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10 Clever Ways to Raise Money for Your New Startup

1. Crowd Funding

It gets its name from the fact that the public funds your project using their own personal funds. You can take help of websites for that and let people decide the rest. Most of the websites currently use a reward-based system where investors are given some sort of reward.

2. Angel Investing

Angel investors are the entrepreneurs who have made fortune and are now looking for new start-ups to invest in. Some of the world’s largest businesses, such as Google, Facebook, Skype, and Twitter have developed due to angel investing.

3. Family and Friends

A number of successful businesses have started out with loans from family and friends. However, make sure your business doesn’t strain the relationships and beware of pitfalls that knock up during turbulent times.

4. Credit Cards

Credit cards can be viewed as temporary measure between getting your business started and obtaining other financing, such as availing loans, etc. They can be used when there is no other option available.

5. Bank Financing

This is one of the most popular and tried-and-tested methods for financing your new venture. Your banker may insist that you have your loan guaranteed by the Small Business Association (SBA) before approval. You can also offer some other form of security to get your loan approved.

6. Second Mortgage

These are also known as home equity lines of credit. These loans tap into the locked equity you have in your home. To calculate how much you can borrow – take the value of your home, and deduct the value of any outstanding mortgage. This is how much your second mortgage would be worth. Another advantage of second mortgage is that interest rates tend to be lower than other forms of financing.

7. Venture Capital

Venture capitalists invest in start-up businesses which have a high growth potential. Traditionally, they received equity in the business in exchange of funding it. Nowadays, they demand a mixture of equity and debt financing.

8. Business Partner

Maybe you don’t have the money to start-up a new business, but you know somebody who does. So, be on a lookout for any such opportunities. However, when selecting a business partner, make sure your business goals are aligned with each other and understand if both of you are on the same page.

9. Take Help of Social Media

With social websites going wide, you can reach a large number of people. Use this to your advantage and reach out to potential customers and investors.

10. Make Contacts

Make contacts and reach out to influential people who might be willing to help. This will give your business a boost.

Top 10 Health Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric is also loaded with Vitamin E, vitamin K, sodium, potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium, iron and zinc. Due to its these properties, it is often used to treat a variety of health problems.

Due to its various health benefits, turmeric has not only earned its place in the kitchen shelf but has also made it to the medicine cabinet and is an integral part of Ayurveda. It has been used by the Chinese over centuries. Here are some health benefits of turmeric.

1. Controls Diabetes

Turmeric can be used in the treatment of diabetes as it helps in moderating insulin levels. As it improves glucose control, it efficiently increases the effectiveness of medicine used to treat diabetes. Turmeric reduces insulin levels, thereby reducing the chances of type-2 diabetes.

2. Relieves Arthritis

The anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric are effective in treatment of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. In addition to that, the antioxidants present in it destroy the free radicals responsible for damaging the body cells.

3. Prevents Cancer

Turmeric has proven itself to work against cancer and destroy cancer causing cells. It is known to prevent prostate cancer and halt the growth of existing cancer and cells. The active component present in turmeric makes it a safe-bet against radiation induced tumors.

4. Reduces Cholesterol

It has now been proven that using turmeric for food seasoning can reduce the levels of serum cholesterol. It is no surprise that high cholesterol can lead to serious heart problems, hence maintaining proper cholesterol can lead to prevention of various cardiovascular ailments.

5. Boosts Immunity

Lipopolysaccharide present in turmeric has been found to stimulate body’s immune system. The antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral agents of turmeric can help in strengthening the immune system of the body. This goes a long way in ensuring protection from cold and flu.

6. Heals Wounds

Turmeric can not only be used as a disinfectant but it is also a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent. Any cut or burn can be treated faster and more effectively simply by applying some turmeric powder over it.

7. Skin Inflammation

As it helps in repairing damaged skin, it may be used in treating psoriasis and other inflammatory conditions. Due to its anti-inflammatory conditions it works better than other anti-inflammatory drugs without any side effects.

8. Pain Killer

Turmeric is a natural pain killer and aids in joint pain, headaches and muscle cramps. This is also a cox-2 inhibitor and hence a good news for people suffering from lupus, polymositis or other autoimmune issues.

9. Weight Management

Turmeric aids in fat metabolism and thereby helping in managing weight.

10. Cures Depression

Turmeric has long been used by the Chinese to cure depression.

Turmeric has also shown its effectiveness in curing Alzheimer’s disease and preventing liver diseases. It would be safe to say that a spoonful of turmeric a day, keeps the doctor away.

10 Popular Social Media Sites

1. Facebook: To access Facebook.com, you must create an account on the site which is free. Facebook's terms of use state that members must be at least 13 years old with valid email ID’s. After updating you're details, your Facebook profile is generated. Using Facebook.com you can:

o Browse and join networks, which are organized into four categories: regions, colleges, workplaces and high schools.
o Pull contacts from a Web-based e-mail account, into Facebook.com.
o Find friends in several ways, including search engine to look for a specific person and lot more.
o Facebook has recently crossed 500 million users and is the most popular Social Networking site of the world.

2. MySpace: On MySpace, your social network starts growing from the first day. When you join MySpace, the first step is to create a profile. You then, invite friends to join there and search for your friends on already profiled on MySpace these friends become your initial Friend Space. Once the friendship is confirmed all the people in your friends' Friend Space become part of your network. In that sense, everyone on MySpace is in your Extended Network. As part of terms of MySpace, the user must be at least 14 years old to register.

3. Twitter: Twitter is a very simple service that is rapidly becoming one of the most talked-about social networking service providers. When you have a Twitter account, you can use the service to post and receive messages to a network of contacts, as opposed to send bulk email messages. You can build your network of contacts, and invite others to receive your Tweets, and can follow other members' posts. Twitter makes it easy to opt into or out of networks. Additionally, you can choose to stop following a specific person’s feed.

4. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is an online social network for business professionals, which is designed specifically for professional networking, to help them find a job, discover sales leads, connect with potential business partners. Unlike most of the other social networks, LinkedIn does not focus on making friends or sharing media like photos, videos and music. To start using LinkedIn you need to register and create a profile page. To register to LinkedIn, you need to provide personal information. You can update the profile with your education and job details and a summary. Additionally, you can also give and receive recommendations from co-workers and bosses. There are more than 75 million professionals registered on LinkedIn.

5. Bebo: In the United Kingdom, Bebo is the second best social network. Bebo allows users to create social networking profiles for free. It offers many of the same features as other social networking sites. You can register a free account with Bebo and upload photos, videos and information. The site lets you connect with old friends and make new ones using a unique user interface. The site boasts users from more than a dozen countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Poland, France and Germany.

6. Friendster: Friendster was one of the first Web sites to bring it into mass culture. It was designed as a place to connect with friends, family, colleagues and new friends over the Internet. However, it went beyond just a one-way communication. Using Friendster, you can connect with friends and family, meet new people through the connections you already have, find people with similar interests, backgrounds or geographical locations, join groups by activity, school or interest, interact through message posts, games, blogs and application sharing, and share your details with the Internet community.

7. Hi5: Hi5 shares many similarities with many social network sites; however, it introduces some twists that make it worthwhile for people who love trying out new and interesting online communities. However, it is not one of the popular sites in the United States. This was a strategic move from the founder, therefore, Hi5 claims around 60 million members from more than 200 countries other than the US. One of the site's biggest transformations is the addition of many entertainment options, including games.

8. Habbo: The Habbo online community is inhabited by pixelated, cartoon-character alter egos. You can meet others in public rooms (nightclubs, restaurants, shops) and create private rooms for selected friends. Habbo employees heavily moderate the site, catering to its solid teen user base. Most of the users of Habbo are between the age group of 13 – 18 years. Although, a major part of the users are from the U.S., Habbo social networks is very popular in places like the United Kingdom, Japan, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Finland and more.

9. NING: Ning is the leading online platform for the world's organizers, activists and influencers to create social experiences that inspire action. It helps you create a safe and secure place online for like-minded people. Ning takes the idea of groups to a whole new level. The ability to create your own community makes Ning a great home away from home for organizations and groups looking to fill the social void.

10. Classmates: Classmates.com is different from most social networks, in the sense that most of its features are available to premium member. The price for premium members depends on the length of the agreement – shorter term results in a higher cost per month. Classmates.com is primarily used to reconnect with old classmates. The site features a search engine that lets you view other people who went to the same school you attended. Creating a basic Classmates.com profile is free and easy. However, most of the advanced features in Classmates.com are only available to paid users.

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Top 10 Free Web Hosting Sites

1. Webs.com

This site is a top-rated free website hosting provider which provides a free sub-domain easy website builder. If you intend upon a personalized look, you can buy a domain of your choice. It’s easy to use because of its drag-and-drop feature, which lets you create a website within minutes.

2. Blogger.com

This is a very popular blogging platform for all the budding bloggers. This is a Google product so you can stay assured. It offers many useful features with pre-customized themes. But if you must, you can also buy your own domains if you do not like the free sub-domains. The site has a very simple and user-friendly interface which makes it all the more easy and popular. Creating a blog here doesn’t require much technical skills. It is suited for all the novice bloggers.

3. Tumblr.com

This is another popular blogging platform used by thousand of bloggers worldwide. Apart from being a blogging platform, it is also a social networking site. As in other sites, you can make your free sub-domains or buy your own.

4. WordPress.com

This is a very good and popular blogging platform, ideal for hosting websites and blogs. You can get free sub-domains from it. It is considered to be the most secure among all free hosting sites. WordPress also has multiple plug-ins available online.

5. X10hosting.com

This is another great site for hosting websites as it offers domains in 3 different styles. It also lets you avail premium services.

6. Byethodt.com

This free web hosting site supports scripts of PHP and MySQL. It lets you choose between free sub-domainsor upgrading to a premium version if you are not satisfied with free sub domains.

7. FreeHostia.com

This is quite similar to Byethodt.com as it supports both PHP and MySQL scripts. It also offers a choice between free sub-domains and premium versions.

8. Yola.com

This is a site you must use if you are a beginner as it has an easy and simple interface. This site lets you create free websites for personal use. However, if you wish to make professional websites for business purposes, paying a small fee will let you enjoy all the great features available on the site.

9. Weebly.com

This is a great site for free web hosting as it provides unlimited bandwidth with powerful website building options. This has a drag-and-drop feature and pre-customized website templates which make it an easy-to-use website.

10. Biz.nf

This is again a good site for free web hosting which can be used through WordPress or Joomla. It also offers free sub-domains.
With various options available, it becomes very easy to create websites and blogs. So, what are you waiting for?