Looks like there’s another blog contest to pass on to everyone. Of course, I’ll have to admit I’m a little skeptical about this one. It seems that the prizes are just way too awesome. Hey, it’s worth an entry anyway, right?

CouponCodesMall.com is giving away lots of prizes (according to the contest page, over $10,000 worth - which is why I’m skeptical). Of all the prizes, I think I’d like to win the $500 cash (if it in fact exists) so I can finally buy a laptop that is a bit more modern.

Anyway, go check it out. It’s worth a shot.

Could you imagine reporting world events and news yourself? Even better than that, could you imagine getting paid for reporting the news?

Now, you do not even have to sit through years of broadcast training at a college to do just that. AllVoices.com allows you to sign up and post your own news stories, and even make a few extra bucks doing it.

Independent media outlets are not exactly hot news items, since they have been around for a while, however AllVoices.com is one of the only news services out there that will pay you for your articles.

The site features several different categories for news, as well as the ability to view news based on certain regions (to help you find stories that are more relevant to the reader). Over all, the site is nicely laid out, and let’s face it, the more unbiased news sources we can find, the better off we all are.

Go check them out!

It is always a good idea to research home care companies before trusting just anyone to care for your family members who need an extra helping hand. Fortunately, for those who may be looking for homecare in Greensboro North Carolina, some of that work has been taken care of by GilbertGuide.com.

GilbertGuide has gathered a set of pages with information on several different home healthcare options for people who live in and around the Greensboro area, helping to add a little bit of convenience to your already busy life.

Actually, the site has just that - links. I have been clicking the links and they appear to take me nowhere. Perhaps this is just a glitch with the site that will be remedied shortly. I would recommend bookmarking the site and visiting it again soon to see if that has been fixed, as it is most likely just an error (I hope).

Are you looking for a company to assist you with your tax planning and compliance needs? If you are currently living or working in the San Diego, CA area and need assistance making sure your tax strategies are firmly in place (or cleaning up the mess left behind from previous attempts gone horribly awry), then you should get in touch with Allen Barron (AllenBarron.com).

Allen Barron’s tax practice is made up of a complete range of professionals who focus on tax planning, compliance and consulting services from tax lawyers who have a very specialized knowledge of property tax, sales tax, state and local taxes, as well as international taxation.

Some of Allen Barron’s services include:

Business Acquisitions and Dispositions
Employee Compensation and Benefits
Family Wealth Planning
Estate Planning
International Tax
Nonprofit Tax Services
R&D Tax Credit
State and Local Tax

Go check out AllenBarron.com for more information, as well as to find out how you can contact them for all of your tax law needs.

Looking for that Batman Halloween costume? Want to save money on Joker costumes? Head on over to Extreme Halloween!

Right now, you can use coupon code JOKER for $12.00 off orders of $100.00 or more expires 11/5/08
or Use coupon code BATMAN for $6.00 off orders of $60.00 or more
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What can I say? I’m blown away by these speakers.

But I can’t just leave it at that, this is a review, not a Twitter post…heh.

A few days ago I received a package containing the MS21.2 PC speaker set from The Speaker Company. For years, I’ve used whatever cheap speakers I could find for my computer, sometimes even resorting to rigging up an arcane system which included a guitar amplifier. Sure it was loud, but a computer isn’t exactly a guitar, so it didn’t sound that great. I suppose you could say that from the very start, I was impressed with the MS21.2’s.

“Turn it down…the neighbors are gonna call the cops!”

Yes, that was my wife’s first (and immediate) impression when I was giving these speakers a test run. I started out trying a bit of Eric Johnson on them, followed by Roxette, eventually running the gamut of everything from jazz (which I am currently listening to) to death metal (Bolt Thrower).

It seemed that no matter what I played, it sounded great! I just can’t get over the excellent sound quality of these speakers!

I even tried to find something I didn’t like about them (for the sake of fairness). I noticed that when I turned up the volume, I was getting feedback. Then I realized that it was because I had not muted my microphone. Problem solved. After muting the mic, it was crystal clear, even when cranked.

So, tell me about these speakers…

Well, the MS21.2’s are exclusive to The Speaker Company. They push an average 80 watts, and consist of three speakers (two satellites and a subwoofer), and a controller. Setting them up took less than a minute (truthfully, they took longer to unpack than to set up), so I was able to dive in head-first into trying these out.

The MS21.2’s are decently priced (especially for their sound quality). You can get a set for $35.97 (and right now they are offering free shipping. If you would like to see them for yourself, you can go to The Speaker Company’s website.

The Final word.

I listen to all kinds of music. I have always preferred to listen at high volume, but only when there is superb clarity. I would have to say that these speakers definitely fit the bill. My compliments to The Speaker Company on an excellent product, and I would gladly refer anybody to them anytime.

I try to do my best to stay on top of decent contests, and this is another one.

For those who have not found this site yet, tenmilliondollarsg.com is a pixel site. What is that? It’s a site where you can purchase pixel links to your own site. How does that benefit you as a blogger? Easy. In a word…back links. OK, perhaps that counts as two words…

Reading over their site, it seems (and I could be wrong) that they are trying to earn ten million dollars with their site buy selling pixels at $1 each. Of course, in order to be seen, you’d have to buy at least 100 pixels, which comes off as a cool $100 - which is more than what might be in most bloggers’ budgets - especially beginning bloggers.

This site (the sugarbuzz project) effectively runs with a $0 budget. Neat, eh? Just a random fact for you.

So what it comes down to is this: if you have the money and you want to get a snazzy image link on a cool site with a cool concept (and help these guys reach their goal), the this would be the place to do it.

I thought you said there was a contest…

Yes, yes I did. So this contest they are having…it’s got a decent prize. What is it? It’s a $100 voucher for Amazon.com! Seriously, who here couldn’t use that?

I know I could!

If you want more information you should head over to the internet contest blog post and read up on how to enter it.

You can bet that I’m in on this one, which means you should be too. I don’t just enter every contest that comes along. There’s a strategy to what I do (and it works…just ask Carl Ocab).

Go check it out!

Time for another website review by yours truly! This morning we’re taking a look at SmartCreditChoices.com, a site that basically helps you decide which credit card offers are right for you. The site seems to cover just about everything you might want to know about current credit card offers, including cards with 0 balance transfers.

What?
A 0 APR balance transfer can be a good way to ditch your old card that has an outstanding balance. The way these work is you essentially use the new card to pay off your old card balance, then make the payments on the new card at your new annual percentage rate of zero. Nice, eh?

The Good
Smart Credit Choices seem to cover just about every question you might have, including allowing you to compare different cards from different companies so you will be able to find the right card to suit your needs. Yes, even if your credit sucks. The site is nicely laid out and easy to navigate.

The Bad
Honestly, I can’t find a whole lot bad to say about Smart Credit Choices. The site just looks nice. But I suppose I have to find something to criticize, right? Ok, the font is too small. Oh wait…that’s just my screen settings. Hmm, nope. The site gets my approval.

Conclusion
Smart Credit Choices is a very nicely built site, optimized for search engines and full of excellent information. If you are wanting to find a card that offers no fee balance transfers, Smart Credit Choices is the site you want to check out. I’m going to have to give this an A. Good job, guys!

Post originally from my other site, The Sugarbuzz Project.

I was asked to do a website review for Dallas photographer, Mark Oristano. I went over, checked out the website, looked through the portfolio, and this is what I thought about the site.

About the Site

Mark Oristano is a former sportscaster turned photographer. He specializes in doing classy, upscale photographs for performers, executives, active duty military (who get a special discount, which is not disclosed on his site, but you can contact him for details), as well as the general public. If you are a performer needing a headshot, Dallas is the place to be. Mark will do two different headshots (according to the site: one your agent will love, and one your mother will love). Looking at his portfolio, it’s easy to see that Mark Oristano is a great photographer. Dallas should be proud to have someone so adept with a camera.

Testimonials

“Shooting with Mark is like hanging out with your hip uncle for a few hours… and his main goal is to make you look and feel great. I couldn’t be more pleased with the way my shots turned out. Without a doubt I know they’ll get me noticed.”
-Lydia Mackay, Dallas

“My headshots from Mark are amazing. I had been stalling on getting new shots and I am so sorry I did. Mark shoots with both business and creative know-how. I got the shot I wanted - the shot that presented me exactly the way I wanted to be seen. I am truly pleased with them and have recommended him to many friends.”
-Julienne Greer, Fort Worth

Other Points of Interest

Mark Oristano wants to make sure that when you choose his photography service, you get what you pay for, and still get a good deal. Need proof? His website also features a section with tips on how to make your photography session more successful! In my opinion, a good photographer is one who loves what they do enough to make it something worth looking at, rather than just someone who is there to take some pictures and get paid. Mark seems to really care about his work, as well as his clients’ satisfaction.

Site Design

The site, while intuitive and easy to navigate, seems to be lacking a bit in the design area. Perhaps in the near future there will be some renovations, however I have to put more emphasis on ease of use than aesthetics. What can I say? The layout works, the site isn’t confusing, so it gets points with me.

Score

Mark Oristano seems to take great pride in his work, and for good reason. His pictures are very nice. My only gripe is that the site design could use a bit of touching up, but again, I emphasize functionality over looks. I’m going to have to give this site an 8 out of 10 points. If you are in Dallas and need some pictures taken, go have a talk with Mark. I’m sure you will be happy with that decision.

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Today we will be taking a look at a site that gives it’s readers information on free credit reports and other bits of information about personal finance. The site? Free-Credit-Report-Facts.com.

<strong>The Good</strong>
The site seems to present the reader with a pretty good overview of the basics of getting and understanding a free credit report, as well as some information on understanding bad credit loans and the like. I did not, however, manage to find any information on this site discussing how to find and compare credit cards, which helps the site look a bit less spammy. Overall, the design of the site is clean, simple, and not overbearing.

<strong>The Bad</strong>
Although the information that is given on the site is valid and well stated, the site (at least in my opinion) looks more like it is designed to snag a high page rank and draw users in with their keyword selection. At least on the surface, it doesn’t seem like it’s a site that would be maintained with any kind of effort, except for what would keep the site running. Granted, it’s not a bad site, but it is definitely designed to make dough for the designer via AdSense and affiliate marketing.

<strong>Summary</strong>
Free-Credit-Report-Facts.com is a nice looking and informative, search engine optimized, AdSense monetized site that could possibly do very well for the site author. I would recommend giving it a read if you are wanting to learn the basics of getting and understanding your annual free credit report. Believe me, everyone needs to at least take a look at their report once per year.