Category Archives: Steel Manufacturer

You are a webmaster. That is what you do. And you have a website or a blog. Maybe you have several websites. But you are definitely not an artist. You have tried to create the banners, icons, logo or other artwork for your site and it just doesnt have that professional look. So you spend hours looking for free artwork and pictures that you can use on your site but that hasnt worked out very well either.

You could dish out the money to purchase artwork, and this can be expensive because you can either buy a suite of images or you can buy single images. And after that, you only have pictures or images. You still dont have a banner or a logo. These kinds of things need to be designed from the pictures and images! Thats why you need an artist!

So how do you get an artist without spending any money?

The answer to that is actually quite simple. You are not an artist but you are a webmaster and there is value in that! There are plenty of artists out there that dont know much about making websites and would be willing to trade some of their time for some of your time.

The common lament of a new artist is ” I need to get my work out there. I need some web exposure.” You can give that to an artist. You can give him or her some great webpages all about their artwork, their studio, store, book, or whatever projects they are working on. Thats the trade you offer -some free graphics for some free web exposure.

How to find the right artists

You are looking for an artist that is hungry for exposure and reasonably skilled at the craft. There are plenty of them out there and there are probably one hundred of that type for every “successful” artist. Start your search by first putting up something on your webpages. Something like this would be good: “Are you an artist? Would you like to create the banner for this website in exchange for write-ups about you and your work? Email me.”

Another excellent source of artists is the yahoo and google groups. There are a lot of artistic groups that have many artists who would love to get the chance to get their artwork onto a website. Join some of these groups and get a feel for what they all talk about then make a post with your proposition for a trade. I have done this and you will be shocked by how much response you get. This process also works well in forums.

The artists interest is key

You shouldnt just look for “an artist”. This approach doesnt work well. You have to look for an artist that is interested in the subject matter of your website. If your website is about unicorns then you need to scout out an artist who loves to do unicorn artwork. This applies to any subject at all from apple pie to zebras. There are plenty of artists who would be jazzed to do some artwork in that genre. Make sure you filter for this when looking for suitable forums groups.

How much of your web creation time should you put into the work?

A talented artist can often times sit down and have some really great stuff in an hour or two. It is really amazing how somebody can do this. Personally, I am willing to devote ten times that to writing about the artist and building web pages about him or her. Why? Because that artwork is gold. Over the course of time, thousands, even tens of thousands of people are going to visit your site (more if you are persistent). And that artwork will make a big impression. Its worth every minute you put into it.

What to offer

Reach into your toolbox and dig out some of your best stuff! Create an about the author page. If the author has a website, offer links. If the artist has created your banner you can offer to put a link in your navigation box that says “Banner for this site created by”. You can create a gallery of his work with explanations of how the artist created it. You can do a telephone interview. Or better yet, ask the artist what he would like in exchange for the artwork.

Finding good artwork is not a negative thing. Bartering for artwork is very much a positive thing because everybody benefits. You benefit by some great artwork, and the artist benefits by getting some legitimate web exposure. Take the first few steps and you will be surprised by the strong response you get from artists who are looking for some quality web exposure.

ab GliderAchieving a fit and healthy body is one achievement that many dream of. But with limited time to fit in a gym schedule busy people are trying to find ways they can gain a level of fitness in their own free time at home. A product that has recently come onto the market is the ab Glider. This newly designed piece of fitness equipment will certainly save you from going to the gym and will help you attain an excellent level of core fitness in the comfort of your own home.How Does It WorkUnderstanding how the ab Glider works and its unique two motion capability will give you a better appreciation of this machine. The ab Glider is primarily designed to offer workouts for the abdominal muscles. But because it offers two degrees of motion it gives you the benefit of both the circular burn and arc crunch to exercise and maximize your core development. These two motions will help you engage more muscles, getting a better cardio workout and burn up to twice as many calories as other similar but single motion machines.Built To Work And LastThe ab Glider comprises a curved track supported by two sets of legs that are attached to circular, wide spread feet for stability. Under the ab Glider track there is a strong handle support which terminates two handles. Each handle has a rubberized handle grip to ensure that you always have a firm grip while you exerciseThe ‘Glider’ itself is like a cushioned or padded seat with two sections to kneel on as you perform your workout. Your workout can be either ‘vertical’ where the track is aligned with the handles and you can perform an ab ‘crunch’ moving to and fro towards and away from the handles. Alternatively rotate the track 180 degrees and lock it in this position at right angles to the handles for a circular burn routine.More Than Just An Exercise MachineOther items supplied with the ab glider include are an LCD monitor, an eight week diet plan and two DVD programs. The LCD monitor lets you keep track of your progress, diet is important for real fitness and the DVD’s will show you how to use the ab Glider correctly.Easy To AssembleAssembling the ab Glider will generally take you less than an hour even if you only have basic mechanical skills. The unit has a strong and sturdy steel frame and its track is built to last a lifetime. The instructions suggest that you may need two people to assemble it. But some folk who have already assembled it suggest that you can do it by yourself.Be Sure To Watch The DVD’sThe majority of purchasers have found the ab Glider to be very easy to use and with the correct posture on the machine you will definitely feel the work out for your Abs. Make sure that you watch the DVD’s and understand the correct posture and positioning. Some users who felt that the machine was not up to scratch subsequently found that correct positioning made a significant improvement.A Few Issues But!There have been some other complaints about the ab Glider from a few less than satisfied purchasers. Factors such fixed handle bars rather than adjustable ones, finding the knee cup or knee pads to be uncomfortable and having the knees slip on the pads being the most mentioned. Some folk over five and a half foot tall found the lack of adjustable handle bars a limitation But even some of those who noted these short comings were prepared to give the ab Glider a five star rating if these minor changes were made.The majority of feedback for the ab Glider has been very positive. It would not be going to far to say that the ab Glider is ideal for people who want to gain in core strength and lose some excess weight. It gives you a really good workout with both its Circular Burn and Arc Crunch motions.Beats Competitors On PriceThe equipment is also very well priced when compared with its competitors which only exercise you in one motion direction – either circular burn or ab crunch. In fact it is about 30% cheaper than the popular Ab Circle Pro and over 60% cheaper than the Ab Coaster. With it its lower price and 100% money back guarantee the ab Glider certainly warrants close consideration by anyone looking to improve their core strength and body shape.