John McCarthy Construction Blog

Construction Dummies

Real Wheels – Mega Truck Adventures $3.78 Includes “There Goes a Bulldozer,” “There Goes a Monster Truck” and “There Goes a Tank.” 100 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English; sing-alongs; picture glossary; more. NOTE: This Title Is Out Of Print; Limit One Per Customer….

Calculated Industries 4020 Measure Master Pro Measurement Conversion Calculator $28.61 Ideal for faster more accurate material estimates (view larger). Get professional results every time with the handy, easy-to-use tool Measure Master Pro measurement conversion calculator (model 4020) from Calculated Industries. It’s ideal for designers, craftsmen, tradespersons, fabricators, woodworkers, and technicians for on-the-spot calculations, and it fits easily in a pocket, briefca…

Nordic Half-Dummy Lever Satin Chrome $62.88 Door Products, Tested to exceed 400,000 cycles required for grade 2 certification. Standard clutching mechanism provides resistance to damage caused by physical force. Lifetime Mechanical and 3 Year Finish Warranty…

Kwikset 802 Dummy Amherst Handle Set with LH Tustin Lever Kwikset Amherst style dummy handle set with left hand Tustin lever. Available in several finishes….

Haba Pacifier Dummy Holder Chain Construction Site $9.99 HABA 3706 – Wooden beads strung on a heavy cord make for a cute and safe attachment for baby’s pacifier. Measures about 9″ long. (Pacifier must have handle to work with this pacifier chain.) Made in Germany….

QuickBooks Premier Contractor 2012 $249.99 Financial Management – Standard Retail – CD-ROM – PC…

Sage Peachtree Complete Accounting 2011 [OLD VERSION] $19.99 Sage Peachtree Complete Accounting 2011 helps you work more easily and efficiently with robust core accounting and added features like job costing, time and billing, in-depth inventory capabilities, and analysis tools. Its multi-user option* helps improve productivity while providing screen-level security and a clear audit trail. Save time with simplified dashboards, management centers, integratio…

Peachtree Complete Accounting 2010 $19.99 Accuracy.  Control.  ResultsProduct InformationPeachtree by Sage Complete Accounting 2010 combines robust core accounting with features like job costing time and billing in-depth inventory capabilities and analysis tools. Its multi-user option1 helps improve productivity while providing control over who accesses data. Peachtree Complete Accounting 2010 provides 125+ customizable business reports…

Lorex Simulated Professional Outdoor Surveillance Camera $18.46 Authentic look and feelMetal body construction for durabilityPerfect for either indoor or outdoor applicationsIncludes metal mounting bracket sunshield and cable…

Building Chicken Coops For Dummies $8.15 As the popularity of urban homesteading and sustainable living increases, it’s no wonder you’re in need of trusted, practical guidance on how to properly house the chickens you’re planning (or have already begun) to keep. Building Chicken Coops For Dummies gives you the information you need to build the most cost-efficient, safe, and easy-on-the-eye enclosures for your backyard floc…

Domain Parking for Dummies

As a web surfer, I really do not like it when I come across a site that sounds promising in Google, click on it and discover nothing but ads. What is the purpose of such a site? Well, this practice of putting up a site on the web without content is known as domain parking, and can serve many purposes.

1. Later development – developing a web site takes time, and like any business starts with a simple idea. Along with that idea, you have discovered that the ideal domain name is available. You know that it will be quite a few month before you can do anything, but you can’t let the desired URL slip through your fingers. Who’s to say that it will be available in six months? So you buy the name, and now it is parked, just one simple page, online.

The company that you purchased the name through, the domain registrants, will usually offer domain parking for free. But once the page is developed, you will have to pay for hosting (with domain registrant or another company). While parked, your page can be monetized. Usually, this means ads by someone such as Google or Yahoo! If anyone happens upon your parked domain, and clicks on an ad, you make a little money. With a bit of research, you can find other ways to monetize your web site with other types advertising and affiliate links.

Now, here is the interesting part. I have a domain that I purchased a year ago that I have done nothing with, I haven’t even used domain parking to pick up a little jingle. But, the company I purchased it through has parked it, are advertising their services on it, and have monetized it so THEY are making a little jingle from MY parked domain! So, if you have to use domain parking for awhile before development, make sure you are the one making the jingle. Also, post a sign saying “Under Construction” or “Coming Soon” so that those who are interested can check back later.

2.Redirection of Web traffic – Sometimes there are web addresses that are similar to your own that you may want to purchase and then use domain parking to redirect to your web site. For example, if you had xyz.com, you may want to purchase xyz.net and then redirect all traffic from that site to your .com domain. This type of domain parking serves a purpose, they move you right on to the actual web site, so are only a minor inconveniece if they do not move you on fast enough.

3.Re-sale – Some people will buy a domain name for the sole purpose of reselling it to someone else. While waiting for a buyer, they use domain parking to make a little extra money, and to advertise the domain as being for sale.

In the early days of the web, a lot of people purchased thousands of domain names with the hope of reselling them at a later date for a profit. Though the prime names are gone, there are still many people who are holding onto domain names and hoping to resell them, some of these names have gone for thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This especially occurred in the early days of the web when domainers purchased trademark names and then sold them for exorbitantly high prices to the company. However, laws were eventually passed that protect trademark names from this practice, which is referred to as cybersquatting.

But when it comes to Search Engine Optimization, a key word domain name is king, so these are hot names which, if not being used for a web site, are often monetized and available for sale.

So, domain parking can serve multiple purposes, and as a web surfer I don’t mind the web sites that are under development or the ones that redirect me since it is usually quick, but the last type of web site is the one that I am most frustrated to come across!

About the Author

MJ is a free lance writer for Click Shops, Inc., which offers a unique opportunity for URL’s that utilize domain parking for monetization at www.domainprofitsharing.com .

Best book to learn construction?

HI, I have seen many books that tell you what to do…but I am looking for a “for dummies” kind of book that tells you why things are the way they are and what can happen if you don’t do it a certain way as well as explain in simple language…does anyone have any suggestions on this?

there is no easy way to learn construction. a carpentry certificate takes 5 years and so is a degree in structural engineering. a degree in architecture also takes 5 years. they all work together similarly with different level of difficulties.

lightsaber construction for dummies part 1

In by gone days all a contractor had to do was give the customer good quality and good service and he/she would be set. Then set back and let your customers do your selling for you. They would tell a friend and then that friend would tell a friend. Your phone would be ringing off the hook. I remember as an Architectural designer some days I would have up to four people wanting to schedule appointments for designs. Those days are long gone! But Fear Not! Click Here For Help