business gifts
My dad is the CFO of a company so he gets a lot of perks and business gifts. Like this year we got Chicago White Sox season tickets and then occasionally we would sit in the box with other clients of his or of his companies. Not only would we get to go to the games (we are HUGE white sox fans) potential clients would receive tickets as incentives (basically promotional products and gifts) and that way they would sit in the box with people from my dad's company and my dad and they would get a chance to know them better and interact with them on different levels. This seems like such a good way to incorporate business with pleasure. I think that sometimes when you are dealing with businesses you think of the business as a whole and don't really think much about the individual people that you are working with. By getting to know these people you will be potentially working with or trusting your money with, you are able to see that they have your best interest in mind and that they are human too. For instance his company is in charge of selling and buying other companies so people are trusting them to find the best price for the company they are selling or vice versa. So getting to know the people that are basically in charge of your life for a period of time (actually your whole future) is important. That company is going to decide how much you make from your business sale and consequently the income you will have in the future. Having said that, you need to make sure that you are in good hands.
Businesses have so many different ways of reeling you in and making you a client. From passing out free coupons to giving you a chance to meet with the people that will be handling your business deals over a beer at a sox game, there are so many ways to show that the client is important to your business. Even though I am a pharmacy major, I find it very important. Whether you are selling a certain product or not (pharmacies are pretty standard) you need to sell your business as a whole. So that means getting to know your customer and knowing what they like and how you can help them in the future.
Posted by Jen on Thursday, August 28, 2008 @ 9:30 AM
web design sydney
I have always been interested in web design and search engine optimisation, but I had never really considered traveling to learn more about the business. I have done some schooling and have really learned a lot, as a matter of fact people seem to think that I really have landed on the right field for myself, since I just seem to have a knack for the business. Well, anyway, I have been looking to learn more hands on information. Don't get me wrong, classroom learning is very valuable and I have learned a lot, but now it is time for me to get some hands on experience, which I am really looking forward to. I asked around and a found a few local companies that were willing to work with me, but I felt that they could only offer me a basic knowledge at best and I really wanted more. After searching for a little while, I found an ad online for web design sydney and I looked into it. Sure enough, this place in Sydney Australia was looking for people to come and work for them. They offer training and everything, so I thought what the heck, after all, you only live once right? I didn't have a family or major responsibilities to tie me down so I thought I would give it a shot. I have sold my car, packed my bags, sublet my apartment, and put in for a temporary leave at school. I have arranged some accommodations for myself when I arrive in Sydney and my new company has been really helpful in getting me the information that I need to make this transition a breeze. I am a little nervous, but I have always wanted to travel and what better place to start than by working for a great web design company while I learn the ropes. I don't know if I will return to school or not, I will see how this goes. The truth is once I get my foot in the door with this company, if I can hold my own and learn as I go, I will be able to write my own ticket in no time at all. That will be incredible!
Posted by Jen on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 @ 10:55 AM
home improvement
My father is just one of those people who is always fixing something. He builds additions onto his house, is constantly redoing or upgrading some part of his home. I guess this comes from being an architect, although one would think that most architects are not quite as handy with a hammer as my daddy. Well, his latest project is tiling his bathroom and he was so excited that he was able to get some really great tips on a home improvement blog that he came across. He said there was some really neat stuff on this blog at www.homeimprovementthoughts.com. He was very impressed in how knowledgeable the person was, and for him that was a major compliment. In any case, he said that he has been looking lately at blogs as a source of information on the web and says that he has found some really great stuff. (For someone who had not ever used a computer until a few years ago, he has really come a long way.) He says that he really likes getting the info from real people instead of the experts. He says especially when it comes to things like home improvements, the experts are way more advanced than a lay person, and that is why he prefers the real guy advice better. He says it is much more helpful to him.
In any case, he claims that he has lately come across several blogs which he has found helpful. For instance, he found a rehab blog at www.drugaddictionthoughts.com that he found really helpful for my aunt, whose son has been struggling with drug addiction problems for years. He says that he directed her to that site to get some helpful information and tips about dealing with my cousin. He even says that he found a great blog for me at www.educationthoughts.com. Since he knows that my field of study is education, he thought and education blog would be right up my alley, and sure enough it was. This blog has a lot of newsworthy information about things going on in education as well as some insight into the field. So far, I am very happy with this particular blog and can't wait to read more.
Posted by Jen on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 @ 9:59 AM
financial blog
I have been trying this week to sort of get a handle on my finances since I got my student aid report last sunday. I got my aid report and it was quite generous, but it wasn't the most rosy picture that I could have hoped for. Basically what I got was a good bit of money for the year, but I saw the amount of interest that I have accrued from only a year and it was a little frightening. Now I am a little bit worried about the long run and I want to try and make sure that I am much more vigilant about my daily spending habits. I ave a bit of a coffee habit and a bit of a clothes shopping habit so those I believe will be the first areas that I cut from, but they won't be the only cuts to my life from last year as a freshman.
Of course my first point of attack with this situation is to do my research. I want to make sure that I look at all of my options on the level of my loans and how to deal with them, as well as on the daily level of student living. Right now I have been reading two sites about finances that are directed sort of generally, but are certainly pertinent to anyone in my situation and beyond. The first, www.thoughtsonfinance.com, is a financial blog, and www.thoughtsondebt.com is a blog about debt. Though many of the posts by the writers are not very relative to my own personal situation, I have been able to draw some ideas and some items to research more in depth so they have been a big help.
The next step, right before implementing all of the strategies, is to talk to my financial aid officer on campus. All my friends have told me that they are really helpful and that they can point you in a direction that will be much more fulfilling than just blindly assuming that you will come out on top of your financial burdens. I hope that by the end of the semester I can have a good handle on both my short term as well as my long term finances.
Posted by Jen on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 @ 9:36 AM
movie information
Everywhere you look you can get movie information now a days. When you drive past a theatre you can see the times or in the newspaper or even when you call 411 or information and ask for the phone number to the movie theatre they will ask you if you want them to just read you the times. Going to the movies is so big now and it's a really popular thing to do with a date or with a group of friends or I have even seen people at the movie theatre by themselves. You read about the upcoming movies and there ratings and reviews in magazines and see them on TV, but I think the biggest movie media source is the internet. First off all it is so easy to check the movie times online. I already have the browser set to my theatres by my house so all I have to do is scroll down and look at the movies that are out now and the times. Secondly you can order tickets online which can save you from getting there and then that move being sold out and also you can skip the line at the theatre.
Online has made art so much bigger. Now that you can download music and movies like using movie torrent, which is a file sharing application that allows you to download music and games and movies you don't need to go out and rent a game or video (even though so many people still do). The internet really has changed our lives, especially now that we have all of this information at the tip of our fingers.
I was born and grew up during all of this new internet and computer technology so I really have a hard time picturing how people got along without using the internet for everyday life, but my dad also feels the same and he has been without internet for at least half of his life. It is really strange how much we depend on the internet for everyday things especially the people who grew up without internet and no couldn't imagine it any other way. Downloading music and movies, looking up the weather, checking e-mails, booking flights and transferring money are some of the many many things that we do online everyday and take for granted. What would we do without the internet?
Posted by Jen on Friday, August 22, 2008 @ 2:18 PM
home improvement blog
School is something I have been doing my whole life, and it feels like I will be doing it for the rest of it most likely. You are always learning, but where do you turn to learn about school?An education blog is a great way to find about topics like continuing your education or even about getting a laptop. At www.educationthoughts.com you can read about peoples experiences with trying to balance school work with their outside lives and older people going back to school to continue their education. Sure, we go to school to learn about subjects like reading and math, but how do we learn about the real world? They don't teach how to pay for school in math class, or how to deal with outside problems like drinking too much in college, or god forbid a drug problem. The internet and group support is so helpful when you don't know where to turn, website's like drugrehabthoughts, a rehab blog, can help you to help someone close to you. Sure you take health class and you know to stay away from drugs, but people don't always listen and sometimes you are faced with a situation that you have no idea how to handle. Blogs like this one are a great way to get a feeling of what other people are going through and how they are handling their situation (whether it is a drug addiction, or even a friend with one). While I have to admit I have learned so much in school to prepare me for a career in pharmacy or science, I can credit internet, friends, parents and experiences for things I have learned in ‘the real world', and blogs are all of these sources combined. As I am getting older I'm learning about so many things I had never thought about, like paying my electric bill (they certainly don't teach you about that in school), or dealing with the Comcast man when the cable doesn't work. Another thing that is probably in my near(ish) future is buying a home. While I plan on having a job as a pharmacist by the time I buy a house on my own, I doubt any of my classes will teach me about all of the things that go with buying a home. A blog like www.homeimprovementthoughts.com, a home imporvement blog, is something I'm more likely to turn to than my chemistry text book that I have been slaving over for the past 3 years.
So while school has given me a great education and prepared me for a great job, I feel that I have fallen victim to internet to help me out in almost every other aspect (or at least give me a head start).
Posted by Jen on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 @ 9:03 AM
free virus protection
The good thing about computers today is that you often get free virus protection when you buy a new one. The bad part is that most people have no idea how to use it or even what it does really. They see computer virus alerts popping up on their screen and most likely (at least what I do) they click the ‘x' in the corner so the pop up will go away and they can continue doing what they were doing, not realizing that the pop up could have saved them a great deal. There is a Computer Virus Song by Weird Al, and the lyrics say “Virus alert!” People see these words on their computer and more often than not, it is a scam. I think a lot of scammers use words like warning or something that will catch a cautious person's eye and then they click on it and they end up getting a virus or getting some sort of download that they would have never wanted. It's like the boy that cried wolf. Now when they see virus alert or some other warning a lot of people just assume it's a scam because they don't know enough about their virus protection provider and how it works so they end up missing an important message.
So when you are getting a new computer or updating your old virus you need to look into how it works and what kind of protection you are getting (compared to what you need). Cyberdefender antispyware is said to be a good one as far as I have heard. So if you are looking into that particular spyware you need to look at all of the aspects and find out if it is right or what you need to protect on your computer. Cyberdefender Virus Protection has 4 stars on Download.com, so it seems to be popular; still you need to make sure it is right for your needs. You can look at a manual or go to a store and ask someone to explain the spyware to you or you can even go online to a few websites and compare. Usually online it will give you details about what year it is and the price as well as requirements and limitations and a lot of people will probably write in comments and reviews.
So as long as you are protected and have knowledge about it you should be great!
Posted by Jen on Sunday, August 17, 2008 @ 11:45 AM
promotional mugs
To get the attention of students and family who are now flooding in to town, every business near campus has been flooding the area with their advertisements and gimmicks. There are concerts every few blocks put on by music stores and book stores. There are of course all of the big racks out front of the shops with all of the for sale items that everyone seems to want and need. Each business is vying for the attention for as many people as possible because this is the timer when people are relaxed and unknowledgeable about the area. It is at this point when people form their habits for the rest of the year because classes take away all of their exploring time and so they stick to what they already know. Some places are giving away hot dogs just to get people in the door. Restaurants are giving away meals for large orders and school supply stores are giving away promotional mugs.
If you think about this strategy it really does work. I mean when I came here last year I had no idea where anything was in the area. I went around town with my parents and explored for the whole week. Then I became a hermit until thanksgiving break. Then I went home. After that I was spending all of my free time studying for finals and then after they were done I went home. There was no exploring and there was no chance for me to look at all of the business that the area has to offer. The businesses that I would frequent were all of the ones that I had gone to with my parents, excluding those that were expensive because they can afford them. I think that the strategy also works for people like me because I know which businesses I already go to and so I can sort of choose to look at all of the ones that I am not familiar with. Hopefully this year I can find something interesting and play right in to their plan. Then I can come back next year and get swayed some other way and frequent some other set of businesses.
Posted by Jen on Thursday, August 14, 2008 @ 8:45 AM
health and fitness
With less than three weeks until everyone gets back in to town and things really get busy again, everyone has some of the same things one their minds. I am sure that everyone is getting really excited to see all fo their friends again and to go out for some drinks when they get back in to town. Everyone probably has supplies left to buy and books to order before they get all sold out. I am sure there are some people that still don't have a place to live in the fall and they better act quick. There is also one big thing that is probably on all of the guys' minds right now in a big way since they have been away relaxing all summer long.
I know that stereotypes can be a bit hindering at times but for reasons of practicality I am just going to jump on one right now. In college it is very important for men to look good on the whole. We want our bodies to look strong and our skin to look clear. This is the time when we are looking for our potential mates and wives so we want to look our best because we don't necessarily want to spend the entire time in college devoid of contact with the opposite sex. That is why this is the time of the year when every man coming back to town has to be thinking about their own health and fitness. It is going to be constantly second to the schoolwork that has to get done to succeed financially and professionally in this world. The next three weeks are crucial for this because when classes kick in to high gear and everyone is so busy they want to rip all their hair out just to get a day off, then no one is going to be out there exercising to get in shape, just to stay in shape. If you're out there wondering how you're going to get a girlfriend this fall, start small and get you butt in to shape now. Look at your diet and look at your heart. There is no better time to start these habits that right now when you still have some time to breath.
Posted by Jen on Thursday, August 14, 2008 @ 8:33 AM
weight loss tips
There's one word to describe late night TV: greasy. Why? Well, there are usually three types of programs: car dealership programs, home improvement shows, and weight loss programs. Car dealership programs have greasy car salesmen selling greasy used cars that make your fingers feel greasy as you let the money slip right away. Home improvement shows are greasy because the guys doing the home improvement are sweaty. And weight loss programs are greasy because they promise to make the greasy fat melt away. And let's not forget, those bodybuilders always look pretty greasy, too.
Tonight's focus was on weight loss tips for the rich and famous and poor and unknown. Grease, grease, grease. I normally don't pay much attention to late night programming, but after a long day and a few too many espresso shots, I had no choice but to remain alert. Caffeine is the best but worst drink ever.
I watched as greasy bodybuilder after greasy bodybuilder advertised these special weight loss pills guaranteed to make you lose huge globs of fat by the mere second!! It was amazing...well, it was supposed to look amazing. I don't really know how amazing those programs are. I mean, who knows just how effective those pills are?
I always wondered how we know how revolutionary these pills are, especially if they are advertised to be brand new. I mean, did all these people really get this buff over some new pills that were supposedly just discovered? It just sounds a little unbelievable to me.
Then again, I've always been the cynic of the group. Not that I need any weight loss pills anyway. At 5'3” and 120 lbs, I think I do a decent job of maintaining my own weight without the aid of supplements and other help. Then again, I don't mean to talk badly about weight loss aids because it would be just my luck that I have something smart to say and I end up turning into a big roly poly who can't fit through the door anymore. I'm sure the weight loss pills do help somewhat. It's good for those who need them, as my grandmother would say.
I switched channels, only to land on a nice car dealership. Greasy!! And it was in Spanish, to top it all off! Great! Of course, I always see programs like this as an opportunity for me to expand my limited Spanish vocabulary and exercise my skills. Si, yo hablo espanol...
Posted by Jen on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 @ 9:16 PM
spa packages
Getting a gift for someone who has everything can be a daunting task. I love my mom, but she is one of these high maintenance people and she seems to get everything she wants. I guess that is an important thing for she is about to hit the big 50 and she is a really great mom and deserves the best. I really want to do something special for her, and thought it would be really nice to plan a mother and daughter weekend getaway. I really don't have a huge amount of money saved, and with the price of air travel and gasoline, I really wasn't sure how to make the most of our weekend together without spending an arm and a leg. I was out to dinner with my best friend Cari and was telling her about her dilemma and she helped me come up with the perfect solution. She said that a few years ago her mom got the two of them spa packages and that they had a blast. She said they got mud baths and massages. She said the spa had yoga and meditation sessions and that they truly did enjoy their time together. She said it was a great weekend of bonding and eating fruit by the pool and it was time together that she would never forget.
The spa they went to was local enough that it wouldn't cost a fortune to get there and so I gave them a call. They had so many packages to choose from, I couldn't decide over the phone, so they directed me to their website where I could get a handle on the different packages, what they offered and the different prices. Some were very reasonable, and some were out of this world expensive. In any case, after mulling it over for a few days, I finally decided on a package for us, which included massages, facials, manicures and pedicures. I didn't want to over book our time there or I was afraid it would not be relaxing and I really just wanted us to have some time together just hanging by the pool and sunbathing. Once I set everything up, I decided to call mom. I didn't want to tell her exactly what we were doing, so I just told her to have a bag packed and I told her what to bring for a weekend getaway. She spent half the phone conversation giggling and I thought it was really cute. I know that she is really excited and I know that we are going to have a great birthday celebration.
Posted by Jen on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 @ 1:50 PM
rehab for women
Many girls among the college community are at one point or another going to be victims of physical abuse, drug and alcohol binging, and self-destruction. The first two are not talked about enough in the public domain but the third is almost never discussed because of the atmosphere in which we live. Many females around this country from an early age are taught to have a poor body image by their parents, the media, and their friends. This poor self-image leads to a poor sense of self-worth and eventually a need to lash out in some way or another. Still desiring to be loved and the centers of attention, many females turn to negative means of gaining those things. A large problem that comes out of this is the incessant dieting and use of dietary supplements that created unhealthy people and instable minds.
Though it is a terrible climate for women to have to grow up and a terrible prospect to teach younger girls about, there are at least plenty of good options for those who find themselves in a situation of needing recovery. All of the country there are various programs for the treatment for eating disorder and diet pill abuse. Though many of these programs are coed, there are centers that focus on rehab for women out there. These programs very well could be said to save thousands of lives in that they give these young women hope and try to instill in them the fact that these are only temporary solutions to a problem that is in their head and not out in the world.
This is just one of the abuses that could possibly await these girls out there in college and beyond, but the world is also filled with plenty of people who want to help. The cycle of recovery is quite interesting in that most people who find some sort of solace about their past trauma tend to want to give back in some way. In doing so they increase the population of those who are helping and decreasing the population of those who are suffering. It is a very quick turn around of a system that takes lives and creates new ones all the time.
Posted by Jen on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 @ 1:32 PM
phone service
It can be really difficult living as a student during the long summer months. Especially for students like myself who really rely on the sort of seasonal work such as delivery driving and student based research, there is a huge lull in how much available income there actually is in a college town when finals week passes by. For me, as a delivery driver for a nice pizza shop, the drop off was so drastic that I had to live all for June without any phone service. Though my plan was really cheap and important in a lot of ways to the way I live. I just had to find somewhere in my small budget to drop something out for a short time. Luckily for me they were more than willing to simply suspend my service for the month and not actually totally disconnect my line and make me pay the fee for that.
If you are one of the students who is forced or chose to stick around during the summer in one of these college towns, you had better realize that things can change pretty quickly in your bank account. For myself I had to take on two jobs and stop doing the delivery driving for now. When the fall comes around again I will get back in to it because when students are around it the best job in town for the hours and the pay. Right now I am forced in to one of the many vacant food service jobs that are left open when everyone pours out of town. There in lies the upside of this drastic shift in workforce numbers. When everyone leaves there are businesses that can stay open all summer with a smaller crew, but they are always willing to take on some more help. These are the types of jobs that, though they may not pay very well, will not hesitate to just let you start right then and there if you are willing to do so.
The big point here that I am trying to stress is that if you are going to plan on being here next summer, you'd better have a pretty good plan or a strong will to give up some of your creature comforts for the season.
Posted by Jen on Friday, August 08, 2008 @ 12:38 PM
security cameras
My parents and I have just completed our goal for the summer. It was our goal from the fall that by the end of the summer we would have a brand new security system in our home and I would help to choose what would be best for us. We spent the fall and spring loosely looking at various sets of plans and the newest technology to try and decide on a system that would fit perfectly with their home. We have always had some form of a home security system in the house but it has been apparent for some time that there are some obvious flaws in the system's coverage of the house. We knew that from the start we would want to get something that was top of the line but some of the newer items were just a little bit over the top in their price to even possibly be affordable for our little family. I had the task in the spring of looking through a ton of security camera systems which would cover the whole grounds of the property so that, unlike our previous system, we could see every inch of the land at all times. I was the one whole felt most passionately about the security cameras so I was given that task.
By the beginning of the summer we had the whole of the system chosen and it was just a matter of getting everything installed and having everything tested for efficiency. This last weekend we finished testing all of the cameras in both the regular and the infrared, my idea, modes. Since we have finished the system I have decided that I will be coming back to campus a couple of weeks early to make sure that I get ready for the semester nice and slowly. Now I will be even more comfortable knowing that mom and dad are quite safe in their home now with the brand new system in place. I have also set the system up so that I can check it from my laptop at any time and make sure all is running well. Obviously I have all of my bases covered for the next year.
Posted by Jen on Thursday, August 07, 2008 @ 2:08 PM
online marketing
To maintain an upward growth in a digital market life we have today, the best bet for many of the smaller companies are outside of the typical view of what media and marketing actually are. That said though , they still follow all of the best tricks and habits of advertising. The biggest difference in the digital medium is the art of individualized attention.
Most people do not realize the change that has gone on right under their noses in the past decade or so. Unless you have been watching closely or you have read about this in technology articles, then you may very well have been a part of the crowd these firms have been tracking down and selling to. The technology has changed in such a drastic way as to allow for phenomenon such as search marketing. In this style of advertising and marketing, you are not only trying to market an item for all that it has to offer, but you are actually tailoring it to the individual based on information gathered. Much in the way that ads on television change with the types of people that watch at a particular time, we see that the way in which people search the internet and interact with people, the online marketing scheme changes. Each of us has ads thrown at us that match the needs of those things people search for. Key words that we all look for are then used to flood the net with those products which we are seeking in higher demands. It really is quite a fascinating process the way this works.
All of the newer strategies of online marketing match those of other media, the big difference though is the speed. Based on the searches around the world in a single day, we could see the shifting of entire advertising campaigns. The entire system of search marketing reacts around those items that people look for and desire most. The process that these firms go through is just refining their searches in to a funnel toward a product that meets that need. As the years pass, we may see this become the primary for of advertisement as the television and radio platforms lose their strength.
Posted by Jen on Thursday, August 07, 2008 @ 1:38 PM
web security
Among the student community I am sure that a great many of us have websites. All of these may range from the simple information and networking profiles that provide basic information, to the highly intensive student organization and business sites. For this budding generation of internet babies, we all have grown up with the convenience and comfort provided by the internet and all it has offered to us. For all of us we have developed much in the same way that internet has over these past decades. As we grow older we understand that the world around us is not only the warm and protective atmosphere created by parents and family, but there is a darker side to life. In the same light, as our use of the internet has increased we have all come to hear of the great value in web security and understanding how to be safe when communicating digitally. Though for most of us this has been common talk throughout our lives, mot of us don't understand how to keep ourselves as safe as possible short of just being plain reckless with our financial information in ways we wouldn't in the real world.
As a student I have taken it upon myself to become familiar with the ups and downs of the net to increase my ability to use it effectively as a tool. To understand how to use search engines and complete research faster is a great skill to have as a student. In the same light, even a basic knowledge of web application vulnerability can be the key to staying out of the statistics and in your own life. All of those sites that we run for fun or for business as students can turn from great to a burden with a single PHP hack. These attacks can turn our site in to a breeding ground for more trouble, or a digital pile of smoking rubble. That all depends on the intent of the hacker that got us. The point I am trying to make here for all of you out there is that if you don't know what I am talking about, you'd better learn quick or you could be in a world of trouble down the line.
Posted by Jen on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 @ 1:05 PM
hydroxycut
To get myself ready for the ladies in the fall, I have begun my own personal boot camp today. Me and four of my friends agreed that this would be something we all needed and a good way to keep each other motivated to meet our goals. We devised a week long intensive of various physical exercises and a diet plan that we will follow for the week. After the week is over we will continue to follow the diet plan and meet at least once a day to do an hour or so of some type of exercise. We have also prescribed ourselves to a form of diet pills known as hydroxycut. These diet pills will serve to help us shed that freshman fifteen we all feared, and gained. This whole thing is for the purposes of getting us in to much better shape very quickly, as well as helping us with the ladies in the fall when everyone comes back.
Every day we will begin our workouts with a five mile run. The run will basically go around campus three times and then back to our apartment. Then we will eat a breakfast of a grain and some fruit. Then we will do about an hour of yoga to stretch out our muscles and get our minds focused on what we will do all day. Then we will all go for a thirty mile bike ride on some trails in the area. This will be pretty difficult because we chose this trail for its steep grades and very few down hills. When we get home from the bike ride we will stretch again for another thirty minutes and have some lunch. When lunch is finished we will hit the weight room in the gym down the street. Today this proved to be the hardest part because we were totally worn out afterwards and ready to quit. Of course we didn't and we moved on to finish the day with dinner and then a light bike ride in town of about ten miles. Then I got home and took a shower.
This is one day finished and I have six more days left. I know that I can do it based on how well I did today but it is only going to get harder from here
Posted by Jen on Friday, August 01, 2008 @ 1:32 PM
sunrooms
If you are considering adding a sunroom design to an already existing house, just make sure you find yourself a good reputable company that specializes patio designs and sunrooms. Many companies provide this service as an add on to their already existing business, and do not specialize in this service. If you find a company like that they may wind up giving you less than what you are expecting. I have heard some real horror stories about sunrooms that leak and problems with the structures not being sturdy enough, and even some stories about sunrooms half finished and left that way by less than reputable companies.
The question then really is how do I know if I am using a reputable company to build my sunroom? And the answer is very simple. You need to do the research to find out exactly what you need to know about the company you are considering using, prior to paying them any money. There are simple things that you can look for or ask about when you are checking into a company. You can always check them out with the Better Business Bureau and if they have a good rating with them that is a really good sign. A rating of AAA is the best rating and the Better Business Bureau can also tell you if the company has had any complaints filed against them and if so for what. There are other things that you can look for like the Good Housekeeping Seal, Energy Star Certification, and AAMA Gold Standard Certification (this is an architectural certification and insures that you will get the best quality structure).
Looking thoroughly into any company before you use them to do work on your house is always wise. Keep in mind that for most people their primary investment is their house, and making sure that whatever work you have done to it is of the utmost quality is extremely important. It can be a little time consuming to look into the background of a company that you are considering to do work for you, but it is well worth the investment to insure that you are happy with the finished product.
Posted by Jen on Friday, August 01, 2008 @ 12:50 PM