5.6, but they will not give you the same performance in all situations, especially when lighting is a challenge.

The final thing to scrutinize when buying your first lens is price. For some, this may be the first thing to consider, but with DSLR photography, it really needs to follow the other two factors. Rather than getting the cheapest lens on the market just to have one, it would be far better in the long run to save enough money to start with a good lens. Don't make the same mistake that so many who have gone before you. If good image quality is something you take seriously, you will not be satisfied with a poorly constructed lens. It is very frustrating to try to take great pictures with poor quality lenses.
Now, you can save money by using Canon EOS lenses from third party manufacturers. Some third party lenses are top-notch and less costly than a Canon lens that is identical in capabilities.

A word of warning. Camera forums can be very informative, and they are full of well-meaning photographers, but they can also be very confusing. This is because the folks in those forums are very passionate about their opinions. They can mislead you by bashing certain cameras and products. While this is not always the case, if it happens to you, it could cloud your thinking and mess up your research.

User opinions on the Canon USE camera manufacturer site are much more helpful. Then there are other sites that will guide you as well. These are FredMiranda.com and online stores like Amazon.What do you believe is your beginning consideration as a new digital SLR owner? It should be which lens you want as a all-purpose lens. Believe me, there are plenty of folks who h ave agonized over this decision.

There are many really superior lenses to consider as walk around lenses. It's kind of like buying a compact point and shoot camera, though. What zoom range are you looking for?

For the purpose of this article, it shall be assumed that you are searching for a zoom lens rather than one with a fixed focal length. Most, though not all, new owners opt for the Canon "kit lens" as their first lens. While choosing a kit lens may make sense to you now, you will likely not be happy with the lens down the road. You either think you will just wait and purchase a better lens later, or you don't even think about a different lens.

That is not my view. You should get the very best glass(lens) that money can buy rather than spending money on an inferior kit lens. After all, you will want to upgrade fairly soon, anyway, so why not get more bang for your buck right up front.

There are several things to consider about the lens you are planning to buy.

First consideration is focal length. In general, a focal length of about 18-24mm on the short end and 55-75mm on the long end will give you a very useful range. Keep in mind that these numbers are not critical. There are also some excellent quality lenses that have about 105mm at the long end.

Canon, Sigma, and Tamron have recently released some pretty good lenses in the super-zoom category. These have focal lengths of 18mm at the short end and 200-270mm on the long end. They have gotten favorable reviews, however just keep in mind that the image quality will not be as good as those lenses with less zoom capability.

Second consideration is aperture. The best lenses will have a constant aperture of f/2.8 across all focal lengths. You can almost always save money by getting a lens with a variable aperture, such as f/3.5-5.6, but they will not give you the same performance in all situations, especially when ligh ting is a challenge.

The final thing to scrutinize when buying your first lens is price. For some, this may be the first thing to consider, but with DSLR photography, it really needs to follow the other two factors. Rather than getting the cheapest lens on the market just to have one, it would be far better in the long run to save enough money to start with a good lens. Don't make the same mistake that so many who have gone before you. If good image quality is something you take seriously, you will not be satisfied with a poorly constructed lens. It is very frustrating to try to take great pictures with poor quality lenses.

Now, you can save money by using Canon EOS lenses from third party manufacturers. Some third party lenses are top-notch and less costly than a Canon lens that is identical in capabilities.

A word of warning. Camera forums can be very informative, and they are full of well-meaning photographers, but they can also be very co nfusing. This is because the folks in those forums are very passionate about their opinions. They can mislead you by bashing certain cameras and products. While this is not always the case, if it happens to you, it could cloud your thinking and mess up your research.

User opinions on the Canon USA camera manufacturer site are much more helpful. Then there are other sites that will guide you as well. These are FredMiranda.com and online stores like Amazon.


2011年10月30日 星期日

Evaluating effectiveness of Mind Mapping in TBLT in Chinese


INTRODUCTION

Mind Mapping is a thinking tool created by Buzan (1993) based on his own personal learning experiences associated with memory retention. A typical Mind Map will contain words, visual images and lines in color radiating from the centre to branch out to express one's thoughts and ideas. It is simply a note-making device which could assist the learner to visualise his or her thoughts and ideas on paper. According to Buzan (2003), note making is different from note taking in the way in which the former refers to taking notes from one's own head; whereas the latter refers to taking notes from other people or books. There are a number of declared benefits associated with Mind Mapping: (1) creative in ideas exploration; (2) easy to apply; (3) interesting and motivating in engaging tasks; (4) efficient in managing study time; (5) effective in problem solving; and (6) helpful with memory retention (Buzan, 2002, 2003).

Since its creation, Mind Mapping has benefited people from a great variety of professions such as nursing (Tattersall, Watts, & Vernon, 2007), health education (Wickramasinghe, Widanapathirana, Kuruppu, Liyanage, & Karunathilake, 2008), business management (Ganglami, 2007), customer service (Williams, 2009), teaching (Yee, 2006) to list just a few. However, there is little reported in the literature focusing on the application of Mind Mapping in TBLT and its effectiveness in TBLT has not been explored. The purpose of this study is to evaluate effectiveness of Mind Mapping in TBLT to complete the tasks designed in CSL which could also be applicable to the teaching of other foreign or second languages.

Given the listed benefits of Mind Mapping in learning in general, one would assume that Mind Mapping should play a very effective role in assisting CSL learners to complete various tasks in TBLT. Taking this assumption as a starting point for an investigation, this study will examine effectiveness of Mind Mapping in CSL in the areas of task phase application, problem solving, note making, memory retention and learner motivation. To be more specific, this study intends to investigate and seek answers to the following questions:

1. In which phase of TBLT will Mind Mapping be more effective?

2. How effective could Mind Mapping help CSL learners in problem solving?

3. How effective is Mind Mapping in note making by CSL learners?

4. How effective could Mind Mapping assist CSL learners to remember things?

5. How much will Mind Mapping motivate CSL learners to complete TBLT tasks?

METHODS

Participants

Sixty-four boys aged from 13-17 years old participated in this study. They were all from an independent K-12 boys' school in Melbourne, Australia and studied CSL as an elective offered in the school curriculum. Among these boys, 44% of them were from Junior High covering Year 7-8 and 56% of them from Senior High covering Year 9-12. 88% of the boys studied CSL for over 5 years priority to their enrollment into the advanced class.

Data collection

The data were collected via a multiple-choice and open-ended questionnaire. The participants were asked to respond to 15 questions by following a five-point Likert scale to indicate their attitudes towards effectiveness of applying Mind Mapping in TBLT. The responses were anonymous and were collected in class at the end of a 14-day teaching circle in Term 3, 2008. The response rate was 100%.

Task design in CSL

The Chinese language tasks completed by the participants in this study were part of their language program covered in the first 10-day teaching cycle in Term 3, 2008. These tasks were designed based on Willis' (1998) model of Tasks Typology for TBL Task Design mainly for TESOL. In this model, Willis (1998) proposed six type of tasks of which each involves a different cognitive process with the first three (viz., Listing, Classifying/Ordering/Sorting and Comparing/Matching) being more challenging than the last three (viz., Problem-Solving, Projective Work and Experience-Sharing).

In this study, 8 tasks were designed covering all three phases of TBLT. Below is the summary of these tasks:

Topic:Use of laptop computers at home

Task for Pre-Task Phase:

(1) Brainstorming the most frequently-used Chinese character phrases for computers in general

Tasks for During-Task Phase:

(2) Listing as many good reasons as possible for families to have a laptop computer at home

(3) Classifying laptop computers in as many ways as possible, e.g., brand, colour, weight, price, function, etc.

(4) Comparing laptop with desktop computers used at home

(5) Problem-Solving: to think of as many solutions as possible to solve the problem of insufficient memory space of a laptop computer at home

(6) Questionnaire-Design: to design a questionnaire to survey the class in order to find out how many ways a laptop computer could be used at home

Tasks for Post-Task Phase:

(7) Story-Writing: to write a story about the use of laptop computer at home

(8) Story-Telling: to share stories with your classmates about solving a technical problem of your laptop computer at home.

Before the commencement of the main topic, all the participants were introduced the Mind-Mapping technique and were asked to use this thinking tool throughout their task completion in TBLT in Chinese. The participants were also asked to complete each required task in pairs within two teaching periods of 80 minutes' duration. Some tasks which were more cognitively challenging such as Tasks 6-8 listed above would need a triple-period (120 minutes) to complete. The time factor was considered in order to keep the level of difficulty of the chosen tasks comparable with the proficiency level of the participants who were all advanced CSL learners. The timed task or speeded' task referred to by Oxford (2006) could increase the degree of difficulty of the task. A rubric marking sheet was designed to assess the participants' outcomes covering the areas of relevance, accuracy, appropriateness and range at the word level and relevance, breadth, depth and appropriateness of structure a nd sequence at the sentence level (i.e., in story writing). Task 8 was assessed by checking each individual participant's pronunciation, intonation, control of tone marks, phrasing, fluency and understanding of the written stories.

DATA PRESNTATION AND DISCUSSION

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate how effective Mind Mapping was in TBLT in the teaching of CSL to secondary school boys. When the participants were asked to rank 8 tasks associated with the three phases of TBLT in Chinese through the application of Mind Mapping during the task completion stage, the boys generated the following ranking order:

As indicated above, the top 4 tasks which helped the boys in this study the most with their tasks completion through Mind Mapping were: Brainstorming, Classifying, Listing and Comparing. Among these 4 tasks, Brainstorming is associated with Pre-Task Phase and the remaining three with During-Task Phase. This suggests that Mind Mapping would be most effective in Pre-Task Phase of TBLT as 80% of the boys surveyed ranked Brainstorming as the top effective task through Mind Mapping in TBLT. It's also evident that Mind Mapping is quite effective in During-Task Phase, because the next three tasks (i.e., Classifying, Listing and Comparing) were all associated with During-Task Phase. 75% of the boys in this study ranked Classifying 2nd in terms of effectiveness of Mind Mapping application; 64% of the boys ranked Listening in 3rd position, and 63% of the boys ranked Comparing in 4th position.

Table 1 above also indicates that Mind Mapping was not regarded as an effective tool in Post-Task Phase, because the rankings of the tasks of Story Writing and Story Telling which were directly associated with Post-Task Phase were not high enough to be regarded as effective. For instance, the task of Story Writing was ranked 5th and Story Telling only 8th, the lowest among all the 8 tasks by the boys surveyed.

It is worth noticing that although problem solving remains to be the main focus of TBLT, the boys in this study did not rely heavily on Mind Mapping to solve the problems presented in CSL. As shown in Table 1 above, effectiveness of Mind Mapping in the completion of the problem-solving task was only ranked 7th, the second lowest among the 8 tasks.

Note making is an area which Mind Mapping shows advantage. When the boys were asked if

Mind Mapping helped them make clearer notes in TBLT in Chinese, they generated the following responses:

As indicated above, 41% of the boys in this study neither agreed nor disagreed to the effective use of Mind Mapping in note making in TBLT. If we combined the figures given by those who agreed with those who strongly agreed, the approval rating only reached 48%; therefore, the level of effectiveness of note making in terms of clarity through Mind Mapping was not high.

When the participants were asked if Mind Mapping helped them shorten their time in note making during TBLT, the overall responses were not positive either as revealed in Table 3 below:

Clearly, the majority of the participants took a neutral stance on the issue regarding time efficiency of Mind Mapping in note making in TBLT in Chinese. They neither agreed nor disagreed generating a reading of 36%. This made the approval rating, even if the percentage of those agreed and those strongly agreed were combined, still below 40%. This suggests that Mind Mapping was not as effective as it seems to be in terms of note making in TBLT in Chinese.

Effectiveness of Mind Mapping in TBLT in terms of memory retention was measured by the participants' responses to the question of if Mind Mapping helped them remember things better. Table 4 below summarises their responses:

Again, the majority of the participants took a neutral stance on this issue. 58% of them neither agreed nor disagreed that Mind Mapping could help them with their memory retention in TBLT. Those who agreed or strongly agreed took up only 25% collectively and those who totally disagreed or strongly disagreed reached 17%. This could mean that Mind Mapping would not be an effective tool for the boys of this age group to enhance their memory retention during their completion of various CSL tasks in TBLT.

Whether Mind Mapping could motivate the boys of this age group to complete the tasks in TBLT is shown in Table 5 below:

As Table 5 above indicates, the majority of the boys in this study took a neutral stance on this issue as 50% of them neither agreed nor disagreed with this evaluation. Those who disagreed or strongly disagreed took up 28% and those who agreed took up 22% only. No percentage figures recorded in the Strongly Agree category. From this we could be certain that Mind Mapping would not be an important motivating factor to help the boys of this age group to complete the tasks in TBLT in Chinese.

When the participants were asked if they prefer to use Mind Mapping in TBLT in Chinese, the boys gave the following answers:

The above distribution shows that 66% of the boys of this age group would prefer Mind Mapping in TBLT in Chinese. This supports the point made earlier in this paper that Mind Mapping is regarded by the boys of this age group as an effective tool to complete the assigned tasks in TBLT in Chinese, but mainly in Pre-Task and During-Task Phase.

When the participants were asked to specify what they like the most about Mind Mapping in TBLT, they listed the following:

Table 7 above displays eight reasons of why the boys of this group liked to use Mind Mapping in TBLT. Among them, "Easy to categorise items", "Easy to read" and "Organising ideas better" remain to be the top-3 reasons on the list. These would help confirm that Mind Mapping is effective in helping the boys of this age group with their organisation in completing various CSL tasks in TBLT.

When being asked to identify the negative elements of Mind Mapping in TBLT in Chinese, the participants responded below:

Based on the figures shown in Table 8 above, there were five negative reasons about Mind Mapping in TBLT and the top negative reason was associated with the issue of time efficiency in applying Mind Mapping in TBLT. 50% of the participants responded that Mind Mapping was too time-consuming in their attempt to complete the tasks in TBLT in Chinese. This correlates well with the results presented in Table 3 earlier that Mind Mapping was not an effective tool in TBLT as far as note-making time is concerned.

FINDINGS

It has been found in this study that Mind Mapping is most effective in Pre-Task Phase of TBLT as 80% of the boys surveyed have supported this claim. Mind Mapping is also quite effective in During-Task Phase since over 60% of the boys surveyed have contributed to this claim. This study has also found that Mind Mapping is least effective in Post-Task Phase as the ranking of the tasks associated with this phase are low and only less than 34% of the boys have responded positively to this claim. Overall, the boys aged from 13-17 years old still support the use of Mind Mapping in TBLT in Chinese as 66% of them have indicated that they would prefer to use this thinking tool in TBLT in Chinese.

In addition, Brainstorming, Classifying, Listing and Comparing have been regarded as the most popular task types among the boys surveyed as far as the use of Mind Mapping is concerned. They believe that Mind Mapping works much better in completing these types of tasks in CSL, whereas Story Writing, Questionnaire Designing, Problem Solving and Story Telling are the least popular types of tasks among these boys.

It has also been found in this study that Mind Mapping is effective in the area of note making, but the degree of its effectiveness in this area is not as high as it is declared to be in the area of learning in general. This study has identified two most negative reasons of why the boys aged from 13-17 did not enjoy the most about using Mind Mapping in completing various tasks in CSL in TBLT. These two negative reasons are (1) too time-consuming; and (2) too messy.

Although the main focus of TBLT is on problem solving through meaningful communication in the target language, Mind Mapping seems not effective in helping learners in problem solving, because the boys in this study ranked this task the second lowest among the eight tasks completed via Mind Mapping.

Mind Mapping also appears to be ineffective in memory retention as only 25% of the boys surveyed in this study supported the view that this technique helped them remember things better while completing various tasks in TBLT in Chinese.

Mind Mapping seems not effective in motivating the boys in this study to complete various tasks in TBLT in Chinese, because only 22% of the boys surveyed supported the view that Mind Mapping motivated them to carry out various tasks in CSL in TBLT.

CONCLUSION

It is evident that Mind Mapping works effectively in Pre-Task and During-Task Phase of TBLT in Chinese where the main focus is on meaning and language use, but this is not the case in Post-Task Phase of TBLT where the primary focus is on language form. This may help us determine that Mind Mapping would help learners how to learn and improve their organisational skills in learning the target language, but it is not necessarily helpful with their mastering of language form.

Ineffectiveness of Mind Mapping as shown in memory retention and learner motivation in this study might not be inconclusive if a large-scale investigation were conducted among secondary school girls or students from co-ed schools which may produce a different outcome in these areas. Whether this is true or not remains to be a topic for further investigation for those who might be interested.

Nevertheless, the investigation of effectiveness of Mind Mapping in TBLT would not only apply to CSL, but also to the teaching of EFL and ESL or any other second languages. The implication this study has could be greater if much could be done based on what has been initiated in CSL.

REFERENCES

Buzan, T. (2003). The Mind Maps for Kids. London: Thorsons.

Buzan, T. (2002) How to mind map. London: Thorsons.

Buzan, T. (1993). The Mind Map Book. London: BBC Books.

Ellis, R. (2006). The methodology of task-based teaching. Asian EFL Journal, 8, 3.

Ganglani, R. 2007. The far reaching benefits of Mind Mapping. Retrieved 8 April 2009 from http://www.buzanworld.com/far_reaching_benefits_of_Mind_mapping.htm

Oxford, R.L. (2006). Task-based language teaching and learning: an overview. Asian EFL Journal, 8, 3.

Tattersall, C., Watts, A., & Vernon, S. 2007. Mind mapping as a tool in qualitative research. Nursing, 103, 26, 32-33.

Wickramasinghe, A., Widanapathirana, N., Kuruppu, O., Liyanage, I., & Karunathilake I.

2008. Effectiveness of mind maps as a learning tool for medical students. South East Asian Journal of Medical Education, 1, 1, 30-32.

Williams, C. 2009. Mind maps for customer service: Minding your customers. Retrieved 18 April 2009 from http://www.fenman.co.uk/traineractive/training-activity/mind- map-for-customer-service.html

Willis, D. and J. Willis (2006). Doing Task-Based Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Yee, L.M. 2006. Gift of mind-mapping. Retrieved April 18, 2009 from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/12/25/central/16366178&sec=central


Before using home fitness equipment tries to know-what is home fitness equipment?


In home some of exercises is followed this exercise mainly used in home, in home we can place home fitness equipment anywhere in the nook and corner of the room. There are different types home fitness equipment is useful in home gym. The person is affordable for getting more home fitness equipment then the person cannot go anywhere for the fitness centers.

The person thought to buy fitness equipment then the person should have some aims about the home fitness equipments. And the person should think what equipment is suitable for user to buy. After using this equipment the user should make their body fit, you should give more attention to body part like cardio vascular equipment, after this exercise the user have to lose more weight after weight loss you need good strength and the user have to concentrate in the weight training equipments. The user should know about the cost of the equipment and the person should whether the person can afford that amount to buy t he home fitness equipment or not and the equipment is available in the market all this the user should think. Then only they will get good equipment.
There are different types of home fitness equipment is
Rowing machines:

Rowing machine is used to give exercise for full body. There is no age limits to use this machines some of the user get sprain in joints. If the user have knee or back problems for that users rower is not a good choice. But basically rower is also used to reduce calories and weight also. This is helpful at the time of reducing the weight and it is helpful to all middle class people to buy this machine. This machine is good to use for human being. So this is the use of rowing machines.

Exercise/stationary bikes:

This exercise is used for riding the equipment from one place it won't move anywhere. This exercise will give good cardio vascular strength. This is good example of home gym. Because it occupies small space and it will show how many calories you gained on that day and it won't give any sound while using the home fitness equipment so this is useful for wor kouts.

Treadmills:

A treadmill is a good example for gym equipment. Treadmills comes in different devices it keeps on changing depends upon the sizes of the machines. Make sure while you buying treadmill whether it is good quality or not and it is in good condition or not and it has warranty. This is the instruction to follow while buying treadmills.

Cross trainers:

It is used for both running and cycling together and without any side effects on joints. The user can use without any fear and it is user friendly. So this is the purpose of cross trainers.

So this is the instructions to follow while buying home fitness equipment and some of the user can use this in their home itself.


Dont Waste Money On Fitness Equipment


Find out all you need to know about exercise equipment. You need to it? Or are you best investing in a fitness trainer?

Fitness equipment in your own home will not assign the same fitness results that a qualified fitness expert can offer for about the same price. This is because of the expensive exercise equipment, otherwise it wouldn't be cheaper. Since the exercise machines are merely an item, you cannot contend with the benefits of a genuine fitness trainer can offer. This equipment won't help you in the most effective technology for slimming down and becoming in better shape; Fitness equipment may also be useless whenever you reach your desired health.

Residents interested in improving their health, you must begin a plan for excellent condition; The expertise like a fitness trainer has with fitness equipment provides you with a much better understanding.

Fitness equipment is usually a temporary means to fix better health.

Fitness equipment, whatever th e type of equipment it is, only have limited use. It's not only one exercise equipment that will help accomplish all of your workout goals.

Many people quit their fitness goals, or if they reach their expensive exercise equipment starts to collect dust focused on.

Fitness equipment cannot plan your entire workout.

Regardless of the cost for your digital camera models, it will not plan your entire workout. It will not let you know everything you need to be attributable to succeed in your fitness goals.

Merely, a thorough fitness expert will help you successfully complete your fitness goals, even though they seem impossible to deal with.

Invest smart by rethinking the fitness equipment you have at home.

Actually, there is not an evident difference between the price tag on exercise equipment and the buying price of obtaining a fitness expert. Both options are considered expensive, but you will gain so much more within the personal trainer than you ever comes from something.

Your mental health

Fitness equipment can't help you keep the mental health, if you are attempting t o achieve a greater degree of natural health, only you get the best results when you are mentally prepared for the existing workout sessions that you'll face.

An exercise trainer will help you keep your morale while digital cameras will encourage you to give up your fitness goals, if any.

Improve social life

By investing in the expertise of a fitness trainer to purchase digital camera models at the nearest shopping center, you'll be able to enhance your love life; it's easy to encounter others concentrating on just one fitness goals when you're working in a good workout center.

These folks will you succeed in your case a good deal as they want to succeed in their own individual.

You'll have someone to talk to (in your personal coach) for those who have questions regarding your workout program; Fitness equipment cannot carry on a conversation with, leaving you with just one workout session.

So, In conclusion

Equipment models do you li ttle good if you are not using a fitness trainer whom you have hired; your fitness, just as human, will always be more valuable than a mechanical device.


Upcoming Trends In Bariatric Surgery


Bariatric surgery has grown into an increasingly popular procedure in the treatment of weight gain and obesity. More than a handful of new procedures are on the horizon for individuals seeking such surgery in the coming year. Bariatric surgery has been increasingly used to help treat diabetes epidemics as well as help prevent increasingly common issues such as bone and joint damage and high blood pressure.

What's New on the Horizon for Bariatric Surgery
Some of the most common reasons consumers have and will continue to seek bariatric surgery facilities in recent years are the result of less invasive surgical techniques, and the development of incision-free bariatric surgery and single-incision procedures on the horizon.

Incision-free bariatric surgery involves a technique called Transoral Gastroplasty (TOGA). Phase III studies are currently in progress and enable surgeons to change the anatomy of the stomach in order to create a feeling of fullness after small portions of food are ingested, without making any actual incisions in the stomach itself.

Single-incision weight loss surgery is also growing in popularity, enabling bariatric surgeons to perform a gastric banding procedure through a single 8-centimeter incision rather than the current technique which utilizes 4 to 5 small incisions, resulting in even faster healing times.

Bariatric surgical procedures are also seeing an increase in the non-obese, specifically for the treatment of individuals with lower body mass indexes (standards for bariatric surgeries has specifically catered to those with a BMI of 35 plus) in individuals who have also been diagnosed with diabetes.

The number of individuals undergoing bariatric surgical procedures is expected to grow in 2010, especially due to the fact that Americans diagnosed with diabetes has doubled in recent years. According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, nearly 23 million Americans today have been diagnosed with diabetes, a number expected to double by 2034 if current trends continue. The success of bariatric surgical procedures reducing and sometimes eliminating a person's need for insulin has increased the number of bariatric surgeries for the treatment of diabetes in recent years.
Bariatric Surgery: Not Just for the Obese
Unfortunately, more children and teens in any other generation have been diagnosed as being overweight or obese in the past decade. According to the American Heart Association, teens who are overweight or obese stand an increased risk of developing some form of heart disease if steps are not taken to reduce their weight. Weight loss programs for teens are on the rise in hospitals across the country, as are bariatric surgeries. Combined with education regarding proper diet and exercise, such surgeries may potentially save thousands of lives in coming decades.

A new procedure called "corset trunkplasty" has been created to help patients who have undergone bariatric surgical procedures and lost massive amounts of weight, only to be left with large amounts of excess skin, especially around the torso. The new procedure helps reduce the presence of excess skin and according to the literature, targets f lab above the belly button, reducing the amount of excess skin left around the middle as well as 'love handles'.

Of course, popular gastric band procedures will continue, including the two most popular; the lap band and the Realize band, as well as new techniques that promote surgery-free weight loss. One such device currently in late stage clinical trials is called the endoluminal sleeve, also known as an EndoBarrier Gastrointestinal Liner. The liner, placed in the upper portion of the small intestine, focuses on treating uncontrolled diabetes in the obese without surgery.

The future for bariatric surgery and development of new techniques will continue, ever striving to achieve less invasive surgical procedures that promote long-term weight loss and maintenance, reducing the risk of devastating disease processes and encouraging individuals to lead healthier and happier lifestyles.

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